Song lyric · ci, a long lyric in two stanzas宋词 · 词·双调长调

nǚ女guān冠zǐ子·yuán元xī夕

jiǎng蒋jié捷Jiang Jie · Song宋

Nü Guan Zi: Lantern Festival Night

huì蕙huā花xiāng香yě也

xuě雪qíng晴chí池guǎn馆rú如huà画

chūn春fēng风fēi飞dào到

bǎo宝chāi钗lóu楼shàng上

yí一piàn片shēng笙xiāo箫

liú琉lí璃guāng光shè射

ér而jīn今dēng灯màn漫guà挂

bú不shì是àn暗chén尘míng明yuè月

nà那shí时yuán元yè夜

kuàng况nián年lái来

xīn心lǎn懒yì意qiè怯

xiū羞yǔ与é蛾ér儿zhēng争shuǎ耍

jiāng江chéng城rén人qiǎo悄chū初gēng更dǎ打

wèn问fán繁huá华shuí谁jiě解

zài再xiàng向tiān天gōng公jiè借

tī剔cán残hóng红xiè灺

dàn但mèng梦lǐ里yǐn隐yǐn隐

diàn钿chē车luó罗pà帕

wú吴jiān笺yín银fěn粉yà砑

dài待bǎ把jiù旧jiā家fēng风jǐng景

xiě写chéng成xián闲huà话

xiào笑lǜ绿huán鬟lín邻nǚ女

yǐ倚chuāng窗yóu犹chàng唱

xī夕yáng阳xī西xià下

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 line twelve the corpus has yào (want) where the usual text has shuǎ (play); this page follows the usual text. The corpus gives only the tune name; the usual text adds the title "Lantern Festival Night".

语料库“羞与蛾儿争耍”的“耍”作“要”，通行本作“耍”（玩耍），这里用通行本。语料库只有词牌名，通行本加了题目“元夕”。

Line by line逐句翻译

蕙花香也The orchid lanterns give off their scent;蕙花灯散发着香气，
雪晴池馆如画the snow has cleared, and the garden halls are as lovely as a painting.雪后天晴，园林池馆美得像一幅画。
春风飞到The spring wind arrives,春风吹来，
宝钗楼上and up in the grand wine tower宝钗楼上，
一片笙箫music of pipes and flutes is everywhere,到处是笙箫的乐声，
琉璃光射and glass lanterns shine bright.琉璃灯放射着光彩。
而今灯漫挂Now the lanterns just hang there, with no one looking.如今，灯只是随便挂着。
不是暗尘明月There is no more dust under horses, no bright moon following crowds,不再有车马扬尘、明月照人的热闹，
那时元夜it is not the Lantern Festival night of those days.不再是那时的元宵夜了。
况年来What is more, in these years更何况这些年来，
心懒意怯my heart has grown listless and timid,我心里懒散又胆怯，
羞与蛾儿争耍and I am too shy to play alongside the young people with moth ornaments in their hair.不好意思和戴着蛾儿的年轻人争着玩。
江城人悄初更打The river city has gone quiet; the first watch has just been struck.江城里人声静了，刚刚打过一更。
问繁华谁解I ask: who could问一问，谁能
再向天公借borrow that splendor back from Heaven once more?再向老天爷把那繁华借回来？
剔残红灺I pick at the burnt-down wick,我挑着快烧尽的灯芯，
但梦里隐隐and only in dreams do I faintly see只在梦里模模糊糊看见
钿车罗帕the jeweled carriages and ladies with silk handkerchiefs.华丽的车子和拿着丝帕的游人。
吴笺银粉砑I take out fine Wu paper, silvered and polished,我拿出撒银粉、磨光滑的吴地信纸，
待把旧家风景meaning to take the scenes of the past想把从前的景象
写成闲话and write them down as stories to tell.写成故事讲给人听。
笑绿鬟邻女How strange, the neighbor girl with her black hair coiled,可笑那梳着黑发髻的邻家女孩，
倚窗犹唱leaning at the window, still singing靠着窗户还在唱着
夕阳西下"The setting sun goes down in the west".“夕阳西下”。

Words字词注释

蕙花huì huā: huì huā: a fragrant orchid. Here it may also mean the flower lanterns made for the festival.蕙花：一种香草，这里也指元宵节扎的花灯。一说“蕙花”就是蕙兰花。
池馆chí guǎn: chí guǎn: houses and halls in a garden with a pond.池馆：有水池的园林房屋。
宝钗楼bǎo chāi lóu: bǎo chāi lóu: the name of a tower, here meaning any grand, busy wine house.宝钗楼：楼名，这里泛指热闹华丽的酒楼。
笙箫shēng xiāo: shēng xiāo: two kinds of wind instruments, the reed pipe and the flute.笙箫：笙和箫，两种吹奏的乐器。
琉璃liú lí: liú lí: colored glass. Here it means lanterns made of it.琉璃：一种彩色透明的东西，这里指琉璃做的灯。
漫挂màn guà: màn guà: hung up carelessly, with few people to see them.漫挂：随随便便地挂着，没什么人看。
暗尘明月àn chén míng yuè: àn chén míng yuè: dust kicked up by horses and a bright moon following the crowds. It comes from a Tang poem about the busy Lantern Festival night.暗尘明月：车马走过扬起尘土，明月照着人群。出自唐诗“暗尘随马去，明月逐人来”，写元宵夜的热闹。
元夜yuán yè: yuán yè: the night of the Lantern Festival, the fifteenth of the first month.元夜：元宵节的夜晚，正月十五。
况kuàng: kuàng: what is more.况：何况、更何况。
心懒意怯xīn lǎn yì qiè: xīn lǎn yì qiè: feeling listless, with no wish to go out, and a little timid.心懒意怯：心里懒洋洋的，提不起兴致，又有点害怕。
蛾儿é ér: é ér: a moth-shaped ornament women wore in their hair at the Lantern Festival. Here it means the young people wearing them.蛾儿：古代元宵节妇女头上戴的饰物，用彩纸或丝绸做成蛾子的样子。这里指戴着它的年轻人。
争耍zhēng shuǎ: zhēng shuǎ: to compete at having fun.争耍：争着玩耍。
江城jiāng chéng: jiāng chéng: a city by a river.江城：江边的城市。
初更打chū gēng dǎ: chū gēng dǎ: the first watch has just been struck, soon after dark. In old times the night hours were announced by beating a drum.初更打：刚刚打了一更鼓，也就是天黑不久。古代晚上用打更报时。
谁解shuí jiě: shuí jiě: who can, who knows how to.谁解：谁能够、谁懂得。
天公tiān gōng: tiān gōng: Heaven, the old man in the sky.天公：老天爷。
剔tī: tī: to pick at the wick so the lamp burns brighter.剔：挑，把灯芯挑亮。
红灺hóng xiè: hóng xiè: the burnt end of a wick. Xiè is what is left after a candle or wick burns.红灺：灯芯烧剩下的部分。灺，蜡烛或灯芯的余烬。
隐隐yǐn yǐn: yǐn yǐn: faint and blurry.隐隐：模模糊糊，看不太清楚。
钿车diàn chē: diàn chē: a carriage decorated with gold, silver and gems.钿车：用金银珠宝装饰的车子。
罗帕luó pà: luó pà: a silk handkerchief. Here it stands for the ladies who went out that night.罗帕：丝绸手帕。这里指当年游玩的女子。
吴笺wú jiān: wú jiān: fine writing paper from the Wu region.吴笺：吴地出产的好信纸。
银粉砑yín fěn yà: yín fěn yà: paper sprinkled with silver powder and pressed smooth and shiny with a stone. Yà means to press and polish.银粉砑：用石头把撒了银粉的纸碾压得光滑发亮。砑，碾压、磨光。
旧家风景jiù jiā fēng jǐng: jiù jiā fēng jǐng: the scenes of the past, meaning the Lantern Festival back when the Song dynasty still stood.旧家风景：从前的景象，指宋朝还在时元宵节的样子。
闲话xián huà: xián huà: stories told just for talk.闲话：随便说说的故事。
绿鬟lǜ huán: lǜ huán: glossy black hair coiled up, meaning a young girl.绿鬟：乌黑的发髻，指年轻女孩。
夕阳西下xī yáng xī xià: xī yáng xī xià: a line from the song she sings. One view is that it opens a Lantern Festival lyric by the Song writer Fan Zhou, about the splendor of those days.夕阳西下：她唱的歌里的句子。一说是宋人范周一首元宵词的开头，写当年元宵的繁华。

Background创作背景

This lyric is about the Lantern Festival. The poet, Jiang Jie, lived at the very end of the Southern Song and saw the dynasty fall. It is usually thought to have been written after the fall. On the festival night, he remembered how the city used to blaze with lanterns and crowds. Looking at how cold and quiet it was now, he felt deep sorrow and wrote this lyric.

这首词写元宵节。作者蒋捷生活在南宋末年，经历了宋朝灭亡。一般认为这首词是宋亡以后写的。元宵夜，他回想起从前城里灯火通明、人山人海的热闹，再看看眼前冷冷清清的样子，心里非常难过，于是写下了这首词。

The poet作者

Jiang Jie was a lyric writer at the end of the Southern Song. He passed the highest imperial exam in the dynasty's last years. After the Song fell, he refused to serve the new Yuan rulers and lived quietly at Zhushan by Lake Tai, so people called him Master Zhushan. His lyrics often grieve for the lost dynasty. His most famous work is "Yu Mei Ren: Listening to the Rain".

蒋捷，南宋末年的词人，宋朝末年考中进士。宋朝灭亡后，他不愿意给元朝做官，隐居在太湖边的竹山，人们叫他“竹山先生”。他的词常常写亡国之后的伤感，《虞美人·听雨》是他最有名的作品。

The mood意境

This lyric is like two photos placed side by side. The first is the past: the orchid lanterns smell sweet, the sky clears after snow, music plays on and on in the towers, and glass lanterns sparkle. The second is the present: the lanterns hang with no one to see them, and the city goes quiet right after dark. The poet himself has grown old and has no wish to go out. He wants to write down how things used to be, for later people. The last small scene is the most moving. A little neighbor girl leans at her window singing an old song from those days, without knowing that the splendor in it is long gone. The word "laugh" here is really full of heartache.

这首词像两张照片放在一起对比。第一张是从前：蕙花香，雪后天晴，楼上音乐响个不停，琉璃灯闪闪发光。第二张是现在：灯随便挂着，没人看，城里一更天就安静了。作者自己也老了，没有心思出去玩。他想把从前的样子写下来，留给后人。最后一个小画面特别打动人：邻家小女孩靠着窗户唱歌，唱的是当年的旧曲子，她却不知道歌里的繁华早已不在。“笑”字里，其实满是心酸。