If we had not met in Shen Yuan

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　　Red hands, yellow vine wine, and the spring scenery in the garden with willows by the palace walls. Tang Wan simply poured wine for Lu You with her bare hands – that’s all there was to it. Who says the east wind is harsh, that joy is faint? A cup of sorrow, years of separation. If the east wind had not been unfriendly, how could Lu You have parted with Tang Wan? How could there be a song titled ‘Chai Tou Feng’? 　　Sing together the tune of ‘Chai Tou Feng’ to express the sorrow of parting; yet it only lays the seeds for new troubles. People go their own ways; today is not as it was yesterday. My troubled soul is always like a swing rope. An accidental encounter in Shen Yuan; Lu You inscribed words to recall it. Tang Wan responded with lyrics. The timeless poems created a famous legend that began to spread, marking precisely the end of Tang Wan’s fate. The world is heartless, human relations are cruel; in the rain at dusk, flowers fall easily. Knowing that the rain beats on the banana leaves and petals lie scattered everywhere, they still make one last effort – how many foolish lovers are there in this world! Once people become individuals, they each belong to someone else; since they can’t be together, why then can’t they let go? They hold onto those feelings, causing themselves suffering needlessly. 　　Lu You and Tang Wan’s fate was fulfilled; they each married someone else. Though Fang Weng often composed poems and inscriptions in his old age to recall her, it was no match for having grandchildren around him to bring joy to his life; only Tang Wan remained alone on her path to the afterlife Meeting in Shen Yuan, so many memories come to mind. In the present situation, though my beloved is no longer here, there is still another kind of reality. Yet I just can’t let go; I fall ill and unable to recover, with all my talents going to waste. 　　Had they not met in Shen Yuan, perhaps Tang Wan would not have died of depression. People say that it’s impossible to sever such bonds; things only become more complicated, and that is the sorrow of separation – a feeling of its own. After parting, although Tang Wan could not forget her past love, she still obeyed her parents’ wishes and the suggestions of matchmakers, and married someone else. Life after marriage was relatively harmonious; they would go to gardens for fun, but then he happened to be there, and he wrote inscriptions as well, which shattered her fragile heart. With a broken heart, life is not long! If we had never met, visiting the garden would have been such a delightful experience; it might not relieve the pain of longing, but it certainly wouldn’t add new worries to one’s heart. 　　If, if... sadly, it’s not certain. Tang Wan was destined to be a victim of faithful love; she protected that tragic relationship and upheld the loyalty that demanded devotion through life and death!