No. 93 · Tang poem · five-character old-style poem第 93 首 · 唐诗 · 五言古诗

shí石háo壕lì吏

dù杜fǔ甫Du Fu · Tang唐

The Officer at Shihao Village

mù暮tóu投shí石háo壕cūn村

yǒu有lì吏yè夜zhuō捉rén人

lǎo老wēng翁yú逾qiáng墙zǒu走

lǎo老fù妇chū出mén门kàn看

lì吏hū呼yì一hé何nù怒

fù妇tí啼yì一hé何kǔ苦

tīng听fù妇qián前zhì致cí词

sān三nán男yè邺chéng城shù戍

yì一nán男fù附shū书zhì至

èr二nán男xīn新zhàn战sǐ死

cún存zhě者qiě且tōu偷shēng生

sǐ死zhě者cháng长yǐ已yǐ矣

shì室zhōng中gèng更wú无rén人

wéi惟yǒu有rǔ乳xià下sūn孙

yǒu有sūn孙mǔ母wèi未qù去

chū出rù入wú无wán完qún裙

lǎo老yù妪lì力suī虽shuāi衰

qǐng请cóng从lì吏yè夜guī归

jí急yìng应hé河yáng阳yì役

yóu犹dé得bèi备chén晨chuī炊

yè夜jiǔ久yǔ语shēng声jué绝

rú如wén闻qì泣yōu幽yè咽

tiān天míng明dēng登qián前tú途

dú独yǔ与lǎo老wēng翁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。

The textbook text differs from the source text in a few places. It uses the modern characters for cūn (village) and qún (skirt), which mean the same as the older forms in the source. It also has zhì meaning "has arrived" in the line about the letter, where the source has a different character also read zhì, meaning "to send".

课本和古籍原文有几处不同：课本作“石壕村”“附书至”“无完裙”，原文作“石壕邨”“附书致”“无完帬”。“邨”是“村”的异体字，“帬”是“裙”的异体字，“至”是“到来”的意思。

Line by line逐句翻译

暮投石壕村At dusk I found a place to stay in Shihao Village;傍晚，我到石壕村投宿，
有吏夜捉人that night an officer came to seize men.夜里有差役来抓人。
老翁逾墙走The old man climbed over the wall and fled;老头翻过墙逃走了，
老妇出门看the old woman went out to the gate.老太太出门去应付。
吏呼一何怒How fiercely the officer shouted!差役的吼声多么凶狠！
妇啼一何苦How bitterly the old woman wept!老妇人哭得多么凄苦！
听妇前致词I heard her step forward and say:我听见老妇人上前说：
三男邺城戍"My three sons went to fight at Ye City.“我的三个儿子都去守邺城了。
一男附书至One of them has sent a letter home:一个儿子托人捎了信回来，
二男新战死the other two have just been killed in battle.说另外两个儿子刚刚战死了。
存者且偷生The living just get by from day to day;活着的人姑且活一天算一天，
死者长已矣the dead are gone forever.死去的人就永远完了！
室中更无人There are no other men in the house,家里再也没有别的男人了，
惟有乳下孙only a grandson still at his mother's breast.只有一个还在吃奶的小孙子。
有孙母未去Because of the baby, his mother has not left;因为有小孙子，他的母亲还没有离开，
出入无完裙but she has not one whole skirt to go in and out in.可她进进出出连一条完整的裙子都没有。
老妪力虽衰I am an old woman and my strength is failing,我这个老婆子虽然力气不大了，
请从吏夜归but please let me go back with you tonight.请让我今夜就跟你回去，
急应河阳役I will hurry to Heyang to serve;赶快到河阳去服役，
犹得备晨炊I can still cook the soldiers' breakfast."还能给军队做早饭。”
夜久语声绝Late in the night the voices died away;夜深了，说话的声音没有了，
如闻泣幽咽I seemed to hear someone sobbing softly.好像还听见有人在低声哭泣。
天明登前途At daybreak I set off on my way,天亮后我继续赶路，
独与老翁别and could say goodbye only to the old man.只能和那位老头告别。

Words字词注释

暮mù: mù: evening.暮：傍晚。
投tóu: tóu: to find a place to stay the night.投：投宿，找地方过夜。
石壕村shí háo cūn: shí háo cūn: Shihao Village, in today's Shanzhou district of Sanmenxia, Henan.石壕村：村名，在今天河南三门峡市陕州区一带。
吏lì: lì: a low official, here the officer sent to seize men for the army.吏：小官，这里指来抓壮丁的差役。
捉人zhuō rén: zhuō rén: to seize people for the army or for forced labour.捉人：抓人去当兵或服劳役。
逾墙走yú qiáng zǒu: yú qiáng zǒu: to climb over the wall and run away. Yú means to cross; zǒu here means to run.逾墙走：翻过墙逃走。逾，越过；走，跑。
一何怒yì hé nù: yī hé nù: how fierce! Yī hé means how.一何怒：多么凶狠。一何，多么。
啼tí: tí: to cry.啼：哭。
前致词qián zhì cí: qián zhì cí: to step forward and speak to the officer.前致词：上前对差役说话。致，对……说。
邺城yè chéng: yè chéng: Ye City, also called Xiangzhou, in today's Anyang, Henan, where Tang armies were besieging the rebels.邺城：就是相州，在今天河南安阳。当时唐军正在这里围攻叛军。
戍shù: shù: to guard the frontier; here, to serve as a soldier.戍：守卫边防，这里是当兵打仗。
附书至fù shū zhì: fù shū zhì: a letter has come back through someone. Fù means to send along; shū means a letter.附书至：托人捎信回来。附，捎带；书，信。
新xīn: xīn: just now, recently.新：刚刚。
且偷生qiě tōu shēng: qiě tōu shēng: just barely staying alive for now.且偷生：姑且活一天算一天。偷生，苟且活着。
长已矣cháng yǐ yǐ: cháng yǐ yǐ: gone forever. Yǐ means to end.长已矣：永远完了。已，停止。
更无人gèng wú rén: gèng wú rén: there are no more men.更无人：再没有别的男人了。
惟wéi: wéi: only.惟：只。
乳下孙rǔ xià sūn: rǔ xià sūn: a grandson still at the breast.乳下孙：还在吃奶的小孙子。
未去wèi qù: wèi qù: has not left. It means the daughter-in-law has stayed because the child is small.未去：没有离开，指儿媳因为孩子小，还没有改嫁离家。
无完裙wú wán qún: wú wán qún: not one whole skirt, meaning the family is too poor for her to go out decently.无完裙：没有一件完整的衣裙。说家里穷得见不了人。
老妪lǎo yù: lǎo yù: an old woman; she means herself.老妪：老婆婆，老妇人自称。
衰shuāi: shuāi: weak.衰：衰弱。
请从吏夜归qǐng cóng lì yè guī: qǐng cóng lì yè guī: please let me go back with you tonight. Cóng means to follow.请从吏夜归：请让我连夜跟你回去。从，跟随。
河阳hé yáng: hé yáng: Heyang, around today's Mengzhou in Henan, where Tang troops faced the rebels.河阳：今天河南孟州一带，当时唐军在这里和叛军对峙。
役yì: yì: forced service, hard labour.役：服役，干苦活。
犹得yóu dé: yóu dé: can still.犹得：还能够。
备晨炊bèi chén chuī: bèi chén chuī: to cook breakfast for the army. Chuī means to cook.备晨炊：给军队做早饭。炊，做饭。
绝jué: jué: to stop, to die away.绝：断，停止。
泣幽咽qì yōu yè: qì yōu yè: low, broken sobbing.泣幽咽：低低的、断断续续的哭声。
登前途dēng qián tú: dēng qián tú: to set out on the road ahead.登前途：踏上前面的路，继续赶路。

How to read it读音

看kàn: Today it is read kàn. In old times it could also take the level tone, so some read it kān when reciting.现在读 kàn。古代这个字也可读平声，有人朗读时读 kān。
长cháng: Cháng yǐ yǐ means gone forever; cháng here means forever.“长已矣”是“永远完了”，“长”是“永远”，读 cháng。
更gèng: Here it means any more, and is read gèng.“更”是“再”的意思，读 gèng。
应yìng: To answer the call for labour; the character is read yìng.“应役”是“去服役、响应征调”，“应”读 yìng。
咽yè: Yōu yè means quiet, choked sobbing; the character is read yè, not yàn or yān.“幽咽”是哭不出声的低泣，“咽”读 yè，不读 yàn 或 yān。

Background创作背景

In the spring of 759 the An Lushan Rebellion was still going on. Several Tang armies besieged the rebels at Ye City and were badly beaten. To refill the army, officials seized men wherever they could. Du Fu then held a small post in Huazhou. On his way back there from Luoyang he saw how the common people suffered, and wrote six poems, known together as the Three Officers and the Three Partings. This one tells what he saw and heard during one night at Shihao Village.

唐肃宗乾元二年（759年）春天，安史之乱还在继续。唐朝的几路大军在邺城围攻叛军，结果大败。为了补充兵力，官府到处抓人当兵。那时杜甫在华州做一个小官，他从洛阳回华州，一路上看到百姓受苦，写下了《新安吏》《石壕吏》《潼关吏》和《新婚别》《垂老别》《无家别》六首诗，合称“三吏三别”。这首诗写的是他在石壕村投宿一夜的所见所闻。

The poet作者

Du Fu (712–770) was a great Tang poet, often called the Sage of Poetry. He lived through the An Lushan Rebellion, which turned the Tang from strong to weak, and he himself was poor and often on the move. He cared deeply about the suffering of ordinary people and wrote what he truly saw into his poems. That is why they are called a history in verse.

杜甫（712—770），唐代大诗人，被人称为“诗圣”。他经历了唐朝由盛转衰的安史之乱，自己也过着贫困漂泊的日子。他特别关心普通百姓的苦难，把看到的真实情况写进诗里，所以他的诗被称为“诗史”，就是用诗写成的历史。

The mood意境

This poem is like a short play that we "watch" with our ears. Night falls and the poet stays with a family. An officer comes to seize men; the old man climbs over the wall and runs, and the old woman goes out to face him. How the officer shouts and how she cries, the poet sums up in just two lines. Most of the rest is her own words. Her three sons went to war, two are already dead, and at home there is only a baby grandson and a daughter-in-law without a whole skirt to wear. At the end she even asks to go herself, to cook for the army, just to save what is left of the family. Late at night, soft sobbing comes from the house. At dawn the poet can say goodbye only to the old man, for the old woman has been taken away. Du Fu adds no comment of his own, yet the pain of a family being emptied out bit by bit by war is laid right before our eyes.

这首诗像一部只用耳朵“看”的短剧。天黑了，诗人住进一户人家，夜里差役来抓人，老头翻墙逃走，老太太出门应付。差役怎么吼、老太太怎么哭，诗人只用“一何怒”“一何苦”两句就写尽了。接下来大段都是老太太的话：三个儿子去打仗，两个已经战死，家里只剩吃奶的孙子和穿不上完整衣服的儿媳。说到最后，她竟然主动请求自己去军营做饭，只为保住这个家。夜深了，屋里传来低低的哭声。天亮时，诗人只能和老头一人告别——老太太已经被带走了。杜甫没有发一句议论，可是一个家在战争中被一点点掏空的痛苦，全都摆在了我们眼前。