Ode to the Autumn Sound
作者：欧阳修（宋朝）
Written by Ouyang Xiu (Song Dynasity)

简介及其英译：
《秋声赋》是宋代文赋的典范。文章第一段写作者夜读时听到秋声，从而展开了对秋声的描绘。第二段是对秋声的描绘和对秋气的议论。从“草木无情”到“黟然黑者为星星”，作者将无情的草木和有灵的人类作对比，从而推出题旨：“奈何以非金石之质，欲与草木而争荣。念谁为之戕贼，亦何恨乎秋声！”这一段，作者在极力渲染秋气对自然界植物的摧残的基础上，指出对于人来说，人事忧劳的伤害，比秋气对植物的摧残更为严重得多；因而，想想这是谁对他们的伤害，就不会去怨恨秋声了，这也就是作者要表达的文中主题。全文紧扣题目，意境、气氛统一；而结尾表现的孤独感，更深深感染读者。人事忧劳对人的伤害更甚于秋气对草木的摧残,这是作者经历了数十年宦海沉浮后对人生的慨叹。
Brief Introduction:
Ode to the Autumn Sound was a good model of the article with the ode style in the Song Dynasty. In the first paragraph the author wrote that he heard the autumn sound in his night reading, thus he spread out the description of the autumn sound in detail. The second paragraph described further the autumn sound and commented on the sough autumn air. From "the grass and trees are heartless" to "the black hair turns to hoary", the author compared the heartless grass and trees with the intelligent human being and then pushed forward the subject of this article: "The people's bodies are not made up of metal and stone, why they compete with grass and trees for glory? One should consider who is injuring himself, therefore there is no need to hate the autumn sound again.'' In this paragraph, the author, on the base of making every effort to dramatize how the autumn sound ravaged extremely the plants in nature, and then pointed out that the injury to human being due to anxiety and exhaustion is more critical than the plants destroyed. Therefore, if considering of who is injuring people themselves, they need not hate the autumn sound again. This was the main subject of this article, which the author wanted to express. The full text of this article grasped tightly this subject with the artistic conception and the atmosphere of unity so as to move the readers deeply by his solitary feeling at the end of the text. "The injury due to anxiety and exhaustion by the human affairs to people is the more critical than the plants destroyed by the autumn sound''. It was the author's sigh with regret to people lives when he was after the experience of several decades in his ups and downs of officialdom.

正文及其英译：

欧阳子方夜读书[3],闻有声自西南来者。悚然而听之[4],曰:“异哉!” 初淅沥以萧飒[5],忽奔腾而砰湃[6],如波涛夜惊,风雨骤至。其触于物也, 鏦鏦铮铮，金铁皆鸣[7];又如赴敌之兵,街枚疾走[8],不闻号令,但闻人马之行声。余谓童子:"此何声也? 汝出视之。“童子曰:"星月皎洁,明河在天[9],四无人声,声在树间。”
While I, the Ouyangcius, read at night, there was the sound come from Southwest. I listened horrifyingly to it, and said, “How strange it is!” At the beginning, the sound was just like the pattering rain and the soughing wind; suddenly, it became surging forward and rolling around, as if people were frightened by the huge waves in the terrible night and the violent storm would come soon. When touching objects, it sent out the tone of "Congcong" and "Zhengzheng", just like the sound of colliding between metals. The sound was also like the trotting soldiers, who hold the gags in the mouths and go to fight the enemy. I could not hear the orders but only heard the sound of the marching troops. I asked my young servant, "Where the sound comes from? Go out and see around!" Soon He returned, and answered, "The stars and the Moon are still bright and clear; the Milky Way is still in the sky. Nobody is around; the sound comes between the trees!"

余曰:“噫嘻悲哉[10]!此秋声也,胡为而来哉[11]?”盖夫秋之为状也:其色惨淡[12],烟霏云敛[13];其容清明,天高日晶;其气慄冽[14],砭人肌骨[15];其意萧条,山川寂寥[16]。故其为声也,凄凄切切,呼号愤发。丰草绿缛而争茂[17],佳木葱茏而可悦[18];草拂之而色变[19],木遭之而叶脱;其所以摧败零落者,乃其一气之余烈[20]。夫秋,刑官也[21],于时为阴[22];又兵象也[23],于行用金[24];是谓天地之义气[25],常以肃杀而为心[26]。天之于物,春生秋实。故其在乐也,商声主西方之音;夷则为七月之律[27]。商,伤也[28],物既老而悲伤;夷,戮也[29],物过盛而当杀[30]。

I said, "Alas! And also, lackaday! It is the autumn sound, why it comes here now?" Yet, the state of the autumn: the scenery is gloomy; the colors fade amid gathering steam and drifting clouds; the appearance is clear and bright; the sky is high and the Sun is brilliant; the breath is extremely cold even to cut people's bone; the prospect is desolate and the landscape is silent and lonely. So the autumn sound is mournful and wails with anger. Originally, the abundant grass was green and luxuriant to strive for luxuriance, and the nice and beautiful trees were verdant and delighted by the people. However the grass touched with the autumn sound slightly, it would change their color; and the trees met the autumn sounds but only a while, they would drop their leaves. Why can the autumn sound urge objects to damage, bare trees and wither the grass? It is because of the residual strength of the autumn sound's breath. Autumn is a punishment officer, who belongs to the Feminine or Negative in time. Autumn is also the symbol of the military affairs, which belong to the Metal in the five basic elements. So the breath of autumn is harsh and raw, always taking stern punishment as its aim of action. All objects in the world treated by the heaven almost grow up in the spring and are harvested in autumn. So, in music, the tone of "Shuang" primarily takes charge of the Western and "Yi" is the tonality of the seventh month. "Shuang" expresses injury. Therefore, when the objects already become old, and then the sadness will come into being. "Yi" is also being slaughtered: when the objects are excess，then the surplus will be killed.

"嗟乎!草木无情,有时飘零。人为动物,惟物之灵[31],百忧感其心,万事劳其形,有动于中,必摇其精[32]。而况思其力之所不及,忧其智之所不能,宜其渥然丹者为槁木,黟然黑者为星星[33]。奈何以非金石之质,欲与草木争荣。念谁为之戕贼,亦何恨乎秋声[34]!"
"Alas! The grass and trees are heartless, sometimes become faded and fallen. People being animals are the most intelligent of all objects in the world. Numerous anxieties would affect their hearts and all things would tire of their bodies; shaking in the heart surely would injure their energy. Moreover, thinking what is beyond their power and worrying about what is unable to be gotten by their intelligence, certainly make the rosy facial features becomes faded and the black hair turns to hoary. The people's bodies are not made up by metal and stone, why they compete with grass and trees for glory? One should think who is injuring him, so there is no need to hate the autumn sound again.''

童子莫对[35],垂头而睡。但闻四壁虫声唧唧,如助余之叹息。
The young servant was silent, lowered down his head and fell asleep. Then I only heard the chirps of the insect sound on walls like helps to my sigh of sorrow！

中文注释：

[1]本文作于宋仁宗嘉祐四年(1059)。以秋声发端，描绘暮秋山川寂寥、草木凋零的萧条景象，极渲染之能事。
[2]欧阳修(1007-1072),字永叔，号醉翁，晚年又号六一居士，庐陵(今江西吉安县)人，是北宋诗文革新运动的领导人，作品以散文的成就最高，为唐宋八大家之一。宋仁宗天圣八年进士。庆历初年为谏官，政治上站在范仲淹一边，主张革新。因受政敌排斥，屡遭贬谪，曾做地方官多年。晚年政治上趋向保守。有《欧阳文忠公集》。
[3]欧阳子：作者自称。
[4]悚然：吃惊的样子。
[5]淅沥：象形词，形容雨、雪、落叶等声音。萧飒：风声。
[6]砰湃：同"澎湃"。浪涛冲激声。
[7]鏦鏦铮铮(cōng zhēng聪争):金属相击声。
[8]衔枚：古代行军时为了防止喧哗，叫士兵嘴里衔着一支筷子似的东西，称"衔枚"。
[9]明河：明亮的银河。
[10]噫嘻：感叹声。
[11]胡为：为何，怎样。
[12]惨淡：阴暗无色；凄惨。
[13]烟霏云敛：烟飞云聚，指阴天。
[14]慄冽：寒冷。
[15]砭：以针刺治病，这里作刺讲。
[16]寂寥：寂静空旷。
[17]绿缛：碧绿茂密。
[18]葱茏：形容草木青翠而茂盛。
[19]拂之：碰上秋声。拂：去。
[20]一气：指秋气。余烈：余威。
[21]刑官：周代以天地四时之名命六官，司寇为秋官，掌刑狱，后世因以秋官为刑部的通称，故秋属刑官。
[22]于时为阴：古人用阴阳二气的升降消长来解释季节的变化，并以阴阳二气配四时，春夏为阳，秋冬为阴。故秋在四时中受阴气支配。
[23]兵象：战争的象征。古代征伐、治兵，多在秋天，秋天属金，故言秋为兵象。
[24]于行用金：在五行中属金。古人用金、木、水、火、土五行的学说来解释社会和自然现象，并用五行配四时，秋属金。
[25]义气：指秋为阴阳二气的正常变化。
[26]肃杀：严酷萧瑟的样子，指万物凋敝。
[27]"故其"三句：意谓因此表现在音乐上，"五音"中的商代表西方的声音，"十二律"中的夷则属于七月的律调。按古人把音乐的音调分为五音十二律，用五音与四时相配，用十二律与十二月相配。五音中的商音属秋，(秋的方位属西)，十二月律的夷则与七月相配。
[28]商，伤也：商的意思就是悲伤。
[29]夷，戮也：夷的意思就是杀戮。
[30]物过盛而当杀：万物的盛衰是合理的自然现象。
[31]"人为"两句意谓：人是动物，在万物中是最有灵性的。
[32]"百忧"四句意谓：人有忧愁劳苦，比草木更容易衰老。精：指人的精神、元气。
[33]"宜其"两句意谓：难怪人们红润的面容忽然变得象枯木一样，乌黑的头发很快变白。渥(wō窝)然丹者：红润的脸色。渥：沾润，浓抹。丹：朱红色。黟(yī衣)：黑的样子。星星：形容鬓发花白。
[34]"念谁"两句意谓：是谁使人受到这样的残害，还不是由于人的忧劳，又何必去怨恨无知的秋声呢？戕贼：残害。何：何必。
[35]莫对：不回答。