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明 Ming · 诗 Poem

洛阳道

The Luoyang Road

刘绩

Liu Ji

边塞frontier 闺怨boudoir lament 明诗Ming poetry

洛阳女儿学琵琶，玉雁金莺赛着花。
学成二月春未老，一朝嫁与浮梁商。
商人重利轻别离，前月浮梁买茶去。
江口守风潮，门前立朝露。
洛阳女儿不知愁，愁杀长江万里流。

The daughters of Luoyang learn to play the pipa, their jade-geese and golden-oriole hairpins outshine the flowers.
When her learning is done and the second month's spring is not yet old, in one morning she is married to a Fuliang merchant.
The merchant values profit and lightly bears parting; last month he went to Fuliang to buy tea.
At the river mouth she watches the wind and tide; before the gate she stands through the morning dew.
The Luoyang daughter knew no sorrow—now it is killing her, this sorrow of the ten-thousand-li Yangtze flowing on.

Listen

Meaning

The poem tells of a Luoyang merchant's wife, once adorned and carefree, now left alone watching the river for a profit-bound husband, and ends by comparing her boundless sorrow to the endless Yangtze.

洛阳的女儿学着弹琵琶，玉雁金莺的钗饰赛过春花。学成时二月春色犹浓，一朝嫁给了浮梁的商人。商人重利轻别离，前月往浮梁买茶去了。她在江口守着风潮，在门前立尽朝露。洛阳女儿本不知愁，如今却愁杀那长江万里流。

Appreciation

Narrated in the voice of the merchant's wife, it moves from fine adornment to loneliness. 'Jade geese and golden orioles' write of her former beauty; 'watching the wind' and 'standing in dew' write of her present isolation. The closing line figures her sorrow as the Yangtze's ten-thousand-li flow, opening the scene wide. Modeled on the yuefu, it approaches the Tang merchant-wife songs.

【白话串讲】 “洛阳女儿学琵琶，玉雁金莺赛着花”——刘绩写洛阳女儿：学琵琶。“一朝嫁与浮梁商”——她嫁给了商人。“商人重利轻别离，前月浮梁买茶去”——“洛阳女儿不知愁，愁杀长江万里流”——她学的是白居易《琵琶行》的故事。【意象与手法】以商妇口吻叙事，由盛妆而孤独。玉雁金莺写昔日之娇，守风立露写今日之寂；结句以长江万里流喻愁，境界顿开。拟乐府而近唐人商妇曲。【情感与主旨】写商人妇空闺独守、江头望归的哀怨，亦暗讽重利轻别的社会风气。刘绩此作承《琵琶行》商妇之绪，明诗中少见。【名句点睛】愁杀长江万里流——以大江之不尽喻愁之无穷，化用李后主结语而另出手眼。

Background

Liu Ji was a Ming poet; this 'Luoyang Road' models the yuefu merchant-wife song, carrying on Bai Juyi's 'Pipa Xing' line of 'the merchant values profit and lightly bears parting,' writing of the lonely wife of a Fuliang tea merchant.

刘绩（约明初），字孟熙，浙江山阴人，生平不详，约活动于明初，有诗名，与所谓「景泰十才子」时代相近，诗风近唐人乐府与中晚唐歌行。其《洛阳道》一题，源出梁代横吹曲与唐人「洛阳女儿」题（如王维《洛阳女儿行》、崔颢《相逢行》），原为写洛阳繁华与儿女情事的乐府旧题，刘绩借以翻新，写为商妇之怨。明代商品经济渐兴，商人地位虽仍不高而活动频繁，重利轻别成为普遍社会现象，商妇空闺独守、江头望归遂成诗材。此诗当为刘绩拟古而作，借洛阳女儿嫁与浮梁茶商的故事，写商人妇的孤寂哀怨，亦暗讽「重利轻别离」的社会风气。它与白居易《琵琶行》「老大嫁作商人妇」「商人重利轻别离」一脉相承，在明诗中以乐府歌行写商妇题材者颇为少见，显见刘绩对唐代新乐府与歌行传统的熟稔，亦折射明初社会商业渐盛背景下文人对商人妇命运的注目。刘绩此作以拟乐府写商妇，于明初诗坛颇显孤明，足见其对唐人歌行传统的熟稔，亦折射商品经济初兴时文人对市井题材的敏锐捕捉。在台阁体与前后七子主流之外，此类承唐人歌行、关注市井民情的作品，恰构成明诗多元生态中不可轻忽的一脉，亦证拟古并非皆蹈袭，亦可因题而异、因时而新。

Art

In seven-character old tune, it narrates like everyday speech; it sets the lonely against the ornate, begins with happy language and closes with lament, the contrast sharp; the closing line figures sorrow through scene, open and forceful.

此诗以商妇口吻叙事，章法由盛妆而婚嫁、由别离而独守、由不知愁而愁杀，如一首七言歌行，情节跌宕而情韵流转。首联「洛阳女儿学琵琶，玉雁金莺赛着花」以「玉雁金莺」的华美钗饰写女儿盛妆之娇，设色秾丽，满纸春色；颔联「学成二月春未老，一朝嫁与浮梁商」以「二月春未老」的良辰反衬「嫁与浮梁商」的命运转折，乐景中已伏哀音；颈联「商人重利轻别离，前月浮梁买茶去」直点「重利轻别」的主题，以「前月」写别去之久；「江口守风潮，门前立朝露」以「守风潮」「立朝露」两个动作特写，写尽空闺独守、江头望归的孤寂与执着；尾联「洛阳女儿不知愁，愁杀长江万里流」以反收作结，本不知愁的女儿终被愁杀，而以长江万里之流喻愁之无穷，境界顿开。全诗歌手法由乐入哀、以景结情，结句化用李煜「恰似一江春水向东流」而另出手眼，于拟乐府中见深沉，是明诗商妇曲的上乘。

Allusions

'Fuliang': today's Jingdezhen in Jiangxi, a great tea-trade town in Song and Ming; 'jade geese and golden orioles': women's hairpins; 'the Yangtze flowing ten thousand li': adapting 'can you tell how much sorrow? just like a river of spring water flowing east.'

「洛阳女儿」为乐府与唐人歌行中的经典意象，梁武帝《洛阳道》「洛阳女儿名莫愁」，王维《洛阳女儿行》「洛阳女儿对门居，才可颜容十五余」皆以洛阳女儿写贵族儿女的娇美与闲愁，刘绩沿用此题而翻新其命意，将娇美女儿改写为嫁与商人的怨妇，是对乐府传统的现实主义改写。「浮梁」即今江西景德镇，唐时为重要茶叶集散地，白居易《琵琶行》「前月浮梁买茶去」正作此语，刘绩「前月浮梁买茶去」直袭白诗成句，使本诗与《琵琶行》商妇之绪遥遥相通，足见其对白诗的熟稔与致敬。「玉雁金莺」化用钗饰意象（如「金莺」「玉雁」多为步摇、钗头之饰），以华饰写盛妆。「愁杀长江万里流」则脱胎于李煜「问君能有几多愁，恰似一江春水向东流」，以江流喻愁，而刘绩易「春水」为「长江万里」，空间更为浑茫。全诗句句有典依、字字本于唐人歌行，用事融于叙事，最见拟乐府「以古写今」的功力。

Commentary

Ming poetry is mostly 'terrace-and-pavilion' courtly verse; this alone writes of the lane-dwelling merchant's wife, close to the Tang New Yuefu—its value lies in the folk perspective.

刘绩《洛阳道》虽作者声名不显，而其拟乐府写商妇之怨，向来为选家所重，清人编明诗多收录之。此诗上承王维、崔颢「洛阳女儿」题的乐府余绪，下接白居易《琵琶行》的商妇哀音，在明诗中以歌行体写商妇题材者颇罕，故尤显珍贵。近人论明诗，多以台阁体、前后七子为主流，而对刘绩此类承唐人歌行、关注市井民情的作品每加表彰，以为明诗多元生态之一面。它与《琵琶行》相较，白诗以长篇铺叙写琵琶女身世，刘诗以短章写商妇怨，一详一略而同归于「重利轻别」的讽慨；与唐人「洛阳女儿」题相较，则刘诗脱去贵族闲愁而注入市井真实，是为乐府旧题的现实主义新生。今人读之，既能赏其「玉雁金莺」的秾丽设色与「愁杀长江」的浑茫收束，亦当体会明初商业渐兴背景下，文人对商人妇命运这一新兴社会题材的敏锐捕捉与深沉同情。此诗上承王维、白居易，下启明人拟古乐府，于「洛阳女儿」旧题中注入市井真实，是乐府现实主义精神在明初的一脉清音，亦见商妇题材的持久生命力。刘绩虽声名不显，而此诗以短章写尽商妇之怨，秾丽起而浑茫收，于明初诗坛别标一格，足供论明诗者补前七子之外之声调。

Prosody

Form Seven-character ancient-style poem诗·七言古诗（拟乐府）

Rhyme Rhyme not specified in the source; level and oblique tones follow the ancient style with natural rhyme shifts.七言古诗，转韵自由（花、商、去、露、流随情节换韵）

Tone pattern Level and oblique tones follow the ancient style, with natural rhyme shifts.古体不究平仄，转韵自由

Reading note A five-part seven-character ancient poem, it covertly uses the affair of 'Pipa Xing' yet advances a step; closing on 'sorrow killing, the Yangtze,' its lament surpasses the original allusion—a fresh turn in Ming imitation of the ancients.此诗为七言古诗，体制近拟乐府的「洛阳女儿」题（承梁武帝《洛阳道》及唐人王维、崔颢《洛阳女儿行》之绪），语言通俗、转韵自由，不尚雕琢而情韵绵长，正合乐府「感于哀乐、缘事而发」的精神。全诗以商妇口吻叙事，句式以七言为主，随情节转韵：起二句「花」属麻韵写盛妆之娇，承二句「商」「去」换韵写婚嫁之别，转二句「露」写独守之寂，结句「流」属尤韵以江水喻愁收束。转韵随情感波澜而行，由娇到孤、由乐到哀，声情与内容同构。刘绩此诗承《琵琶行》商妇之绪，以「愁杀长江万里流」的浑茫意象作结，将个人闺怨放大为自然之愁，章法由具体到宏大。整体看，其古体之畅、用韵之活服务于叙事抒情的需要，是明诗中少见的高品质拟乐府商妇曲，亦可见汉唐乐府传统在明代的潜流不息。

Line by line

洛阳女儿学琵琶，玉雁金莺赛着花。

The daughters of Luoyang learn to play the pipa, their jade-geese and golden-oriole hairpins outshine the flowers.

洛阳的女儿学着弹琵琶，玉雁金莺的钗饰赛过春花。

A Luoyang girl learns the pipa; her jade wild-geese and golden orioles rival the flowers.

首联以盛妆少女的明丽形象起笔，「洛阳女儿学琵琶」点出其身份与才艺，承梁武帝以来「洛阳女儿」乐府旧题的娇美传统。「玉雁金莺赛着花」以「玉雁金莺」写头上步摇钗饰的华美——玉雕之雁、金铸之莺，皆为贵重头饰，设色秾丽；「赛着花」以春花为参照，写钗饰之丽竟能与春花争艳，反衬人物之明媚。此意象实承唐人「金莺」「玉雁」钗饰书写传统（如温庭筠词中屡写钗梁燕雀），刘绩袭而用之，使全诗起笔便有盛唐歌行的富丽气脉。尤为可味者，这般华饰与后文「嫁与浮梁商」「江口守风潮」的孤寂形成强烈反差——昔日赛花的娇女，终成江头立露的怨妇，以乐景写哀，丽饰愈艳而哀意愈深，是章法上「以浓衬淡、以乐衬哀」的关键一笔。

The adornment. A Luoyang girl learns the pipa; her jade wild-geese and golden orioles rival the flowers. The jade-geese and golden-oriole pins and the rival-with-flowers are the opening beauty. To have described the adorned girl would be a portrait; the Luoyang-girl-learns-the-pipa-her-jade-wild-geese-and-golden-orioles-rival-the-flowers is the portrait.

商人重利轻别离，前月浮梁买茶去。

The merchant values profit and lightly bears parting; last month he went to Fuliang to buy tea.

商人重利轻别离，前月往浮梁买茶去了。

The merchant weighs profit lightly against parting; last month he went to Fuliang to buy tea.

此联是全诗主题的诗眼，亦是对白居易《琵琶行》同句的直接袭用与致敬。「商人重利轻别离」七字凝练地概括了商人「重利」而「轻别」的群体特质，将商妇悲剧的根源一语道破——非关情薄，而关生计逻辑使然。「前月浮梁买茶去」以「前月」点出别去之久，浮梁即今江西景德镇，唐时为茶叶集散地，白诗原句正作「前月浮梁买茶去」，刘绩直用成句，使本诗自然汇入「商妇怨」的文学传统。「重利轻别离」与后文「江口守风潮」「门前立朝露」构成因果链条：因重利而去、因去而别、因别而守，章法血脉因之贯通。此联以议论带叙事，于平易中见沉痛，最见拟乐府「以一句立骨」的章法妙谛，亦显刘绩对唐人歌行的熟稔。

The merchant. The merchant weighs profit lightly against parting; last month he went to Fuliang to buy tea. The Bai Juyi merchant-heavy-on-profit-light-on-parting line is the borrowed theme. To have borrowed the Pipa Song line would be a borrowing; the merchant-weighs-profit-lightly-against-parting-last-month-he-went-to-Fuliang-to-buy-tea is the borrowing.

洛阳女儿不知愁，愁杀长江万里流。

The Luoyang daughter knew no sorrow—now it is killing her, this sorrow of the ten-thousand-li Yangtze flowing on.

洛阳女儿本不知愁，如今却愁杀那长江万里流。

The Luoyang girl knew no sorrow; now sorrow kills her in the Long River's ten-thousand-li flow.

尾联以反收作结，将全诗的哀怨推向高潮。「洛阳女儿不知愁」以「不知愁」反起，写其本为娇养无忧之女，与首联「玉雁金莺」的盛妆呼应，形成首尾对照；「愁杀长江万里流」则以「愁杀」二字写愁之深重至于摧杀身心，语极沉痛。此前「不知愁」与终「愁杀」的陡转，正是命运捉弄的力证。结以「长江万里流」喻愁，化用李煜「一江春水」而拓为「万里」之浑茫，将个人闺怨放大为自然之愁、宇宙之愁，境界顿开。「愁杀」二字以口语式的夸张收束全篇，举重若轻，使商妇之怨超越一时一地，成为人类离愁的普遍象征，最见拟乐府「以结句振起全篇」的章法妙谛，亦为全诗的讽慨写下最辽阔的注脚。

The sorrow. The Luoyang girl knew no sorrow; now sorrow kills her in the Long River's ten-thousand-li flow. The knew-no-sorrow opening against the sorrow-killing close is the turn. To have turned from no-sorrow to sorrow-killing would be a turn; the Luoyang-girl-knew-no-sorrow-now-sorrow-kills-her-in-the-Long-River's-ten-thousand-li-flow is the turn.

Study

Word focus

玉雁金莺 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「玉雁金莺赛着花」之「玉雁金莺」，写洛阳女儿头上步摇钗饰的华美——玉雕之雁、金铸之莺，皆为贵重头饰。此四字以并列的珍物意象设色秾丽，既写女儿盛妆之娇，亦暗点其出身之富足与待嫁之韶年。「赛着花」以花为参照，写钗饰之丽竟能与春花争艳，反衬人物之明媚。此意象实承唐人「金莺」「玉雁」钗饰书写传统（如温庭筠词中屡写钗梁燕雀），刘绩袭而用之，使全诗起笔便有盛唐歌行的富丽气脉。尤为可味者，这般华饰与后文「嫁与浮梁商」「江口守风潮」的孤寂形成强烈反差——昔日赛花的娇女，终成江头立露的怨妇，以乐景写哀，丽饰愈艳而哀意愈深，是章法上「以浓衬淡、以乐衬哀」的关键一笔。

重利轻别离 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「商人重利轻别离」七字，是全诗主题的诗眼，亦是对白居易《琵琶行》同句的直接袭用与致敬。它凝练地概括了商人「重利」而「轻别」的群体特质，将商妇悲剧的根源一语道破——非关情薄，而关生计逻辑使然。此句以议论入诗，却因前已有「学成二月春未老，一朝嫁与浮梁商」的叙事铺垫，显得水到渠成、毫不生硬。刘绩以白诗成句入己作，既显其熟稔唐人歌行，亦使本诗自然汇入「商妇怨」的文学传统。「重利轻别离」与后文「前月浮梁买茶去」「江口守风潮」构成因果链条：因重利而去、因去而别、因别而守，章法血脉因之贯通，是乐府叙事「以一句立骨」的典范。

愁杀 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「洛阳女儿不知愁，愁杀长江万里流」之「愁杀」二字，是全诗情感的最终爆破点。「愁杀」即「愁极、愁煞」，写愁之深重至于摧杀身心，语极沉痛。此前「洛阳女儿不知愁」以「不知愁」反起，写其本为娇养无忧之女，而嫁商别后终被愁杀，由「不知」到「愁杀」的陡转，正是命运捉弄的力证。结以「长江万里流」喻愁，化用李煜「一江春水」而拓为「万里」之浑茫，将个人闺怨放大为自然之愁、宇宙之愁，境界顿开。「愁杀」二字以口语式的夸张收束全篇，举重若轻，使商妇之怨超越一时一地，成为人类离愁的普遍象征，最见拟乐府「以结句振起全篇」的章法妙谛，亦显刘绩炼字之重。

洛阳道