Song lyric · ci to the tune Zhu Ying Yao Hong, 96 characters in two stanzas宋词 · 词，词牌《烛影摇红》，双调九十六字

zhú烛yǐng影yáo摇hóng红·shàng上yuán元yǒu有huái怀

zhāng张lūn抡Zhang Lun · Song宋

Zhu Ying Yao Hong: Thoughts on the Lantern Festival

shuāng双què阙zhōng中tiān天

fèng凤lóu楼shí十èr二chūn春hán寒qiǎn浅

qù去nián年yuán元yè夜fèng奉chén宸yóu游

céng曾shì侍yáo瑶chí池yàn宴

yù玉diàn殿zhū珠lián帘jìn尽juǎn卷

yōng拥qún群xiān仙péng蓬hú壶làng阆yuàn苑

wǔ五yún云shēn深chù处

wàn万zhú烛guāng光zhōng中

jiē揭tiān天sī丝guǎn管

chí驰xì隙liú流nián年

huǎng恍rú如yí一shùn瞬xīng星shuāng霜huàn换

jīn今xiāo宵shuí谁niàn念qì泣gū孤chén臣

huí回shǒu首cháng长ān安yuǎn远

kě可shì是chén尘yuán缘wèi未duàn断

màn谩chóu惆chàng怅huá华xū胥mèng梦duǎn短

mǎn满huái怀yōu幽hèn恨

shù数diǎn点hán寒dēng灯

jǐ几shēng声guī归yàn雁

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

双阙中天The twin palace towers rise into the sky;宫门前两座高楼耸入半空，
凤楼十二春寒浅in the twelve phoenix towers the spring chill is faint.宫中许多华美的楼阁里，春寒已经很淡了。
去年元夜奉宸游Last year on the Lantern Festival night I went out with the emperor,去年元宵夜，我陪着皇帝出游，
曾侍瑶池宴and served at a feast like that of the Jade Pool.曾在仙境一般的宫宴上侍奉。
玉殿珠帘尽卷In the jade halls every pearl curtain was rolled up;玉石宫殿的珠帘全都卷了起来，
拥群仙蓬壶阆苑like immortals the nobles crowded the fairyland gardens.贵人们像群仙一样，簇拥在仙境般的宫苑里。
五云深处Deep among the five-coloured clouds,在五彩祥云的深处，
万烛光中in the light of ten thousand candles,在千万支蜡烛的光里，
揭天丝管the strings and pipes seemed to lift the sky.乐声响得好像要掀开天空。
驰隙流年The years rush past like a horse glimpsed through a crack;时光像快马跑过缝隙一样飞逝，
恍如一瞬星霜换in a blink, it seems, a whole year has turned.恍惚间一眨眼，又是一年过去了。
今宵谁念泣孤臣Tonight, who thinks of this lonely official in tears?今晚，谁会想到我这个独自流泪的孤臣？
回首长安远I look back, and the capital is so far away.回头望去，京城已经那么遥远。
可是尘缘未断Is it that my ties to the past are not yet broken?难道是我对往事的牵挂还没有断？
谩惆怅华胥梦短In vain I grieve that the lovely dream was so short.白白地惆怅，那场美梦实在太短。
满怀幽恨My heart is full of hidden sorrow;满怀深深的愁恨，
数点寒灯there are only a few cold lamps只有几点寒冷的灯火，
几声归雁and the cries of a few geese flying home.和几声北归大雁的叫声。

Words字词注释

双阙shuāng què: shuāng què: the twin towers on either side of a palace gate; they stand for the palace.双阙：宫门两边对称的两座高楼，代指皇宫。
中天zhōng tiān: zhōng tiān: rising high into the middle of the sky.中天：高高地立在半空中。
凤楼十二fèng lóu shí èr: fèng lóu shí èr: legend says immortals lived in twelve jade towers; here it means the many fine buildings of the palace.凤楼十二：传说神仙住在十二座玉楼里，这里形容宫中楼阁又多又美。
春寒浅chūn hán qiǎn: chūn hán qiǎn: the chill of early spring is already light.春寒浅：初春的寒意已经很淡。
元夜yuán yè: yuán yè: the night of the fifteenth of the first month, the Lantern Festival, when everyone goes out to see the lanterns.元夜：正月十五元宵节的夜晚，也叫上元节，家家看灯。
奉宸游fèng chén yóu: fèng chén yóu: accompanying the emperor on an outing. Chén is the emperor's palace, and so the emperor himself.奉宸游：陪着皇帝出游。宸，皇帝住的地方，代指皇帝。
瑶池宴yáo chí yàn: yáo chí yàn: legend says the Queen Mother of the West held feasts for the immortals at the Jade Pool. Here it means a banquet in the palace.瑶池宴：传说西王母在瑶池请神仙吃饭。这里比喻皇宫里的宴会。
尽卷jìn juǎn: jìn juǎn: all rolled up.尽卷：全都卷起来。
拥群仙yōng qún xiān: yōng qún xiān: surrounded by crowds of immortals, meaning the noble people of the court.拥群仙：周围簇拥着一群神仙，比喻宫里的贵人。
蓬壶阆苑péng hú làng yuàn: péng hú làng yuàn: Penghu is an island of the immortals in the sea, and Langyuan is their garden. Here they mean the palace is like fairyland.蓬壶阆苑：蓬壶是海上仙山，阆苑是神仙住的园林。这里比喻皇宫像仙境。
五云wǔ yún: wǔ yún: five-coloured lucky clouds, also a way of saying the emperor's home.五云：五彩的祥云，也指皇帝住的地方。
揭天丝管jiē tiān sī guǎn: jiē tiān sī guǎn: music so loud it seemed to lift the sky. Jiē means to lift; sī guǎn are string and wind instruments.揭天丝管：音乐声响得好像要掀开天空。揭，掀起；丝管，弦乐和管乐。
驰隙流年chí xì liú nián: chí xì liú nián: the years rush by like a white horse glimpsed through a crack. Liú nián means time flowing away like water.驰隙流年：时间像白马从缝隙前跑过一样飞快。流年，像流水一样逝去的年华。
恍如huǎng rú: huǎng rú: just as if.恍如：好像。
星霜换xīng shuāng huàn: xīng shuāng huàn: the stars have turned once and the frost has come again, that is, a year has passed.星霜换：星辰转了一圈，霜又下了一次，就是过了一年。
孤臣gū chén: gū chén: a lonely, out-of-favour official; the poet means himself.孤臣：孤单、失意的臣子，作者自指。
长安cháng ān: cháng ān: the capital of Han and Tang, used here for the capital city, usually taken to mean Bianjing, the Northern Song capital.长安：汉唐的都城，这里代指京城，一般认为指北宋都城汴京。
尘缘chén yuán: chén yuán: ties to the human world; here, clinging to the past.尘缘：和人世的牵挂，这里指对往事的留恋。
华胥梦huá xū mèng: huá xū mèng: legend says the Yellow Emperor dreamed in a daytime nap that he visited a perfect land called Huaxu. It came to mean a beautiful dream.华胥梦：传说黄帝白天睡觉，梦见到了一个叫华胥的美好国度。后来用来指美梦。
幽恨yōu hèn: yōu hèn: sorrow hidden deep in the heart.幽恨：藏在心底的愁恨。

How to read it读音

阙què: Here this character is read què, meaning the tall towers in front of a palace gate.“阙”在这里读 què，指宫门前的高楼。
阆làng: In làng yuàn this character is read làng.“阆苑”的“阆”读 làng。
谩màn: Here this character is read màn, the same as màn meaning in vain. It is not read mán (to deceive).“谩”在这里读 màn，同“漫”，意思是徒然、白白地。不读 mán（欺骗）。
胥xū: In huá xū this character is read xū.“华胥”的“胥”读 xū。

Background创作背景

The Shangyuan festival is the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth of the first month. In the Song, the palace was hung with lanterns that night; the emperor came out to see them and gave a feast for his close officials. In the poem, last year at the festival he was with the emperor, but this year he is a lonely official, and the capital is far behind him. Common annotated editions say it was written soon after the Jingkang Disaster, when Jin armies took Bianjing, the Northern Song capital, and carried off two emperors, so the Song court had to move south. The "Chang'an" in the poem stands for Bianjing, and the poem mourns the lost capital and the Northern Song. One view dates it to the Lantern Festival of 1128.

上元节就是正月十五元宵节，宋代皇宫里这一夜张灯结彩，皇帝会出来看灯，宴请近臣。词里说，去年元宵夜他还陪着皇帝游赏，今年却成了孤零零的臣子，回头望京城已经很远。常见的注本认为，这首词写于“靖康之变”以后不久：金兵攻破北宋都城汴京，掳走了两位皇帝，宋朝只好迁到南方。词里的“长安”指汴京，写的是对故都和北宋的怀念。一说写于1128年的元宵节。

The poet作者

Zhang Lun was a Southern Song ci poet from Kaifeng, in today's Henan; his birth and death years are not known. Under the emperors Gaozong and Xiaozong he served at court, often went with the emperor to feasts and outings, and wrote many ci for these occasions. His collection is called the Lotus Society Ci. He came from Kaifeng, the old Northern Song capital, so this poem about the bright festival there and the cold loneliness after it is full of feeling.

张抡，字才甫，号莲社居士，开封（今属河南）人，南宋词人，生卒年不详。宋高宗、宋孝宗时，他在朝中做官，常常陪皇帝游宴，写了不少应制的词，有《莲社词》。他本是北宋都城开封人，这首词写故都元宵的热闹和后来的冷清，所以格外动情。

The mood意境

The first stanza is a dazzling memory: tall palace towers, twelve phoenix halls, every pearl curtain rolled up, people like immortals, ten thousand candles lighting the five-coloured clouds, and music loud enough to lift the sky. The poet uses many fairy-tale words, so the palace festival looks like fairyland. The second stanza turns suddenly cold. Time has flown, a year is gone, and tonight there is only a lonely official in tears, with the capital far behind him. He asks himself whether he still cannot let go of the past; but the lovely dream was so short. The poem ends with a few cold lamps and a few cries of geese, the exact opposite of the ten thousand candles and the music before. The brighter the memory, the colder the present feels.

上片写回忆，一片辉煌：高高的宫阙，十二座凤楼，珠帘全卷，人像神仙，万支蜡烛照亮五色云，音乐响得要掀开天。作者用了许多神仙的说法，把宫中元宵写得像仙境。下片一下子冷下来：时间飞快，一年过去，今晚只剩孤臣一人流泪，回头看京城已经很远。他问自己，是不是还放不下过去？可那场美梦太短了。结尾只有几点寒灯、几声归雁，和上片的万烛、丝管正好相反。越热闹的回忆，越显出眼前的冷清。