Tang poems and Song Ci

竹枝词九首（其七） 刘禹锡 瞿塘 [1] 嘈嘈 [2] 十二滩， 此中道路古来难。 长恨人心不如水， 等闲平地起波澜。 注释： [1] 瞿塘：瞿塘峡，又名夔峡，西起奉节白帝城，东至巫山县大溪镇，全长八公里。瞿塘峡是三峡中最短、最窄、最险的峡谷。 [2] 嘈嘈：流水发出的嘈杂声。 Bamboo Branch Song （Ⅶ） Liu Yuxi From beach to beach the torrent splashes down its way; It’s hard to sail in the Three Gorges since olden day. But human heart is more dangerous than a whirlpool; You may be drowned in it though it seems calm and cool. The poet compares human heart to a dangerous whirlpool.

杨柳枝词（其一） 刘禹锡 塞北梅花 [1] 羌笛吹， 淮南桂树 [2] 小山词。 请君莫奏前朝曲， 听唱新翻杨柳枝。 注释： [1] 梅花：指汉乐府横吹曲中的《梅花落》曲，用笛子吹奏。 [2] 桂树：指代《楚辞》中的《招隐士》篇。相传西汉淮南王刘安门客小山之徒作《招隐士》篇来哀悼屈原。 Willow Branch Song （Ⅰ） Liu Yuxi The flute played on “Mume Blossoms” on Northern Frontier, “The Laurel Branch” to Southern River shore was dear. They were sung in the former dynasties for long. Now listen to my newly composed “Willow Song” . 《杨柳枝词》是唐代诗人白居易创作的一首七言绝句。这是一首写景寓意诗，前两句写景，极写柳树的美态，诗人所抓的着眼点是柳条，写出了动态、形态和色泽显出它的材质之美。后两句写的是诗人对柳树遭遇及自己的评价，因为柳树所生之地不得其位，而不能得到人的欣赏，寓意怀才不遇而鸣不平，含蓄地抨击了当时的人才选拔机制和相关政府官员。 The poem “Willow Branch Song （Ⅰ）” is a seven-line poem written by Bai Juyi, a poet of the Tang Dynasty. The first two lines of the poem are about the beauty of the willow tree, and the poet focuses on the willow, showing the dynamics, form and color of its material. The second two lines are about the poet’s evaluation of the willow tree and his own, because the place where the willow tree was born was not allowed to get its place and co...

再游玄都观 刘禹锡 百亩庭中半是苔 [1] ， 桃花净尽菜花开。 种桃道士 [2] 归何处， 前度 [3] 刘郎今又来。 注释： [1] 苔：青苔。 [2] 种桃道士：比喻昔日竭力打击革新派的执政者。 [3] 前度：前次。 The Taoist Temple Revisited Liu Yuxi In half of the wide courtyard only mosses grow; Peach blossoms all fallen, only rape-flowers blow. Where is the Taoist planting peach trees in this place? I come after I fell again into disgrace. In 829 the poet came again to the Taoist temple after his second banishment in 815. 《再游玄都观》是唐代文学家刘禹锡创作的一首七言绝句。这首诗重提旧事，向打击作者的权贵挑战，表示决不因为屡遭报复就屈服妥协。前两句写出玄都观经过繁盛以后的荒凉景色，后两句由花事之变迁，关合到诗人自己之升沉进退。全诗用比拟的方法，对当时的人物和事件加以讽刺，表现了诗人不屈不挠的坚强意志。 “The Taoist Temple Revisited” is a seven-line poem composed by Liu Yuxi, a writer of the Tang Dynasty. The poem revisits old events to challenge the powerful and noble who attacked the author, expressing that he will not give in to compromise because of repeated retaliation. The first two lines describe the desolate scenery of Xuanduguan after its prosperity, while the second two lines relate the changes of flower...

元和十年 [1] 自朗州召至京师戏赠看花诸君子 [2] 刘禹锡 紫陌 [3] 红尘 [4] 拂面来， 无人不道看花回。 玄都观 [5] 里桃千树， 尽是刘郎 [6] 去后栽。 注释： [1] 元和十年：公元815年。 [2] 看花诸君子：指一起承召回京的柳宗元、韩泰等志同道合者。 [3] 紫陌：京城长安繁华的街道。 [4] 红尘：街道上行人车马扬起的尘土。 [5] 玄都观（ɡuàn）：长安城南崇业坊（今西安市南门外）的一座道教庙宇。 [6] 刘郎：诗人自指。 The Flower-admirers Liu Yuxi Dust raised by cabs on grassy lane caresses my face; No flower-admirers but follow the cabs’ trace. Thousands of peach trees in the Taoist temple’s place Are all planted after I fell into disgrace. In 815 the poet lamented over his banishment from the capital in 805 with the result that he could not admire the peach flowers in the Taoist temple. 《元和十年自朗州至京戏赠看花诸君子》是唐代文学家刘禹锡创作的一首诗。此诗通过人们在玄都观看花的事，含蓄地讽刺了当时掌管朝廷大权的新官僚。第一、二句写人们去玄都观看花的情景，展示出大道上人欢马叫、川流不息的热闹场面，看花回来的人们“无人不道”花的艳丽，呈现出心满意足的神态；第三、四句表面上写玄都观里如此众多艳丽的桃花，自己十年前在长安的时候还根本没有，离别长安十年后新栽的桃树长大开花了，实则是讽刺当时权贵的。全诗语涉讥讽，且极辛辣尖刻，因此触怒了当权者。 A poem written by Liu Yuxi, a literary scholar of the Tang Dynasty, is a poem about people watching flowers in Xuandu. The poem is a subtle satire on the new bure...

乌衣巷 [1] 刘禹锡 朱雀桥 [2] 边野草花， 乌衣巷口夕阳斜。 旧时王谢 [3] 堂前燕， 飞入寻常百姓家。 注释： [1] 乌衣巷：位于金陵城南，因三国时为东吴乌衣营的驻地而得名，东晋时为高门大族聚居的地方。 [2] 朱雀桥：原是秦淮河上的浮桥，今已不存。从金陵城去乌衣巷要经过朱雀桥，东晋时桥上曾经建有装饰两只铜雀的重楼，据说是东晋大臣谢安建的。朱雀桥位于金陵城南，也与古代的“东苍龙，北玄武，西白虎，南朱雀”的说法相符。 [3] 王谢：指东晋的高门大族王家和谢家。当时，有种说法：“王与马，共天下”，王就是指开国元勋大将军王导所在的琅玡王氏。而陈郡谢氏也是代代都出高官，取得淝水之战胜利的就是谢氏家族的谢安。 The Street of Mansions Liu Yuxi Beside the Bridge of Birds rank grasses overgrow; Over the Street of Mansions the setting sun hangs low. Swallows which skimmed by painted eaves in days gone by, Are dipping now in homes where humble people occupy. The Street of Mansions were inhabited by the noble and the rich during the Jin Dynasty (280—420). 《乌衣巷》是唐代诗人刘禹锡的代表作之一，是怀古组诗《金陵五题》中的第二首。此诗凭吊昔日南京秦淮河上的朱雀桥和南岸乌衣巷的繁华鼎盛，而今野草丛生，荒凉残照，感慨沧海桑田，人生多变。作者选取燕子寄居的主人家已经不是旧时的主人这一平常现象，使人们认识到富贵荣华难以常保，那些曾经煊赫一时的达官贵族，如过眼烟云，成为历史的陈迹。全诗没有一句议论，而是通过野草、夕阳的描写，以燕子作为盛衰兴亡的见证，巧妙地把历史和现实联系起来，引导人们去思考时代的发展和社会的变化，含着深刻的寓意。语虽极浅，味却无限。 Wuyi Lane” is one of the masterpieces of the Tang Dynasty poet Liu Yuxi, the second poem in ...

石头城 [1] 刘禹锡 山围故国 [2] 周遭在， 潮打空城寂寞回。 淮水东边旧时月， 夜深还过女墙 [3] 来。 注释： [1] 石头城：曾是战国时楚国的金陵古城。三国时期东吴孙权在此地建起石头城，位于今江苏南京清凉山一带。 [2] 故国：曾在这里建都的王朝。 [3] 女墙：刘师培在《左盦外集·物名溯源续补》中认为“女墙”就是指城上的小墙，城垛。 The Town of Stone Liu Yuxi The changeless hills round ancient capital still stand; Waves heating on ruined walls, unheeded, roll away. The moon which shone by riverside on flourished land Still shines at dead of night over ruined town today. The town of stone refers to Jinling capital of six dynasties(220—604). 《石头城》是刘禹锡组诗《金陵五题》的第一首，全诗着眼于石头城周围的地理环境，在群山、江潮、淮水和月色中凸显古城的荒凉和寂寞，格调莽苍，境界阔大，感慨深沉，历来备受赞誉。 刘禹锡写作这首诗时，大唐帝国已日趋衰败。朝廷里大臣相互排挤；地方上藩镇割据势力又有所抬头。所以，这首诗并不只是发思古之幽情，诗人感慨深沈， 实寓有引古惜兴亡之意，希望君主能以前车之覆为鉴。 这首诗独辟蹊径，避开了和金陵、六朝有关的所有史实，将感情线编织在貌似无关的周边景物中，以一种内在的对比结构暗连出六朝古都昔日的繁华和今日的荒凉，虚实相生，极富张力。 The poem “The Town of Stone” is the first poem in Liu Yuxi’s group of five poems entitled “Five Questions of Jinling”. The poem focuses on the geographical environment around the Stone City, highlighting the desolation ...

西塞山 [1] 怀古 刘禹锡 王濬 [2] 楼船 [3] 下益州， 金陵王气黯然收。 千寻铁锁沉江底， 一片降幡出石头 [4] 。 人世几回伤往事， 山形依旧枕寒流。 今逢四海为家日， 故垒萧萧芦荻 [5] 秋。 注释： [1] 西塞山：位于今湖北省大冶县东，长江中流的要塞之一。 [2] 王濬：西晋大将，曾被晋武帝任命为益州（今四川成都）刺史，后受诏讨伐东吴。 [3] 楼船：有楼的大船。古代多用作战。 [4] 石头：石头城，位于南京清凉山，孙权时建城。 [5] 芦荻：荻，长得像芦苇，这里是指芦苇等杂草。 Mount Western Fort Liu Yuxi The Northern galleys went along the stream; The Eastern kingdom vanished like a dream. The iron chains could not bar the barges light; The Eastern king surrendered with flags white. How many times have we grieved over the past! Mountains commanding the river still last. We’re glad the world is unified today, But the fort shivers to see the reed sway. The King of Wu in the East tried to bar the river with iron chains, but the galleys of Jin in the North broke through and captured the King of Wu in 280. The fort shivers for it has witnessed the rise and fall of kingdoms. 《西塞山怀古》是唐代诗人刘禹锡的作品。此诗怀古伤今。前四句，写西晋灭吴的历史故事，表现国家统一是历史之必然，阐发了事物兴废决定于人的思想；后四句写西塞山，点出它之所以闻名，是因为曾经是军事要塞，而今山形依旧，可是人事全非，拓开了诗的主题。全诗叙说的内容是历史上的事实，状摹的景色是眼...

金陵怀古 刘禹锡 潮满冶城渚 [1] ， 日斜征虏亭 [2] 。 蔡洲 [3] 新草绿， 幕府 [4] 旧烟青。 兴废由人事， 山川空地形。 后庭花 [5] 一曲， 幽怨不堪听。 注释： [1] 冶城渚：位于今江苏南京朝天宫一带，据说是东吴时期冶炼吴钩、吴刀的场所。 [2] 征虏亭：位于南京市玄武湖北，东晋时征虏将军谢石的哥哥谢万曾在这里送客。 [3] 蔡洲：长江过南京江段中心的小岛。 [4] 幕府：指金陵门户幕府山，因东晋王导曾在这里建立幕府屯兵而得名。 [5] 后庭花：指《玉树后庭花》这首曲子，由南朝陈后主陈叔宝创作，后人一般用“后庭花”来象征导致陈灭亡的陈叔宝的骄奢淫逸。 Memories at Jinling Liu Yuxi The tide overwhelms the forge’s site, The tower drowned in slanting sunlight. The islet covered with grass green, And hills are veiled by a smoke screen. Man decides a state’s rise and fall, Hills and streams can do nothing at all. O hear the captive ruler’s song! How can you bear his grief for long? Jinling was the capital of six dynasties (220—604). The last ruler fond of pleasure-making became a captive and the place where weapons were forged was overwhelmed by the tide. 《金陵怀古》是中国唐代文学家刘禹锡的诗作。此诗前半部分写所见之景，点出与六朝有关的金陵名胜古迹，以暗示千古兴亡之所由；后半部分通过议论和感慨借古讽今，揭示出全诗主旨。全诗炼字精妙，感慨深沉。 The first half of the poem is about the scenery of the Six Dynasties. The first half of the poem is abo...

蜀先主庙 [1] 刘禹锡 天下英雄气， 千秋尚凛然。 势分三足鼎 [2] ， 业复五铢钱 [3] 。 得相 [4] 能开国， 生儿 [5] 不象贤 [6] 。 凄凉蜀故妓， 来舞魏宫前。 注释： [1] 蜀先主庙：蜀先生，就是刘备。先主庙在夔州（今重庆奉节）。 [2] 三足鼎：三国时期魏、蜀、吴三国鼎立的局势。 [3] 五铢钱：汉武帝元狩五年铸造的钱币，后来王莽新朝将五铢钱废掉。在原诗的题注中，刘禹锡写道：“汉末章谣：’黄牛白腹，五铢当复。’”这里五铢钱代指刘备兴复汉室的希望。 [4] 得相：指刘备三顾茅庐邀请诸葛亮出山，并任命为蜀国丞相。 [5] 生儿：指刘备的儿子刘禅，后来做了蜀国后主。 [6] 象贤：学习先祖治国的贤才。《礼记·士冠礼》中说：“继世以立诸侯，象贤也。”象，即法，就是学习的意思。 Temple of the King of Shu Liu Yuxi Your heroism under the sky From year to year spread far and nigh. Like tripod did three kingdoms reign; Old royal coins were used again. Your premier struck your kingdom’s root; But your son did not follow suit. Even Western dancers felt sad To make Northern conquerors glad. The Han Empire was divided into three kingdoms: Wei in the north, Wu in the east and Shu in the west where coins of the Han Dynasty were used. After the death of the King of Shu, his son surrendered to the King of Wei and enjoyed the Western dance as if he were not a captive of the Northern Kingdom, and even dancers of Shu were grie...

竹枝词二首 刘禹锡 （其一） 杨柳青青江水平， 闻郎江上唱歌声。 东边日出西边雨， 道是 [1] 无晴 [2] 却 [3] 有晴。 注释： [1] 道是：说是。 [2] 晴：“情”的同音字，用来暗喻感情的“情”。 [3] 却：一作“还”。 Bamboo Branch Songs Liu Yuxi （Ⅰ） Between the green willows the river flows along; My gallant in a boat is heard to sing a song. The west is veiled in rain, the east enjoys sunshine, My gallant is as deep in love as the day is fine. 《竹枝词二首》是唐代文学家刘禹锡的组诗作品。刘禹锡传世作品中，有竹枝词十一首，分两组，这两首诗是其中一组。第一首诗写的是一位沉浸在初恋中的少女的心情。她爱着一个人，可还没有确实知道对方的态度，因此既抱有希望，又含有疑虑；既欢喜，又担忧。 诗人用少女的口吻，将这种微妙复杂的心理成功地与以表达。第二首不像第一首那样以谐音写含蓄的情事，而是从身居蜀地耳闻歌唱自然地引发怀乡的幽思。全诗风格明快活泼，有浓郁的生活气息和鲜明的民俗特色。 Two Poems of “Bamboo Branch Songs” is a group poetry work by Liu Yuxi, a literary scholar of the Tang Dynasty. Among Liu Yuxi’s biographical works, there are eleven bamboo poems in two groups, and these two poems are one of them. The first poem is about the mood of a young girl who is immersed in her first love. She is in love with someone, but she does not yet know the attitude of the other party, so she is both...

再授连州至衡阳 [1] 酬柳柳州 [2] 赠别 刘禹锡 去国 [3] 十年同赴召， 渡湘千里又分歧 [4] 。 重临事异黄丞相 [5] ， 三黜 [6] 名惭柳士师 [7] 。 归目并随回雁尽， 愁肠正遇断猿时。 桂江东过连山下 [8] ， 相望长吟有所思 [9] 。 注释： [1] 连州、衡阳：连州，今广东连县。衡阳，指唐代横州治所。 [2] 酬柳柳州：酬，答谢之意，在这里指答复柳宗元《衡阳与梦得分路赠别》一诗。柳柳州指柳宗元，当时被贬为柳州刺史。 [3] 去国：就是离开京都的意思。去，离开。国，指长安。 [4] 分歧：分路赴任，柳宗元由水路至柳州，刘禹锡由陆路至连州。歧，岔路、分手之地。 [5] 黄丞相：指汉代的黄霸，字次公，淮阳阳夏人，曾两次任颍川太守。 [6] 黜（chù）：贬；罢免。 [7] 柳士师：指柳下惠，春秋鲁国人，居处曰柳下，死后谥号惠。士师，狱官，主察狱讼之事。 [8] “桂江”句：桂江，古代是广西水道的总称，有时也特指漓江。连山，指今天的黄连岭，在连州西南方向。 [9] 有所思：古乐府题名，在这里是借用字面意。 Farewell to Liu Zongyuan in Exile Liu Yuxi Recalled together after an exile of ten years, Again we’re banished for long miles and say adieu. We reappear but unlike our noble compeers; Thrice in exile I feel I’m unworthy of you. We watch returning wild geese till they’re out of sight; We’re sad to hear the monkey wail with broken heart. The Western River flows far from the Southern height. Longing for each other, can we be kept apart? The poet was banished to the south and his friend to the west for ten years, both were r...