Galleries and Translations > Recent Works / Poetry and Others > Lyrics to the Immortal by the River 《 臨江仙 ∙ 庭院深深深幾許 》
Lyrics to the Immortal by the River
by Li Qingzhao
( 李清照《 臨江仙 ∙ 庭院深深深幾許 》)
85 X 47 cm
Lyrics to the Immortal by the River
(《 臨江仙 ∙ 庭院深深深幾許 》)
Translation
Original Chinese
English Translation
1. 庭院深深深幾許,
The courtyard is profoundly tranquil and deep (深深), so tranquil and deep,
2. 雲窗霧閣常扃.
For all decorated windows (雲窗, 1) are invariably shut (扃, 2) in the pavilion suites (霧閣, 3).
3. 柳梢梅萼漸分明,
The willow tips (柳梢, 4) and plum buds (梅萼, 5) gradually come to light,
4. 春歸秣陵樹,
Spring has returned (歸), and Moling's (秣陵, i.e. 建康, 6) trees have come to life,
5. 人老建康城.
Yet, this Jiankang City (建康城, 7) is where my man (人, my husband, 8) has lost his life (老, 9).
6. 感月吟風多少事,
Coming down with a cold (感月, 10) while chanting poems (吟風, 11), many memories (事) of you naturally arise,
7. 如今老去無成.
Yet, now you have passed away (老, 12) with no accomplishment realized.
8. 誰憐憔悴更凋零?!
Who pities me, emaciated (憔悴, 13) and (更, 14) withering (凋零, 15)?!
9. 試燈無意思,
A trip to preview the Lantern Festival (試燈, 16) serves no meaning,
10. 踏雪沒心情.
And I find no mood to walk on the snow (踏雪, 17) to go sightseeing.
(translated by KS Vincent POON, December 2024)
Remarks
(I)
Song Dynasty female poet Li Qingzhao (李清照, 1084-1155 AD) wrote this lyrical poem around the Spring of 1130 AD (18) to mourn the death of her beloved husband Zhao Mingcheng (趙明誠, 1081-1129 AD), the author of Catalogue of Bronze and Stone Inscriptions (《金石錄》) (19) .
In 1129, Li fled Jiankang (建康, now Nanjing, 南京) in March from the northern invading Jurchens (女真) (20), while her husband died in August of illness (21). Undoubtedly, 1129 was a tragic year for Li.
(II)
Several key areas in the poem are often misinterpreted.
The first is "人老建康城". Many contend it means "Li was expecting herself to turn old and perish in the city of Jiankang (看來要老死建康城)" (22). Such is nonsensical, for Li was only 46 when she wrote this poem and no longer resided in Jiankang up to her death at 71 (23).
Instead, "人" here refers to Li's husband, while "老" is a common metaphor for "death/pass away (死/逝)" in classical Chinese literature, as in:
(i) 李賀《牡丹種曲》: "梁王(花)老去羅衣(葉)在, 拂袖風吹蜀國弦." (24)(ii) 子蘭《城上吟》: "古塚密於草, 新墳侵官道. 城外無閒地, 城中人又老." (25)(iii) 譚用之《途中》: "光陰老去無成事, 富貴不來爭奈何." (26)
Hence, "人老建康城" describes Li's husband's (人) death (老) in the city of Jiankang (建康城). As such, this poem was definitely composed after his burial in late 1129, quite likely in the Spring of 1130 (27).
(III)
The second is "感月" in "感月吟風多少事". Many suggested "感月" here means "appreciating the moon (弄月)"(28), which is incorrect.
According to Li's own narrative in the Epilogue of the Catalogue of Bronze and Stone Inscriptions (《金石錄後序》), Li became exceedingly ill shortly after her husband's burial:
"葬畢, 余無所之…余有大病, 僅存喘息." (29)"After I buried my husband, I did not know where to go…I was extremely sick and could only gasp to breathe."(translated by KS Vincent Poon)
Hence, Li's "感月" actually means "coming down with a heavy cold (受寒病重)". Such usage can be seen in:
(i) 何休《春秋公羊傳注疏》:
"言朝者, 緣生以事死. 親在, 朝朝莫夕.巳死, 不敢渫鬼神, 故事必於朔者. 感月始生而朝." (30)"The so-called 'Visiting to Pay Great Respect to One’s Parents (朝) (31)' is to follow (緣) the rites of respectfully serving (事) one's living parents when they are dead. If one's parents are alive (在), one should visit them to pay great respect (朝) every morning (朝) and meet them to pay high regard (夕) (32) every evening (莫). If they are no longer alive, since one should not defile (渫) the spirits, one can respectfully serve (事) them only on the first day (朔) of the month. If one comes down with a cold (i.e. falls ill), one can then start (始) to visit them to pay great respect as if they were alive (生). "(translated by KS Vincent Poon)
(ii) 白居易《感月悲逝者》: "存亡感月一潸然, 月色今宵似往年." (33)(iii) 陳建《皇明從信錄》正德十六年 (1521 AD) 張岳上疏曰:
"近日聖躬偶感風疾, ...偶爾感月, 豈足過慮." (34)"Recently, the Emperor occasionally came down with a cold … For one to come down with a cold every now and then, there is no need to be overly concerned about it. "(translated by KS Vincent Poon)
"感" in "感月" literally means "coming down with (感染)" , while "月" means "adversity and chills (陰寒)". Hence, "感月" together means "coming down with adversity and chills" or simply "falling ill".
(IV)
The third is "吟風" in "感月吟風多少事". The common interpretation is that it means "composing poems (作詩)" (35), which is incorrect. "吟風" here actually means "reviewing and chanting (吟) classical texts (風)", as supported by Li's own writing:
"寫本李、杜、韓、柳集…搬在臥內… 偶病中把玩. " (36)"Our handwritten copies of Li's, Du's, Han's, and Liu's works ... I moved them to my bedroom...and when I was sick, I held onto and savoured them every now and then. "(translated by KS Vincent Poon)
Hence, "感月吟風多少事" undoubtedly describes the very ill (感月) Li was reviewing and chanting (吟) the classical texts (風) compiled by her and her late husband (37), which then stirred up her many memories of him (多少事).
(V)
The final is "老" in "如今老去無成". "老" here means "death", similar to the "老" in "人老建康城" as outlined in Remarks (II). Li lamented her talented husband died too early without accomplishing anything significant. Thus, she bemoaned, "Now you have passed away (老) with no accomplishment realized" right after "感月吟風多少事".
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(1) "雲窗" here means a "a decorated window (華美的窗戶)", as in 周邦彦《齊天樂∙秋思》："暮雨生寒, 鳴蛩勤織, 深閣時聞裁剪. 雲窗靜掩." See《漢語大詞典》. Shanghai: 上海辭書出版社, 2008, p.652.
(2) "扃" here means "shut (關閉)", as in 韓愈《喜雪獻裴尙書》: "履弊行偏冷, 門扃臥更羸." Ibid., p. 363.
(3) "霧閣" here means "a pavilion that is covered in mist and clouds (雲霧籠罩的樓閣)", as in高啟《仙山樓觀圖》: "霧閣宵閒脈望飛, 月明露重濕銖衣." Ibid., p.728.
(4) "柳梢" here means "tips of willows (柳樹的末端)", as in歐陽修《生查子》: "月到柳梢頭, 人約黃昏後." Ibid., p.927.
(5) "梅萼" here means "buds of plum flowers (梅花的蓓蕾)", as in 歐陽修《玉樓春∙題上林後亭》: "池塘隱隱驚雷曉,柳眼未開梅蕚小." Ibid., p.1049.
(6) "秣陵" refers to Jianking City (建康), which is today's Nanjing (南京). See 《重編國語辭典修訂本》(Revised Mandarin Chinese Dictionary). Taiwan: Ministry of Education, R.O.C, 2021, online edition.
(7) As in footnote (6).
(8) "人" here refers to Li's husband. See Remarks (II) for more elaboration.
(9) "老" here means "death/pass away (死/逝)". See Remarks (II) for more elaboration.
(10) "感月" here means "coming down with a cold (受寒病重)". See Remarks (III) for more elaboration.
(11) "吟風" here means "chanting (吟) classical texts (風)". See Remarks (IV) for more elaboration.
(12) As in footnote (9).
(13) "憔悴" here means "emaciated (瘦損)", as in 王建《調笑令》："玉顔憔悴三年, 誰復商量管絃?" See《漢語大詞典》. Shanghai: 上海辭書出版社, 2008, p.738.
(14) "更" here means "and (和)", as in 皇甫冉《雜言月洲歌送趙冽還襄陽》："流聒聒兮湍與瀨, 草靑靑兮春更秋." Ibid., p.527.
(15) "凋零" here means "wither (衰敗)", as in羅隱《送汝州李中丞十二韻》: "一兇雖剪滅, 數縣尙凋零." Ibid., p.430.
(16) "試燈" refers to previewing the lanterns before the traditional Lantern Festival (元宵節), which occurs on the fifteenth day of the first month of the year (舊俗農曆正月十五日元宵節晩上張燈,以祈豊稔, 未到元宵節而張燈預賞謂之試燈). Ibid., p.141.
(17) "踏雪" here means "to walk on the snow (在雪地行走)", as in 孟郊《寒溪》詩: “曉飲一杯酒, 踏雪過青溪.” Ibid., p.504.
(18) Some argue "春歸秣陵樹" indicates the poem was likely composed in February of 1129 as the city of Jiankang (建康) was still named Moling (秣陵) until May of that year. This argument is flawed because Jiankang appears in the poem, which means the poem must have been composed after May of 1129, two months after Li fled Jiankang in March.
Li wrote this phrase to merely contrast Jiankang's ever-returning Spring with her never-returning late husband, who died in that very city (人老建康城). Thus, "秣陵" alone is insufficient to conclude when and where the poem was actually composed.
More likely, "春歸秣陵樹, 人老建康城" was written in the Spring of 1130, several months after Li's husband's burial, when she particularly missed her late husband while Nature was lively and rejuvenated. See Remark (II) for further elaboration.
(19) 李清照,《金石錄後序》. Attached in the end of 趙明誠《金石錄》. 欽定四庫全書史部, 乾隆四十一年版, pp.1-6.
(20) Ibid..
(21) Ibid..
(22) 趙曉輝,《李清照》. Beijing: 五洲傳播出版社, 2005, p.107.
(23) 徐培均,《李清照集笺注》. Shanghai: 上海古籍出版社, 2002, pp.470-512. Also see footnote (18).
(24) 曹寅,《全唐詩》Vol.392. Beijing: 中華書局, 1979, p.4419.
(25) Ibid., Vol.824, p.9288.
(26) Ibid., Vol.764, p.8674.
(27) As in footnote (18).
(28) As in footnote (22).
(29) As in footnote (19).
(30) 何休,《春秋公羊傳注疏》Vol.13. 欽定四庫全書經部, 乾隆四十年版, p.20.
(31) "朝" here means "to visit and pay great respect to one’s elderly parents (問候長輩)", as in 《國語∙魯語下》："(公父文伯)朝其母, 其母方績." See《漢語大詞典》. Shanghai: 上海辭書出版社, 2008, p.1310.
(32) "夕" here means : "to visit and pay great respect to one's elderly parents (傍晩拜見尊長)", as in 《左傳∙成公九年》: "其爲大子也, 師保奉之, 以朝於嬰齊而夕於側也." 杜預注: "言其尊卿敬老." Ibid., p.1146.
(33) As in footnote (24), Vol.436, p.4838.
(34) 陳建,《皇明從信錄》Vol. 27. 萬曆四十八年沈國元訂, Book 9. Publication place and time unknown, p.32.
(35) As in footnote (22).
(36) As in footnote (19).
(37) Ibid..
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