Song lyric · ci lyric in two stanzas宋词 · 词·双调

huā花fàn犯·shuǐ水xiān仙huā花

zhōu周mì密Zhou Mi · Song宋

Hua Fan: The Narcissus

chǔ楚jiāng江méi湄

xiāng湘é娥zhà乍jiàn见

wú无yán言sǎ洒qīng清lèi泪

dàn淡rán然chūn春yì意

kōng空dú独yǐ倚dōng东fēng风

fāng芳sī思shuí谁jì寄

líng凌bō波lù路lěng冷qiū秋wú无jì际

xiāng香yún云suí随bù步qǐ起

màn谩jì记de得

hàn汉gōng宫xiān仙zhǎng掌

tíng亭tíng亭míng明yuè月dǐ底

bīng冰xián弦xiě写yuàn怨gèng更duō多qíng情

sāo骚rén人hèn恨

wǎng枉fù赋fāng芳lán兰yōu幽zhǐ芷

chūn春sī思yuǎn远

shuí谁tàn叹shǎng赏guó国xiāng香fēng风wèi味

xiāng相jiāng将gòng共suì岁hán寒bàn伴lǚ侣

xiǎo小chuāng窗jìng净chén沉yān烟xūn熏cuì翠mèi袂

yōu幽mèng梦jué觉

juān涓juān涓qīng清lù露

yì一zhī枝dēng灯yǐng影lǐ里

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 "sinking incense" in line 18 with an old form of the character chén. The common text uses the modern form.

底本作“沈烟”，“沈”是“沉”的古写法，今通行本写作“沉烟”。

Line by line逐句翻译

楚江湄On a riverbank in the land of Chu,在楚地的江边，
湘娥乍见I first catch sight of the Xiang River goddess;刚一见到湘水女神，
无言洒清泪silent, she sheds clear tears.她默默无言，洒下清亮的泪。
淡然春意She carries a faint touch of spring,她带着淡淡的春意，
空独倚东风leaning alone against the east wind:独自靠在东风里，
芳思谁寄to whom can she send her tender feelings?这美好的情思能寄给谁呢？
凌波路冷秋无际Cold is her path across the waves; the autumn waters have no end,她踏着水波走的路很冷，秋水无边无际，
香云随步起and clouds of fragrance rise with each step.一团团香气随着她的脚步升起。
谩记得Uselessly I remember空空地记得，
汉宫仙掌the bronze immortal in the Han palace holding up its dew plate,汉宫里托着露盘的铜仙人，
亭亭明月底standing tall beneath the bright moon.亭亭玉立在明月之下。
冰弦写怨更多情The goddess plays sorrow on her strings, full of feeling,女神用琴弦弹出哀怨，情意更加深长，
骚人恨and alas for the poet of old,可叹那位诗人，
枉赋芳兰幽芷who wrote of orchids and angelica in vain, and never of her.白白写了兰草和白芷，却没有写到她。
春思远Her spring thoughts reach far away;春天的情思悠远，
谁叹赏国香风味who will praise her fragrance, the finest in the land?谁来赞赏她这天下第一的香气和风姿？
相将共岁寒伴侣I mean to keep her as my companion through the cold season.我打算和她一起，做寒冬里的伙伴。
小窗净沉烟熏翠袂By my clean little window, incense smoke drifts over her green sleeves.小窗明净，沉香的烟熏着她绿色的衣袖。
幽梦觉When I wake from a quiet dream,我从幽静的梦里醒来，
涓涓清露clear dew trickles softly,只见清露细细流动，
一枝灯影里and a single narcissus stands in the lamplight.一枝水仙立在灯影里。

Words字词注释

楚江湄chǔ jiāng méi: chǔ jiāng méi: the riverbank in the old land of Chu. Méi is the water's edge.楚江湄：楚地的江边。湄，水边。
湘娥xiāng é: xiāng é: the goddesses of the Xiang River. Legend says Emperor Shun's two wives wept for him and became its goddesses. Here they stand for the narcissus.湘娥：湘水女神。传说舜的两位妃子娥皇、女英为舜哭泣，后来成了湘水之神。这里用她来比水仙花。
乍见zhà jiàn: zhà jiàn: at first sight.乍见：刚一见到。
清泪qīng lèi: qīng lèi: clear tears, meaning the dew on the flower.清泪：清亮的泪，比喻花上的露水。
淡然春意dàn rán chūn yì: dàn rán chūn yì: a faint touch of spring.淡然春意：带着淡淡的春天的气息。
芳思fāng sī: fāng sī: sweet, tender feelings.芳思：美好的情思。
凌波líng bō: líng bō: walking lightly on the waves. The narcissus grows in water, so Song poets called it the fairy who walks on the waves.凌波：在水波上轻轻地走。水仙花长在水中，宋人称它“凌波仙子”。
秋无际qiū wú jì: qiū wú jì: the autumn waters stretch without end.秋无际：秋水无边无际。
香云xiāng yún: xiāng yún: clouds of fragrance.香云：一团团香气，像云一样。
谩记得màn jì de: màn jì de: remembering, though it is no use.谩记得：空空地记得。
汉宫仙掌hàn gōng xiān zhǎng: hàn gōng xiān zhǎng: Emperor Wu of Han set up a bronze immortal in his palace holding a plate to catch dew. Here it pictures the narcissus standing tall and holding dew.汉宫仙掌：汉武帝在宫中造了铜仙人，手托铜盘接露水。这里比喻水仙花亭亭玉立、承接露水的样子。
亭亭tíng tíng: tíng tíng: standing tall and graceful.亭亭：直直地立着，很美的样子。
冰弦写怨bīng xián xiě yuàn: bīng xián xiě yuàn: playing sorrow on the strings. Bīng xián means zither strings. Legend says the Xiang River goddess played the zither.冰弦写怨：用琴弦弹出哀怨。冰弦，指琴弦。传说湘水女神会鼓瑟。
骚人sāo rén: sāo rén: poets, first meaning Qu Yuan, who wrote the poem Li Sao.骚人：诗人，原指屈原。屈原写了《离骚》，所以诗人也叫骚人。
枉赋芳兰幽芷wǎng fù fāng lán yōu zhǐ: wǎng fù fāng lán yōu zhǐ: writing in vain about orchids and angelica. Qu Yuan wrote of many fragrant plants but never the narcissus, so it was in vain.枉赋芳兰幽芷：白白地写了兰草和白芷这些香草。屈原写过很多香草，却没有写到水仙，所以说“枉”。
叹赏tàn shǎng: tàn shǎng: to admire and praise.叹赏：赞叹欣赏。
国香guó xiāng: guó xiāng: the finest fragrance in the land, once said of the orchid, here of the narcissus.国香：全国最好的香气，原来称兰花，这里指水仙。
相将xiāng jiāng: xiāng jiāng: about to, meaning to.相将：将要，打算。
岁寒伴侣suì hán bàn lǚ: suì hán bàn lǚ: a companion in the cold season. The narcissus blooms in winter, like the pine, bamboo and plum.岁寒伴侣：冬天里的伙伴。水仙在寒冬开花，像松、竹、梅一样不怕冷。
沉烟chén yān: chén yān: smoke from burning aloeswood incense.沉烟：沉香燃烧的烟。
翠袂cuì mèi: cuì mèi: green sleeves, meaning the narcissus leaves.翠袂：绿色的衣袖，比喻水仙的绿叶。
幽梦觉yōu mèng jué: yōu mèng jué: waking from a quiet dream. Jué means to wake.幽梦觉：从幽静的梦里醒来。觉，醒。
涓涓juān juān: juān juān: trickling softly.涓涓：细细流动的样子。

How to read it读音

思sī: Here the character is a noun, "feelings". Today it is read sī; in old times the noun was read sì.“芳思”的“思”是名词，指情思，今读 sī。古代作名词时读去声 sì。
思sī: Here too it is read sī today; in old times the noun was read sì.“春思”的“思”今读 sī，古代作名词时读 sì。
谩màn: Here it means "idly, in vain", read màn.“谩”在这里同“漫”，是空、白白的意思，读 màn。

Background创作背景

This is a lyric about the narcissus. When it was written is no longer known. The narcissus blooms in winter and grows in clear water. Song dynasty people loved it and called it the fairy who walks on the waves. Zhou Mi describes it through old stories, such as the Xiang River goddess and the bronze immortal of the Han palace. The first stanza shows it cool and beautiful like a goddess. The second regrets that ancient poets never wrote about it, and ends with him keeping it by his window as a friend.

这是一首咏水仙花的词，写作时间已经不清楚。水仙在冬天开花，长在清水里，宋代人很喜欢它，把它比作“凌波仙子”。周密用湘水女神、汉宫铜仙人等故事来写水仙，上片写它像女神一样清冷美丽，下片写它没被古代诗人写进诗里的遗憾，最后写自己把它放在窗前作伴。

The poet作者

Zhou Mi (1232–1298), also called Caochuang, had family roots in Jinan but lived for a long time in Wuxing, today's Huzhou in Zhejiang. He lived at the end of the Song and the start of the Yuan. After the Southern Song fell, he refused to serve the Yuan and devoted himself to writing. He and Wu Wenying were called the Two Windows, after their pen names. He edited an anthology of ci, and wrote books recording life in the old Southern Song capital.

周密（1232—1298），字公谨，号草窗，祖籍济南，长期住在吴兴（今浙江湖州），宋末元初词人。南宋灭亡后，他不肯到元朝做官，专心写作。他和吴文英并称“二窗”，编过词选《绝妙好词》，还写了《武林旧事》等记载南宋旧事的书。

The mood意境

The word narcissus never appears in the lyric, yet every line is about it. First the poet imagines the flower as the Xiang River goddess. She stands by the river, says nothing, and only weeps; the dew on the petals is her tears. She walks on the waves, and fragrance rises like clouds at each step. That is just how the narcissus looks, growing in water with a cool, clean scent. Then he compares it to the bronze immortal of the Han palace holding up a plate of dew, tall and graceful. The second stanza speaks up for the flower. Qu Yuan wrote about so many fragrant plants, but never the narcissus. At the end the picture shrinks to a small window. Incense smoke drifts, the poet wakes from a dream, and a single narcissus stands quietly in the lamplight. From a river in legend we come back to one real flower in front of us, cool and tender at once.

这首词通篇没有直接出现“水仙”两个字，却句句都在写水仙。词人先把它想成湘水女神：站在江边，不说话，只流泪，花上的露水就是她的眼泪。她踩着水波走，香气像云一样跟着脚步升起，这正是水仙长在水里、香气清幽的样子。接着又把它比作汉宫里托露盘的铜仙人，写它亭亭玉立。下片替它抱不平：屈原写了那么多香草，偏偏没写水仙。最后画面收到小小的窗前：烟雾轻轻飘，人从梦里醒来，一枝水仙静静立在灯影里。从神话里的江边，一下子回到眼前的一枝花，又清冷，又温柔。