借 [Jiè] [English translation]

Borrow a quivering flicker from that corner street light

To illuminate two rugged shadows trudging down the road

Borrow a sliver of sunshine from the frigid depths of winter

To melt away the bone-chill of this nebulous world

Borrow nine meandering bends from an ancient river

To ferry a flickering flame towards distant shores

Borrow a soothing tune from melodies of the old days

To tenderly sing what cannot be said

The person blown to pieces by raging winds insists that their love wasn't all that deep

The person drenched to the skin in this downpour says that they aren't the least bit cold

How many more people will be blindfolded by the immense veil of night?

It has written itself on their eyes, yet admit they dare not

Borrow a lingering wisp of twilight from the departing dusk

To kindle one more light into this seemingly endless life

Borrow that old idiom, "The future is still long," to etch in mind

If we have no choice but to be worlds apart

The person blown to pieces by raging winds insists that their love wasn't all that deep

The person drenched to the skin in this downpour says that they aren't the least bit cold

How many more people will be blindfolded by the immense veil of night?

It has written itself on their eyes, yet admit they dare not

And yet, there'll always be shards of conviction that cannot be blown apart by the wind

There'll always be tear stains that cannot be wiped away by the rain

One of these days, the dawn sun will rise somewhere

One strip of rainbow, two people

Lend them a piece of haven for sheltering

Lend them a lifetime of ordinary quietude

• Artist:Mao Buyi