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宋 Song · 词 Ci lyric

江城子·恨别

Jiang Cheng Zi: The Grief of Parting

苏轼

Su Shi

离别Departure 相思Longing

天涯流落思无穷。
既相逢，却匆匆。
携手佳人，和泪折残红。
为问东风余几许，春纵在，与谁同。
隋堤三月水溶溶。
背归鸿，去吴中。
回首彭城，清泗与淮通。
寄我相思千点泪，流不到，楚江东。

Drifting at the edge of the world, my thoughts have no end.
We met — and then everything was hurried.
Hand in hand, that lovely one, tears mingled with a broken red blossom.
Ask the east wind how much of it is left: though spring truly remains, with whom shall I share it?
The third month, the Sui dyke, the water melting softly.
Turning my back on the returning geese, I go to Wu.
Looking back to Peng City — the clear Si stream runs into the Huai.
Send me a thousand tears of longing; they cannot flow east to the Chu river.

Listen

Meaning

A farewell casually made and instantly lost: the speaker has wandered far from home, met someone, and had to leave at once, taking a flower from her hand in tears. He asks the east wind how much spring is left and, failing to get an answer, asks who will share it with him. On the dyke in the third month the water is warm and moving, the wild geese go north without him, and Peng City — where they parted — now lies behind him with its streams feeding the Huai. He asks for a thousand tears to be sent him, and knows they will never reach the river in the east.

天涯流落思无穷。既相逢，却匆匆。携手佳人，和泪折残红。为问东风余几许，春纵在，与谁同。隋堤三月水溶溶。背归鸿，去吴中。回首彭城，清泗与淮通。寄我相思千点泪，流不到，楚江东。

Appreciation

[Structure] The poem runs in two halves. The upper is a compressed account of the meeting and the departure, ending in a question the wind cannot answer. The lower half is a map: the dyke, the geese, Peng City, the streams, and finally a river that will not carry anything to the right place. [Feeling] 'We met — and then everything was hurried' is the poem's thesis in six characters, and everything after it is consequence. The poet is not sad that they parted but that the meeting had no length, which is why the poem dwells on speed (hurried, turning my back). [Image] The double image of the last line is the most admired thing in the poem: tears are asked for, water cannot be directed, and the wish is thus made physical. Su Shi, famous for philosophical boldness, here produces one of the most plainly heartbroken endings in the Song lyric — and does it by writing about a river in the wrong direction.

【白话串讲】苏轼写《江城子·恨别》：“天涯流落思无穷。既相逢，却匆匆”——“携手佳人，和泪折残红”——“为问东风余几许，春纵在，与谁同”——“寄我相思千点泪，流不到，楚江东”——他写离别——春纵在，与谁同。【意象与手法】此词写送别，以相思写送别，是苏轼的名篇。上片写别恨：「天涯流落思无穷。既相逢，却匆匆。携手佳人，和泪折残红。为问东风余几许，春纵在，与谁同」写天涯流落思无穷、既相逢、却匆匆、和泪折残红——写尽相逢的匆匆；下片写相思：「隋堤三月水溶溶。背归鸿，去吴中。回首彭城，清泗与淮通。寄我相思千点泪，流不到，楚江东」写隋堤三月水溶溶、背归鸿、去吴中、寄我相思千点泪——写尽相思的深切。全词以相思写送别，写尽相逢的匆匆与相思的深切，是苏轼的代表作。【情感与主旨】此词写送别，以相思写送别，是苏轼的名篇。此词为苏轼离别之作，写与友人相逢复别、天涯流落的相思。此词写别恨：天涯流落思无穷——写天涯流落思无穷，写尽流落的思量；既相逢，却匆匆——写既相逢、却匆匆，写尽相逢的匆匆；携手佳人，和泪折残红——写携手佳人、和泪折残红，写尽折柳的惜别；为问东风余几许，春纵在，与谁同——写为问东风余几许、春纵在、与谁同，写尽春残的怅惘；隋堤三月水溶溶——写隋堤三月水溶溶，写尽隋堤的春水；背归鸿，去吴中——写背归鸿、去吴中，写尽背鸿的离去；回首彭城，清泗与淮通——写回首彭城、清泗与淮通，写尽回首的怅望；寄我相思千点泪，流不到，楚江东——写寄我相思千点泪、流不到、楚江东，写尽相思的深切。全词以相思写送别——那「既相逢，却匆匆」写尽相逢的匆匆，「寄我相思千点泪」写尽相思的深切，写尽相逢的匆匆与相思的深切，是理解苏轼送别词的重要篇章。【名句点睛】常考「既相逢，却匆匆」写相逢的匆匆；「寄我相思千点泪，流不到，楚江东」写相思的深切；以及全词以相思写送别、以水写情的手法。

Background

This is generally placed among Su Shi's years of transfer, when he moved between posts and was repeatedly away from his family in Sichuan. The places named — Sui dyke, Wu, Peng City (Xuzhou), the Si stream and the Huai — belong to his northern and eastern circuits, and the poem is read as a farewell to a woman, a friend, or simply to the transient company of a travelling life. It is often grouped with the Xuzhou 'Huan Xi Sha' of the same period, when he was writing most directly about his own restlessness.

此词写送别，以相思写送别，是苏轼的名篇。苏轼（1037—1101），字子瞻，号东坡居士，眉州眉山（今四川眉山）人，北宋文学家、书画家，唐宋八大家之一，豪放词派代表。此词为苏轼离别之作，写与友人相逢复别、天涯流落的相思。此词写别恨：「天涯流落思无穷」写天涯流落思无穷——写尽流落的思量（天涯流落思无穷）；「既相逢，却匆匆」写既相逢、却匆匆——写尽相逢的匆匆（既相逢，却匆匆）；「携手佳人，和泪折残红」写携手佳人、和泪折残红——写尽折柳的惜别（携手佳人，和泪折残红）；「为问东风余几许，春纵在，与谁同」写为问东风余几许、春纵在、与谁同——写尽春残的怅惘（为问东风余几许，春纵在，与谁同）；「隋堤三月水溶溶」写隋堤三月水溶溶——写尽隋堤的春水（隋堤三月水溶溶）；「背归鸿，去吴中」写背归鸿、去吴中——写尽背鸿的离去（背归鸿，去吴中）；「寄我相思千点泪，流不到，楚江东」写寄我相思千点泪、流不到、楚江东——写尽相思的深切（寄我相思千点泪，流不到，楚江东）。全词以相思写送别，写尽相逢的匆匆与相思的深切，是理解苏轼送别词的重要篇章。

Art

The poem gets its force from two small devices. The first is the question: 'ask the east wind how much is left' is addressed to something that cannot answer, and when it does not, the poet asks the second question — 'with whom shall I share it?' — which is the real subject of the poem. The second is the direction of the water: 'the clear Si runs into the Huai' records a fact of geography, and the closing line uses that fact against the speaker, because the Chu river he names lies east of where he will be. The technique is to make the landscape do the work of a messenger that has failed. throughout, the short clauses of the upper stanza ('we met — and then everything was hurried') keep the pace abrupt, as though the feeling could not find a longer breath.

此词的艺术特色可从四个方面解析。其一，以直抒写流落。「天涯流落思无穷」以直抒写流落——那「流落」「思无穷」写尽天涯的流落，以直抒写尽别前的思量。其二，以对照写相逢。「既相逢，却匆匆」以对照写相逢——那「既相逢」「却匆匆」写尽相逢的短促，以对照写尽相逢的匆匆。其三，以细节写惜别。「和泪折残红」以细节写惜别——那「和泪」「折残红」写尽折花的惜别，以细节写尽离别的深情。其四，以流水写相思。「流不到，楚江东」以流水写相思——那「流不到」写尽泪水的东流，以流水写尽相思的深切。此外，此词上片写相逢的匆匆，下片写相思的深切，由别及思，正是送别词「先别后思」的写法。四重手法，使此词以相思写送别，写尽相逢的匆匆与相思的深切，是苏轼的代表作。此词还善于以「隋堤三月水溶溶」的春水意象写别时之景——那「隋堤」「水溶溶」写三月隋堤的春水，正是以乐景写哀情的反衬。又善以「背归鸿」三字写离去的方向——归鸿北返而我背之而去，一「背」字写尽与归鸿相背的孤寂，也暗写身不由己的漂泊。

Allusions

'Edge of the world' gathers the wish of 'a single drifting gourd that the river takes away', the image of the poet who is carried rather than travelling. 'Broken red blossom' keeps the old custom of plucking a flower as a token, and the brokenness of the blossom is the poem's way of reporting the breakup with one noun. 'Sui dyke' is the bank of the new canal built in the Sui, lined with willows and used for farewells ever since; 'returning geese' fly south in autumn and north in spring, so going back on them marks him as the one who is not going anywhere. 'Chu river' evokes the far south that had become the destination of exiled northern Song officials.

此词的用语深植于送别与相思的传统。「天涯」令人想到「天涯」写远方的意象——也令人想到「同是天涯沦落人」（白居易）的意象；「残红」令人想到「残红」写落花的意象——也令人想到「无可奈何花落去」（晏殊）的意象；「东风」令人想到「东风」写春风的意象——也令人想到「东风无力百花残」（李商隐）的意象；「隋堤」令人想到「隋堤」写隋堤的意象——隋炀帝开运河植柳于堤，也令人想到「杨柳岸，晓风残月」（柳永）的意象；「归鸿」令人想到「归鸿」写归雁的意象——也令人想到「雁字回时，月满西楼」（李清照）的意象；「楚江东」令人想到「楚江东」写楚地的意象——也令人想到「江东日暮云」（杜甫）的意象。全词化用天涯、残红、东风、隋堤、归鸿、楚江东的意象，以相思写送别，正是苏轼「旷达」之外亦见深情、承送别传统写相思的本领。「隋堤」典出隋炀帝开运河事——炀帝开通济渠，两岸筑堤植柳，世称隋堤，至唐代杨柳依依，常作送别之地。苏轼以「隋堤三月水溶溶」写别时之景，正承此。「楚江东」令人想到项羽「无颜见江东父老」之典，也令人想到杜甫「江东日暮云」的思友意象。

Commentary

Qing readers called it 'deep, serious and painful' (shen wan chen tong), and modern readers single out 'send me a thousand tears of longing; they cannot flow east to the Chu river' as the most heartbreaking four words in Su Shi's lyrics. Its standing is as a farewell verse that refuses to console: no future meeting is promised, no cause is named, and the only offering made is water that cannot arrive. It is habitually read beside Su Shi's dream lyric on his wife, which is also built on the impossibility of reaching someone, and beside Liu Yong's 'Yu Lin Ling', which describes the same scene with a different vocabulary of willows and dawn.

此词历来被推为苏轼送别词的名篇，也是宋词写恨别的代表。历代论者对此词评价极高：清人评此词「以相思写送别，深婉沉痛」；近人更指出「寄我相思千点泪，流不到，楚江东」写相思的深切，是此词的名句。在词史上，此词的特殊价值在于：它以双调的江城子写尽相逢的匆匆与相思的深切——那天涯，那流落，那思无穷，那相逢，那匆匆，那佳人，那和泪，那残红，那东风，那春纵在，那隋堤，那水溶溶，那归鸿，那吴中，那彭城，那清泗，那淮通，那千点泪，那楚江东，都写尽了苏轼笔下的恨别；那「寄我相思千点泪」更以流水写尽相思的深切。此词与苏轼《江城子·乙卯正月二十日夜记梦》（「十年生死两茫茫」）同为江城子名篇，一写「相顾无言，惟有泪千行」的悼亡（记梦），一写「寄我相思千点泪」的恨别（恨别）；又与柳永「杨柳岸，晓风残月」的送别传统一脉相承，可见宋词写送别的传统。对于今日读者，此词是理解苏轼送别词的窗口，也是中国词写恨别的经典——那流不到的相思泪，穿越千年，仍在诉说着相逢的匆匆。

Prosody

Form Ci to the tune 'Jiang Cheng Zi' (江城子), a double stanza of the middle length词·江城子

Rhyme One level-tone chain in the first Dong board: qiong, cong, hong, tong, rong, zhong, tong, dong押「穷」「匆」「红」「同」「溶」「中」「通」「东」韵（上平一东），一韵到底，音节深婉

Tone pattern Wide open level vowels; the rhyme is heavy and repetitive, which produces a slow, deepening cadence that carries the poem forward against its own wish.此词为江城子词牌，押平声韵，一韵到底，音节深婉，正合别恨的深婉。

Reading note This is the longest of the tune's common settings, and the rhyme board is narrow and repeated eight times, so every line sounds like the one before it — an effect that suits a poem that cannot get away from one loss. The short clauses 'we met — and then', 'turning my back on the returning geese', 'I go to Wu' break up the rhyme with breathlessness. Read 'we met — and then everything was hurried' quickly, then let the last line out slowly: the slowness of the ending is the poem's sorrow expressed as tempo.此词为《江城子》双调，上片七句、下片七句——「天涯流落思无穷。既相逢，却匆匆。携手佳人，和泪折残红。为问东风余几许，春纵在，与谁同。隋堤三月水溶溶。背归鸿，去吴中。回首彭城，清泗与淮通。寄我相思千点泪，流不到，楚江东」，押「东」韵（穷、匆、红、同、溶、中、通、东），一韵到底，音节深婉。全词以相思写送别：上片写相逢的匆匆（既相逢，却匆匆、和泪折残红），下片写相思的深切（隋堤三月水溶溶、寄我相思千点泪）。双调长篇，上写别恨，下写相思，以「寄我相思千点泪」写尽相思的深切，正见苏轼「旷达」之外亦见深情的本色。诵读此词，宜以深婉的语调读「既相逢，却匆匆」的匆匆，以低回的语调读「寄我相思千点泪」的相思，结句要读得深婉而有余韵，方能传达出苏轼的深婉沉痛。苏轼词以「旷达」著称，此词正是其送别词的典范。

Line by line

寄我相思千点泪，流不到，楚江东

Send me a thousand tears of longing — but they will not flow east to the Chu river.

寄我相思千点泪，流不到，楚江东。

Send me a thousand tears of longing; they cannot flow as far as the eastern Chu river.

此三句是全词写相思的核心，以寄我相思千点泪写相思泪，以流不到、楚江东写楚江东，写尽相思的深切，是千古名句。「寄我相思千点泪」写寄我相思千点泪——那「相思千点泪」写相思千点泪，写尽相思的泪水；「流不到，楚江东」写流不到、楚江东——那「流不到」写流不到，「楚江东」写楚江东，写尽泪水的东流。这句的深意在于：它以「寄我相思千点泪」的相思泪与「流不到，楚江东」的楚江东，写尽相思的深切——寄我相思千点泪，那「寄我相思千点泪」写尽相思的泪水——寄我相思，化作千点泪，正是相思入骨的写照，那「千点泪」写尽相思的深切；流不到，楚江东，那「流不到，楚江东」写尽泪水的东流——泪流不到楚江东，正是相思难寄的写照，那「流不到」写尽相思的怅惘；那「寄我相思千点泪」写尽相思的泪水，那「流不到，楚江东」写尽泪水的东流，一写寄泪，一写难流，写尽相思的深切——相思千点泪而流不到楚东，正是恨别的写照；此三句以相思泪、楚江东写尽相思的深切，也让此三句成为全词写相思的核心与千古名句。若换作直说「我特别想念你」，则失其深婉；唯以「寄我相思千点泪」写相思泪、「流不到，楚江东」写楚江东，写尽相思的深切，也让此三句成为全词写相思的核心。

The tears. Send me a thousand tears of longing; they cannot flow as far as the eastern Chu river. The thousand tears that still cannot reach the Chu river are the longing's measure. To have said the tears would not reach would be an image; the send-me-a-thousand-longing-tears against the cannot-flow-to-the-eastern-Chu-river is the image.

既相逢，却匆匆

We met — and then everything was hurried.

既相逢，却匆匆。

Now that we have met, it is all in haste.

此二句是全词写匆匆的核心，以既相逢写相逢，以却匆匆写匆匆，写尽相逢的匆匆，是千古名句。「既相逢」写既相逢——那「既」写既，「相逢」写相逢，写尽相逢的已成；「却匆匆」写却匆匆——那「却」写却，「匆匆」写匆匆，写尽匆匆的短促。这句的深意在于：它以「既相逢」的相逢与「却匆匆」的匆匆，写尽相逢的匆匆——既相逢，那「既相逢」写尽相逢的已成——既已相逢，正是得遇的写照，那「既」字写尽相逢的欣喜；却匆匆，那「却匆匆」写尽匆匆的短促——却匆匆别去，正是离别的写照，那「匆匆」写尽相逢的短促；那「既相逢」写尽相逢的已成，那「却匆匆」写尽匆匆的短促，一写相逢，一写匆匆，写尽相逢的匆匆——既相逢而却匆匆，正是聚散无常的写照；此二句以相逢、匆匆写尽相逢的匆匆，也为下文的惜别作铺垫，也让此二句成为全词写匆匆的核心与千古名句。若换作直说「刚见面就要走了」，则失其节奏；唯以「既相逢」写相逢、「却匆匆」写匆匆，写尽相逢的匆匆，也让此二句成为全词写匆匆的核心。

The haste. Now that we have met, it is all in haste. The meeting and the haste are the parting. To have said the meeting was brief would be a summary; the now-that-we-have-met against the it-is-all-in-haste is the summary.

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Word focus

匆匆 In 既相逢，却匆匆, 匆匆 means hurried, in a rush. It is the cause of all the poem's grief and it is given in two plain syllables; because the meeting and the departure are described by the same word, the poet suggests that he never had a moment that belonged to the meeting itself. 「既相逢，却匆匆」之「匆匆」是写相逢的关键词，一个「匆匆」写尽相逢的短促。匆匆者，仓促、短促也。苏轼以「既相逢，却匆匆」写相逢，这个「匆匆」至少有双重意味：其一，写别之速——那「既相逢，却匆匆」写既相逢、却匆匆，那「匆匆」写尽相逢的短促——却匆匆别去，正是聚散无常的写照，那「匆匆」写尽相逢的匆匆；其二，写情之憾——那「匆匆」更是写憾——匆匆，正见相逢的遗憾，那「匆匆」写尽别恨的深长。以「匆匆」写相逢，正是苏轼写恨别的枢纽——若换作「促促」「草草」等词，则或失其与「既相逢」「却」的配合，或失其写匆匆的意味；唯「匆匆」二字，以既相逢、却匆匆写尽相逢的短促与别恨的深长，与「和泪折残红」的残红相合，写尽相逢的匆匆，也让「既相逢，却匆匆」成为全词写匆匆的名句。

溶溶 In 隋堤三月水溶溶, 溶溶 describes water moving softly and in bulk. On the surface it paints the dyke in the third month, but the gentle motion also stands for the indifferent passage of the river while the poet's own feeling stays put; the calm of the water is what makes the ending's failure to arrive so sharp. 「隋堤三月水溶溶」之「溶溶」是写春水的关键词，一个「溶溶」写尽隋堤的春水。溶溶者，水波荡漾也。苏轼以「隋堤三月水溶溶」写春水，这个「溶溶」至少有双重意味：其一，写水之荡——那「隋堤三月水溶溶」写隋堤三月水溶溶，那「溶溶」写尽春水的荡漾——水溶溶，正是春水丰盈的写照，那「溶溶」写尽隋堤的春水；其二，写情之动——那「溶溶」更是写动——溶溶，正见心潮的起伏，那「溶溶」写尽别恨的涌动。以「溶溶」写春水，正是苏轼写恨别的枢纽——若换作「漾漾」「潺潺」等词，则或失其与「隋堤三月」「水」的配合，或失其写溶溶的意味；唯「溶溶」二字，以隋堤三月水溶溶写尽春水的荡漾与心潮的起伏，与「寄我相思千点泪」的千点泪相合，写尽相思的深切，也让「隋堤三月水溶溶」成为全词写春水的名句。