The poetry below, Mountain Ghost, is a very interesting poem. When I play the qin piece "Shen Ren Chang" 神人暢 (神與人之道行和樂美暢, the unhindered way between human and god, or human and spirit), I often think about this poem.

Although from the footnote of this piece in the qin book [Xi Lu Tang Qin Tong 西麓堂琴統], it says that this piece was composed by Tan Yao 唐堯 (the Emperor Yao, over 4,000 years ago) when he was playing qin and god arrived to his room and told him to save people by controlling the flood, so Yao composed this piece. I feel that I might treat this piece, Shen Ren Chang, as a Daoist qin piece or a romantic ghost story by following Qu Yuan's "Mountain Ghost". At this moment, I would like to treat it as a romantic ghost story... :)

Translating this "Mountain Ghost" is not easy. From time to time, there are so many different explanations of this poem, yet one can still put his or her own imaginaion into it. Some say that this poem might be present as a female ghost's self lament; other say that it might be from a female ghost and a male human's conversation that the male human loves this mountain ghost but the ghost still doubts about his mind.

Here is my attempt of translation (I treat it as the lament of the female mountain ghost):

若有人兮山之阿，被薜荔兮帶女蘿；
There seems a person down that mountain valley, who is wearing Creeping Fig as her clothes and Tillandsia as her belt;

既含睇兮又宜笑，子慕予兮善窈窕；
Who glances sideways with smile, you love me as I am very pretty;

乘赤豹兮從文狸，辛夷車兮結桂旗；
I ride on a red leopard and follow a patterned raccoon, A cart made of magnolia with a laurel flag;

被石蘭兮帶杜衡，折芳馨兮遺所思；
top of the cart is made with Pyrrosla lingua and decorating with asarum, I pick a fragrant flower and want to give it to my love;

余處幽篁兮終不見天，路險難兮獨後來；
I live in a deep bamboo forest where I hardly see the sky, the mountain road is very dangerous and so difficult to walk that I am afraid I will be late to meet you;

表獨立兮山之上，雲容容兮而在下；
I wait on the top of the mountain, clouds are under my feet;

杳冥冥兮羌晝晦，東風飄兮神靈雨；
it is quiet and dark here even in the day time, the East wind starts to blow and bring the rain here;

留靈修兮澹忘歸。歲既晏兮孰華予；
I wait for my lover in a peaceful mind and don't remember to go back. Years past who can give my beauty back;

采三秀兮於山間，石磊磊兮葛蔓蔓；
I picked the Lingzhi mushroom (a mushroom that can help humans live longer) in the mountain, but the mountain is covered with heavy stones and vines;

怨公子兮悵忘歸，君思我兮不得閒。
I blame you and am disappointed that you don't remember to come back, perhaps you are thinking of me and not idle.

山中人兮芳杜若，飲石泉兮蔭松柏；
on the mountain one is as frequent as pollia Japonica, I drink the spring water in between stones and rest under pine and ceder;

君思我兮然疑作；
are you thinking of me, I start to doubt;

雷填填兮雨冥冥，猨啾啾兮狖夜鳴；
thunder is loud and rain makes the sky very dark, the monkey is crying till night;

風颯颯兮木蕭蕭，思公子兮徒離憂。
Wind is blowing, woods are making a mournful sound, I can merely suffer from the melancholy of missing you.