[In] this life, grief and happiness interweave, [and] love and hate have driven [me] to madness. What is there to fear about the matters of merits and demerits in front of [me]? The mountains and the rivers and the torches on the fishing boats are subdued and graceful. While drinking wine together, [we] should raise [our] voices in song[1] and bid [each other] a final farewell. When a thousand autumns have entered [my] dreams [and I] look back, [I've] already walked far away.
[With] this point of the finger, cities spread as far as the eye can see. What is there to fear about one's reputation falling into ruin after one's passing? The intact metal halberds and iron-clad horses of war; An absolute beauty, like flowers, like jade; A flourishing song that no one recognizes— [I've] already walked far away.
Bronze mirrors cannot reflect and show the past. [There are] blossoms [on] the springtime river [beneath] the moon, [but] the balcony is empty[2]. Where is the bright moon of that year now? [It] evokes a light, lithe [sort of] elegance[3].
It used to be that a thousand cups of wine would not inebriate [me]. All senses of conceited self-indulgence Are, in an instant, with a flick of the finger, Nonexistent after having been dissipated into dust.
It used to be that [I] was young and carried [myself] valiantly. The stirrings of the heart caused by the desire to [see] as far as a thousand li [5] Have been tossed aside, [And] quickly covered in dust.
被随手一扔 匆匆被尘封
bèi suí shǒu yī rēng cōng cōng bèi chén fēng
Tossed aside, [And] quickly covered in dust.
T/N:
[1] Cao Cao, warlord of the State of Wei during the Three Kingdoms period, had written two poems set to the music of (and hence known simply by the name of) 《短歌行》. The phrase used here, "对酒当歌", comes from the first line ("对酒当歌,人生几何?") of the more famous of the two.
[2] This line in the lyrics probably draws from Tang Dynasty poet Zhang Ruoxu's renowned poem 《春江花月夜》, which describes the nighttime scenery under the moon by the river in the spring and speaks of yearning/the sorrow of separation.
[3] This is a variation on the idiom 翩若惊鸿 (elegant as a swan goose in flight) used to describe someone's (typically a beautiful woman's) graceful posture and carriage. It originates from Cao Zhi's description of the goddess of the Luo River in 《洛神赋》: "其形也,翩若惊鸿,婉若游龙” ...Yes, Cao Zhi and Cao Cao are related. He was Cao Cao's son.
I guess you could also interpret this line of the lyrics literally: "[It] arouses [a flock of] swan geese in elegant flight."
[4] 寒雨夜来风 is actually incomplete because the full phrase is 朝来寒雨晚来风 (the frigid rain that comes in the morning and the wind that comes at night). The "comes in the morning" part is missing. The full phrase is a part of a line ("林花谢了春红,太匆匆,无奈朝来寒雨晚来风") from the poem 《乌夜啼》 by Li Yu, a ruler of Southern Tang in the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period.
[5] 欲穷千里 comes from the second line ("欲穷千里目,更上一层楼") of Tang Dynasty poet Wang Zhihuan's poem 《登鹳雀楼》. Literally, more or less, it says that if you want to see as far as things lying a thousand li (500 km or ~311 mi) away, you must climb up one more storey. If you want to see further, you have to stand higher.