Tiger-Power the Immortal, robed now in his vestments and holding up the jade tablet, danced and scattered dust before the altar, then prostrated himself on the ground and, facing upward, made his declaration on high:

披了法衣: 了 = le. 擎著玉簡: 著 = zhe, holding it up and keeping it up; the 玉簡 is the jade tablet a priest carries when he addresses the gods, the same object a court official carries when he addresses the throne. 朝上: 朝 = cháo, facing upward. 啟奏 "to declare, to memorialise" -- again the word for submitting a document to a sovereign.

“In utter fear and trembling, we bow our heads and take refuge;

誠惶誠恐 "in all sincerity, awe and dread." This is not devotional language at all: it is the fixed opening of a memorial to the emperor, the Tang and Song equivalent of "Your obedient servant begs leave to report." Tiger-Power is writing to heaven on official letterhead. 稽首 (qǐ shǒu) "to knock the head on the ground." 歸依 "to take refuge, to submit," the Daoist spelling of what Buddhists write 皈依.

we your servants exalt the Teaching, our eyes lifted to the Pure Void.

臣等 "we, your servants." 興教: 興 = xīng, to raise up or promote; 教 = jiào, the Teaching. 清虛 "the Pure Void," the empty heights where the Daoist heavens are.

We have put down the mean and vulgar monks, and honoured the Way in its splendour.

滅僧 "wipe out the monks"; 鄙俚 "base and vulgar." 敬道光輝 "honour the radiance of the Way." Put plainly, he is boasting to heaven about a persecution -- and this is the creed that governs the whole 車遲國 sequence.

By imperial warrant we raised the treasure-halls, by royal command the courts and chambers.

敕修 "built by imperial decree"; 御製 "made at the sovereign's command." 庭闈 "the courtyard and the inner chambers." The couplet is an advertisement: look how much royal money we have been given.

Broadly we set out the offerings, and high we hung the dragon-banners.

廣陳 "laid out in abundance." 供養: 供 = gòng, the offerings. 龍旗 "dragon banners," an imperial emblem flying over a religious house.

The whole night through we have held the candles, all day long we have burned the incense.

通宵 "all night long." 秉燭 "to hold a candle." 鎮日 "the whole day." 香焚 "incense burned." The accounting of effort: we have kept the lights on for you.

Our single sincerity reaches those on high; our least reverence returns in piety.

一誠 "one undivided sincerity" -- the rising tone of 誠 keeps 一 at yì. 達上 "reaches those above." 寸敬 "an inch of reverence," the ritual habit of making yourself small in front of a god.

Now, favoured with your descent, while the immortal carriage has not yet turned back —

蒙 "to be favoured with." 降駕: 降 = jiàng, bringing the carriage down. 仙車 "the immortals' chariot" -- which, he assumes, is still parked outside.

we beg you grant a little golden elixir and holy water, to present to the court, that its years may rival the Southern Mountain.”

望賜 "we hope you will bestow." 進與朝廷: 朝 = cháo, to present to the imperial court. 壽比南山 "may your years match the Southern Mountain" is still a live birthday greeting in Chinese today, printed on cakes and banners; it comes out of the 詩經, the Book of Songs, and it is the note on which every petition of this kind ends.