Tang poem · five-character old-style poem (yuefu song)唐诗 · 五言古诗（乐府）

cháng长gān干xíng行

lǐ李bái白Li Bai · Tang唐

A Song of Changgan

qiè妾fà发chū初fù覆é额

zhé折huā花mén门qián前jù剧

láng郎qí骑zhú竹mǎ马lái来

rào绕chuáng床nòng弄qīng青méi梅

tóng同jū居cháng长gān干lǐ里

liǎng两xiǎo小wú无xián嫌cāi猜

shí十sì四wéi为jūn君fù妇

xiū羞yán颜wèi未cháng尝kāi开

dī低tóu头xiàng向àn暗bì壁

qiān千huàn唤bù不yì一huí回

shí十wǔ五shǐ始zhǎn展méi眉

yuàn愿tóng同chén尘yǔ与huī灰

cháng常cún存bào抱zhù柱xìn信

qǐ岂shàng上wàng望fū夫tái台

shí十liù六jūn君yuǎn远xíng行

qú瞿táng塘yàn滟yù滪duī堆

wǔ五yuè月bù不kě可chù触

yuán猿shēng声tiān天shàng上āi哀

mén门qián前chí迟xíng行jì迹

yī一yì一shēng生lǜ绿tái苔

tái苔shēn深bù不néng能sǎo扫

luò落yè叶qiū秋fēng风zǎo早

bā八yuè月hú蝴dié蝶huáng黄

shuāng双fēi飞xī西yuán园cǎo草

gǎn感cǐ此shāng伤qiè妾xīn心

zuò坐chóu愁hóng红yán颜lǎo老

zǎo早wǎn晚xià下sān三bā巴

yù预jiāng将shū书bào报jiā家

xiāng相yíng迎bú不dào道yuǎn远

zhí直zhì至cháng长fēng风shā沙

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。

The commonly taught text (as in Three Hundred Tang Poems) differs from the corpus in a few places. The corpus has a variant form of rào; it has xiū yán shàng bù kāi where the taught text has xiū yán wèi cháng kāi; it writes the rock's name yàn yù with a different second character; it has yuán míng (gibbons cry) where the taught text has yuán shēng (gibbons' calls); and it has hú dié lái (butterflies come) where the taught text has hú dié huáng (yellow butterflies). We follow the taught text. The corpus title is the first of two poems called "Changgan Xing" in a group of yuefu songs; the usual title is just "Changgan Xing".

通行本（如《唐诗三百首》）和本库文字有几处不同：本库“遶床”作“绕床”（同一个字的两种写法），“羞颜尚不开”作“羞颜未尝开”，“滟预堆”作“滟滪堆”，“猨鸣天上哀”作“猿声天上哀”，“八月蝴蝶来”作“八月蝴蝶黄”。这里用通行本。本库题目是《杂曲歌辞·长干行二首》其一，通行的题目就叫《长干行》。

Line by line逐句翻译

妾发初覆额When my hair had just grown to cover my forehead,我的头发刚刚盖住额头的时候，
折花门前剧I picked flowers and played in front of the gate.常常折一枝花在门前玩。
郎骑竹马来You came riding a bamboo horse,你骑着竹马跑过来，
绕床弄青梅running round the well railing, playing with green plums.绕着井栏，拿青梅逗着玩。
同居长干里We both lived in Changgan Li,我们一起住在长干里，
两小无嫌猜two little children with no shyness and no suspicion.两个小孩子天真无邪，毫无猜疑。
十四为君妇At fourteen I became your wife,十四岁那年，我嫁给你做妻子，
羞颜未尝开so shy I never once smiled.害羞得从来没有露过笑脸。
低头向暗壁I hung my head and faced the dark wall;我低着头，面对着昏暗的墙角，
千唤不一回you called me a thousand times, and I did not turn once.你叫我上千遍，我也不回一次头。
十五始展眉At fifteen my brows finally relaxed,十五岁时，我才舒展眉头，
愿同尘与灰and I wished to be with you until we both turned to dust.愿意和你永远在一起，直到化成尘土。
常存抱柱信You would keep faith like the man who held the bridge post;你像尾生抱柱那样守信，
岂上望夫台how could I think I would ever climb the Husband-Watching Terrace?我哪里想到要登上望夫台。
十六君远行At sixteen you went far away,十六岁时，你出远门，
瞿塘滟滪堆past the Yanyu Rock at Qutang Gorge.要经过瞿塘峡口的滟滪堆。
五月不可触In the fifth month, with the water high, no boat must touch that rock,五月江水上涨，船千万碰不得那块礁石，
猿声天上哀and the gibbons' cries drift down from the sky, full of grief.两岸猿猴的叫声像从天上传来，十分悲哀。
门前迟行迹The footprints you left lingering at the gate门前你临走时徘徊留下的脚印，
一一生绿苔are each covered now with green moss.一个个都长满了青苔。
苔深不能扫The moss is too thick to sweep away;青苔太厚，扫也扫不掉；
落叶秋风早autumn wind came early, and the leaves are falling.秋风来得早，树叶早早落下。
八月蝴蝶黄In the eighth month, yellow butterflies八月里黄色的蝴蝶，
双飞西园草fly in pairs over the grass of the west garden.成双成对地飞在西园的草上。
感此伤妾心Seeing this hurts my heart;看到这些，我心里很难过，
坐愁红颜老worry is making my young face grow old.因为发愁，美丽的容颜也一天天变老。
早晚下三巴Whenever you sail down from the Ba lands,你什么时候从三巴顺江而下，
预将书报家please send a letter home ahead of time.请先写封信告诉家里。
相迎不道远I will come to meet you, however far it is,我去接你，不怕路远，
直至长风沙all the way to Changfengsha.一直走到长风沙。

Words字词注释

妾qiè: qiè: a humble word a woman used for "I" in old times.妾：古代女子说自己时用的谦称，相当于“我”。
初覆额chū fù é: chū fù é: her hair had just grown long enough to cover her forehead, so she was still very little.初覆额：头发刚刚盖住额头，说明年纪还很小。
剧jù: jù: to play.剧：玩耍，做游戏。
郎láng: láng: what a woman called her husband or sweetheart; here, the boy who later became her husband.郎：女子对丈夫或心上人的称呼，这里指后来的丈夫。
竹马zhú mǎ: zhú mǎ: a bamboo pole a child rides between his legs, pretending it is a horse.竹马：小孩把竹竿夹在两腿中间，当马骑着玩。
绕床rào chuáng: rào chuáng: running round and round the well railing (or, some say, a seat).绕床：绕着井栏（一说是坐具）跑来跑去。
弄青梅nòng qīng méi: nòng qīng méi: playing with green plums.弄青梅：拿着青青的梅子玩。
长干里cháng gān lǐ: Changgan Li: a neighborhood south of today's Nanjing, home to many merchants and boat people.长干里：地名，在今天江苏南京的南边，那时是住着很多商人和船家的街巷。
无嫌猜wú xián cāi: wú xián cāi: no shyness, no suspicion; simply innocent.无嫌猜：一点也不避讳，也没有猜疑，天真无邪。
君jūn: jūn: you; here, her husband.君：你，这里指丈夫。
羞颜未尝开xiū yán wèi cháng kāi: xiū yán wèi cháng kāi: so shy that she never once let her face open into a smile.羞颜未尝开：害羞得从来没有露出笑脸。
千唤不一回qiān huàn bù yì huí: qiān huàn bù yī huí: he called her a thousand times, and not once did she turn her head.千唤不一回：丈夫叫她上千遍，她也不回一次头。
展眉zhǎn méi: zhǎn méi: to relax the eyebrows; she stopped being shy and became happy.展眉：舒展眉头，心里不再害羞，开心起来。
愿同尘与灰yuàn tóng chén yǔ huī: yuàn tóng chén yǔ huī: she wished to stay with him until both turned to dust and ashes together.愿同尘与灰：愿意和丈夫在一起，直到死后一同化成尘土。
抱柱信bào zhù xìn: bào zhù xìn: an old story. A man named Wei Sheng agreed to meet a girl under a bridge. She did not come, the river rose, and he held on to the bridge post rather than leave, and drowned. It stands for keeping one's word and staying faithful.抱柱信：古代传说，有个叫尾生的人和女子约在桥下见面，女子没来，河水涨了，他抱着桥柱不肯离开，被水淹死。用来比喻守信用、对爱情忠诚。
岂上望夫台qǐ shàng wàng fū tái: qǐ shàng wàng fū tái: how could she have guessed she would one day climb the Husband-Watching Terrace? Legends tell of wives who climbed high every day to watch for husbands far away.岂上望夫台：哪里想到会有登上望夫台的一天。望夫台：传说有妻子天天登高盼望远行的丈夫回来。
瞿塘qú táng: Qutang: Qutang Gorge, one of the Three Gorges of the Yangtze, near today's Fengjie in Chongqing, with very fierce water.瞿塘：瞿塘峡，长江三峡中的一个峡，在今天重庆奉节一带，水流非常急。
滟滪堆yàn yù duī: yàn yù duī: a huge rock in the middle of the river at the mouth of Qutang Gorge. Boats easily smashed into it. It was later blown up to make the river safe.滟滪堆：瞿塘峡口江心的一块大礁石，船很容易撞上它，非常危险。后来为了航行安全被炸掉了。
五月不可触wǔ yuè bù kě chù: wǔ yuè bù kě chù: in the fifth month the river rises high and the rock hides under the water; any boat that hits it will sink.五月不可触：五月江水大涨，礁石藏在水下，船碰上就会翻。
猿声天上哀yuán shēng tiān shàng āi: yuán shēng tiān shàng āi: the cries of gibbons on the high cliffs seem to come from the sky, very sad.猿声天上哀：两岸高山上的猿猴叫声，好像从天上传来，十分悲哀。
迟行迹chí xíng jì: chí xíng jì: the footprints her husband left as he lingered before leaving. Another view: the footprints she left while waiting long at the door.迟行迹：丈夫临走时迟迟不肯离开留下的脚印。一说是她在门口久久等候留下的脚印。
一一生绿苔yī yì shēng lǜ tái: yī yī shēng lǜ tái: green moss has grown over every single footprint, so a long time has passed.一一生绿苔：每一个脚印上都长出了青苔，说明过了很久。
西园xī yuán: xī yuán: the garden on the west side of the house.西园：屋子西边的园子。
感此gǎn cǐ: gǎn cǐ: moved by these sights.感此：看到这些景物，心有所感。
坐zuò: zuò: because of.坐：因为，由于。
红颜hóng yán: hóng yán: a young woman's fresh, pretty face.红颜：年轻女子美丽的容颜。
早晚zǎo wǎn: zǎo wǎn: when, which day.早晚：什么时候，哪一天。
三巴sān bā: Sān Bā: three regions called Ba, in today's eastern Sichuan and Chongqing; here it means wherever he has gone upriver.三巴：巴郡、巴东、巴西三个地方，在今天四川、重庆东部一带，这里泛指丈夫去的地方。
预将书报家yù jiāng shū bào jiā: yù jiāng shū bào jiā: write home ahead of time to let her know. Shū here means a letter.预将书报家：事先写封信告诉家里。书：信。
不道远bú dào yuǎn: bù dào yuǎn: not caring how far it is.不道远：不说远，不怕路远。
长风沙cháng fēng shā: Changfengsha: a place on the Yangtze near today's Anqing in Anhui, several hundred li upriver from Nanjing.长风沙：地名，在今天安徽安庆附近的长江边，离南京有好几百里水路。

How to read it读音

长cháng: Here it is part of the place name Changgan, read cháng, not zhǎng.这里是地名“长干”，读 cháng，不读 zhǎng。
长cháng: Part of the place name Changfengsha, read cháng.地名“长风沙”，读 cháng。
为wéi: In wéi jūn fù, "became your wife", it is read wéi, not wèi.“为君妇”是“做你的妻子”，读 wéi，不读 wèi。

Background创作背景

Changgan Li was a neighborhood south of today's Nanjing where merchants and boat people lived. The men often sailed far up the Yangtze to trade and were gone for a long time, while their wives waited at home. "Changgan Xing" was an old yuefu song title, often used for life in this area. As a young man Li Bai left Sichuan, sailed down the Yangtze and spent time in Jinling (Nanjing), so he knew the place well. The poem speaks in the voice of a merchant's wife, telling her love story from childhood and how she misses her husband after he leaves. The exact year it was written is not agreed on.

长干里在今天南京城南，是商人和船家聚居的地方。男人常常坐船去长江上游做生意，一走就是很久，家里的妻子只能苦苦等待。《长干行》是乐府旧题，多写这一带的生活。李白年轻时出四川，沿长江东下，到过金陵（南京），熟悉这里的风土人情。这首诗用一位商人妻子的口吻，讲她从小到大的爱情和离别后的思念。具体写作年份说法不一。

The poet作者

Li Bai (701–762) was a great Tang poet, called the Immortal of Poetry. His poems are full of wild imagination and strong feeling, and he learned a lot from folk songs. He often wrote under old yuefu song titles, speaking in the voice of ordinary people in fresh, natural words. This poem reads like a folk song: simple and moving.

李白（701—762），唐代大诗人，人称“诗仙”。他的诗想象奇特、感情奔放，也很善于学习民歌。他常用乐府旧题写诗，借普通人的口吻说话，语言清新自然。这首诗就像一首民歌，读起来朴素又动人。

The mood意境

The poem is like a little film of growing up. It opens with two children: a girl picking flowers at the gate, a boy galloping up on a bamboo horse, playing with green plums around the well. The Chinese saying qīng méi zhú mǎ, "green plums and bamboo horse", comes from these lines; it describes a boy and a girl who grew up together. At fourteen she marries and is too shy to lift her head. At fifteen she opens up and vows to stay with him to the end. At sixteen he sails away, and she starts to fear the dangerous rocks on the river. The second half is about waiting. Moss covers his footprints, leaves fall early, yellow butterflies fly in pairs, and she is alone, so worried that her face grows old. At last she says: when you come back, write first, and I will travel hundreds of li to meet you. Year by year and picture by picture, the poem shows a deep love truly and tenderly.

这首诗像一部小小的成长电影。开头是两个小孩子：小女孩在门前折花，小男孩骑着竹马跑来，绕着井栏玩青梅。“青梅竹马”这个成语就是从这里来的，用来说从小一起长大的男孩女孩。接着她十四岁出嫁，害羞得不敢抬头；十五岁才放开，发誓要相伴到老；十六岁丈夫远行，她开始担心江上的险滩。后半首写等待：门前的脚印长满青苔，秋叶早落，黄蝴蝶成双飞过，她却孤单一人，愁得容颜都老了。最后她说：你要回来，先写信告诉我，我会走几百里路去接你。一年一年的数字、一个一个的景物，把一份深情写得又真又细。