Tang poem · seven-character quatrain唐诗 · 七言绝句

hòu后gōng宫cí词

bái白jū居yì易Bai Juyi · Tang唐

Song of the Rear Palace

lèi泪shī湿luó罗jīn巾mèng梦bù不chéng成

yè夜shēn深qián前diàn殿àn按gē歌shēng声

hóng红yán颜wèi未lǎo老ēn恩xiān先duàn断

xié斜yǐ倚xūn熏lóng笼zuò坐dào到míng明

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 writes the xūn of xūn lóng, "incense cage", with a different character. Most current texts use the simpler form; the meaning is the same.

原始文本第四句作“薰笼”，现在通行本多作“熏笼”，意思一样。

Line by line逐句翻译

泪湿罗巾梦不成Tears soak her silk handkerchief; she cannot sleep.眼泪湿透了丝巾，怎么也睡不着，
夜深前殿按歌声Deep in the night, singing to the beat drifts from the front hall.深夜里，前殿还传来按着节拍唱歌的声音。
红颜未老恩先断Her face has not grown old, yet the emperor's favor is already gone.她年轻的容貌还没老，皇帝的宠爱却已经断了，
斜倚熏笼坐到明Leaning against the incense cage, she sits up until dawn.她斜靠着熏笼，一直坐到天亮。

Words字词注释

罗巾luó jīn: luó jīn: a silk handkerchief.罗巾：丝织的手帕。
梦不成mèng bù chéng: mèng bù chéng: she cannot fall asleep, cannot dream.梦不成：睡不着，做不成梦。
前殿qián diàn: qián diàn: the front hall, where the emperor is enjoying himself.前殿：前面的宫殿，皇帝正在那里玩乐。
按歌声àn gē shēng: àn gē shēng: singing to the beat. Àn means to keep time.按歌声：按着节拍唱歌。按，打节拍。
红颜hóng yán: hóng yán: a young, lovely face.红颜：年轻美丽的容貌。
恩先断ēn xiān duàn: ēn xiān duàn: the emperor's favor has already ended. Ēn means favor.恩先断：皇帝的宠爱已经先断了。恩，宠爱。
斜倚xié yǐ: xié yǐ: leaning sideways against.斜倚：斜着身子靠着。
熏笼xūn lóng: xūn lóng: a bamboo cage placed over an incense burner, used to scent clothes and to keep warm.熏笼：罩在香炉上的竹笼子，可以用来熏衣服，也可以取暖。
到明dào míng: dào míng: until dawn.到明：直到天亮。

Background创作背景

The rear palace was where the emperor's consorts and palace women lived. Once a woman lost the emperor's favor, she could only live alone, and she could not leave the palace. Bai Juyi felt for them and wrote several such poems, such as the long poem "The White-Haired Woman of Shangyang". The year of this poem is not known.

“后宫”是皇宫里妃子和宫女住的地方。宫里的女子一旦失去皇帝的宠爱，就只能孤孤单单地过日子，也不能离开皇宫。白居易同情她们，写过好几首这样的诗，比如长诗《上阳白发人》。这首诗具体写于哪一年已经不清楚。

The poet作者

Bai Juyi (772–846), also called Letian, was a great Tang poet. He wanted his poems to be understood by ordinary people. It is said he read new poems to an old woman who could not read, to check she understood. He cared about common people and those who suffered, and the loneliness of palace women often appears in his poems.

白居易（772—846），唐代大诗人，字乐天。他写诗讲究让普通人都能听懂，据说写完会念给不识字的老婆婆听。他很关心普通百姓和受苦的人，宫女的孤苦也常常出现在他的诗里。

The mood意境

This poem is like a scene from one night. In her room, a palace woman is crying so hard she cannot sleep, and her silk handkerchief is soaked. From the front hall far away comes the sound of singing. Over there it is lively, and the emperor is having fun with others. One side is cold and quiet, the other bright and busy, and the contrast hurts. The third line is the most painful: she is still young and still lovely, but the emperor no longer cares for her. The last line has no tears and no words. She just leans on the incense cage and sits until dawn. You can feel how long and cold that night must be.

这首诗像一个夜晚的镜头。屋里，一个宫女哭得睡不着，丝巾都湿透了。远处的前殿，却传来唱歌的声音，那里正热闹，皇帝在和别人玩乐。一边冷清，一边热闹，对比让人心酸。第三句是全诗最痛的地方：她还年轻，还美丽，可皇帝已经不喜欢她了。最后一句没有哭，也没有说话，她只是靠着熏笼，一直坐到天亮。你能想象那一整夜有多长、多冷。