The Half-Beast Man
Ying Ti Xu – The Half-Beast Man / by Li Wenguan
莺啼序·半兽人 / 李文冠
Don’t rely on war and peace everywhere; mountains and rivers reveal their true face. 休凭战和到处，道江山眉目。
So hard to choose or let go—through ages, fame's pursuit: even white bones dream of fatter prey. 难取舍、万古功名，白骨仍思肥鹿。
Under blades and swords, heroes meet their final end; yet, imperial dreams were their lifelong prayers. 刀剑下、英雄末路，皇图恰恰平生祝。
After victorious campaigns, do those buried in abandoned graves have homes to return to? 计出师捷后，荒坟可有归宿。
One inch of loyal heart, yet chaos reigns far and wide; just sweep clean the lands within six corners. 一寸丹心，万方离乱，且扫平六服。
Vowing with blood, hair bristling with fury; armies fierce as tigers and wolves refuse dishonor. 碧血歃、怒发冲冠，虎狼之师不辱。
Turning tides, gold plunging into fire; who cares for life or death—whose brows would furrow? 挽狂澜、真金赴火，忘生死、何人眉蹙。
A fierce wind scatters fallen blossoms, finally extinguishing the waning candle. 烈烈风，吹散落花，消停残烛。
Young men carry great ambitions; maidens cherish passionate dreams; the world yearns for a hero’s rise. 儿郎志在，红粉心痴，天下念鸿鹄。
How many times startled awake from spring dreams, stripped of all garments, wielding pen onward, emulating Yue Fei. 多少次、惊了春梦，衣物全无，执笔长驱，效岳武穆。
Beneath vast skies heavy with dew, beside tranquil ponds listening to rain; mountains and rivers charm freely as paintings; sadly, talent is thin—best hidden away in a humble hut. 长天垂露，清池听雨，河山自在丹青媚，惜才疏，只得隐柴屋。
Idle pleasures—painting and writing life's ups and downs, yet never grasping human loneliness. 闲情逸致，写写画画沉浮，不懂人间孤独。
Too lazy now to lift the carved bow; sparrows and swallows come and go, farming and reading in my late-born years. 雕弓懒起，燕雀常来，是晚生耕读。
Should fierce beasts reappear, storms may rise again; war drums keep sounding, deaf ears retreat, mundane hearts dulled. 猛兽再、风云似复。战鼓频仍，聋耳将息，凡心庸碌。
Within ordinary moments, casually revealing heaven's secrets; frustrated that my memory won't grow or fade, always muttering about returning to worldly life before shaving my head. 平常事里，天机聊表，恨吾记性难消长，总嘀咕、落发前还俗。
With plum blossoms as wife, cranes as children, cautiously living in Jiangnan, I worry anxiously about losing my hair. 梅妻鹤子江南，战战兢兢，恐头发秃。