Book of Mountains and Seas: Scene III. The Legend of Ten Suns

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.