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

qiǎn遣bēi悲huái怀sān三shǒu首·qí其èr二

yuán元zhěn稹Yuan Zhen · Tang唐

Easing My Grief, Three Poems: No. 2

xī昔rì日xì戏yán言shēn身hòu后yì意

jīn今zhāo朝jiē皆dào到yǎn眼qián前lái来

yī衣shang裳yǐ已shī施xíng行kàn看jìn尽

zhēn针xiàn线yóu犹cún存wèi未rěn忍kāi开

shàng尚xiǎng想jiù旧qíng情lián怜bì婢pú仆

yě也céng曾yīn因mèng梦sòng送qián钱cái财

chéng诚zhī知cǐ此hèn恨rén人rén人yǒu有

pín贫jiàn贱fū夫qī妻bǎi百shì事āi哀

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

昔日戏言身后意Long ago we joked about what would happen after one of us died.从前我们开玩笑说起死后的事，
今朝皆到眼前来Now all of it has come before my eyes.如今这些都真的来到了眼前。
衣裳已施行看尽Your clothes I have given away, and soon there will be none left.你的衣裳已经送人，眼看就要送完了；
针线犹存未忍开Your sewing box is still here, and I cannot bear to open it.你的针线盒还留着，我不忍心打开。
尚想旧情怜婢仆Thinking of our old love, I am kind to the maids and servants who served you.还念着旧日的情分，我也格外怜惜你的婢仆；
也曾因梦送钱财I have also, after dreaming of you, sent you money as an offering.也曾因为梦见你，给你烧纸送钱。
诚知此恨人人有I know this grief of losing one's partner comes to everyone,我确实知道，夫妻死别的悲痛人人都有，
贫贱夫妻百事哀but for a couple who were poor together, every little thing brings sorrow.可是一起吃过苦的贫贱夫妻，件件事想起来都让人伤心。

Words字词注释

戏言xì yán: xì yán: words said as a joke.戏言：开玩笑说的话。
身后意shēn hòu yì: shēn hòu yì: plans for after death, such as what to do if one of them died first.身后意：死后的打算，比如谁先死了，后事怎么办。
今朝jīn zhāo: jīn zhāo: now.今朝：如今。
施shī: shī: to give away to others.施：施舍，送给别人。
行看尽xíng kàn jìn: xíng kàn jìn: soon to be all given away. Xíng here means about to.行看尽：眼看就要送完了。行，将要。
针线zhēn xiàn: zhēn xiàn: here, the wife's sewing box, and the sewing she did.针线：这里指妻子用过的针线盒，也指她做的针线活。
未忍开wèi rěn kāi: wèi rěn kāi: cannot bear to open.未忍开：不忍心打开。
尚想旧情shàng xiǎng jiù qíng: shàng xiǎng jiù qíng: still thinking of the love from when she was alive.尚想旧情：还想着妻子在世时的情意。
怜婢仆lián bì pú: lián bì pú: so he is extra kind to the maids and servants who served her. Bì is a maid.怜婢仆：因此也格外怜爱她身边的婢女和仆人。婢，女仆。
因梦送钱财yīn mèng sòng qián cái: yīn mèng sòng qián cái: because he dreamed of her, he sent her money, burning paper offerings.因梦送钱财：因为梦见了妻子，就去烧纸钱、送钱财给她。
诚知chéng zhī: chéng zhī: truly know.诚知：确实知道。
此恨cǐ hèn: cǐ hèn: this grief of a husband and wife parted by death.此恨：这种夫妻死别的悲痛。
贫贱夫妻pín jiàn fū qī: pín jiàn fū qī: a husband and wife who lived through poor times together.贫贱夫妻：一起过过穷日子的夫妻。
百事哀bǎi shì āi: bǎi shì āi: every little thing brings sorrow.百事哀：件件事想起来都让人伤心。

How to read it读音

裳shang: In today's speech the word for clothes is read yī shang, with a light tone. On its own, or in old poems, some read it cháng.“衣裳”在今天口语中读 yī shang，“裳”读轻声；单独用或读古诗时也有人读 cháng。
行xíng: Here it means about to, read xíng.这里是“将要”的意思，读 xíng。
尽jìn: Meaning used up, read jìn.“完、没有了”的意思，读 jìn。

Background创作背景

Yuan Zhen's wife, Wei Cong, came from an official's family. When she married him he was still poor, and she lived through hard years with him. In 809 she died at only twenty-seven. Later Yuan Zhen rose in office and life became easier, but she was no longer there to see it. He wrote three poems called "Easing My Grief" in her memory. This is the second. It shows how, after her death, small things in daily life kept bringing back his sorrow. One view holds it was written soon after she died.

元稹的妻子韦丛出身官宦人家，嫁给元稹时，他还很穷，她跟着他过了好几年苦日子。元和四年（809年），韦丛二十七岁就去世了。后来元稹做了官，日子好起来，妻子却看不到了。他写下《遣悲怀》三首悼念她。“遣”是排解的意思。这是第二首，写妻子去世后，日常生活中处处勾起的悲伤。写作的具体时间，一说在妻子去世后不久。

The poet作者

Yuan Zhen (779–831), also called Weizhi, was a Tang poet. He was a close friend of Bai Juyi, and together they promoted a new style of yuefu songs, so people speak of them as Yuan and Bai. He wrote many poems mourning his wife. The famous line about having seen the vast sea, after which no other water seems like water, also comes from one of his poems. These three poems are among the most famous poems of mourning in old China.

元稹（779—831），字微之，唐代诗人，和白居易是好朋友，两人一起提倡新乐府，并称“元白”。他写过许多悼念亡妻的诗，名句“曾经沧海难为水”也出自他的诗。《遣悲怀》三首是古代悼亡诗中最有名的作品之一。

The mood意境

This poem has no big ideas. It is all small things from daily life: clothes, a sewing box, maids, a dream. Yet these small things hurt the most. A joke once said in passing has come true. Her clothes can be given away, but he cannot open her sewing box, because it still seems to hold the warmth of her hands. He is kind to the maids because they once served her. When he dreams of her, he wakes and sends her money, because she was poor with him while she lived. The last two lines say everyone faces death and parting, but for a couple who suffered together, everything brings sorrow. The last line later became a common saying, but in the poem it is about his deep guilt and longing for the wife he lost.

这首诗没有大道理，全是生活里的小事：衣服、针线盒、婢女、一个梦。可正是这些小事最让人心疼。从前随口开的玩笑，如今成了真；衣服可以送人，针线盒却舍不得打开，因为那上面还留着她的手的温度。他对婢仆好，是因为她们伺候过妻子；他梦见妻子，醒来就给她送钱，因为她生前跟着自己受穷。最后两句说，死别谁都会经历，可一起吃过苦的夫妻，想起什么都伤心。“贫贱夫妻百事哀”后来成了常用的话，但原诗说的是对亡妻深深的愧疚和怀念。