Song lyric · ci to the tune Pi Pa Xian, a tune Jiang Kui made up himself, in two stanzas宋词 · 词，词牌《琵琶仙》，姜夔自度曲，双调

pí琵pá琶xiān仙·shuāng双jiǎng桨lái来shí时

jiāng姜kuí夔Jiang Kui · Song宋

Pi Pa Xian: When the Twin Oars Came

shuāng双jiǎng桨lái来shí时

yǒu有rén人sì似jiù旧qǔ曲táo桃gēn根táo桃yè叶

gē歌shàn扇qīng轻yuē约fēi飞huā花

é蛾méi眉zhèng正qí奇jué绝

chūn春jiàn渐yuǎn远tīng汀zhōu洲zì自lǜ绿

gèng更tiān添le了jǐ几shēng声tí啼jué鴂

shí十lǐ里yáng扬zhōu州

sān三shēng生dù杜mù牧

qián前shì事xiū休shuō说

yòu又hái还shì是gōng宫zhú烛fēn分yān烟

nài奈chóu愁lǐ里cōng匆cōng匆huàn换shí时jié节

dōu都bǎ把yì一jīn襟fāng芳sī思

yǔ与kōng空jiē阶yú榆jiá荚

qiān千wàn万lǚ缕cáng藏yā鸦xì细liǔ柳

wèi为yù玉zūn尊qǐ起wǔ舞huí回xuě雪

xiǎng想jiàn见xī西chū出yáng阳guān关

gù故rén人chū初bié别

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

双桨来时A little boat came rowing with its twin oars,一只小船划着双桨来了，
有人似旧曲桃根桃叶and on it was someone like the sisters Peach Root and Peach Leaf in the old song.船上有个人，像旧歌里唱的桃根、桃叶姐妹。
歌扇轻约飞花With her singing fan she gently waved away the flying petals.她拿着唱歌的扇子，轻轻挡开飞花，
蛾眉正奇绝Her curved brows were lovely beyond compare.那弯弯的眉毛，美得出奇。
春渐远汀洲自绿Spring is slowly going; the little islands turn green all by themselves,春天渐渐远去，水中的小洲自顾自地绿着，
更添了几声啼鴂and a few cuckoo calls are added.又添了几声杜鹃的啼叫。
十里扬州Like Du Mu's ten miles of Yangzhou,像杜牧那样十里扬州的往事，
三生杜牧as if I were Du Mu born again,我好像是杜牧转世，
前事休说those old days are better left unspoken.那些旧事，就不要再说了。
又还是宫烛分烟Again it is the season when the palace sends out candles and their smoke drifts away.又到了宫中分送蜡烛、烛烟飘散的寒食时节，
奈愁里匆匆换时节Sadly, in my gloom, the seasons hurry past.无奈在愁闷里，季节匆匆就换了。
都把一襟芳思All the tender feelings in my heart我把满怀春天的情思，
与空阶榆荚I give to the elm seeds falling on the empty steps.都交给了空台阶上飘落的榆钱。
千万缕藏鸦细柳Thousands of slender willow strands, thick enough to hide crows,千丝万缕的细柳，密得能藏住乌鸦，
为玉尊起舞回雪dance before the jade cup like whirling snow.在酒杯前随风起舞，像回旋的飞雪。
想见西出阳关They remind me of that scene of going west through the Yang Pass,我想起了“西出阳关”那样的情景，
故人初别the moment I first parted from the one I loved.正是和旧日相好的人刚刚分别的时候。

Words字词注释

双桨shuāng jiǎng: shuāng jiǎng: a pair of oars, meaning a little boat rowing up.双桨：一对船桨，代指划来的小船。
桃根桃叶táo gēn táo yè: táo gēn táo yè: Peach Leaf was the beloved of the calligrapher Wang Xianzhi, and Peach Root was her sister. He wrote 'The Song of Peach Leaf' to see her off at a ferry. The woman in the boat looks like the girls in that old song, and reminds the poet of someone he once loved.桃根桃叶：东晋书法家王献之的爱妾叫桃叶，她的妹妹叫桃根。王献之曾在渡口作《桃叶歌》送桃叶。这里说船上的女子像旧歌里的桃叶姐妹，也让作者想起自己从前爱过的人。
歌扇gē shàn: gē shàn: a fan held while singing.歌扇：唱歌时拿的扇子。
轻约飞花qīng yuē fēi huā: qīng yuē fēi huā: gently waving away the flying petals with the fan. Yuē means to hold back.轻约飞花：用扇子轻轻挡开飞舞的花瓣。约，拦住。
蛾眉é méi: é méi: eyebrows as fine and curved as a moth's feelers, meaning a beautiful woman.蛾眉：像蚕蛾触须那样细长弯曲的眉毛，代指美女。
奇绝qí jué: qí jué: wonderfully, matchlessly lovely.奇绝：美得出奇，无人能比。
汀洲tīng zhōu: tīng zhōu: a small island or sandbank in the water.汀洲：水中的小块陆地。
啼鴂tí jué: tí jué: a calling tí jué bird, usually taken to be the cuckoo. People believed that when it called, spring was ending and flowers would fade.啼鴂：鸣叫的鹈鴂，一般认为是杜鹃。古人认为它一叫，春天就要过去，百花凋零。
十里扬州shí lǐ yáng zhōu: shí lǐ yáng zhōu: ten miles of Yangzhou. The Tang poet Du Mu wrote of 'ten miles of spring wind on the Yangzhou road', where he spent his carefree youth.十里扬州：唐代杜牧《赠别》写“春风十里扬州路”，扬州是他年轻时风流快乐的地方。
三生杜牧sān shēng dù mù: sān shēng dù mù: Du Mu across three lives. Buddhists speak of a past, present and next life. The poet says he is like Du Mu born again, with an old love of his own.三生杜牧：三生，佛教说的前生、今生、来生。作者说自己好像杜牧转世，也有过一段扬州那样的旧情。
休说xiū shuō: xiū shuō: say no more.休说：不要再说了。
宫烛分烟gōng zhú fēn yān: gōng zhú fēn yān: after the Cold Food Festival, the palace lit new fire and gave candles to officials, so their smoke spread to many homes. It tells us it is the Cold Food and Qingming season again.宫烛分烟：寒食节过后，皇宫点起新火，把蜡烛分给大臣，烛烟飘散到各家。这里点明又到了寒食清明时节。
奈nài: nài: there is nothing to be done.奈：无奈，没有办法。
一襟芳思yì jīn fāng sī: yī jīn fāng sī: a heart full of tender spring feelings. Jīn is the front of a robe, meaning the heart.一襟芳思：满怀春天的情思。襟，衣服前胸部分，代指胸怀。
与yǔ: yǔ: to give, to hand over.与：交给，送给。
榆荚yú jiá: yú jiá: elm seeds, round like coins, also called elm money. They fall in showers in late spring.榆荚：榆树的果实，圆圆的像铜钱，也叫榆钱，暮春时纷纷飘落。
藏鸦细柳cáng yā xì liǔ: cáng yā xì liǔ: slender willows grown so thick they can hide a crow.藏鸦细柳：细长的柳条长得又密又长，能把乌鸦藏住。
玉尊yù zūn: yù zūn: a jade wine cup, meaning a feast.玉尊：玉做的酒杯，指酒宴。尊，同“樽”。
回雪huí xuě: huí xuě: snow whirling in the wind. In 'The Goddess of the Luo River', Cao Zhi used this image for a dancer. Here the willow strands sway like someone dancing before the feast.回雪：被风吹得回旋飞舞的雪。曹植《洛神赋》用“流风之回雪”形容美人跳舞。这里写柳条在风里舞动，像有人在酒席前跳舞。
西出阳关xī chū yáng guān: xī chū yáng guān: going west through the Yang Pass, from Wang Wei's farewell poem 'Seeing Off Yuan Er'. People broke off willow twigs at partings, so willows bring farewells to mind.西出阳关：王维《送元二使安西》写“西出阳关无故人”。古人分别时常折柳相送，看见柳树就想起离别。
故人gù rén: gù rén: an old friend, someone once dear.故人：老朋友，旧日相好的人。

How to read it读音

思sī: In fāng sī (tender thoughts) the character is a noun. In old pronunciation it was sì, but today it is usually read sī.“芳思”的“思”是名词，指情思。古音读去声 sì，现在一般读 sī。
鴂jué: This character is read jué. Tí jué is a bird, usually taken to be the cuckoo.“鴂”读 jué，“鹈鴂”是一种鸟，一般认为就是杜鹃。

Background创作背景

The poem has a short preface. It says that in Wuxing (today's Huzhou, Zhejiang) many homes stood by the water and each had a painted boat, so spring outings there were livelier even than at West Lake in Hangzhou. In 1189 the poet and his friend Xiao Shifu took wine to the south of the city, and he was moved to write this. It is usually thought that a woman he saw on a boat reminded him of a woman he had once loved in Hefei. The tune was one Jiang Kui composed himself.

这首词前面有一段小序，大意是：吴兴（今浙江湖州）水边人家多，家家有画船，春游非常热闹，连杭州西湖都比不上。己酉年（1189年），作者和朋友萧时父带着酒到城南游玩，有所感触，写下这首词。一般认为，他在船上看见一位女子，想起了自己从前在合肥爱过的人。“自度曲”是说这个曲调是姜夔自己作的。

The poet作者

Jiang Kui (about 1155 – about 1221) was a Southern Song ci writer and musician. He never held office and lived with help from friends. He could compose music, and some of his ci survive with their tunes written out. When young he loved a woman in Hefei, but they parted, and many of his ci look back on that love.

姜夔（约1155—约1221），字尧章，号白石道人，南宋词人和音乐家。他一辈子没有做官，靠朋友接济过日子。他能自己作曲，留下了带乐谱的词。年轻时他在合肥爱过一位女子，后来分开了，他的不少词都在怀念这段感情。

The mood意境

The poem starts with a single moment. A little boat rows up, and the woman on it waves away the petals with her fan, so lovely that his heart stirs. But he turns at once to sorrow. Spring is going, the cuckoo calls, and his own old dream, like Du Mu's in Yangzhou, is 'better left unspoken', because speaking of it hurts too much. The second stanza is about time rushing on. The festival has come again. He gives all his feelings to the elm seeds on the empty steps, which means he has no one to tell. At last he sees willows dancing before the feast. Willows were broken off at farewells, so what rises in his mind is the very moment he parted from the one he loved. The scenes are light and pretty, but the feeling hidden in them runs deep.

这首词从一个瞬间写起：一条小船划来，船上的女子拿扇子挡开飞花，美得让人心动。可作者马上转到伤感：春天渐渐远了，杜鹃在叫，杜牧那样的扬州旧梦，“前事休说”——不说，是因为说起来太痛。下阕写时间过得快：寒食又到了，他把满心的情思交给落在空台阶上的榆钱，等于说没人可以诉说。最后看见满树柳条在酒席前飞舞，想到古人折柳送别，心里浮现的正是当年和心上人刚分开的那一刻。全词写景很轻很美，藏着的感情却很深。