Prior to further translation and analysis, I thought it was some ordinary love song. Apparently, I think this is a requiem, with a lot of themes on missing a dead loved one.
青山温润方知临门雨意 The blue mountains gently realize the signs of approaching rain arriving at the door 小炉温入浓甜香气 The water furnace warms into a dense, sweet fragrance 炊烟借片檐瓦白墙挂起 The joyful smoke borrows a slice of verge tile to be hung up on the white wall 恍然云下曲水白溪 In a flash, beneath the clouds sings a white stream of water
赊三两相思红玉缀青衣 To credit three taels* [is] yearning with lovesickness for the woman servant* decorated in red jade (青衣 literally means “blue clothes” but in Classical Chinese it refers to a woman servant.) 糯香漫溢方寸院邸 The fragrance of a glutinous cereal overflows through several square inches* of the mansion courtyard (方寸 can also mean “heart and mind”, so it would be referring to the heart and mind of a high official.) 春湖吹皱满怀多情心意 The spring lake blows with wrinkles, full of tenderness and affection 斟开隆冬雪末 不曾停息 Pouring open the end of the midwinter snow, never stopping to rest.
曾几青山长堤 Ever since who knows how many blue mountains have risen 万般颜色都不敌 With every manifold of color, [it] can never beat 一味碎金稻米 落笔染醉意 Stubbornly, [even with] broken gold pieces and rice paddies, [I] the pen, washing [it] with broken feelings 舟前浓墨伞底 In front of the boat, at the bottom of a dark-ink umbrella 此身烟雨也漂离 Your figure falls away from the misty rain 刹那岁月何夕 云去无痕迹 Slaughtering those years and countless sunsets, with the clouds leaving without a trace
择几片明前龙芽方称意 Just when [I] satisfactorily selected a few slices of dragon shoots before All Souls’ Day* (明前 refers to “before Festival of Pure Brightness (清明节)”, the Chinese counterpart of All Saints’ and All Souls’ Day or Day of the Dead.) 沏开热汤氤氲眸底 [And] infused boiling water to enshroud* the base of the pupils of my eyes (氤氲 can also mean generative forces of heaven and earth.) 不解柔肠百转如何别离 Not understanding how my numerously changing tender feelings* could never leave (柔肠 literally means “soft intestine or gut”, hence “tender feelings”.) 又是渡口寒烟 才知故里 Once again, it’s the winter mist crossing that I know that I am home
曾几青山长堤 Ever since who knows how many blue mountains have risen 万般颜色都不敌 With every manifold of color, [it] can never beat 一味碎金稻米 落笔染醉意 Stubbornly, [even with] broken gold pieces and rice paddies, [I] the pen, washing [it] with broken feelings 舟前浓墨伞底 In front of the boat, at the bottom of a dark-ink umbrella 此身烟雨也漂离 Your figure falls away from the misty rain 刹那岁月何夕 云去无痕迹 Slaughtering those years and countless sunsets, with the clouds leaving without a trace
白龙一点茶气 The white dragon lights up the scent of tea 思绪千字难提笔 [I] think of a thousand words, having difficulty to raise my pen 石巷青苔依稀 记四时痕迹 The stone-laded alley with moss is dimly visible, noting the vestiges of the four seasons 又起小炉新泥 Again, another small furnace is molded anew 烹透青艾圆糯米 Brewing thoroughly a blue mugwort rounded glutinous rice 一抔隆冬雪末 温热开雨季 Taking up the end of the midwinter snow in both hands, humidly opening the rainy season 执伞叩问 Grasping the umbrella, making inquiries 可否是归期 Can this be [your] date of return?
(糯米 can mean glutinous or sticky rice; but in this song, it seems to reference some sticky feelings.)
With China emerging as a world superpower, the recent moon landing and flag placement, the recent tension in Southeast Asia, and the recent construction of a nuclear FUSION reactor (contrast to the traditional fission reactor) and the upcoming gigantic projects, I think the world we are living in right now is not very different from Lostbelt 3. Note however, in the eyes of the Chinese, they are merely restoring their lost glory – the glory of the golden ages of the Qin, Han, Tang, Song, Ming, and Qing Dynasties.
Lostbelt 3 is set on an alternate history where the first emperor of China, Qin Shi Huang (秦始皇), has successfully found the elixir of life / immortality (长生不老药). As expected of Gen Urobuchi, the writer, this Lostbelt made me question society so much. I have so much thoughts on this particular Lostbelt. (Note how “SIN” refers to the prefix “sino-“, which means Chinese.)
“The Qin empire had a legal system, standardized units of measurement, paper money… It was very much ahead of its time in many ways. China would go on to see the rise and fall of many other dynasties, but when it comes to making progress as a civilization, such instability is… unhelpful. If Qin had remained as the sole power in China, no doubt it would have reached a point where it would easily swallow up neighboring countries, which could, in turn, have sped up humanity’s overall progress considerably.
In which case, if Qin Shi Huang somehow succeeded at becoming immortal in this history, [..] it would theoretically be possible for China to skip all of its years of instability and civil war and go straight to modernization.” – Sherlock Holmes (Fate/Grand Order – Lostbelt 3: Synchronized Intellect Nation “SIN”)
This is true. In fact, the development of a feudal system (封建制度) started at the beginning of the Zhou Dynasty (周朝), which was 800 years before the Qin Dynasty. Western history acknowledges the start of feudalism as early as the 5th Century CE. What was not emphasized, however, was the fact that China was already in the feudal ages in 1000 BC, 1500 years ahead of all other civilizations. What stopped China from any further development was the backwardness of the ideas and political systems that promulgated such a dynastic cycle and political instability.
“One thing we do know is that this nation has not seen the kind of societal change that typically accompanies scientific progress. The advancement of science inevitably makes authoritarian regimes obsolete past a certain point, but just look at that village.” – Sherlock Holmes (Fate/Grand Order – Lostbelt 3: Synchronized Intellect Nation “SIN”)
Note that democracy is NOT a prerequisite to modernization and advancement of science. Any civilization can fully exploit its people or other people to accelerate scientific advancement (i.e. Nazism). Sid Meier’s Civilization VI also demonstrates this.
“You say you began space development in the eighteenth century!? That’s as preposterous as Gandhi dropping an atomic bomb!” – Goredolf (Fate/Grand Order – Lostbelt 3: Synchronized Intellect Nation “SIN”)
It reminds me of the meme “Nuclear Gandhi” in Sid Meier’s Civilization. Yes, an immortal Qin Shi Huang would inevitably lead to space development in the 18th Century.
The China in this alternate history has the following characteristics:
People are totally illiterate. However, in this alternate history, hunger, sickness, and pain simply don’t exist. All of their needs are provided that they are contented enough not to leave their village wanting any more. People are not allowed to read poems or learn anything, and when moving from one village to another, they need to ask permission from the emperor.
“Heroic Spirits have always been one side to Alaya – mankind’s collective unconscious. They are defined foremost by their purpose: protective humanity. While there may be many different methods and conditions involved in summoning Servants, the one thing they all have in common, without exception, is responding to the summoner’s prayer.
However, if there was not a single person in the world who had the emphatic need to pray for something, and, if such a world had flourished unabated for hundreds of years, then it wouldn’t be surprising if that world lost its connection to the Throne of Heroes entirely.
Can you imagine a person wishing fervently for anything in a world free from hunger, pain, and suffering? I know I certainly cannot. Indeed, it only makes sense that Servants would never appear in a world where no one wishes for anything.” – Sherlock Holmes (Fate/Grand Order – Lostbelt 3: Synchronized Intellect Nation “SIN”)
People farm all day. Wheat is their source of ethanol, which is the main fuel of the empire and the source of all of their technology (in the form of sage arts).
For Qin Shi Huang, knowledge is fundamentally evil. (This is further demonstrated in our own history where Qin Shi Huang burned many books.) From our history, we know Qin Shi Huang being a legalist who ruled China with an iron first. This is consistent; with “Confucianism” being deemed by him as a “malignant disease”. If people learn something, they will end up getting annihilated. Qin Shi Huang will launch a meteor / nuclear missile and destroy the entire village.
“Confucianism is a malignant disease, and you its epicenter. We must cut you out like a tumor, lest you spread further. Knowledge leads to doubt. Once people are trapped by such delusions, they inevitably begin comparing themselves to others, and resent the world itself. Without such wicked individual egotism, this world can be paradise everlasting. It is through ignorance that our people live their lives in peace and health. And you arrogant Confucians would knowingly go about ruining that!
Confucians run rampant in your world. How long as it ever remained peaceful? Humans who gain knowledge inevitably come to believe that they are better than everyone else, which leads only to war, and all that creates is grief and sorrow! That is why such worlds cry out in such agony as to create a Counter Force in the form of Heroic Spirits. We shiver just imagining such a hell.
Do you disagree? Go on then. Tell us how your world is so wonderful in the way people from all walks of life can share in the mutual bonds of misery.” – Qin Shi Huang (Fate/Grand Order – Lostbelt 3: Synchronized Intellect Nation “SIN”)
War does not exist anymore and is merely in history books; people don’t even know that weapons exist. Conflicts do not exist because no one has knowledge.
“That means this world is so perfectly peaceful that not only do people not need to arm themselves; the do not even know what weapons are.” – Sherlock Holmes (Fate/Grand Order – Lostbelt 3: Synchronized Intellect Nation “SIN”)
Great Sky Wall of China – Since China in this alternate history dominated the entire world due to Qin Shi Huang being immortal, the Great Wall of China is now a “Sky Wall”, extending to the entire planet’s atmosphere.
Qin Shi Huang can order Xiang Yu to commit suicide. This is one of the salient points of ancient Chinese empires – emperors can order subjects to commit suicide. (There is a Wikipedia page dedicated to forced suicides in Chinese history: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Forced_suicides_of_Chinese_people)
As with almost every other East Asian civilization, the emperor is absolute. In this Lostbelt, this has taken an extreme turn. Qin Shi Huang became the subject matter of all art and creativity – hence the irony of being “creative” and “free”.
“Entertaining each other has been a key aspect of culture as long as people have existed. But here, the only true person – which is to say, the sole audience for entertainment – is Qin Shi Huang, and Qin Shi Guang alone. That’s why the emperor is the only subject of all the art these people create. Those who are deemed to have creative talent are gathered from countries all around the world, and brought here to spend their lives creating art directly beneath Epang Palace.
Certainly Qin Shi Huang loves the people of the empire, much like an owner loves their pets. In this history, all of mankind’s vile arrogance is concentrated in Qin Shi Huang. And all that remains are these lifeless, worthless excuses for pets. The whole city is basically nothing more than a giant cat cafe, only with primates instead of felines.” – Koyanskaya (Fate/Grand Order – Lostbelt 3: Synchronized Intellect Nation “SIN”)
Cryogenically frozen army reawakened in times of need – a reference to Qin Shi Huang’s Teracotta Army (兵马俑). The Terracotta Army was made by countless sculptures of soldiers buried together in Qin Shi Huang’s Mausoleum intended to protect the emperor in the afterlife. In this history where Qin Shi Huang attained immortality and technology is allowed to advance to modernization, Qin Shi Huang just needs to freeze all the rebels of his empire and then use them when needed. (This is theoretically possible as demonstrated in Sid Meier’s Civilization, where you can advance to the Atomic Era and launch nuclear missiles while the rest of the world is still in the feudal ages.)
Sage-art biochemistry and pharmacology far surpassing modern medical science. They have a “Benefaction Drug”, which, for the young, enhances the immune system beyond imagination and “improves” mental health through secondary psychotropic effects, and at the same time, for the elderly (by detecting hormone levels), becomes the most lethal anesthetic ever and quickly puts them into sleep, not allowing them to get sick and suffer. Their ethics has also “surpassed” our current ethics, with the concept of “prophylactic euthanasia” before people begin to get sick and suffer.
“I’ve mostly finished my analysis of the Benefaction drug, and it’s beyond anything I could have imagined. Its psychotropic effects are secondary at most. Its true purpose lies in boosting the immune system, or perhaps I should say, enhancing it to an unfathomable degree. And despite its potency, there are almost no negative side effects as long as one condition remains unmet. It is well beyond what modern medical science could achieve. In fact, I doubt even magecraft from Proper Human History could create a drug so effective. It is something that could only be made here, in a Lostbelt where pharmaceuticals and biochemistry are entirely based on sage arts.
… Indeed. And as a result, illness and disease have been completely eradicated. I doubt any of these people have had so much as a cold since they were born.
… Ah yes, That would be… old age. Once a person’s hormonal secretions have reached a certain level, this drug functions as a lethal anesthetic. I estimate it to be at least several thousand times more potent than pentobarbital. This is no unintended side effect. It’s quite clear that medicine was designed to work this way, [such that when someone’s body secretes a certain amount of hormones – in other words, once their body has aged to a certain point – they just die.]
From our perspective, distributing a drug like this is no better than mass murder. Still, a case can be made from a Buddhist perspective and how it views the four inevitabilities of human life – namely birth, aging, disease, and death. If one considered both old age and illness equally undesirable, one could say this medicine protects you from the pain of the former and the latter at once.
I cannot say if every world, under all possible conditions, would eventually arrive at these ethics of pharmaceutical science, but the wheat grown here has been extensively genetically modified into something extraordinary. Its resistance to disease, its yield – everything about it stands leagues above its natural counterpart in Proper Human History. With a crop like this, one could live their entire life without ever knowing hunger. And if you never had to worry about food, you’d probably never think to take it from someone else.
There is no economy here; no division between rich and poor exists. And we have all seen for ourselves how ignorant they are of war and violence. It seems that life here is far removed from the suffering that one might expect in our world as it is possible to imagine. And when their life has run its course, this drug puts them to sleep permanently, well before they can begin to fell the pain of old age. I daresay that, if nothing else… this world has done a frighteningly effective job at removing pain and suffering from people’s lives.” – Sherlock Holmes (Fate/Grand Order – Lostbelt 3: Synchronized Intellect Nation “SIN”)
Such a world – utopian in some aspects and dystopian in other aspects makes us question, “What if the world was like that?” It does seem utopian more so for very communitarian, Eastern cultures.
“We cannot just assume that Proper Human History is the only one that deserves to survive.” – Spartacus (Fate/Grand Order – Lostbelt 3: Synchronized Intellect Nation “SIN”)
“Master, you have yet to become an oppressor. Pay close attention to this world, and how its people live their lives. You must see for yourself whether it is they or we who are fit to inherit humanity’s future. Just as we now fight with against our destruction, so too should they have fangs and claws of their own with which to rage against destiny’s oppression! For justice can only be attained when two opposing rebellions clash.” – Spartacus (Fate/Grand Order – Lostbelt 3: Synchronized Intellect Nation “SIN”)
“But if it happens that true human dignity is to be found here in this Lostbelt, then I shall bend my knee in service to China.” – Spartacus (Fate/Grand Order – Lostbelt 3: Synchronized Intellect Nation “SIN”)
“How should the world be then? What is this “proper” world of yours like? How does your world function when everyone has their own idea of how things should be, while denying all others? How many people lose their lives to the ravages of war each and every day? How many innocent lives end is senseless tragedy? Has all your bloodshed led to even one good thing in your world? Or just been an excuse for the next war? We fought hard for a world without war – a world where peace could truly endure forever. My husband, my brothers – all of them gave their lives while fighting to make that dream a reality. We – the people of this empire – had to build this world on their corpses!” – Qin Langyu (Fate/Grand Order – Lostbelt 3: Synchronized Intellect Nation “SIN”)
Later in the Lostbelt, Jing Ke (荆轲) killed the “Qin Shi Huang” machine (and almost the human form) using a computer virus hidden in an iPhone. In Chinese history, Jing Ke almost killed Qin Shi Huang (at that time Qin Wang Zheng) using a dagger hidden in a map scroll. The conflict between two ideas of such a world was debated upon in the following conversation between Jing Ke:
QSH: “Proper” Human History. What a pretentious name. You wear your arrogance in believing that yours is the only true course of events on your sleeve. In spite of this arrogance, you behave as if your actions are dictated by morality.
JK: …Morality? Oh, so now you’re going to tell me that this is the good, just, moral world? Where you hold all power, where you don’t let even the tiniest seed of knowledge take root, and where you casually slaughter your citizens the instant they inconvenience you? You call THAT a good, moral world?
QSH: Absolutely. What more glorious purpose could there be for the human race?
JK: You don’t think of anyone, anywhere as human, except yourself!
QSH: You are quite correct. By concentrating this land’s bounty in a single point, we have become the ultimate human. Has any one individual ever ascended to such heights in your so-called Proper Human History? Behold our Great Wall encircling the sky. Behold the great harvest produced by the land. Who else could ever boast such greatness? Humans in groups cannot accomplish anything. They are shackled by discord, by conflict, by contradictions. So there will be no humans, no groups. A Zhenren – a true human – shall have total reign over heaven and earth, and unite the species. (Zhenren = 真人; true human)
JK: A Zhenren? Don’t make me laugh. You call this bloated mechanical monstrosity of a body human?
QSH: You believe the only human body is one of flesh and blood? That one’s status as a person is contingent on whether they have two eyes, four limbs, ten fingers? Utter drivel. The true measure of a human… is responsibility. It lies in bearing responsibility for this world – its skies, lands, and oceans, and the lives of all who dwell within. Can those of you from Proper Human History choose which species will go extinct? Can you decide the amount of coal that will pollute your atmosphere? Can you prevent the polar ice caps from melting? Were you ever once successful at controlling your endless desires?
Qin Shi Huang, being the epitome of Legalism, defines humanity as a measure of responsibility, or obligation, towards everything around us. I find this to be very close to what the Chinese culture is all about. Despite Qin Shi Huang’s hatred towards Confucianism, which is about values, morals, responsibilities and social harmony, he actually espouses it.
Jing Ke and Chaldea represents the post-Western influence (seiyouka / 西洋化) / post-Meiji era Asian culture which is starting to develop in modern China (as they turn more Japanese in terms of anime. The birth of liberal ideas began with the age of exploration, discovery, rationalism, enlightenment, and democracy – all of these are initiated by Western cultures, which Jing Ke represents.
QSH: We can do all of that, precisely because we are the sole arbiter of this world. Thus, we are human, for we bear all responsibility for this world on our shoulders alone.
JK: And now you’re saying this regime you’ve set up here has made this world complete? You really believe that?
QSH: We do.
JK: Hmph, then you’re a bigger fool than I thought. Being complete is just another way of saying “done.” This precious world of yours has no way forward. You’re stuck with nowhere to go.Thanks to becoming a Servant, I learned all sorts of things I could never have known in my own time. The future of humanity is all about possibility. I, and those who know me as a Heroic Spirit, have walked many distant worlds. You said to look at your Great Wall in the sky? I did. All I see is a monument to your so-called eternal empire’s limitations. You said you built that wall in order to defend against threats from other stars? Talk about presposterous. True, they’d have no way of building something like that in Proper Human History’s twenty-first century. But if they’d had the same resources at their disposal, you can bet they’d use them to explore beyond our world, not shut themselves away.
People share their opinions, pool their thoughts, and work together to achieve a common goal. This is just one more tool to help make that happen. People have always wanted better ways to communicate. They’ve never stopped looking for ways to reach mutual understanding and prosperity. That’s how the people… no, the humans, of Proper Human History live their lives.
QSH: Then… you are saying every one of the people in your world is a full human unto themselves..?
JK: You’re right about one thing. There’s no end of quarrels and disagreements. I’m sure we’re a long way off from uniting everyone under shared principles and ideals. Maybe we never will… Maybe humans will drive themselves to extinction, or suck the planet dry. Even so, WE aren’t done yet. And it’s because we’re still incomplete that we are always striving to go further than ever before. In our world, people are always moving forward toward something better. They’re not just stuck in one dead-end world that thinks it’s a utopia.
QSH: …What you claim to strive for is no more than a pipe dream. You have no assurance you will ever truly attain what you see.
JK: Yeah, that’s right. It’s a dream. It could easily fade away if we’re not careful. That’s why we all hope for the same thing: that humanity can reach new heights no one has ever seen.”
– – – – –
The story of Xiang Yu (项羽) is highlighted in this Lostbelt. Xiang Yu talks about being shameful, hated and forgotten. I immediately recalled the phrase “having no face to see the fathers and elders of Jiangdong” (无颜见江东父老). At first, I did not know this is one of Xiang Yu’s signature phrases, but I eventually confirmed this upon further research. According to Baidu:
During the war between the Chu and Han kingdoms (before the birth of the great Han dynasty), Xiang Yu sent an army of 8000 brothers from Jiangdong (his hometown) to attack the Qin army. The braver they fought, the more powerful they became. Due to Xiang Yu being strong-willed and opinionated, he did not do what his subordinates suggested, and pushed through alone. As a result he was surrounded by Liu Bang’s (founder of the Han dynasty) army beside the Wu river at Gaixia. Being battered at all sides* (四面楚歌 originally means being surrounded by the victorious cries of the Chu army), and with countless deaths of Jiangdong brothers (troops), Xiang Yu feels so much shame that he has no face to go back and see the fathers and elders of Jiangdong (his own hometown). Thus, he wielded his sword and beheaded himself.
– – – – –
Other notable quotes:
“Amidst the flowers a jug of wine, I pour one, lacking companionship. So raising the cup I invite the moon, then turn to my shadow which makes three of us.” – Li Bai (Fate/Grand Order – Lostbelt 3: Synchronized Intellect Nation “SIN”)
“Monsters that rely on brute strength are terrifying just by existing, but devious humans are terrifying because of what they actually do.” – Koyanskaya (Fate/Grand Order – Lostbelt 3: Synchronized Intellect Nation “SIN”)
Incognito 