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明 Ming · 诗 Poem

龙潭夜坐

Sitting by the Dragon Pool at Night

王守仁

Wang Shouren

隐逸reclusion 感怀reflection 山水Landscape

何处花香入夜清？
石林茅屋隔溪声。
幽人月出每孤往，栖鸟山空时一鸣。
草露不辞芒屦湿，松风偏与葛衣轻。
临流欲写猗兰意，江北江南无限情。

From where does the flower's scent come, so clear in the night? Stone woods and a thatched hut, severed from the stream's sound.
The recluse, when the moon rises, often walks alone; a roosting bird in the empty hill calls now and then.
Dew on the grass — I do not refuse my straw sandals' wetting; the pine wind instead makes my hempen robe feel light.
By the stream I would write the Yi-lan mood; north and south of the river, boundless feeling.

Listen

Meaning

From where in the night does the flower's scent come, so pure? Beyond the stone woods and the thatched hut, the stream's sound comes faintly across. I, the recluse, whenever the moon rises, often walk alone; in the empty hill a roosting bird calls now and then. Dew on the grass — I do not mind my straw sandals growing wet; the pine wind instead makes my hempen robe feel light. Sitting by the stream, I would give voice to the mood of the Yi-lan; north and south of the river, boundless feeling rises at once.

夜色里哪来的花香如此清幽？石林与茅屋外，隔着溪水传来隐隐声响。我这幽居之人每逢月出便独自往游，空寂的山中栖鸟偶尔一声啼鸣。草叶上的露水任它打湿我的草鞋，松林清风偏偏让葛衣更显轻爽。临流而坐，想借《猗兰操》抒发心曲，江北江南顿时涌起无限情思。

Appreciation

The poem uses its first two couplets to write the 'night sitting' scene: the first couplet starts from smell (flower scent) and hearing (stream sound), not knowing whence it comes, severed by stone woods and a thatched hut, hazy yet clear; the second couplet 'the recluse, when the moon rises, often walks alone; a roosting bird in the empty hill calls now and then' uses an occasional bird-call to set off the empty hill's stillness, gaining the interest of 'a bird's call makes the mountain more still'. The last two couplets write the man's ease and his breast: dew wets the straw sandals yet he does not refuse, the pine wind brushes the hempen robe and instead makes it light, showing the recluse's light freedom; the close sits by the stream and thinks of the 'Yi-lan', suddenly turning from the stillness to 'north and south of the river, boundless feeling', the realm at once widens, implicit and rich.

【白话串讲】 “草露不辞芒屦湿，松风偏与葛衣轻”——王阳明在龙潭夜坐：草露打湿草鞋，松风吹动葛衣。“临流欲写猗兰意，江北江南无限情”——被贬之人，在山水中找回平静。【意象与手法】诗以前两联写「夜坐」之境：首联从嗅觉（花香）、听觉（溪声）落笔，不知其所自、隔石林茅屋，朦胧而清晰；颔联「幽人月出每孤往，栖鸟山空时一鸣」，以偶一鸟鸣反衬空山幽寂，得「鸟鸣山更幽」之趣。后两联写人之适意与胸怀：露湿芒屦而不辞，松风拂葛衣而偏轻，见隐逸轻快；结句临流怀《猗兰》，由幽静忽转「江北江南无限情」，境界顿阔，含蓄蕴藉。【情感与主旨】王守仁（1472—1529），字伯安，号阳明，余姚人，明代心学集大成者。正德八年（1513）升南京太仆寺少卿，次年督理马政至滁州，公余日与门人弟子游琅琊山、龙潭，随处讲学，心情愉悦。此诗作于正德九年（1514）春，记龙潭夜坐所见所感，融山水、理趣与身世之感于一炉。【名句点睛】中高考常从「以动衬静」「情景关系」设题：颔联「栖鸟时一鸣」反衬空山月夜之幽寂；「不辞」「偏与」写物我相与之乐；尾联《猗兰操》用典的怀才不遇之慨。

Background

Wang Shouren (1472–1529), courtesy Bo'an, style Yangming, from Yuyao, was the great synthesizer of Ming mind-learning. Early in the Zhengde era he was demoted to Longchang for offending the eunuch Liu Jin; after Liu's fall he rose again. In the eighth year of Zhengde (1513) he was promoted to vice-master of the imperial stud at Nanjing, and the next year, overseeing horse affairs at Chuzhou, in his spare time daily toured Langya Mountain and Dragon Pool with his disciples, lecturing everywhere, cheerful of mind. This poem was written in the spring of the ninth year of Zhengde (1514), recording what he saw and felt sitting by the Dragon Pool at night, blending landscape, reasoned charm and the feeling of his own estate in one furnace.

王守仁（1472—1529），字伯安，号阳明子，余姚人，明代杰出的思想家、文学家，心学集大成者，世称阳明先生。正德初年，王守仁因忤宦官刘瑾遭贬贵州龙场驿，刘瑾败后渐起，正德八年（1513）升南京太仆寺少卿，次年（1514）督理马政至滁州。在滁州期间，阳明公余之日与门人弟子游琅琊山、龙潭，随处讲学，论辨启发，心情颇为愉悦。此诗作于正德九年（1514）春，记龙潭夜坐所见所感。阳明一生历经贬谪之厄、宸濠之乱、忠奸之辨，然其心学主张「致良知」「知行合一」，于困境中愈见定力，此诗夜坐龙潭，花香溪声、月出鸟鸣，皆入眼入心，正是其「心外无物、万物一体」思想的诗意呈现。全诗融山水、理趣与身世之感于一炉，是阳明诗中清新淡远一格的代表，亦是研究其滁州讲学时期心境的重要材料。王守仁早年泛滥词章，出入佛老，后于龙场贬所悟「格物致知」之旨，创立心学，其学说以「致良知」「知行合一」为核心，影响及于明代中后期及整个东亚。滁州时期，阳明公务之余聚徒讲学，门人日进，其《别滁州》诗「滁之水，入江流，江潮日复来滁州」写其去滁之情；此《龙潭夜坐》正作于讲学之际，夜坐龙潭，静观万物，正是其静中体认天理的工夫——花香溪声、月出鸟鸣，皆天理之流行，而「江北江南无限情」，正是万物一体之仁的自觉。读此诗者，当知其非徒写景，实为心学境界的诗化，亦是阳明谪居以来心境由苦闷而超脱的见证。

Art

诗以前两联写「夜坐」之境，后两联写人之适意与胸怀，章法井然。首联从嗅觉（花香）、听觉（溪声）落笔：「何处花香入夜清」以问句起兴，花香不知何来，朦胧而清幽；「石林茅屋隔溪声」写溪声隔着石林茅屋隐隐传来，「隔」字写出可闻不可即的朦胧距离感。颔联「幽人月出每孤往，栖鸟山空时一鸣」，以偶一鸟鸣反衬空山幽寂，得「鸟鸣山更幽」之趣——月出孤往是「动」，山空鸟鸣是「声」，动静声寂相映，幽人之孤往与空山之幽寂浑然一体。颈联写徜徉自然之乐：「草露不辞芒屦湿」写任露水打湿草鞋，「不辞」见其欣然；「松风偏与葛衣轻」写松风偏偏让葛衣更轻爽，「偏与」以拟人写松风似有情。结句「临流欲写猗兰意，江北江南无限情」临流怀古，由幽静忽转开阔，「无限情」三字拓开境界，含蓄蕴藉，余韵悠长。全诗由境及人、由静及动、由幽及阔，是阳明「心物合一」思想的诗化表达。又此诗之妙，在以静写动、以动写静的往复运用：首联花香溪声，以嗅闻写静；颔联月出鸟鸣，以动静相形，得「鸟鸣山更幽」之趣；颈联露湿松风，以身之感写行之乐；尾联临流写意，以情之远写境之阔。四联之中，静中有动，动中愈静，而「幽人」「孤往」之身影贯穿始终，正见其独坐之态与独得之乐。且全诗用字极洗练，「何处」「每」「时」「不辞」「偏与」「无限」等虚字，轻轻点染，而情韵自出，正是阳明以平字写奇境的本领，亦见其于诗艺上的精进。

Allusions

The closing 'Yi-lan' uses an allusion to Confucius's 'Yi-lan Cao' (also called 'You-lan Cao'). The 'Collection of Lyrics' records that Confucius, returning from Wei to Lu, saw a fragrant orchid blooming alone in a hidden valley, and sighed 'the orchid should be the king's incense, yet now keeps company with common grass', took up the zither and played it, grieving that his time had not come. Wang Shouren borrows it to voice the grief of unrecognized talent, born at the wrong time. 'The recluse' comes from the 'Book of Changes, Hexagram Lu', 'the recluse is upright and fortunate', meaning the hidden and retired gentleman, exactly fitting his mind while lecturing and living in retirement at Chuzhou — allusion and real scene blend without seam.

尾联「猗兰」用典，指孔子《猗兰操》（又名《幽兰操》）。《乐府诗集》引《琴操》载：孔子自卫返鲁，过幽谷之中，见香兰独茂，喟然叹曰：「夫兰当为王者香，今乃独茂，与众草为伍。」乃止车援琴鼓之，自伤不逢时，遂成《猗兰操》。王守仁借以抒怀才不遇、生不逢时之慨——兰当为王者香而与众草为伍，正如阳明之才不得尽用于朝，谪居滁州、讲学山林，正是「香兰独茂」之境。「幽人」出《易经·履卦》「履道坦坦，幽人贞吉」，指幽隐恬退之士，正切其讲学隐居滁州之心境。又「江北江南」暗含身世之思：阳明宦迹遍及南北，贬谪龙场在西南，讲学滁州在东南，南北之思，正是身世之感。用典与实景交融无痕，正见阳明学养之深与化用之功。又「幽人」出《易·履卦》「履道坦坦，幽人贞吉」，本指幽隐守正之人，阳明用之正切其讲学隐居之身份；「芒屦」「葛衣」皆隐者之服，陆游《夜出偏门还三山》「水风吹葛衣，草露湿芒履」即写隐者之行，阳明以「不辞」「偏与」写其乐，正是物我相与之境。又「猗兰」之典，除孔子《猗兰操》外，后世诗人多用以写怀才不遇，如李白《赠从弟冽》「幽兰香风远，蕙草流芳根」，阳明临流写意，取孔子自伤不遇之意，而结以「江北江南无限情」，又由不遇之叹转出博大之怀，正见其心学家的胸次，非徒效古人悲叹而已。

Commentary

Wang Shizhen's 'Remarks on the Art Garden' says of Yangming's poetry 'there are deliberate lines, there are offhand lines', yet this poem is clear and lovely to recite. A modern critic says it 'writes a stretch of clear stillness, implicitly and gently giving voice to weariness of the worldly court and a fond wish to return'; among philosophers' poems it has a special tenderness, enough to show Yangming was not merely a lecturer but also good at the poet's craft, thus free of the pedant's air.

王世贞《艺苑卮言》论阳明诗「有就语、有率语」，而此诗清幽可诵，正是其诗中少见之佳作。近人评此诗「写得一派清幽，含蓄委婉地抒发了厌倦世俗官场、眷然归与之情」，于理学家诗中独饶情韵。阳明不以诗名，然其诗多直抒胸臆、见道语，如《龙潭夜坐》之「幽人月出每孤往」，正是其「随处体认天理」工夫的诗化——夜坐龙潭，静观万物，心与景会，即见良知。后世论阳明诗，多许其「有唐人之韵、宋人之理」，此诗前两联之清幽近王维，后两联之理趣近东坡，而「江北江南无限情」之开阔，又见其心学家的胸次。与朱熹《观书有感》一类理学诗相较，阳明诗更重自得之境、更少道学之气，足见阳明非徒讲学家，亦善为诗人之诗，故能脱去道学头巾气。又阳明不以诗名家，而其诗自具一格：明人王世贞《艺苑卮言》评其诗「有就语、有率语」，谓其不甚雕琢；然此《龙潭夜坐》清幽蕴藉，正是其诗中之上品。近人论阳明诗，多许其「于道学中见诗情，于诗情中见道学」，此诗「幽人月出每孤往」之孤高、「江北江南无限情」之博大，正是致良知境界的自然流露。又此诗与王维《竹里馆》「独坐幽篁里，弹琴复长啸」并读，一写唐人禅境之空灵，一写明人心学之自得，可见同一「夜坐」母题在不同时代、不同思想背景下的不同呈现，亦为中国诗歌体物写心传统之延续。

Prosody

Form Poem, seven-character regulated verse (seven-character lü)诗·七言律诗

Rhyme Ping-shui rhyme, lower-level eight geng group (qing, sheng, ming, qing, qing)清、声、鸣、轻、情，押平水韵下平八庚韵，首句入韵。

Tone pattern First line enters rhyme, level-onset; middle two couplets neatly antithetical首句入韵，平起首句入韵式；中二联对仗工稳，平仄合律。

Reading note Standard seven-lü; natural antithesis; reason-charm and poetic feeling blended此诗为七言律诗，押平水韵下平八庚韵（清、声、鸣、轻、情），首句「清」字入韵，一韵到底，韵脚清亮悠长，正合龙潭夜坐的清幽之境。平仄上，全诗合律：「何处花香入夜清」为平仄平平仄仄平，首句以问句出之，音节扬起；「石林茅屋隔溪声」为仄平平仄仄平平，音节低回；「幽人月出每孤往」为平平仄仄仄平仄，拗中有救，音节顿挫；「栖鸟山空时一鸣」为平仄平平平仄平，音节空灵。中二联对仗工稳：「幽人」对「栖鸟」、「月出」对「山空」、「每孤往」对「时一鸣」，动静相映；「草露」对「松风」、「芒屦」对「葛衣」、「湿」对「轻」，工稳自然。章法上，首联写境，颔联写幽，颈联写乐，尾联写情，由境及人、由静及动、由幽及阔，层层推进，理趣与诗情交融。全诗声律之清、对仗之工、章法之整，为阳明七律中少见之精工之作，亦见其于理学之外兼善诗艺的全面修养。

Line by line

何处花香入夜清？石林茅屋隔溪声

From where does the flower's scent come, so clear in the night? Stone woods and a thatched hut, severed from the stream's sound

夜色里哪来的花香如此清幽？石林茅屋之外，隔着溪水传来隐隐声响。

From where does the flower scent come, clear in the night? Stone forest and thatched hut, beyond which the stream sounds.

首联以嗅觉听觉开篇，朦胧中见清幽，逗出游兴。「何处花香入夜清」以问句起兴——夜色沉沉，何处飘来如此清幽的花香？「何处」一问，写花香不知何来，暗夜之中，香随风至，先闻其香而后寻其源，朦胧而引人；「入夜清」写花香在夜色中格外清幽，「清」字写香之清雅，亦写夜之清寂。「石林茅屋隔溪声」写石林与茅屋之外，隔着溪水传来隐隐声响——溪声「隔」而可闻，石林茅屋是近景，溪声是远景，一近一远，层次分明。此联以嗅觉与听觉写「夜坐」之境，不写目之所见，而花香溪声自足，正是「以声香写静夜」的妙笔，为全诗定下清幽的基调。

The scent. From where does the flower scent come, clear in the night? Stone forest and thatched hut, beyond which the stream sounds. The question of the scent and the distant stream are the opening senses. To have asked where the scent comes from would be a question; the from-where-does-the-flower-scent-come-clear-in-the-night against the stone-forest-and-thatched-hut-beyond-which-the-stream-sounds is the question.

幽人月出每孤往，栖鸟山空时一鸣

The recluse, when the moon rises, often walks alone; a roosting bird in the empty hill calls now and then

我这幽居之人每逢月出便独自往游，空寂的山中栖鸟偶尔一声啼鸣。

The secluded man goes out alone whenever the moon rises; in the empty hills a roosting bird now and then cries once.

颔联以动衬静、以声衬寂，是全诗最见功力的一联。「幽人月出每孤往」写幽居之人每逢月出便独自往游，「幽人」出《易经·履卦》，指幽隐恬退之士，是诗人自况；「每孤往」写每次都是独自往游，「每」字见其常，「孤」字见其独，独往独来，正是隐者之趣。「栖鸟山空时一鸣」写空寂的山中栖鸟偶尔一声啼鸣，「山空」写山之空寂，「时一鸣」写偶一鸣叫，以偶鸣反衬空山之幽寂，得「鸟鸣山更幽」之趣——正如王维「月出惊山鸟，时鸣春涧中」，愈是偶一鸟鸣，愈见山中无人无喧。一写人之孤往，一写鸟之偶鸣，人鸟相映，动静相生，幽人之心境与空山之境界浑然一体。

The solitary. The secluded man goes out alone whenever the moon rises; in the empty hills a roosting bird now and then cries once. The moonlit solitary walks and the occasional bird cry are the quiet Wang Yangming mood. To have described the moonlit walker would be a portrait; the secluded-man-goes-out-alone-whenever-the-moon-rises against the empty-hills-a-roosting-bird-now-and-then-cries-once is the portrait.

草露不辞芒屦湿，松风偏与葛衣轻

Dew on the grass — I do not refuse my straw sandals' wetting; the pine wind instead makes my hempen robe feel light

草叶上的露水任它打湿我的草鞋，松林清风偏偏让葛衣更显轻爽。

Grass dew does not hesitate to wet my straw sandals; the pine wind makes my hemp robe feel light.

颈联写徜徉自然之乐，是全诗情感最轻快处。「草露不辞芒屦湿」写草间露水打湿了芒鞋而不辞避，「不辞」二字见其欣然——任露湿鞋，行于草间，正是放怀自然、不避艰湿的隐逸之乐；「松风偏与葛衣轻」写松林清风偏偏让葛衣更显轻爽，「偏与」以拟人写松风似有情——风似知人，独与我相宜，葛衣轻爽，物我相得。此联之妙有三：一是拟人之趣，「不辞」「偏与」皆以人情写物，草露松风似解人意，物我之间无隔，正是阳明「万物一体」思想的诗意呈现；二是对仗之工，「草露」对「松风」、「芒屦」对「葛衣」、「湿」对「轻」，工稳自然；三是心境之快，由「孤往」之幽转入「不辞」「偏与」之乐，幽人不是孤寂的幽人，而是与自然相得的幽人，隐逸之乐由此见出。

The dew. Grass dew does not hesitate to wet my straw sandals; the pine wind makes my hemp robe feel light. The dew-wet sandals and the light hemp robe are the ease. To have let the dew wet the sandals would be a detail; the grass-dew-does-not-hesitate-to-wet-my-straw-sandals against the pine-wind-makes-my-hemp-robe-feel-light is the detail.

临流欲写猗兰意，江北江南无限情

By the stream I would write the Yi-lan mood; north and south of the river, boundless feeling

临流而坐，想借《猗兰操》抒发心曲，江北江南顿时涌起无限情思。

By the stream I would play the Orchid in the Valley; north and south of the river, feeling without end.

尾联用典收束，由幽静忽转开阔，是全诗情感与境界的升华。「临流欲写猗兰意」写临水而坐，想借《猗兰操》抒发心曲——「猗兰」用孔子《猗兰操》之典，孔子见幽谷香兰独茂，叹「兰当为王者香，今乃与众草为伍」，自伤不逢时；阳明借以抒怀才不遇、生不逢时之慨，幽兰自况，深婉含蓄。「江北江南无限情」写江北江南顿时涌起无限情思，「江北江南」由眼前龙潭拓开至大江南北，境界顿阔——谪居之思、讲学之乐、身世之感、家国之怀，皆在此「无限情」中。此联之妙有三：一是用典深婉，「猗兰意」三字含孔子自伤不遇之慨，正切阳明遭谗被贬之境；二是境界之开，由幽静之景忽转开阔之情，「无限情」三字如江河决口，含蓄蕴藉而余韵悠长；三是情理交融，临流写意、怀古伤今，正是阳明「致良知」于山水之间的自得之境。

The orchid. By the stream I would play the Orchid in the Valley; north and south of the river, feeling without end. The Confucius Orchid-in-the-Valley allusion and the boundless feeling are the close. To have invoked the Orchid in the Valley would be an allusion; the by-the-stream-I-would-play-the-Orchid-in-the-Valley-north-and-south-of-the-river-feeling-without-end is the allusion.

Study

Word focus

隔 One word 'severed' writes the stream's sound faint, audible yet unreachable — a hazy distance that deepens the night's quiet. 「石林茅屋隔溪声」之「隔」字，写溪声隐隐、可闻不可即的朦胧距离感，是首联炼字之眼。「隔」训阻隔、隔开，此处写石林茅屋横亘其间，溪声被隔而变隐隐——非溪声不闻，而是隔而微闻。此字之妙有三：一是写距离之美，溪声隔着石林茅屋传来，若远若近、若断若续，朦胧而有韵致，比溪声直入更见夜之幽深；二是以物写声，石林茅屋本为静物，一「隔」字使其与溪声发生关系，物与声相映，画面顿活；三是定幽寂之调，「隔」字写声之远、之微，正合夜坐龙潭的幽寂之境，为下文「栖鸟时一鸣」的空山幽寂作了铺垫。一字之设，声景交融，正是阳明炼字「平中见奇」的体现。

偏与 The word 'instead' personifies; the pine wind seems to have feeling, favouring the recluse alone — showing the joy of self and nature in accord. 「松风偏与葛衣轻」之「偏与」，是全诗拟人手法的点睛之笔。「偏」训偏偏、独独，写松风独与我相宜；「与」训给、予，写松风予我以轻爽。二字连用，将松风拟人化——风似有情，偏偏成全我，独与我的葛衣相宜。此词之妙有三：一是拟人之趣，「偏与」以人之偏袒写风之有情，松风仿佛偏爱幽人，物我之间温情脉脉，正是阳明「万物一体」思想的诗意呈现；二是与「不辞」相对，草露湿鞋而不辞，松风送爽而偏与，一任之、一得之，皆见人与自然的相得相乐；三是轻快之致，「偏与」二字读来轻灵，正合葛衣轻爽、步履轻快的心境，一字一词，皆见阳明于清幽中的自得之乐。

无限情 The close opens the realm, from one's own sitting to the land's hills and rivers — a long resonance. 「江北江南无限情」之「无限情」，是结句拓开境界的关钥，亦是全诗情感的落点。「无限」写没有穷尽、不可限量，「情」写情思，「无限情」三字，将前文之花香溪声、孤往鸟鸣、草露松风所蕴之情，一并收拢，又向大江南北拓开——一己之幽情，化为天地之深情。此词之妙有三：一是境界之开，由眼前龙潭之景，忽转江北江南之思，空间顿阔，如登高一呼，气象万千；二是含蕴之丰，「无限情」不点明何情——是怀才不遇之慨，是讲学自得之乐，是身世飘零之感，是家国天下之怀，诸情并包，含蓄蕴藉，正是「情到浓时反无言」；三是收束之妙，以「无限情」收束全诗，不言尽而情自尽，余韵悠长，为阳明此诗画上最圆满的句点，亦是其「心外无物、万物一体」胸次的自然流露。