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元 Yuan · 曲 Qu song

滚绣球·有日月朝暮悬

Rolling Silk Ball: Sun and Moon Hang from Dawn to Dusk

关汉卿

Guan Hanqing

杂剧Zaju (variety play) 控诉Accusation 反抗Rebellion

有日月朝暮悬，有鬼神掌着生死权。
天地也，只合把清浊分辨，可怎生糊突了盗跖颜渊？
为善的受贫穷更命短，造恶的享富贵又寿延。
天地也，做得个怕硬欺软，却原来也这般顺水推船。
地也，你不分好歹何为地？
天也，你错勘贤愚枉做天！
哎，只落得两泪涟涟。

Sun and moon hang from dawn to dusk,
Ghosts and gods hold power over life and death.
Heaven and Earth, you should distinguish clear from muddled,
But how could you confuse Dao Zhi and Yan Yuan?
The good suffer poverty and die young,
The evil enjoy wealth and live long.
Heaven and Earth, you bully the weak and fear the strong,
As it turns out, you too go with the current.
Earth, if you can't tell good from bad, what kind of earth are you?
Heaven, if you misjudge the worthy and foolish, you are no heaven!
Alas, all that's left are two streams of tears.

Listen

Meaning

This song, from the third act of Guan Hanqing's play 'The Injustice to Dou E', is Dou E's blood-soaked accusation against Heaven and Earth before her execution. She begins by stating that Heaven and Earth should judge right from wrong, but then laments that they have confused the good with the evil, allowing the wicked to prosper and the virtuous to suffer. The poem is a powerful indictment of an unjust world.

上有日月光辉朝升暮悬，下有鬼神掌管着生死的权柄。天地啊，本该把清浊分辨清楚，可怎生竟混淆了盗跖与颜渊？行善的人受贫穷、更兼短命，作恶的人享富贵、又得长寿延年。天地啊，原也只是怕硬欺软，到头来这般顺水推船。大地啊，你不分好歹凭什么称作地？上天啊，你错判贤愚枉自叫做天！哎，到头来只落得我两眼泪水涟涟。

Appreciation

The poem uses direct address and contrasts to express Dou E's profound despair and rebellion. The juxtaposition of Dao Zhi (a notorious robber) and Yan Yuan (the virtuous disciple of Confucius) highlights the inversion of justice. The repeated calls to Heaven and Earth, culminating in the defiant question 'what kind of earth are you?' and 'you are no heaven!', show the protagonist's uncompromising spirit. The piece ends with tears, adding a touch of tragic humanity.

【白话串讲】窦娥临刑前指天骂地：天地啊，你不分好歹何为地？你错勘贤愚枉做天！关汉卿借着窦娥的嘴，替天下冤屈的人喊出了最大声的质问。【意象与手法】全曲以曲为匕，直斥天地。语言本色泼辣，多用呼告与排比，情感如火山喷发【情感与主旨】此曲出自关汉卿杂剧《窦娥冤》第三折。窦娥蒙冤被判斩刑，临刑前满腔冤愤无处申诉，遂仰天质问日月鬼神与天地公理【名句点睛】常考对天地鬼神的控诉与反抗精神，尤其“质疑天道”的呐喊；名句“地也，你不分好歹何为地？

Background

This song is from the third act of Guan Hanqing's Yuan dynasty play 'The Injustice to Dou E'. Dou E is wrongly condemned to death. At the execution ground, she unleashes this furious denunciation against the cosmic order, which symbolizes the corrupt human society. The play is a pinnacle of realism in Yuan drama, reflecting the social darkness and the voice of the oppressed.

《滚绣球·有日月朝暮悬》出自元代戏曲奠基人关汉卿的杂剧《窦娥冤》第三折，为女主人公窦娥临刑前所唱之曲。关汉卿（约一二二〇—约一三〇〇），号已斋叟，大都人，元杂剧奠基人，一生混迹勾栏瓦舍，自号『普天下郎君领袖，盖世界浪子班头』。此剧写窦娥遭张驴儿诬陷、昏官桃杌枉断，终蒙冤斩刑，临刑前三桩誓愿（血溅白练、六月飞雪、亢旱三年）皆验，后其父窦天章巡按楚州方得雪冤。本支《滚绣球》正处于窦娥衔冤负屈、呼天抢地的情感顶点。在文学传统上，它对天地的控诉遥承屈原《天问》『天何所沓』『阴阳三合，何本何化』的诘天之勇，亦近汉乐府『孤儿遇生离』与杜甫『朱门酒肉臭』的悯冤精神；而杂剧以本色泼辣之曲写底层弱女之怒，则将传统的『怨天』主题推向了反抗的极致，是元杂剧中现实批判与人民性的巅峰表达。又元剧多写才子佳人，关汉卿独以冤狱弱女为主脑，其同情在下层，识见在千古，此曲正其『为民请命』之肝胆所凝。

Art

The language is direct and powerful, using colloquial expressions, rhetorical questions, and parallelism. The repeated exclamations 'Heaven and Earth', 'Earth', 'Heaven' create a rhythm of mounting fury. The use of the proverb 'going with the current' and the phrase 'bully the weak and fear the strong' makes the abstract injustice concrete. This is a rare example of 'heaven-defying' protest in classical Chinese literature.

此曲艺术之冠在『呼告』与『排比』交织的火山式抒情。全曲以『天地也』『地也』『天也』的层层呼告为骨架，将抽象天道拉到面前直斥，打破了诗词含蓄蕴藉的常规，显出杂剧本色当行的酣畅。结构上层层递进：首二句『有日月朝暮悬，有鬼神掌着生死权』先立天地鬼神掌权之常理；继而『只合把清浊分辨，可怎生糊突了盗跖颜渊』以反问揭其失职；『为善的受贫穷更命短，造恶的享富贵又寿延』以对比铺陈善恶颠倒之实；再斥『怕硬欺软』『顺水推船』写其软弱徇私；终以『不分好歹何为地』『错勘贤愚枉做天』两个诘问将控诉推向顶点；结以『两泪涟涟』由怒转悲，余痛不尽。修辞上多用呼告、反问、对比、排比，情感如江河决堤，语言如匕首投枪，是古典戏曲『以情驭文』『当行本色』的典范。其妙更在由立理（天地当公）到揭妄（天地实私）再到审判（天地失格），逻辑如剥笋，层层逼出冤屈之不可忍。

Allusions

Dao Zhi was a legendary robber from the Spring and Autumn period, while Yan Yuan was Confucius's most virtuous disciple. Their names became symbols of good and evil. The poem asks why Heaven and Earth cannot distinguish between them. The phrase 'going with the current' (顺水推船) is a common saying, and 'misjudge the worthy and foolish' (错勘贤愚) is a traditional complaint. Guan Hanqing merges these elements into a personal outcry.

本曲用典与语典皆有所本而能翻案。『盗跖颜渊』为最醒目之典：盗跖，春秋时大盗（见《庄子·盗跖》），代恶人；颜渊，孔子高足，箪食瓢饮、短命而殁（见《论语·雍也》），代善人。『糊突了盗跖颜渊』即混淆善恶，典出传统『善有善报』的伦理期待。『清浊分辨』本《楚辞·渔父》『举世皆浊我独清』及《后汉书》『清浊分流』之清浊对举，指辨明邪正。『日月』『鬼神』掌生死，本于民俗天道观与《庄子》神话，亦含『天地良心』的伦理预设。『顺水推船』为元时俗语，喻随势徇私、不敢主持公道，与『怕硬欺软』对举，以市井语写天道之懦。历来注家指出，窦娥之斥天地，表面怨天，实则是借天怨人——怨那昏聩的官府与颠倒的世道，『天』『地』乃是人间司法的隐喻，此即关汉卿借曲为底层喊冤的深层匠心。『两泪涟涟』则反用『金刚怒目』为『菩萨低眉』，怒极转哀，更见冤深无助。又『日月』『鬼神』之设既承《尚书·泰誓》『天视自我民视』的民本天道观，亦暗合关汉卿一贯『为民请命』的曲学宗旨——借神道以正人道，借呼天以斥世，用典之深意在将一人之冤托于万世之理，使弱女之泣具有天道维度的重量。

Commentary

Wang Guowei praised Yuan drama for its 'artistic conception'. This piece exemplifies Guan Hanqing's bold and original style. Modern critic Wu Mei said Guan Hanqing 'relied on no one and created his own powerful words'. This song, with its direct attack on Heaven and Earth, shows Guan's 'iron spear and bronze lute' (masculine boldness).

此曲自《窦娥冤》问世即震烁曲坛，明臧懋循《元曲选》推关汉卿为『驱梨园领袖』，近人王国维《宋元戏曲史》盛称其『一空倚傍，自铸伟词』，此支《滚绣球》正是『伟词』之代表。其经典地位在将中国文学『怨天』的传统由文人的牢骚升华为被压迫者的呐喊，窦娥这一弱女对天地的质问，实则是对整个蒙元社会司法黑暗与善恶颠倒的总控诉，具有惊人的人民性与反抗精神。评家多赞其『如三江九河，一泻千里』的气势。在传播史上，它因情感炽烈、语言痛快而长期选入教材与戏曲演出，『地也，你不分好歹何为地？天也，你错勘贤愚枉做天』成为家喻户晓的反抗名句。需留意者，关汉卿写此非真倡无神论，而是以『质疑天道』为修辞策略，逼出人对公理的担当——天既失责，人更当争，这正是此曲超越时代的思想锋芒，亦使其不堕于单纯的怨诽而升为召唤抗争的钟声。其所以能动人者，正在将一人之冤写为天下之公愤，故读者每歌此曲，辄生不平之鸣，此即人民性之真价所在。

Prosody

Form Northern opera mode: Gun Xiu Qiu (Rolling Silk Ball) from the third act of 'The Injustice to Dou E'元杂剧剧曲，正宫·滚绣球

Rhyme Follows the tonal pattern of Yuan drama, using padding words and exclamations, not strictly adhering to tonal rules.押先天韵（中原音韵），悬、权、渊、延、船、天、涟协韵，一韵到底，声情激越悲愤。

Tone pattern Repeated exclamations 'Heaven and Earth', 'Earth', 'Heaven' with progressive intensity, from questioning to denunciation.滚绣球为北曲正宫常用曲牌，句式长短错落（含『天地也』『地也』『天也』等呼告衬字），平仄依腔格，不似诗词拘严；『悬』『权』『渊』『延』『船』『天』『涟』皆平声韵，回环如泪如血。

Reading note The attack on Heaven and Earth is actually an attack on the corrupt officials and an unjust society. It is one of the most intense pieces of realism and rebellion in Yuan drama.正宫声情『惆怅雄壮』，宜写悲愤激烈之怀，正合窦娥临刑呼天抢地之情境。本曲用韵绵密，『悬』『权』开篇即定冤抑基调，至『天』『涟』收束余痛不绝，声情与辞意同趋于激。句式上『天地也』『地也』『天也』等呼告衬字打破齐言，造成当面对质、字字逼人的舞台节奏；排比与反问层层加码，如江水叠浪。北曲剧曲本尚『当行本色』，关汉卿以市井口语写天地审判，声律为情感驱使，唱之令人发指眦裂，是元杂剧『以情驭文』的最高体现，亦见正宫滚绣球这一曲牌抒发悲愤的典范功用。其声之激、其情之烈，足为元剧反抗精神之最强音。

Line by line

有日月朝暮悬，

There are the sun and moon, hung day and night overhead,

上有日月光辉朝升暮悬

Above, the sun and moon shine, hanging at dawn and dusk.

起句以『日月朝暮悬』写天象之恒在，暗指上天本应如日月昭昭、明察秋毫。这是先立一个『天理昭彰』的常理前提，为下文斥其『失察』张本。窦娥不直斥，而先陈天道之应有，愈显后文诘问之力。『朝暮悬』三字以日常可见之景写至高之理，朴素中含威严，是杂剧本色语——以常景起常理，使底层弱女之冤获得天道维度的凭依，开篇即定下『借天怨世』的抒情基调，亦见关汉卿构曲之善用反衬。

The opening, 'the sun and moon hung day and night,' writes the constancy of the heavens, quietly meaning that heaven ought to be as clear as sun and moon, seeing all things. This first lays the premise of 'heaven's reason is manifest,' priming the accusation of its 'failure to see.' Dou E does not rail at once, but states what heaven should be — making the questioning to come the sharper. 'Hung day and night' writes the highest reason through the commonest sight, plain yet august, the native speech of drama: common scene, common reason, giving the weak woman's wrong a ground in the order of heaven, fixing at the opening the lyrical tone of 'complaining of the age through heaven,' and showing Guan Hanqing's skill with contrast.

有鬼神掌着生死权。

There are ghosts and spirits holding the power of life and death.

下有鬼神掌管着生死的权柄

Below, ghosts and spirits hold the reins of life and death.

承句续写幽冥鬼神掌生死，与『日月』对举，构成天地鬼神皆司赏罚的完整秩序预设。窦娥蒙冤将死，却言『有鬼神掌着生死权』，正是以理应然反衬现实之悖——既有权柄，何以容冤狱横行？此句将控诉由『天』扩至『鬼神』，铺满『理当公正』的前提，使后文『糊突』『错勘』的指责更具反差。两句合看，是先布『理应』之网，以待『实然』之破，章法极见关汉卿构曲之巧，以看似平列之二问，蓄满满腔之愤。

The answering line continues: the nether ghosts and spirits hold life and death, set against 'sun and moon,' forming the complete presupposed order of heaven, earth, ghosts, and spirits all dispensing reward and punishment. Dou E, wronged and about to die, yet says 'there are ghosts and spirits holding the power of life and death' — using what should be, against what is: if they hold the power, how do they let wrongful executions run riot? The accusation expands from heaven to ghosts, filling the premise of 'ought to be just,' making the later 'muddle' and 'misjudge' the sharper by contrast. The two lines together spread the net of 'ought,' to be torn by the 'is' — Guan Hanqing's cunning, laying full-throated grief in seemingly plain parallel.

天地也，只合把清浊分辨，

O heaven and earth, you ought to tell the pure from the turbid,

天地啊，本该把清浊分辨清楚

Heaven and earth, you who ought to have told the pure from the turbid,

此句以『天地也』呼告领起，由叙事转入直斥，『只合』（本该）二字点出天职所在——辨清浊、分邪正乃天地之本分。『清浊』本《楚辞》清浊对举传统，指邪正善恶。窦娥不卑不亢，以天道应然质问其实然，语气由前两句的陈述陡转为诘责，情感火山由此喷发。『也』字为元曲呼告特有衬字，如当面对话，将高高在上的天地拽到堂下受审，是小令（剧曲）打破抒情距离的当行家数，极具舞台爆发力，一声『天地也』已先声夺人。

This line opens with the cry 'O heaven and earth,' turning from narrative to direct accusation; 'ought to' points to heaven's duty — telling pure from turbid, separating good from evil, is the very office of heaven and earth. 'Pure and turbid' draws on the Chuci tradition of contrast, meaning good and evil. Dou E, neither humble nor defiant, questions what is by what should be; the tone turns from statement to rebuke, the volcano of feeling erupting. The particle is the characteristic cry of Yuan drama, like a face-to-face address, dragging the high heaven down into the courtroom to stand trial — the playwright's native art of breaking lyrical distance, explosive on stage; one 'O heaven and earth' already strikes the first blow.

可怎生糊突了盗跖颜渊？

How is it you have muddled Zhi the robber with Yan Yuan the good?

可怎生竟混淆了盗跖与颜渊

How could you have confounded Dao Zhi the robber with Yan Yuan the good?

此句以反诘将控诉具体化：盗跖（恶）与颜渊（善）本应清浊分明，天地竟『糊突』（混淆）之，直指善恶颠倒、赏罚失当。『怎生』（怎么）以口语反问，愈显愤激。这一问将前面的『清浊分辨』之责落到实处——你既掌权，为何容恶人得志、善人短命？窦娥以最朴素的伦理常识逼问天道，使抽象控诉获得具体血性。典用之妙在盗跖颜渊的极端对照，善恶之反差越大，天之『糊突』越显荒谬，是全曲逻辑最锋利的一环，亦最足撼读者之心。这一问之力量，正在于以常理质非常之冤，使天道之失无可遁形，遂成千古控诉之绝唱，后之写冤狱者无能出其右。

This line particularizes the accusation in a rhetorical question: Dao Zhi (the evil) and Yan Yuan (the good) ought to have been pure and turbid apart, yet heaven and earth 'muddled' them — good and evil inverted, reward and punishment mislaid. 'How' is a colloquial question, the fury the keener. The question lands the duty of 'telling pure from turbid' on the concrete: since you hold the power, why do you let the wicked thrive and the good die young? Dou E questions heaven with the plainest moral common sense, giving the abstract indictment blood. The allusion's force lies in the extreme contrast of robber and saint: the greater the gap, the more absurd heaven's 'muddle' — the sharpest link in the song's logic, and the most heart-shaking. The question's power lies in using common reason against an unthinkable wrong, leaving heaven's failure nowhere to hide, making it the age-defying lament for the ages, never surpassed.

地也，你不分好歹何为地？

O earth, you who cannot tell good from ill — what earth are you?

大地啊，你不分好歹凭什么称作地

O earth, you who cannot tell good from ill — by what right do you call yourself earth?

此句以『地也』呼告直斥后土，『不分好歹何为地』以归谬式诘问剥夺天地的合法性——不能辨善恶，便不配称天地。语气由质问转为审判，情感逼近顶点。『地』字双关：既指后土之神，亦暗喻人间『地方』（官府）。窦娥借斥地而斥官，将天道徇私坐实为司法昏聩的隐喻。两个七字诘问（地、天各一）如重锤连击，是杂剧『当行本色』的巅峰句式，读来令人血脉偾张，足见关汉卿为底层弱女张目的胆识与笔力，一字一泪，一字一血。

This line, the cry 'O earth,' arraigns the very soil: 'you who cannot tell good from ill — what earth are you?' is a reductio that strips heaven and earth of legitimacy — unable to tell good from evil, they forfeit the name. The tone rises from question to judgment, feeling nearing its height. 'Earth' doubles: the earth-god, and by dark figure the human 'locale' — the magistrate's court. Dou E arraigns the officials through arraigning the earth. Two seven-character questions, one for earth, one for heaven, strike like repeated hammers — the peak of drama's native manner, making the blood rush, showing Guan Hanqing's courage and pen on behalf of the weakest: every character a tear, every character blood.

天也，你错勘贤愚枉做天！

O heaven, you who misjudge the worthy and foolish — in vain are you called heaven!

上天啊，你错判贤愚枉自叫做天

O heaven, you who misjudge the worthy and foolish — in vain are you heaven!

结前以『天也』呼告收束控诉，『错勘贤愚枉做天』与『不分好歹何为地』对仗，将质问由『地』升到『天』，完成对整套宇宙秩序的审判。『错勘』（错判）直指司法误断，『枉做天』以反语剥夺其神圣性。窦娥至此已将天地鬼神悉数推上被告席，其反抗之烈，在中国古典文学女性形象中罕有其匹。『枉』字沉痛，既怨且傲。此句与下句『两泪涟涟』由怒转悲形成落差，怒极反泣，更见冤深无助，是剧曲情感结构的神来之笔，亦将全曲的反抗精神推向无可回旋的高潮。

The penultimate line, the cry 'O heaven,' gathers the indictment: 'you who misjudge the worthy and foolish — in vain are you called heaven,' balanced against the arraignment of earth, raising the question from earth to heaven and completing the judgment of the whole cosmic order. 'Misjudge' points straight at judicial error; 'in vain are you called heaven' strips divinity by inverted speech. Dou E has now brought heaven, earth, ghosts, and spirits all to the dock — a fierceness of protest unmatched among the female figures of classical literature. 'In vain' holds grief, resentment, and pride. The fall from rage to tears in the lines that follow — rage extreme turning to weeping — renders the wrong's depth and helplessness: a stroke of genius in the drama's emotional architecture, driving the song's spirit of rebellion to a peak from which there is no return.

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Word focus

糊突 Confused; refers to Heaven and Earth's failure to distinguish good from evil, expressing Dou E's disillusionment with justice. 『糊突』（亦作糊涂）为元时口语，意谓混淆、颠倒。窦娥以『糊突了盗跖颜渊』质问天地，精髓在以俗白之词写极重之罪——堂堂天道竟如懵懂凡夫，善恶不分。此词承上文『只合把清浊分辨』而来，『分辨』之应然与『糊突』之实然形成强烈反差，遂将天道的失责写得既真切又讽刺。关汉卿善用市井口语入曲，『糊突』二字正是杂剧本色当行的标本：不事雕琢而力透纸背，使弱女之怨获得最朴素也最锋利的表达，较之诗词雅言更具撼人的民间力量。以一词而尽天道之失格，是元剧『以俗为贵』的绝佳例证。

枉 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 『枉』字是结句『错勘贤愚枉做天』的重心，意谓徒然、不配。窦娥以『枉做天』剥夺上天的神圣正当性——你既错判贤愚，便白白顶着『天』的名号。一字而将至高权威拉下神坛，批判力度惊心动魄。此词与『何为地』的『何』字呼应，构成『何』（凭什么）与『枉』（白做了）的双重否定，将呼告推向审判。『枉』以最寻常的口语承载最决绝的反抗，恰见元剧以浅语写深慨的当行本色，亦显关汉卿借被压迫者之口颠覆秩序的胆识。一『枉』字落，天地失色，是弱女对宇宙正义最沉痛的宣判。