𝗖𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝗲 𝗽𝗼𝗲𝗺 ⸙༉

37. Wuji 无羁 - The Untamed

[Note: It is a song not a poem]

Listen to the sound of a flute, alone in sorrow
The nights in the Cloud Recesses are long
Fair and foul is all in the past
Now that I am awake, how can I pretend it was all a dream?

In the red dust, the good and evil done, how does one remember?
Blood is warm but the blade is cold
The mountains are far and the waters are deep
The qin sounds once again
Confessions unfulfilled, like the quiet silvergrass reflecting the frosty moon

Brew a cup of life and death's joy and grief, to honour a young man
The bright moon is still the same, so there is no need for sadness
Why not soar high and free as a bird with the winds and waves
And sing this one song together to the world

Travelling down thousands of rivers, crossing thousands of mountains
Countless people passed by on my journey
Fair and foul is all in the past
Now that I am awake, let's pretend it was all a dream

In the red dust, the good and evil done, how does one remember?
Blood is warm but the blade is cold
The mountains are far and the waters are deep
The qin sounds once again
Confessions unfulfilled, smiling at the ever-changing world

Brew a cup of life and death's joy and grief, to honour a young man
The bright moon is still the same, so there is no need for sadness
Why not soar high and free as a bird with the winds and waves
And sing this one song together to the world

Brew a cup of life and death's joy and grief, to honour a young man
The bright moon is still the same, so there is no need for sadness
Why not soar high and free as a bird with the winds and waves
And sing this one song together to the world

And sing this one song to the world

Analysis:

无羁 - The Untamed

无羁 (wú jī) literally means untamed/unrestrained, and is usually the word used to describe Wei Wuxian, who is "the untamed one." Another interpretation is that because this song was originally named "忘羡 -Wang Xian" in the novel, which is a combination of Lan Wangji and Wei Wuxian's names, Wu Ji is a different way of combining Wei Wuxian and Lan Wangji's names together, even though the "ji" character is different.

闻笛声 独惆怅

Literal: The sound of the flute is heard, alone in feelings of sorrow and melancholy

Lyrical: The notes of a flute are heard, lamenting alone in sorrow

This meaning of this is relatively literal-the sound of the flute reminds Lan Zhan of Wei Ying, yet now he is alone and cannot do anything but lament over the old times and feel sorrow for what is no longer here.

云深夜未央

Literal: The nights are long in the Cloud Recesses

Lyrical: The night is still young in the Cloud Recesses

This is implying that the nights feel so long in the Cloud Recesses (Yunshen) because of Lan Zhan's longingness for Wei Ying to come back. The night has only begun, and it feels even longer as he thinks about Wei Ying.

是与非 都过往

Literal: Right and wrong, are all of the past