While still in swaddling clothes, alas, both parents died.
Though raised amid silks and satins, who truly cared for her?
Fortunately she was born with a hero's breadth and magnanimity,
Never letting childish love affairs trouble her heart.
Like a clear moon and fresh breeze illuminating the jade hall.
Matched with a talented, handsome immortal bridegroom,
Winning what seemed an everlasting bond—
Enough to compensate her childhood hardships.
But in the end, the clouds scatter over Gaotang,
The waters of the Xiang River run dry.
This is the way of gain and loss in the dusty world;
Why grieve in vain?
English titles, text, and notes are AI-assisted for reading only; for scholarship cite the Chinese and authoritative editions.
Annotation
This song concerns Shi Xiangyun. Orphaned in infancy, she grew up in a noble house but was essentially dependent on others. Her character was magnanimous and open. Though she married well, happiness was brief—'clouds scatter over Gaotang' and 'Xiang River runs dry' hint at her husband's early death and her own desolate later years.
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