明月幾時有，把酒問青天
不知天上宮闕，今夕是何年
我欲乘風歸去
唯恐瓊樓玉宇，高處不勝寒
起舞弄清影，何似在人間
轉朱閣，低綺戶，照無眠
不應有恨，何事長向別時圓
人有悲歡離合，月有陰晴圓缺
此事古難全，但願人長久，千里共嬋娟




http://210.29.193.120/musicfile/hrzh/百度前10/058邓丽君_但愿人长久.wma
http://www.up2c.com/book/qbook/zhongqiu/images/canjian.wma
http://soft.splife.com/dn/0501/danyuanrcj.mp3

Thanks for sharing the song; I enjoyed it although I did not understand a word said. Ha Ha ..... The melody was so soft and I could feel some of the emotion she was relaying through her music.

EastCoast

Thinking of You

When will the moon be clear and bright?
With a cup of wine in my hand, I ask the blue sky.
I don't know what season it would be in the heavens on this night.
I'd like to ride the wind to fly home.
Yet I fear the crystal and jade mansions are much too high and cold for me.
Dancing with my moon-lit shadow
It does not seem like the human world
The moon rounds the red mansion Stoops to silk-pad doors
Shines upon the sleepless Bearing no grudge
Why does the moon tend to be full when people are apart?
People may have sorrow or joy, be near or far apart
The moon may be dim or bright, wax or wane
This has been going on since the beginning of time
May we all be blessed with longevity Though far apart, we are still able to share the beauty of the moon together.


翻譯】
哪一年？（人間如此繁華，不知天下的今夕是否仍舊美滿！）我想駕著風回到天上去（以謫仙人自居），只怕那高處天上的瓊樓玉宇裡不勝清寒。如果天上比人間更為清寒，那這一刻形影共舞於月下，又跟天上有什麼分別呢？月光轉過紅樓，低低的進入美麗的窗戶，照著失眠的人兒。本來不應有什麼怨恨，可是你這無情的明月，卻為什麼偏向離愁的人們表示團圓？人有悲哀、歡樂、離別、聚合，月亮也有陰、晴、圓、缺，這些事自古以來就難以兩全，只希望人（指子由）能夠長壽平安，就是山隔水阻，千里迢迢，共賞一輪明月，我也就獲得安慰了！

dave, i just feel kinda regretted that u dont understand chinese, it's a poem by Su Shi, one of the greatest genuses in poem field in ancient china. the poem is so sweet and kinda heartbreaking, tears collect together in my eyes every time i read this poem

About >> Su Shi (蘇軾)
http://www.geocities.com/WallStreet/Floor/2391/essays/essay29.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Su_Shi


About >> Prelude to Water Melody (水調歌頭Shui diao ge tou Remembering Su Che on the Mid-Autumn Festival)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shui_diao_ge_tou


another way to sing it >> http://cls.hs.yzu.edu.tw/mp3/ode/%A4%F4%BD%D5%BAq%C0Y%A1%D0%C4%AC%B8%FD.MP3
(from : http://cls.hs.yzu.edu.tw/shenhg/pg-ci0360-drkaskmon.htm#top )




a translation >>

The moon -- how old is it?
I hold the cup and ask the clear blue sky
But I don't know, in palaces up there
When is tonight?
明月幾時有，把酒問青天
不知天上宮闕，今夕是何年


If only I could ride the wind and see --
But no, jade towers
So high up, might be too cold
For dancing with my shadow --
How could there, be like here?
我欲乘風歸去
唯恐瓊樓玉宇，高處不勝寒
起舞弄清影，何似在人間


Turning in the red chamber
Beneath the carved window
The brightness baffles sleep
But why complain?
The moon is always full at parting
轉朱閣，低綺戶，照無眠
不應有恨，何事長向別時圓


A man knows grief and joy, separation and reunion
The moon, clouds and fair skies, waxing and waning --
And old story, this struggle for perfection!
Here's to long life
This loveliness we share even a thousand miles apart!
人有悲歡離合，月有陰晴圓缺
此事古難全，但願人長久，千里共嬋娟

--- from http://www.dpo.uab.edu/~yangzw/sushi1.html#1.3

another translation (similar to Kahty's post) >>

Will a moon so bright ever arise again?
Drink a cupful of wine and ask of the sky.
I don't know where the palace gate of heaven is,
Or even the year in which tonight slips by.
I want to return riding the whirl-wind! But I
Feel afraid that this heaven of jasper and jade
Lets in the cold, its palaces rear so high.
I shall get up and dance with my own shadow.
From life endured among men how far a cry!

Round the red pavilion
Slanting through the lattices
Onto every wakeful eye,
Moon, why should you bear a grudge, O why
Insist in time of separation so th fill the sky?
Men know joy and sorow, parting and reunion;
The moon lacks lustre, brightly shines; is al, is less.
Perfection was never easily come by.
Though miles apart, could men but live for ever
Dreaming they shared this moonlight endlessly!


Tr. A. Ayling & D. Mackintosh

-- from http://www.chinapage.com/poet-e/sushi2e.html