Tang poem · five-character old-style poem唐诗 · 五言古诗

sòng送yáng杨shì氏nǚ女

wéi韦yìng应wù物Wei Yingwu · Tang唐

Seeing My Daughter Off to the Yang Family

yǒng永rì日fāng方qī戚qī戚

chū出xíng行fù复yōu悠yōu悠

nǚ女zǐ子jīn今yǒu有xíng行

dà大jiāng江sù溯qīng轻zhōu舟

ěr尔bèi辈kǔ苦wú无shì恃

fǔ抚niàn念yì益cí慈róu柔

yòu幼wéi为zhǎng长suǒ所yù育

liǎng两bié别qì泣bù不xiū休

duì对cǐ此jié结zhōng中cháng肠

yì义wǎng往nán难fù复liú留

zì自xiǎo小quē阙nèi内xùn训

shì事gū姑yí贻wǒ我yōu忧

lài赖zī兹tuō托lìng令mén门

rén仁xù恤shù庶wú无yóu尤

pín贫jiǎn俭chéng诚suǒ所shàng尚

zī资cóng从qǐ岂dài待zhōu周

xiào孝gōng恭zūn遵fù妇dào道

róng容zhǐ止shùn顺qí其yóu猷

bié别lí离zài在jīn今chén晨

jiàn见ěr尔dāng当hé何qiū秋

jū居xián闲shǐ始zì自qiǎn遣

lín临gǎn感hū忽nán难shōu收

guī归lái来shì视yòu幼nǚ女

líng零lèi泪yuán缘yīng缨liú流

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 corpus, line two says "going out the gate" instead of "setting out on the journey", and line five says "what is more, you have no mother" instead of "sadly, you have no mother". The usual text, as in Three Hundred Tang Poems, is followed here.

原始文本第二句作“出门复悠悠”，第五句作“尔辈况无恃”。《唐诗三百首》等通行本作“出行复悠悠”“尔辈苦无恃”，这里用通行本。

Line by line逐句翻译

永日方戚戚All day long my heart is heavy,我整天心里都闷闷不乐，
出行复悠悠for my daughter is setting out on a long journey.因为女儿要出远门，路途遥远。
女子今有行Today my girl goes off to be married,女儿今天就要出嫁了，
大江溯轻舟on a light boat up the great river.坐着小船沿大江逆流而上。
尔辈苦无恃You sisters, sadly, grew up without a mother,你们姐妹从小苦于没有母亲，
抚念益慈柔so I raised you with all the more love and gentleness.所以我抚养你们更加慈爱温柔。
幼为长所育The little one was brought up by her big sister;小妹是姐姐一手带大的，
两别泣不休now the two must part, and they cannot stop crying.如今姐妹分别，哭个不停。
对此结中肠Seeing this, my heart is tied in knots,看到这样的情景，我心里像打了结，
义往难复留but it is right for her to go, and I cannot keep her.可女儿出嫁是该做的事，没法再留。
自小阙内训From a child you lacked a mother's teaching;你从小缺少母亲的教导，
事姑贻我忧how you will serve your mother-in-law worries me.怎样侍奉婆婆，真让我担心。
赖兹托令门Luckily you are going to a good family;幸亏这回嫁进了一户好人家，
仁恤庶无尤they are kind and caring, and I hope you will give them no cause for blame.他们仁爱体贴，希望你不会有过错。
贫俭诚所尚Living plainly and simply is what we truly value,清贫节俭，本来就是我们看重的，
资从岂待周so the dowry need not be complete.嫁妆哪里一定要样样齐全。
孝恭遵妇道Be dutiful and respectful, as a good wife should,你要孝顺恭敬，守好做媳妇的规矩，
容止顺其猷and let your manners follow the ways of your new home.一举一动都要顺从夫家的规矩。
别离在今晨This morning we must part;今天早上我们就要分别了，
见尔当何秋who knows in which year I will see you again?再见到你，不知要到哪一年。
居闲始自遣In quiet times I could comfort myself,平时闲着，我还能自己宽慰自己，
临感忽难收but now that the moment has come, my feelings will not be held back.可到了分别的时候，感情一下子收不住了。
归来视幼女Coming home, I look at my younger daughter,送完女儿回到家，看着小女儿，
零泪缘缨流and tears run down my hat strings.眼泪顺着帽带不停地往下流。

Words字词注释

永日yǒng rì: yǒng rì: all day long.永日：整天。
戚戚qī qī: qī qī: sad and worried.戚戚：心里难过、发愁的样子。
悠悠yōu yōu: yōu yōu: far, far away.悠悠：路途遥远的样子。
有行yǒu xíng: yǒu xíng: to go away to be married.有行：出嫁。
溯sù: sù: to travel upstream, against the current.溯：逆着水流往上走。
尔辈ěr bèi: ěr bèi: you two, meaning his two daughters.尔辈：你们，指两个女儿。
无恃wú shì: wú shì: having no one to lean on, an old way of saying having no mother.无恃：没有母亲。古人说“失母无所依靠”，所以用“无恃”指没有母亲。
抚念fǔ niàn: fǔ niàn: raising and caring for.抚念：抚养和疼爱。
益慈柔yì cí róu: yì cí róu: all the more loving and gentle.益慈柔：更加慈爱温柔。
幼为长所育yòu wéi zhǎng suǒ yù: yòu wéi zhǎng suǒ yù: the little one was brought up by her big sister.幼为长所育：小女儿是姐姐带大的。
两别liǎng bié: liǎng bié: the two parting, the sisters saying goodbye.两别：两个人分别，指姐妹分开。
结中肠jié zhōng cháng: jié zhōng cháng: the heart tied in knots.结中肠：心里像打了结一样难受。
义往yì wǎng: yì wǎng: it is right for her to go. Yì means what one ought to do.义往：按道理应该出嫁离家。义，应该做的事。
内训nèi xùn: nèi xùn: a mother's teaching at home.内训：母亲的教导。
事姑shì gū: shì gū: serving one's mother-in-law. Gū here means the husband's mother.事姑：侍奉婆婆。姑，丈夫的母亲。
贻yí: yí: to leave, to give.贻：留下，带给。
赖兹lài zī: lài zī: luckily, this time.赖兹：幸亏这次。
令门lìng mén: lìng mén: a good family. Lìng means fine.令门：好人家。令，美好。
仁恤rén xù: rén xù: kind and caring.仁恤：仁爱体贴。
庶无尤shù wú yóu: shù wú yóu: may there be no faults. Shù means hopefully; yóu means a fault.庶无尤：希望不会有过失。庶，希望；尤，过错。
贫俭pín jiǎn: pín jiǎn chéng suǒ shàng: living plainly and simply is truly what we value.贫俭诚所尚：清贫节俭，本来就是我们看重的。
资从zī cóng: zī cóng: a dowry and the servants who go with the bride.资从：嫁妆和陪嫁的仆人。
岂待周qǐ dài zhōu: qǐ dài zhōu: there is no need for everything to be complete.岂待周：哪里一定要样样齐全。
孝恭xiào gōng: xiào gōng: dutiful and respectful.孝恭：孝顺恭敬。
妇道fù dào: fù dào: the rules a wife and daughter-in-law were expected to follow in old times.妇道：古代要求做妻子、做媳妇应当遵守的规矩。
容止róng zhǐ: róng zhǐ: how one looks and behaves.容止：仪容举止，就是一举一动。
顺其猷shùn qí yóu: shùn qí yóu: to follow the ways of her new family. Yóu means rules, a way of doing things.顺其猷：顺从夫家的规矩。猷，规矩、法则。
当何秋dāng hé qiū: dāng hé qiū: in which year. Qiū here means a year.当何秋：要到哪一年。秋，年。
居闲jū xián: jū xián: in ordinary, quiet times.居闲：平时闲着的时候。
自遣zì qiǎn: zì qiǎn: to ease one's own sorrow.自遣：自己排解忧愁。
临感lín gǎn: lín gǎn: when the moment comes and the feelings rush in.临感：事到临头，感情涌上来。
零泪líng lèi: líng lèi: falling tears. Líng means to fall.零泪：落下的眼泪。零，落下。
缘缨流yuán yīng liú: yuán yīng liú: running down the hat strings. Yīng is the cord that ties a hat under the chin.缘缨流：顺着帽带往下流。缨，系帽子的带子。

How to read it读音

长zhǎng: Here the character means the elder one, the big sister, and is read zhǎng, not cháng.长：这里指姐姐，年纪大的人，读 zhǎng，不读 cháng。
阙quē: Here the character means to lack, like quē (missing), and is read quē, not què.阙：同“缺”，缺少，读 quē，不读 què。

Background创作背景

Wei Yingwu's wife died young, leaving two daughters. The younger girl was brought up by her big sister. Later the elder daughter married into the Yang family; her husband is usually said to be Yang Ling. So the title calls her "the Yang daughter", the daughter who married a Yang. Seeing her off, the father was glad for her but could hardly bear to let her go, and he wrote this poem. Sources differ on when it was written; one view is that it was while he was governor of Chuzhou.

韦应物的妻子很早就去世了，留下两个女儿。小女儿是姐姐带大的。后来大女儿嫁到杨家，一般认为她嫁的是杨凌，所以诗题叫“杨氏女”，意思是嫁给杨家的女儿。父亲送女儿出嫁，又高兴又舍不得，写下了这首诗。写作时间说法不一，一说是他在滁州做刺史的时候。

The poet作者

Wei Yingwu (about 737 to about 792) was a Tang poet. As a young man he was a guard for Emperor Xuanzong; later he took up serious study and governed Chuzhou, Jiangzhou and Suzhou, so he is also called Wei Suzhou. Most of his poems are calm and quiet, but this one is full of a father's deep love.

韦应物（约737—约792），唐代诗人。年轻时做过唐玄宗的侍卫，后来认真读书，做过滁州、江州、苏州的刺史，所以也被称为“韦苏州”。他的诗大多清淡安静，这首诗却写满了一个父亲的深情。

The mood意境

This poem is like a father speaking his heart on his daughter's wedding day. He has been worried all day, because she is leaving by boat for a faraway place. He remembers that his children grew up without a mother, and that the little one was raised by her big sister; now the two sisters are crying in each other's arms. Like every parent, he keeps giving advice: be good to your mother-in-law, follow your new family's ways, and do not mind that our family is poor and the dowry small. The most moving part is the end. In ordinary times he could talk himself out of sadness, but when the parting really comes, the tears will not stop. Back home, he looks at the younger daughter still with him, and tears run down his hat strings. There are no fancy lines, only everyday words, yet they make your eyes sting.

这首诗像一位父亲在女儿出嫁那天的心里话。他整天发愁，因为女儿要坐船远去。他想起孩子们从小没有妈妈，小妹妹是姐姐带大的，现在姐妹俩哭成一团。他又像所有父母一样不停地叮嘱：好好孝顺婆婆，守夫家的规矩，家里穷，嫁妆不全，别嫌弃。最动人的是结尾：平时他还能劝自己想开，可真到分别，眼泪就收不住了；回到家，看到还留在身边的小女儿，泪水顺着帽带流下来。没有华丽的句子，全是家常话，却让人读了鼻子发酸。