夢斷香銷四十年

時值南宋，中原遭胡虜洗劫之時，詩人陸游與表妹唐琬成親之後，陸游母親認為唐琬命裏剋夫，迫令他們分開。二人縱然相愛，卻被迫忍痛分離。陸游後來另娶王氏，唐琬也改嫁趙士程。三年後二人於紹興禹跡寺南的沈園相遇，唐琬更為陸游獻酒。兩人百般滋味，憂鬱悲痛直湧心頭，更感無限唏噓與感傷。陸游於壁上題了一首《釵頭鳳》，不久之後唐琬亦鬱鬱而終。四十年後，陸游重遊故地，看到當年題寫《釵頭鳳》的半邊破壁，想起佳人已離世，淚落沾襟，無限唏噓。又想到金人入侵，宋朝偏安時，陸游豪情未改，志圖恢復漢人江山，北定中原平四海，以向泉下唐琬表妹交待。

Forty Years of Cherished Love

When the Central Plains are looted by Huns in the Southern Song Dynasty, the poet Lu You marries his cousin, Tang Wan. His mother thinks that Tang will harm her husband and so she forces the two to separate, which they strenuously resist. Lu’s mother prevails, and the two lovers end up marrying other people—Lu marries Wang, and Tang marries Zhao Shicheng.

Three years later, the former spouses meet again in the Shen Garden in the south of Yuji Temple in Shaoxing. When Tang toasts Lu, mixed feelings well up in their hearts. On a wall, Lu writes a poem whichhe titles “Phoenix Hairpin”. Shortly after the encounter, Tang dies of grief.

Forty years later, Lu revisits the old place and weeps over the poem, reminiscing his beautiful wife who has passed away. Thinking of the invasion of Jin, Lu You, whose loyalty and patriotism run strong, decides to restore the sovereignty of Han by fighting the rebels in the Central Plains.