Tang poem · five-character old-style poem唐诗 · 五言古诗

mèng梦lǐ李bái白èr二shǒu首·qí其èr二

dù杜fǔ甫Du Fu · Tang唐

Dreaming of Li Bai, Second of Two Poems

fú浮yún云zhōng终rì日xíng行

yóu游zǐ子jiǔ久bú不zhì至

sān三yè夜pín频mèng梦jūn君

qíng情qīn亲jiàn见jūn君yì意

gào告guī归cháng常jú局cù促

kǔ苦dào道lái来bú不yì易

jiāng江hú湖duō多fēng风bō波

zhōu舟jí楫kǒng恐shī失zhuì坠

chū出mén门sāo搔bái白shǒu首

ruò若fù负píng平shēng生zhì志

guān冠gài盖mǎn满jīng京huá华

sī斯rén人dú独qiáo憔cuì悴

shú孰yún云wǎng网huī恢huī恢

jiāng将lǎo老shēn身fǎn反lěi累

qiān千qiū秋wàn万suì岁míng名

jì寂mò寞shēn身hòu后shì事

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 qiáo cuì (worn and haggard) with variant characters and writes the mò of jì mò with a different character; the usual forms are used here.

原始资料“顦顇”是“憔悴”的异体写法，“寂莫”通行本作“寂寞”，这里都按通行写法。

Line by line逐句翻译

浮云终日行Drifting clouds roam the sky all day,天上的浮云整天飘来飘去，
游子久不至but my wandering friend has not come for so long.远方的游子却久久不来。
三夜频梦君Three nights running I have dreamed of you,一连三个夜里，我都梦见了你，
情亲见君意and I see how deep your feeling is for me.可见你对我的情意多么深厚。
告归常局促Each time you leave, you are hurried and uneasy,你告别的时候，总是匆匆忙忙、很不安，
苦道来不易and you say sadly again and again: it is so hard to come.一再苦苦地说：来一趟真不容易。
江湖多风波There is much wind and many waves on the rivers and lakes;江湖上风浪很多，
舟楫恐失坠I fear your boat may overturn and sink.只怕船会翻，人会落水。
出门搔白首Going out the door, you scratch your white head,你出门时挠着满头白发，
若负平生志as if you have failed your lifelong dream.好像辜负了一辈子的志向。
冠盖满京华The capital is full of officials in fine caps and carriages,京城里到处是坐着华车的达官贵人，
斯人独憔悴and you alone are worn and down on your luck.唯独你这个人，又瘦又失意。
孰云网恢恢Who says heaven's net is wide and fair to all?谁说天网广大、对谁都公平？
将老身反累Now that you are growing old, you are the one dragged into disaster.你快老了，反而受到牵连获罪。
千秋万岁名Even fame that lasts a thousand autumns, ten thousand years,即使有流传千年万年的名声，
寂寞身后事comes only after death, lonely and of no use to you.那也是死后的事，冷冷清清，又有什么用？

Words字词注释

浮云fú yún: fú yún: drifting clouds, often used by old poets for a person wandering far from home.浮云：天上飘动的云，古人常用来比喻漂泊在外的人。
终日zhōng rì: zhōng rì: all day long.终日：整天。
游子yóu zǐ: yóu zǐ: a traveler far from home, here Li Bai.游子：离家远行的人，这里指李白。
频pín: pín: again and again.频：多次，接连。
情亲qíng qīn: qíng qīn: close and warm feelings.情亲：情意亲切深厚。
见君意jiàn jūn yì: jiàn jūn yì: seeing how much you care for me.见君意：看出你对我的情意。
告归gào guī: gào guī: saying goodbye to leave.告归：告别回去。
局促jú cù: jú cù: hurried and uneasy.局促：匆促不安、很不自在的样子。
苦道kǔ dào: kǔ dào: saying sadly, saying again and again.苦道：苦苦地说，一再地说。
风波fēng bō: fēng bō: wind and waves, also the dangers and troubles of life.风波：风浪，也比喻人生的危险和灾祸。
舟楫zhōu jí: zhōu jí: boat and oar, meaning a boat.舟楫：船和桨，指船。
失坠shī zhuì: shī zhuì: to overturn and fall into the water.失坠：翻船落水。
搔白首sāo bái shǒu: sāo bái shǒu: scratching his white head, a sign of worry.搔白首：挠着满头白发，是心里烦恼的样子。
负fù: fù: to fail, to let down.负：辜负，对不起。
平生志píng shēng zhì: píng shēng zhì: one's lifelong ambition.平生志：一辈子的志向。
冠盖guān gài: guān gài: the caps of officials and the canopies of their carriages, meaning high officials.冠盖：官员戴的帽子和车上的车篷，指达官贵人。
京华jīng huá: jīng huá: the capital, Chang'an.京华：京城，指长安。
斯人sī rén: sī rén: this man, Li Bai.斯人：这个人，指李白。
憔悴qiáo cuì: qiáo cuì: thin, worn out and down on his luck.憔悴：又瘦又疲惫，失意的样子。
孰云shú yún: shú yún: who says.孰云：谁说。
网恢恢wǎng huī huī: wǎng huī huī: from the Laozi: heaven's net is wide, loose, yet lets nothing slip. It means heaven is fair to all.网恢恢：出自《老子》“天网恢恢，疏而不失”，意思是天道公平，像一张大网，好人坏人都不会漏掉。
将老jiāng lǎo: jiāng lǎo: about to grow old.将老：快要老了。
身反累shēn fǎn lěi: shēn fǎn lěi: instead he himself was dragged into trouble. This means Li Bai being punished and exiled over the affair of Prince Yong, Li Lin.身反累：自己反而受了牵连。指李白因为永王李璘的事被定罪流放。
千秋万岁名qiān qiū wàn suì míng: qiān qiū wàn suì míng: fame that will last for thousands of years.千秋万岁名：流传千年万年的名声。
身后事shēn hòu shì: shēn hòu shì: things that come after one's death.身后事：死后的事。

How to read it读音

冠guān: In guān gài (official caps and carriage canopies) the character is a noun, a cap, and is read guān, not guàn.“冠盖”的“冠”是帽子，名词，读 guān，不读 guàn。
累lěi: Here the character means to be dragged into trouble and is read lěi. Some read it lèi.“累”这里是受牵连、被连累的意思，读 lěi。也有人读 lèi。

Background创作背景

In 758, Li Bai was found guilty of joining the army of Prince Yong, Li Lin, and was sentenced to exile in Yelang, around today's Guizhou. The next year, on the way into exile, he was freed by a general pardon. At that time Du Fu was living in Qinzhou, today's Tianshui in Gansu. News traveled slowly, so he did not know Li Bai had been freed. He only knew his friend was in danger. Worried sick, he dreamed of Li Bai several nights in a row and wrote two poems called "Dreaming of Li Bai". This is the second one.

唐肃宗乾元元年（758），李白因为参加永王李璘的军队，被定罪流放夜郎（在今贵州一带）。第二年，他在流放的路上遇到大赦，被放了回来。当时杜甫住在秦州（今甘肃天水），消息不通，不知道李白已经获释，只知道他身处险境。他非常担心，接连几夜梦见李白，就写下《梦李白》两首。这是第二首。

The poet作者

Du Fu (712–770) was a great Tang poet, called the Sage of Poetry. He was eleven years younger than Li Bai. The two met in 744, traveled together and became close friends. After they parted they never met again, yet Du Fu wrote many poems missing Li Bai, such as "Remembering Li Bai on a Spring Day" and "Thinking of Li Bai from the Edge of the Sky". This poem shows how much he worried about his friend and how unfair he felt Li Bai's fate was.

杜甫（712—770），唐代大诗人，被称为“诗圣”。他比李白小十一岁，两人在744年相识，一起游玩过，结下了深厚的友谊。分别以后再也没有见面，杜甫却写了很多怀念李白的诗，比如《春日忆李白》《天末怀李白》。这首诗写出了他对朋友的牵挂和不平。

The mood意境

The poem opens with drifting clouds that roam the sky all day, while the friend never comes. Then comes the dream. Du Fu dreams of Li Bai three nights in a row, which shows how close they are. In the dream Li Bai leaves in a hurry, always saying how hard it is to come, and worried about the wind and waves. These words are Li Bai's in the dream, and also Du Fu's own fears. The picture of Li Bai scratching his white head at the door shows the sadness of an old man whose dreams have failed. The second half speaks out against the unfairness. The capital is full of high officials, yet this genius alone is worn and haggard. Who says heaven is fair? The last two lines are the most famous. Even if Li Bai's fame lasts for ten thousand years, that comes after death; while he lives, he is lonely. Those words came true: Li Bai's fame really has lasted to this day.

诗一开头看天上的浮云，云整天飘来飘去，朋友却总也不来。接着写梦：三夜都梦到李白，说明两人情谊深。梦里的李白告别时很匆忙，总说来一趟不容易，还担心江湖风浪大。这些话既是梦里李白说的，也是杜甫自己的担心。出门搔着白发的样子，写出了一个失意老人的心酸。后半首是杜甫替朋友鸣不平：京城里满是达官贵人，偏偏这位天才憔悴不堪。谁说老天公平？最后两句最有名：就算李白的名声能流传千秋万代，那也是死后的事，活着的时候却这样寂寞。这句话后来果然应验了，李白的名声真的流传到了今天。