Song lyric · ci to the tune Shui Diao Ge Tou, 95 characters in two stanzas宋词 · 词，词牌《水调歌头》，双调九十五字

shuǐ水diào调gē歌tóu头·qiū秋sè色jiàn渐jiāng将wǎn晚

yè叶mèng梦dé得Ye Mengde · Song宋

Shui Diao Ge Tou: Autumn Is Growing Late

qiū秋sè色jiàn渐jiāng将wǎn晚

shuāng霜xìn信bào报huáng黄huā花

xiǎo小chuāng窗dī低hù户shēn深yìng映

wēi微lù路rào绕qī欹xié斜

wèi为wèn问shān山wēng翁hé何shì事

zuò坐kàn看liú流nián年qīng轻dù度

pàn拚què却bìn鬓shuāng双huá华

xǐ徙yǐ倚wàng望cāng沧hǎi海

tiān天jìng净shuǐ水míng明xiá霞

niàn念píng平xī昔

kōng空piāo飘dàng荡

biàn遍tiān天yá涯

guī归lái来sān三jìng径chóng重sǎo扫

sōng松zhú竹běn本wú吾jiā家

què却hèn恨bēi悲fēng风shí时qǐ起

rǎn冉rǎn冉yún云jiān间xīn新yàn雁

biān边mǎ马yuàn怨hú胡jiā笳

shuí谁sì似dōng东shān山lǎo老

tán谈xiào笑jìng静hú胡shā沙

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 the fourth line the corpus uses a variant form of the character qī (slanting). The common text uses the usual form. They are the same word.

语料库作“微路绕敧斜”，通行本作“欹斜”。“敧”和“欹”是同一个字的不同写法，意思是倾斜。

Line by line逐句翻译

秋色渐将晚Autumn is slowly growing late.秋色渐渐深了，
霜信报黄花The chrysanthemums are first to bring news of the frost.霜要来的消息，菊花最先报告了。
小窗低户深映Small windows and low doors lie deep among the trees,矮矮的窗户、低低的门，藏在树荫深处，
微路绕欹斜and a narrow path winds crookedly around the house.一条小路弯弯曲曲地绕着房子。
为问山翁何事May I ask what this old man of the hills is doing?请问我这山中老人在做什么？
坐看流年轻度Just sitting and watching the years slip away,只是坐看时光轻易地流走，
拚却鬓双华willing to let the hair at both temples turn white.甘愿让两鬓都变白。
徙倚望沧海I wander about, lean on the rail and gaze at the great water.走来走去，倚着栏杆眺望大水，
天净水明霞The sky is clear, and the water shines with bright evening clouds.天空明净，水面映着明亮的晚霞。
念平昔I think of the past:想起从前，
空飘荡drifting about for nothing,白白地四处漂泊，
遍天涯all the way to the ends of the earth.走遍了天涯。
归来三径重扫Now I have come home and swept my garden paths again;如今回来，重新打扫院里的小路，
松竹本吾家pines and bamboo were always my home.松树竹子本来就是我的家。
却恨悲风时起But I hate how the mournful wind keeps rising,只恨悲凉的秋风常常吹起，
冉冉云间新雁new geese slowly crossing among the clouds,云间新来的大雁慢慢飞过，
边马怨胡笳and warhorses on the border crying at the sound of northern pipes.边境上的战马对着胡笳声悲鸣。
谁似东山老Who can be like Xie An of the Eastern Hills,谁能像东山的谢安那样，
谈笑静胡沙who calmed the northern wars while chatting and laughing?说说笑笑就平定北方的战乱？

Words字词注释

渐将晚jiàn jiāng wǎn: jiàn jiāng wǎn: little by little it is getting late in the season.渐将晚：渐渐快到深秋了。
霜信shuāng xìn: shuāng xìn: news that frost is coming.霜信：霜要来的消息。
黄花huáng huā: huáng huā: chrysanthemums.黄花：菊花。
深映shēn yìng: shēn yìng: half hidden among trees, deep and quiet.深映：在树木掩映之中，显得很幽深。
微路wēi lù: wēi lù: a narrow path.微路：小路。
欹斜qī xié: qī xié: slanting and winding.欹斜：歪歪斜斜，弯弯曲曲。
为问wèi wèn: wèi wèn: may I ask.为问：请问。
山翁shān wēng: shān wēng: the old man of the hills, the poet speaking of himself.山翁：山里的老人，这里是作者自称。
坐看zuò kàn: zuò kàn: to sit and watch, to look on helplessly.坐看：眼睁睁地看着。
流年轻度liú nián qīng dù: liú nián qīng dù: the years slip by so easily.流年轻度：时光轻易地流过去。
鬓双华bìn shuāng huá: bìn shuāng huá: the hair at both temples has turned white. Huá means gray-white.鬓双华：两边的鬓发都白了。华，花白。
徙倚xǐ yǐ: xǐ yǐ: to wander back and forth, now and then leaning on something.徙倚：走来走去，有时停下倚靠着。
沧海cāng hǎi: cāng hǎi: the vast sea. The poet lived near Lake Tai, so it may mean the great lake.沧海：大海。作者住的地方靠近太湖，这里可能指浩大的湖水。
平昔píng xī: píng xī: in the past, in former days.平昔：从前，往日。
三径sān jìng: sān jìng: the three garden paths. When Tao Yuanming of the Eastern Jin quit office and went home, he wrote that his three paths had gone wild but his pines and chrysanthemums were still there. Since then the phrase means a retired man's home.三径：院子里的小路。东晋陶渊明辞官回家，写过“三径就荒，松菊犹存”，后来“三径”就指隐居的家园。
本吾家běn wú jiā: běn wú jiā: were always my home.本吾家：本来就是我的家。
冉冉rǎn rǎn: rǎn rǎn: moving slowly.冉冉：慢慢移动的样子。
边马biān mǎ: biān mǎ: warhorses on the border.边马：边境上的战马。
胡笳hú jiā: hú jiā: a reed pipe of the northern peoples, with a mournful sound.胡笳：北方民族吹的一种乐器，声音悲凉。
东山老dōng shān lǎo: dōng shān lǎo: the old man of the Eastern Hills, Xie An of the Eastern Jin. He lived in retirement at the Eastern Hills, later took office, and led the Eastern Jin to defeat the huge northern army of Former Qin at the Battle of the Fei River.东山老：东晋的谢安。他曾隐居东山，后来出来做官，指挥东晋军队在淝水之战中打败了北方的前秦大军。
谈笑静胡沙tán xiào jìng hú shā: tán xiào jìng hú shā: calming the northern storm while chatting and laughing. It borrows a line from Li Bai praising Xie An. Hú shā, dust raised by northern raiders, means war.谈笑静胡沙：说说笑笑之间就平定了北方的战乱。这句化用李白“但用东山谢安石，为君谈笑静胡沙”。胡沙，北方敌人扬起的风沙，指战乱。

How to read it读音

斜xié: Today this character is read xié. In old times it was read xiá, rhyming with huā, xiá, yá, jiā and shā in this poem.“斜”现在读 xié。古音读 xiá，和“花、霞、涯、家、笳、沙”押韵。
拚pàn: In pàn què this character is read pàn, meaning to give something up willingly.“拚却”的“拚”读 pàn，意思是豁出去、甘愿舍弃。
重chóng: Here this character is read chóng, meaning "again".“重扫”的“重”读 chóng，意思是重新、再一次。

Background创作背景

This ci is usually thought to date from Ye Mengde's old age, after he retired and went to live at Mount Bian near Huzhou, on the south shore of Lake Tai. By then the north had fallen to the Jin, the Song court had fled south, and fighting went on. Though he lived quietly in the hills, the autumn wind and the new geese still made him think of the war on the border. He could not stop caring about the country.

一般认为这首词是叶梦得晚年告老退休、隐居湖州卞山以后写的，卞山在太湖南岸。那时北方已被金国占领，宋朝南渡，战事不断。他虽然住在山里，过着隐居的日子，看到秋风、新雁，还是想到边境的战火，心里放不下国事。

The poet作者

Ye Mengde (1077–1148), who called himself the Layman of Stone Forest, was a ci poet and scholar who lived as the Northern Song gave way to the Southern Song. He held high office, and after the move south he had important posts defending the Yangtze. His early ci are fresh and graceful; his later ones grow broad and bold, often worried about the nation.

叶梦得（1077—1148），字少蕴，号石林居士，南北宋之交的词人和学者。他做过大官，南渡后还担任过守卫江防的要职。他的词早年清丽，晚年变得开阔豪迈，常写对国事的忧虑。

The mood意境

The first stanza is like an old man in his hill home asking and answering himself. Autumn is deep, the chrysanthemums are out, the little house hides among trees, the path winds. It all looks peaceful. What is he doing? Just watching time go by and letting his hair turn white. Then he looks out: clear sky, bright water, a lake full of sunset. The view is wide. The second stanza first remembers half a life of drifting, then says that now, among pines and bamboo, he has finally settled. But a sad wind, a few new geese, the cry of border horses and the sound of northern pipes pull him back to the nation's war. At last he thinks of Xie An: who could defeat the enemy while laughing, as he did? In that question there is longing for a hero, and a sigh that he himself is old, ill and unable to help.

上片像是一个老人在山居里自问自答。秋深了，菊花开了，小屋藏在树荫里，小路弯弯，看起来很安静。他问自己在干什么，答案是：坐看时光流走，任凭头发变白。登高一看，天净水明，晚霞满湖，景色开阔。下片先回想半生漂泊，再说如今回到松竹之间，好像终于安顿了。可是一阵悲风，几只新雁，边马的嘶鸣和胡笳声，又把他拉回到国家的战乱中。最后他想起谢安：谁能像他一样谈笑间平定敌人？这一问里，有对英雄的向往，也有自己年老多病、无能为力的叹息。