夜色茫茫罩四周

The dim expanse wreathes the night in the mist-like beams, 　

天邊新月如鉤

and the hook-shaped crescent moon is hanging yonder sky.

回憶往事恍如夢

Memories are as blurry as a dream,　

重尋夢境何處求

in no way trace them back now.

人隔千里路悠悠　

The long distance separates us;

未曾遙問心已愁

how can a languished me bid you anything from afar.

請明月代問候

So all I can do is to ask the Moon as a messenger, 　

思念的人兒淚常流

bringing you my thoughts of constant tears.

月色朦朦夜未盡

It is still the misty moon yet to meet the sun,　

周遭寂寞寧靜

and silence is the only companion to lonesome me.

桌上寒燈光不明

The chill is still deepening the lamp on table, 　

伴我獨坐苦孤零

as the only company to a solitary me sitting there alone.

人隔千里無音訊

The long distance deters any message from you.　

欲待遙問終無憑

making it no way to bid you anything from afar.

請明月代傳信

So dear Moon please deliver my thoughts of him,　

寄我片紙兒慰離情

writing for me a piece of note as my consolation.

PS Once I watched a video online that an American young lady and her mother chorused this song beautifully in Mandarin, with good English translation as caption. (Much better than mine here.) I suggest you surf for the video, and you wont regret it.

It is told that the song had been once banned by KMT during early 50, not long after KMT troop and Chiang regime were trounced and fled to Taiwan. Many a soldier, willing or unwilling to follow KMT, was not allowed to communicate with his families who remained in Mainland. So, the song prevailed in the army and KMT thought it might have adverse influence on the morale.