Help With this Phrase

[atndo]

I'm having trouble understanding this phrase I read in a novel. Doing some googling, it seems to be classical in nature: I might be wrong.

 

青山落日，秋月春风。当真是朝如青丝暮成雪，是非成败转头空。

[Jim]

It's a few poetic phrases cobbled together AFAICT (I had to check too), mix of Li Bai https://eastasiastudent.net/china/classical/li-bai-jiang-jin-jiu/ and and Yang Shen http://www.vincentpoon.com/the-immortals-by-the-river-----------------.html with the 秋月春风 also having been first used by Bai Juyi centuries before Yang.

Theme is the fleeting nature of human life:

青山落日，Setting sun, which I presume sets off these melancholy thoughts

秋月春风。Apparently can mean beautiful scenery but in the poems also good times in life, should imagine a bit of both is in play here but mainly the latter

当真是朝如青丝暮成雪，truly life passes by so quickly - this is more literally about having the black hair of youth in the morning and the snow-white hair of old age by evening

是非成败转头空。right and wrong success and failure in a moment become empty/meaningless

 

Bit crude but hope that helps you get the sense.

 

[atndo]

Thank you very much. I will study this.

[atndo]

The sun is setting over the blue mountains, the autumn moon and spring winds. Wearing fine black hair by morning, and snow white by the evening. Whether you succeed or fail; when you look back there’s nothing left. :/

[atndo]

The sun now sets over the blue mountains,

the autumn moon, and spring winds.

Having worn black hair in the morning to snow white by the evening.

Whether you succeed or fail, there's nothing left to look back to.

[atndo]

Ok, this is the final version: 

 

The sun sets over the blue mountains,

the autumn moon, and spring winds.

Hair like black threads by dawn, now snow white by the evening.

Succeed or fail; when you look back there’s nothing left.