When the sun drops behind the mountains it is night,

When the moon drops behind the mountains it is day.

Today turns into tomorrow,

This year turns into the next.

Many, many times has the sun risen and set,

Many, many times has the moon waxed and waned.
 

One year turns into two,

Two years turn into three;

In the year of the Snake,

In the month of the Snake,

On the day of the Snake,

In the hour of the Snake,

Dragon King in the midst of the waters, ah!

Leads the Serpent Prince onto land,

To show him the happy life of man.

The earth's people are of many sorts,

There are good-looking people,

There are ugly people;

There are all sorts of men,

There are all sorts of women;

Still, there are all sorts of oldsters,

Still, there are all sorts of children.

Those on the riversides plant rice paddies,

Those on the mountaintops sow buckwheat.

By the bamboo groves the rice stalks are yellow,

On the mountaintops the buckwheat flowers are fragrant.

They lacked not for food, ya!

They lacked not for clothing,

Life passed by so happily!
 

The Serpent Prince became so fond of the rice paddies,

The Serpent Prince loved the buckwheat flowers so,

Seeing cattle and sheep spread upon the mountainsides,

He stopped in his tracks.

Seeing the human world at work he grew speechless.

Serpent Prince fell in love with mankind,

Deep inside he had a dream.

He would go among these laboring people,

Find a fine young maiden,

With her raise a family,

And thereafter live in the human world.
 

When can my wish come true?

When can my heart be satisfied?

Serpent Prince pondered each day,

He thought all through the year of the Snake,

He thought all through the month of the Snake,

He thought all through the day of the Snake,

He thought all through the hour of the Snake.

Serpent Prince pondered the human world,

Thought hour after hour,

Thought day after day,

Thought month after month,

Thought year after year.
 

Who says the Dragon Palace was a great place?

How could it compare to the human world?

Mankind's crops grow so well,

Mankind's flowers blossom fragrantly,

Mankind's scenery appears so radiant and enchanting,

Mankind's tweeting birds and chirping insects sound like wild laughter.

Good-hearted Serpent Prince, ya!

Fell deeply in love with the human world.