Song lyric · ci lyric to the tune Yan Shan Ting, two stanzas宋词 · 词·燕山亭（双调）

yān燕shān山tíng亭·běi北xíng行jiàn见xìng杏huā花

zhào赵jí佶Zhao Ji · Song宋

Yan Shan Ting: Seeing Apricot Blossoms on the Way North

cái裁jiǎn剪bīng冰xiāo绡

qīng轻dié叠shù数chóng重

dàn淡zhuó着yān燕zhī脂yún匀zhù注

xīn新yàng样jìng靓zhuāng妆

yàn艳yì溢xiāng香róng融

xiū羞shā杀ruǐ蕊zhū珠gōng宫nǚ女

yì易dé得diāo凋líng零

gèng更duō多shǎo少

wú无qíng情fēng风yǔ雨

chóu愁kǔ苦

wèn问yuàn院luò落qī凄liáng凉

jǐ几fān番chūn春mù暮

píng凭jì寄lí离hèn恨chóng重chóng重

zhè这shuāng双yàn燕

hé何céng曾huì会rén人yán言yǔ语

tiān天yáo遥dì地yuǎn远

wàn万shuǐ水qiān千shān山

zhī知tā他gù故gōng宫hé何chù处

zěn怎bù不sī思liang量

chú除mèng梦lǐ里

yǒu有shí时céng曾qù去

wú无jù据

hé和mèng梦yě也xīn新lái来bú不zuò做

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。

This follows the common text. The database text differs in several places: an old form of the character for "cut"; "da die" for "qing die"; "leng dan" for "dan zhuo"; "xian yuan luo" for "wen yuan luo"; "hui qu" for "ceng qu"; and the last line reads "he meng ye, you shi bu zuo" (sometimes even dreams do not come).

这里用通行本。资料库原文有几处不同：“裁剪”作“裁翦”（翦是剪的古字），“轻叠”作“打叠”，“淡着”作“冷淡”，“问院落”作“闲院落”，“有时曾去”作“有时会去”，最后一句作“和梦也、有时不做”。

Line by line逐句翻译

裁剪冰绡As if cut from white silk, clear as ice,像是用剪刀剪下洁白透亮的丝绸，
轻叠数重and lightly folded into several layers,轻轻叠成好几层，
淡着燕脂匀注then evenly touched with faint rouge.再淡淡地、均匀地抹上一层胭脂。
新样靓妆The apricot blossoms wear a fine new style,杏花换上了新式的漂亮打扮，
艳溢香融bright in colour and rich in scent,颜色艳丽，香气浓浓，
羞杀蕊珠宫女enough to put the fairy maidens of the Ruizhu Palace to shame.连天上蕊珠宫的仙女见了都要害羞。
易得凋零But such flowers easily wither,可是这样的花很容易凋谢，
更多少and on top of that come so many更何况还有那么多
无情风雨heartless winds and rains.无情的风雨。
愁苦How sad, how bitter!真叫人愁苦啊！
问院落凄凉I ask this lonely courtyard:问一问这冷清的院子，
几番春暮how many springs have ended here?已经过了几回晚春？
凭寄离恨重重I want to send my parting grief, layer upon layer,想托人带去我一层又一层的离别之痛，
这双燕but this pair of swallows可这一对燕子，
何曾会人言语how could they ever understand human speech?哪里会懂人说的话呢？
天遥地远The sky is high and the land is far,天那么高，地那么远，
万水千山with ten thousand rivers and a thousand hills between,隔着万条河、千座山，
知他故宫何处how can I tell where my old palace is?我哪里知道从前的宫殿在什么地方？
怎不思量How could I not miss it?怎么会不想念呢？
除梦里Only in dreams除了在梦里，
有时曾去have I sometimes gone back.有时还能回去一趟。
无据But even dreams cannot be trusted:可梦也靠不住，
和梦也新来不做lately, I cannot even dream of it.最近连梦都做不成了。

Words字词注释

裁剪cái jiǎn: cái jiǎn: to cut out, as with scissors.裁剪：用剪刀剪裁。
冰绡bīng xiāo: bīng xiāo: thin white silk, clear as ice. Here it stands for the white apricot petals.冰绡：又白又薄的丝绸，像冰一样透亮。这里用来比杏花洁白的花瓣。
轻叠数重qīng dié shù chóng: qīng dié shù chóng: lightly folded in several layers, like the layers of petals.轻叠数重：轻轻地叠上好几层。说的是杏花的花瓣一层一层。
淡着dàn zhuó: dàn zhuó: lightly painted on. Zhuó means to put on, to apply.淡着：淡淡地涂上。着，涂、抹。
燕脂yān zhī: yān zhī: rouge, the red make-up women put on their cheeks. Here it is the faint pink on the petals.燕脂：就是胭脂，女子涂在脸上的红色化妆品。这里指花瓣上淡淡的红色。
匀注yún zhù: yún zhù: spread on evenly.匀注：涂得均匀。
靓妆jìng zhuāng: jìng zhuāng: a lovely way of dressing up.靓妆：漂亮的打扮。
艳溢香融yàn yì xiāng róng: yàn yì xiāng róng: the colour is so bright it seems to spill over, the scent so rich it melts into the air.艳溢香融：颜色美得要溢出来，香气浓得化不开。
羞杀xiū shā: xiū shā: to put someone deeply to shame. Shā here just means "terribly".羞杀：让人羞得不得了。杀，表示程度很深。
蕊珠宫女ruǐ zhū gōng nǚ: ruǐ zhū gōng nǚ: the fairy maidens of the Ruizhu Palace, a palace in heaven in Daoist stories.蕊珠宫女：蕊珠宫是道教传说中天上的宫殿，宫女就是那里的仙女。
易得凋零yì dé diāo líng: yì dé diāo líng: easily wither and fall.易得凋零：很容易凋谢飘落。
更多少gèng duō shǎo: gèng duō shǎo: and on top of that, so much of...更多少：更何况还有那么多。
院落yuàn luò: yuàn luò: courtyard.院落：院子。
凄凉qī liáng: qī liáng: lonely and sad.凄凉：冷清，让人伤心。
几番春暮jǐ fān chūn mù: jǐ fān chūn mù: how many late springs have passed. Chūn mù is the end of spring.几番春暮：经过了几回晚春。春暮，春天快结束的时候。
凭寄píng jì: píng jì: to ask (the swallows) to carry something. Píng means to rely on.凭寄：托（燕子）带去。凭，依靠、托付。
离恨重重lí hèn chóng chóng: lí hèn chóng chóng: the pain of parting, layer upon layer.离恨重重：分别的痛苦一层又一层。
何曾hé céng: hé céng: when ever, never.何曾：哪里会，从来不。
会人言语huì rén yán yǔ: huì rén yán yǔ: to understand human speech. Huì means to understand.会人言语：懂得人说的话。会，懂得。
故宫gù gōng: gù gōng: the old palace, here the palace in Bianjing, the Northern Song capital (today's Kaifeng in Henan).故宫：从前住过的宫殿。这里指北宋都城汴京（今河南开封）的皇宫。
思量sī liang: sī liang: to think of, to miss.思量：想念。
无据wú jù: wú jù: not to be relied on.无据：靠不住。
和梦也hé mèng yě: hé mèng yě: even dreams. Hé here means "even".和梦也：连梦也。和，连。
新来xīn lái: xīn lái: lately.新来：近来，最近。

How to read it读音

着zhuó: Here it means "to apply" and is read zhuó.这里是“涂上”的意思，读 zhuó。
靓jìng: In jìng zhuāng the dictionary reading is jìng, meaning beautifully made up. In everyday speech today the same character is read liàng, meaning good-looking.“靓妆”的靓，词典读 jìng，意思是打扮得漂亮。今天口语里“靓仔”的靓读 liàng。
重chóng: Here it means "layer" and is read chóng.这里是“层”的意思，读 chóng。
量liang: In speech sī liang has a light final syllable. In poems it is sometimes read sī liáng.“思量”在口语里读 sī liang。在诗词里有时读 sī liáng。

Background创作背景

In 1127 the Jin army took Bianjing, the Northern Song capital. They seized Zhao Ji, Emperor Huizong, who had already given up the throne, together with his son Emperor Qinzong, and led them away to the north. This is called the Jingkang Incident. On the road north, Zhao Ji saw apricot trees in full bloom. Thinking of his lost country and his own fate, he wrote this lyric. It is the best-known work of his last years. Sources do not agree on exactly when and where on the journey he wrote it.

1127年，金兵攻破北宋都城汴京，把已经退位的宋徽宗赵佶和他的儿子宋钦宗一起抓走，押往北方，这就是“靖康之变”。在被押往北方的路上，赵佶看到盛开的杏花，想到自己的国家和身世，写下了这首词。这是他晚年最有名的作品。具体写在哪一年哪个地方，说法不一。

The poet作者

Zhao Ji (1082–1135) was Emperor Huizong of the Northern Song. He ruled very badly, but he was a great artist. He created his own style of calligraphy, called Slender Gold, and was a fine painter. When the Northern Song fell, the Jin took him north as a prisoner. He spent his last years in captivity and died at Wuguocheng, in the area of today's Heilongjiang.

赵佶（1082—1135），就是宋徽宗，北宋的皇帝。他治国很失败，却是了不起的艺术家，书法自创“瘦金体”，画画也很出色。北宋灭亡后，他被金人掳到北方，在囚禁中度过晚年，最后死在五国城（在今黑龙江一带）。

The mood意境

The first stanza is about the apricot blossoms. The first six lines paint them like white silk cut out with scissors and lightly brushed with rouge, lovelier than the fairies of heaven. The fine, careful strokes are like a painter at work. Then the poem turns: such beautiful flowers are the first to be beaten down by wind and rain. The fate of the flowers is his own fate. The second stanza is about longing for home. He wants the swallows to carry his message, but they cannot understand human speech. His old palace lies beyond ten thousand rivers and a thousand hills, and he no longer even knows where it is. He can only go back in dreams, and lately even the dreams will not come. Each step is more hopeless than the last, like walking deeper into the dark. Wang Guowei, in his Remarks on Lyrics, said this lyric is a little like the lyrics of Li Yu, written as if in blood. As you read, picture an old man who has lost everything, standing in a northern spring wind, watching apricot petals fall one by one.

上片写杏花。前六句把杏花写得像剪出来的白绸子，上面淡淡地抹着胭脂，美得连天上的仙女都比不上。这细腻的笔法，正像一位画家在画花。可是笔锋一转：这么美的花，偏偏最容易被风雨打落。花的命运，也就是他自己的命运。下片写思乡。他想托燕子带信，燕子却听不懂人话；故宫隔着万水千山，连在哪里都不知道了；只能在梦里回去，可最近连梦也做不成。一层比一层绝望，像一步步走进黑暗。王国维在《人间词话》里说这首词有点像李煜的词，是用血写成的。读的时候，可以想象一个失去一切的老人，站在北方的春风里，看着杏花一片片落下。