Song lyric · ci, a long lyric in two stanzas宋词 · 词·双调慢词

jiě解lián连huán环·yuàn怨huái怀wú无tuō托

zhōu周bāng邦yàn彦Zhou Bangyan · Song宋

Untying the Linked Rings: My Grief Has Nowhere to Rest

yuàn怨huái怀wú无tuō托

jiē嗟qíng情rén人duàn断jué绝

xìn信yīn音liáo辽miǎo邈

zòng纵miào妙shǒu手néng能jiě解lián连huán环

sì似fēng风sàn散yǔ雨shōu收

wù雾qīng轻yún云bó薄

yàn燕zi子lóu楼kōng空

àn暗chén尘suǒ锁yì一chuáng床xián弦suǒ索

xiǎng想yí移gēn根huàn换yè叶

jìn尽shì是jiù旧shí时

shǒu手zhòng种hóng红yào药

tīng汀zhōu洲jiàn渐shēng生dù杜ruò若

liào料zhōu舟yī依àn岸qū曲

rén人zài在tiān天jiǎo角

màn谩jì记de得dāng当rì日yīn音shū书

bǎ把xián闲yǔ语xián闲yán言

dài待zǒng总shāo烧què却

shuǐ水yì驿chūn春huí回

wàng望jì寄wǒ我jiāng江nán南méi梅è萼

pàn拚jīn今shēng生duì对huā花duì对jiǔ酒

wèi为yī伊lèi泪luò落

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。

In the corpus, line four begins with xìn, "truly", and the last line ends luò lèi, "shed tears". The usual text has zòng, "even if", and lèi luò, "tears fall", followed here. Ending on luò keeps the rhyme with the other rhyming lines, so the usual text fits the tune better.

原始文本第四句作“信妙手”，最后一句作“为伊落泪”。通行本作“纵妙手”和“为伊泪落”，这里用通行本。“泪落”的“落”和“托、邈、薄、索、药、若、角、却、萼”押韵，所以通行本更合韵律。

Line by line逐句翻译

怨怀无托My grief has nowhere to rest.满心的怨恨，没有地方诉说。
嗟情人断绝Alas, the one I love has cut me off,唉，心上的人和我断了来往，
信音辽邈and her letters and news are far and faint.书信消息都远得渺茫了。
纵妙手能解连环Even if a skilled hand could undo the linked rings,就算有高明的人能解开连环，
似风散雨收it would be like wind dying and rain ending,也像风停雨止，
雾轻云薄mist thinning and clouds fading, with nothing left.雾也淡了，云也薄了，什么都没留下。
燕子楼空Swallow Tower stands empty;燕子楼已经空了，
暗尘锁一床弦索dust quietly seals the strings left on the couch.灰尘悄悄锁住了满床的琴弦。
想移根换叶I think how the flowers put out new roots and leaves:想想那些花又发新根、长新叶，
尽是旧时all of them are全都是从前
手种红药red peonies she planted with her own hands.她亲手种下的红芍药。
汀洲渐生杜若On the islets, fragrant herbs are slowly growing.水边的小洲上，杜若渐渐长出来了。
料舟依岸曲I imagine her boat moored at a bend in the bank,我猜她的船正靠在弯弯的河岸边，
人在天角and her far away at the edge of the sky.人却远在天边。
谩记得当日音书In vain I still remember the letters of those days;白白地还记着当年的书信，
把闲语闲言all those idle words,那些说过的闲话，
待总烧却I mean to burn them all.我打算全部烧掉。
水驿春回When spring returns to the riverside post station,等春天回到水边的驿站，
望寄我江南梅萼I still hope she will send me plum blossoms from the south.还盼着她给我寄来江南的梅花。
拚今生对花对酒I will spend this whole life facing flowers and wine,我甘愿这一辈子，对着花，对着酒，
为伊泪落shedding tears for her.为她流泪。

Words字词注释

怨怀yuàn huái: yuàn huái: a heart full of grief.怨怀：满心的怨恨和伤心。
无托wú tuō: wú tuō: with nowhere to put it, no one to tell.无托：没有地方寄托、诉说。
嗟jiē: jiē: alas, a sigh.嗟：唉，叹气的声音。
断绝duàn jué: duàn jué: cut off, no longer in touch.断绝：断了来往。
信音xìn yīn: xìn yīn: letters and news.信音：书信和消息。
辽邈liáo miǎo: liáo miǎo: far away and dim.辽邈：又远又渺茫。
纵zòng: zòng: even if.纵：即使。
妙手miào shǒu: miào shǒu: a skilled hand.妙手：手艺高明的人。
解连环jiě lián huán: jiě lián huán: to undo linked jade rings. An old book says the king of Qin sent the queen of Qi a chain of joined rings to untie, and she smashed them with a hammer. Here it stands for a love suddenly broken off.解连环：解开套在一起的玉环。古书上说，秦王送给齐国王后一串连在一起的玉环，请人解开，王后用锤子把环敲碎了。这里比喻感情一下子断开了。
风散雨收fēng sàn yǔ shōu: fēng sàn yǔ shōu: the wind dies and the rain stops; nothing is left.风散雨收：风停了，雨也停了，什么都没留下。
燕子楼yàn zi lóu: yàn zi lóu: Swallow Tower, in today's Xuzhou. In the Tang, a woman named Guan Panpan lived alone there for many years after her master died. Here it means the loved one has gone and the tower stands empty.燕子楼：在今天江苏徐州。唐代有位女子叫关盼盼，主人死后，她独自在燕子楼住了十几年。这里指心爱的人走了，楼也空了。
暗尘àn chén: àn chén: dust that gathers unnoticed.暗尘：不知不觉积下的灰尘。
弦索xián suǒ: xián suǒ: strings; the instruments she once played.弦索：琴弦，指她弹过的乐器。
移根换叶yí gēn huàn yè: yí gēn huàn yè: the flowers put down new roots and grow new leaves; years go by.移根换叶：花又发了新根、长了新叶，指一年年过去。
红药hóng yào: hóng yào: red herbaceous peonies.红药：红色的芍药花。
汀洲tīng zhōu: tīng zhōu: a small flat islet in or by the water.汀洲：水中或水边的小块平地。
杜若dù ruò: dù ruò: a fragrant water-side herb, often given to someone far away in old poems.杜若：一种长在水边的香草。古诗里常用它送给远方的人。
料liào: liào: I imagine.料：料想，猜想。
岸曲àn qū: àn qū: a bend in the riverbank.岸曲：河岸弯曲的地方。
天角tiān jiǎo: tiān jiǎo: a corner of the sky, very far away.天角：天边，很远的地方。
谩màn: màn: in vain.谩：白白地。
音书yīn shū: yīn shū: letters.音书：书信。
闲语闲言xián yǔ xián yán: xián yǔ xián yán: the words in those letters, which now seem empty.闲语闲言：信里那些说过的话，现在看来都没用了。
待总烧却dài zǒng shāo què: dài zǒng shāo què: meaning to burn them all. Dài means to intend; què means away.待总烧却：打算全都烧掉。待，打算；却，掉。
水驿shuǐ yì: shuǐ yì: a post station on a waterway, where letters were passed on and travelers rested.水驿：水路上的驿站，传送书信、供人休息的地方。
梅萼méi è: méi è: plum blossoms. Long ago someone sent a plum branch from the south to a distant friend, so sending plum blossom came to mean missing someone.梅萼：梅花。古代有人从江南折了一枝梅花寄给远方的朋友，后来“寄梅”就表示思念。
拚pàn: pàn: to give oneself up to, to be willing.拚：豁出去，甘愿。
伊yī: yī: she, her.伊：她。

How to read it读音

薄bó: Here this character is read bó, the literary reading for thin or faint. In everyday speech, thin is báo.薄在这里读 bó，书面语“稀薄、淡薄”的意思。口语说东西很薄时读 báo。
曲qū: Here this character is read qū, a bend, not qǔ, a song.曲在这里读 qū，是“弯曲的地方”，不读歌曲的 qǔ。
角jiǎo: Read jiǎo today. In old pronunciation it was a short, clipped syllable that rhymed with the other rhyme words.现在读 jiǎo。古代是入声字，和“托、薄、药”等押韵。
谩màn: Here this character is the same as màn, meaning in vain, and is read màn.谩在这里同“漫”，是“徒然、白白地”的意思，读 màn。
拚pàn: Here this character is read pàn, meaning to be willing to give everything.拚在这里读 pàn，是“豁出去、甘愿”的意思。
为wèi: Here this character is read wèi, meaning for.为在这里读 wèi，是“为了”的意思。

Background创作背景

This lyric shows a man's grief after the woman he loves has cut off all contact. He looks at the strings she left and the flowers she planted, and thinks of her far away. When it was written and whom it is about are not known. One view is that it is about a woman who left him.

这首词写一个男子被心爱的人断了联系以后的伤心。他看着她留下的琴、她亲手种的花，想到她已经远在天边。具体写于什么时候、思念的是谁，已经说不清楚了。一说写的是一位离他而去的女子。

The poet作者

Zhou Bangyan (1056–1121), also called Qingzhen Jushi, was a Northern Song ci poet and a master of music. His lyrics follow the tune rules strictly, choose words with care, and weave in old stories. This one uses several: the linked rings, Swallow Tower and the gift of plum blossom. Later readers honored him as the one who brought together all the skills of Northern Song lyrics.

周邦彦（1056—1121），号清真居士，北宋词人，精通音乐。他的词格律严谨，用字讲究，善于把古代的故事化进词里，这首词就用了“解连环”“燕子楼”“寄梅”好几个典故。后人把他看作北宋词的集大成者。

The mood意境

The feeling in this lyric is like a rope that pulls tighter and tighter and gets more tangled the more he thinks. It opens with a sigh. His grief has nowhere to go: she is gone, and so are her letters. The rings have been undone, like wind and rain ending and clouds melting away, with nothing left. Then he looks around him. Swallow Tower is empty and dust covers the strings, yet the peonies she planted grow new leaves every year. She is gone but her things remain, and that hurts most. In the second stanza he imagines her boat far away, her at the edge of the sky. In anger he says he will burn the old letters, but right away he says that when spring comes he still hopes she will send a plum branch. He says he will let go, but he cannot. At last he simply says he will spend his life facing flowers and wine and weeping for her. Resentment and love are mixed together, and it feels very true.

这首词的感情像一根绳子，越拉越紧，又越想越乱。开头直接叹气：心里的怨没处说，人走了，信也没了。连环被解开，就像风停雨住、云消雾散，什么都不剩。接着他看身边：燕子楼空了，琴上落满灰，她种的芍药却一年年长新叶。人走了，东西还在，这才最让人难受。下片他想象她坐船远去，人在天边。他气得说要把旧信都烧掉，可马上又说，春天来了，还盼她寄一枝梅花来。嘴上说放下，心里却放不下。最后干脆说：这辈子就对着花和酒，为她流泪吧。又恨又爱，写得非常真实。