No. 82 · Song lyric · ci, a long lyric in two stanzas第 82 首 · 宋词 · 词·双调慢词

shuāng双shuāng双yàn燕·yǒng咏yàn燕

shǐ史dá达zǔ祖Shi Dazu · Song宋

A Pair of Swallows: On Swallows

guò过chūn春shè社le了

dù度lián帘mù幕zhōng中jiān间

qù去nián年chén尘lěng冷

cī差chí池yù欲zhù住

shì试rù入jiù旧cháo巢xiāng相bìng并

hái还xiàng相diāo雕liáng梁zǎo藻jǐng井

yòu又ruǎn软yǔ语shāng商liáng量bú不dìng定

piāo飘rán然kuài快fú拂huā花shāo梢

cuì翠wěi尾fēn分kāi开hóng红yǐng影

fāng芳jìng径

qín芹ní泥yǔ雨rùn润

ài爱tiē贴dì地zhēng争fēi飞

jìng竞kuā夸qīng轻jùn俊

hóng红lóu楼guī归wǎn晚

kàn看zú足liǔ柳hūn昏huā花míng暝

yīng应zì自qī栖xiāng香zhèng正wěn稳

biàn便wàng忘le了tiān天yá涯fāng芳xìn信

chóu愁sǔn损cuì翠dài黛shuāng双é蛾

rì日rì日huà画lán阑dú独píng凭

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

过春社了The spring festival is over.春社已经过去了，
度帘幕中间A pair of swallows flies in between the curtains,一对燕子穿过帘幕飞进屋里，
去年尘冷and last year's nest is covered in cold dust.去年的旧巢落满了冷冷的灰尘。
差池欲住With uneven wings they flutter, wanting to stay,它们拍着高低不齐的翅膀，想要住下来，
试入旧巢相并and try out the old nest, side by side.试着钻进旧巢，挨在一起。
还相雕梁藻井They look over the carved beams and painted ceiling again,又仔细打量雕花的屋梁和彩绘的天花板，
又软语商量不定twittering softly, talking it over and never quite deciding.还呢呢喃喃地商量个不停，拿不定主意。
飘然快拂花梢Then off they go lightly, brushing past the tips of the flowering branches,然后轻快地飞出去，掠过花枝的尖端，
翠尾分开红影their green-black tails cutting through the red shadows of the flowers.翠绿的尾巴剪开了红花的影子。
芳径Along the flowery path,花草小路上，
芹泥雨润the mud by the water celery is soft with rain.长着水芹的泥土被雨水打得湿润。
爱贴地争飞They love to skim low over the ground, chasing each other,它们喜欢贴着地面你追我赶地飞，
竞夸轻俊each showing off how lightly and gracefully it can fly.比一比谁飞得更轻巧漂亮。
红楼归晚Only late in the day do they return to the painted house,天晚了，它们才飞回红楼，
看足柳昏花暝having looked their fill at the willows and flowers in the dusk.已经看够了暮色里的柳树和花朵。
应自栖香正稳Now they must be sleeping soundly in their snug nest,这会儿它们应该在暖暖的巢里睡得正香，
便忘了天涯芳信and they have forgotten the letter from someone far away.便把远方的人托它们带的书信忘了。
愁损翠黛双蛾So the woman upstairs frowns with worry,害得楼上的女子愁坏了眉头，
日日画阑独凭leaning alone on the painted railing day after day.每天一个人靠着画栏，望着远方。

Words字词注释

春社chūn shè: chūn shè: the old spring festival for the god of the land, held on a set day after the start of spring, around the spring equinox. People said swallows come back around this time.春社：古时候春天祭祀土地神的日子，在立春后第五个戊日，大约是春分前后。民间说燕子在春社前后飞回来。
度dù: dù: to pass through, to fly through.度：穿过，飞过。
帘幕lián mù: lián mù: curtains and hangings over doors and windows.帘幕：门窗上挂的帘子和帷幕。
去年尘冷qù nián chén lěng: qù nián chén lěng: last year's home is covered in cold dust.去年尘冷：去年住过的地方积满了冷冷的灰尘。
差池cī chí: cī chí: how a swallow's wings move unevenly as it flies, one up, one down. It comes from the Book of Songs: "The swallows fly, their wings uneven."差池：燕子飞时翅膀一高一低、不整齐的样子。出自《诗经》“燕燕于飞，差池其羽”。
欲住yù zhù: yù zhù: wanting to stay.欲住：想要住下来。
相并xiāng bìng: xiāng bìng: the two swallows side by side.相并：两只燕子挨在一起。
还相hái xiàng: hái xiàng: looking closely again. Xiàng here means to look over carefully.还相：又仔细地看。相，看、端详。
雕梁藻井diāo liáng zǎo jǐng: diāo liáng zǎo jǐng: carved roof beams and a painted ceiling. Zǎo jǐng is a coffered ceiling of painted squares in a palace or grand house.雕梁藻井：刻着花纹的屋梁，和画着彩色图案的天花板。藻井，宫殿、大屋里方格形的彩绘天花板。
软语ruǎn yǔ: ruǎn yǔ: soft whispering, meaning the twittering of swallows.软语：轻柔细碎的说话声，这里指燕子呢喃的叫声。
商量不定shāng liáng bú dìng: shāng liáng bù dìng: talking it over again and again without deciding.商量不定：商量来商量去，拿不定主意。
飘然piāo rán: piāo rán: light and quick.飘然：轻快的样子。
拂fú: fú: to brush lightly past.拂：轻轻擦过。
花梢huā shāo: huā shāo: the tips of flowering branches.花梢：花枝的尖端。
翠尾分开红影cuì wěi fēn kāi hóng yǐng: cuì wěi fēn kāi hóng yǐng: the swallow's glossy dark-green tail cuts through the shadows of red flowers like a pair of scissors.翠尾分开红影：燕子黑亮带绿光的尾巴，像剪刀一样剪开了红花的影子。
芳径fāng jìng: fāng jìng: a path lined with flowers and grass.芳径：长满花草的小路。
芹泥雨润qín ní yǔ rùn: qín ní yǔ rùn: rain has softened the mud where water celery grows. Swallows use such wet mud to build their nests.芹泥雨润：雨水打湿了长着水芹的泥土。燕子用这种湿泥来筑巢。
贴地争飞tiē dì zhēng fēi: tiē dì zhēng fēi: flying low over the ground, racing each other.贴地争飞：贴着地面，你追我赶地飞。
竞夸轻俊jìng kuā qīng jùn: jìng kuā qīng jùn: showing off who flies more lightly and gracefully.竞夸轻俊：比一比谁飞得更轻巧漂亮。
红楼hóng lóu: hóng lóu: a grand painted house, here the house where the swallows nest.红楼：华美的楼房，这里指燕子筑巢的人家。
看足柳昏花暝kàn zú liǔ hūn huā míng: kàn zú liǔ hūn huā míng: having looked their fill at willows and flowers in the dusk. Hūn and míng both mean growing dark.看足柳昏花暝：看够了暮色中的柳树和花朵。昏、暝，都是天色变暗。
应自栖香正稳yīng zì qī xiāng zhèng wěn: yīng zì qī xiāng zhèng wěn: they must be sleeping soundly in their snug nest. Qī means for a bird to rest or roost.应自栖香正稳：应该在温暖的巢里睡得正安稳。栖，鸟停歇、睡觉。
天涯芳信tiān yá fāng xìn: tiān yá fāng xìn: a letter from someone far away, sent with the swallows. Tiān yá means the far end of the world. People of old said swallows could carry letters.天涯芳信：远方的人托燕子带来的书信。天涯，很远的地方。古人传说燕子能替人带信。
愁损翠黛双蛾chóu sǔn cuì dài shuāng é: chóu sǔn cuì dài shuāng é: sorrow has spoiled a woman's two lovely eyebrows. Cuì dài is the dark paint women used on their brows; shuāng é means two long, curved brows like a moth's feelers.愁损翠黛双蛾：愁坏了女子那两道美丽的眉毛。翠黛，古代女子画眉用的青黑色颜料；双蛾，像蚕蛾触须一样细长弯曲的眉毛。
画阑独凭huà lán dú píng: huà lán dú píng: leaning alone on a painted railing. Lán means a railing; píng means to lean on.画阑独凭：一个人靠着彩绘的栏杆。阑，同“栏”；凭，靠着。

How to read it读音

了le: Here it is read le, meaning the festival has already passed. Some people read it liǎo when reciting.这里读 le，表示春社已经过去。也有人在朗读时读 liǎo。
差cī: In this word it is read cī, meaning uneven, not chā.“差池”读 cī chí，是参差不齐的样子，不读 chā。
相xiàng: Here it means to look over carefully, so it is read xiàng, not xiāng.这里是“看、端详”的意思，读 xiàng，不读 xiāng。

Background创作背景

This is a ci about one thing, a kind of poem that closely describes an object. Here it is the swallows that come back in spring. The tune name "A Pair of Swallows" became famous because of this ci. We no longer know when or where it was written. Most of the ci is about the swallows. Only the last two lines turn to a woman upstairs waiting for a letter. Her husband is far away. She hopes the swallows will bring news, but they only think of their own fun.

这是一首咏物词，就是专门描写一样东西的词，这里写的是春天归来的燕子。词牌《双双燕》就是因为这首词而有名的。这首词写于什么时候、在哪里写的，现在已经不清楚了。全词前面大半都在写燕子，最后两句才写到楼上等信的女子：她的丈夫远在天涯，她盼着燕子带回消息，燕子却只顾自己快活。

The poet作者

Shi Dazu, also called Meixi, was a Southern Song ci poet; the years of his birth and death are unknown. He never passed the imperial exams. He worked as a secretary for the powerful minister Han Tuozhou, and when Han fell from power, Shi was punished too. He was best at ci about objects. "A Pair of Swallows" is his most famous work and has long been widely praised.

史达祖，号梅溪，南宋词人，生卒年不详。他一生没有考中科举，曾在权臣韩侂胄手下做文书，韩侂胄失败后受牵连被处罚。他最擅长写咏物词，这首《双双燕》是他最有名的作品，历来很受称赞。

The mood意境

This ci paints the swallows like a young married couple. They come back in spring and fly into the old house. They look at their dusty old nest, want to stay, but cannot decide. They gaze up at the beams and twitter as if "talking it over". Swallows really do these things, but the poet gives them human thoughts, and it is charming. Then they fly out. They brush lightly past the flowers, their tails snipping through red shadows like scissors. They chase each other low over the wet path, seeing who flies best. They play until dark, then come home and fall asleep happily. The word "swallow" never appears in the ci, yet swallows are everywhere. At the very end the poem turns. The swallows forgot to bring a letter from someone far away, and the woman upstairs leans on her railing day after day, worrying. The carefree swallows, always in pairs, make her loneliness stand out all the more.

这首词把燕子写得像一对小夫妻。春天回来，飞进旧屋，看看积了灰的旧巢，想住又拿不定主意；抬头打量屋梁，还叽叽喳喳地“商量”。这些动作都是燕子真会做的，作者却写出了人的心思，非常可爱。接着它们飞出去：轻快地擦过花梢，尾巴像剪刀剪开红花的影子；在湿润的小路上贴地追逐，比谁飞得漂亮；玩到天黑才回家，美美地睡下。全词一个“燕”字也没有，却处处是燕子。最后笔锋一转：它们忘了替远方的人捎信，楼上的女子只好天天靠着栏杆发愁。燕子成双成对、无忧无虑，更显得这个女子孤单。