薛濤,唐代女詩人,字洪度。長安(今陜西西安)人。父薛鄖,仕宦入蜀,死后,妻女流寓蜀中。薛濤姿容美艷,性敏慧,8歲能詩,洞曉音律,多才藝,聲名傾動一時。德宗貞元(785~804)中,韋皋任劍南西川節(jié)度使,召令賦詩侑酒,遂入樂籍。后袁滋、劉□、高崇文、武元衡、李夷簡、王播、段文昌、杜元穎、郭釗、李德裕相繼鎮(zhèn)蜀,她都以歌伎而兼清客的身份出入幕府。韋皋曾擬奏請朝廷授以秘書省校書郎的官銜,格于舊例,未能實現(xiàn),但人們往往稱之為“女校書”。后世稱歌伎為“校書”就是從她開始的。薛濤生年不詳。其卒年當(dāng)在段文昌再度鎮(zhèn)蜀期間,即大和六年(832)至九年(835)之間。舊說她和高駢有交往,考高駢任四川節(jié)度,在僖宗乾符元年(874),時代遠(yuǎn)不相及,顯誤。
《金燈花》 薛濤
闌邊不見蘘蘘葉,砌下惟翻艷艷叢。
細(xì)視欲將何物比,曉霞初疊赤城宮。
Golden Lantern Flower
Xue Tao
Beside the banisters the foliage are of absence,
And under the doorsteps alone the garish clusters presence.
Whereto does the floret, viewed scrupulously, bear resemblance?
Overlapped morrow sunglow over Chicheng Palace(1) in outward appearance.
1. Chicheng Palace refers to Mt. Chicheng in the vicinity of Mt. Tiantai. Its soil is tinged with red, bearing resemblance to cloud and sunglow.