Oh, alas! How perilous and lofty it is! The difficulty of the Sichuan Road surpasses climbing to the blue sky! From the Silkworm Clump and Fish Fowl, the land was once so vast and desolate! For forty-eight thousand years since, it has been isolated from human settlements by the Qin passes. To the west, the Taibai Mountain hosts a bird trail that crosses the Emei Peak. When the earth collapses and mountains are shattered, brave warriors perish, and then the Heavenly Ladder and stone paths connect them. Above, the six dragons circle the setting sun; below, the rushing waves and twisting rapids turn back the river. Even the flying Yellow Crane cannot pass through, and monkeys and apes fret over climbing across the treacherous terrain. The green mud twists and coils, with a hundred steps and nine sharp turns winding through the rugged mountains. Touching the stars and exploring the wells, I look up and catch my breath, sitting and sighing deeply. I ask, when will you return from the Western journey? The treacherous cliffs are impossible to climb. All I see are sorrowful birds crying in ancient trees, males flying and females following, circling among the woods. I also hear the cuckoo mourning under the moonlit night, lamenting the empty mountains. The difficulty of the Sichuan Road surpasses climbing to the blue sky, making people’s faces fade with sorrow upon hearing it! The peaks stretch so close to the sky, not even a foot apart; withered pines hang upside down on the cliffs. Rapid torrents and waterfalls roar loudly, and rocks tumble down cliffs, causing thunder in ten thousand valleys. Such danger is unparalleled—why do you, travelers from afar, come here? The Jian Gate is towering and majestic, a single man guarding the pass, and ten thousand cannot open it. Sometimes, the defenses are not even guarded by kin, turning into wolves and jackals. By morning, you must avoid fierce tigers; by evening, long snakes. Gnashing teeth and sucking blood, killing people like weeds. Though the city of Jin is said to be joyful, it’s better to return home early. The difficulty of the Sichuan Road surpasses climbing to the blue sky—turning sideways to look west, I sigh deeply!