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Click to printYan Jidao. "To the tune “Partridge in the Sky”—"Holding the fragrant paper"." Global Medieval Sourcebook.

Text based on Tang, Guizhang 唐圭璋 (ed.). Quan Song Ci 全宋詞. Vol 1. Beijing: Zhonghua shu ju, 1965, .

鷓鴣天 | To the tune “Partridge in the Sky”

Source Information

鷓鴣天 | To the tune “Partridge in the Sky”

by Yan Jidao

Text Source:

Text based on Tang, Guizhang 唐圭璋 (ed.). Quan Song Ci 全宋詞. Vol 1. Beijing: Zhonghua shu ju, 1965, 34.

Responsibility Statement:
  • Text based on Tang, Guizhang 唐圭璋 (ed.). Quan Song Ci 全宋詞. Vol 1. Beijing: Zhonghua shu ju, 1965,
  • Translation by Qian Jia
  • Notes by Dante Zhu
  • Encoded in TEI P5 XML by Dante Zhu
Editorial Principles:

Transcriptions and translations are encoded in XML conforming to TEI (P5) guidelines. The original-language text is contained within <lem> tags and translations within <rdg> tags.

Texts are translated into modern American English with maximum fidelity to the original text, except where it would impair comprehension or good style. Archaisms are preserved where they do not conflict with the aesthetic of the original text. Scribal errors and creative translation choices are marked and discussed in the critical notes.

The original text of this ci is based on the edition by Tang Guizhang 唐圭璋 (Quan Song Ci 全宋詞. Vol 1. Beijing: Zhonghua shu ju, 1965). Punctuation follows the edition. Since ci poetry rarely includes personal pronouns, and gender-differentiated pronouns did not exist in Classical Chinese of this period, the gender of the speaker as well as their perspective (e.g. first, second or third person) must often be deduced by the translator from context.

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Published by The Global Medieval Sourcebook.

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鷓鴣天 To the tune “Partridge in the Sky”
手撚香箋憶小蓮。 Holding the fragrant paper in my hand, I think about Xiaolian
c
Critical note:

See Introduction for a discussion of Xiaolian.

.
欲將遺恨倩誰傳。 Whom should I ask to send my regrets?
歸來獨臥逍遙夜, After I came home, I lay by myself at night;
夢裏相逢酩酊天。 I dreamt that I had an utterly drunk day and met her.
5
花易落, Flowers wither easily;
月難圓。 the moon waxes with difficulty.
只應花月似歡緣。 Maybe joyful relationships are like flowers and the moon.
秦箏算有心情在, If the Qin zither
c
Critical note:

A type of string instrument from what used to be the territory of Qin (today's Gansu Province, China).

could convey my feelings,
試寫離聲入舊弦。 I would try to play the old strings with all my sadness.
鷓鴣天 To the tune “Partridge in the Sky”
手撚香箋憶小蓮。 Holding the fragrant paper in my hand, I think about Xiaolian
c
Critical note:

See Introduction for a discussion of Xiaolian.

.
欲將遺恨倩誰傳。 Whom should I ask to send my regrets?
歸來獨臥逍遙夜, After I came home, I lay by myself at night;
夢裏相逢酩酊天。 I dreamt that I had an utterly drunk day and met her.
5
花易落, Flowers wither easily;
月難圓。 the moon waxes with difficulty.
只應花月似歡緣。 Maybe joyful relationships are like flowers and the moon.
秦箏算有心情在, If the Qin zither
c
Critical note:

A type of string instrument from what used to be the territory of Qin (today's Gansu Province, China).

could convey my feelings,
試寫離聲入舊弦。 I would try to play the old strings with all my sadness.
Critical Notes
Translation
Line number 1
Critical note:

See Introduction for a discussion of Xiaolian.

Translation
Line number 8
Critical note:

A type of string instrument from what used to be the territory of Qin (today's Gansu Province, China).

Sorry, but there are no notes associated with any currently displayed witness.