Ballad of Mount Lu to Counselor Lu Xufu

Ballad of Mount Lu to Counselor Lu Xufu

I am a wild man of Chu,

singing the phoenix song and laughing at Confucius.

In my hand I hold a jade-green staff;

at dawn I leave the Yellow Crane Tower.

To seek immortals among the Five Peaks I never grudge the distance—

all my life I have loved to roam among famous mountains.

Mount Lu rises splendid beside the Southern Dipper,

its nine-folded screens spread like clouds of brocade,

its shadows falling upon the bright lake in hues of blue and black.

Before the golden gates two peaks tower tall,

the Silver River hangs upside down over the Triple Stone Bridge.

The Incense Burner waterfall gazes afar from afar,

winding cliffs and layered ridges rise into the deep blue sky.

Green shadows and red clouds reflect the morning sun—

no birds can fly over the endless sky of Wu.

Ascending high, I gaze magnificently upon heaven and earth;

the great river flows vast and never returns.

Yellow clouds for ten thousand li stir the colors of the wind;

white waves in nine channels roll like snowy mountains.

I delight to compose a song of Mount Lu—

my inspiration springs from Mount Lu.

At leisure I gaze into the Stone Mirror to clear my heart;

where Lord Xie once walked, green moss has swallowed the path.

Early I have taken the elixir and freed myself from worldly cares;

my heart is attuned to the lute, the Three Folds complete, and the Way is first achieved.

From afar I see an immortal within the colored clouds,

holding a hibiscus flower and facing the Jade Capital.

Beforehand I have pledged to roam beyond the Nine Realms—

I wish to meet Lu Ao and wander through the Great Purity.