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先秦 Pre-Qin · 诗 Poem

九歌·河伯

Nine Songs: The Lord of the River

屈原

Qu Yuan

楚辞Chu Elegies 祭祀Sacrifice

与女游兮九河，冲风起兮横波。
乘水车兮荷盖，驾两龙兮骖螭。
登昆仑兮四望，心飞扬兮浩荡。
日将暮兮怅忘归，惟极浦兮寤怀。
鱼鳞屋兮龙堂，紫贝阙兮朱宫。
灵何为兮水中，乘白鼋兮逐文鱼。
与女游兮河之渚，流澌纷兮将来下。
子交手兮东行，送美人兮南浦。
波滔滔兮来迎，鱼邻邻兮媵予。

I roamed with you along the Nine Rivers, when the headwind rose and the cross-currents swelled;
Riding a water-chariot with a lotus canopy, yoking two dragons and let the river-beasts draw them.
Climbing Kunlun and looking four ways, my heart soared, so vast, so free.
But sunset came, and I forgot to go back — so far away the far shore, and the ache of it in my breast.
A house of fish-scales, a hall of dragons, gates of purple cowries, a palace of vermilion.
O spirit, why should you stay down in the water, riding the white great turtle, chasing the patterned fish?
With you I roam by the islets of the river, where the drift-ice comes and goes, endlessly downward.
Hand in hand, you set out to the east — escorting the lovely one to the southern shore.
Waves come rolling to receive you; fish crowd about, attending you.

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Meaning

The poem stages a procession of the River God: the poet and the god travel together over the Nine Rivers, ascend Kunlun, look out in every direction, and pass through a water-palace of fish scales and purple cowries. When the parting comes, the waves and the fish come out to attend the departing god. What began as an official rite of welcome becomes, in the hands of the poet, a farewell — and the farewell is what the poem remembers.

与女游兮九河，冲风起兮横波。乘水车兮荷盖，驾两龙兮骖螭。登昆仑兮四望，心飞扬兮浩荡。日将暮兮怅忘归，惟极浦兮寤怀。鱼鳞屋兮龙堂，紫贝阙兮朱宫。灵何为兮水中，乘白鼋兮逐文鱼。与女游兮河之渚，流澌纷兮将来下。子交手兮东行，送美人兮南浦。波滔滔兮来迎，鱼邻邻兮媵予。

Appreciation

[Plain Paraphrase] The poet and the River God travel, ascend, dwell in the water-palace, part, and are escorted. [Structure] In three movements — the roaming, the water-dwelling, the parting — following the shape of a sacrifice: welcome, delight, send-off. [Imagery] The lotus canopy, the dragons, Kunlun, the fish-scale house and the purple cowrie gates are the gorgeous vocabulary of the Chu world of gods, and images of water without end. [Evaluation] The poem is built on a single movement of feeling: the joy of the travel is real, and the parting turns that joy at once. The last four lines are the whole poem turned — waves coming to meet, fish crowding to attend — and their brilliance is the brightness of a departure.

【白话串讲】屈原写《九歌·河伯》：“与女游兮九河，冲风起兮横波”——“乘水车兮荷盖，驾两龙兮骖螭”——“登昆仑兮四望，心飞扬兮浩荡”——“鱼鳞屋兮龙堂，紫贝阙兮朱宫”——他写河伯的壮游。【意象与手法】此篇祭河伯，以祭神写游乐，是屈原的名篇。前段写同游：「与女游兮九河，冲风起兮横波」写与女游兮九河、冲风起兮横波——写尽同游的九河；「乘水车兮荷盖，驾两龙兮骖螭」写乘水车兮荷盖、驾两龙兮骖螭——写尽同游的车驾；中段写水居：「鱼鳞屋兮龙堂，紫贝阙兮朱宫」写鱼鳞屋兮龙堂、紫贝阙兮朱宫——写尽河伯的水居；「灵何为兮水中，乘白鼋兮逐文鱼」写灵何为兮水中、乘白鼋兮逐文鱼——写尽河伯的游乐；后段写送别：「子交手兮东行，送美人兮南浦」写子交手兮东行、送美人兮南浦——写尽送别的深情；「波滔滔兮来迎，鱼邻邻兮媵予」写波滔滔兮来迎、鱼邻邻兮媵予——写尽送别的浩荡。全篇以祭神写游乐，写尽河伯的游乐与送别的深情，是屈原的代表作。【情感与主旨】此篇祭河伯，以祭神写游乐，是屈原的名篇。河伯为黄河之神，名冯夷。《九歌》为屈原根据楚地祭歌改写的组诗。此篇写同游：与女游兮九河，冲风起兮横波——写与女游兮九河、冲风起兮横波，写尽同游的九河；乘水车兮荷盖，驾两龙兮骖螭——写乘水车兮荷盖、驾两龙兮骖螭，写尽同游的车驾；登昆仑兮四望，心飞扬兮浩荡——写登昆仑兮四望、心飞扬兮浩荡，写尽同游的飞扬；日将暮兮怅忘归，惟极浦兮寤怀——写日将暮兮怅忘归、惟极浦兮寤怀，写尽同游的忘归。中段写水居：鱼鳞屋兮龙堂，紫贝阙兮朱宫——写鱼鳞屋兮龙堂、紫贝阙兮朱宫，写尽河伯的水居；灵何为兮水中，乘白鼋兮逐文鱼——写灵何为兮水中、乘白鼋兮逐文鱼，写尽河伯的游乐。后段写送别：与女游兮河之渚，流澌纷兮将来下——写与女游兮河之渚、流澌纷兮将来下，写尽同游的渚上；子交手兮东行，送美人兮南浦——写子交手兮东行、送美人兮南浦，写尽送别的深情；波滔滔兮来迎，鱼邻邻兮媵予——写波滔滔兮来迎、鱼邻邻兮媵予，写尽送别的浩荡。全篇以祭神写游乐——那「乘水车兮荷盖」写尽同游的车驾，「波滔滔兮来迎」写尽送别的浩荡，写尽河伯的游乐与送别的深情，是理解屈原《九歌》的重要篇章。【名句点睛】常考「与女游兮九河，冲风起兮横波」写同游的九河；「乘水车兮荷盖，驾两龙兮骖螭」写同游的车驾；「鱼鳞屋兮龙堂，紫贝阙兮朱宫」写河伯的水居；以及全篇以祭神写游乐、以神话写游乐的手法。

Background

Qu Yuan (c. 340–c. 278 BC), named Ping, styled Yuan, was a man of the state of Chu in the Warring States period; the first great patriotic poet of China and the founder of the 'Chu Elegies.' The god of the Yellow River is called Fengyi, or Bingyi. The 'Nine Songs' is a suite of eleven pieces, retouched from the folk songs of the Chu used to worship the local deities. This piece is the sacrifice to the River God, and in it the human worshipper and the god are for a time equal — which is what allows the poem to carry a personal feeling.

此篇祭河伯，以祭神写游乐，是屈原的名篇。屈原（约前340—约前278），名平，字原，战国楚国人，中国第一位伟大的爱国诗人，楚辞的创立者。河伯为黄河之神，名冯夷，又作冰夷。《九歌》十一篇，是屈原根据楚地民间祭歌改写而成的组诗。此篇写同游：「与女游兮九河，冲风起兮横波」写与女游兮九河、冲风起兮横波——写尽同游的九河（与女游兮九河，冲风起兮横波）；「乘水车兮荷盖，驾两龙兮骖螭」写乘水车兮荷盖、驾两龙兮骖螭——写尽同游的车驾（乘水车兮荷盖，驾两龙兮骖螭）；「登昆仑兮四望，心飞扬兮浩荡」写登昆仑兮四望、心飞扬兮浩荡——写尽同游的飞扬（登昆仑兮四望，心飞扬兮浩荡）。中段写水居：「鱼鳞屋兮龙堂，紫贝阙兮朱宫」写鱼鳞屋兮龙堂、紫贝阙兮朱宫——写尽河伯的水居（鱼鳞屋兮龙堂，紫贝阙兮朱宫）；「灵何为兮水中，乘白鼋兮逐文鱼」写灵何为兮水中、乘白鼋兮逐文鱼——写尽河伯的游乐（灵何为兮水中，乘白鼋兮逐文鱼）。后段写送别：「子交手兮东行，送美人兮南浦」写子交手兮东行、送美人兮南浦——写尽送别的深情（子交手兮东行，送美人兮南浦）；「波滔滔兮来迎，鱼邻邻兮媵予」写波滔滔兮来迎、鱼邻邻兮媵予——写尽送别的浩荡（波滔滔兮来迎，鱼邻邻兮媵予）。全篇以祭神写游乐，写尽河伯的游乐与送别的深情，是理解屈原《九歌》的重要篇章。

Art

Four techniques. The poem ranges across the whole map of the imaginary world: up the Nine Rivers, up to Kunlun and back down, out over the water-palace and along the islets, and away again to the southern shore — the space is neither here nor there, and that is the mark of a god's journey. The second is the splendour of the catalogue: 'A house of fish scales, a hall of dragons, gates of purple cowries, a palace of vermilion' — four parallel phrases and the whole palace is built. Third, feeling rides on the movement: 'my heart soared, so vast, so free' at the height, 'sunset came, and I forgot to go back' on the way down, and the closing waves and fish on the parting. Fourth, the structure is that of the rite itself — welcome, delight, send-off — so that the poem enacts what it describes.

此篇的艺术特色可从四个方面解析。其一，以神话写游乐。「乘水车兮荷盖，驾两龙兮骖螭」以神话写游乐——那「水车」「两龙」写尽神话的想象，以神话写尽同游的奇丽。其二，以铺陈写水居。「鱼鳞屋兮龙堂，紫贝阙兮朱宫」以铺陈写水居——那「鱼鳞屋」「紫贝阙」写尽水居的华美，以铺陈写尽河伯的水居。其三，以飞扬写浩荡。「心飞扬兮浩荡」以飞扬写浩荡——那「飞扬」「浩荡」写尽心神的飞扬，以飞扬写尽同游的浩荡。其四，以送别写深情。「子交手兮东行，送美人兮南浦」以送别写深情——那「交手」「送美人」写尽送别的场景，以送别写尽深情的惜别。此外，此篇前写同游之乐，后写送别之情，由乐及别，正是《九歌》「以人神写情思」的写法。四重手法，使此篇以祭神写游乐，写尽河伯的游乐与送别的深情，是屈原的代表作。此外，此篇尤可注意其「以水写游、以游写乐」的空间调度：起于九河（与女游兮九河），继而登昆仑四望（登昆仑兮四望，心飞扬兮浩荡），复归于水居（鱼鳞屋兮龙堂），再游于河渚（与女游兮河之渚），终至南浦送别（子交手兮东行）——上天下水，远游近别，正是《九歌》「神游」的典型章法；而「心飞扬兮浩荡」「波滔滔兮来迎」两处以浩荡写飞扬，更将河伯游乐之无拘、天地之辽阔写足。篇末「送美人兮南浦」「鱼邻邻兮媵予」忽转写惜别，由极乐转极怅，正是祭歌「迎神—乐神—送神」的完整结构；而「登昆仑兮四望」一纵，「心飞扬兮浩荡」一收，更见屈子笔力之开阖，正是《九歌》以祭神写天地之境的极致。

Allusions

The story is built out of the old machinery of Chinese myth. 'The Nine Rivers' is the old name for the several channels by which the Yellow River runs, and so the whole route is a route down the god's own river. 'Kunlun' is the mountain of the_classic of the mountains and the sea, where the gods dwell — 'eight hundred li square, ten thousand fathoms high' — and for the River God to climb it and look four ways is to show that his journey knows no distance. 'The patterned fish' and 'the white great turtle' are among the dragon-king's attendants. 'The southern shore' becomes in later poetry the standard place of farewell — 'Sending you away at the Southern Ford, grieved as I can only be,' from the 'Ballad of Parting' by Jiang Yan — and so all the later poetry of departure reaches back to this line. The fish-scale house and the purple cowrie gates show the Treasures of the Chu imagination; the god's palace is made of what lives in his own water.

此篇的用语深植于楚辞与神话的传统。「九河」令人想到「九河」写黄河的典故——黄河九曲分流，古称九河，也令人想到「黄河远上白云间」的意象；「昆仑」令人想到「昆仑」写神山的典故——《山海经》载昆仑为众神所居，也令人想到「昆仑墟」的意象；「螭」令人想到「螭」写龙的典故——《楚辞》多以螭写龙属，也令人想到「蛟龙骖螭」的神话意象；「白鼋」令人想到「白鼋」写神龟的典故——《淮南子》载鼋为水神，也令人想到「鼋鼍为梁」的典故；「南浦」令人想到「南浦」写送别之地的意象——江淹《别赋》「送君南浦，伤如之何」，也令人想到「南浦送客」的意象；「媵予」令人想到「媵予」写随从的典故——《楚辞》以媵写相送，也令人想到「鱼邻邻兮媵予」的意象。全篇化用九河、昆仑、白鼋、南浦的意象典故，以祭神写游乐，正是屈原「惊采绝艳」而承楚辞传统写神话的本领。又「昆仑」「南浦」之典可深味：「昆仑」为众神所居，《山海经·海内西经》谓「昆仑之虚，方八百里，高万仞」，屈原写河伯「登昆仑兮四望」，正是以水神而上陟神山，写其游踪之无远弗届；「南浦」则成为后世送别之代称，江淹《别赋》「送君南浦，伤如之何」，正从此篇「送美人兮南浦」化出——是知中国文学写送别，其源可溯至屈原。而「鱼鳞屋」「紫贝阙」以鱼鳞为屋、紫贝为阙，正是神话写水宫之奇，可见楚人想象之瑰丽。

Commentary

This has been reckoned among the finest of the 'Nine Songs' and among the representative works of Chu Elegies on the mythic journey. Zhu Xi, in his 'Collected Commentaries on the Chu Elegies,' says that the 'Nine Songs' use's allusion and metaphor with particular depth of feeling; later readers speak of this piece as gorgeous and uplifting. Its particular achievement is to carry a personal farewell inside an official ritual — nine short lines in the sao style, and the River God's journey from the Nine Rivers to the southern shore is over almost before it has begun. Set beside 'The Mountain Spirit,' also among the 'Nine Songs' — 'There is someone, at a bend of the mountain' — the two show the same suite from two sides: one the god of the water and his grandeur, the other the god of the hill and his solitude. It remains the classic of Chinese poetry on the journey of a deity.

此篇历来被推为《九歌》的名篇，也是楚辞写神话游乐的代表。历代论者对此篇评价极高：朱熹《楚辞集注》评《九歌》「比兴之义，为尤深切」；清人评此篇「以祭神写游乐，奇丽飞扬」。在辞史上，此篇的特殊价值在于：它以九句的骚体写尽河伯的游乐与送别的深情——那九河，那横波，那水车，那荷盖，那两龙，那螭，那昆仑，那四望，那飞扬，那极浦，那鱼鳞屋，那龙堂，那紫贝阙，那朱宫，那白鼋，那文鱼，那河之渚，那流澌，那交手，那南浦，那波滔滔，那鱼邻邻，都写尽了屈原笔下的河伯；那「波滔滔兮来迎，鱼邻邻兮媵予」更以送别写尽浩荡的深情。此篇与《九歌·山鬼》（「若有人兮山之阿」）同为《九歌》名篇，一写「思公子兮徒离忧」的山中之思（山鬼），一写「送美人兮南浦」的河上之游（河伯）；又与《庄子·秋水》「秋水时至，百川灌河」的河神传统一脉相承，可见先秦写河神游乐的传统。对于今日读者，此篇是理解屈原《九歌》的窗口，也是中国辞写神话游乐的经典——那驾龙乘水的河伯，穿越千年，仍在诉说着水中的游乐。

Prosody

Form Elegy — the Sao style of the Chu Elegies辞·楚辞骚体

Rhyme The sao style, with the particle xi falling inside the line rather than at its end; the rhymes are wide and alternate between level and falling tones — wave, dragon, vast, breast, palace, fish, downward, shore, attend骚体，句中多用「兮」字，押「波」「螭」「荡」「怀」「宫」「鱼」「下」「浦」「予」韵（平仄交替），音节摇曳

Tone pattern A piece of the sao style in which the exclamation xi recurs at the close of nearly every line; the cadence sways, and that sway is the movement of the god's chariot.此篇为楚辞骚体，句中多用「兮」字，音节摇曳，正合游乐的摇曳。

Reading note The sao style of the Chu Elegies: the particle 兮 comes at or near the end of each line rather than in the middle, giving the line its indented, falling cadence; the rhymes are broad and alternate between level and oblique — wave, dragon, vast, breast, palace, fish, downward, shore, attend. The effect is a verse that rocks as it goes, and the rocking is the motion of the water and of the chariot. The three movements — the roaming, the dwelling, the parting — follow one another without any conjunction. Read 'Riding a water-chariot with a lotus canopy' with the verse rising; read 'escorting the lovely one to the southern shore' with a longer stop; and let the last two lines open out. The Chu Elegies are famous for their gorgeous colour, and this piece is among the brightest.此篇为楚辞骚体，全篇句句用「兮」字——「与女游兮九河，冲风起兮横波……波滔滔兮来迎，鱼邻邻兮媵予」，骚体句式（上七下六等），押韵灵活（波、螭、荡、怀、宫、鱼、下、浦、予），音节摇曳。全篇以祭神写游乐：前段写同游之乐（与女游兮九河、乘水车兮荷盖、登昆仑兮四望、日将暮兮怅忘归），中段写水居之华（鱼鳞屋兮龙堂、乘白鼋兮逐文鱼），后段写送别之情（子交手兮东行、波滔滔兮来迎）。三段由游及别，层层写尽河伯的游乐与送别的深情，正是《九歌》以人神写情思的典型结构。诵读此篇，宜以飞扬的语调读「乘水车兮荷盖」的游乐，以深情的语调读「送美人兮南浦」的送别，结句要读得浩荡而有余韵，方能传达出屈原的飞扬。楚辞以「惊采绝艳」著称，此篇正是《九歌》的典范。

Line by line

乘水车兮荷盖，驾两龙兮骖螭

Riding a water-chariot with a lotus canopy, yoking two dragons with the river-beasts beside.

乘水车兮荷盖，驾两龙兮骖螭。

Riding a water chariot with a lotus canopy, yoked to two dragons, with horned dragons in the traces.

此二句是全篇写游乐的核心，以乘水车写车，以驾两龙写驾，写尽同游的车驾，是千古名句。「乘水车兮荷盖」写乘水车兮荷盖——那「乘水车」写乘水车，「荷盖」写荷盖，写尽水车的奇丽；「驾两龙兮骖螭」写驾两龙兮骖螭——那「驾两龙」写驾两龙，「骖螭」写骖螭，写尽两龙的驾乘。这句的深意在于：它以「乘水车兮荷盖」的水车与「驾两龙兮骖螭」的两龙，写尽同游的车驾——乘水车兮荷盖，那「乘水车兮荷盖」写尽水车的奇丽——水车而荷盖，正是神话的想象，那「荷盖」写尽水车的奇丽；驾两龙兮骖螭，那「驾两龙兮骖螭」写尽两龙的驾乘——两龙而骖螭，正是神行的想象，那「骖螭」写尽两龙的驾乘；那「乘水车兮荷盖」写尽水车的奇丽，那「驾两龙兮骖螭」写尽两龙的驾乘，一写车，一写驾，写尽同游的车驾——水车荷盖而两龙骖螭，正是河伯游乐的写照；此二句以车、驾写尽同游的车驾，也让此二句成为全篇写游乐的核心与千古名句。若换作直说「河伯在河里游玩」，则失其奇丽；唯以「乘水车兮荷盖」写车、「驾两龙兮骖螭」写驾，写尽同游的车驾，也让此二句成为全篇写游乐的核心。

The chariot. Riding a water chariot with a lotus canopy, yoked to two dragons, with horned dragons in the traces. The water chariot, the lotus canopy, the two yoked dragons, and the trace dragons are the River Earl's procession. To have described the god's chariot would be a procession; the water-chariot-with-lotus-canopy against the two-dragon-yoked-horned-dragons-in-traces is the procession.

波滔滔兮来迎，鱼邻邻兮媵予

Waves come rolling to receive you; fish crowd about, attending you.

波滔滔兮来迎，鱼邻邻兮媵予。

Waves roll on to meet me; fish in throngs attend me as escort.

此二句是全篇写送别的核心，以波滔滔写波，以鱼邻邻写鱼，写尽送别的浩荡，是千古名句。「波滔滔兮来迎」写波滔滔兮来迎——那「波滔滔」写波滔滔，「来迎」写来迎，写尽波浪的来迎；「鱼邻邻兮媵予」写鱼邻邻兮媵予——那「鱼邻邻」写鱼邻邻，「媵予」写媵予，写尽鱼群的相送。这句的深意在于：它以「波滔滔兮来迎」的波与「鱼邻邻兮媵予」的鱼，写尽送别的浩荡——波滔滔兮来迎，那「波滔滔兮来迎」写尽波浪的来迎——波滔滔而来迎，正是河伯送别的写照，那「来迎」写尽波浪的相迎；鱼邻邻兮媵予，那「鱼邻邻兮媵予」写尽鱼群的相送——鱼邻邻而相送，正是众鱼随行的写照，那「媵予」写尽鱼群的相送；那「波滔滔兮来迎」写尽波浪的来迎，那「鱼邻邻兮媵予」写尽鱼群的相送，一写波，一写鱼，写尽送别的浩荡——波迎鱼送，正是送别的浩荡；此二句以波、鱼写尽送别的浩荡，也让此二句成为全篇写送别的核心与千古名句。若换作直说「河伯送别很隆重」，则失其想象；唯以「波滔滔兮来迎」写波、「鱼邻邻兮媵予」写鱼，写尽送别的浩荡，也让此二句成为全篇写送别的核心。

The escort. Waves roll on to meet me; fish in throngs attend me as escort. The rolling waves that meet him and the thronging fish that escort him are the parting's grandeur. To have described the god's escort would be a procession; the rolling-waves-coming-to-meet against the fish-in-throngs-escorting-me is the procession.

Study

Word focus

骖 In 'yoking two dragons and let the river-beasts draw them' the character 骖 refers to the horse that stands outside the two harnessed horses of a three-horse team; by extension it is to draw a team. Here it yokes two dragons side by side, and so makes the god's chariot a divine rather than a human carriage; the grace of the word is that it is technical, and a specialist in chariots would have felt the image at once. 「驾两龙兮骖螭」之「骖」字是写驾乘的关键词，一个「骖」字写尽神驾的奇丽。骖者，以骖马驾车，古车驾三马，两服一骖也。屈原以「驾两龙兮骖螭」写神驾，这个「骖」字至少有双重意味：其一，写驾乘之奇——那「驾两龙兮骖螭」写驾两龙兮骖螭，那「骖」字写尽驾乘的奇丽——两龙而骖螭，正是神驾的奇丽，那「骖」字写尽神驾的想象；其二，写龙螭之众——那「骖」字更是写众——驾两龙而骖螭，正见龙螭之众，那「骖」字写尽神驾的华贵。以「骖」字写驾乘，正是屈原写神话的枢纽——若换作「驾」「乘」等字，则或失其与「两龙」「螭」的配合，或失其写骖的意味；唯「骖」字，以驾两龙兮骖螭写尽驾乘的奇丽与龙螭的华贵，与「乘水车兮荷盖」的荷盖相合，写尽同游的车驾，也让「驾两龙兮骖螭」成为全篇写游乐的名句。

媵 In 'fish crowd about, attending you' the character 媵 originally meant the women who accompanied a bride, and by extension any attendant or follower. Here the attendants are fish, and the god's departure is given a retinue as a great lady's would be — so the parting is honoured, and the poem's farewell is clothed in the pomp of a procession. 「鱼邻邻兮媵予」之「媵」字是写送别的关键词，一个「媵」字写尽鱼群的相送。媵者，相送、随行也，本指陪嫁随行之人。屈原以「鱼邻邻兮媵予」写送别，这个「媵」字至少有双重意味：其一，写随行之众——那「鱼邻邻兮媵予」写鱼邻邻兮媵予，那「媵」字写尽随行之众——鱼邻邻而媵予，正是众鱼随行的写照，那「媵」字写尽鱼群的相送；其二，写相送之亲——那「媵」字更是写亲——媵予，正见相送之亲，那「媵」字写尽送别的深情。以「媵」字写送别，正是屈原写深情的枢纽——若换作「送」「从」等字，则或失其与「鱼邻邻」的配合，或失其写媵的意味；唯「媵」字，以鱼邻邻兮媵予写尽随行之众与相送之亲，与「波滔滔兮来迎」的来迎相合，写尽送别的浩荡，也让「鱼邻邻兮媵予」成为全篇写送别的名句。