xī西jiāng江yuè月·qiǎn遣xìng兴

This lyric is usually thought to have been written while Xin Qiji, removed from office, was living at Daihu Lake in Shangrao, in today's Jiangxi. He longed to lead an army and win back the lost north, but the court would not use him, so he spent many years in the countryside. With nowhere to pour out his frustration, he turned to wine, and wrote this lyric that looks funny but is really sad. The title means letting out one's feelings.

这首词一般认为是辛弃疾被罢官、闲居上饶带湖（今江西上饶）时写的。他一心想带兵收复北方失地，朝廷却不用他，只能在乡下一住就是很多年。心里的苦闷没处说，他就借喝酒来排遣，写下了这首看起来好笑、其实很心酸的词。“遣兴”就是抒发心情的意思。

Xin Qiji (1140–1207), known as Jiaxuan, was a great ci writer of the Southern Song. As a young man he led troops against the Jin in the north. After coming south he kept urging the court to win back the lost land, but he was removed from office many times and lived in the countryside for nearly twenty years in all. His lyrics often use wine and landscapes to voice his anger at injustice, bold on the surface and full of grief beneath.

辛弃疾（1140—1207），号稼轩，南宋大词人。他年轻时在北方带兵抗金，南下以后一直主张收复失地，却多次被罢官，在乡间闲居了将近二十年。他的词常常借喝酒、山水来写心中的不平，豪放中带着悲愤。

The first half sounds like drunken talk: he is too busy laughing to be sad, and the old books are worthless. But he means the opposite. The books of the sages teach loyalty to one's ruler and country, yet when he tried to serve his country he was sent home. That is why he says their teachings do not work. The second half is a funny little story. Drunk beside a pine, he asks it how drunk he is. When the pine seems to sway, he thinks it wants to help him up, so he shoves it and says, 'Go away!' That shove shows his stubborn pride: he will not give in, and he will not take help. It makes us laugh, and after the laugh we feel his hurt and his refusal to accept his fate.

上半首像醉话：只顾笑，没空愁；古人的书，信了也白信。其实这是反话。他读的圣贤书教人忠君爱国，可他想报国却被赶回了家，所以才说书里的道理行不通。下半首是一个好玩的小故事：醉倒在松树边，问松树自己醉得怎样；看松树晃动，以为它要来扶，就推它一把说“去！”。这一推，推出了他不服输、不要人帮的倔强。读起来让人发笑，笑过之后，又能感到他心里的委屈和不甘。