Tang poem · five-character regulated verse唐诗 · 五言律诗

sòng送lǐ李duān端

lú卢lún纶Lu Lun · Tang唐

Seeing Off Li Duan

gù故guān关shuāi衰cǎo草biàn遍

lí离bié别zhèng正kān堪bēi悲

lù路chū出hán寒yún云wài外

rén人guī归mù暮xuě雪shí时

shào少gū孤wéi为kè客zǎo早

duō多nàn难shí识jūn君chí迟

yǎn掩qì泣kōng空xiāng相xiàng向

fēng风chén尘hé何suǒ所qī期

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 this collection the first word of line seven uses an old character for "cover". The common text uses the modern form; the meaning is the same.

这本诗集里第七句写作“揜泣”，“揜”是“掩”的古字，通行本写作“掩泣”，意思一样。

Line by line逐句翻译

故关衰草遍Withered grass covers the old land everywhere,故乡到处是枯黄的野草，
离别正堪悲and parting at such a time is truly sad.这时候分别，真让人伤心。
路出寒云外Your road runs out beyond the cold clouds;你要走的路，伸向寒冷的云层外面，
人归暮雪时I head home just as the evening snow comes down.我回家的时候，正赶上傍晚下雪。
少孤为客早I lost my father young and wandered from home early;我从小失去了父亲，很早就在外漂泊，
多难识君迟through many troubles, I came to know you too late.经历了许多苦难，认识你却太晚了。
掩泣空相向We cover our faces and weep, looking at each other in vain;我们捂着脸流泪，白白地对望着，
风尘何所期in this world of wind and dust, when can we hope to meet again?在这乱世里，不知什么时候才能再见。

Words字词注释

故关gù guān: gù guān: the home region. Another reading says an old border pass.故关：故乡，老家。一说指旧日的关口。
衰草shuāi cǎo: shuāi cǎo: withered, yellow grass.衰草：枯黄的草。
遍biàn: biàn: everywhere.遍：到处都是。
正堪悲zhèng kān bēi: zhèng kān bēi: truly makes one sad. Kān means can, enough to.正堪悲：正让人悲伤。堪，能够、让人。
寒云hán yún: hán yún: cold winter clouds.寒云：冬天寒冷的云。
暮雪mù xuě: mù xuě: snow falling at dusk.暮雪：傍晚下的雪。
少孤shào gū: shào gū: losing one's father as a child. Shào means young.少孤：小时候就失去了父亲。少，年少。
为客早wéi kè zǎo: wéi kè zǎo: leaving home early to wander as a stranger.为客早：很早就离家在外漂泊。
多难duō nàn: duō nàn: having lived through many troubles. The An Lushan Rebellion had just torn the land apart.多难：经历了很多灾难。当时刚经过安史之乱，天下很乱。
识君迟shí jūn chí: shí jūn chí: meeting you too late. Jūn means you, Li Duan.识君迟：认识你太晚了。君，你，指李端。
掩泣yǎn qì: yǎn qì: covering the face and weeping.掩泣：捂着脸哭。
空相向kōng xiāng xiàng: kōng xiāng xiàng: facing each other in vain, unable to do anything.空相向：白白地面对面，什么也做不了。
风尘fēng chén: fēng chén: wind and dust, meaning a troubled world and a life on the road.风尘：风和灰尘，指乱世和奔波的生活。
何所期hé suǒ qī: hé suǒ qī: when and where could we meet again? Qī is an agreed day.何所期：什么时候、在哪里还能再见呢？期，约定的日子。

How to read it读音

少shào: Here it means young, read shào.这里是“年少”的意思，读 shào。
难nàn: Here it means disaster or trouble, read nàn.这里是“灾难”的意思，读 nàn。

Background创作背景

Li Duan was the author's good friend. Both were among the "Ten Talents of the Dali Era". Dali was the reign name of Emperor Daizong of Tang, and ten famous poets of that time were grouped under this name. The An Lushan Rebellion had just ended, the land was still unsettled, and people were scattered everywhere. The poem was written on a winter evening, when the author saw Li Duan off with a heavy heart. The Complete Tang Poems lists this poem under both Lu Lun and Yan Wei. The common editions, such as Three Hundred Tang Poems, give it to Lu Lun; another view says Yan Wei wrote it.

李端是作者的好朋友，两人都是“大历十才子”中的人。大历是唐代宗的年号，当时有十位有名的诗人，被合称为“大历十才子”。那时刚经过安史之乱，天下很不太平，人们到处流离。这首诗写在一个冬天的傍晚，作者送别李端，心里非常难过。《全唐诗》在卢纶和严维名下都收了这首诗。通行的《唐诗三百首》等书都作卢纶写的，一说是严维写的。

The poet作者

Lu Lun, courtesy name Yunyan, was a Tang poet and one of the Ten Talents of the Dali Era. He lived in the second half of the eighth century. As a boy he lived through war and moved from place to place, so his poems often carry the sadness of parting and of his own hard life. He is best known for his frontier poems, "Songs Below the Pass", such as the lines about wild geese flying high on a moonless night as the enemy chief flees.

卢纶，字允言，唐代诗人，“大历十才子”之一，大约生活在8世纪后半期。他小时候经历战乱，生活漂泊，所以诗里常有离别和身世的伤感。他最有名的是写边塞的《塞下曲》，比如“月黑雁飞高，单于夜遁逃”。

The mood意境

The first two lines set the scene: withered grass everywhere, and a parting in such a winter is sad to begin with. Lines three and four are the most beautiful picture in the poem. The friend's road runs out beyond the cold clouds, farther and farther away. When the poet turns home, night falls and snow begins. One goes, one returns, with cold clouds and evening snow between them. It feels very lonely. Lines five and six tell the poet's own story. He lost his father young, left home early, and went through many hardships. At last he found a true friend, but met him so late, and now they must part. In the last two lines the two can only cover their faces and cry. In such a troubled world, no one knows when they will meet again.

第一、二句先给出一个背景：满地枯草，这样的冬天里分别，本来就让人难过。三、四句是全诗最美的画面：朋友的路通到冷云外面，越走越远；自己回去时，天黑了，又下起雪。一个走，一个回，中间隔着寒云和暮雪，冷清极了。五、六句说出自己的身世：从小没了父亲，早早出门漂泊，经历了很多苦难，好不容易遇到知心朋友，却认识得这么晚，现在又要分开。最后两句，两人只能捂脸流泪，在乱世里，下次见面遥遥无期。