Galleries and Translations > Recent Works / Poetry and Others > Lyrics to Nian Lu Jiao, Commemorating the Battle of Red Cliffs 《 念奴嬌 ∙ 赤壁懷古》
Lyrics to Nian Lu Jiao, Commemorating the Battle of Red Cliffs
by Su Shi
( 蘇軾《 念奴嬌 ∙ 赤壁懷古 》)
75 X 35 cm
Lyrics to Nian Lu Jiao, Commemorating the Battle of Red Cliffs
(《 念奴嬌 ∙ 赤壁懷古 》)
75 X 35 cm in Clerical Script (隸書)
Translation
Original Chinese
English Translation
1. 大江東去,
The mighty River (大江) gushed to the East without turning back whatsoever,
2. 浪淘盡、千古風流人物.
Its waves swept and expended all bygones (千古) of distinguished character (風流人物, 1).
3. 故壘西邊,
On the west side of the old fortress (故壘, 2),
4. 人道是、三國周郎赤壁.
Some said it was the Red Cliff (赤壁) where the Three Kingdoms' (三國) Master Zhou (周郎, Zhou Yu) became victorious.
5. 亂石穿空,
The chaotic rocks at the banks erupted (穿) into the sky,
6. 驚濤拍㟁,
Assaulting the shores were the frightening tides,
7. 捲起千堆雪.
Which rolled up thousands of snowdrifts (雪) tall and high.
8. 江山如畫，
The homeland (江山, 3) was as magnificent as a painting,
9. 一時多少豪傑.
Those were the days when many (多少, 4) distinguished heroes (豪傑, 5) were living.
10. 遙想公瑾當年,
Remembering the distant past (遙想, 6) when Gong-jin (公瑾, Zhou Yu) was in his prime (當年, 7),
11. 小喬初嫁了,
Lord Qiao's stunningly beautiful younger daughter (小喬) had just wedded him at that time,
12. 雄姿英發.
His bold stance (雄姿) and marvellous flair truly shined (英發).
13. 羽扇綸巾,
With composure and carefree ease (8),
14. 談笑間、
While he jested and gossiped as he pleased,
15. 強虜灰飛煙滅.
All his mighty enemies (強虜, 9) turned to dust in a breeze.
16. 故國神遊,
As I wander my beloved motherland (故國, 10) in my mind,
17. 多情應笑我、早生華髪.
I laugh at myself (笑我) , whose hair has already (早, 11) turned grey, for still having so much passion (多情) for it all the time.
18. 人間如夢，
Alas, the mundane realm (人間) is like an illusion (夢) in your head,
19. 一尊還酹江月.
I might as well bring a jar of wine (一尊) to spill and drink, taking turns with the River's moon to toast each other (還酹, 12) instead.
(translated by KS Vincent POON, October 2024)
Remarks
(I)
This prominent lyrical poem was composed by Su Shi (蘇軾, 1037-1101) (13), one of the most representative poets of the Song Dynasty. Su's literary talent and extraordinary intellect were widely recognized at a young age (14). Throughout his bureaucratic career, Su was known for his compassionate and effective governing, which garnered much respect from his colleagues and Emperors Renzong (仁宗) and Shenzong (神宗) (15). However, his frank temperament and satire often offended many high officials, and so his bureaucrat life was filled with turmoils (16). As such, revered literati Huang Tingjian (黃庭堅, 1045-1105), a peer of Su, once remarked:
東坡文章妙天下，其短處在好罵，慎勿襲其軌也. (17)Su Shi's literary works are wonders amongst all under heaven, yet they had the shortcomings of him being fond of scolding others, so beware not to follow him.(translated by KS Vincent Poon)
(II)
There are several phrases in the poem that are commonly misinterpreted. One such instance is "羽扇綸巾", which some incorrectly interpret as a reference to Zhuge Liang (諸葛亮, 181-234). "羽扇綸巾" here certainly alludes to Zhou Yu (周瑜, 175-210), not Zhuge Liang. First, its preceding texts "周郎赤壁", "遙想公瑾" and "雄姿英發" all refer to Zhou Yu, and so it is illogical for "羽扇綸巾" to suddenly portray Zhuge Liang. Second, in various literature during and after Song, "羽扇綸巾" merely means "with composure and carefree ease (瀟灑從容)" and has nothing to do with Zhuge Liang. For example:
(i) (宋) 孝宗《賜虞允文辭免顯謨閣學士知平江府不允詔》: "羽扇綸巾, 甞掃舟中之敵; 輕裘緩帶, 乆宣塞上之勞." (18)(ii) (宋) 謝逸《濳心堂》: "羽扇綸巾延客晩, 蒲團禪板坐更深." (19)(iii) (元) 周巽 《挽周宣慰方壺》: "羽扇綸巾雅量閒, 梅嶺雲歸凱初奏." (20)(iv) (元) 邵亨貞《臨江仙∙擬無住水檻過雨》: "羽扇綸巾閑到我, 百年世事匆匆." (21)(v) (明) 沈采《千金記∙登拜》: "得志也羽扇綸巾." (22)
Lastly and more compellingly, Song's Zhao Yifu (趙以夫, 1189-1256) explicitly used "羽扇綸巾" to characterize Zhou Yu in his 《漢宮春∙次方時父元夕見寄》:
周郎少日, 風流羽扇綸巾. (23)In the days when Master Zhou was young, he was with grace, composure and carefree ease.(translated by KS Vincent Poon)
Thus, Su's "羽扇綸巾" definitely alludes to Zhao Yu, not Zhuge Liang.
(III)
Another commonly misinterpreted phrase is "故國神遊, 多情應笑我". Most incorrectly interpret "故國" as "the battlefield at the Red Cliffs during the Three Kingdoms era (三國時的赤壁戰場)", and so they erroneously conclude "多情" to be "my many lamentations toward Zhou Yu's feat in the Battle of the Red Cliffs (對赤壁之戰的無限感慨)" (24). Alas, Su expressed great admiration for Zhou's military and romantic successes at the beginning of the poem, so why would he lament Zhou's triumphs at the end? If the lamentations were directed at Su himself for not being as talented as Zhou, then that would be contrary to his character as a bold and proud man (25).
"故國" is key to correctly interpreting the entire phrase. "故國" here actually means "homeland (本國)", as can be seen in various classical works:
(i) (南朝) 丘遲《與陳伯之書》: "見故國之旗鼓, 感平生於疇昔." (26)(ii) (唐) 周賀《出關後寄賈島》: "故國知何處, 西風已度關." (27)
Since "故國" means "motherland", it follows "多情" in the poem should be taken as Su's "passion for the motherland". Given the historical context of the poem, such interpretations are certainly reasonable. In 1082, Su toured the Red Cliffs in July, having been released from political imprisonment and stripped of all de facto political powers since 1079 (28). During that trip, Su was reminded of Zhou Yu's greatness in defeating Cao Cao, as narrated in Su's masterpiece First Ode to the Red Cliffs (《前赤壁賦》) (29). In September 1082, Song suffered a great military loss in the Battle of Yongle City (永樂城之戰) against the barbaric Xi Xia (西夏), losing more than two hundred thousand troops (30). Su likely then composed this lyrical poem to bemoan that no one in power had the ability like Zhou Yu to defeat the invaders. Indeed, the Song motherland (故國) was so hopeless that Su had to sarcastically laugh at (應笑) himself (我) for still having so much passion (多情) for the motherland.
(IV)
"早生華髪" is another phrase that is often misinterpreted. Many interpreted "早" as "early" and claimed Su was laughing at his hair turning grey too early. However, little to no concrete historical evidence substantiates Su had premature grey hair. Further, even if Su indeed had premature grey hair, the bold and carefree Su would never be bothered by such a petty matter (31).
Instead of "early", "早" in this poem actually means "had already (已)", as in:
(i) (宋) 秦觀《阮郎歸∙退花新綠漸團枝》: "日長早被酒禁持." (32)(ii) (元) 盧摯《沉醉東風∙閑居》: "早來到竹籬茅舍人家." (33)
As discussed in (III), Su was sarcastically laughing at his passion for the motherland. He added "早生華髪" to further his sarcasm: even though his hair had already (早) turned grey, laughably, he still held passion for the motherland.
(V)
There is one more phrase in the poem that deserves further elaboration. The concluding phrase "還酹江月" is often interpreted insufficiently as "to spill wine as an offering to the moon (把酒澆地以祭月)". In fact, "還" here carries a meaning of "還相", which means "taking turns (輪流)", as in Book of Wei - Biography of Yang Jin (《魏書∙楊津傳》):
洛周脫津衣服，…欲將烹之，諸賊還相諫止，遂得免害. (34)Lou Zhou undressed Jin … and was about to boil him, but Lou's fellow rebels took turns persuading him to stop, so Jin was ultimately spared.(translated by KS Vincent Poon)
Thus, taking turns to toast one another (人與人相敬酒) is known as "還酬", which can be seen in:
(i) (宋) 劉辰翁《須溪集》: "有懐數友還酬一尊." (35)(ii) (明) 吳寬《寄壽施煥伯七十》: "少待登堂成一笑, 手持春酒獻還酬." (36)
Similarly, "還酹" means "taking turns with the nonliving to toast each other", which can be seen in:
(i) (宋) 何夢桂《赤壁夢鶴》: "遼海千年約未寒, 一樽還酹大江干(岸)." (37)(ii) (元) 耶律鑄《次韻閬州述事》: "為誰携斗酒，還酹魯公祠." (38)
"還酹" is a custom where one drinks to toast the nonliving and then spills wine onto the ground as if the nonliving toasts back. Thus, "還酹江月" is better interpreted as "to spill and drink, taking turns with the River's moon to toast each other" than simply "to spill wine as an offering to the moon".
_____________________
(1) "風流" here means "outstanding (傑出不凡)", as in 蘇軾《與江惇禮秀才書》之一: "僕雖晩生, 猶及見君之王父也. 追思一時風流賢達, 豈可復夢見哉!" See《漢語大詞典》. Shanghai: 上海辭書出版社, 2008, pp.611-612.
(2) "故壘" here means "an old fortress form the distant past (古代的堡壘)", as in《晉書∙李矩傳》: "劉聰遣從弟暢步騎三萬討矩, 屯於韓王故壘." See《漢語大詞典》. Shanghai: 上海辭書出版社, 2008, p.487.
(3) "江山" here means "homeland (國家的疆土)", as in《三國志∙吳志∙賀劭傳》: "割據江山, 拓土萬里." See《漢語大詞典》. Shanghai: 上海辭書出版社, 2008, pp.915-916. Some interpret "江山" as merely "the rivers and mountains near the Red Cliffs". Such is too narrow and restrictive for the succeeding phrase, "Those were the days when many great heroes were living (一時多少豪傑)".
(4) "多少" here means "many (許多)", as in 杜牧《江南春》詩: "南朝四百八十寺, 多少樓臺煙雨中." See《漢語大詞典》. Shanghai: 上海辭書出版社, 2008, p.1176.
(5) "豪傑" here means "distinguished persons (才能出眾的人)", as in《管子∙七法》: "收天下之豪傑, 有天下之駿雄." See《漢語大詞典》. Shanghai: 上海辭書出版社, 2008, p.33.
(6) "遙想" here means "remembering the distant past (悠遠地回想)", as in 孫綽《遊天台山賦》: "非夫遠寄冥搜, 篤信通神者, 何肯遙想而存之." See《漢語大詞典》. Shanghai: 上海辭書出版社, 2008, p.1144.
(7) "當年" here means "prime years (壯年)", as in《墨子∙非樂上》: "將必使當年, 因其耳目之聰明, 股肱之畢強, 聲之和調, 眉之轉朴." 孫詒讓間詁："王云：'當年, 壯年也.' 當有盛壯之義." See 《漢語大詞典》. Shanghai: 上海辭書出版社, 2008, p.1390.
(8) "羽扇綸巾" here means "with composure and carefree ease (瀟灑從容)". See Remarks (II) for further elaborations.
(9) "強虜" here means "mighty and ruthliess enemies (強暴的敵人)", as in 薛能《獻仆射相公》詩: "強虜外聞應喪膽, 平人相見盡開顔." See 《漢語大詞典》. Shanghai: 上海辭書出版社, 2008, p.145.
(10) "故國" here means "motherland (本國)". See Remarks (III) for further elaborations.
(11) "早" here means "had already (已)" . See Remarks (IV) for further elaborations.
(12) "還酹" here means "taking turns with the nonliving to toast each other (人與物或亡靈相敬酒)" . See Remarks (V) for further elaborations.
(13) 唐圭璋,《全宋詞》Vol.1. Beijing: 中華書局, 1999, p.363.
(14) 脫脫,《宋史》Vol.338, 蘇軾傳. Taipei: 藝文印書館, 乾隆武英殿版, Book 5, p.4265.
(15) Ibid., pp.4265, 4274.
(16) Ibid., pp.4266-4274.
(17) 黃庭堅,《豫章黃先生文集》Vol.19. Shanghai: 上海商務印書館, 四部叢刊初編集部, 縮印沈氏藏宋本, publication year unknown, p.204.
(18) 洪适,《盤洲文集》Vol.3, 內制3. 欽定四庫全書集部四, 乾隆四十六年版, p.9b.
(19) 謝逸,《溪堂集》Vol.4. 欽定四庫全書集部三, 乾隆四十六年版, p.4a.
(20) 周巽,《性情集》Vol.6. 欽定四庫全書集部五, 乾隆四十六年版, p.3b.
(21) 邵亨貞,《蟻術詞選》Vol.1. Publisher and publication year unknown, p.2b.
(22) 沈采,《千金記》Vol. 2, 登拜. Publisher and publication year unknown.
(23) 唐圭璋,《全宋詞》Vol.4. Beijing: 中華書局, 1999, p.3397.
(24) 王力,《古代漢語》Vol.4. Beijing: 中華書局, 2001, p.1557.
(25) Su Shi once wrote, "My brush holds thousands of words, and my mind carries tens of thousands of volumes of text; to counsel emperors to become as great as Shun and Yao, how hard can that be for me? (有筆頭千字，胸中萬卷，致君堯舜，此事何難?)" See 唐圭璋,《全宋詞》Vol.1. Beijing: 中華書局, 1999, p.364.
(26) 蕭統,《昭明文選》Vol.43. 崇文書局, 同治八年版, p19a, publication place unknown. Also 姚思廉《梁書》Vol.20, 陳伯之傳. Beijing: 中華書局, 1973, p.315.
(27) 曹寅,《全唐詩》Vol.503. 欽定四庫全書薈要集部全唐詩, 康熙四十六年版, p.11b.
(28) 蘇軾,《蘇東坡集》Vol.2, 東坡先生年譜. Changsai: 商務印書館, 1939, pp.24-26.
(29) 吳楚材,《言文對照詳細註解古文觀止》Vol.11. Shanghai: 國學研究社出版, 1949, pp.228-229.
(30) 陳邦瞻,《宋史紀事本末》Vol.9, 西夏用兵. 欽定四庫全書史部, 乾隆四十九年版, pp.19-20.
(31) As in footnote (25).
(32) 唐圭璋,《全宋詞》Vol.1. Beijing: 中華書局, 1999, p.596.
(33) 任中敏,《元曲三百首》. Chongqing: 中華書局, 1945, p.16.
(34) 魏收,《魏書》Vol.8, 楊津傳. Beijing: 中華書局, 1974, p.1299.
(35) 劉辰翁,《須溪集》Vol.7. 欽定四庫全書集部, 乾隆四十六年版, p.48b.
(36) 吳寬,《家藏集》Vol.29. 欽定四庫全書集部, 乾隆四十一年版, p.13b.
(37) 何夢桂,《潛齋集》Vol.2. 欽定四庫全書集部, 乾隆四十三年版, p.33.
(38) 耶律鑄,《雙溪醉隱集》Vol.5. 欽定四庫全書集部, 乾隆四十六年版, p.6.
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