Xià Rì Juéjù
夏日绝句
Lǐ Qīnɡzhào (Sònɡ)
李清照(宋)

Shēnɡ dānɡ zuò rén jié,
生当作人杰,
sǐ yì wéi ɡuǐ xiónɡ.
死亦为鬼雄。
Zhìjīn sī Xiànɡ Yǔ,
至今思项羽,
bù kěn ɡuò jiānɡdōnɡ.
不肯过江东。 

Evaluation

人活着就要做人中的豪杰,为国家建功立业;死也要为国而死,成为鬼中的英雄。人们到现在还思念项羽,他在遭到失败之时,宁可自杀也不愿苟且偷生,逃回江东。
One should strive to be a person of outstanding talent and courage during one’s lifetime. If a person has to die, he should die for his country and thus become a ghost hero. People still remember Xiangyu, for he refused to flee across Wujiang River and chose to commit suicide with dignity instead of living in disgrace.

这首诗的作者李清照,是著名的女诗人,她生活在南宋。当时的统治者面对外来侵略,不顾百姓死活,只顾逃跑。诗歌用项羽的例子讽刺了南宋统治者,表达了对他们的不满和失望,以及希望英雄人物出现收复失地的爱国之情。
This poem was written by the famous poetess, Li Qingzhao, who lived in the Southern Song dynasty. The rulers of Southern Song fled and abandoned the common people when the country was threatened by foreign intrusion. The poetess uses Xiangyu as an example to satirize the rulers of the Southern Song dynasty and expresses her discontent and disappointment in them. It also indicates her love for her country as well as her longing for heroic figures to recover their lost territory.

Explanation

豪杰(háojié): n. person of outstanding talent
苟且(gǒuqiě): adv. perfunctorily
统治者(tǒnɡzhìzhě): n. ruler
侵略(qīnlüè): v. invade
讽刺(fěnɡcì): v. satirize
不满(bùmǎn) adj. dissatisfied

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