Listen to this article清明
清明[1]时节雨纷纷，
路上行人欲断魂[2]。
借问酒家何处有，
牧童遥指杏花村。
注释：
[1] 清明：二十四节气之一，在阳历四月五日或六日。
[2] 断魂：伤心的样子。
The Mourning Day
Du Mu
A drizzling rain falls like tears on the Mourning Day;
The mourner’s heart is going to break on his way.
Where can a wine shop be found to drown his sad hours?
A cowherd points to a cot amid apricot flowers.
On the Mourning Day early in the third moon, the mourner’s tears mingle with the drizzling rain. This picture shows the commotion of man with nature.
《清明》是唐代文学家杜牧的诗作。此诗写清明春雨中所见。第一句交代情景、环境、气氛；第二句写出了人物，显示了人物的凄迷纷乱的心境；第三句提出了如何摆脱这种心境的办法；第四句写答话带行动，是整篇的精彩所在。全诗色彩清淡，心境凄冷，运用由低而高、逐步上升、高潮顶点放在最后的手法，余韵邈然，耐人寻味，历来广为传诵。
“The Mourning Day” is a poem written by Du Mu, a writer of the Tang Dynasty. This poem is about what we see in the spring rain of Qingming. The first line gives an account of the scene, environment and atmosphere; the second line describes the characters, showing their miserable and confused state of mind; the third line proposes a way to get rid of this state of mind; the fourth line writes a reply with action, which is the highlight of the whole piece. The whole poem is light in color and bleak in mood, using the technique of rising gradually from low to high, with the climax at the end, which has a long and intriguing aftertaste.
