Song lyric · ci lyric in two stanzas, 91 characters宋词 · 词·双调，91字

cǎi采lián莲lìng令·yuè月huá华shōu收

liǔ柳yǒng永Liu Yong · Song宋

Cai Lian Ling: The Moonlight Fades

yuè月huá华shōu收

yún云dàn淡shuāng霜tiān天shǔ曙

xī西zhēng征kè客cǐ此shí时qíng情kǔ苦

cuì翠é娥zhí执shǒu手sòng送lín临qí歧

yà轧yà轧kāi开zhū朱hù户

qiān千jiāo娇miàn面yíng盈yíng盈zhù伫lì立

wú无yán言yǒu有lèi泪

duàn断cháng肠zhēng争rěn忍huí回gù顾

yí一yè叶lán兰zhōu舟

biàn便nèn恁jí急jiǎng桨líng凌bō波qù去

tān贪xíng行sè色qǐ岂zhī知lí离xù绪

wàn万bān般fāng方cùn寸

dàn但yǐn饮hèn恨

mò脉mò脉tóng同shuí谁yǔ语

gèng更huí回shǒu首chóng重chéng城bú不jiàn见

hán寒jiāng江tiān天wài外

yǐn隐yǐn隐liǎng两sān三yān烟shù树

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

月华收The moonlight fades,月光渐渐消失了，
云淡霜天曙the clouds are thin, and the frosty sky begins to brighten.云很淡，下霜的天空刚刚亮。
西征客此时情苦I am about to travel west, and my heart is full of pain.要往西远行的我，这时心里非常痛苦。
翠娥执手送临歧My beloved holds my hand and walks me to the fork in the road.心爱的女子拉着我的手，送我到岔路口，
轧轧开朱户The red door creaks open.红漆的大门轧轧地打开了。
千娇面盈盈伫立With her lovely face, she stands there quietly for a long time,她美丽的脸庞，静静地久久站着，
无言有泪saying nothing, only crying.一句话也不说，只是流泪。
断肠争忍回顾My heart is breaking. How can I bear to look back at her?我伤心欲绝，怎么忍心回头看她？
一叶兰舟A little magnolia boat一只小小的木兰船，
便恁急桨凌波去rows off fast like this, racing over the waves.就这样划着快桨，在水波上飞快地离去。
贪行色岂知离绪It only cares about hurrying on. How could it know my sorrow at parting?船只顾着赶路，哪里知道我离别的愁苦？
万般方寸My heart is full of a thousand worries,心里有千头万绪，
但饮恨and I can only swallow my sorrow.只能把怨恨咽下去，
脉脉同谁语With all this feeling, who can I tell?满腔深情，能跟谁说呢？
更回首重城不见When I look back again, the city walls are gone from sight.再回头望去，一重重的城墙已经看不见了，
寒江天外The cold river runs off to the edge of the sky,寒冷的江水流向天边，
隐隐两三烟树and I can just make out two or three trees in the mist.只隐隐约约看到两三棵烟雾里的树。

Words字词注释

月华收yuè huá shōu: yuè huá shōu: the moonlight fades away.月华收：月光渐渐消失了。
霜天曙shuāng tiān shǔ: shuāng tiān shǔ: the frosty sky is just getting light.霜天曙：下霜的天空刚刚亮。
西征客xī zhēng kè: xī zhēng kè: a traveler going west, the poet himself.西征客：要往西边远行的人，就是词人自己。
翠娥cuì é: cuì é: a beautiful woman with dark-painted brows, here the woman the poet loves.翠娥：眉毛画得青翠的美丽女子，这里指和词人相爱的女子。
执手zhí shǒu: zhí shǒu: holding hands.执手：拉着手。
临歧lín qí: lín qí: coming to the fork in the road, where people in old times said goodbye.临歧：走到岔路口。古人常在岔路口分别。
朱户zhū hù: zhū hù: a red-painted door.朱户：红漆的大门。
千娇面qiān jiāo miàn: qiān jiāo miàn: a very lovely face.千娇面：非常娇美的脸。
伫立zhù lì: zhù lì: standing still for a long time.伫立：久久地站着。
断肠duàn cháng: duàn cháng: heartbroken, as sad as can be.断肠：伤心到了极点。
争忍zhēng rěn: zhēng rěn: how could one bear to.争忍：怎么忍心。
回顾huí gù: huí gù: to look back.回顾：回头看。
兰舟lán zhōu: lán zhōu: a boat made of magnolia wood, a pretty name for a boat.兰舟：用木兰树木做的船，是船的美称。
便恁biàn nèn: biàn nèn: just like that.便恁：就这样。
凌波líng bō: líng bō: skimming over the waves.凌波：在水波上飞快地前进。
贪行色tān xíng sè: tān xíng sè: caring only about hurrying on. Xíng sè is the look of a traveler rushing off.贪行色：只顾着赶路。行色，出发时匆忙的样子。
离绪lí xù: lí xù: the sad feelings of parting.离绪：离别的愁绪。
万般wàn bān: wàn bān: all kinds, here countless worries.万般：各种各样，这里指千头万绪的心事。
方寸fāng cùn: fāng cùn: the heart. People in old times thought the heart was about one square inch in size.方寸：指心。古人认为心只有一寸见方那么大。
饮恨yǐn hèn: yǐn hèn: swallowing your sorrow, unable to speak it.饮恨：把怨恨咽到肚子里，说不出来。
同谁语tóng shuí yǔ: tóng shuí yǔ: who can I tell?同谁语：能跟谁说呢。
重城chóng chéng: chóng chéng: walls behind walls, the city where the woman lives.重城：一层又一层的城墙，指女子住的城。
隐隐yǐn yǐn: yǐn yǐn: faint and hazy.隐隐：模模糊糊，看不太清。
烟树yān shù: yān shù: trees wrapped in mist.烟树：笼罩在雾气里的树。

How to read it读音

轧yà: Yà yà is the creaking sound of a door opening, so the character is read yà.轧轧是开门的声音，象声词，读 yà yà。
争zhēng: Here this character means how; it is still read zhēng.“争”在这里是“怎”的意思，读音仍是 zhēng。
恁nèn: This is a Song-dynasty spoken word meaning so, like this. It is read nèn.“恁”是宋代口语，意思是这样、如此，读 nèn。
脉mò: Mò mò means gazing with feeling but saying nothing, read mò.脉脉是含情不语的样子，读 mò mò。
重chóng: Chóng chéng means walls behind walls, so this character is read chóng.重城是一重又一重的城墙，“重”读 chóng。

Background创作背景

This lyric is about a parting at dawn. The sky is just getting light. The poet is about to sail west, and the woman he loves opens the door and walks him to the fork in the road. Once he is on the boat, it goes farther and farther away. When he looks back, the city has disappeared. Liu Yong spent much of his life wandering far from home and wrote many lyrics about parting. We do not know exactly when or where this one was written.

这首词写的是一次清晨的离别。天刚亮，词人要坐船往西远行，心爱的女子开门送他到岔路口。上船以后，船越走越远，他回头再看，城已经不见了。柳永一生常年在外漂泊，写过很多离别的词。这首词具体写于什么时间、在什么地方，现在不清楚。

The poet作者

Liu Yong (about 984 to about 1053), first named Sanbian, came from Chong'an, today's Wuyishan in Fujian. He was a famous poet of the Northern Song. He knew music well and wrote many long, slow lyrics in plain, easy words. They were sung everywhere. People said that wherever there was a well to drink from, someone could sing Liu Yong's songs. He did badly in the official exams for a long time and wandered from place to place, so he was very good at writing about parting and the sorrow of travel.

柳永（约984—约1053），原名三变，崇安（今福建武夷山）人，北宋著名词人。他很懂音乐，写了大量长调慢词，语言通俗好懂，当时传唱很广，有人说“凡有井水饮处，即能歌柳词”。他考科举很不顺利，长期在各地漂泊，所以特别会写离别和羁旅的愁苦。

The mood意境

The first stanza is like a scene from a film. First the sky: the moon has set, the clouds are thin, and the frosty dawn is cold and quiet. Then the people: she holds his hand and walks him to the road. The door creaks. She says nothing, only cries. He cannot even bear to look back. The second stanza is on the boat. The little boat races along, as if it knows nothing of human hearts. He has so much to say and no one to tell, so he swallows it. In the end he looks back after all, but the city is gone. Only the cold river runs to the edge of the sky, with two or three trees half hidden in the mist. The ending never uses the word sorrow. Yet the sorrow is like that mist: drifting farther, growing fainter, and never quite clearing.

上片像一段电影镜头。先是天色：月亮落了，云淡淡的，霜天刚亮，冷冷清清。然后是人：女子拉着手送到路口，大门“轧轧”一响，她一句话也不说，只是流泪。词人连回头看一眼都不忍心。下片写船上。小船划得飞快，好像一点也不懂人的心事。满肚子的话没处说，只能咽下去。最后他还是忍不住回头了，可是城已经看不见，只剩寒江流向天外，两三棵树在雾里若隐若现。这个结尾不说一个“愁”字，愁却像那片雾一样，越飘越远，越来越淡，又一直散不开。