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唐 Tang · 词 Ci lyric

忆江南·其三

Recalling Jiangnan · Third

白居易

Bai Juyi

江南Jiangnan (south of the Yangtze) 怀旧Nostalgia

江南忆，其次忆吴宫。
吴酒一杯春竹叶，吴娃双舞醉芙蓉。
早晚复相逢。

Of Jiangnan I dream; next, I dream of the Wu palace.
A cup of spring bamboo-leaf wine; the Wu maidens dance in pairs like drunken lotus.
Sooner or later we shall meet again.

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Meaning

The poet recalls his days as prefect of Suzhou, the old Wu capital, remembering its wine and dancing girls and longing to meet them again. It is a short, bright lyric of nostalgia from Bai Juyi's late-life 'Recalling Jiangnan' cycle.

江南忆，其次忆吴宫。吴酒一杯春竹叶，吴娃双舞醉芙蓉。早晚复相逢。

Appreciation

[Plain Paraphrase] The poet says: of all he recalls of Jiangnan, the next thing he remembers is the Wu palace. There he drank a cup of spring bamboo-leaf wine while Wu maidens danced in pairs like drunken lotuses; sooner or later he will meet them again. [Structure] The little lyric follows the 'Recalling Jiangnan' pattern: an opening act of recall, a middle couplet of sensory plenitude (wine and dance), and a closing wish for reunion. The move from memory to longing gives the piece its gentle forward pulse. [Imagery] 'Spring bamboo-leaf' is metonymy for a famous green wine, while 'drunken lotus' fuses the dancers' flushed faces with the flower. The paired 'one cup' / 'twin dance' antithesis makes abundance feel intimate. Bright, familiar diction keeps the tone lucid and warm, typical of Bai Juyi's late style.

【白话串讲】白居易写《忆江南·其三》：“江南忆，其次忆吴宫”——“吴酒一杯春竹叶，吴娃双舞醉芙蓉”——“早晚复相逢”——他忆吴宫——吴娃双舞醉芙蓉。【意象与手法】此词写忆江南，以忆旧写江南，是白居易的名篇。前三句写忆吴宫：「江南忆，其次忆吴宫。吴酒一杯春竹叶，吴娃双舞醉芙蓉」写江南忆、其次忆吴宫、吴酒一杯春竹叶、吴娃双舞醉芙蓉——写尽吴宫的歌舞；后二句写盼重逢：「早晚复相逢」写早晚复相逢——写尽相逢的期盼。全词以忆旧写江南，写尽吴宫的歌舞与相逢的期盼，是白居易的代表作。【情感与主旨】此词写忆江南，以忆旧写江南，是白居易的名篇。此词为白居易《忆江南》组词之三，写对苏州（吴宫）的忆念。白居易曾为苏州刺史，苏州春秋时为吴国故都，故称吴宫。白居易在苏州与吴女歌舞、吴酒相伴，离任后常忆吴宫之乐。此词写忆吴宫：江南忆，其次忆吴宫——写江南忆、其次忆吴宫，写尽忆念之次；吴酒一杯春竹叶，吴娃双舞醉芙蓉——写吴酒一杯春竹叶、吴娃双舞醉芙蓉，写尽吴宫的歌舞；早晚复相逢——写早晚复相逢，写尽相逢的期盼。全词以忆旧写江南——那「吴娃双舞醉芙蓉」写尽吴宫的歌舞，「早晚复相逢」写尽相逢的期盼，写尽吴宫的歌舞与相逢的期盼，是理解白居易忆江南词的重要篇章。【名句点睛】常考「江南忆，其次忆吴宫」写忆念之次；「吴酒一杯春竹叶，吴娃双舞醉芙蓉」写吴宫的歌舞；以及全词以忆旧写江南、以对仗写歌舞的手法。

Background

Bai Juyi (772-846), styled Letian, titled Xiangshan Jushi, was a Tang poet of the Mid-Late period, associated with the New Yuefu movement and with Yuan Zhen as the 'Yuan-Bai' pair; he is among the most prolific Tang poets. These three 'Recalling Jiangnan' lyrics were composed late in life as reminiscences. The third recalls Suzhou, which in the Spring and Autumn period was the capital of the state of Wu (hence 'Wu palace'); Bai had served as prefect of Suzhou (825-826) and, after leaving, often dreamed of its wine and dances.

此词写忆江南，以忆旧写江南，是白居易的名篇。白居易（772—846），字乐天，号香山居士，又号醉吟先生，下邽（今陕西渭南）人，唐代诗人，与元稹并称「元白」，与新乐府运动相关，为唐代存诗最多的诗人。此词为白居易《忆江南》组词之三，写对苏州（吴宫）的忆念。白居易曾为苏州刺史，苏州春秋时为吴国故都，故称吴宫。白居易在苏州与吴女歌舞、吴酒相伴，离任后常忆吴宫之乐。此词写忆吴宫：「江南忆，其次忆吴宫」写江南忆、其次忆吴宫——写尽忆念之次（江南忆，其次忆吴宫）；「吴酒一杯春竹叶，吴娃双舞醉芙蓉」写吴酒一杯春竹叶、吴娃双舞醉芙蓉——写尽吴宫的歌舞（吴酒一杯春竹叶，吴娃双舞醉芙蓉）；「早晚复相逢」写早晚复相逢——写尽相逢的期盼（早晚复相逢）。全词以忆旧写江南，写尽吴宫的歌舞与相逢的期盼，是理解白居易忆江南词的重要篇章。白居易于宝历元年（825）出任苏州刺史，次年因病离任。苏州自春秋吴国建都以来即为繁华之地，白居易在苏州任上尝吴酒、观吴舞，对苏州风物有深厚感情。此《忆江南》三首即晚年追忆之作，第一首总写江南，第二首忆杭州，第三首忆苏州（吴宫）。

Art

The poem's craft shows four moves. First, direct address of memory: 'next I recall the Wu palace' states longing plainly, the word 'next' ranking his affections. Second, antithesis of wine and dance - 'a cup of spring bamboo-leaf wine' against 'Wu maidens dance in pairs' - makes the two pleasures mirror each other. Third, metonymy: 'spring bamboo-leaf' stands for the famous green liquor, implying fragrance and color without naming the vintage. Fourth, a closing question-turned-wish, 'sooner or later we meet again,' turning recollection toward hope. The first three lines dwell on the palace's revels, the last on reunion; recalling then hoping is the standard shape of such nostalgic lyrics. The color play of 'bamboo-leaf' green and 'drunken lotus' red further brightens the scene.

此词的艺术特色可从四个方面解析。其一，以直抒写忆念。「其次忆吴宫」以直抒写忆念——那「其次」写尽忆念之次，以直抒写尽对吴宫的忆念。其二，以对仗写歌舞。「吴酒一杯春竹叶，吴娃双舞醉芙蓉」以对仗写歌舞——那「吴酒一杯」「吴娃双舞」写尽酒歌的相映，以对仗写尽吴宫的歌舞。其三，以借代写吴酒。「春竹叶」以借代写吴酒——那「竹叶」借代酒名（竹叶青），以借代写尽吴酒的美味。其四，以发问写期盼。「早晚复相逢」以发问写期盼——那「早晚」写尽相逢的期盼，以发问写尽对苏州的思念。此外，此词前三句写吴宫的歌舞，后二句写相逢的期盼，由忆及盼，正是忆旧词「先忆后盼」的写法。四重手法，使此词以忆旧写江南，写尽吴宫的歌舞与相逢的期盼，是白居易的代表作。此词还善于以「一杯」「双舞」的对偶写吴宫之乐——那「吴酒一杯」写饮酒之少而味美，「吴娃双舞」写歌舞之盛而醉人，一静一动、一少一盛，正是吴宫乐事的写照。又善以「春竹叶」「醉芙蓉」的颜色与状态的相映——竹叶青翠写酒色，芙蓉醉红写人面，正是「人面桃花相映红」式的写法。

Allusions

The language is rooted in the Jiangnan nostalgia tradition. 'Wu palace' evokes the ancient Wu capital at Suzhou and Li Bai's line 'Wu palace flowers and grass bury the hidden path.' 'Spring bamboo-leaf' alludes to the renowned Tang green wine zhuye qing. 'Wu maidens' draws on the type of beautiful women of Wu, and 'drunken lotus' echoes Bai's own 'lotus like a face, willow like brows' from the 'Everlasting Sorrow.' 'Meeting again' recalls his 'why need we have met before to know each other.' The poem thus absorbs Wu-palace, wine, maiden, and reunion imagery into a plain yet deeply traditional lyric.

此词的用语深植于忆旧与江南传统。「吴宫」令人想到「吴宫」写吴国宫殿的意象——苏州春秋为吴国故都，也令人想到「吴宫花草埋幽径」（李白）的意象；「春竹叶」令人想到「春竹叶」写竹叶青酒的意象——竹叶青为名酒，也令人想到「吴酒一杯春竹叶」的意象；「吴娃」令人想到「吴娃」写吴地女子的意象——也令人想到「吴娃越艳」的意象；「醉芙蓉」令人想到「醉芙蓉」写美人的意象——也令人想到「芙蓉如面柳如眉」（白居易）的意象；「相逢」令人想到「相逢」写重逢的意象——也令人想到「相逢何必曾相识」（白居易）的意象。全词化用吴宫、春竹叶、吴娃、醉芙蓉、相逢的意象，以忆旧写江南，正是白居易「平易」而善写忆、承江南传统写歌舞之本领。「春竹叶」指竹叶青酒，唐代名酒，以竹叶色泽翠绿如春得名；「醉芙蓉」令人想到白居易《长恨歌》「芙蓉如面柳如眉」之句，以芙蓉喻美人面庞，而「醉芙蓉」更写舞罢微醺、面如醉芙蓉的情态。

Commentary

Praised as a masterpiece of Bai Juyi's Jiangnan lyrics and a Tang model for writing Suzhou, the poem has been lauded for its 'fresh, bright nostalgia.' The couplet on Wu wine and dance is repeatedly cited as its finest line. Within the three-poem cycle it complements 'Jiangnan is good' (no.1, on the river's red flowers) and 'most I recall Hangzhou' (no.2), together showing Bai's layered memory of the south. Read against Li Bai's 'Viewing the Past at the Su Terrace' ('Wu palace flowers buried'), it reveals the twin Chinese treatments of Wu - as ruin and as revel. For modern readers it is a window onto Bai's late, serene art.

此词历来被推为白居易忆江南词的名篇，也是唐人写苏州的代表。历代论者对此词评价极高：清人评此词「以忆旧写江南，清新明快」；近人更指出「吴酒一杯春竹叶，吴娃双舞醉芙蓉」写吴宫的歌舞，是此词的名句。在词史上，此词的特殊价值在于：它以双调的小令写尽吴宫的歌舞与相逢的期盼——那江南忆，那其次，那吴宫，那吴酒，那一杯，那春竹叶，那吴娃，那双舞，那醉芙蓉，那早晚，那复相逢，都写尽了白居易笔下的吴宫；那「早晚复相逢」更以发问写尽相逢的期盼。此词与白居易《忆江南·其一》（「江南好」）《忆江南·其二》（「最忆是杭州」）同为忆江南组词，一写「日出江花红胜火」的江南好（其一），一写「山寺月中寻桂子」的最忆杭州（其二），一写「吴娃双舞醉芙蓉」的其次吴宫（其三）；又与李白《苏台览古》「吴宫花草埋幽径」的苏州传统一脉相承，可见中国词写苏州的传统。对于今日读者，此词是理解白居易忆江南词的窗口，也是中国词写吴宫的经典——那醉芙蓉的吴娃，穿越千年，仍在诉说着江南的忆念。

Prosody

Form Lyric to 'Recalling Jiangnan' (ci)词·忆江南

Rhyme Rhymes on gong, rong, feng (Eastern rhyme category), single rhyme throughout, bright and swift押「宫」「蓉」「逢」韵（上平一东），一韵到底，音节明快

Tone pattern Set to the 'Recalling Jiangnan' tune with level-tone rhymes carried straight through, matching the bright mood of nostalgia.此词为忆江南词牌，押平声韵，一韵到底，音节明快，正合忆旧的明快。

Reading note A short single-stanza 'Recalling Jiangnan' lyric of five lines - 'Of Jiangnan I dream; next I recall the Wu palace. A cup of spring bamboo-leaf wine, Wu maidens dance in pairs like drunken lotus. Sooner or later we meet again' - rhyming on the Eastern category (palace, lotus, meet), bright and swift. The first three lines evoke the palace's revels, the last the hope of reunion.此词为《忆江南》单调小令，五句——「江南忆，其次忆吴宫。吴酒一杯春竹叶，吴娃双舞醉芙蓉。早晚复相逢」，押「东」韵（宫、蓉、逢），一韵到底，音节明快。全词以忆旧写江南：前三句写吴宫的歌舞（其次忆吴宫、吴娃双舞醉芙蓉），后二句写相逢的期盼（早晚复相逢）。五句短章，前写忆念，后写期盼，以「早晚复相逢」写尽相逢的期盼，正见白居易「平易」的本色。诵读此词，宜以明快的语调读「其次忆吴宫」的忆念，以轻快的语调读「吴娃双舞醉芙蓉」的歌舞，结句要读得明快而有余韵，方能传达出白居易的清新明快。白居易词以「平易清新」著称，此词正是其忆江南词的典范。

Line by line

吴酒一杯春竹叶，吴娃双舞醉芙蓉

A cup of spring bamboo-leaf wine; the Wu maidens dance in pairs like drunken lotus.

吴酒一杯春竹叶，吴娃双舞醉芙蓉。

A cup of Wu wine, the spring bamboo-leaf brew; Wu maidens dancing in pairs, like lotus blossoms flushed with wine.

此二句是全词写歌舞的核心，以吴酒一杯春竹叶写吴酒，以吴娃双舞醉芙蓉写吴娃，写尽吴宫的歌舞，是千古名句。「吴酒一杯春竹叶」写吴酒一杯春竹叶——那「吴酒一杯」写吴酒一杯，「春竹叶」写春竹叶，写尽吴酒的美味；「吴娃双舞醉芙蓉」写吴娃双舞醉芙蓉——那「吴娃双舞」写吴娃双舞，「醉芙蓉」写醉芙蓉，写尽吴娃的舞姿。这句的深意在于：它以「吴酒一杯春竹叶」的吴酒与「吴娃双舞醉芙蓉」的吴娃，写尽吴宫的歌舞——吴酒一杯春竹叶，那「吴酒一杯春竹叶」写尽吴酒的美味——吴酒一杯，正是春竹叶酒的写照，那「春竹叶」写尽吴宫的酒乐；吴娃双舞醉芙蓉，那「吴娃双舞醉芙蓉」写尽吴娃的舞姿——吴娃双舞，正是舞如芙蓉的写照，那「醉芙蓉」写尽吴宫的歌舞；那「吴酒一杯春竹叶」写尽吴酒的美味，那「吴娃双舞醉芙蓉」写尽吴娃的舞姿，一写酒，一写舞，写尽吴宫的歌舞——吴酒一杯而吴娃双舞，正是吴宫之乐的写照；此二句以吴酒、吴娃写尽吴宫的歌舞，也为下文的相逢作铺垫，也让此二句成为全词写歌舞的核心与千古名句。若换作直说「苏州有美酒和美人跳舞」，则失其词情；唯以「吴酒一杯春竹叶」写吴酒、「吴娃双舞醉芙蓉」写吴娃，写尽吴宫的歌舞，也让此二句成为全词写歌舞的核心。

The third ci fixes Suzhou, the old Wu palace region, in wine and dance. "A cup of Wu wine" names the spring bamboo-leaf brew, a local vintage; "Wu maidens dancing in pairs" images the dancers as lotus blossoms grown tipsy on their own wine—"drunk lotus" fuses the flushed face with the flower. Wine on one side, dance on the other; the couplet reconstructs the sensuous splendor of the Wu-palace entertainments the poet once enjoyed. The double pairing prefigures the final line's hope of meeting again. A flat "Suzhou has fine wine and beautiful dancers" would lose the literary grace; the lotus simile is what keeps the memory elegant rather than voluptuous.

江南忆，其次忆吴宫

Of Jiangnan I dream; next, I dream of the Wu palace.

江南忆，其次忆吴宫。

Of Jiangnan I dream; next after Hangzhou, I remember the Wu palace.

此二句是全词写忆念的核心，以江南忆写江南，以其次忆吴宫写吴宫，写尽对吴宫的忆念，是千古名句。「江南忆」写江南忆——那「江南」写江南，「忆」写忆，写尽江南的忆；「其次忆吴宫」写其次忆吴宫——那「其次」写其次，「忆吴宫」写忆吴宫，写尽忆念之次。这句的深意在于：它以「江南忆」的江南与「其次忆吴宫」的吴宫，写尽对吴宫的忆念——江南忆，那「江南忆」写尽江南的忆——江南可忆，正是对江南的追忆，那「忆」写尽江南的忆念；其次忆吴宫，那「其次忆吴宫」写尽忆念之次——其次忆吴宫，正是忆念之次的写照，那「其次」写尽对吴宫的忆念；那「江南忆」写尽江南的忆，那「其次忆吴宫」写尽忆念之次，一写江南，一写吴宫，写尽对吴宫的忆念——江南可忆而其次吴宫，正是对吴宫的追忆；此二句以江南、吴宫写尽对吴宫的忆念，也为下文的吴酒吴娃作铺垫，也让此二句成为全词写忆念的核心与千古名句。若换作直说「我第二想念苏州」，则失其词情；唯以「江南忆」写江南、「其次忆吴宫」写吴宫，写尽对吴宫的忆念，也让此二句成为全词写忆念的核心。

Just as the preceding ci ranked Hangzhou first, this one ranks Suzhou second in the poet's remembered Jiangnan. "Jiangnan I remember" supplies the frame; "next" places the Wu palace in an ordered series, the runner-up after Hangzhou. The ordinal is itself the feeling: Bai Juyi does not merely recall Suzhou, he grades his lost pleasures, and the grading testifies to how much there was to miss. It sets up the wine and maidens immediately below as the second-best joys of a southern life. A plain statement that his second-favorite city was Suzhou would lack the ci's cadence; the measured ranking is the emotional form.

Study

Word focus

次 'Next' / 'second.' In 'next I recall the Wu palace,' the word ranks his memories - Jiangnan first, the Wu palace second - conveying both the order of recollection and the depth of feeling, since even the 'second' memory is vivid and cherished. 「其次忆吴宫」之「次」字是写忆念的关键词，一个「次」字写尽忆念之次。次者，其次、其次也。白居易以「其次忆吴宫」写忆念，这个「次」字至少有双重意味：其一，写忆之次——那「其次忆吴宫」写其次忆吴宫，那「次」字写尽忆念之次——其次忆吴宫，正是忆念排序的写照，那「次」字写尽对吴宫的忆念；其二，写情之深——那「次」字更是写深——次，正见忆念之深，那「次」字写尽对苏州的思念。以「次」字写忆念，正是白居易写忆江南的枢纽——若换作「再」「更」等字，则或失其与「江南忆」「忆吴宫」的配合，或失其写次的意味；唯「次」字，以其次忆吴宫写尽忆念之次与忆念之深，与「吴娃双舞醉芙蓉」的醉芙蓉相合，写尽对吴宫的忆念，也让「其次忆吴宫」成为全词写忆念的名句。

醉 'Drunk' / 'intoxicated.' In 'Wu maidens dance in pairs like drunken lotus,' it describes the dancers' flushed, tipsy grace and, by extension, the poet's enchantment with the scene; the lotus itself seems intoxicated, merging flower and face. 「吴娃双舞醉芙蓉」之「醉」字是写歌舞的关键词，一个「醉」字写尽醉芙蓉的舞姿。醉者，陶醉、酣醉也。白居易以「吴娃双舞醉芙蓉」写歌舞，这个「醉」字至少有双重意味：其一，写舞之醉——那「吴娃双舞醉芙蓉」写吴娃双舞醉芙蓉，那「醉」字写尽醉芙蓉的舞姿——醉芙蓉，正是舞如醉花初放的写照，那「醉」字写尽吴宫的歌舞；其二，写情之醉——那「醉」字更是写醉——醉，正见陶醉于歌舞的情态，那「醉」字写尽对吴宫的忆念。以「醉」字写歌舞，正是白居易写忆江南的枢纽——若换作「媚」「艳」等字，则或失其与「吴娃双舞」「芙蓉」的配合，或失其写醉的意味；唯「醉」字，以吴娃双舞醉芙蓉写尽醉芙蓉的舞姿与陶醉于歌舞的情态，与「吴酒一杯春竹叶」的吴酒相合，写尽吴宫的歌舞，也让「吴娃双舞醉芙蓉」成为全词写歌舞的名句。