Song lyric · ci to the tune Liu Yao Ling, 94 characters in two stanzas宋词 · 词，词牌《六么令》，双调九十四字

liù六yāo么lìng令·lǜ绿yīn阴chūn春jìn尽

yàn晏jǐ几dào道Yan Jidao · Song宋

Liu Yao Ling: Green Shade, Spring at Its End

lǜ绿yīn阴chūn春jìn尽

fēi飞xù絮rào绕xiāng香gé阁

wǎn晚lái来cuì翠méi眉gōng宫yàng样

qiǎo巧bǎ把yuǎn远shān山xué学

yí一cùn寸kuáng狂xīn心wèi未shuō说

yǐ已xiàng向héng横bō波jué觉

huà画lián帘zhē遮zā匝

xīn新fān翻qǔ曲miào妙

àn暗xǔ许xián闲rén人dài带tōu偷qiā掐

qián前dù度shū书duō多yǐn隐yǔ语

yì意qiǎn浅chóu愁nán难dá答

zuó昨yè夜shī诗yǒu有huí回wén纹

yùn韵xiǎn险hái还yōng慵yā押

dōu都dài待shēng笙gē歌sàn散liǎo了

jì记qǔ取lái来shí时shà霎

bù不xiāo消hóng红là蜡

xián闲yún云guī归hòu后

yuè月zài在tíng庭huā花jiù旧lán阑jiǎo角

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 corpus differs in three places. Two are slips from conversion or copying: the common text has zā (to surround) and qiā (to tap time on the fingers). In the fifteenth line the common text has lái (to come), while some editions have liú (to stay).

语料库作“画帘遮币”“带偷掏”“记取留时霎”。“币”“掏”是繁简转换或抄录造成的错字，通行本作“遮匝”（四面围住）和“偷掐”（偷偷掐着手指记拍子）。“留时霎”通行本作“来时霎”，一作“留时霎”。

Line by line逐句翻译

绿阴春尽The trees are green and shady; spring is at its end.绿树成荫，春天快过完了，
飞絮绕香阁Willow fluff flies around her fragrant room.柳絮飞着，绕着她的香闺。
晚来翠眉宫样In the evening she paints her brows in the palace fashion,傍晚她照着宫里流行的样子画眉，
巧把远山学cleverly copying the shape of distant hills.巧妙地学着远山的模样。
一寸狂心未说Her heart, wild with love, has not yet spoken,她那颗痴情的心还没说出口，
已向横波觉but it already shows in her flowing glances.却已经从流动的眼波里让人看出来了。
画帘遮匝Painted curtains hang all around.彩画的帘子四面垂着，
新翻曲妙Her new tune is wonderful,她新编的曲子十分美妙，
暗许闲人带偷掐and she secretly lets me, an outsider, learn it by tapping the beat.暗中让我这个外人偷偷掐着拍子学会。
前度书多隐语Her last letter was full of hidden meanings;她上次的信里有许多藏着的话，
意浅愁难答my wit is shallow, and I worry how to answer.我才思浅，愁着不知该怎么回。
昨夜诗有回纹Last night she sent a palindrome poem,昨晚她又寄来一首回文诗，
韵险还慵押with rhymes so hard that I am too lazy to match them.韵押得很难，我懒得去和。
都待笙歌散了Just wait till the music and singing are over,只等宴会的歌舞散了，
记取来时霎and remember the moment to come.记住那来相会的时刻。
不消红蜡No need for a red candle:不用点红蜡烛，
闲云归后after the drifting clouds are gone,等闲云散去，
月在庭花旧阑角the moon will be on the old railing's corner among the courtyard flowers.月亮会照在庭院花下那旧栏杆的一角。

Words字词注释

绿阴lǜ yīn: lǜ yīn: the deep shade of green trees.绿阴：绿树的浓荫。
飞絮fēi xù: fēi xù: flying willow fluff.飞絮：飞舞的柳絮。
香阁xiāng gé: xiāng gé: a fragrant chamber, a young woman's room.香阁：女子住的闺房。
翠眉cuì méi: cuì méi: eyebrows painted dark green-black.翠眉：画得青黑的眉毛。
宫样gōng yàng: gōng yàng: the style of the palace, the latest fashion.宫样：宫里流行的式样，最时髦的打扮。
远山yuǎn shān: yuǎn shān: distant-hills brows, eyebrows painted like faint far mountains. Legend says Zhuo Wenjun of the Han had brows like that.远山：远山眉，眉毛画得像远处淡淡的山。传说汉代卓文君的眉毛就像远山。
一寸狂心yí cùn kuáng xīn: yī cùn kuáng xīn: a little heart wild with love. One inch means the heart is small.一寸狂心：一颗痴情的心。一寸，指心很小。
横波héng bō: héng bō: flowing glances of the eyes.横波：眼波，指流动的目光。
觉jué: jué: to notice, to give away.觉：察觉，被看出来。
遮匝zhē zā: zhē zā: closed in on all sides.遮匝：四面围起来，严严实实。
新翻曲xīn fān qǔ: xīn fān qǔ: a newly arranged tune. Fān means to remake an old tune into a new one.新翻曲：新编的曲子。翻，按旧调改编新曲。
暗许àn xǔ: àn xǔ: to allow secretly.暗许：暗中允许。
闲人xián rén: xián rén: an outsider, here the poet himself.闲人：不相干的人，这里是作者自己。
偷掐tōu qiā: tōu qiā: secretly tapping the beats on one's fingers to learn the tune by heart.偷掐：偷偷掐着手指数拍子，把曲子记下来。
前度qián dù: qián dù: last time.前度：上一次。
隐语yǐn yǔ: yǐn yǔ: hidden words, meanings tucked out of sight.隐语：不直接说出来的话，暗藏的意思。
意浅愁难答yì qiǎn chóu nán dá: yì qiǎn chóu nán dá: my wit is too shallow; I worry about how to reply.意浅愁难答：我的才思太浅，愁着不知怎么回信。
回纹huí wén: huí wén: a palindrome poem that can be read forward or backward. Legend says Su Hui of the Former Qin wove one into brocade for her husband.回纹：回文诗，顺着读、倒着读都成诗。传说前秦苏蕙织锦写回文诗寄给丈夫。
韵险yùn xiǎn: yùn xiǎn: the rhyme is hard, with few fitting words.韵险：用的韵很难，很难找到合适的字来押。
慵押yōng yā: yōng yā: too lazy to rhyme a reply. Yōng means lazy.慵押：懒得去押韵和诗。慵，懒。
笙歌shēng gē: shēng gē: music of reed pipes and singing at a party.笙歌：吹笙唱歌，指宴会上的音乐。
记取jì qǔ: jì qǔ: to remember.记取：记住。
霎shà: shà: a moment.霎：一会儿，片刻。
不消bù xiāo: bù xiāo: no need for.不消：不需要。
红蜡hóng là: hóng là: a red candle.红蜡：红蜡烛。
闲云xián yún: xián yún: drifting clouds.闲云：天上飘的云。
阑角lán jiǎo: lán jiǎo: the corner of the railing.阑角：栏杆的转角处。阑，同“栏”。

How to read it读音

了liǎo: Here this character means "to be over", so it is read liǎo.“散了”的“了”这里是结束、完毕的意思，读 liǎo。
角jiǎo: Today this character is read jiǎo. Its old sound rhymed with gé, xué and jué in this poem, so some read it jué.“角”现在读 jiǎo。古音读入声，和“阁、学、觉”等字押韵，所以有人读作 jué。

Background创作背景

This ci is about a secret romance between the poet and a singing girl. When it was written is no longer known. It shows her painting her brows, writing tunes, sending letters and poems, and the two of them agreeing to meet by the railing under the moon after the party ends. When young, Yan Jidao often heard singing girls perform at his friends' parties, and he wrote many ci remembering them. This is one of them.

这首词写的是作者和一位歌女之间悄悄的恋情，具体写在什么时候已经不清楚。词里写她画眉、作曲、写信、寄诗，又写两人约好在宴会散后、月下栏杆边相见。晏几道年轻时常在朋友家的宴会上听歌女唱歌，写过很多怀念她们的词，这首就是其中之一。

The poet作者

Yan Jidao (about 1038 – about 1110), who called himself Xiaoshan, was the youngest son of the Northern Song chief minister Yan Shu. He was born rich, but the family later declined, and he never did well in life. He was proud and deeply loving. His ci are mostly about love and memory, clear and heartfelt. He and his father are called the Two Yans.

晏几道（约1038—约1110），字叔原，号小山，是北宋宰相晏殊的小儿子。他出身富贵，后来家道中落，一生不得志，性格孤傲又痴情。他的词多写爱情和回忆，语言清丽，感情真挚，和父亲并称“二晏”。

The mood意境

This ci is like a little love story. It opens in late spring, with willow fluff circling her room. She paints her brows like distant hills before the mirror. She has not said a word of her love, yet her eyes have already given it away. That line is playful and true. Another reading says it is his feeling that she reads in his eyes. Then come her gifts: she writes new tunes and quietly lets him learn them; her letters hide meanings; her poems use palindromes and hard rhymes he cannot match. There is a sweet kind of trouble in this. Last comes the meeting: when the party ends, no candle is needed; the clouds will drift away, and moonlight will fall on the old railing among the flowers. That is where they will meet. The poem does not say what happens next. It leaves only moonlight and lets us imagine the rest.

这首词像一个小小的恋爱故事。开头是暮春，柳絮绕着她的屋子。她对着镜子画远山眉，打扮得很漂亮。她的心事还没说出口，眼神却早已泄露了，这一句写得又俏皮又真实。一说是作者的心思被她从眼神里看了出来。接着写她的才华：会编新曲，还偷偷让他学；写信爱藏话，寄诗爱用回文险韵，让他接不上。这里有一点甜蜜的为难。最后是约会：等歌舞散了，不用点蜡烛，云散月出，月光照在花下旧栏杆的角落，就在那里见。结尾不说见面后怎样，只留下一片月光，让人自己去想。