ChineseStudy

2. Magnolia Tune (Qian Weiyan)

Contents

Text

English translation

Above the city, spring is bright and the orioles call in restless profusion; below, spring-tossed waters lap the shore through veils of mist. How long will the green willows and fragrant grasses keep returning? Their sight does not console the speaker: tears rise, and grief has already broken the heart.

A sense of decline has gradually settled in. Looking into the decorated mirror, the speaker is startled to find that the once-radiant face has changed without notice. In earlier years, illness made the wine unwelcome; now the only fear is that the cup may be too shallow.

词句注释 · Notes

上阕 · First stanza

“莺语乱”写春日鸟声繁密，也可读出听者心绪不宁；“烟波”是水面迷蒙的景象。“绿杨芳草几时休”问的是春景何时消歇，春色越盛，愁绪越难排遣。

“莺语乱” describes a profusion of birdsong and may also suggest the speaker’s unsettled state. “烟波” is mist over water. The question about the willows and grasses asks when spring will end; the vivid season only makes the grief harder to escape.

下阕 · Second stanza

“鸾镜”指装饰有鸾鸟纹样的镜子，也可泛指镜子；“朱颜”是红润的容颜。“芳尊”是酒杯，也代指美酒，“尊”与“樽”通用。结尾把昔日厌酒与今日怕酒杯太浅并置，写愁绪加深；不必把它解释成具体的饮酒行为记录。

“鸾镜” is a mirror decorated with a luan-bird motif, and can simply mean a mirror; “朱颜” is a radiant complexion. “芳尊” means a wine cup, and by extension wine; 尊 and 樽 are interchangeable forms. The ending sets an earlier aversion to wine against the present fear that the cup is too shallow, showing grief deepening without claiming a literal record of drinking.

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