Song lyric · ci to the tune Tian Xiang, 96 characters in two stanzas宋词 · 词，词牌《天香》，双调九十六字

tiān天xiāng香·lóng龙xián涎xiāng香

wáng王yí沂sūn孙Wang Yisun · Song宋

Tian Xiang: Ambergris Incense

gū孤qiáo峤pán蟠yān烟

céng层tāo涛tuì蜕yuè月

lí骊gōng宫yè夜cǎi采qiān铅shuǐ水

xùn汛yuǎn远chá槎fēng风

mèng梦shēn深wēi薇lù露

huà化zuò作duàn断hún魂xīn心zì字

hóng红cí瓷hòu候huǒ火

hái还zhà乍shí识bīng冰huán环yù玉zhǐ指

yì一lǚ缕yíng萦lián帘cuì翠yǐng影

yī依xī稀hǎi海tiān天yún云qì气

jǐ几huí回tì殢jiāo娇bàn半zuì醉

jiǎn剪chūn春dēng灯yè夜hán寒huā花suì碎

gèng更hǎo好gù故xī溪fēi飞xuě雪

xiǎo小chuāng窗shēn深bì闭

xún荀lìng令rú如jīn今dùn顿lǎo老

zǒng总wàng忘què却zūn樽qián前jiù旧fēng风wèi味

màn谩xī惜yú余xūn熏

kōng空gōu篝sù素bèi被

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。

The corpus gives only the tune name. The common text adds the title "Ambergris Incense". In four places the corpus uses older or rarer forms of characters. The common text uses the standard forms. In the fourth line the common text has xùn meaning tide, where the corpus has a look-alike character meaning news.

语料库只题词牌，通行本有题目“龙涎香”。语料库作“讯远槎风”“𣨼娇”“翦春灯”“馀熏”，通行本作“汛远槎风”“殢娇”“剪春灯”“余熏”。“翦”“馀”是“剪”“余”的旧写法；“讯”和“汛”字形相近，通行本多作“汛”（潮水）。

Line by line逐句翻译

孤峤蟠烟Mist coils around a lone peak in the sea.海中孤零零的尖山上，烟雾盘绕；
层涛蜕月From layer upon layer of waves the moon rises.一层层波浪里，月亮升了起来。
骊宫夜采铅水At night people gather the dragon's saliva from the black dragon's palace.人们夜里到骊龙的宫殿采集龙涎。
汛远槎风The tide goes far out, and they ride the wind home on rafts.潮水远去，乘着木筏迎风回来；
梦深薇露Mixed with rose dew, it sleeps as if in a deep dream,龙涎和蔷薇露调在一起，像沉在深深的梦里，
化作断魂心字and at last becomes heart-shaped incense that moves the soul.最后做成了让人销魂的心字香。
红瓷候火In a red porcelain burner we wait for the right heat,在红瓷香炉里等着火候，
还乍识冰环玉指and see for the first time the incense shaped like rings of ice and jade fingers.又初次见到那冰环、玉指一样的香。
一缕萦帘翠影A wisp of blue-green smoke curls around the curtain,一缕青烟萦绕着帘子，
依稀海天云气faintly like clouds over the sea at the edge of the sky.隐隐约约，像海上天边的云气。
几回殢娇半醉How many times, lingering fondly, half drunk,多少回，缠绵撒娇，喝得半醉；
剪春灯夜寒花碎we trimmed the lamp on spring nights, and the wick flowers fell in the cold.剪着春夜的灯花，夜寒中灯花碎落。
更好故溪飞雪Better still were the snowy days by the stream at home,更好的是在故乡，溪上飞雪，
小窗深闭with the small window shut tight and the incense burning.小窗关得紧紧的，屋里燃着香。
荀令如今顿老But I, who loved incense like Xun Yu, have suddenly grown old,可我这个像荀令一样爱香的人，如今一下子老了，
总忘却樽前旧风味and have quite forgotten the joy we had over the wine.早就忘了从前酒席前的那种情趣。
谩惜余熏In vain I cherish the little fragrance left,白白地爱惜着剩下的一点香气，
空篝素被and perfume a plain white quilt over the burner for nothing.空空地用熏笼熏着白被子。

Words字词注释

孤峤gū qiáo: gū qiáo: a lone, pointed peak or islet in the sea.孤峤：海中孤零零的尖山或小岛。
蟠烟pán yān: pán yān: mist coiling around. Pán means to coil.蟠烟：烟雾盘绕着。蟠，盘曲。
层涛蜕月céng tāo tuì yuè: céng tāo tuì yuè: from layer upon layer of waves the moon rises, as if shedding a skin.层涛蜕月：一层层波浪里，月亮像蜕皮一样从水中升出来。
骊宫lí gōng: lí gōng: the palace of the black dragon, a dragon that lives in the sea in legend.骊宫：骊龙住的宫殿。骊龙是传说中海里的黑龙。
铅水qiān shuǐ: qiān shuǐ: here, the dragon's saliva. Legend says dragons slept on rocks in the sea, and the foam they spat floated on the water. People gathered it to make incense.铅水：这里指龙的口水，也就是龙涎。传说龙在海中礁石上睡觉，吐出的涎沫浮在水上，人们采来做香。
汛远槎风xùn yuǎn chá fēng: xùn yuǎn chá fēng: the tide goes far out, and the gatherers ride the wind home on rafts. Xùn is the tide; chá is a raft.汛远槎风：潮水远去，采香人坐着木筏乘风回来。汛，潮水；槎，木筏。
薇露wēi lù: wēi lù: rose dew. Ambergris incense was mixed with rose water when it was made.薇露：蔷薇花上的露水。做龙涎香时要和蔷薇水调在一起。
心字xīn zì: xīn zì: incense shaped like the Chinese character for "heart".心字：做成“心”字形状的香，叫心字香。
断魂duàn hún: duàn hún: soul-breaking, so sad or so moved that the soul seems to leave.断魂：形容非常伤心或深深着迷。
红瓷候火hóng cí hòu huǒ: hóng cí hòu huǒ: in a red porcelain burner, waiting until the heat is just right to burn the incense.红瓷候火：在红色的瓷香炉里，等着火候正好再烧香。
乍识zhà shí: zhà shí: to see or recognize for the first time.乍识：刚刚看到、初次认出。
冰环玉指bīng huán yù zhǐ: bīng huán yù zhǐ: the incense is shaped like rings of ice and fingers of jade. Another reading says it means the jade-ringed fingers of the hand holding the incense.冰环玉指：香的形状像冰做的环、玉做的手指。一说指拿香的那双戴着玉环的手。
萦yíng: yíng: to curl around.萦：缠绕。
翠影cuì yǐng: cuì yǐng: the blue-green shadow of the smoke.翠影：香烟青绿色的影子。
依稀yī xī: yī xī: faintly, as if.依稀：隐隐约约，好像。
殢娇tì jiāo: tì jiāo: lingering fondly, playful and loving.殢娇：缠绵撒娇。
剪春灯jiǎn chūn dēng: jiǎn chūn dēng: trimming the lamp wick. When a wick burns long, its ash forms a little flower, which is cut off to brighten the light.剪春灯：剪去灯花，让灯更亮。灯芯烧久了会结成花一样的灰。
花碎huā suì: huā suì: the trimmed wick flowers fall in bits.花碎：剪下的灯花碎落下来。
故溪gù xī: gù xī: the stream by one's old home, meaning one's home town.故溪：从前住处的溪边，指故乡。
荀令xún lìng: xún lìng: Xun Yu of the late Eastern Han, who held the post of chief secretary. Legend says he smelled so sweet that a seat he sat on stayed fragrant for three days. The poet compares himself to him.荀令：东汉末年的荀彧，做过尚书令。传说他身上很香，到别人家坐过，香气三天不散。这里作者用来比自己。
顿老dùn lǎo: dùn lǎo: suddenly old.顿老：一下子老了。
樽前zūn qián: zūn qián: before the wine cup, at drinking parties.樽前：酒杯前，指饮酒聚会的时候。
风味fēng wèi: fēng wèi: the flavor, the joy of those times.风味：情趣，那时的兴致。
余熏yú xūn: yú xūn: the fragrance left behind.余熏：剩下的香气。
篝gōu: gōu: a bamboo cage set over an incense burner to perfume clothes and quilts.篝：熏笼，罩在香炉上的竹笼，用来熏衣服和被子。
素被sù bèi: sù bèi: a plain white quilt.素被：白色的被子。

How to read it读音

峤qiáo: Read qiáo, this character means a tall, pointed mountain, which is the meaning here. It also has the reading jiào, meaning a mountain path.“峤”读 qiáo 时指又尖又高的山，这里就是这个意思；它另有读音 jiào，指山路。
殢tì: This rare character is read tì. It means to linger fondly or be lost in something.“殢”读 tì，意思是缠绵、沉溺。
谩màn: Here this character is read màn, meaning "in vain". Read mán, it means to deceive.“谩”这里读 màn，意思是徒然、白白地，同“漫”；读 mán 时是欺骗的意思。

Background创作背景

After the Southern Song fell, Wang Yisun, Zhou Mi, Zhang Yan and other ci poets met and wrote ci on set subjects: ambergris incense, the white lotus, water shield, the cicada and the crab. These were later collected as Yuefu Buti (More Songs on Set Themes). This Tian Xiang, on ambergris incense, is the first poem in it. Ambergris is a costly perfume that comes from the sea; legend said it was dragon's saliva. One view links these ci to the robbing of the Song imperial tombs in the early Yuan, saying they hide grief for the lost country inside poems about things. But that is only a later guess.

南宋灭亡以后，王沂孙和周密、张炎等一批词人聚在一起，以龙涎香、白莲、莼菜、蝉、蟹为题作词，后来编成《乐府补题》。这首《天香》咏的就是龙涎香，排在集子第一篇。龙涎香是一种从海里得来的名贵香料，传说是龙的口水。一说这些词和元初南宋皇陵被盗掘的事有关，借咏物寄托亡国之痛，但这只是后人的推测。

The poet作者

Wang Yisun, who called himself Bishan, came from Kuaiji, today's Shaoxing in Zhejiang. He lived at the end of the Song and the start of the Yuan, and his exact dates are not certain. He was best at ci about objects. By writing about one thing, he quietly carried his own sorrow and grief for the fallen Song. His style is subtle and delicate, and he is named alongside Zhou Mi and Zhang Yan.

王沂孙，号碧山，会稽（今浙江绍兴）人，生活在宋末元初，生卒年不能确定。他最擅长咏物词，借写一样东西，悄悄寄托身世和亡国的悲伤，写得含蓄又精巧，和周密、张炎等人齐名。

The mood意境

This ci is like the life story of a piece of incense. The opening tells where it comes from: a lone peak in the sea, coiling mist, the moon rising over waves, people going to the dragon's palace at night to gather it and riding the wind home. Then it is mixed with rose dew, shaped like a heart, and burned slowly in a red burner. A wisp of smoke curls around the curtain, as if returning to the clouds over the sea. The second stanza turns to people. Once he and someone dear were half drunk in that smoke, trimming the lamp. At home, when snow fell, they shut the window and burned incense. Those were warm days. Now he is old and has forgotten those joys. He keeps only a little leftover scent and a white quilt. The incense comes from the sea and turns to smoke in the fire. Good times are the same, leaving only a faint trace. Not one line says "I am sad", but sadness hides in every wisp of smoke.

这首词像在讲一块香的一生。开头几句写它的来历：海中孤山，烟雾盘绕，月出波涛，人们夜里去龙宫采龙涎，乘风破浪带回来。接着写它被调进蔷薇露，做成心字香，放进红瓷炉里慢慢烧，一缕青烟绕着帘子，好像又回到了海天云气之中。下片转向人：从前和心爱的人在香烟里半醉，剪灯花，故乡下雪时关窗燃香，那是多么温暖的日子。可如今人老了，从前的乐趣都忘了，只能守着一点残香和一床白被。香从海上来，在火里化成烟；美好的往事也一样，只剩一点余味。词里没有一句直说伤心，伤心却藏在每一缕烟里。