dēng yōu zhōu tái gē (by Chen Ziang)

I quietly compose a country song

Never meeting an elder before

Never meeting those who come after

Reading to heaven and earth is easy

Yet grieving along like this is right, but it's snot

CO

He recorded the song in a secluded province

Before his old man noticed

He didn't see the person approach from behind

He read heavenly and long felt calm

He alone grieved like this: mucus flowing downwards.

PBG

Verse from a remote station

She sees no old men sitting out front;

She sees no travellers coming behind.

She looks for signs from the heavens, and is despondent.

She is alone, and sad, and so her tears fall.

DJW

Climb to a secluded province to hear a song

Before you never met any ancient people, and

After you never met anyone at all.

From the sky you can read the sadness

Alone and mournful, it is right and fitting to let tears fall.

JV

I go up to the secluded province of song.

I used not to appear as an old man.

After going up, I do not see an approaching person.

I read aloud the sky and earth; it is achingly sad,

Alone and mournful, and so tears fall.

BK

Sing it quietly on the radio

I didn't see the old man before,

I didn't see who came later

I read angels were sad

Only I mourned, tears fell

MJH

Climbing onto the quiet provincial stage

I did not see the old man earlier.

I only saw him when I arrived;

I saw him declaiming to the sky,
comfortable with his grief in the field,
a sole sorrowful tear dripping down his cheek.

MAW

Climb the quiet mountain and sing

Ancient people do not appear in front of you.

No person at all appears behind you.

Read heaven and earth aloud, sad and at ease.

Mournful and alone, and yet no tears fall.

SMS

Radio Dengyou

In the earlier timeslot they didn't get to interview the old man.

In the next, nor the up-and-coming guy.

Had to make do with just reading out loud for a long time.

It was sad, and so, regrettably, the station dropped in the ratings.

LJW

A quiet recording of the song

After you talk to the old man

Before you see him

Read the signs in the heavens and the earth
for a long, long time
alone, with sad tears falling.

IW

Scale the secluded state

Stage a song, before appearing old, man.

After, not seeing the coming person,

read aloud to heaven and earth to ease her sadness

Only grieved so, yet not tears below.

JEC

Going up to register at the provincial office

Do not appear before the old man

Do not go back to him shouting

For earth and heaven grieve and lament

Only tears of mourning are appropriate.

CMW

Poem from a remote guard-station

Earlier, he would not see the ruler;

Now, he will have no visitors at all.

The sky and the land cry out loneliness.

He is so sad, that tears fall.

DJW