One should sing in front of the wine,
Since how long the life will be.
‘Tis like the dawn dew;
The days gone are bitterly so many.
Though at times I’m excited or agitated,
I still can’t forget my sorrows.
How can I abandon my grievance?
The sole thing is Du Kang1.
So black is your garment;
So carefree is my mind.
But for your sake,
I keep thinking till now.
“Yao, yoa,2” the deer bells,
Grazing fern in the fields.
I have venerable guests;
Zithers and flutes playing.
So bright is the moon;
When can I get it?
Woe comes from my heart,
And won’t stop or go away.
Guests come across fields
To greet me from afar.
Now we talk and feast,
Thinking of our old friendship.
The moon’s bright, stars scarce;
Crows and magpies fly southward.
They hover thrice round the trees;
On which bough can they perch?
Mountains can’t be deemed too high;
Water can’t be deemed too deep.
Duke Zhou spat out what he's chewing3,
And so all hearts under heaven went to him.
