蝉
本以高难饱，
徒劳恨费声。
五更疏欲断，
一树碧无情。
薄宦梗犹泛，
故园芜已平。
烦君最相警，
我亦举家清。
Born high, you scarce can feed on dew;
In vain you grieve and shrill anew.
At the fifth watch your notes grow weak;
The green tree shows no pity's streak.
A petty clerk, I drift like weed;
My old home lies overgrown indeed.
I thank you, cicada, for warning me clear;
My whole house stays pure and austere.
逐句注释
本以高难饱，
本：本来。高：既指蝉栖高树，也暗喻品格高洁。难饱：蝉餐风饮露，难以饱腹。此句以蝉喻人，写高洁之士因不肯苟合而生活清贫。
Ben originally; gao means both the cicada's high perch and moral loftiness. The cicada feeds on dew and can hardly be full. The line uses the insect as a metaphor for a pure scholar whose integrity brings poverty.
徒劳恨费声。
徒劳：白白费力。恨：怨恨、遗憾。费声：耗费鸣声。蝉悲鸣而无人理会，暗喻诗人屡次陈情却无人赏识，运用拟人手法。
In vain it grieves and wastes its voice. The cicada's cry goes unheard, symbolizing the poet's repeated appeals that meet no recognition. Personification is used here.
五更疏欲断，
五更：天将亮时。疏：稀疏。欲断：将要断绝。写蝉声在黎明前越来越稀疏微弱，营造凄清衰飒的听觉意象。
At the fifth watch, near dawn, the cicada's notes become sparse and nearly break off. The auditory imagery creates a bleak, fading atmosphere.
一树碧无情。
碧：碧绿，指树叶浓绿。无情：拟人，写树色自碧，对蝉的悲鸣无动于衷。以树的冷漠反衬蝉的孤苦，也暗喻世态炎凉。
The tree stays green and unmoved, as if without feeling. Personification contrasts the indifferent lush tree with the suffering cicada, suggesting the coldness of the world.
薄宦梗犹泛，
薄宦：卑微的官职。梗：树枝、草茎。泛：漂浮。梗泛比喻漂泊无定。此句由咏蝉转入自伤，写自己官卑职微、身世飘零。
A petty official, I drift like a floating twig. Geng fan is a metaphor for an unsettled, wandering life. The poem turns from the cicada to the poet's own low position and rootlessness.
故园芜已平，
故园：故乡田园。芜：荒芜。平：草木蔓延平满。写故乡田园荒废，归路渺茫，表达思乡与不得归的悲慨。
My old garden has grown over until the weeds lie level. The desolate homeland suggests the poet's longing to return and his grief that return is impossible.
烦君最相警，
烦：烦劳、麻烦。君：对蝉的尊称，拟人。相警：警示我。诗人感谢蝉鸣警醒自己，不要因仕途失意而改变高洁操守。
I trouble you, cicada, to warn me most of all. Jun personifies the insect. The poet thanks the cicada for reminding him to keep his integrity despite official frustration.
我亦举家清。
举家：全家。清：清贫、清白。此句与首句呼应，表明自己虽清贫，仍与蝉一样坚持高洁清白，托物言志。
My whole household remains pure and poor. Qing means both material poverty and moral purity. This echoes the opening and expresses the poet's resolve to preserve integrity, using the object to state his aspiration.
今日赏析
李商隐一生仕途坎坷，长期担任幕僚和低级官职，辗转漂泊，生活清贫，又常怀故园之思。《蝉》是咏物诗名篇，大约作于他仕途失意、羁旅漂泊之时。诗人借蝉餐风饮露、高栖难饱、悲鸣无应的形象自喻，抒发官职卑微、身世飘零、故乡难归的悲慨，同时表明自己虽清贫而不改高洁操守。
Li Shangyin's official career was frustrated throughout his life; he served mostly in low-ranking posts and as a staff member, wandering from place to place in poverty and often longing for home. Cicada is a famous Tang poem on objects, probably written during a period of career disappointment and travel. The poet uses the cicada, which feeds on dew, perches high, can hardly be full, and cries unheard, as a self-image. He expresses grief over his low office, drifting life, and inability to return home, while affirming that despite poverty he will keep his moral purity.
每日唐诗精选唐代经典作品，提供原文、英文翻译、逐句注释与赏析，适合古诗词学习、双语阅读和日常诗意积累。