The Khitan契丹興自朱梁初
1The Khitan rise
○契丹興自朱梁初, 統領諸戎相扇熾.
The Khitan rose at the beginning of the Liang of the Zhu house, and led the many tribes, fanning one another into a blaze.
2Yelü Abaoji
名阿保機姓耶律, 此祖與華驅竝轡.
His name was Abaoji and his surname Yelü, and this ancestor ran rein to rein with China.
Interlinear notes 2
一名億, 以前唐天祐四年卽位, 群臣上尊號曰天皇, 帝后曰地皇后. 元年丁卯, 在位十九年.
Another of his names was Yi (億). In the fourth year of Tianyou of the former Tang he ascended the throne, and his ministers offered him the honorific Heavenly Emperor (天皇) and called his empress the Earthly Empress (地皇后). His first year was the dingmao year, and he held the throne for nineteen years.
名阿保機姓耶律 — a Khitan name written in Chinese characters. Khitan and Jurchen names are given in Korean readings of those characters, since the sound in their own tongue cannot be fixed. He is commonly called Yelü Abaoji. ― translator
3Hair tents and felt carts
初都庵山遷木葉, 毳幕氈車陳旖旎.
At first they had their capital at Mount An, then moved to Mount Muye, and their hair tents and felt carts were drawn up in fluttering rows.
4Deguang, Taizong of Liao
○遼祖德光本耶律, 改姓爲劉是丹嗣.
Deguang of Liao (遼祖) was of the Yelü house, but he changed his surname to Liu (劉), and he was the heir of the Khitan.
Interlinear notes 1
元年丙戌, 我大祖九年也. 阿保機次子, 自太宗至末豫王, 凡九主, 合二百一十八年.
His first year was the bingxu year, which was the ninth year of our Taejo. He was the second son of Abaoji, and from Taizong down to the last ruler, Prince Yu, there were nine rulers in all, two hundred and eighteen years.
5No fixed capital
都於臨漢不須臾, 居無一定常遷徙.
They had their capital at Linhuang (臨潢), but they did not stay even a moment, and their dwelling was never fixed, for they were always on the move.
Interlinear notes 1
都於臨漢 — the base text writes 「臨漢」; it is taken as an error for 「臨潢」. ― translator
6A land of ten million horsemen
兵强國富制中朝, 絡野籠山千萬騎.
Their armies were strong and their state rich, and they held down the Central Court (中朝), with horsemen past counting, netting the plains and ringing the hills.
7He stumbles at the Yalu
豫王荒於色與禽, 偶至鴨江聊自躓.
Prince Yu (豫王) sank into women and the hunt, and coming by chance to the Yalu River, he brought himself down at last.
Interlinear notes 1
爲金兵所敗, 徒走得脫.
He was defeated by the Jurchen Jin army and fled on foot, barely getting away.