Tang poem · seven-character regulated verse唐诗 · 七言律诗

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bái白jū居yì易Bai Juyi · Tang唐

Looking at the Moon After War and Famine Have Scattered My Brothers, Sent to My Elder Brothers and Shown to My Younger Brothers and Sisters

shí时nàn难nián年huāng荒shì世yè业kōng空

dì弟xiōng兄jī羁lǚ旅gè各xī西dōng东

tián田yuán园liáo寥luò落gān干gē戈hòu后

gǔ骨ròu肉liú流lí离dào道lù路zhōng中

diào吊yǐng影fēn分wéi为qiān千lǐ里yàn雁

cí辞gēn根sàn散zuò作jiǔ九qiū秋péng蓬

gòng共kàn看míng明yuè月yīng应chuí垂lèi泪

yí一yè夜xiāng乡xīn心wǔ五chù处tóng同

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。

The commonly taught text has nián huāng, a year of poor harvest, in the first line. The source text uses a different character meaning a year of hunger; the sense is about the same. The source also writes two characters in older variant forms; the common forms are used here.

通行本第一句作“时难年荒世业空”，这里的底本作“年饥”，意思相近，都是说年成不好、闹饥荒。底本的“羇”“鴈”是“羁”“雁”的异体字，这里用通行写法。

Line by line逐句翻译

时难年荒世业空Times are hard and the harvest has failed; the family property handed down to us is gone.时局艰难，又遇上荒年，祖上留下的家业都没了，
弟兄羁旅各西东We brothers wander far from home, scattered east and west.我们兄弟各自在外漂泊，东一个西一个。
田园寥落干戈后After the war, our fields and gardens lie empty and bleak,经过战乱，家里的田园一片荒凉，
骨肉流离道路中and our own flesh and blood drift apart along the roads.亲骨肉在路途中流离失散。
吊影分为千里雁We are like wild geese cut off from the flock, each grieving with his shadow, a thousand li apart,我们像离群的大雁，对着影子伤心，相隔千里，
辞根散作九秋蓬and like tumbleweeds torn from their roots in late autumn, blown in every direction.又像深秋离了根的蓬草，被风吹散到各处。
共看明月应垂泪Tonight, if we all look at the bright moon, we must all shed tears;今夜大家一起看着明月，想必都会流泪，
一夜乡心五处同this one night, the longing for home is the same in all five places.这一夜想家的心，五个地方都是一样的。

Words字词注释

时难shí nàn: shí nàn: hard times, with fighting everywhere.时难：时局艰难，到处是战乱。
年荒nián huāng: nián huāng: a bad harvest year, with famine.年荒：年成不好，庄稼歉收，闹饥荒。
世业shì yè: shì yè: the family property handed down for generations, such as land and houses.世业：祖祖辈辈传下来的家业，比如田地房屋。
空kōng: kōng: gone, lost.空：没有了，败光了。
羁旅jī lǚ: jī lǚ: to wander far from home and live as a stranger.羁旅：在外地漂泊，寄住在别人的地方。
各西东gè xī dōng: gè xī dōng: each going a different way, some west, some east.各西东：各自分散，有的在西，有的在东。
寥落liáo luò: liáo luò: deserted and bleak.寥落：冷落、荒凉。
干戈gān gē: gān gē: a shield and a dagger-axe; together they mean war.干戈：干是盾牌，戈是一种长兵器，合起来指战争。
骨肉gǔ ròu: gǔ ròu: bone and flesh, meaning the closest family; here, brothers and sisters.骨肉：比喻最亲的亲人，这里指兄弟姐妹。
流离liú lí: liú lí: to drift from place to place because of disaster.流离：因为灾难而四处流浪。
吊影diào yǐng: diào yǐng: to grieve with only your own shadow for company, meaning to be all alone.吊影：对着自己的影子伤心，形容孤单一人。
千里雁qiān lǐ yàn: qiān lǐ yàn: a lone wild goose a thousand li from the flock. People in the past compared brothers to geese flying in a row.千里雁：离群的孤雁，相隔千里。古人常用大雁排成一行比喻兄弟。
辞根cí gēn: cí gēn: to leave the root.辞根：离开了根。
九秋jiǔ qiū: jiǔ qiū: the ninety days of autumn; here, late autumn.九秋：秋天的九十天，这里指深秋。
蓬péng: péng: a tumbleweed-like plant; in autumn it dries up, breaks off at the root, and is blown about by the wind.蓬：蓬草，秋天枯了以后会被风连根拔起，到处乱飞。
应yīng: yīng: surely, must.应：应该，想必。
乡心xiāng xīn: xiāng xīn: homesickness.乡心：想念家乡的心情。
五处wǔ chù: wǔ chù: five places, meaning the poet himself and the brothers and sisters named in the title, each in a different place.五处：五个地方，指诗人自己和题目里提到的分散在各地的兄弟姐妹。

How to read it读音

难nàn: Here the character means disaster or turmoil, so it is read nàn, not nán.“时难”的“难”是灾难、祸乱的意思，读 nàn，不读 nán。

Background创作背景

During the Zhenyuan years of the Tang, war broke out in the Henan region and famine struck the land around Chang'an. Bai Juyi's brothers and sisters were scattered: to Fuliang, Yuqian, Wujiang, Fuli and Xiagui, places in today's Jiangxi, Zhejiang, Anhui and Shaanxi. The titles Eldest Brother, Seventh Brother and Fifteenth Brother count the boys of the whole clan in order of age. One moonlit night the poet looked at the moon, missed his family, and sent them this poem. It is usually dated to about 799.

唐德宗贞元年间，河南一带发生战乱，关中（今陕西一带）又闹饥荒。白居易一家兄弟姐妹因此分散在各地：浮梁（今江西景德镇一带）、於潜（今浙江临安一带）、乌江（今安徽和县一带）、符离（今安徽宿州一带）和下邽（今陕西渭南一带）。题目里的“大兄”“七兄”“十五兄”是按家族排行称呼的哥哥。一个月夜，诗人望着月亮想念亲人，写下这首诗寄给他们。一般认为写于贞元十五年（799）前后。

The poet作者

Bai Juyi (772–846), also called Letian, was a great Tang poet. He believed poems should be easy to understand. A story says he read each new poem to an old woman who could not read, and only kept it once she understood. He lived through war and poverty when young, so many of his poems are about ordinary people's suffering. This poem is about his own family being torn apart, in plain words with real feeling.

白居易（772—846），字乐天，唐代大诗人。他写诗主张通俗易懂，据说写完要念给不识字的老婆婆听，她听懂了才算完成。他年轻时经历过战乱和贫穷，所以很多诗写普通人的苦难。这首诗写的就是他自己一家的离散，语言朴素，感情真切。

The mood意境

The first four lines read like a plain family report. The times are bad, the harvest failed, the property is gone, the brothers are scattered, the fields lie empty, and loved ones drift along the roads. Each line adds more sadness. The next two lines give two pictures: a lone goose cut off from its flock, and a tumbleweed blown away by the autumn wind. Both have left their group and their roots, just like these scattered brothers. The last two lines are the most moving. The family is far apart, yet on the same night they look at the same moon and cry together. Five places, one homesick heart. The moon becomes the thread that ties the family together.

前四句像一份简单的家庭报告：世道乱，年成坏，家业没了，兄弟们东奔西走，田园荒了，亲人散在路上。一句接一句，越说越让人心酸。中间两句用了两个画面：一只离群的孤雁，一棵被秋风吹走的蓬草。它们都离开了自己的群、自己的根，正像这些四散的兄弟。最后两句最动人：大家隔得那么远，却在同一个夜晚看着同一个月亮，一起流泪。五个地方，一样的思乡之心。月亮成了连接一家人的线。