No. 21 · Song lyric · ci, a long lyric in two stanzas第 21 首 · 宋词 · 词·双调慢词

guì桂zhī枝xiāng香·jīn金líng陵huái怀gǔ古

wáng王ān安shí石Wang Anshi · Song宋

Fragrance of Osmanthus: Recalling the Past at Jinling

dēng登lín临sòng送mù目

zhèng正gù故guó国wǎn晚qiū秋

tiān天qì气chū初sù肃

qiān千lǐ里chéng澄jiāng江sì似liàn练

cuì翠fēng峰rú如cù簇

guī归fān帆qù去zhào棹cán残yáng阳lǐ里

bèi背xī西fēng风jiǔ酒qí旗xié斜chù矗

cǎi彩zhōu舟yún云dàn淡

xīng星hé河lù鹭qǐ起

huà画tú图nán难zú足

niàn念wǎng往xī昔fán繁huá华jìng竞zhú逐

tàn叹mén门wài外lóu楼tóu头

bēi悲hèn恨xiāng相xù续

qiān千gǔ古píng凭gāo高duì对cǐ此

màn漫jiē嗟róng荣rǔ辱

liù六cháo朝jiù旧shì事suí随liú流shuǐ水

dàn但hán寒yān烟shuāi衰cǎo草níng凝lǜ绿

zhì至jīn今shāng商nǚ女

shí时shí时yóu犹chàng唱

hòu后tíng庭yí遗qǔ曲

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。

This page uses the text found in textbooks and standard editions. The poetry database differs in two places. First, it has "fragrant grass" where the standard text has "withered grass" in the line about cold mist. Second, it breaks the line about standing high one word later; the standard text breaks it after "looking at this". Also, some editions write màn with a different character that has the same meaning.

这里用的是课本和通行本的文字。古诗词数据库里有两处不同：一是“但寒烟衰草凝绿”写作“但寒烟、芳草凝绿”；二是断句为“千古凭高，对此漫嗟荣辱”，通行本断作“千古凭高对此，漫嗟荣辱”。另外，“漫”有的版本写作“谩”，意思一样。

Line by line逐句翻译

登临送目I climb up high and gaze far away.我登上高处，放眼远望，
正故国晚秋It is late autumn in this old capital,这古都正是深秋时节，
天气初肃and the air has just turned crisp and cold.天气刚刚变得清冷。
千里澄江似练The clear river runs a thousand miles like a strip of white silk,千里长江清澈，像一条白绸子，
翠峰如簇and green peaks crowd together in clusters.青翠的山峰一簇簇聚在一起。
归帆去棹残阳里Boats come and go in the light of the setting sun.来来往往的船只在夕阳里穿行，
背西风酒旗斜矗In the west wind, a tavern flag stands tall at a slant.西风吹过，酒旗斜斜地高挂着。
彩舟云淡Painted boats seem to float among pale clouds,彩色的船好像浮在淡淡的云里，
星河鹭起and egrets rise from a river like the Milky Way.银河般的江面上白鹭飞起，
画图难足Even a painting could not hold such beauty.这样的美景，画也画不尽。
念往昔繁华竞逐I think of the past, when rulers raced to live in luxury.想起从前，六朝的帝王争着过奢华的日子，
叹门外楼头Sadly, enemy troops reached the gate while the ruler still feasted upstairs,可叹敌兵打到门外，君王还在楼上寻欢，
悲恨相续and one fallen kingdom followed another.亡国的悲剧一个接着一个。
千古凭高对此For a thousand years people have climbed up here and looked out,千百年来，人们登高望着这里，
漫嗟荣辱only to sigh in vain over rise and fall.只是白白地感叹兴盛和衰亡。
六朝旧事随流水The stories of the six dynasties have flowed away with the river.六朝的往事已经随江水流走了，
但寒烟衰草凝绿All that is left is cold mist and withered grass in a dull green.只剩下寒烟和枯草，凝成一片暗绿。
至今商女Even today the singing girls直到今天，那些歌女
时时犹唱still often sing还时常在唱
后庭遗曲the song left behind by the last ruler of Chen.陈后主留下的《后庭花》。

Words字词注释

登临dēng lín: dēng lín: to climb up high.登临：登山、登高。
送目sòng mù: sòng mù: to send one's eyes far, to gaze into the distance.送目：放眼远望。
故国gù guó: gù guó: the old capital. Jinling (today's Nanjing) was the capital of six dynasties.故国：旧都，从前的都城。金陵（今江苏南京）曾是六个朝代的都城。
初肃chū sù: chū sù: has just turned crisp and cold. Sù describes the cool, bare feeling of autumn.初肃：刚刚变得清冷。肃，秋天天气清冷、万物凋零的样子。
澄江似练chéng jiāng sì liàn: chéng jiāng sì liàn: the clear river is like a strip of white silk. Chéng means clear; liàn is white silk. It borrows a line by the Southern Dynasties poet Xie Tiao: "the clear river is calm as white silk."澄江似练：清澈的长江像一条白绸子。澄，清；练，白色的丝绸。这里借用了南朝诗人谢朓的诗句“澄江静如练”。
翠峰如簇cuì fēng rú cù: cuì fēng rú cù: green peaks crowd together like clusters. Cù means a cluster; one reading says it means arrowheads.翠峰如簇：青翠的山峰像一丛丛箭头聚在一起。簇，丛聚，一说指箭头。
归帆去棹guī fān qù zhào: guī fān qù zhào: boats coming and going. Fān is a sail and zhào is an oar; both stand for boats here.归帆去棹：来来往往的船。帆，船帆；棹，划船的桨，这里都代指船。
残阳cán yáng: cán yáng: the setting sun.残阳：快要落山的太阳。
背西风bèi xī fēng: bèi xī fēng: with the west wind at its back.背西风：背着西风，迎着秋风的方向。
酒旗斜矗jiǔ qí xié chù: jiǔ qí xié chù: a tavern's flag stands tall at a slant. Chù means to stand tall and straight.酒旗斜矗：酒店门口的旗子斜斜地竖着。矗，高高竖立。
彩舟cǎi zhōu: cǎi zhōu: brightly painted boats.彩舟：装饰漂亮的船。
星河鹭起xīng hé lù qǐ: xīng hé lù qǐ: egrets rise from the river. Xīng hé is the Milky Way; here the Yangtze is pictured as the river of stars. One reading says it points to Egret Isle in the river.星河鹭起：长江上白鹭飞起。星河，银河，这里把长江比作天上的银河。一说指江中的白鹭洲。
画图难足huà tú nán zú: huà tú nán zú: even a painting could not capture it all. Zú means to show fully.画图难足：就是画也画不完这样的美景。足，充分表现出来。
繁华竞逐fán huá jìng zhú: fán huá jìng zhú: the rulers and nobles of the six dynasties competed in living in luxury. Jìng zhú means to race after something.繁华竞逐：六朝的帝王贵族比着过奢侈享乐的生活。竞逐，争相追逐。
门外楼头mén wài lóu tóu: mén wài lóu tóu: this borrows Du Mu's lines "Han Qinhu at the gate, Zhang Lihua up in the tower." The Sui general Han Qinhu had reached the city gate, while the last ruler of Chen was still upstairs having fun with his favourite consort Zhang Lihua. That is how the Chen dynasty fell.门外楼头：化用杜牧《台城曲》“门外韩擒虎，楼头张丽华”。隋朝大将韩擒虎已经带兵打到城门外，陈后主还在楼上和宠妃张丽华寻欢作乐，陈朝就这样灭亡了。
悲恨相续bēi hèn xiāng xù: bēi hèn xiāng xù: the sorrow of fallen kingdoms came one after another.悲恨相续：亡国的悲剧一个接一个。
凭高píng gāo: píng gāo: standing up high. Píng means to lean on, to stand at a height.凭高：登上高处。凭，倚靠、登临。
漫嗟荣辱màn jiē róng rǔ: màn jiē róng rǔ: sighing in vain over glory and shame. Màn means in vain; jiē means to sigh; róng rǔ, glory and disgrace, means the rise and fall of dynasties.漫嗟荣辱：白白地感叹兴盛和衰亡。漫，徒然、白白地；嗟，叹息；荣辱，兴旺和耻辱，这里指朝代的兴亡。
六朝liù cháo: liù cháo: the six dynasties that had their capital at Jinling: Eastern Wu, Eastern Jin, Song, Qi, Liang and Chen.六朝：在金陵建都的六个朝代：东吴、东晋、宋、齐、梁、陈。
寒烟衰草凝绿hán yān shuāi cǎo níng lǜ: hán yān shuāi cǎo níng lǜ: only cold mist and withered grass are left, set in a dull green. Shuāi cǎo means withered grass.寒烟衰草凝绿：只剩下寒冷的烟雾和枯草，凝成一片暗绿。衰草，枯萎的草。
商女shāng nǚ: shāng nǚ: a singing girl who sang for money.商女：卖唱的歌女。
后庭遗曲hòu tíng yí qǔ: hòu tíng yí qǔ: the song "Jade Tree and Flowers in the Back Court", written by the last ruler of Chen and later seen as the music of a fallen kingdom. Du Mu wrote: "The singing girls do not know the sorrow of a lost country; across the river they still sing that song."后庭遗曲：指《玉树后庭花》，陈后主作的歌曲，后人把它看作亡国之音。杜牧《泊秦淮》有“商女不知亡国恨，隔江犹唱后庭花”。

How to read it读音

绿lǜ: Today it is read lǜ. This ci uses an old entering-tone rhyme, with rhyme words like sù, cù, chù, zú, zhú, xù, rǔ and qǔ. Some people read this character as lù so it sounds closer to the rhyme.现在读 lǜ。这首词押的是古代入声韵，韵脚有“肃、簇、矗、足、逐、续、辱、曲”，有人把这里的“绿”读作 lù，听起来更押韵。
曲qǔ: Here it means a song, so it is read qǔ, not qū.这里是“歌曲”的意思，读 qǔ，不读 qū。

Background创作背景

Jinling is today's Nanjing in Jiangsu. From Eastern Wu in the Three Kingdoms to Chen in the Southern Dynasties, six dynasties made their capital here. Together they are called the Six Dynasties. Most of them were short. Their rulers cared only for pleasure, and they fell one after another. Wang Anshi lived in Jinling for many years. Climbing high, he looked at the autumn river and hills, thought about this history, and wrote this ci about the past. The exact date is not agreed on. One view says he wrote it while governing the area; another says he wrote it after he stepped down as chief minister and retired there.

金陵就是今天的江苏南京。从三国时的东吴到南朝的陈，先后有六个朝代在这里建都，合称“六朝”。这些朝代大多很短，君王只顾享乐，一个接一个灭亡了。王安石晚年长期住在金陵，他登高远望，看到秋天的长江和山峰，想起这些历史，写下了这首怀古词。具体写作时间说法不一，一说写于他做江宁知府的时候，一说写于他罢相退居金陵以后。

The poet作者

Wang Anshi (1021–1086) was a Northern Song statesman and writer, one of the Eight Great Prose Masters of Tang and Song. As chief minister he led a set of reforms to make the country strong and rich. Because he cared so much about the state, his view of the fallen Six Dynasties is not only sad. It is also a warning to people of his own time: if rulers care only for pleasure, the country will fall.

王安石（1021—1086），北宋政治家、文学家，“唐宋八大家”之一。他当过宰相，主持变法，想让国家富强起来。正因为他关心国家大事，他看六朝兴亡，不只是伤感，更是在提醒当时的人：只顾享乐，国家就会灭亡。

The mood意境

The first stanza is a painting of the Yangtze in autumn. The river runs a thousand miles like white silk. Green hills stand in clusters. Boats come and go in the sunset, a tavern flag slants in the west wind, and egrets rise from the water. Wang Anshi says not even a painting could hold it all. The second stanza turns from the view to history. This beautiful place is where six dynasties fell. The words "at the gate, up in the tower" tell the story of enemy troops at the city gate while the ruler was still having fun upstairs. For a thousand years, people who climbed up here only sighed. They never truly learned the lesson. The past has flowed away with the water, leaving cold mist and withered grass. The last three lines are the most chilling: even today, singing girls still sing the song of a ruler who lost his country. Wang Anshi does not say it out loud, but he makes you wonder: if the Song rulers act the same way, will they meet the same end?

上阕是一幅秋天的长江画。千里江水像白绸子，青山一簇簇，夕阳里船来船往，西风中酒旗斜挂，白鹭从江上飞起。王安石说，这样的美景画也画不完。下阕从风景转到历史。眼前这么美的地方，却是六朝灭亡的地方。“门外楼头”四个字，讲的是敌兵到了城门口，君王还在楼上玩乐的故事。千百年来，登高的人都只是叹一叹，没有真正吸取教训。往事随水流走，只剩寒烟和衰草。最后三句最让人心惊：直到今天，歌女还在唱亡国之君的曲子。作者没有直说，却让人想到：宋朝如果也这样，会不会走上同样的路？