Song lyric · ci, a long lyric in two stanzas宋词 · 词·双调慢词

sū苏wǔ武màn慢·yàn雁luò落píng平shā沙

cài蔡shēn伸Cai Shen · Song宋

Su Wu, Slow Tune: Geese Settle on the Flat Sands

yàn雁luò落píng平shā沙

yān烟lǒng笼hán寒shuǐ水

gǔ古lěi垒míng鸣jiā笳shēng声duàn断

qīng青shān山yǐn隐yǐn隐

bài败yè叶xiāo萧xiāo萧

tiān天jì际míng暝yā鸦líng零luàn乱

lóu楼shàng上huáng黄hūn昏

piàn片fān帆qiān千lǐ里guī归chéng程

nián年huá华jiāng将wǎn晚

wàng望bì碧yún云kōng空mù暮

jiā佳rén人hé何chù处

mèng梦hún魂jù俱yuǎn远

yì忆jiù旧yóu游suì邃guǎn馆zhū朱fēi扉

xiǎo小yuán园xiāng香jìng径

shàng尚xiǎng想táo桃huā花rén人miàn面

shū书yíng盈jǐn锦zhóu轴

hèn恨mǎn满jīn金huī徽

nán难xiě写cùn寸xīn心yōu幽yuàn怨

liǎng两dì地lí离chóu愁

yì一zūn尊fāng芳jiǔ酒

qī凄liáng凉wēi危lán阑yǐ倚biàn遍

jǐn尽chí迟liú留píng凭zhàng仗xī西fēng风

chuī吹gān干lèi泪yǎn眼

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

雁落平沙Wild geese settle on the flat sands;大雁落在平平的沙滩上，
烟笼寒水mist veils the cold river.烟雾笼罩着寒冷的江水。
古垒鸣笳声断From the old fort, the sound of the reed pipe fades away.古老营垒里胡笳的声音，渐渐断了。
青山隐隐The green hills are faint,青山模模糊糊，
败叶萧萧fallen leaves rustle in the wind,落叶萧萧地响着，
天际暝鸦零乱and at the sky's edge, crows fly home in a scattered crowd.天边归巢的乌鸦，乱纷纷地飞。
楼上黄昏Up in the tower, dusk has come.我在楼上，已经是黄昏。
片帆千里归程One small boat has a thousand miles to go home,一只小船，要走千里的回家路，
年华将晚and the year is almost over.一年又快过完了。
望碧云空暮I watch the blue clouds as evening falls in vain.望着青云，天又白白地黑了，
佳人何处Where is the one I love?心上的人在哪里呢？
梦魂俱远She is far away, and so are my dreams.人和梦都离得那么远。
忆旧游邃馆朱扉I remember our old outings: the deep house with its red doors,回想从前一起游玩：幽深的房子，红色的门，
小园香径the fragrant path in the little garden,小花园里开满花的小路，
尚想桃花人面and I still think of her face like peach blossoms.现在还想着她像桃花一样的脸。
书盈锦轴My letters fill whole scrolls,写满话的信装满了卷轴，
恨满金徽my zither is full of sorrow,琴声里也全是离恨，
难写寸心幽怨yet I still cannot write out the grief deep in my heart.却还是写不出心里深深的哀怨。
两地离愁We are in two places, both full of the pain of parting.我们两地分离，都在发愁，
一尊芳酒With a cup of good wine,我端着一杯美酒，
凄凉危阑倚遍I lean, lonely, on every part of the tower's railing.凄凄凉凉地把高楼的栏杆都靠遍了。
尽迟留凭仗西风So I linger on and on, and ask only the west wind就这样久久地停留吧，只盼西风
吹干泪眼to dry my tearful eyes.把我的泪眼吹干。

Words字词注释

平沙píng shā: píng shā: flat sandy banks by the water.平沙：水边平坦的沙滩。
笼lǒng: lǒng: to cover like a veil.笼：像罩子一样罩住。
古垒gǔ lěi: gǔ lěi: old army forts and earth walls from long-ago wars.古垒：古代打仗留下的营垒、土墙。
笳jiā: jiā: a reed pipe with a mournful sound, often played in army camps.笳：胡笳，一种吹奏的乐器，声音很悲凉，军中常吹。
隐隐yǐn yǐn: yǐn yǐn: faint and blurry.隐隐：模模糊糊，看不太清。
萧萧xiāo xiāo: xiāo xiāo: the sound of leaves blown by the wind.萧萧：落叶被风吹的声音。
天际tiān jì: tiān jì: the edge of the sky.天际：天边。
暝鸦míng yā: míng yā: crows flying home at dusk. Míng means dark.暝鸦：黄昏时归巢的乌鸦。暝，天黑。
片帆piàn fān: piàn fān: a single sail, that is, one boat.片帆：一片船帆，指一只船。
年华将晚nián huá jiāng wǎn: nián huá jiāng wǎn: the year is nearly over, and one is growing old.年华将晚：一年快过完了，也指人渐渐老了。
碧云bì yún: bì yún: blue-green clouds, often used in old poems to stand for missing someone far away.碧云：青色的云，古诗里常用来表达思念远方的人。
空暮kōng mù: kōng mù: dusk falls in vain.空暮：白白地到了黄昏。
佳人jiā rén: jiā rén: a lovely person, here the woman the poet misses.佳人：美好的人，这里指诗人思念的女子。
俱jù: jù: both, all.俱：都。
旧游jiù yóu: jiù yóu: the times we went out together long ago.旧游：从前一起游玩的事。
邃馆suì guǎn: suì guǎn: a deep, quiet house. Suì means deep.邃馆：幽深的房屋。邃，深。
朱扉zhū fēi: zhū fēi: red doors.朱扉：红色的门。
香径xiāng jìng: xiāng jìng: a fragrant path lined with flowers.香径：开满花、有香气的小路。
尚shàng: shàng: still.尚：还。
桃花人面táo huā rén miàn: táo huā rén miàn: from Cui Hu's Tang poem about a girl's face glowing beside peach blossoms; when he came back, she was gone. Here, a beloved face no longer to be seen.桃花人面：唐代崔护有诗“人面桃花相映红”，写他再去找一位姑娘，门里已经没人了。这里指想念的人见不到了。
盈yíng: yíng: full.盈：满。
锦轴jǐn zhóu: jǐn zhóu: a scroll mounted on silk brocade; here, letters full of words.锦轴：用锦缎装裱的卷轴，这里指写满话的信。
金徽jīn huī: jīn huī: the gold dots on a qin zither that mark the notes; here, the zither itself.金徽：古琴上用金子做的小圆点，用来标记音的位置，这里指琴。
寸心cùn xīn: cùn xīn: the heart, which people once said was an inch across.寸心：心。古人认为心只有一寸大小。
幽怨yōu yuàn: yōu yuàn: sorrow hidden deep inside.幽怨：藏在心里的哀怨。
尊zūn: zūn: a wine cup.尊：酒杯。
危阑wēi lán: wēi lán: the railing of a high tower. Wēi means high.危阑：高楼上的栏杆。危，高。
倚遍yǐ biàn: yǐ biàn: having leaned on every part of the railing; standing there a long time.倚遍：每一处栏杆都靠过了，说站了很久。
迟留chí liú: chí liú: to linger and not leave.迟留：停留，久久不走。
凭仗píng zhàng: píng zhàng: to rely on, to ask.凭仗：依靠，请求。

How to read it读音

笼lǒng: Here this character is read lǒng, meaning to cover like a veil. It is read lóng when it means a cage.笼在这里读 lǒng，是“笼罩”的意思。名词“鸟笼”的笼才读 lóng。
尽jǐn: Here this character is read jǐn, meaning to go on, no matter how long.尽在这里读 jǐn，是“尽管、任凭”的意思。

Background创作背景

This lyric shows someone climbing a tower at dusk in late autumn, gazing far and missing the one he loves. It speaks of a thousand-mile road home and of sorrow in two places, so he is clearly far from home. When it was written and whom he misses are no longer known.

这首词写一个人在深秋黄昏登楼远望、思念远方心上人的心情。词里有千里归程、两地离愁，可见他正在外漂泊，离家很远。具体写于什么时候、思念的是谁，已经说不清楚了。

The poet作者

Cai Shen (1088–1156), courtesy name Shendao, also called Yougu Jushi, was a ci poet of the late Northern and early Southern Song. He was a grandson of the famous calligrapher Cai Xiang. He passed the highest civil exam and served as a local official. His lyrics are mostly about parting and longing, in clear, graceful words with true feeling.

蔡伸（1088—1156），字伸道，号友古居士，北宋末到南宋初的词人，是书法家蔡襄的孙子。他考中过进士，做过地方官。他的词多写离别和相思，语言清丽，感情真挚。

The mood意境

The first stanza paints a wide picture of a late autumn dusk. Geese settle on the sand, mist veils the river, a mournful pipe sounds from an old fort, the hills blur, leaves rustle, and crows scatter home. Each sight is lonelier than the last and draws us into a lonely mood. Only then do we meet the man in the tower. He has a thousand miles to go, the year is nearly done, and where is the one he loves? The second stanza turns to memory: red doors, a garden, a face like peach blossoms. The lovelier the memory, the more it hurts. He has filled scrolls with letters and played his zither, yet still cannot say all his pain. At last he has leaned on every part of the railing and cannot bring himself to leave. He can only ask the west wind to dry his tears. The feeling grows from scene to heart, and the ending is just one small gesture, which makes it all the more moving.

上片先画了一幅深秋黄昏的大画：大雁落在沙滩上，烟雾罩着江水，古营垒里传来悲凉的笳声，青山模糊，落叶沙沙响，乌鸦乱飞着回巢。这些景物一个比一个冷清，把人带进孤单的心情里。然后才写楼上的人：路还有千里，一年也快完了，心上人在哪里呢？下片转到回忆，红门、花园、像桃花一样的脸，越美越让人难过。信写满了，琴也弹了，还是说不尽心里的苦。最后他靠遍了栏杆，舍不得走，只好求西风吹干眼泪。从景写到情，情越来越浓，结尾却只是一个小小的动作，让人觉得更加心酸。