No. 42 · Song lyric · ci lyric to the tune Tian Xian Zi, two stanzas第 42 首 · 宋词 · 词·天仙子（双调）

tiān天xiān仙zǐ子·shuǐ水diào调shù数shēng声chí持jiǔ酒tīng听

zhāng张xiān先Zhang Xian · Song宋

To the Tune Tian Xian Zi: A Few Notes of the Water Melody

shuǐ水diào调shù数shēng声chí持jiǔ酒tīng听

wǔ午zuì醉xǐng醒lái来chóu愁wèi未xǐng醒

sòng送chūn春chūn春qù去jǐ几shí时huí回

lín临wǎn晚jìng镜

shāng伤liú流jǐng景

wǎng往shì事hòu后qī期kōng空jì记xǐng省

shā沙shàng上bìng并qín禽chí池shàng上míng暝

yún云pò破yuè月lái来huā花nòng弄yǐng影

chóng重chóng重lián帘mù幕mì密zhē遮dēng灯

fēng风bú不dìng定

rén人chū初jìng静

míng明rì日luò落hóng红yīng应mǎn满jìng径

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

水调数声持酒听Cup in hand, I listen to a few notes of the sad Water Melody.拿着酒杯，听了几段哀伤的《水调》，
午醉醒来愁未醒I wake from my noon drunkenness, but my sorrow does not wake away.中午喝醉了，醒来时酒醒了，愁却还没散。
送春春去几时回I see spring off; when will spring come back?送走了春天，春天什么时候才会再回来？
临晚镜In the evening I face the mirror,傍晚对着镜子，
伤流景grieving for the time that slips away.为流逝的时光伤心。
往事后期空记省Past things and future promises, I remember them clearly, all for nothing.过去的事和以后的约定，我白白地记得清清楚楚。
沙上并禽池上暝On the sand the paired birds settle; over the pond it grows dark.沙滩上成对的鸟儿依偎着，池塘上天色暗了下来。
云破月来花弄影The clouds break, the moon comes out, and the flowers play with their shadows.云层裂开，月亮出来了，花儿在月光下摇动着自己的影子。
重重帘幕密遮灯Layer on layer of curtains closely shield the lamp,一层层帘幕把灯光严严地遮住，
风不定the wind outside will not settle,外面的风还没停，
人初静and people have just fallen quiet.人声刚刚安静下来。
明日落红应满径Tomorrow, fallen petals will surely cover the path.明天，落下的花瓣应该会铺满小路吧。

Words字词注释

水调shuǐ diào: shuǐ diào: Water Melody: the name of a tune said to come from the time of Emperor Yang of Sui. It sounded sad.水调：一种曲调的名字，相传是隋炀帝时传下来的，声音很哀伤。
数声shù shēng: shù shēng: a few notes, a few snatches of the song.数声：几声，这里指听了几段曲子。
持酒chí jiǔ: chí jiǔ: holding a cup of wine.持酒：手里拿着酒杯。
愁未醒chóu wèi xǐng: chóu wèi xǐng: the sorrow has not worn off, though the wine has.愁未醒：酒醒了，可心里的愁还没散。
临晚镜lín wǎn jìng: lín wǎn jìng: looking in the mirror in the evening.临晚镜：傍晚对着镜子照。
伤流景shāng liú jǐng: shāng liú jǐng: shāng means to grieve over; liú jǐng is time flowing away like water.伤：为……难过。流景：像流水一样过去的时光。
后期hòu qī: hòu qī: plans and promises for later.后期：以后的约会。
空记省kōng jì xǐng: kōng jì xǐng: remembering clearly, but in vain.空记省：白白地记得清清楚楚。空，白白地。
并禽bìng qín: bìng qín: birds in pairs, such as mandarin ducks.并禽：成对的鸟，比如鸳鸯。
暝míng: míng: dusk, getting dark.暝：天黑了，暗下来。
云破yún pò: yún pò: the clouds break open.云破：云层裂开了一道缝。
花弄影huā nòng yǐng: huā nòng yǐng: the flowers sway as if playing with their own shadows.花弄影：花在风里摇动，好像在摆弄自己的影子。
帘幕lián mù: lián mù: curtains and hangings over doors and windows.帘幕：挂在门窗上的帘子和帷幕。
密遮灯mì zhē dēng: mì zhē dēng: closely shielding the lamp.密遮灯：把灯光严严实实地遮住。
落红luò hóng: luò hóng: fallen petals.落红：落下来的花瓣。
满径mǎn jìng: mǎn jìng: covering the path. Jìng is a small path.满径：铺满了小路。径，小路。

How to read it读音

调diào: Read diào here, meaning "tune".这里是“曲调”的意思，读 diào。
数shù: Read shù here, meaning "a few".这里是“几”的意思，读 shù。
听tīng: Read tīng today. The lyric rhymes on oblique tones, and in old times this character also had a falling-tone reading, so it rhymed with xǐng, jìng and yǐng.现在读 tīng。这首词押仄声韵，“听”在古代也有去声的读法，和“醒、镜、影”押韵。
省xǐng: Read xǐng here, meaning "to remember clearly", not shěng.这里是“记得、明白”的意思，读 xǐng，不读 shěng。
重chóng: Read chóng here, meaning "layer upon layer".这里是“一层又一层”的意思，读 chóng。

Background创作背景

Under the title, Zhang Xian wrote a short note. He said he was then a deputy official in Jiahe, today's Jiaxing in Zhejiang. He was ill and lying at home, so he did not go to a banquet at the government office. He is usually thought to have been about fifty then; one view dates it to around 1041. It was late spring. Drinking alone and listening to music, he watched spring leave and felt a sadness he could not put into words, so he wrote this lyric.

张先原来在词题下写了一句话，说他当时在嘉禾（今浙江嘉兴）做“小倅”，也就是知州的副手，因为生病在家睡觉，没有去参加官府的宴会。一般认为这时他已经五十岁左右，一说是庆历元年（1041）前后。暮春时节，他一个人喝酒、听曲，看着春天走了，心里有说不出的愁，就写了这首词。

The poet作者

Zhang Xian (990–1078), courtesy name Ziye, came from Wucheng, today's Huzhou in Zhejiang. He was a lyric poet of the Northern Song. He was very good at writing about shadows. His three favourite lines of his own all use the word for shadow, so people called him "Three-Shadows Zhang". "The clouds break, the moon comes out, and the flowers play with their shadows" is the most famous of them.

张先（990—1078），字子野，乌程（今浙江湖州）人，北宋词人。他很会写“影”，自己最得意的三句里都有“影”字，人们就叫他“张三影”。“云破月来花弄影”就是其中最有名的一句。

The mood意境

The first stanza is about sorrow. He drinks while listening to a sad tune. He gets drunk and wakes up, but the sorrow does not wake away. Spring is leaving, the face in the mirror is growing old, and past events and future promises are only empty thoughts. The second stanza is a night scene. It grows dark, and the birds on the sand are in pairs, while he is alone. Suddenly the clouds part, the moon comes out, and the flowers sway as if playing with their shadows. The single word "play" brings the flowers to life and puts movement into the quiet night. At the end he lowers the curtains and shields the lamp. Listening to the wind, he thinks: tomorrow the path will be covered in petals. He is sorry for spring, and sorry for his own passing years too.

上阕写愁。他听着哀伤的曲子喝酒，醉了又醒，愁却醒不了。春天走了，镜子里的自己也老了，过去的事、将来的约定都只能空想。下阕写夜景。天黑了，沙滩上的鸟儿成双成对，他却是一个人。忽然云开了，月亮出来，花在风里摇动，好像在和自己的影子玩。一个“弄”字，让花活了起来，静静的夜也有了动静。最后他放下帘子、遮住灯，听着风声想：明天小路上该落满花瓣了。这是在可惜春天，也是在可惜自己的年华。