琵琶行(并序) - 白居易
一曲離愁宛轉，凝聚江湖悲歡交織
元和十年，余左遷九江郡司馬。
In the tenth year of Yuanhe, I was demoted to the position of Sima in Jiujiang Prefecture.
明年秋，送客湓浦口，聞舟中夜彈琵琶者。
The following autumn, while bidding farewell to a friend at Penpu Port, I heard someone playing the pipa at night on a nearby boat.
聽其音，錚錚然有京都聲。
Its crisp, resonant notes echoed the style of the capital.
問其人，本長安倡女，嘗學琵琶於穆、曹二善才。
I inquired and learned that the player was formerly a courtesan from Chang'an, who had studied the pipa under two renowned masters, Mu and Cao.
年長色衰，委身為賈人婦。
But as her youth and beauty had faded, she eventually married a traveling merchant.
遂命酒，使快彈數曲。
So I had wine served and asked her to play a few pieces with abandon.
曲罷憫然，自敘少小落拓，嫁作商人婦，艱於奔命，於今憔悴。
When she finished, she spoke sorrowfully of her younger, carefree days, how she was wed to a merchant, enduring a life of hardship, leaving her now worn and weary.
於是飲酒樂甚，蹙然歎息，握手別。
We then drank heartily, yet she sighed with deep regret; soon, we clasped hands in farewell.
茲夜曲中，語有悲酸。余佇立舟中，悵然久之。
Within her music that night, one sensed profound sadness. I stood long upon the boat, lost in melancholic thought.
潯陽江頭夜送客，楓葉荻花秋瑟瑟。
By Xunyang River at night, bidding a friend farewell; maple leaves and reed blossoms rustle in the autumn breeze.
主人下馬客在船，舉酒欲飲無管絃。
The host dismounts while the guest boards his boat; raising cups to drink, yet we have no music.
醉不成歡慘將別，別時茫茫江浸月。
Drunkenness fails to bring joy as we part in sorrow; the moon washes over the vast river at this moment of farewell.
忽聞水上琵琶聲，主人忘歸客不發。
Suddenly, from the water comes the sound of a pipa; the host forgets to go home, the guest delays his departure.
尋聲暗問彈者誰？琵琶聲停欲語遲。
Following the music’s echo, I quietly inquire: Who plays this instrument? The notes cease; a hesitant voice lingers.
移船相近邀相見，添酒回燈重開宴。
I move my boat closer to meet her, add more wine and relight the lamp to resume our feast.
千呼萬喚始出來，猶抱琵琶半遮面。
After countless calls, she emerges at last, clutching her pipa, half hiding her face.
轉軸撥弦三兩聲，未成曲調先有情。
Adjusting the tuning pegs, she plucks a few notes; before forming a melody, her emotion is already conveyed.
弦弦掩抑聲聲思，似訴平生不得志。
String by string, she muffles her sorrow; each note speaks her life’s unfulfilled dreams.
低眉信手續續彈，說盡心中無限事。
With lowered gaze, her fingers roam in continuous flow, telling the vast stories of her heart.
輕攏慢撚抹復挑，初為霓裳後六么。
She gently strums, slowly plucks, brushes then picks; first playing the Neishang tune, then the Liuyang refrain.
大弦嘈嘈如急雨，小弦切切如私語。
The heavier strings clash like a sudden downpour; the finer strings murmur like private whispers.
嘈嘈切切錯雜彈，大珠小珠落玉盤。
Tumbling together in discordant harmony, like pearls both large and small falling onto a jade plate.
間關鶯語花底滑，幽咽泉流冰下難。
Trilling like orioles singing under blossoms, sorrowful like a hidden spring flowing beneath ice.
水泉冷澀絃凝絕，凝絕不通聲暫歇。
The cold, rough waters still the strings, and the notes become suspended in a momentary silence.
別有幽愁暗恨生，此時無聲勝有聲。
From silence grows a private anguish, for at times no sound speaks more powerfully than any sound could.
銀瓶乍破水漿迸，鐵騎突出刀槍鳴。
As if a silver vase shatters, water bursting forth; as if cavalry charges, blades and spears clashing.
曲終收撥當心畫，四弦一聲如裂帛。
At the finale, she lifts her pick as if drawing a line through her heart; the last chord cracks sharp like tearing silk.
東舟西舫悄無言，唯見江心秋月白。
Boats to the east and west fall silent; only the autumn moon illuminates the river’s center in pale light.
沉吟放撥插絃中，整頓衣裳起斂容。
She muses, sets down her plectrum among the strings, composes herself, adjusting her robe, and stands with solemn grace.
自言本是京城女，家在蝸角富貴門。
She says she was once a maiden of the capital, from a wealthy yet cramped household.
十三學得琵琶成，名屈教坊第一部。
At thirteen she mastered the pipa, rising to fame in the first rank of the Imperial Music Academy.
曲罷常教善才伏，妝成每被秋娘妒。
Her performances left skilled musicians in awe, and her adorned beauty incited envy in seasoned performers.
五陵年少爭纏頭，一曲紅綃不知數。
The young nobles of Wuling vied to tip her lavishly, so many scarlet sashes she lost count.
鈿頭銀篦擊節碎，血色羅裙翻酒污。
Jeweled hairpins and silver combs clapped to the rhythm until they shattered, while her crimson silk skirt was stained by spilled wine.
今年歡笑復明年，秋月春風等閒度。
Year after year she reveled in laughter, letting autumn moons and spring breezes pass unheeded.
弟走從軍阿姨死，暮去朝來顏色故。
Her brother left to join the army, her aunt passed away; day followed night, and her once youthful complexion changed.
門前冷落車馬稀，老大嫁作商人婦。
Her front gate grew silent, with few horses or carriages arriving; as she aged, she married a merchant.
商人重利輕別離，前月浮梁買茶去。
Merchants prize profit and take leave lightly; last month he traveled to Fuliang to buy tea.
去來江口守空船，繞船月明江水寒。
Departing and returning, she waits alone in an empty boat; around her, the moonlit river is chill.
夜深忽夢少年事，夢啼妝淚紅闌干。
Late at night she dreams of her youth, waking in tears, her makeup running like crimson streaks.
我聞琵琶已嘆息，又聞此語重唧唧。
I had sighed upon hearing her pipa; hearing her story, I sighed again in deeper lament.
同是天涯淪落人，相逢何必曾相識。
We are both exiles wandering at the ends of the earth—why need we have known each other before?
我從去年辭帝京，謫居臥病潯陽城。
Since leaving the Imperial City last year, I have been ill in exile in Xunyang.
潯陽地僻無音樂，終歲不聞絲竹聲。
In remote Xunyang, there is no music; all year I hear no sound of strings or flutes.
住近湓江地低溼，黃蘆苦竹繞宅生。
I dwell near the low, damp banks of the Pen River, where yellow reeds and bitter bamboo encircle my home.
其間旦暮聞何物？杜鵑啼血猿哀鳴。
From dawn to dusk, what do I hear? Cuckoos crying blood, and the mournful calls of apes.
春江花朝秋月夜，往往取酒還獨傾。
On spring mornings when blossoms bloom by the river and autumn nights under the moon, I often drink alone.
豈無山歌與村笛？嘔啞嘲哳難為聽。
Though there are rustic songs and village flutes, their harsh, discordant sounds are hard to endure.
今夜聞君琵琶語，如聽仙樂耳暫明。
But tonight, hearing your pipa is like hearing the music of immortals; it clears my ears in an instant.
莫辭更坐彈一曲，為君翻作琵琶行。
Pray, do not refuse to sit once more and play; for you, I shall compose this “Ballad of the Pipa.”
感我此言良久立，卻坐促絃絃轉急。
Moved by my words, she stands in silent thought; returning to her seat, she tightens the strings, quickening their pace.
淒淒不似向前聲，滿座重聞皆掩泣。
Sorrowful now, unlike her earlier tune; all present listen again and are moved to tears.
座中泣下誰最多？江州司馬青衫濕。
Who weeps the most among those gathered? The Sima of Jiangzhou, with his blue robe soaked through.
〈琵琶行(並序)〉是白居易長篇敘事詩的代表作之一，開篇「並序」就交代了詩人因政治貶謫至九江，偶然聽到琵琶女彈奏的經過。全詩以「聽琵琶」為主線，結合音樂、人生與社會現實三層面，藉此抒發詩人被貶謫的鬱悶以及對流落他鄉者的同情。琵琶女原是京城裡出類拔萃的音樂人才，後因年華老去、生活所迫而嫁給商人，過著孤寂辛酸的日子；白居易自己則被朝廷貶至潯陽，宦途受挫。當兩人在夜色江邊相逢，各自的失落與身世際遇產生共鳴，使琵琶樂聲顯得格外淒婉動人。
詩的重心在於「音樂」和「人生」的相互映照。琵琶的旋律描繪了弦弦掩抑、或急或緩的音色，既如急雨敲窗，又似私語細說，進而幻化為珍珠落盤、銀瓶乍破等強烈的聽覺畫面，讓讀者彷彿親臨現場，感受到音樂中暗含的悲歡離合。這些具體音響的描寫，不僅體現詩人高超的觀察力，更傳遞出琵琶女深藏的無奈與哀愁，也呼應了白居易自身在官場失意、遠客他鄉的寂寞失落。
另一方面，詩中「同是天涯淪落人，相逢何必曾相識」一語，道盡了詩人對底層眾生的悲憫與共鳴，也表現他關懷社會、洞察人情的特質。白居易的作品常見「諷諭」和「關懷百姓」的理念，而〈琵琶行〉則以細膩婉轉的藝術形式，探究人心在挫折與滄桑中的纖微感受。讀者在吟詩之際，不只欣賞到極富音樂性的詩行，也能體會詩人以琴聲寫人生的深厚情懷。最後的「江州司馬青衫濕」，以白居易自謂「青衫」之形象，強烈點出詩人那份難以排解的苦悶、憂愁與同情，將全詩情感推向高潮，餘韻深遠。
白居易善於用簡潔淺白又鋪陳深厚的手法，使得此詩兼具文學美感與敘事性。從並序的起筆，到琵琶女身世陳述，再到音樂盛宴和最後的情感交融，結構嚴謹而層次分明。這種融合敘事、抒情、議論的創作方式，在唐代詩壇中獨具風采，同時也向後世提供了音樂意象如何與人生歷程相互呼應的絕佳範例。
通過詩中對琴聲的生動描繪、琵琶女的失意身世，以及詩人自己宦途受挫的背景，整篇作品展現了在現實壓力下，藝術與靈魂相互支撐的動人畫面。正因為兩人皆有「漂泊淪落」的命運，琵琶的聲音才如此觸動人心，也使詩人無法自抑地哀傷落淚。雖然題為「琵琶行」，卻跳脫單純的器樂描述，轉而成為敘寫人生聚散、國家政治與民間百態的縮影，充分體現白居易的主張——以詩文直面人生，讓詩歌與社會關懷相結合。
重點
• 詩以琵琶彈奏貫穿整體，音色與哀情交織
• 白居易與琵琶女皆身世淪落，因而產生深刻共鳴
• 整首詩兼具敘事、抒情與議論，結構嚴整又情感充沛
• 「同是天涯淪落人」成為千古傳誦的經典名句，體現對世間眾生的悲憫與同理
意見評論
邱建華薇若真每次讀《琵琶行(並序)》，心頭就響起淒美而飽含滄桑的絃音。
台北故宮物珍藏史文物若沒有親身體驗人情冷暖，很難寫出如此動人的詩章，白居易的社會關懷在此處可見一斑。
段依婷宥心芳再多的話都比不上那幽幽琵琶聲，一曲之後，世間冷暖已盡收心底。
思穎琵琶女彈奏時的複雜心緒，從詩中穿透出來，讓人感到深深的同情與歎惋。
許文婷彤桂芝好像能看到月夜江邊，琵琶女低聲淺唱的身影，我的心也跟著微微顫動。
雲林北港宮媽文化典熱“滿座重聞皆掩泣”或許是最寫實的場景，孤獨也好，同情也罷，都在那瞬間爆發。
洪德偉彩若瑄若與白居易的《長恨歌》相比，《琵琶行》更寫實、更貼近人間悲喜，沒有那般宏大的愛恨交織，卻格外觸人情腸。(比較詩作1)
澎湖火海煙火璨浪漫人讀時彷彿也坐在那艘船上，看著琵琶女表演，然後才曉得她背後隱藏的種種不堪。
惠琳最打動人的是那悲涼的旋律，仿佛浸透了詩人和琵琶女的命運交錯，也是一曲自嘆。
新北市淡水老街陽景漫隨著情節推進，我彷彿看見琵琶女曾經的風華，如今卻只剩孤影彈奏於寒夜。
王子洋詩題雖名為《琵琶行(並序)》，但其實敘事成分極高，帶領讀者宛如閱讀一段凄美故事。
宏傑每個人生命裡都有無法言說的傷痕，《琵琶行》將這份痛楚化作無與倫比的詩音。
謝若璇比起李商隱的華麗隱晦，白居易更擅長平易近人的鋪陳，將生活現實與人情悲歡描繪得淋漓盡致。(比較詩作3)
采蓉這首詩每回讀都有新發現，也讓我重新審視所謂的“人生百態”，如同流轉的音符一般莫測。
郭承宇玟志鳳這首詩不僅寫琵琶女的身世，更透出白居易對世態炎涼的深刻體悟，那種人情冷暖如音符般起伏，時而悲切，時而隱忍，讓人一旦沉浸就難以抽離。
欣怡白居易以貼近人心的語言，勾勒琵琶女一生坎坷，讓我們仿佛也分擔了她的寂寞。
李雅雯思敏安我反覆咀嚼“同是天涯淪落人”，那是一種跨越身分、跨越時代的人性共鳴。
鄭嘉英長達數百字，卻句句皆動人心魂，無論何時讀，都能激起強烈的共鳴。
杰倫現代流行音樂雖然形式多元，但有時回頭品味古典的琵琶之聲，仍是難以取代的動人，教人想起傳統文化的珍貴。(現代事件1)
莊嘉雯我特別喜歡“千呼萬喚始出來”這句，短短幾個字便將琵琶女的神韻與羞澀表露無遺。
俊瑋白居易以輕柔筆調刻劃出那一幕幕驚心動魄的情節，不用刻意渲染就足以令人鼻酸。
惠琳有時候，只要看到“夜深忽夢少年事”，我就想到作者在江州的寂寥，人生轉折何其殘酷。
建宏社會講究節奏快速，但有些悲歌是無法匆匆帶過的，就像《琵琶行》一樣，需要人靜下來細聽。
洪嘉傑靈雪儀和杜甫的某些感懷詩相比，白居易更側重平易近人的敘述技巧，讓讀者容易走進詩的場景，感受那淚中帶痛的情懷。(比較詩作2)
家豪即使隔了千年，當絃音響起，仍能震顫當代人心，這便是經典的價值所在。
曾經滄海為水除卻巫山夜深時反覆品味，耳邊似乎真能聽到那琵琶輕敲，回盪在寂寥心湖，難以平息。
呂依彤現在網路上也有許多街頭藝人用不同樂器演奏古曲，反而更讓人想起《琵琶行》所描繪的現場感。(現代事件2)
季軒長詩結構精巧卻不顯雜亂，敘事與抒情完美結合，值得一讀再讀。
金門大砲鄉軍文化遺址真希望現代人能重新發現這種古典藝術的美妙，別讓短暫的潮流淹沒了千年的心聲。
黃文龍全篇閱讀下來，其實不只有嘆息，也有一股理解與溫柔的力量，像在撫慰每個疲憊的靈魂。
子豪能把一段偶遇寫得如此動人，我想除了詩才高妙，還需要白居易敏銳的悲憫心。
韓雪兒柏景芬每當詩末提到“同是天涯淪落人”，我都想起那些在都市裡孤軍奮鬥的人，誰不渴望一點理解呢？
廖可欣有時候聽到街頭的古典樂演奏，腦中就浮現《琵琶行》裡那淒淒沾衣的旋律，讓我感慨不已。
程俊偉美欣蓉人生浮沉，就像琵琶絃上或高亢或低迴的音色，《琵琶行》恰好描出了其中的酸甜苦辣。
屏東墾丁大街海灘對歡除了淚水，更感到詩中“同是天涯淪落人”的惺惺相惜，不論古今，這種感受都那麼真實。
鄭力帆玟書蘭琵琶聲淒婉，然而最心酸的還是背後的人生，讓人深感世事難料。
江妍欣我常想，如果換成現代社交平台，琵琶女或許也能擁有一批死忠粉絲，但那深藏的悲苦，依舊難以完全被理解。(現代事件3)
趙子淇佩玲妙我總覺得白居易寫作時，一邊落淚一邊記錄，才有如此深刻而悠長的悲緒。
- 李雅雯思敏安
琵琶聲裡，有淚、有嘆，彷彿將人瞬間帶回那個燈火搖曳的場景。
曾雅茹涵秋陽那青衫淚痕不只是作者的，也可能是每個讀者在看完詩後的心境寫照。
林依晨真的是大美女哦滿篇看似講他人，卻也映照作者自身遭遇，難怪他青衫盡是淚痕。
張志強不只是悲情，更有一種氣度與胸懷在其中，彷彿可以包容所有漂泊與痛苦。
洪詩婷這首詩讓我更珍惜那些小小相遇，有時幾句寒暄就能給對方不少溫暖。
廖可欣或許當時的江州並不熱鬧，但因為這段巧遇，讓我們得以窺見埋藏在水波之下的悲歡。
沈庭威紫育華整篇敘事流暢，彷彿我也站在船上，靜靜聆聽那把琵琶彈出世間百態。
嘉文語言雖然平易，但情緒的起承轉合十分波瀾壯闊，像聽一場古典音樂會一般。
阮欣柔江州司馬青衫濕，那一句總讓我想像詩人衣襟染淚，再怎麼掩飾都藏不住。
鐘品妍“嘈嘈切切錯雜彈”顯示了琵琶女的高超技藝，也象徵人生的種種艱難交織，讓人唏噓。
苗栗客家化區驗多元俗我好奇當時的夜色究竟有多深邃，才能襯托出琵琶聲的淒絕與淚意。