No. 43 · Song lyric · ci, a long lyric in two stanzas, to a tune the poet composed himself第 43 首 · 宋词 · 词·双调慢词（自度曲）

àn暗xiāng香·jiù旧shí时yuè月sè色

jiāng姜kuí夔Jiang Kui · Song宋

Hidden Fragrance: Moonlight of Old

jiù旧shí时yuè月sè色

suàn算jǐ几fān番zhào照wǒ我

méi梅biān边chuī吹dí笛

huàn唤qǐ起yù玉rén人

bù不guǎn管qīng清hán寒yǔ与pān攀zhāi摘

hé何xùn逊ér而jīn今jiàn渐lǎo老

dōu都wàng忘què却chūn春fēng风cí词bǐ笔

dàn但guài怪dé得zhú竹wài外shū疏huā花

xiāng香lěng冷rù入yáo瑶xí席

jiāng江guó国

zhèng正jì寂jì寂

tàn叹jì寄yǔ与lù路yáo遥

yè夜xuě雪chū初jī积

cuì翠zūn尊yì易qì泣

hóng红è萼wú无yán言gěng耿xiāng相yì忆

cháng长jì记céng曾xié携shǒu手chù处

qiān千shù树yā压xī西hú湖hán寒bì碧

yòu又piàn片piàn片chuī吹jìn尽yě也

jǐ几shí时jiàn见dé得

Underlined words have notes: tap one. The Pinyin button below shows or hides all pinyin. 一 and 不 are marked with the tone you actually say.字下有虚线的，点开有注释。下方的“拼音”按钮可以显示或隐藏全部拼音。“一”“不”标的是实际读出来的变调。

Line by line逐句翻译

旧时月色The moonlight of the old days,从前的月光，
算几番照我how many times did it shine on me算一算，有多少次照着我，
梅边吹笛as I played my flute beside the plum trees?在梅花旁边吹着笛子。
唤起玉人The music woke a lovely woman,笛声唤起了美丽的她，
不管清寒与攀摘and she braved the cold to pick plum blossoms with me.不顾清冷的寒气，和我一起攀枝摘梅。
何逊而今渐老Now, like the old poet He Xun, I am slowly growing old,如今我像何逊一样渐渐老了，
都忘却春风词笔and I have forgotten my young gift for writing.把年轻时写诗的好文笔都忘光了。
但怪得竹外疏花Yet to my surprise, a few plum blossoms beyond the bamboo只是奇怪，竹林外那几枝稀疏的梅花，
香冷入瑶席send their cool scent into the feast.把清冷的香气送进了宴席。
江国The river country江南水乡，
正寂寂lies quiet and lonely.正是一片冷清。
叹寄与路遥I want to send a branch to someone far away, but sadly the road is too long,想折一枝梅寄给远方的人，可叹路途太远，
夜雪初积and the night's snow has just begun to pile up.夜里的雪又刚刚积起来。
翠尊易泣Holding the green wine cup, I am easily moved to tears.端起翠绿的酒杯，忍不住要落泪，
红萼无言耿相忆The red plum blossoms say nothing, yet they seem to be missing someone too.红梅默默无言，却好像也在深深地思念。
长记曾携手处I always remember the place where we once walked hand in hand,我常常记得我们曾经手拉着手的地方，
千树压西湖寒碧where thousands of blossoming trees hung over the cold green waters of West Lake.千万棵梅树开满花，压在清冷碧绿的西湖上。
又片片吹尽也But once again the petals are blown away one by one.可是梅花又一片片被吹光了，
几时见得When will I see them again?什么时候才能再见到呢？

Words字词注释

旧时jiù shí: jiù shí: in the old days, long ago.旧时：从前，过去。
算几番suàn jǐ fān: suàn jǐ fān: counting up how many times. Fān means a time, an occasion.算几番：算一算，有多少回。番，回、次。
玉人yù rén: yù rén: a beautiful woman. The ci does not say who she was.玉人：美丽的女子。她是谁，词里没有说明。
清寒qīng hán: qīng hán: the clear, sharp cold.清寒：清冷的寒气。
攀摘pān zhāi: pān zhāi: pulling down the branches to pick plum blossoms.攀摘：拉下树枝，摘梅花。
何逊hé xùn: hé xùn: a poet of the Liang dynasty in the Southern Dynasties who loved plum blossoms and wrote a famous poem about them. Jiang Kui compares himself to him.何逊：南朝梁代的诗人，很爱梅花，写过有名的咏梅诗。姜夔用他来比自己。
而今ér jīn: ér jīn: now, these days.而今：如今，现在。
春风词笔chūn fēng cí bǐ: chūn fēng cí bǐ: a writing brush as lovely as the spring wind, meaning the gift for poetry he had when young.春风词笔：像春风一样美好的文笔，指年轻时写诗作词的才情。
但怪得dàn guài dé: dàn guài dé: only to be surprised. Guài dé means to wonder at.但怪得：只是惊奇。怪得，惊讶、奇怪。
疏花shū huā: shū huā: a few scattered plum blossoms.疏花：稀稀疏疏的梅花。
瑶席yáo xí: yáo xí: a fine seat or mat, meaning a feast. Yáo is fine jade.瑶席：华美的坐席，指宴席。瑶，美玉。
江国jiāng guó: jiāng guó: the river country, the lands south of the Yangtze.江国：江南水乡。
寂寂jì jì: jì jì: quiet and lonely.寂寂：冷清安静。
寄与路遥jì yǔ lù yáo: jì yǔ lù yáo: wanting to send plum blossoms to someone far away, but the road is too long. A Southern Dynasties story tells how Lu Kai picked a plum branch and asked a courier to carry it to his distant friend Fan Ye.寄与路遥：想折梅花寄给远方的人，可惜路太远。南朝有个故事：陆凯折了一枝梅花，托驿站送信的人带给远方的朋友范晔。
翠尊cuì zūn: cuì zūn: a green wine cup. Zūn means a wine vessel.翠尊：翠绿色的酒杯。尊，同“樽”，酒杯。
易泣yì qì: yì qì: easily brought to tears. Holding the wine cup, he cannot keep from weeping.易泣：很容易落泪。这里说端着酒杯，就忍不住要哭。
红萼hóng è: hóng è: red calyxes, meaning red plum blossoms. The calyx is the ring of small leaves that holds a flower's petals.红萼：红色的花萼，指红梅。萼，花朵外面托着花瓣的绿色小片。
耿相忆gěng xiāng yì: gěng xiāng yì: can never forget, keeps missing. Gěng describes something that will not leave the mind.耿相忆：一直忘不了，深深地思念。耿，心里放不下的样子。
长记cháng jì: cháng jì: always remembering.长记：常常记起，一直记得。
千树压西湖寒碧qiān shù yā xī hú hán bì: qiān shù yā xī hú hán bì: thousands of plum trees in bloom hang low over the cold green water of West Lake. West Lake is in Hangzhou; Solitary Hill beside it is known for its plum trees.千树压西湖寒碧：千万棵梅树开满了花，低低地压在清冷碧绿的西湖水面上。西湖，杭州西湖，湖边孤山上多梅花。
片片吹尽piàn piàn chuī jìn: piàn piàn chuī jìn: the petals are blown away one by one until none are left.片片吹尽：梅花一片一片被风吹光了。
几时见得jǐ shí jiàn dé: jǐ shí jiàn dé: when will I see them again?几时见得：什么时候才能再见到呢？

How to read it读音

长cháng: Here it means "always", so it is read cháng, not zhǎng.这里是“常常、一直”的意思，读 cháng，不读 zhǎng。

Background创作背景

According to the short preface before this ci, in the winter of 1191 Jiang Kui went through the snow to visit the poet Fan Chengda at Stone Lake. Fan asked him to create some new songs. Jiang Kui wrote two ci about plum blossoms, "Hidden Fragrance" and "Sparse Shadows", and composed the music himself. Fan loved them and had the singers of his household learn them. The tune names come from a famous plum blossom couplet by the Northern Song poet Lin Bu: "Sparse shadows slant across clear, shallow water; a hidden fragrance drifts in the dusk under the moon."

据这首词前面的小序，宋光宗绍熙二年（1191年）冬天，姜夔冒着雪去石湖拜访诗人范成大。范成大请他创作新的曲子。姜夔就写了《暗香》《疏影》两首咏梅的词，自己配了曲子。范成大非常喜欢，让家里的歌女练习演唱。词牌名取自北宋林逋咏梅的名句“疏影横斜水清浅，暗香浮动月黄昏”。

The poet作者

Jiang Kui (about 1155 to about 1221), also called the Daoist of White Stone, was a Southern Song ci poet and also a musician. He never held office. He lived on the help of friends and moved from place to place. He could compose music, and he created many tunes himself. His words feel cool, clear and refined. This ci, with both words and music by him, is one of his best-known works.

姜夔（约1155—约1221），号白石道人，南宋词人，也是音乐家。他一生没有做官，靠朋友接济，到处漂泊。他会自己作曲，很多词牌是他自己创造的，词句清冷、雅致。这首词就是他自己作词又作曲的代表作。

The mood意境

This ci uses plum blossoms to remember the past and someone dear. It opens like looking through an old photo album. Under the moonlight of long ago, he played his flute beside the plum trees. The music brought out a lovely woman, and together they picked blossoms in the cold. Now he is old and no longer feels like writing. But the cool scent of a few blossoms beyond the bamboo drifts into the feast and brings the memories back. The second stanza is a winter night in the south. He wants to send a branch to someone far away, but the road is too long, and snow is falling again. Holding his cup he wants to cry. The red blossoms say nothing, yet they seem to be missing someone too. At the end he returns to West Lake. Back then, thousands of trees in bloom hung over the green water, and the two walked hand in hand. Now the petals are blowing away again. When will they meet again? The ci never says who the lovely woman was. One view says she was a woman Jiang Kui loved when he was young; another says the poem hides a different meaning. The word "sorrow" never appears, yet a quiet, cool longing runs through every line.

这首词借梅花写对往事和旧人的怀念。开头像在翻相册：从前的月光下，他在梅树边吹笛，笛声唤来一位美丽的女子，两人冒着寒冷一起摘梅。现在他老了，写诗的兴致也没了，可竹林外几枝梅花的冷香飘进宴席，又把回忆勾了起来。下阕写江南冬夜：想寄一枝梅给远方的人，路太远，雪又下了起来。他端着酒杯想哭，红梅不说话，却好像也在想念。最后回到西湖：当年千树梅花压着碧绿的湖水，两人手拉着手；如今花又被风吹落，什么时候才能再见？那位“玉人”是谁，词里没有说。一说是姜夔年轻时爱过的女子，一说另有寄托。全词没有直接说一个“愁”字，却处处是淡淡的、冷冷的思念。