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

簡介及其英譯：
《秋聲賦》是宋代文賦的典范。文章第一段寫作者夜讀時聽到秋聲，從而展開了對秋聲的描繪。第二段是對秋聲的描繪和對秋氣的議論。從“草木無情”到“黟然黑者為星星”，作者將無情的草木和有靈的人類作對比，從而推出題旨：“奈何以非金石之質，欲與草木而爭榮。念誰為之戕賊，亦何恨乎秋聲！”這一段，作者在極力渲染秋氣對自然界植物的摧殘的基礎上，指出對于人來說，人事憂勞的傷害，比秋氣對植物的摧殘更為嚴重得多；因而，想想這是誰對他們的傷害，就不會去怨恨秋聲了，這也就是作者要表達的文中主題。全文緊扣題目，意境、氣氛統一；而結尾表現的孤獨感，更深深感染讀者。人事憂勞對人的傷害更甚于秋氣對草木的摧殘,這是作者經歷了數十年宦海沉浮后對人生的慨嘆。
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.

正文及其英譯：

歐陽子方夜讀書[3],聞有聲自西南來者。悚然而聽之[4],曰:“異哉!” 初淅瀝以蕭颯[5],忽奔騰而砰湃[6],如波濤夜驚,風雨驟至。其觸于物也, 鏦鏦錚錚，金鐵皆鳴[7];又如赴敵之兵,街枚疾走[8],不聞號令,但聞人馬之行聲。余謂童子:"此何聲也? 汝出視之。“童子曰:"星月皎潔,明河在天[9],四無人聲,聲在樹間。”
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]!此秋聲也,胡為而來哉[11]?”蓋夫秋之為狀也:其色慘淡[12],煙霏云斂[13];其容清明,天高日晶;其氣慄冽[14],砭人肌骨[15];其意蕭條,山川寂寥[16]。故其為聲也,凄凄切切,呼號憤發。豐草綠縟而爭茂[17],佳木蔥蘢而可悅[18];草拂之而色變[19],木遭之而葉脫;其所以摧敗零落者,乃其一氣之余烈[20]。夫秋,刑官也[21],于時為陰[22];又兵象也[23],于行用金[24];是謂天地之義氣[25],常以肅殺而為心[26]。天之于物,春生秋實。故其在樂也,商聲主西方之音;夷則為七月之律[27]。商,傷也[28],物既老而悲傷;夷,戮也[29],物過盛而當殺[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!草木無情,有時飄零。人為動物,惟物之靈[31],百憂感其心,萬事勞其形,有動于中,必搖其精[32]。而況思其力之所不及,憂其智之所不能,宜其渥然丹者為槁木,黟然黑者為星星[33]。奈何以非金石之質,欲與草木爭榮。念誰為之戕賊,亦何恨乎秋聲[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.''

童子莫對[35],垂頭而睡。但聞四壁蟲聲唧唧,如助余之嘆息。
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！

中文注釋：

[1]本文作于宋仁宗嘉祐四年(1059)。以秋聲發端，描繪暮秋山川寂寥、草木凋零的蕭條景象，極渲染之能事。
[2]歐陽修(1007-1072),字永叔，號醉翁，晚年又號六一居士，廬陵(今江西吉安縣)人，是北宋詩文革新運動的領導人，作品以散文的成就最高，為唐宋八大家之一。宋仁宗天圣八年進士。慶歷初年為諫官，政治上站在范仲淹一邊，主張革新。因受政敵排斥，屢遭貶謫，曾做地方官多年。晚年政治上趨向保守。有《歐陽文忠公集》。
[3]歐陽子：作者自稱。
[4]悚然：吃驚的樣子。
[5]淅瀝：象形詞，形容雨、雪、落葉等聲音。蕭颯：風聲。
[6]砰湃：同"澎湃"。浪濤沖激聲。
[7]鏦鏦錚錚(cōng zhēng聰爭):金屬相擊聲。
[8]銜枚：古代行軍時為了防止喧嘩，叫士兵嘴里銜著一支筷子似的東西，稱"銜枚"。
[9]明河：明亮的銀河。
[10]噫嘻：感嘆聲。
[11]胡為：為何，怎樣。
[12]慘淡：陰暗無色；凄慘。
[13]煙霏云斂：煙飛云聚，指陰天。
[14]慄冽：寒冷。
[15]砭：以針刺治病，這里作刺講。
[16]寂寥：寂靜空曠。
[17]綠縟：碧綠茂密。
[18]蔥蘢：形容草木青翠而茂盛。
[19]拂之：碰上秋聲。拂：去。
[20]一氣：指秋氣。余烈：余威。
[21]刑官：周代以天地四時之名命六官，司寇為秋官，掌刑獄，后世因以秋官為刑部的通稱，故秋屬刑官。
[22]于時為陰：古人用陰陽二氣的升降消長來解釋季節的變化，并以陰陽二氣配四時，春夏為陽，秋冬為陰。故秋在四時中受陰氣支配。
[23]兵象：戰爭的象征。古代征伐、治兵，多在秋天，秋天屬金，故言秋為兵象。
[24]于行用金：在五行中屬金。古人用金、木、水、火、土五行的學說來解釋社會和自然現象，并用五行配四時，秋屬金。
[25]義氣：指秋為陰陽二氣的正常變化。
[26]肅殺：嚴酷蕭瑟的樣子，指萬物凋敝。
[27]"故其"三句：意謂因此表現在音樂上，"五音"中的商代表西方的聲音，"十二律"中的夷則屬于七月的律調。按古人把音樂的音調分為五音十二律，用五音與四時相配，用十二律與十二月相配。五音中的商音屬秋，(秋的方位屬西)，十二月律的夷則與七月相配。
[28]商，傷也：商的意思就是悲傷。
[29]夷，戮也：夷的意思就是殺戮。
[30]物過盛而當殺：萬物的盛衰是合理的自然現象。
[31]"人為"兩句意謂：人是動物，在萬物中是最有靈性的。
[32]"百憂"四句意謂：人有憂愁勞苦，比草木更容易衰老。精：指人的精神、元氣。
[33]"宜其"兩句意謂：難怪人們紅潤的面容忽然變得象枯木一樣，烏黑的頭發很快變白。渥(wō窩)然丹者：紅潤的臉色。渥：沾潤，濃抹。丹：朱紅色。黟(yī衣)：黑的樣子。星星：形容鬢發花白。
[34]"念誰"兩句意謂：是誰使人受到這樣的殘害，還不是由于人的憂勞，又何必去怨恨無知的秋聲呢？戕賊：殘害。何：何必。
[35]莫對：不回答。