LET THE PAPER HERON FLY

[Intro] Mànmàn lái… Spring has never hurried for anyone. [Verse 1] The White Horse gates lie quiet under pine, I took one branch of mei and made the road mine. A white jade sword, now broken in my hand, Once held a school, a sacred name, a promised land. I watched the lanterns fade from year to year, Watched every voice I loved grow faint and disappear. A thousand feasts passed tasteless on my tongue— Tell me, what is endless life when nothing feels young? [Pre-Chorus] Heaven keeps its rhythm, rivers find the sea, But living without feeling is no kind of liberty. So let the wind decide where I should go— My faithful mule already seems to know. [Chorus] Let the paper heron fly, Over mountains, under moonlit sky. A thousand springs may pass me by, But one taste of sweetness says I’m still alive. Let the paper heron fly— Mei in the snow, lanterns in the night. Mànmàn lái, the long road knows: Spring comes slowly… but it comes. [Verse 2] I’ve learned grand secrets, Qi and inner flame, And little roadside tricks without a proper name. Red paper sparrows flutter from my sleeve, Scattered beans become an army—if you choose to believe. I follow no map and never travel fast, The path ahead is kinder than the shadows of the past. A dumpling’s warmth, a breeze against my face— Small things return the colors time erased. [Pre-Chorus] Perhaps the Way is not above the mortal ground, Perhaps it lives in every taste and every sound. A flower, a stranger, laughter passing through— Perhaps the answer never needed to be new. [Chorus] Let the paper heron fly, Over mountains, under moonlit sky. A thousand springs may pass me by, But one taste of sweetness says I’m still alive. Let the paper heron fly— Mei in the snow, lanterns in the night. Mànmàn lái, the long road knows: Spring comes slowly… but it comes. [Bridge] On the fifteenth night, the lanterns used to glow, And Finch brought crimson blossoms from beneath the snow. Now strangers gather where my old companions stood— So different from my memories… And yet, perhaps, still good. I spent so long outside the warmth, Watching every feast begin. Tonight, leave one place beside you— Perhaps I’ll wander in. [Final Chorus] Let the paper heron fly, Past the ancient tree where I forgot the sky. Let the broken sword lie quiet tonight— I choose the changing world, I choose this fragile life. Let the paper heron fly— No immortal stands forever outside. Yīlù píng’ān, wherever I roam: Spring comes slowly… But it comes. [Outro] A humble boat on boundless streams… A paper bird among the leaves… Mànmàn lái. There is time enough to live.