叹花

杜牧

自恨寻芳去校迟，

不须惆怅^[1]怨芳时。

狂风落尽深红色，

绿叶成阴子^[2]满枝。

注释：

[1] 惆怅：伤感；失意。

[2] 子：草木的果实，如《汉武故事》中有“因指谓上，王母种桃，三千年结一子”。

Sighing over Fallen Flowers

Du Mu

I regret to be late to seek for blooming spring;

The flowers not in full bloom in years past I’ve seen.

The strong wind blows down flowers which sway and swing,

The tree will be laden with red fruit and leaves green.

It was said that the poet met with a beautiful maiden and asked for her hand, but next year when he came she was married, so he compares the maiden to a tree with fruit.

《叹花》是唐代诗人杜牧创作的一首七绝。全诗四句二十八字。诗人借寻春迟到，芳华已逝，花开花落、子满枝头，喻少女青春已过，含蓄委婉地抒发机缘已误，时不再来的惆怅之情。此诗通篇采用“比”的手法，形象生动，含蓄自然，耐人寻味。

“Sighing over Fallen Flowers” is a seven-part poem written by Du Mu, a poet of the Tang Dynasty. The poem is composed in four lines of twenty-eight characters. The poet makes use of the late search for spring, the passing of fragrant flowers, the blossoming and falling of flowers, and the fullness of children on the branches to describe the passing of the youth of a young girl, and expresses in a subtle and euphemistic way the melancholy feeling that the opportunity has been missed and the time is no longer coming. This poem uses the technique of “comparison” throughout, which is vivid, subtle and natural, and intriguing.

乐游原

李商隐

向晚^[2]意不适^[3]，

驱车登古原；

夕阳无限好，

只是近黄昏。

注释：

[1] 乐游原：在长安城南，地势较高。《长安志》：“升平坊东北隅，汉乐游庙。”注云：“汉宣帝所立，因乐游苑为名。在高原上，余址尚有。……其地居京城之最高，四望宽敞。京城之内，俯视指掌。每正月晦日，三月三日，九月九日。京城士女咸就此登赏祓禊。”

[2] 向晚：傍晚。

[3] 意不适：情绪不好。

On the Plain of Imperial Tombs

Li Shangyin

At dusk my heart is filled with gloom;

I drive my cab to ancient tomb.

The setting sun seems so sublime,

But it is near its dying time.

The Merry-making Plain was also called Plain of Imperial Tombs for emperors were buried there. The last two lines are proverbial as “He laughs best who laughs last.”

《乐游原》是唐代诗人李商隐的诗作。此诗赞美黄昏前的绮丽风光，表达自己的感受。前两句点出登原游览的原因：由于黄昏日暮心情不适，便驱车登上古原；后两句极力赞叹晚景之美：在夕阳余晖照耀下，涂抹上一层金色的世界。后两句诗历来脍炙人口，其意蕴非常丰富，具有极高的美学价值和思想价值。全诗语言明白如话，毫无雕饰，节奏明快，感喟深沉，富于哲理。

“On the Plain of Imperial Tombs” is a poem by Li Shangyin, a poet of the Tang Dynasty. This poem praises the beautiful scenery before dusk and expresses his feelings. The first two lines point out the reason for ascending to the plain: because of the discomfort at dusk and sunset, he drove up to the ancient plain; the second two lines strongly praise the beauty of the evening scenery: under the afterglow of the setting sun, the world is painted with a layer of gold. The last two lines of the poem have been popular and are very rich in meaning, with great aesthetic and ideological value. The language of the poem is clear and unadorned, and the rhythm is bright and clear, with a deep and philosophical feeling.

锦瑟

李商隐

锦瑟^[1]无端^[2]五十弦，

一弦一柱思华年^[3]。

庄生晓梦迷蝴蝶^[4]，

望帝春心托杜鹃^[5]。

沧海月明珠有泪^[6]，

蓝田日暖玉生烟^[7]。

此情可待^[8]成追忆，

只是当时已惘然。

注释：

[1] 锦瑟：《周礼·乐器图》：“雅瑟二十三弦，颂瑟二十五弦，饰以宝玉者日宝瑟，绘文如锦者日锦瑟。”《汉书·郊祀志上》：“秦帝使素女鼓五十弦瑟，悲，帝禁不止，故破其瑟为二十五弦。”古瑟大小不等，弦数亦不同。一般说法，古瑟是五十条弦，后来的有二十五弦或十七弦等不同的瑟。

[2] 无端：没来由；无缘无故。此隐隐有悲伤之感，乃全诗之情感基调。

[3] “一弦”句：柱，是调整弦的音调高低的“支柱”，它把弦“架”住。“思”字应变读去声。律诗中不许有一连三个平声的出现。

[4] “庄生”句：《庄子·齐物论》：“庄用梦为蝴蝶，栩栩然蝴蝶也；自喻适志与！不知周也。俄然觉，则蘧蘧然周也。不知周之梦为蝴蝶与？蝴蝶之梦为周与？”商隐此引庄周梦蝶故事，以言人生如梦，往事如烟之意。

[5] “望帝”句：望帝，古代蜀国的君主，名杜宇，传说他让位死后，化为杜鹃鸟，悲啼不已。春心，伤春之心。

[6] “沧海”句：相传珍珠是由南海鲛人（神话中的人鱼）的眼泪变成，古人还认为海里的蚌珠随月亮盈亏而有圆缺变化，这里糅合了以上的典故。

[7] “蓝田”句：蓝田，即蓝田山，在今陕西蓝田县，为有名的产玉之地。日暖玉生烟，相传宝玉埋在地下，在阳光的照耀下，良玉上空会出现烟云。

[8] 可待：岂待；何待。

The Sad Zither

Li Shangyin

Why should the sad zither have fifty strings?

Each string, each strain evokes but vanished springs:

Dim morning dream to be a butterfly;

Amorous heart poured out in cuckoo’s cry.

In moonlit pearls see tears in mermaid’s eyes;

From sunburnt jade in Blue Field let smoke rise.

Such feeling cannot be recalled again;

It seemed lost even when it was felt then.

The zither evokes vanished springs dim and free as the dream of a butterfly, amorous as the heart of a cuckoo, tearful as moonlit pearls and vaporous as the smoke rising from sunburnt jade in the Blue Field.

《锦瑟》是唐代诗人李商隐的诗作。诗题“锦瑟”，不过是按古诗的惯例以篇首二字为题，实是借瑟以隐题的无题诗。此诗是李商隐最难索解的作品之一，诗家素有“一篇《锦瑟》解人难”的慨叹。作者在诗中追忆了自己的青春年华，伤感自己不幸的遭遇，寄托了悲慨、愤懑的心情，借用庄生梦蝶、杜鹃啼血、沧海珠泪、良玉生烟等典故，采用比兴手法，运用联想与想象，把听觉的感受，转化为视觉形象，以片段意象的组合，创造朦胧的境界，借助可视可感的诗歌形象来传达其真挚浓烈而又幽约深曲的情思。全诗词藻华美，含蓄深沉，情真意长，感人至深。

The poem “The Sad Zither” is a musical poem written by Li He in the Tang Dynasty. The first four lines of the poem describe the splendor and richness of the banquet; the fifth and sixth lines describe the dynamic singing and dancing; the seventh and eighth lines specify the time of the banquet; and finally, the poem ends with a rhetorical quote from the ancients. The poem begins with a description of wine, food, song and dance, which seems to be the most enjoyable part of life, but ends with a sudden turn, unexpectedly introducing the idea of death and the desolation of the grave. In the great contrast, the poet emphasizes the joy of life and the sorrow of death, and in the contrast between life and death, the poet intends to express the sorrow of life forged by a short and bitter life.

将进酒

李贺

琉璃钟，琥珀浓，小槽酒滴真珠红。

烹龙炮凤玉脂泣，罗帏绣幕围香风。

吹龙笛，击鼍鼓^[1]；皓齿歌，细腰舞。

况是青春日将暮，桃花乱落如红雨。

劝君终日酩酊醉，酒不到刘伶^[2]坟上土！

注释：

[1] 鼍（tuó）鼓：鼍，即扬子鳄，产于长江中下游，亦称鼍龙，俗称猪婆龙。鼍鼓即鼍皮制成的鼓。

[2] 刘伶：魏晋时期的文坛领袖、“竹林七贤”之一。他酷好饮酒，自诩为“天生刘伶，以酒为名”。其每每外出饮酒，必带一小童背铁锹相随，告之曰：“死便埋我。”旷世骇俗，无出其右。

Drinking Song

Li He

A glazed cup full of amber wine,

The strong drink drips like red pearls fine.

The dragon boiled and phoenix roasted would weep;

The fragrant breeze blows into broidered curtains deep.

The dragon flute is played;

Beaten the drums covered with alligator’s skin.

The songstress sings with teeth as bright as jade,

And dancers dance with waist as slender as hairpin.

The prime of your life like the sun on the decline,

Peach blossoms fall pell-mell like rain of petals pink.

So I advise you to get drunk with wine.

When buried in the grave, what could you take to drink?

This imaginative song is full of sensual beauty. The reader may see amber wine and red pearls, hear the drink drip and the phoenix weep, smell the fragrant breeze and touch the dancer’s slender waist and taste boiled dragon and roasted phoenix.

《将进酒》是唐代诗人李贺创作的一首乐府诗。这首诗前四句写筵席之华贵丰盛；五、六句写动态的歌舞；七、八两句点明宴饮的时间；最后引用古人以反语结束。这首诗前面极写美酒佳肴欢歌妙舞，人生之享乐似乎莫过于此，结尾突然翻转，出人意料地推出死亡的意念和坟墓的枯寞冷落。在巨大的反差中，诗人强调的是生的快乐和死的悲哀，而在生死的对比中，诗人着意表现的是由苦短人生所铸就的生命悲愁。

The poem “General Wine” is a musical poem written by Li He in the Tang Dynasty. The first four lines of the poem describe the splendor and richness of the banquet; the fifth and sixth lines describe the dynamic singing and dancing; the seventh and eighth lines specify the time of the banquet; and finally, the poem ends with a rhetorical quote from the ancients. The poem begins with a description of wine, food, song and dance, which seems to be the most enjoyable part of life, but ends with a sudden turn, unexpectedly introducing the idea of death and the desolation of the grave. In the great contrast, the poet emphasizes the joy of life and the sorrow of death, and in the contrast between life and death, the poet intends to express the sorrow of life forged by a short and bitter life.

官街鼓

李贺

晓声隆隆催转日，

暮声隆隆催月出。

汉城^[1]黄柳映新帘，

柏陵^[2]飞燕埋香骨。

捶碎千年日长白，

孝武秦王听不得。

从君翠发芦花色，

独共南山^[3]守中国。

几回天上葬神仙，

漏声^[4]相将无断缘。

注释：

[1] 汉城：指唐都城长安。

[2] 柏陵：指坟墓。

[3] 南山：指终南山。西起甘肃省天水，东至河南省陕县，绵亘千余里。

[4] 漏声：铜壶滴漏的声音。滴漏是古代计时的漏器，用铜壶盛水滴漏来计时刻。

Official Drums

Li He

At dawn official drumbeats hasten the sunrise;

At dusk the booming drums call the moon to the skies.

When yellow willows put forth new buds in the town,

In tomb is buried the favorite of the crown.

The drums have boomed a thousand years, still shines the sun,

But ancient emperors of Qin and Han have done.

Your hair once black may turn white as reed flowers stand,

The drums with southern hills will ever guard our land.

Even immortals were buried in the sky,

The drumbeats and the water-clock will never die.

The time-marking drumbeats, says the poet, will last longer than imperial dynasty and human life.

《官街鼓》是唐代诗人李贺创作的一首七古。此诗前六句写鼓声朝朝暮暮响不停，催转日月，草木生长、人之老死的正常现象，以及追求长生的秦始皇、汉武帝的老死，讽刺昔日帝王讲神仙、求长生的愚妄。后四句写人生变化生发，人的头发由黑变白，更言神仙也会老死，从根本上否定追求长生，迷信神仙的愚蠢行为。全诗构思奇巧，语言警拔，笔涉幽冥，意境幽冷，以鼓声之不断喻宇宙之长存、历史之无限，用以对比人生，抒发其深沉的人生感慨。

The “Official Drums” is a poem written by Li He, a poet of the Tang Dynasty. The first six lines of the poem are about the normal phenomenon of the drums beating non-stop from day to day, the sun and the moon, the growth of grass and trees, the old age and death of human beings, and the old age and death of Qin Shi Huang and Han Wu Di, who were in pursuit of immortality, satirizing the foolishness of the emperors in the past who talked about the immortals and sought immortality. The last four lines are about the change of life and the change of hair from black to white, and the death of the immortals. The whole poem is a clever and cleverly conceived poem, with alert language, a dark and cold mood, and the constant sound of drums as a metaphor for the longevity of the universe and the infinity of history.

与梦得沽^[1]酒闲饮且约后期

白居易

少时犹不忧生计，

老去谁能惜酒钱？

共把十千沽一斗，

相看七十欠三年。

闲征雅令穷经史，

醉听清吟胜管弦。

更待菊黄家酿熟，

共君一醉一陶然^[2]。

注释：

[1] 梦得：刘禹锡，字梦得，与白居易同龄。开成二年（837），白、刘（六十七岁，故云“相看七十欠三年”）同在洛阳。刘任太子宾客分司，白任太子少傅，都是闲职，故得“闲饮且约后期”。

[2] 陶然：舒畅快乐的样子。

Drinking Together with Liu Yuxi

Bai Juyi

While young, I was not worded about livelihood.

Old now, how could I grudge money for buying wine?

Let’s spend ten thousand coins for a jarful of drink good!

Looking in face, two years more we’ll be sixty-nine.

We read and play the drinkers’ wager game at leisure;

Drunk, we listen to verse better than music light.

When chrysanthemums yellow, may 1 have the pleasure

To invite you to drink my home-brew with delight?

The poet expresses his delight in drinking together with an old friend.

《与梦得沽酒闲饮且约后期》是唐代诗人白居易所作的一首七律。这首诗首联写人生不同时段的感受；颔联、颈联明写“醉听清吟”对饮的乐趣，暗含对政治上遭冷遇的不满；尾联紧扣题意，作者把眼前的聚会引向未来，把友情和诗意推向高峰。尾句的“一醉一陶然”，既表达了作者对挚友的深情厚谊，又表现出作者在现实面前的哀伤和愁苦。全诗言简意赅，语淡情深。

The poem “Drinking Together with Liu Yuxi” is a seven-line poem written by Bai Juyi, a poet of the Tang Dynasty. The first line of the poem is about the feelings of different periods of life; the first and second lines of the poem are about the pleasure of drinking together while listening to the chanting, and the last line is about the dissatisfaction of being treated coldly in politics; the last line of the poem is about the theme of the poem, as the author brings the immediate party to the future, and brings the friendship and poetry to the peak. The final line, “A drunkenness and a tauren”, expresses both the author’s deep love and friendship for his dear friend and his sorrow and grief in the face of reality. The poem is simple and concise, with light words and deep emotions.

琵琶行

白居易

浔阳江^[1]头夜送客，

枫叶荻花^[2]秋瑟瑟。

主人下马客在船，

举酒欲饮无管弦。

醉不成欢惨将别，

别时茫茫江浸月。

忽闻水上琵琶声，

主人忘归客不发。

寻声暗问弹者谁？

琵琶声停欲语迟^[3]。

移船相近邀相见，

添酒回灯重开宴。

千呼万唤始出来，

犹抱琵琶半遮面。

转轴拨弦三两声，

未成曲调先有情。

弦弦掩抑声声思，

似诉平生不得志。

低眉信手续续弹，

说尽心中无限事。

轻拢慢捻抹复挑^[4]，

初为《霓裳》后《六幺》^[5]。

大弦嘈嘈如急雨^[6]，

小弦切切如私语。

嘈嘈切切^[7]错杂弹，

大珠小珠落玉盘。

间关莺语花底滑^[8]，

幽咽泉流水下滩^[9]。

水泉冷涩弦凝绝，

凝绝不通声暂歇。

别有幽愁暗恨生，

此时无声胜有声。

银瓶乍破水浆迸^[10]，

铁骑突出刀枪鸣。

曲终收拨当心画^[11]，

四弦一声如裂帛。

东船西舫悄无言，

唯见江心秋月白。

沉吟放拨插弦中^[12]，

整顿衣裳起敛容。

自言本是京城女，

家在虾蟆陵^[13]下住。

十三学得琵琶成，

名属教坊第一部^[14]。

曲罢常教善才伏^[15]，

妆成每被秋娘^[16]妒。

五陵年少争缠头^[17]，

一曲红绡^[18]不知数。

钿头银篦击节碎^[19]，

血色罗裙翻酒污。

今年欢笑复明年，

秋月春风等闲度。

弟走从军阿姨死，

暮去朝来颜色故。

门前冷落车马稀，

老大嫁作商人妇。

商人重利轻别离，

前月浮梁^[20]买茶去。

去来江口守空船，

绕船月明江水寒。

夜深忽梦少年事，

梦啼妆泪红阑干^[21]。

我闻琵琶已叹息，

又闻此语重唧唧^[22]。

同是天涯沦落人，

相逢何必曾相识！

我从去年辞帝京，

谪居卧病浔阳城。

浔阳地僻无音乐，

终岁不闻丝竹声。

住近湓江地低湿，

黄芦苦竹绕宅生。

其间旦暮闻何物？

杜鹃^[23]啼血猿哀鸣。

春江花朝秋月夜，

往往取酒还独倾。

岂无山歌与村笛？

呕哑嘲哳^[24]难为听。

今夜闻君琵琶语，

如听仙乐耳暂明。

莫辞更坐弹一曲，

为君翻作^[25]琵琶行。

感我此言良久立，

却坐^[26]促弦弦转急。

凄凄不似向前声，

满座重闻皆掩泣。

座中泣下谁最多，

江州司马^[27]青衫湿。

注释：

[1] 浔阳江：长江流经浔阳郡境内的一段。

[2] 荻（dí）花：荻是水生植物，秋天开草黄色花。

[3] 欲语迟：想回答又有些迟疑。

[4] “轻拢”句：弹奏的各种手法。

[5] 《霓裳》：《霓裳羽衣曲》，据说是开元时从印度传入的，原名“婆罗门”，经唐明皇润色并改此名。作者还有《霓裳羽衣舞歌》，对此有较详细的描写。《六幺》：琵琶曲名。也作“绿腰”，原名“录要”，以乐工进曲录其要点而得名，是当时流行的曲调。

[6] “大弦”二句：指琵琶四弦（或五弦）中最粗的弦，小弦指细弦。

[7] “嘈嘈切切”：嘈嘈，形容低重之音。切切，形容轻细之音。

[8] “间关”句：间关，鸟鸣声。滑，形容乐声婉转流畅。

[9] 水下滩：以泉水流下滩受阻形容乐声艰涩低沉、呜咽断续。一作“冰水滩”。

[10] “银瓶”二句：形容曲调暂歇之后，忽然急促高亢，又进入高潮。

[11] “曲终”二句：描写演奏结束时，演奏者用拨子对着四弦的中心用力一划，琵琶声像猛然撕开布帛时发出的声响。

[12] “沉吟”二句：沉吟，沉思回味。敛容，整理情绪，从音乐意境中收回心来，表现出严肃而又恭敬的神态。

[13] 虾蟆陵：在长安城东南曲江附近，是歌女聚居的地方。旧说董仲舒葬此，门人经过这里，都下马步行，所以叫下马陵。后人误传为虾蟆陵。

[14] “名属”句：教坊，唐高祖时设置的宫内教练歌舞的机构，唐玄宗又设内教坊和左教坊、右教坊。这位弹琵琶的娼女当是挂名教坊，临时入宫供奉的。第一部，首席乐队。

[15] 伏：通服；敬佩。

[16] 秋娘：当时的一位名妓。

[17] “五陵”句：五陵年少，富贵人家子弟。五陵，指汉代的长陵、安陵、阳陵、茂陵、平陵，都在长安城北，是汉朝王公贵族的聚居处。缠头，古代赏赠给歌人舞女的丝织品。争缠头，争先恐后地送缠头。

[18] 红绡：红色绫缎。

[19] “钿头”句：钿，用金玉珠宝等制成的花朵形的首饰。银蓖，银制的篦子，也是一种首饰。银一作云篦。击节碎，用贵重首饰打拍子，碎了也不可惜。

[20] 浮梁：唐天宝间改设的县，治所在今江西景德镇北浮梁。是个茶叶贸易中心。

[21] “梦啼”句：妆泪，脂粉和眼泪混在一起。阑干，（泪水）纵横。

[22] 重唧唧：重，更加。唧唧，叹息。

[23] 杜鹃：又名子规，鸣声凄切。相传古蜀国的一位国君名叫杜宇，又称望帝，死后魂化杜鹃，鸣声凄切，常常啼叫得口角流血。

[24] 呕哑嘲哳：形容乐声杂乱难听。

[25] 翻作：按曲填写歌词。

[26] 却坐：重新坐下。

[27] 江州司马：作者自指。

Song of a Pipa Player
Bai Juyi
One night by riverside I bade a friend goodbye;
In maple leaves and rushes autumn seemed to sigh.
My friend and I dismounted and came into the boat;
We wished to drink but there was no music afloat.
Without flute songs we drank our cups with heavy heart;
The moonbeams blended with water when we were to part.
Suddenly o’er the stream we heard a pipa sound;
I forgot to go home and the guest stood spell-bound.
We followed where the music led to find the player,
But heard the pipa stop and no music in the air.
We moved our boat towards the one whence came the strain,
Brought back the lamp, asked for more wine and drank again.
Repeatedly we called for the fair player till
She came, her face half hidden behind a pipa still.
She turned the pegs and tested twice or thrice each string;
Before a tune was played we heard her feelings sing.
Each string she plucked, each note she struck with pathos strong,
All seemed to say she’d missed her dreams all her life long.
Head bent, she played with unpremeditated art
On and on to pour out her overflowing heart.
She lightly plucked, slowly stroked and twanged loud
The song of “Green Waist” after that of “Rainbow Cloud” .
The thick strings loudly thrummed like the pattering rain;
The fine strings softly tinkled in a murmuring strain.
When mingling loud and soft notes were together played,
You heard large and small pearls cascade on plate of jade.
Now you heard orioles warble in flowery land,
Then a sobbing stream run along a beach of sand.
But the stream seemed so cold as to tighten the string;
From tightened strings no more sound could be heard to sing.
Still we heard hidden grief and vague regret concealed;
Then music expressed far less than silence revealed.
Suddenly we heard water burst a silver jar,
And the clash of spears, and sabers come from afar.
She made a central sweep when the music was ending;
The four strings made one sound, as of silk one was rending.
Silence reigned left and right of the boat, east and west;
We saw but autumn moon white in the river’s breast.
She slid the plectrum pensively between the strings,
Smoothed out her dress and rose with a composed mien.
“I spent,” she said, “in the capital my early springs,
Where at the foot of Mount of Toads my home had been.
At thirteen I learned on the pipa how to play,
And my name was among the primas of the day.
I won my master’s admiration for my skill;
My beauty was envied by songstresses fair still.
The gallant young men vied to shower gifts on me;
One tune played, countless silk rolls were given with glee.
Beating time, I let silver comb and pin drop down,
And spilt-out wine oft stained my blood-red silken gown.
From year to year I laughed my joyous life away
On moonlit autumn night as windy vernal day.
My younger brother left for war, and died my maid;
Days passed, nights came, and my beauty began to fade.
Fewer and fewer were cabs and steeds at my door;
I married a smug merchant when my prime was o’er.
The merchant cared for money much more than for me;
One month ago he went away to purchase tea,
Leaving his lonely wife alone in empty boat;
Shrouded in moonlight, on the cold river I float.
Deep in the night I dreamed of happy bygone years,
And woke to find my rouged face crisscrossed with tears.”
Listening to her sad music, I sighed with pain;
Hearing her story, I sighed again and again.
Both of us in misfortune go from shore to shore.
Meeting now, need we have known each other before?
“I was banished from the capital last year
To live degraded and ill in this city here.
The city’s too remote to know melodious song,
So I have never heard music all the year long.
l dwell by riverbank on a low and damp ground
In a house with wild reeds and stunted bamboos around.
What is here to be heard from daybreak till nightfall
But gibbon’s cry and cuckoo’s homeward-going call?
By blooming riverside and under autumn moon
l’ve often taken wine up and drunk it alone.
Though I have mountain songs and village pipes to hear,
Yet they are crude and strident and grate on the ear.
Listening to you playing on pipa tonight,
With your music divine e’en my hearing seems bright.
Will you sit down and play for us a tune once more?
I’ll write for you an ode to the pipa I adore.”
Touched by what I said, the player stood for long,
Then sat down, tore at strings and played another song.
So sad, so drear, so different, it moved us deep;
Those who heard it hid the face and began to weep.
Of all the company at table who wept most?
It was none other than the exiled blue-robed host.
This is one of the most popular songs of the Tang Dynasty in which the poet describes a musician and her music.

《琵琶行》是唐代诗人白居易创作的长篇叙事诗。此诗通过对琵琶女高超弹奏技艺和她不幸经历的描述，揭露了封建社会官僚腐败、民生凋敝、人才埋没等不合理现象，表达了诗人对琵琶女的深切同情，也抒发了诗人对自己无辜被贬的愤懑之情。全诗叙事与抒情紧密结合，塑造出完整鲜明的人物形象；语言流转匀称，优美和谐，特别是描绘琵琶的演奏，比喻贴切，化虚为实，呈现出鲜明的音乐形象。

“Song of a Pipa Player” is a long narrative poem written by Bai Juyi, a poet of the Tang Dynasty. Through the description of the pipa girl’s excellent playing skills and her unfortunate experience, the poem exposes the unreasonable phenomena of bureaucratic corruption, depleted livelihood and buried talents in the feudal society, and expresses the poet’s deep sympathy for the pipa girl as well as his indignation at his innocent deportation. The poem’s narrative and lyricism are closely integrated, creating a complete and distinctive characterization; the language is well-proportioned, beautiful and harmonious, especially in the depiction of the pipa’s performance, with apt metaphors, turning the imaginary into the real, presenting a distinctive musical image.

竹枝词九首（其七）

刘禹锡

瞿塘^[1]嘈嘈^[2]十二滩，

此中道路古来难。

长恨人心不如水，

等闲平地起波澜。

注释：

[1] 瞿塘：瞿塘峡，又名夔峡，西起奉节白帝城，东至巫山县大溪镇，全长八公里。瞿塘峡是三峡中最短、最窄、最险的峡谷。

[2] 嘈嘈：流水发出的嘈杂声。

Bamboo Branch Song （Ⅶ）

Liu Yuxi

From beach to beach the torrent splashes down its way;

It’s hard to sail in the Three Gorges since olden day.

But human heart is more dangerous than a whirlpool;

You may be drowned in it though it seems calm and cool.

The poet compares human heart to a dangerous whirlpool.

登科后

孟郊

昔日龌龊^[1]不足夸，

今朝放荡^[2]思无涯。

春风得意马蹄疾，

一日看尽长安花。

注释：

[1] 龌龊（wò chuò）：本指齿相近，这里指登科前处境不如意。思想行为拘束、局促。

[2] 放荡：自由自在，不受拘束。与“旷荡”、“放达”义近。但不同于现代的“放浪”的意思。

Successful at the Civil Service Examinations

Meng Jiao

Gone are all my past woes! What more have I to say?

My body and my mind enjoy their fill today.

Successful, faster runs my horse in vernal breeze;

I’ve seen within one day all flowers on the trees.

This is the most balanced verse in Tang poetry.

《登科后》是唐代诗人孟郊于贞元十二年（796年）进士及第时所作的一首七绝。此诗前两句将作者过去失意落拓的处境和现今考取功名的得意情境进行今昔对比，突现今朝跃入新天地时的思绪沸腾；后两句说他在春风里洋洋得意地跨马疾驰，一天就看完了长安的似锦繁花，表现出极度欢快的心情。全诗节奏轻快，一气呵成，在“思苦奇涩”的孟诗中别具一格。

The first two lines of the poem contrast the author’s past disillusionment and his present success. The first two lines of the poem compare the author’s past disillusioned and desolate situation with his present success in the examinations, highlighting the boiling thoughts of the present day when he leaps into a new world; the second two lines say that he proudly galloped on his horse in the spring breeze and saw all the flowers in Chang’an in one day, expressing his extremely happy mood. The rhythm of the poem is light and fast, and it is a unique poem among the “bitter and strange” Meng poems.

登高

杜甫

风急天高猿啸哀^[2]，

渚^[3]清沙白鸟飞回^[4]。

无边落木萧萧下^[5]，

不尽长江滚滚来。

万里悲秋常作客^[6]，

百年^[7]多病独登台。

艰难苦恨繁霜鬓^[8]，

潦倒新停浊酒杯^[9]。

注释：

[1] 登高：指农历九月九日重阳节登高。

[2] 猿啸哀：三峡多猿，啼声凄厉哀切。

[3] 渚：水中沙洲。

[4] 鸟飞回：因风急所以飞鸟盘旋。

[5] “无边”句：无边，无边无际。落木，落叶。萧萧，落叶声。

[6] 客：旅居在外的人，这里是诗人自指。

[7] 百年：一生。

[8] “艰难”句：艰难，指长期漂泊在外所经历的艰难困苦。苦恨，深恨。繁霜鬓，白发增多。

[9] “潦倒”句：潦倒，失意、衰颓。新停浊酒杯。诗人因肺病而戒酒。

On the Height

Du Fu

The wind so swift, the sky so wide, apes wail and cry;

Water so clear and beach so white, birds wheel and fly.

The boundless forest sheds its leaves shower by shower;

The endless river rolls its waves hour after hour.

A thousand miles from home, I’m grieved at autumn’s plight;

Ill now and then for years, alone I’m on this height.

Living in times so hard, at frosted hair I pine;

Cast down by poverty, I have to give up wine.

This is the most balanced verse in Tang poetry.

《登高》是唐代诗人杜甫的诗作。此诗作于大历二年（767）作者在夔州之时。前四句写景，述登高见闻，紧扣秋天的季节特色，描绘了江边空旷寂寥的景致。首联为局部近景，颔联为整体远景。后四句抒情，写登高所感，围绕作者自己的身世遭遇，抒发了穷困潦倒、年老多病、流寓他乡的悲哀之情。颈联自伤身世，将前四句写景所蕴含的比兴、象征、暗示之意揭出；尾联再作申述，以衰愁病苦的自我形象收束。全诗语言精练，通篇对偶，一二句尚有句中对，充分显示了杜甫晚年对诗歌语言声律的把握运用已达圆通之境。

“On the Height” is a poem by Du Fu, a poet of the Tang Dynasty. The poem was written in the second year of the Dali period (767) when the author was in Kui Prefecture. The first four lines of the poem describe the scenery of the ascent, closely following the characteristics of the autumn season and depicting the empty and lonely scenery by the river. The first couplet is a partial near scene, while the second couplet is an overall distant scene. The last four lines express the emotions of the author and his own life, expressing the sadness of being poor, old and sick, and living in another country. The neck line is a self-inflicted wound, revealing the simile, symbolism and allusion contained in the first four lines. The poem’s language is refined, with couplets throughout and a couple of lines within a line, fully demonstrating that Du Fu’s grasp of poetic language and rhythm had reached a state of perfection in his later years.