Song lyric · ci lyric in two stanzas宋词 · 词·双调

suǒ琐chuāng窗hán寒·hán寒shí食

zhōu周bāng邦yàn彦Zhou Bangyan · Song宋

Suo Chuang Han: The Cold Food Festival

àn暗liǔ柳tí啼yā鸦

dān单yī衣zhù伫lì立

xiǎo小lián帘zhū朱hù户

tóng桐huā花bàn半mǔ亩

jìng静suǒ锁yì一tíng庭chóu愁yǔ雨

sǎ洒kōng空jiē阶

yè夜lán阑wèi未xiū休

gù故rén人jiǎn剪zhú烛xī西chuāng窗yǔ语

sì似chǔ楚jiāng江míng暝sù宿

fēng风dēng灯líng零luàn乱

shào少nián年jī羁lǚ旅

chí迟mù暮

xī嬉yóu游chù处

zhèng正diàn店shè舍wú无yān烟

jìn禁chéng城bǎi百wǔ五

qí旗tíng亭huàn唤jiǔ酒

fù付yǔ与gāo高yáng阳chóu俦lǚ侣

xiǎng想dōng东yuán园

táo桃lǐ李zì自chūn春

xiǎo小chún唇xiù秀yè靥jīn今zài在fǒu否

dào到guī归shí时

dìng定yǒu有cán残yīng英

dài待kè客xié携zūn尊zǔ俎

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。

Our source writes the tune name with a different first character and lists another variant. Common editions write it Suo Chuang Han, where suǒ chuāng means a window carved with linked patterns. Common editions add the title "The Cold Food Festival".

词牌底本写作“锁窗寒”，又注“琐寒窗”；通行本多写作“琐窗寒”。琐窗，是刻着连环花纹的窗子。通行本题作“寒食”。

Line by line逐句翻译

暗柳啼鸦In the dark willows, crows are crying.柳荫深深，乌鸦在叫，
单衣伫立In thin clothes I stand there a long time,我穿着单衣久久地站着，
小帘朱户by a small curtain and a red door.对着小小的帘子和红色的门。
桐花半亩Half an acre of paulownia is in bloom,半亩泡桐开着花，
静锁一庭愁雨and a quiet courtyard is locked in sad rain.静静的院子被愁人的雨锁住了。
洒空阶It sprinkles on the empty steps,雨洒在空空的台阶上，
夜阑未休and late at night it still has not stopped.夜深了还没有停。
故人剪烛西窗语How I wish an old friend were here to trim the candle with me and talk by the west window.真想有老朋友在西窗下剪着烛芯，和我长谈。
似楚江暝宿It is just like those nights I stopped on the rivers of Chu,这情景，就像当年在楚地江边停船过夜，
风灯零乱the lamps swaying in the wind,风里的灯光摇摇晃晃，
少年羁旅in the days when I wandered as a young man.那是我年轻时在外漂泊的日子。
迟暮Now I am old.如今我老了，
嬉游处And as for places to enjoy myself:想想游玩的地方：
正店舍无烟right now no smoke rises from shops or homes,正赶上店铺人家都不生火，
禁城百五for it is the Cold Food Festival in the capital.京城里过着寒食节。
旗亭唤酒At the wine shop I call for wine,到酒楼叫来美酒，
付与高阳俦侣and leave it all to my drinking friends.都交给那些爱喝酒的朋友吧。
想东园I think of the east garden at home,想起家里的东园，
桃李自春where the peach and plum blossoms greet the spring by themselves.桃花李花自己开着，迎来春天，
小唇秀靥今在否Those small lips and pretty dimples, are they still there?那小小的嘴唇、好看的酒窝，现在还在吗？
到归时When I go home,等我回去的时候，
定有残英surely some last flowers will remain,一定还有没落尽的花，
待客携尊俎waiting for this guest to come with wine and food.等着我这位客人带着酒菜来赏。

Words字词注释

暗柳àn liǔ: àn liǔ: willows so thick with leaves that they look dark.暗柳：枝叶茂密、颜色深暗的柳树。
伫立zhù lì: zhù lì: to stand still for a long time.伫立：长时间站着不动。
朱户zhū hù: zhū hù: a red-painted door.朱户：红漆的门。
桐花tóng huā: tóng huā: paulownia blossoms, which open around the Qingming season.桐花：泡桐树开的花，大约在清明前后开放。
静锁一庭愁雨jìng suǒ yì tíng chóu yǔ: jìng suǒ yī tíng chóu yǔ: the quiet courtyard seems locked in by sad rain.静锁一庭愁雨：静静的院子好像被叫人发愁的雨锁住了。
空阶kōng jiē: kōng jiē: empty steps.空阶：没有人的台阶。
夜阑yè lán: yè lán: late in the night.夜阑：夜深了。
剪烛西窗jiǎn zhú xī chuāng: jiǎn zhú xī chuāng: trimming the candle by the west window and talking late into the night. It comes from a line by the Tang poet Li Shangyin. Old candles had to have their burnt wicks trimmed to keep burning bright.剪烛西窗：在西窗下剪烛芯、长谈到深夜。唐代李商隐有“何当共剪西窗烛”的诗句。古时蜡烛点久了要剪去烧焦的烛芯，灯才亮。
楚江暝宿chǔ jiāng míng sù: chǔ jiāng míng sù: stopping for the night on a river in the old land of Chu, along the middle Yangtze.楚江暝宿：天黑后停宿在楚地的江边。楚，指长江中游一带。
风灯零乱fēng dēng líng luàn: fēng dēng líng luàn: the boat lamps swaying every which way in the wind.风灯零乱：船上的灯在风里摇来摇去。
羁旅jī lǚ: jī lǚ: being a traveler far from home.羁旅：在外地漂泊做客。
迟暮chí mù: chí mù: getting old, in the evening of one's life.迟暮：年纪大了。
店舍无烟diàn shè wú yān: diàn shè wú yān: no smoke from shops or homes, because of the custom of lighting no fires at the Cold Food Festival.店舍无烟：店铺人家都不生火。寒食节有禁火的风俗。
百五bǎi wǔ: bǎi wǔ: the hundred-and-fifth day after the winter solstice. That is the Cold Food Festival, a day or two before Qingming.百五：冬至后第一百零五天，就是寒食节，在清明前一两天。
旗亭qí tíng: qí tíng: a wine shop with a flag hung outside.旗亭：挂着酒旗的酒楼。
高阳俦侣gāo yáng chóu lǚ: gāo yáng chóu lǚ: drinking companions. Li Yiji, a man of the Qin and Han era, called himself the wine lover of Gaoyang. After that, Gaoyang stood for people who love to drink.高阳俦侣：一起喝酒的朋友。秦汉之际的郦食其自称“高阳酒徒”，后来“高阳”就指爱喝酒的人。俦侣，伙伴。
自春zì chūn: zì chūn: blossoming into spring on their own, with no one to watch.自春：自顾自地开花，迎来春天。
小唇秀靥xiǎo chún xiù yè: xiǎo chún xiù yè: small lips and pretty dimples. One reading says the peach and plum blossoms look like a lovely face. Another says it means the beloved left at home.小唇秀靥：小小的嘴唇，好看的酒窝。一说指桃李花像美人的唇和笑脸；一说指留在家里的心上人。
残英cán yīng: cán yīng: the last flowers still on the branch. Yīng means a flower.残英：还没落尽的花。英，花。
尊俎zūn zǔ: zūn zǔ: a wine vessel and a meat stand, that is, wine and food.尊俎：酒杯和摆肉的器具，这里指酒菜。

How to read it读音

少shào: "Shào nián" means one's young days, so the character is read shào.“少年”是年轻的时候，“少”读 shào。
宿sù: "Míng sù" means stopping for the night after dark, so the character is read sù.“暝宿”是天黑后住宿，“宿”读 sù。
禁jìn: "Jìn chéng" means the capital where the palace stands, so the character is read jìn.“禁城”指皇宫所在的京城，“禁”读 jìn。

Background创作背景

This lyric is about the Cold Food Festival. It falls a day or two before Qingming. For those days people lit no fires and ate only cold food. The lyric mentions the capital, so Zhou Bangyan was staying there as a guest, far from home. Scholars differ on the exact year. On a rainy Cold Food day he stands alone in a courtyard. He remembers wandering as a young man, and thinks of the flowers in the east garden at home.

这首词写寒食节。寒食在清明前一两天，古人这几天不生火，只吃冷的食物。词里的“禁城”指京城，可见周邦彦写这首词时正在京城做客，离家很远。这首词具体写于哪一年，说法不一。寒食节下着雨，他一个人站在院子里，想起年轻时的漂泊，也想起家乡东园的花。

The poet作者

Zhou Bangyan (1056–1121), courtesy name Meicheng, pen name Qingzhen Jushi, came from Qiantang (today's Hangzhou). He was a famous Northern Song lyric poet. He knew music deeply, once ran the court's music office, the Dasheng Bureau, and created many new tunes. His lyrics are carefully worded and cleverly built, and later readers saw him as a master of the form.

周邦彦（1056—1121），字美成，号清真居士，钱塘（今浙江杭州）人，北宋著名词人。他精通音乐，曾主管朝廷的音乐机构大晟府，创作了不少新的曲调。他的词用字讲究，结构精巧，后人称他是词中的大家。

The mood意境

The first stanza shows a rainy night at the Cold Food Festival. The willows are dark, crows cry, and the poet stands at the door in thin clothes. Half an acre of paulownia is in bloom, but the rain locks up the whole courtyard. The rain goes on late into the night, and he longs for an old friend to trim the candle and talk with him by the west window. The sound of rain and the lamplight remind him of nights on the rivers of Chu when he was young. Being alone far from home has not changed from youth to old age. The second stanza turns to now and to the future. He is old, it is the Cold Food Festival, and no fires burn in the capital. He leaves the wine to his friends, having lost the mood himself. His thoughts fly home. Peach and plum blossoms open and fall in the east garden with no one to see, and he wonders whether his beloved is still there. In the end he comforts himself: when he returns, some last flowers will be waiting. That small hope adds a little warmth to all the sadness.

上片写寒食节的雨夜。柳色深暗，乌鸦啼叫，诗人穿着单衣站在门前；桐花开了半亩，雨却把整个院子锁住了。雨一直下到深夜，他多希望有老朋友在西窗下陪他剪烛长谈。这雨声和灯影，又让他想起年轻时在楚江边停船过夜的情景。一个人在外的孤单，从年轻到年老都没变。下片写眼前和将来：如今老了，正赶上寒食，京城家家不生火，他把酒都让给朋友喝，自己没了兴致。心思飞回家乡，想到东园的桃李自开自落，不知心上人还在不在。最后他安慰自己：回去时总还有残花等着。这一点小小的希望，让整首词在愁里带着一点暖。