bǔ卜suàn算zǐ子·wǒ我zhù住cháng长jiāng江tóu头

In his later years, Li Zhiyi was sent away in disgrace to Taipingzhou (today's Dangtu, Anhui), right on the Yangtze. This lyric is usually thought to be written there. One account says it was written for a local singer named Yang Shu. The words are very simple, like a folk song. It tells of someone missing a loved one far away.

李之仪晚年被贬到太平州（今安徽当涂），那里就在长江边上。一般认为这首词是他在那里写的。一说是写给当地一位叫杨姝的歌女。词里用的都是很简单的话，像民歌一样，写的是一个人对远方心上人的思念。

Li Zhiyi (about 1048 to about 1117), also called the Retired Scholar of Guxi, was a Northern Song lyric poet. He was a good friend of Su Shi and once worked on his staff. Later he offended powerful officials and was demoted. His lyrics are fresh and natural, and this one is his most famous.

李之仪（约1048—约1117），北宋词人，号姑溪居士。他和苏轼是好朋友，做过苏轼的幕僚。后来因为得罪了权臣被贬官。他的词清新自然，这首《卜算子》是他最有名的作品。

This lyric is like a folk song: simple lines, deep feeling. One river puts two people at its two ends, far apart. Yet they drink the water of the same river, so they also seem joined. Far and near at once, the longing feels both bitter and sweet. The second stanza says the river will never stop, and neither will his longing. In the end he no longer complains. He only hopes the other heart is like his own and will stay true. As you read, picture a long, long river with one person at each end, both gazing at the same water.

这首词像一首民歌，句子简单，却很深情。一条长江，把两个人分在两头，离得很远；可是两个人喝的是同一条江的水，又好像连在一起。这一远一近，把思念写得又苦又甜。下阕说：江水不会停，我的思念也不会停。最后他不再抱怨，只希望对方的心和自己一样，不辜负这份感情。读这首词，可以想象一条长长的江，两头各站着一个人，望着同一片江水。