Tang poem · seven-character regulated verse唐诗 · 七言律诗

mǎ马wéi嵬èr二shǒu首·qí其èr二

lǐ李shāng商yǐn隐Li Shangyin · Tang唐

Mawei, Two Poems: No. 2

hǎi海wài外tú徒wén闻gèng更jiǔ九zhōu州

tā他shēng生wèi未bǔ卜cǐ此shēng生xiū休

kōng空wén闻hǔ虎lǚ旅chuán传xiāo宵tuò柝

wú无fù复jī鸡rén人bào报xiǎo晓chóu筹

cǐ此rì日liù六jūn军tóng同zhù驻mǎ马

dāng当shí时qī七xī夕xiào笑qiān牵niú牛

rú如hé何sì四jì纪wéi为tiān天zǐ子

bù不jí及lú卢jiā家yǒu有mò莫chóu愁

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。

Line by line逐句翻译

海外徒闻更九州In vain we hear there is another world beyond the seas;白白听说海外还有另一个九州，
他生未卜此生休the next life cannot be foretold, and this life together is over.来生的事说不准，这一生的缘分已经完了。
空闻虎旅传宵柝Now he hears only the guards striking their clappers through the night,只听见护卫的军队夜里敲着木梆巡逻，
无复鸡人报晓筹and no palace herald calls the dawn any more.再也没有宫中的鸡人来报天亮。
此日六军同驻马On this day, the whole army halted their horses;这一天，六军一齐停马不走，
当时七夕笑牵牛yet once, on the Double Seventh, the two laughed at the Cowherd who meets his love but once a year.当年七夕，他们还笑牛郎织女一年才见一次。
如何四纪为天子How is it that after forty-odd years as Son of Heaven,为什么做了四十多年的天子，
不及卢家有莫愁he could not do what the Lu family did, and keep his Mochou?反倒不如卢家的人，能守住一个莫愁？

Words字词注释

海外hǎi wài: hǎi wài: beyond the seas.海外：大海之外。
徒闻tú wén: tú wén: to hear in vain, to hear something that does no good.徒闻：白白听说，听说了也没用。
更九州gèng jiǔ zhōu: gèng jiǔ zhōu: another nine lands. People of old said there were nine more great lands beyond China. Legend says a magician found Lady Yang, now an immortal, on a fairy island across the sea.更九州：另外还有九州。古人说中国之外还有九个大州；传说方士在海外仙山上找到了成仙的杨贵妃。
他生未卜tā shēng wèi bǔ: tā shēng wèi bǔ: the next life cannot be foretold. Bǔ means to tell the future.他生未卜：来生的事无法预料。卜，占卜、预测。
此生休cǐ shēng xiū: cǐ shēng xiū: this life together is over.此生休：这一生的缘分已经完了。
虎旅hǔ lǚ: hǔ lǚ: the emperor's guard troops, fierce as tigers.虎旅：护卫皇帝的军队，像老虎一样勇猛。
宵柝xiāo tuò: xiāo tuò: the wooden clapper struck by night watchmen.宵柝：夜里巡逻时敲的木梆子。
鸡人jī rén: jī rén: a palace official who called out the dawn hour, wearing a red cap like a rooster.鸡人：宫中专门在天亮时报时的人，头戴红巾，像公鸡报晓。
晓筹xiǎo chóu: xiǎo chóu: the bamboo tally that marked the dawn hour.晓筹：报告天亮时刻的计时竹签。
六军liù jūn: liù jūn: the emperor's army.六军：皇帝的军队。
同驻马tóng zhù mǎ: tóng zhù mǎ: all stopping their horses, meaning the soldiers at Mawei refused to go on until the emperor had Lady Yang put to death.同驻马：一起停下马不走了，指士兵在马嵬驿停住不前，逼皇帝处死杨贵妃。
七夕qī xī: qī xī: the seventh night of the seventh lunar month, when the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl meet each year in legend.七夕：农历七月初七，传说牛郎织女每年这天相会。
笑牵牛xiào qiān niú: xiào qiān niú: laughing at the Herdboy star. The Herdboy is the Cowherd, who could see the Weaver Girl only once a year.笑牵牛：笑话牵牛星。牵牛就是牛郎，他和织女一年只能见一次面。
如何rú hé: rú hé: why, how is it that.如何：为什么。
四纪sì jì: sì jì: one ji is twelve years, so four ji is about forty-eight. Emperor Xuanzong reigned for over forty years.四纪：一纪是十二年，四纪约四十八年。唐玄宗在位四十多年。
为天子wéi tiān zǐ: wéi tiān zǐ: to be emperor.为天子：做皇帝。
卢家lú jiā: lú jiā: the Lu family.卢家：姓卢的人家。
莫愁mò chóu: mò chóu: a young woman in an old folk song who married into the Lu family and lived a safe, happy life.莫愁：古代民歌里的一个女子，嫁到卢家，过着平安幸福的生活。

How to read it读音

更gèng: Here it means another, besides, read gèng.这里是“另外、再”的意思，读 gèng。
为wéi: Here it means to be, to serve as, read wéi.这里是“做、当”的意思，读 wéi。

Background创作背景

Emperor Xuanzong loved Lady Yang so much that he neglected the government. In 756, An Lushan's rebel army closed in on Chang'an, and the emperor fled toward Sichuan with Lady Yang. At the Mawei post station, in today's Xingping in Shaanxi, the soldiers with him killed the chief minister Yang Guozhong, her cousin, and then demanded that Lady Yang be put to death. The emperor had to agree. About eighty years later, Li Shangyin looked back on these events and wrote two poems about Mawei; this is the second. When exactly he wrote it is not known.

唐玄宗宠爱杨贵妃，荒废朝政。天宝十五年（756年），安禄山叛军逼近长安，玄宗带着杨贵妃逃往四川。走到马嵬驿（在今陕西兴平），随行的士兵杀了宰相杨国忠，又逼玄宗处死杨贵妃，玄宗只好答应。过了大约八十年，李商隐回想这段往事，写了《马嵬》两首，这是第二首。具体写作时间不详。

The poet作者

Li Shangyin (about 813–about 858), also called Yishan, was a great poet of the late Tang. His poems are full of old stories and hidden meanings, and they often say things indirectly. He also wrote many poems about history, using the past to criticize the government of his own day. This is one of the best known of them.

李商隐（约813—约858），字义山，号玉谿生，晚唐大诗人。他的诗用典多，含义深，常常很含蓄。他也写过不少咏史诗，借古代的事讽刺当时的朝政。这首诗就是他咏史诗中的名作。

The mood意境

This poem is clever: it sets things side by side all the way through. The first couplet says there may be a fairy land beyond the sea, but what good is that? This life is already over. The second couplet compares before and after the flight. In the palace, a herald called the dawn. On the road, there are only soldiers beating clappers. The third couplet is the most famous. "On this day" is the day the soldiers forced Lady Yang's death. "Once, on the Double Seventh" is the night when, as the story goes, the two swore to be together forever and laughed at the Cowherd and Weaver Girl, who meet only once a year. They laughed at the lovers, yet in the end fared worse. The last couplet asks a sharp question. He was emperor for over forty years, yet he could not protect his love the way an ordinary family could. The poet is not only feeling sorry for him; he is criticizing him.

这首诗写得很巧，处处在对比。第一联说：传说海外还有仙境，可那有什么用？今生已经完了。第二联对比逃难前后：从前在宫里，有鸡人报晓；现在在路上，只有士兵打梆子。第三联最有名：“此日六军同驻马”，是士兵逼死贵妃的那一天；“当时七夕笑牵牛”，是传说中两人当年在七夕发誓要永远在一起，还笑牛郎织女一年才见一次。笑别人的，却不如别人。最后一联问得很尖锐：做了四十多年皇帝，却还不如一个普通人家能保护自己的妻子。诗人不只是同情，更是在批评玄宗。