Listen to this article《秋兴八首》是唐代宗大历元年（766）秋杜甫在夔州时所作的一组七言律诗，因秋而感发诗兴，故曰“秋兴”。杜甫自唐肃宗乾元二年（759）弃官，至当时已历七载，战乱频仍，国无宁日，人无定所，当此秋风萧瑟之时，不免触景生情。持续八年的安史之乱，至广德元年（763）始告结束，而吐蕃、回纥乘虚而入，藩镇拥兵割据，战乱时起，唐王朝难以复兴了。此时，严武去世，杜甫在成都生活失去凭依，遂沿江东下，滞留夔州。诗人晚年多病，知交零落，壮志难酬，在非常寂寞抑郁的心境下创作了这组诗。
杜甫·《秋兴·其六》
瞿塘峡口曲江头，万里风烟接素秋。
花萼夹城通御气，芙蓉小苑入边愁。
珠帘绣柱围黄鹄，锦缆牙墙起白鸥。
回首可怜歌舞地，秦中自古帝王州。
Autumn Moods（1） VI
Du Fu
From this gorge to where the river winds past the palaces,
A thousand leagues of storm and smoke under the autumn sky.
Oh, that imperial splendour in Calyx Tower and Hibiscus Park（2）
Should pale before the flames of the Tartar rebellion!
Time was when swans and gulls alike were lost in a maze
Of pearl blinds and painted pillars, colourful riggings and stately masts.
That it should have become a land of song and dance,
This land that has from ancient times been imperial domain!
（1）. Written in the autumn of 766.
（2）. Both in the imperial city.
（李惟建 译）
Eight Octaves on Autumnal Musings VI
Du Fu
The Qutang Gorge mouth and Zigzag River bank,
Though far apart are joined in autumn’s war fires.
From Flower-sepals Tower, led th’ imperial path;
To Hibiscus Garden, went sad news of border pyres.
An alighting swan would be enclosed by towers;
While gulls in flight would be startled by masts and riggings.
But look back! what a pity is the site of dance and song;
This old terrain is from ages past the land of our kings.
（孙大雨 译）
Reflections in the Autumn
Du Fu
Tween Qutang Gorge here and Winding River there,
Along ten thousand miles, haze bears the autumn air.（1）
There’s Royal Lane from Calyx Chamber to Lotus
The Park where to from the borders came the news rebellious.（2）
The beaded screens and columns round the yellow swans,
Before the boats with ivory masts white gulls swarm.
It’s sad to look back at the place of dance and songs,
In Mid Qin（3）, the e’er since ancient times, there were dynasts’ towns.（4）
（1）. Qutang Gorge is like the throat from where the Yangtze River flows out of Sichuan Province. The Winding River flows out of Sichuan Province. The Winding River was a pleasure resort in Chang-an. Tu Fu’s thought linked the two places together.
（2）. The Calyx Chamber was a building in the Palace from where there was a lane leading to the Lotus Park by the Winding River. The lane was specially built with a wall at each side. Passing through the lane, Emperor Xuanzong with his concubine Yang frequented the Park and the news of the rebellion of An Lushan was reported to him at that time.
（3）. Mid Qin was a district where several dynasties before Tang had settled their capitals. Tu Fu elliptically alluded here to the rises and falls in history.
（4）. Herein Tu Fu reflected the pompous views at the Winding River.
（吴钧陶 译）
