Song lyric · ci to the tune Basheng Ganzhou, 97 characters in two stanzas宋词 · 词，词牌《八声甘州》，双调九十七字

bā八shēng声gān甘zhōu州·jì记yù玉guān关tà踏xuě雪shì事qīng清yóu游

zhāng张yán炎Zhang Yan · Song宋

Basheng Ganzhou: I Remember the Frontier Pass, Treading Snow on a Pure Journey

jì记yù玉guān关tà踏xuě雪shì事qīng清yóu游

hán寒qì气cuì脆diāo貂qiú裘

bàng傍kū枯lín林gǔ古dào道

cháng长hé河yìn饮mǎ马

cǐ此yì意yōu悠yōu悠

duǎn短mèng梦yī依rán然jiāng江biǎo表

lǎo老lèi泪sǎ洒xī西zhōu州

yí一zì字wú无tí题chù处

luò落yè叶dōu都chóu愁

zài载qǔ取bái白yún云guī归qù去

wèn问shuí谁liú留chǔ楚pèi佩

nòng弄yǐng影zhōng中zhōu洲

zhé折lú芦huā花zèng赠yuǎn远

líng零luò落yì一shēn身qiū秋

xiàng向xún寻cháng常yě野qiáo桥liú流shuǐ水

dài待zhāo招lái来

bú不shì是jiù旧shā沙ōu鸥

kōng空huái怀gǎn感

yǒu有xié斜yáng阳chù处

què却pà怕dēng登lóu楼

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

记玉关踏雪事清游I remember the frontier pass, treading snow on our journey together;记得当年在北方边地踏雪，一起清雅地游历，
寒气脆貂裘the cold was so sharp our sable coats seemed to crack.寒气冷得连貂皮袍子都发脆。
傍枯林古道Along old roads beside bare woods,沿着枯树林边的古道，
长河饮马we watered our horses at the long river;在长长的大河边让马喝水，
此意悠悠that feeling lingers on without end.这番情意悠长，说也说不尽。
短梦依然江表Now my short dreams are still of the south,如今短短的梦里还是江南，
老泪洒西州and like Yang Tan at the West Gate I shed old tears.我却像羊昙那样，洒下老泪。
一字无题处Not a single word is written on them,没有一个字写在上面，
落叶都愁yet every falling leaf is full of sorrow.可是片片落叶都是愁。
载取白云归去You go home carrying the white clouds;你带着白云回去隐居了，
问谁留楚佩who, I ask, will leave a jade pendant as a token,问一问，还有谁会留下玉佩寄托情意，
弄影中洲and linger with their shadow on the islet?在水中小洲上独自徘徊？
折芦花赠远I pick reed flowers to send to you far away;我折下芦花，想送给远方的你，
零落一身秋alone and scattered, I am all autumn.自己孤单飘零，满身都是秋意。
向寻常野桥流水By an ordinary country bridge and stream,到那平常的野桥流水边，
待招来I try to call the gulls to me,想要招呼鸥鸟过来，
不是旧沙鸥but those that come are not the old gulls I knew.来的却不是从前的那些老朋友了。
空怀感Full of feeling, all for nothing,白白地满怀感慨，
有斜阳处wherever the sun sets low,哪里有斜阳，
却怕登楼I am afraid to climb the tower.我就怕登上那里的高楼。

Words字词注释

玉关yù guān: yù guān: the Jade Gate Pass, an old frontier pass in the northwest. Here it simply means the cold, far-off north.玉关：玉门关，古代西北的边关。这里泛指北方寒冷的边远地方。
清游qīng yóu: qīng yóu: a pure, elegant journey; here, the trip in the north with his friend.清游：清雅的游历，这里指和朋友一起在北方的经历。
脆貂裘cuì diāo qiú: cuì diāo qiú: so cold that even the sable fur coat seemed to turn brittle. Diāo qiú is a thick coat of sable fur.脆貂裘：冷得连貂皮袍子都冻得发脆。貂裘，用貂皮做的厚袍子。
傍bàng: bàng: along, beside.傍：沿着，靠着。
长河饮马cháng hé yìn mǎ: cháng hé yìn mǎ: watering the horses at a long river.长河饮马：在长长的大河边让马喝水。
悠悠yōu yōu: yōu yōu: long-lasting, endless.悠悠：长久，说不尽。
江表jiāng biǎo: jiāng biǎo: the land south of the Yangtze, that is, the Jiangnan region, where the poet lived.江表：长江以南，就是江南。作者的家在江南。
老泪洒西州lǎo lèi sǎ xī zhōu: lǎo lèi sǎ xī zhōu: in the Eastern Jin, Yang Tan loved his uncle Xie An. After Xie An died, Yang Tan reached the West Gate and burst into tears at the memory. Here it means weeping for lost friends and a lost country.老泪洒西州：东晋羊昙敬爱舅舅谢安，谢安死后，他走到西州城门，想起舅舅，痛哭而去。这里借来写怀念故人、伤心故国。
一字无题处yí zì wú tí chù: yī zì wú tí chù: not a single word is written. There is an old story of lovers writing poems on red leaves; here the leaves carry no words.一字无题处：一个字也没有写上。古代有在红叶上题诗传情的故事，这里说落叶上没有题字。
落叶都愁luò yè dōu chóu: luò yè dōu chóu: yet every falling leaf is full of sorrow.落叶都愁：可每一片落叶都是愁。
载取白云归去zài qǔ bái yún guī qù: zài qǔ bái yún guī qù: carrying the white clouds home, that is, his friend going back to live as a hermit.载取白云归去：带着白云回去，指朋友回去隐居。
楚佩chǔ pèi: chǔ pèi: in the old Chu songs, a jade pendant is left by the river as a gift for a loved one. Here it means someone who leaves behind a token of friendship.楚佩：《楚辞》里有把玉佩留在江边送给心上人的句子。这里指留下情意的人。
弄影中洲nòng yǐng zhōng zhōu: nòng yǐng zhōng zhōu: lingering with one's shadow on an islet. Zhōng zhōu is a small island in the water.弄影中洲：在水中小洲上看着自己的影子徘徊。中洲，水中间的小块陆地。
赠远zèng yuǎn: zèng yuǎn: to send to someone far away.赠远：送给远方的人。
零落一身秋líng luò yì shēn qiū: líng luò yī shēn qiū: scattered like fallen leaves, his whole self full of autumn.零落一身秋：自己像落叶一样孤单飘零，满身都是秋意。
寻常xún cháng: xún cháng: ordinary, everyday.寻常：平常，普普通通。
沙鸥shā ōu: shā ōu: gulls on the sand. Old poets used gulls as the companions of a quiet life; here they stand for old friends.沙鸥：沙滩上的鸥鸟。古人常用鸥鸟比喻隐居时的伙伴，这里指老朋友。
空怀感kōng huái gǎn: kōng huái gǎn: full of feeling, all for nothing.空怀感：白白地满怀感慨。
却怕登楼què pà dēng lóu: què pà dēng lóu: yet afraid to climb a tower. Looking far from high places brings homesickness and longing; the ancient poet Wang Can wrote a famous piece on this feeling.却怕登楼：却害怕登上高楼。登高远望最容易想家、想故人，古代王粲有《登楼赋》写这种心情。

How to read it读音

傍bàng: Here this character is read bàng, meaning alongside or following.“傍”在这里读 bàng，意思是靠着、沿着。
饮yìn: In yìn mǎ this character is read yìn, meaning to give the horse water.“饮马”的“饮”读 yìn，意思是给马喝水。
载zài: In zài qǔ this character is read zài, meaning to carry along.“载取”的“载”读 zài，意思是装载、带着。
斜xié: This character is read xié today.“斜”现在读 xié。

Background创作背景

The poem has a short preface. It says, roughly: in 1291 Shen Yaodao and I came back together from the north, and we settled near Hangzhou and Shaoxing. A year later Yaodao came to visit me in my loneliness. We talked and laughed for a few days, then he left again, so I wrote this for him and also sent it to our friend Zhao Xuezhou. The Southern Song had already fallen. Zhang Yan and Shen Yaodao had travelled north together and suffered in the cold there. The opening lines remember that journey.

这首词前面有一段小序，大意是：辛卯年（1291年），沈尧道和我一起从北方回来，各自住在杭州、绍兴一带。过了一年，尧道来看望我，说笑了几天又走了，我就写了这首词送他，也寄给朋友赵学舟。那时南宋已经灭亡，张炎和沈尧道曾一起北上，在寒冷的北方吃了不少苦。词的开头回忆的就是那段经历。

The poet作者

Zhang Yan (1248–about 1320) was a ci poet at the end of the Song and the start of the Yuan. He came from a noble family; his ancestor was the famous Southern Song general Zhang Jun. When the Song fell, the family lost everything, and he went from rich young lord to poor wandering scholar. His ci are clear and airy, often about the pain of a lost country and a drifting life. He also wrote a book on how to write ci.

张炎（1248—约1320），号玉田，宋末元初的词人。他出身贵族，祖上是南宋名将张俊。宋朝灭亡后，家产被没收，他从富贵公子变成四处漂泊的穷文人。他的词清雅空灵，常写亡国之痛和身世飘零，还写过讲作词方法的书《词源》。

The mood意境

The first stanza remembers the north: heavy snow, bitter wind, bare woods, old roads, horses drinking at a long river. The pictures are cold and far away, yet these were days two old friends shared, so the feeling lingers on. Then he returns to the present: his dreams are still of the south, and he wakes to old tears. Not a word is written on the falling leaves, yet each one is sorrow; this is a clever line. The second stanza is about his friend leaving again. The friend goes home to the clouds, while the poet can only pick a reed flower, wrapped in autumn. He tries to call the gulls, but they are not the old ones; everything has changed. At last he says that wherever the sun sets, he dares not climb a tower, because from up there the lost country and lost friends would flood his heart. The poem never cries out loud, yet loneliness is everywhere in it.

上片先回忆北方：大雪、寒风、枯林、古道、长河饮马，画面又冷又远，却是两个老朋友共同经历的日子，所以“此意悠悠”。接着回到眼前：梦里还是江南，醒来只有老泪。落叶上一个字也没写，却片片是愁，这一句写得很巧。下片写朋友又走了。他带着白云回去隐居，自己只能折一枝芦花，满身秋意。想招来沙鸥做伴，来的却不是旧时的鸥鸟，人事全非。最后说哪里有斜阳就怕登楼，因为一登楼，故国、故人都涌上心头。整首词没有大声喊痛，却处处是冷清和孤单。