ChineseStudy

Tune: Qi (Liu Yong)

Contents

Text

English translation

It is late autumn. A brief shower scatters rain across the courtyard. Chrysanthemums by the rail stand sparse; leaves from the well-side plane tree lie in disarray beneath the fading haze. In sorrow I look toward the river pass: dark clouds drift, and the sun sinks without a word. Song Yu once felt grief while climbing hills and facing water in such a scene. The road is long, the traveler heartsick, weary even of the murmuring stream in the Long valley. Cicadas sing among ruined leaves; crickets answer in withered grass, their calls mingling everywhere. In a lonely inn, each day feels like a year. The wind and dew grow colder, and quietly the night advances. The sky is clear, the Milky Way pale and shallow, the moon bright. Thought stretches on through the long night. Facing this scene, how can I bear to count the days and secretly revisit the past?

I had no name or official income then, yet year after year slipped by among bright streets and painted houses. The capital was full of pleasures; in youth, there were feasts by day and by night. With unruly, eccentric friends around, whenever song and wine appeared we lingered on. Since we parted, time has sped like a shuttle, and former visits seem a dream. How many miles of mist and water still lie between us? The pursuit of fame and gain has kept me bound and worn. Looking back brings only a more sorrowful face. The water-clock advances; a faint chill settles in. A few broken notes from the painted horn fade into the night. Beside the quiet window I put out the lamp and wait for dawn, sleepless with only my shadow for company.

词句注释 · Notes

上片 · First stanza

开篇由庭院雨后景转向江关远望，并借宋玉悲秋传统说明登临易生愁。随后把视线从远道移到陇水、败叶、衰草，蝉与蟋蟀的相应声响加重秋日的空寂。 这一段从日长写到夜深，冷露转为澄空明月，景色虽清美，反衬孤馆中的难眠。屈指回想把抽象思念变成一夜一日的计数。

The opening moves from a rain-washed courtyard to a distant river pass, invoking Song Yu’s tradition of autumn sorrow. It then shifts from the long road to the stream, fallen leaves, and withered grass; answering insect calls deepen the season’s desolation. This passage moves from a day that drags on to deep night. Clear skies and a bright moon are beautiful, yet they sharpen the loneliness of the inn. Counting the days turns abstract longing into the measured passage of time.

下片 · Second stanza

词人回忆年轻时在京城的生活：尚未得名取禄，却沉浸于歌宴交游。这里不是简单怀念繁华，也为下文旧游如梦、年华流逝埋下对照。 末段把旧游的繁华转为现实羁绊：逐名求利使人憔悴，追忆无从挽回时光。漏箭、轻寒、画角依次标记深夜将尽；停灯向晓仍不能入睡，篇章以孤影收束。

The speaker recalls youthful life in the capital: before fame or office, he was absorbed in banquets and friendships. This is more than nostalgia for pleasure; it prepares the contrast with vanished visits and passing years. The final passage turns former pleasure into present constraint: the pursuit of status has worn the speaker down, and memory cannot restore the lost years. The water-clock, chill, and fading horn mark the night’s passage. He remains awake until dawn, ending with the image of his own shadow.

Feedback