Book of Mountains and Seas
for vocal ensemble with percussion instruments (2021)
Chapter I. The Legend of Pangu
《盘古开天地》
天地浑沌如鸡子，盘古生其中。
Tiāndì hún dùn rú jīzi, pángǔ shēng qízhōng.
The heaven and the earth were, at first, one blurred entity like an egg. Pangu was born into it.
万八千岁，天地开辟，阳清为天，阴浊为地。
Wàn bāqiān suì, tiāndì kāipì, yáng qīng wéi tiān, yīn zhuó wèi di.
After 18,000 years, the heaven and the earth are separated, the Yang, which was light and pure, rose to become the heaven, and the Yin,
which was heavy and murky, sank to form the earth.
盘古在其中，一日九变，神于天，圣于地。
Pángǔ zài qízhōng, yī rì jiǔ biàn, shén yú tiān, shèng yú di.
Pangu lived between them, and went through many changes every day, his wisdom greater than that of the heaven,
and his ability greater than that of the earth.
天日高一丈，地日厚一丈，盘古日长一丈，如此万八千岁。
Tiān rì gāo yī zhàng, de rì hòu yī zhàng, pángǔ rì zhǎng yī zhàng, rúcǐ wàn bāqiān suì.
Every day the sky rose ten feet higher, the earth became ten feet thicker, and Pangu grew ten feet taller, another 18,000 years passed.
天数极高，地数极深，盘古极长，后乃有三皇。
Tiānshù jí gāo, de shù jí shēn, pángǔ jí zhǎng, hòu nǎi yǒusān huáng.
The sky was extremely high, the earth was extremely thick, Pangu was extremely tall, only after then, the lords of heaven, earth, and mankind are created.
数起于一，立于三，成于五，盛于七，处于九，故天去地九万里。
Shù qǐ yú yī, lì yú sān, chéng yú wǔ, shèng yú qī, chǔyú jiǔ, gù tiān qù de jiǔ wàn lǐ.
Numbers started from one, built on three, established at five, flourished at seven, ceased at nine. Therefore the distance between the heaven
to the earth is nine million miles.
首生盘古。垂死化身，
Shǒu shēng pángǔ. Chuísǐ huàshēn,
Pangu was born first, and then by the time when he was dying, he transformed:
气成风云，声为雷霆，
qì chéng fēngyún, shēng wèi léitíng,
His breath became wind and clouds; his sounds became thunder;
左眼为日，右眼为月，
zuǒ yǎn wèi rì, yòu yǎn wèi yuè,
his left eye became the sun; his right eye became the moon;
四肢五体为四极五岳，
sìzhī wǔtǐ wèi sì jí wǔyuè,
his four limbs and five body-parts became four pillars to support the heaven and five mountain peaks;
血液为江河，筋脉为地里，肌肉为田土，
xiěyè wèi jiānghé, jīn mài wèi dì li, jīròu wèi tiántǔ,
his blood became rivers; his nerves and veins became mountain ranges, canyons, and paths; his muscles and flesh became fields and soils;
发为星辰，皮肤为草木，
fā wèi xīngchén, pífū wèi cǎomù,
his hair became stars; his skin became grass, bushes, and trees;
齿骨为金石，精髓为珠玉，汗流为雨泽，
chǐ gǔ wèi jīnshí, jīngsuǐ wèi zhūyù, hàn liú wèi yǔ zé,
his teeth and bones became gold and stones; his semen and marrow became pearls and jades; his sweat became rain and lakes;
身之诸虫，因风所感，化为黎甿.
shēn zhī zhū chóng, yīn fēng suǒgǎn, huà wèi lí méng.
all kinds of insects on and in his body, weathered by the wind, became humans.
Chapter II. The Spirit Bird
《精卫填海》
又北二百里，曰發鳩之山，其上多柘木。
Fā jiū zhī shān, qí shàng duō zhèmù.
Going north 200 miles, there is the Fajiu mountain, which has many Cudrania tricuspidata trees.
有鸟焉，其状如乌，文首，白喙，赤足，名曰“精卫”，
Yǒu niǎo yān, qí zhuàng rú wū, wén shǒu, bái huì, chìzú, míng yuē ‘jīng wèi’,
There is a kind of bird, its shape is like a crow, its head has patterns, its mouth is white, and its feet are red. Its name is ‘jīng wèi’.
其鸣自洨，是炎帝之少女，名曰女娃。
qí míng zì xiáo, shì yándì zhī shàonǚ, míng yuē nǚ wá.
It sounds like calling its own name. It was the youngest daughter is Emperor Yan, named Nǚ Wá.
女娃遊於東海，溺而不返，故爲精衛，
Nǚ wá yóu yú dōnghǎi, nì ér bù fǎn, Gù wèi jīng wèi,
Nǚ Wá swam in the Eastern Sea, was drowned, and never returned. Therefore, she is called “jīng wèi”.
常銜西山之木石，以堙於東海。
cháng xián xīshān zhī mùshí, yǐ yīn yú dōnghǎi.
It often carries small pieces of branches and rocks from the Western mountain, and throws them into the Eastern Sea to try filling it up.
漳水出焉，東流注於河。
Zhāng shuǐ chū yān, dōng liú zhù yú hé.
Zhāng River started from the Fajiu mountain, flowing East into the Yellow River.
Chapter III. The Legend of Ten Suns
《大羿射日》
东南海之外，甘水之间，有羲和之国。
Dōngnán hǎi zhī wài, gān shuǐ zhī jiān, yǒu xī hé zhī guó.
Beyond the South-Eastern sea, between the gān shuǐ, there is the Xī Hé kingdom.
有女子名曰羲和，方日浴于甘渊，
Yǒu nǚzǐ míng yuē xī hé, fāng rì yù yú gān yuān,
There is a woman named Xī Hé, bathing suns at Gān Yuan.
羲和者，帝俊之妻，生十日。
xī hé zhě, dì jùnzhī qī, shēng shí rì.
Xī Hé, the wife of Dì Jùn, gave birth to ten suns.
大荒之中，有山名曰孽搖頵羝，
Dàhuāng zhī zhōng, yǒu shānmíng yuē niè yáo yūn dī,
In the distant bare land, there is a mountain named Niè Yáo Yūn Dī.
上有扶木， 柱三百里，其葉如芥。
shàng yǒu fú mù, zhù sānbǎi lǐ, qí yè rú jiè.
There are fúsāng trees in the mountain, three-hundred miles tall, its leaves are like mustard leaves.
有谷曰溫源谷。湯谷上有扶木，
Yǒu gǔ yuē wēn yuán gǔ. Tānggǔ shàng yǒu fú mù,
There is a valley named Wēn Yuán Gǔ, also called Tānggǔ Valley, it also has a fúsāng tree.
一日方至，一日方出， 皆載於烏。
yī rì fāng zhì, yī rì fāng chū, jiē zài yú wū.
One sun just arrived, another sun just departed, they are all riding on three-legged Sunbirds.
湯谷上有扶桑，十日所浴，在墨齒北。
Tānggǔ shàng yǒu fúsāng, shí rì suǒ yù, zài mò chǐ běi.
Tānggǔ Valley has a fúsāng tree, it is where the ten suns bathed, in the north of Mò Chǐ.
居水中，有大木，九日居下枝，一日居上枝。
Jū shuǐzhōng, yǒu dàmù, jiǔ rì jū xiàzhī, yī rì jū shàngzhī.
In the water, there is a big tree, nine suns stay under the branches, and one sun stays above the branches.
尧时十日并出，草木焦枯，
Yáo shí shí rì bìng chū, cǎomù jiāokū,
At the time of the Emperor Yao, all ten suns came out all at once, all the grasses and trees were burned to death due to the heat.
尧命羿射十日，中其九日，
yáo mìng yì shè shí rì, zhōng qí jiǔ rì,
Emperor Yao ordered Yì to shoot down the ten suns, Yì shot down nine suns.
日中九乌皆死，堕其羽翼，故留其一日也。
rì zhōng jiǔ wū jiē sǐ, duò qí yǔyì, gù liú qí yī rì yě.
The nine Sunbirds and the nine suns all died, all their feathers and wings fell down. Therefore, only one sun was left.
Chapter IV. Kua Fu Chasing the Sun
《夸父逐日》
夸父与日逐走，入日；
Kuā fù yǔ rì zhú zǒu, rù rì;
Kuā Fù was chasing the sun, all the way to the place where the sun sets.
渴，欲得饮，饮于河、渭；
kě, yù dé yǐn, yǐn yú hé, wèi;
He was thirsty and wanted to drink water. He then drank from the Yellow River and the Wèi River.
河、渭不足，北饮大泽。
hé, wèi bùzú, běi yǐn dà zé.
The water from the Yellow River and the Wèi River were not enough for him, he then went north to drink water from the big lake.
未至，道渴而死。
Wèi zhì, dào kě ér sǐ.
He died of thirst before he could arrive.
弃其杖，化为邓林。
Qì qí zhàng, huà wéi dèng lín.
The walking stick he left behind, transformed into forests of peaches.
