INTRO

唧 唧 復 唧 唧            ji1 ji1 fu4 ji1 ji1  

木 蘭 當 戶 織            mu4 lan2 dang1 hu4 zhi1  

不 聞 機 杼 聲            bu4 wen2 ji1 zhu4 sheng1  

唯 聞 女 嘆 息            wei2 wen2 nuu3 tan4 xi2  

問 女 何 所 思            wen4 nuu3 he2 suo3 si1  

問 女 何 所 憶            wen4 nuu3 he2 suo3 yi4  

女 亦 無 所 思            nuu3 yi4 wu2 suo3 si1  

女 亦 無 所 憶            nuu3 yi4 wu2 suo3 yi4  

昨 夜 見 軍 帖            zuo2 ye4 jian4 jun1 tie3  

可 汗 大 點 兵            ke3 han4 da4 dian3 bing1  

軍 書 十 二 卷            jun1 shu1 shi2 er4 juan3  

卷 卷 有 爺 名            juan3 juan3 you3 ye2 ming2  

阿 爺 無 大 兒            a1 ye2 wu2 da4 er2  

木 蘭 無 長 兄            mu4 lan2 wu2 zhang3 xiong1  

願 為 市 鞍 馬            yuan4 wei2 shi4 an1 ma3  

從 此 替 爺 征            cong2 ci3 ti4 ye2 zheng1  

Ending

開 我 東 閣 門           kai1 wo3 dong1 ge2 men2  

坐 我 西 閣 床           zuo4 wo3 xi1 ge2 chuang2  

脫 我 戰 時 袍           tuo1 wo3 zhan4 shi2 pao2  

著 我 舊 時 裳           zhao2 wo3 jiu4 shi2 chang2  

當 窗 理 雲 鬢           dang1 chuang1 li3 yun2 bin4  

對 鏡 貼 花 黃           dui4 jing4 tie1 hua1 huang2  

出 門 見 伙 伴           chu1 men2 jian4 huo3 ban4  

伙 伴 皆 驚 惶            huo3 ban4 jie1 jing1 huang2  

同 行 十 二 年            tong2 xing2 shi2 er4 nian2  

不 知 木 蘭 是 女 郎   bu4 zhi1 mu4 lan2 shi4 nuu3 lang2  

雄 兔 腳 撲 朔            xiong2 tu4 jiao3 pu1 shuo4  

雌 兔 眼 迷 離            ci2 tu4 yan3 mi2 li2  

兩 兔 傍 地 走            liang3 tu4 bang4 di4 zou3  

安 能 辨 我 是 雄 雌   an1 neng2 bian4 wo3 shi4 xiong2 ci2

Mu-lan

Anonymous (5th or 6th century A.D.)

Translation from The Flowering Plum and the Palace Lady: Interpretations of Chinese Poetry by Hans H. Frankel

Intro

Tsiek tsiek and again tsiek tsiek,
Mu-lan weaves, facing the door.
You don't hear the shuttle's sound,
You only hear Daughter's sighs.
They ask Daughter who's in her heart,
They ask Daughter who's on her mind.
"No one is in Daughter's heart,
No one is on Daughter's mind.
Last night I saw the draft posters,
The Khan is calling many troops,
The army list is in twelve scrolls,
On every scroll there's Father's name.
Father has no grown-up son,
Mu-lan has no elder brother.
I want to buy a saddle and a horse,
And serve in the army in Father's place."

Ending

"I open the door to my east chamber,
I sit on my couch in the west room,
I take off my wartime gown
And put on my old-time clothes."
Facing the window she fixes her cloudlike hair,
Hanging up a mirror she dabs on yellow flower-powder.
She goes out the door and sees her comrades.
Her comrades are all amazed and perplexed.
Traveling together for twelve years
They didn't know Mu-lan was a girl.
"The he-hare's feet go hop and skip,
The she-hare's eyes are muddled and fuddled.
Two hares running side by side close to the ground,
How can they tell if I am he or she?"