Tang poem · yuefu song with lines of mixed length唐诗 · 乐府·杂言

cháng长xiāng相sī思·qí其yī一

lǐ李bái白Li Bai · Tang唐

Endless Longing, No. 1

cháng长xiāng相sī思

zài在cháng长ān安

luò络wěi纬qiū秋tí啼jīn金jǐng井lán阑

wēi微shuāng霜qī凄qī凄diàn簟sè色hán寒

gū孤dēng灯bù不míng明sī思yù欲jué绝

juǎn卷wéi帷wàng望yuè月kōng空cháng长tàn叹

měi美rén人rú如huā花gé隔yún云duān端

shàng上yǒu有qīng青míng冥zhī之cháng长tiān天

xià下yǒu有lù渌shuǐ水zhī之bō波lán澜

tiān天cháng长lù路yuǎn远hún魂fēi飞kǔ苦

mèng梦hún魂bú不dào到guān关shān山nán难

cháng长xiāng相sī思

cuī摧xīn心gān肝

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 source titles it simply "Endless Longing". Li Bai wrote more than one poem with this title, and this is the first, so it is called No. 1 here. In line 8 some editions have "high sky" instead of "long sky"; the source wording is kept.

原始资料题作“长相思”。李白的《长相思》不止一首，这是第一首，所以题作“长相思·其一”。第八句有的版本作“青冥之高天”，这里从原文作“长天”。

Line by line逐句翻译

长相思Endless longing,我日日夜夜地想念，
在长安for someone in Chang'an.想念的人在长安。
络纬秋啼金井阑In autumn the katydids sing by the fine well railing.秋天，纺织娘在华美的井栏边鸣叫，
微霜凄凄簟色寒A thin frost is cold, and even the bamboo mat feels chilly.薄薄的霜冷冷的，竹席也透着寒气。
孤灯不明思欲绝My lone lamp burns dim, and I miss her so much I can hardly bear it.一盏孤灯昏昏暗暗，我想念得快受不了了，
卷帷望月空长叹I roll up the curtain, look at the moon, and sigh in vain.卷起窗帘望着月亮，只能白白叹气。
美人如花隔云端The one as lovely as a flower is far away, beyond the clouds.那像花一样美的人，远在云的那一头。
上有青冥之长天Above is the long, deep-blue sky,上面是高远的青天，
下有渌水之波澜below are the waves of clear water.下面是清水翻起的波浪。
天长路远魂飞苦The sky is so high, the road so long, even my soul struggles to fly there.天那么高，路那么远，连魂飞过去都很辛苦，
梦魂不到关山难With passes and mountains in the way, not even my dreams can reach her.关山重重，连梦也到不了她身边。
长相思Endless longing,我日日夜夜地想念，
摧心肝it breaks my heart.心肝都要碎了。

Words字词注释

相思xiāng sī: xiāng sī: to miss someone you love.相思：想念一个人。
长安cháng ān: Cháng'ān: the Tang capital, today's Xi'an in Shaanxi.长安：唐朝的都城，在今天的陕西西安。
络纬luò wěi: luò wěi: an insect that sings in autumn, a kind of katydid. Its call sounds like a spinning wheel.络纬：一种秋天鸣叫的虫子，又叫纺织娘，叫声像纺车在转。
金井阑jīn jǐng lán: jīn jǐng lán: a finely decorated railing around a well.金井阑：装饰华美的井栏。井阑，水井四周的栏杆。
凄凄qī qī: qī qī: cold and chilly.凄凄：寒冷的样子。
簟diàn: diàn: a mat woven from bamboo, slept on in summer.簟：竹子编的席子，夏天睡觉时铺。
思欲绝sī yù jué: sī yù jué: missing someone so much it is almost unbearable.思欲绝：想念得快要受不了了。
卷帷juǎn wéi: juǎn wéi: to roll up the curtain.卷帷：卷起窗帘。帷，帘子、帐子。
空长叹kōng cháng tàn: kōng cháng tàn: can only sigh long, with no use.空长叹：只能白白地长长叹气。
云端yún duān: yún duān: the far side of the clouds, too far to reach.云端：云的那一头，形容远得够不着。
青冥qīng míng: qīng míng: the deep blue, far-off sky.青冥：青色的高远天空。
渌水lù shuǐ: lù shuǐ: clear water.渌水：清清的水。
波澜bō lán: bō lán: waves.波澜：波浪。
魂飞苦hún fēi kǔ: hún fēi kǔ: even the soul finds it hard to fly there.魂飞苦：连魂飞过去都很辛苦。
关山guān shān: guān shān: mountain passes and peaks, all the things blocking the way.关山：关口和高山，指路上重重阻隔。
摧心肝cuī xīn gān: cuī xīn gān: the heart is breaking, deep sorrow.摧心肝：心肝都要碎了，形容极度伤心。

How to read it读音

思sī: Here it is the verb "to long for", read sī. In old usage, as a noun meaning "thoughts", it could be read sì.这里是动词“想念”，读 sī。古时用作名词“心思”时可读 sì。
渌lù: This character is read lù and means clear.“渌”读 lù，意思是清澈。

Background创作背景

"Endless Longing" is an old yuefu song title, usually about lovers missing each other. People do not agree on when Li Bai wrote this one. One view is that he wrote it after leaving Chang'an. He had served at court there, then left disappointed, and could never let it go. So many readers think the "lovely one" may be not only a sweetheart but also a picture of a dream he could not reach.

《长相思》是乐府旧题，大多写男女之间的思念。这首诗的写作时间说法不一。一说是李白离开长安以后写的。他曾在长安做官，后来失意离开，心里一直放不下。所以很多人认为，诗里的“美人”不只是指心上人，也可能是在比喻他追求不到的理想。

The poet作者

Li Bai (701–762) was a great Tang poet, called the Immortal of Poetry. His poems are bold and full of feeling, and he loved writing to old yuefu titles. All his life he hoped to do great things for the country, but he never got the chance. The pain of something always out of reach in this poem carries a shadow of his own life.

李白（701—762），唐代大诗人，人称“诗仙”。他的诗想象大胆，感情奔放，很爱写乐府旧题。他心里一直想为国家做大事，却很不得志。这首诗里那种“够不着”的痛苦，也带着他自己的影子。

The mood意境

The first six characters give the theme: endless longing, for someone in Chang'an. Then comes an autumn night. Insects sing by the well, the frost is thin, the mat is cold, the lamp is dim. These cold things make the loneliness grow, bit by bit. He rolls up the curtain to see the moon, but can only sigh, because she is beyond the clouds. Next he looks up and down: high sky above, wide water below. Even his soul cannot fly there, and even his dreams cannot arrive. Distance is pushed as far as it can go. At the end he comes back to "endless longing" and adds "it breaks my heart", like one long sigh. The short and long lines take turns, so reading it feels like holding back sobs.

开头六个字就点出题目：一直想念，人在长安。接着写秋夜：虫在井边叫，霜很薄，竹席很凉，一盏灯昏昏暗暗。这些冷冷的东西，让孤单的感觉一点点加重。卷起帘子看月亮，只能叹气，因为那个人“隔云端”。后面一上一下，写天高水阔，再写魂飞不过去，梦也到不了，把“远”写到了极点。最后又回到“长相思”，加一句“摧心肝”，好像一声长长的叹息。三字、七字的句子交错，读起来像在哽咽。