Song lyric · ci, a long lyric in two stanzas宋词 · 词·双调长调

bā八guī归·xiāng湘zhōng中sòng送hú胡dé德huá华

jiāng姜kuí夔Jiang Kui · Song宋

Ba Gui: Seeing Off Hu Dehua in Hunan

fāng芳lián莲zhuì坠fěn粉

shū疏tóng桐chuī吹lǜ绿

tíng庭yuàn院àn暗yǔ雨zhà乍xiē歇

wú无duān端bào抱yǐng影xiāo销hún魂chù处

hái还jiàn见xiǎo筱qiáng墙yíng萤àn暗

xiǎn藓jiē阶qióng蛩qiè切

sòng送kè客chóng重xún寻xī西qù去lù路

wèn问shuǐ水miàn面

pí琵pá琶shuí谁bō拨

zuì最kě可xī惜

yí一piàn片jiāng江shān山

zǒng总fù付yǔ与tí啼jué鴂

cháng长hèn恨xiāng相cóng从wèi未kuǎn款

ér而jīn今hé何shì事

yòu又duì对xī西fēng风lí离bié别

zhǔ渚hán寒yān烟dàn淡

zhào棹yí移rén人yuǎn远

piāo缥miǎo缈xíng行zhōu舟rú如yè叶

xiǎng想wén文jūn君wàng望jiǔ久

yǐ倚zhú竹chóu愁shēng生bù步luó罗wà袜

guī归lái来hòu后

cuì翠zūn尊shuāng双yǐn饮

xià下le了zhū珠lián帘

líng玲lóng珑xián闲kàn看yuè月

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。

In line two the corpus has shū (vegetable), a slip from converting the text to simplified characters. The usual text has shū meaning sparse, for a thinly leaved parasol tree; this page follows it. The corpus gives only the tune name; the usual text has the title "Seeing Off Hu Dehua in Hunan".

语料库第二句作“蔬桐吹绿”，“蔬”是繁体转简体时的错字，通行本作“疏桐”（枝叶稀疏的梧桐），这里用通行本。语料库只有词牌名，通行本有题目“湘中送胡德华”。

Line by line逐句翻译

芳莲坠粉The lotus fades and its pink petals fall;荷花凋谢，粉色的花瓣纷纷落下，
疏桐吹绿wind blows the thin parasol tree, and green leaves drift down;风吹着稀疏的梧桐，绿叶飘零，
庭院暗雨乍歇in the courtyard the night rain has just stopped.院子里夜雨刚刚停。
无端抱影销魂处For no clear reason I sit alone with my shadow, heartbroken,不知怎么，我独自对着影子，伤心极了，
还见筱墙萤暗and see fireflies glowing faintly by the bamboo wall,又看见竹墙边萤火虫光暗暗的，
藓阶蛩切and hear crickets crying sadly by the mossy steps.长满青苔的台阶下蟋蟀叫得凄切。
送客重寻西去路To see you off, I walk again the road going west.为了送你，我又一次走上向西的路。
问水面I ask the water:问一问水面上，
琵琶谁拨who is playing the pipa?是谁在弹琵琶？
最可惜Most pitiful of all,最可惜的是，
一片江山this whole fine land of rivers and hills这一片大好江山，
总付与啼鴂is handed over to the crying tí jué birds.都交给了啼叫的鹈鴂鸟。
长恨相从未款I have always regretted that our time together was too short.我一直遗憾我们相聚太短，
而今何事Why now如今为什么，
又对西风离别must we part again in the autumn wind?又要在秋风里分别？
渚寒烟淡The islet is cold and the mist is thin;小洲寒冷，烟雾淡淡，
棹移人远the oars move and you go farther and farther,船桨划动，人越走越远，
缥缈行舟如叶your boat fading in the distance like a tiny leaf.远去的船隐隐约约，像一片小树叶。
想文君望久I think of your wife, who has waited for you so long,我想你的妻子已经盼了你很久，
倚竹愁生步罗袜leaning on the bamboo, full of worry, pacing softly in silk stockings.靠着竹子，满怀愁绪，穿着丝袜轻轻走来走去。
归来后When you get home,你回家以后，
翠尊双饮you two will raise green cups and drink together,两人一起举起翠绿的酒杯，
下了珠帘let down the bead curtain,放下珠帘，
玲珑闲看月and gaze at ease at the bright moon through it.悠闲地看着透过珠帘的明亮月光。

Words字词注释

芳莲坠粉fāng lián zhuì fěn: fāng lián zhuì fěn: the lotus fades, and its pink petals drop.芳莲坠粉：荷花凋谢，粉红的花瓣掉落下来。
疏桐吹绿shū tóng chuī lǜ: shū tóng chuī lǜ: the wind blows the thin parasol tree, and green leaves fall.疏桐吹绿：风吹着枝叶稀疏的梧桐，绿叶飘落。
暗雨àn yǔ: àn yǔ: rain at night, heard but not seen.暗雨：夜里下的雨，看不见，只听得到。
乍歇zhà xiē: zhà xiē: has just stopped.乍歇：刚刚停下。
无端wú duān: wú duān: for no clear reason.无端：没来由地，不知怎么地。
抱影bào yǐng: bào yǐng: keeping company with one's own shadow, that is, being all alone.抱影：守着自己的影子，形容孤单一人。
销魂xiāo hún: xiāo hún: so sad it feels as if your soul is melting away.销魂：伤心得好像魂都没了。
筱墙xiǎo qiáng: xiǎo qiáng: a wall lined with thin bamboo. Xiǎo is slender bamboo.筱墙：长着小竹子的墙边。筱，细小的竹子。
萤暗yíng àn: yíng àn: the glow of fireflies is dim.萤暗：萤火虫的光暗暗的。
藓阶xiǎn jiē: xiǎn jiē: steps covered with moss.藓阶：长了青苔的台阶。
蛩切qióng qiè: qióng qiè: crickets chirp fast and sadly. Qióng is a cricket.蛩切：蟋蟀叫得很急、很凄凉。蛩，蟋蟀。
重寻chóng xún: chóng xún: to walk again.重寻：又一次走上。
琵琶谁拨pí pá shuí bō: pí pá shuí bō: who is playing the pipa? This echoes Bai Juyi's "Song of the Pipa", which is also about hearing a pipa while seeing off a guest by the river.琵琶谁拨：是谁在弹琵琶？这里用了白居易《琵琶行》的意思，那首诗写的也是江边送客时听到琵琶。
付与fù yǔ: fù yǔ: to hand over to.付与：交给。
啼鴂tí jué: tí jué: the crying tí jué bird, a bird like the cuckoo. People of old said that when it cried, flowers and grass would wither.啼鴂：啼叫的鹈鴂鸟，一种像杜鹃的鸟。古人说它一叫，花草就要凋零了。
相从未款xiāng cóng wèi kuǎn: xiāng cóng wèi kuǎn: our time together was too short, and we never had our fill of it. Kuǎn means to one's heart's content.相从未款：在一起的时间太短，还没有好好地相聚。款，尽情、畅快。
西风xī fēng: xī fēng: the west wind, that is, the autumn wind.西风：秋风。
渚zhǔ: zhǔ: a small islet in the water.渚：水中的小块陆地。
棹zhào: zhào: an oar, here meaning the boat.棹：船桨，这里指船。
缥缈piāo miǎo: piāo miǎo: faint and dim, hard to see clearly.缥缈：隐隐约约，看不太清楚。
文君wén jūn: wén jūn: Zhuo Wenjun, wife of Sima Xiangru in the Han dynasty. Here it means Hu Dehua's wife.文君：卓文君，汉代司马相如的妻子。这里借指胡德华的妻子。
倚竹yǐ zhú: yǐ zhú: leaning on bamboo. It comes from Du Fu's poem "The Beauty", about a woman waiting alone at dusk.倚竹：靠着竹子。出自杜甫《佳人》“天寒翠袖薄，日暮倚修竹”，写女子孤单等待。
步罗袜bù luó wà: bù luó wà: walking softly in silk stockings.步罗袜：穿着丝袜轻轻走动。罗袜，丝织的袜子。
翠尊cuì zūn: cuì zūn: a jade-green wine cup.翠尊：翠绿色的酒杯。
玲珑líng lóng: líng lóng: fine and bright, here describing moonlight shining through the bead curtain.玲珑：精巧明亮，这里形容珠帘透进月光的样子。

Background创作背景

Xiangzhong in the title means the Hunan region of today. Jiang Kui lived in Hunan for a time when he was young, and one view is that this lyric was written while he was in Changsha. Hu Dehua was his friend; little is known about his life now. One autumn, the friend was leaving by boat to go home to his wife. Jiang Kui saw him off by the river and wrote this lyric.

题目里的“湘中”指今天的湖南一带。姜夔年轻时在湖南住过一段时间，一说这首词写于他在长沙的时候。胡德华是他的朋友，生平已经不太清楚。秋天，朋友要坐船离开，回家与妻子团聚，姜夔在江边送他，写下了这首词。

The poet作者

Jiang Kui (about 1155 to about 1221), also called the Taoist of White Stone, was a Southern Song lyric writer and also a musician. He never held office, lived on the help of friends and moved from place to place. He knew music well and could write his own tunes. His lyrics are cool and refined, often about parting and loneliness, as this one is.

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。他懂音乐，能自己作曲。他的词清冷、雅致，常写离别和孤独，这首词也是这样。

The mood意境

The first half paints an autumn night: lotus petals have fallen, parasol leaves drift down, the rain has just stopped, fireflies glow faintly, and crickets chirp until your heart aches. Before the parting is even mentioned, the scene is full of sorrow. Then he sees his friend off. The sound of a pipa comes over the water, just like the river farewell in "Song of the Pipa". The second half is about the parting. They met so recently and must part again. The boat goes farther and farther until it is like a leaf. Here we expect deep grief, but the poet turns and imagines his friend at home. His wife has waited for him, and they drink together and look at the moon. Using someone else's reunion to say goodbye is a true blessing, and it also makes the poet's own loneliness stand out.

上半首先写秋夜：荷花落了，梧桐叶飘了，雨刚停，萤火虫暗暗的，蟋蟀叫得人心慌。还没写送别，景色已经满是愁。接着写送朋友上路，水面传来琵琶声，好像《琵琶行》里的江边送客。下半首写分别：两人刚见面不久又要分开，船越走越远，最后像一片树叶。到这里本该很伤心，可作者笔锋一转，去想朋友回家后的样子：妻子在家盼着他，两人一起喝酒、看月亮。用别人的团圆来送别，既是真心的祝福，也更衬出作者自己的孤单。