Song lyric · ci lyric to the tune Yao Hua Man (two stanzas, 102 characters)宋词 · 词·瑶花慢（双调一百零二字）

yáo瑶huā花màn慢·zhū朱diàn钿bǎo宝jué玦

zhōu周mì密Zhou Mi · Song宋

To the Tune of Yao Hua Man: Red Hairpin Jewels and Jade Rings

zhū朱diàn钿bǎo宝jué玦

tiān天shàng上fēi飞qióng琼

bǐ比rén人jiān间chūn春bié别

jiāng江nán南jiāng江běi北

céng曾wèi未jiàn见

màn谩nǐ拟lí梨yún云méi梅xuě雪

huái淮shān山chūn春wǎn晚

wèn问shuí谁shí识fāng芳xīn心gāo高jié洁

xiāo消jǐ几fān番huā花luò落huā花kāi开

lǎo老le了yù玉guān关háo豪jié杰

jīn金hú壶jiǎn翦sòng送qióng琼zhī枝

kàn看yì一qí骑hóng红chén尘

xiāng香dù度yáo瑶què阙

sháo韶huá华zhèng正hǎo好

yīng应zì自xǐ喜chū初shí识cháng长ān安fēng蜂dié蝶

dù杜láng郎lǎo老yǐ矣

xiǎng想jiù旧shì事huā花xū须néng能shuō说

jì记shào少nián年

yí一mèng梦yáng扬zhōu州

èr二shí十sì四qiáo桥míng明yuè月

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

朱钿宝玦Like red hair jewels and rings of jade,它像红色的首饰、宝玉的环，
天上飞琼like Feiqiong, the fairy from the sky,又像天上的仙女许飞琼，
比人间春别it is nothing like the spring flowers of this world.和人间春天的花完全不同。
江南江北South of the river or north of it,江南江北，
曾未见no one has ever seen another.谁也没见过第二株，
谩拟梨云梅雪People can only loosely compare it to cloud-like pear blossoms or snow-like plum blossoms.只能随便拿梨花如云、梅花如雪来比它。
淮山春晚In the hills by the Huai, spring grows late.淮河边的山里，春天快要过去，
问谁识芳心高洁Who, I ask, understands its pure and noble heart?请问有谁懂得它高洁的心？
消几番花落花开How many times can it bloom and fall?它能经得起几回花落花开？
老了玉关豪杰Meanwhile the heroes at the frontier have grown old.守边的英雄都等老了。
金壶翦送琼枝Branches of qiong flowers, cut and set in golden vases,用金瓶装着剪下的琼花，
看一骑红尘see one rider gallop off in red dust,看一人一马飞奔，扬起滚滚尘土，
香度瑶阙carrying their scent into the jade palace.把花香送进了皇宫。
韶华正好Spring is at its best.春光正好，
应自喜初识长安蜂蝶The flowers must be glad to meet the bees and butterflies of the capital.花儿大概正暗自高兴，刚刚认识了京城的蜂蝶。
杜郎老矣Du Mu has grown old.杜牧已经老了，
想旧事花须能说If you want the old stories, only the flower's stamens can tell them.想知道当年的旧事，只有花蕊能说出来。
记少年I remember my young days,还记得年轻的时候，
一梦扬州the days in Yangzhou like a dream,在扬州的日子像一场梦，
二十四桥明月and the bright moon over the Twenty-Four Bridges.还有二十四桥上的明月。

Words字词注释

朱钿宝玦zhū diàn bǎo jué: zhū diàn bǎo jué: red flower-shaped hair jewels and jade rings, a way to say the flower is as fine as jewellery.朱钿宝玦：红色的花形首饰，宝玉做的环。用来比喻琼花像珠宝一样精美。
飞琼fēi qióng: fēi qióng: Xu Feiqiong, a fairy maid of the Queen Mother of the West in old stories. The flower is compared to her, and the name shares the word qióng with the flower's name.飞琼：许飞琼，神话中西王母身边的仙女。这里把琼花比作天上的仙女，名字里也有一个“琼”字。
比人间春别bǐ rén jiān chūn bié: bǐ rén jiān chūn bié: different from the spring flowers of the human world.比人间春别：和人间春天的花不一样。
曾未见céng wèi jiàn: céng wèi jiàn: never seen. Legend says there was only one qiong flower tree in the world, in Yangzhou.曾未见：从来没见过。传说琼花天下只有扬州这一株。
谩拟màn nǐ: màn nǐ: loosely compared to.谩拟：随随便便地比作。
梨云梅雪lí yún méi xuě: lí yún méi xuě: pear blossoms like clouds and plum blossoms like snow.梨云梅雪：像云一样的梨花，像雪一样的梅花。
淮山huái shān: huái shān: the hills by the Huai River, here meaning the Yangzhou area.淮山：淮河一带的山，这里指扬州一带。
芳心高洁fāng xīn gāo jié: fāng xīn gāo jié: the flower's heart is noble and pure.芳心高洁：花的心高贵纯洁。
消几番xiāo jǐ fān: xiāo jǐ fān: how many times can it bear.消几番：经得起几回。
玉关豪杰yù guān háo jié: yù guān háo jié: heroes guarding the frontier. Yù guān is the Jade Gate Pass in the far northwest; here it means the border in general.玉关豪杰：守边的英雄。玉关，玉门关，古代西北的边关，这里泛指边防。
金壶jīn hú: jīn hú: a golden vase.金壶：金色的瓶子。
翦jiǎn: jiǎn: the same as "to cut".翦：同“剪”。
琼枝qióng zhī: qióng zhī: a branch of qiong flowers.琼枝：琼花的花枝。
一骑红尘yì qí hóng chén: yí qí hóng chén: one rider galloping and raising red dust. It borrows Du Mu's line about lychees rushed to Lady Yang.一骑红尘：一人一马飞奔，扬起滚滚尘土。化用杜牧写给杨贵妃送荔枝的诗句“一骑红尘妃子笑”。
香度瑶阙xiāng dù yáo què: xiāng dù yáo què: the scent is carried into the jade palace. Dù means to pass; yáo què means the emperor's palace.香度瑶阙：花香送进了华美的宫殿。度，过；瑶阙，玉一样的宫殿，指皇宫。
韶华sháo huá: sháo huá: a fine time, here the beauty of spring.韶华：美好的时光，这里指春光。
长安蜂蝶cháng ān fēng dié: cháng ān fēng dié: the bees and butterflies of the capital. Chang'an here stands for Lin'an, the Southern Song capital. Another reading says it hints at powerful people at court.长安蜂蝶：京城里的蜜蜂和蝴蝶。长安，借指南宋的京城临安。一说暗指京城里的权贵。
杜郎dù láng: dù láng: the Tang poet Du Mu. He lived in Yangzhou as a young man and wrote many poems about it.杜郎：唐代诗人杜牧。他年轻时在扬州住过，写过很多扬州的诗。
花须huā xū: huā xū: the stamens, thin threads in a flower like whiskers.花须：花蕊，像胡须一样的细丝。
一梦扬州yí mèng yáng zhōu: yí mèng yáng zhōu: the days in Yangzhou were like a dream. It borrows Du Mu's line "ten years, one waking from the Yangzhou dream".一梦扬州：在扬州的日子像一场梦。化用杜牧“十年一觉扬州梦”。
二十四桥èr shí sì qiáo: èr shí sì qiáo: the famous Twenty-Four Bridges of Yangzhou. Some say there were twenty-four bridges, others that it was one bridge's name. Du Mu wrote of "the moonlit night at the Twenty-Four Bridges".二十四桥：扬州有名的桥，一说是二十四座桥，一说是一座桥的名字。杜牧有“二十四桥明月夜”。

How to read it读音

谩màn: Read màn here, the same as "loosely, in vain". When read mán it means to deceive.谩：这里读 màn，同“漫”，意思是随便、白白地。读 mán 时是欺骗。
骑qí: Read qí today. Yí qí means one rider on one horse. It was once read jì, but textbooks now use qí.骑：现在读 qí。“一骑”指一人一马，古时读 jì，现在课本统一读 qí。
阙què: Read què here, meaning a palace. When read quē it means a gap or lack.阙：这里读 què，指宫殿。读 quē 时同“缺”。

Background创作背景

The qiong flower was famous in Yangzhou. Legend says it grew at the Temple of the Earth Goddess and was the only one of its kind in the world. A short preface came with this lyric. It says, roughly, that when the flower bloomed, the local governor put it in golden vases and sent it to the palace by fast horse, and sometimes to powerful families too. Zhou Mi was living in the capital, Lin'an, saw the flower there, and wrote this. Another reading says the lyric hides a quiet criticism: the border was in danger, yet the court was busy sending and admiring flowers. This is a later reading; the lyric does not say it outright.

琼花是扬州有名的花，传说长在后土祠里，天下只有这一株。这首词前原有小序，大意是说：琼花开的时候，地方长官用金瓶装着，派快马送进皇宫，有时也分送给权贵人家。周密当时客居京城临安，见到了这种花，写下这首词。一说词里暗含讽刺：边防越来越危急，朝廷却还在忙着送花赏花。这是后人的理解，词里没有明说。

The poet作者

Zhou Mi (1232–1298), also called Gongjin or Caochuang, had family roots in Jinan and lived in Wuxing, today's Huzhou in Zhejiang. He was a lyric poet and scholar at the end of the Song and the start of the Yuan. He and Wu Wenying were called "the Two Windows", because both their pen names contain the word for window. After the Southern Song fell, he refused to serve the Yuan and spent his time writing books. His lyrics use fine words, and he often hid feelings for his lost homeland inside poems about things.

周密（1232—1298），字公谨，号草窗，祖籍济南，住在吴兴（今浙江湖州），宋末元初的词人和学者。他和吴文英并称“二窗”，因为两人的号里都有一个“窗”字。南宋灭亡后，他不肯去元朝做官，专心写书。他的词用字精美，常在咏物中寄托对故国的感情。

The mood意境

This is a lyric about a thing: the qiong flower. The first stanza praises its beauty. It is like jewellery, like a fairy; no flower on earth matches it, there is no second one anywhere, and even pear and plum blossoms fall short. Then the poet turns and asks who truly understands its purity. After a few rounds of blooming and falling, the frontier heroes have grown old. The flower still blooms, but no one looks after the country, and the sigh runs deep. The second stanza tells of the flower being sent away: golden vases, a galloping horse, its scent carried into the palace. This is much like Du Mu's line about lychees rushed to Lady Yang, and it makes us think of a court that cares only for pleasure. At the end the poet recalls Du Mu's Yangzhou dream and the moon over the Twenty-Four Bridges. Only the flower remembers the good old days; the people have grown old. On the surface it is about a flower; underneath are worry for the times and longing for the past.

这是一首咏物词，写的是琼花。上阕先夸花美：它像珠宝，像仙女，人间的花都比不上，江南江北都找不到第二株，拿梨花梅花来比都不够。接着笔锋一转，问谁真懂它的高洁，花落花开几回，守边的英雄都老了。花还在开，国家的事却没人管，叹息很深。下阕写送花：金瓶装花，快马飞奔，把花香送进皇宫，这和杜牧写的“一骑红尘妃子笑”很像，让人想到朝廷只顾享乐。最后词人想起杜牧的扬州梦，想起二十四桥的明月。美好的往事只有花记得，人已经老了。全词表面写花，背后有对时局的忧虑和对往昔的怀念。