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明 Ming · 传奇 Tale

牡丹亭·皂罗袍

Zao Luo Pao from The Peony Pavilion

汤显祖

Tang Xianzu

爱情Love 梦境Dream 伤春Spring Sorrow

原来姹紫嫣红开遍，似这般都付与断井颓垣。
良辰美景奈何天，赏心乐事谁家院！
朝飞暮卷，云霞翠轩；
雨丝风片，烟波画船——锦屏人忒看的这韶光贱！

So colorful blossoms bloom everywhere,
yet all are left to broken well and crumbling wall.
What can I do with this fine morning and lovely scene?
In whose courtyard are joy and pleasure?
Morning clouds fly, evening curtains roll,
green pavilions amid rosy clouds;
threads of rain, wisps of wind,
painted boats on misty waves—
The lady behind the screen takes this glorious spring light too cheap!

Listen

Meaning

This aria is sung by Du Liniang during her garden tour. She sees the garden full of blooming flowers but finds them wasted on a dilapidated setting. She laments that fine scenery and joyful moments are in vain, and accuses herself of undervaluing the beauty of spring.

春色里姹紫嫣红的花儿开遍，却这样被冷落在断井残垣之间。这良辰美景、无奈面对的苍天，赏心乐事又在谁家的庭院！晨云飞动暮帘卷起，映着云霞的是翠绿的亭轩；细雨丝丝风片轻柔，烟波上飘着画船——深闺中的人儿，竟把如此春光看得这样轻贱！

Appreciation

The poem contrasts the brilliant colors of spring (姹紫嫣红) with the desolate ruins (断井颓垣), using a technique of setting joy against sorrow to express the heroine's suppressed youth and longing for love. The vivid imagery and rhetorical questions convey a deep sense of frustration against feudal constraints.

【白话串讲】 “原来姹紫嫣红开遍，似这般都付与断井颓垣”——杜丽娘第一次走进自家后花园，才惊觉春天这么美。“良辰美景奈何天”，这一句，让中国文学里最勇敢的少女苏醒了。【意象与手法】此曲熔景、情、理于一炉。前二句以工整对偶铺写春景之盛与处境之寂，色彩与荒凉并置，极具视觉冲击【情感与主旨】《牡丹亭》又名《还魂记》，明汤显祖“临川四梦”之一，约作于万历二十六年（1598）【名句点睛】此诗为明汤显祖之作，精要赏析详见下方深度赏析。

Background

The Peony Pavilion, also known as The Return of the Soul, is one of Tang Xianzu's 'Four Dreams of Linchuan', written around 1598. The story follows Du Liniang, daughter of a prefect, who dreams of scholar Liu Mengmei, dies for love, and is resurrected. This song is from Scene 10 'The Interrupted Dream', sung as she tours the garden. It reflects the conflict between emotion and feudal ethics, typical of late Ming literature.

汤显祖（一五五〇—一六一六），字义仍，号若士、海若，江西临川人，明代杰出戏曲家、文学家。万历十一年进士，官南京太常博士、遂昌知县，后免官家居。其作《牡丹亭》（一名《还魂记》）与《紫钗记》《邯郸记》《南柯记》并称临川四梦，约成于万历二十六年（一五九八）。此曲出自《牡丹亭》第十出《惊梦》，为女主人公杜丽娘游园时所唱之【皂罗袍】，写其久困深闺、忽睹春光而生的惊艳与幽怨。明代传奇承元杂剧之后，昆腔新声兴起，汤显祖以才情驱驾辞藻，重意趣神色而轻格律，与沈璟乐律派相抗，世称临川派。此曲产生于晚明个性解放思潮涌动、礼教抑遏人性的语境中，杜丽娘因春伤情、因情而死而复生，正是对人性与真情被礼教囚禁的控诉。皂罗袍一曲以极妍之春景反衬极寂之处境，将少女的青春觉醒写得惊心动魄，遂成中国戏曲抒情美文的巅峰，亦足见汤显祖以情抗理的美学纲领。

Art

This lyric masterfully blends scene, emotion, and philosophy. The first two lines use parallelism to contrast the spring splendor with the desolate setting. The lines 'What can I do...' quote Xie Lingyun naturally. The final line abruptly shifts to a tone of self-reproach, creating a lingering effect.

此曲熔景、情、理于一炉，章法由盛转悲、由外转内。前二句原来姹紫嫣红开遍，似这般都付与断井颓垣以工整对偶铺写春景之盛与处境之寂，色彩（姹紫嫣红）与荒凉（断井颓垣）并置，极具视觉冲击与反差张力。良辰美景奈何天，赏心乐事谁家院以两组成语对举，由景及情，发出青春虚度的浩叹，奈何天、谁家院二语娇嗔而沉痛。后幅朝飞暮卷，云霞翠轩；雨丝风片，烟波画船以四组意象工笔铺陈园林之美，节奏由紧转舒，如展开一卷设色长卷；末以破折号引锦屏人忒看的这韶光贱收束，由景跌入人事，点出深闺囚禁的主题。修辞上多用列锦与对偶，色彩、光影、动静交错；破折号（戏曲中作顿挫）造成语气转折，举重若轻。全曲景愈妍而情愈悲，以乐景写哀，倍增其哀，是戏曲抒情诗的绝唱。综而言之，《牡丹亭·皂罗袍》正是以如此艺术匠心，于尺幅之间见千里之势，言有尽而意无穷，足见作者驾驭语言、熔铸意境之深厚功力，故能历久而不失其动人之处。

Allusions

The lines '良辰美景奈何天，赏心乐事谁家院' allude to Xie Lingyun's phrase 'fine scenery, joyful events are hard to come together'. '断井颓垣' evokes images of abandoned gardens, and '朝飞暮卷' borrows from Wang Bo's 'Tengwang Pavilion' poem, adding literary depth.

姹紫嫣红本形容花色绚丽，汤显祖用以总写满园春色，语虽常而炼字艳极。断井颓垣用废井残垣写荒凉，暗喻杜丽娘被礼教禁锢的生存空间，与姹紫嫣红形成盛衰反差。良辰美景、赏心乐事皆成语，分本谢灵运良辰、谢朓赏心乐事谁家院（实汤显祖化用谢朓《拟宋玉风赋》良辰美景、赏心乐事之语），此处以谁家院反诘，写美景无人共赏的孤寂。奈何天本无奈何之天，示天意弄人、青春被误的无力感。朝飞暮卷化用王勃《滕王阁诗》画栋朝飞南浦云，珠帘暮卷西山雨，云霞翠轩、烟波画船则本江南园林与诗词画境。锦屏人指深闺女子，锦屏象闺阁；韶光即春光，亦喻青春年华。看的这韶光贱以贱字写轻弃青春，是全曲主旨所归。典故多化用诗文画境，自然入曲，足见临川以才学为曲的功力。观《牡丹亭·皂罗袍》用典使事之妙，正在于不泥于古而能化用无痕，信手拈来皆成佳境，既增诗境之厚重，又不失自然浑成之趣，非徒摭拾故实以炫博者也。

Commentary

Wang Jide praised Tang Xianzu's focus on 'spirit and charm'. Lü Tiancheng called The Peony Pavilion 'soul-stirring and ingenious'. Wu Mei considered it a masterpiece of emotion and literature, securing its place in Kunqu and literary history.

此曲自《牡丹亭》问世即脍炙人口，与《惊梦》一出同为昆曲常演折子，皂罗袍一段尤负盛名。明清曲论如王骥德《曲律》、沈德符《顾曲杂言》已重汤显祖辞采；近代王国维虽论元曲，而《牡丹亭》抒情之美向为文学史所宗。近世教材与选本多取此曲为古典戏曲抒情范文，考点常聚于以乐景写哀、姹紫嫣红对断井颓垣的反差及锦屏人忒看的这韶光贱的主旨。其传播之广，姹紫嫣红已成汉语写春色的经典语码，韶光贱则成青春被误的代语。论者谓此曲将杜丽娘的青春觉醒写得惊心动魄，是中国戏曲以情抗理的旗帜；今人读之，既能见晚明个性解放思潮中人性的苏醒，亦可见汤显祖情不知所起，一往而深的美学理想——以极妍之景写极深之情，景情相生，遂成东方抒情文学的巅峰之一。由古及今，评骘《牡丹亭·皂罗袍》者代不乏人，或赏其辞章，或味其情志，虽各有侧重而皆许为名篇，其艺术生命之活跃、在文学史上地位之重要，于此可见一斑。

Prosody

Form Kunqu tune (Zao Luo Pao, Xianlü Mode)仙吕宫·皂罗袍（昆曲传奇《牡丹亭》唱词）

Rhyme xian-tian rhyme (遍, 垣, 天, 院, 轩, 船, 贱)【皂罗袍】为昆曲常见曲牌，句式长短参错，此曲依《中原音韵》押先天部，韵脚为垣、天、院、船、贱（先天部平去通押，北曲南唱特点）。

Tone pattern mixed long and short lines, with parallelism and prose传奇曲牌平仄依工尺谱，不似诗严；此曲以散板节奏，前幅对偶句（姹紫嫣红对断井颓垣、良辰美景对赏心乐事）声律谐婉，后幅四组列锦（朝飞暮卷、云霞翠轩、雨丝风片、烟波画船）以骈句铺陈，末以散句收束。

Reading note A famous aria from The Peony Pavilion, using beautiful language to express sorrow, a peak of Ming dynasty chuanqi lyricism.此曲虽为传奇唱词，却具独立抒情诗之美。其声律之妙在由整饬到舒徐的节奏变化：前二句对偶如工笔设色，良辰美景奈何天以婉转腔格写无奈；后幅朝飞暮卷四组意象以列锦铺陈，如展开设色长卷，节奏渐缓；末以破折号顿挫引锦屏人忒看的这韶光贱，由景跌入理，腔断意连。押先天部元音敞亮，与惊艳、沉痛的声情相称。汤显祖重意趣神色而轻格律，此曲以辞采驱驾声情，景、情、理三层如波澜推进，以乐景写哀而倍哀。在昆腔水磨调中，此曲向为度曲者所重，诚中国戏曲抒情美文的巅峰，足为传奇曲词以景衬情、以盛反衰的范本。

Line by line

原来姹紫嫣红开遍，似这般都付与断井颓垣。

The garden is full of blooming flowers, but they are all abandoned to a broken well and crumbling wall. This contrast suggests the burying of youth by feudal ethics.

春色里姹紫嫣红的花儿开遍，却这样被冷落在断井残垣之间。

So all around the brilliant reds and purples have bloomed, only to be given over to broken wells and crumbling walls.

此二句为全曲起手，以原来二字写杜丽娘初见满园春色的惊艳与意外——久困深闺，竟不知外界春光如此烂漫。姹紫嫣红以浓丽色彩总写花事之盛，付与断井颓垣则以荒凉收束，盛景与废墟并置，造成强烈的视觉反差与情感张力。这反差正是全曲核心隐喻：明媚青春被禁锢于衰败的空间，正如丽娘被礼教囚于闺阁。原来暗示此前的一无所知，暗含对剥夺青春之环境的控诉；付与二字平淡中见残忍，将本应被人欣赏的春色判给荒凉。以乐景写哀，倍觉其哀，起笔即定下惊艳而沉痛的基调，为下文良辰美景奈何天张本，是戏曲写景抒情的绝妙开篇。

The garden. So all around the brilliant reds and purples have bloomed, only to be given over to broken wells and crumbling walls. The brilliant blooms and the broken wells are the opening contrast. To have set the blooms against the ruins would be a contrast; the so-all-around-the-brilliant-reds-and-purples-have-bloomed-only-to-be-given-over-to-broken-wells-and-crumbling-walls is the contrast.

良辰美景奈何天，赏心乐事谁家院！

What can I do with this fine morning and lovely scene? In whose courtyard are joy and pleasure? The rhetorical question expresses the frustration of wasted youth and unrecognized feelings.

这良辰美景、无奈面对的苍天，赏心乐事又在谁家的庭院！

Beautiful day, fair scene—what can be done with heaven? Whose courtyard holds the joys that delight the heart?

此二句由景及情，以两组成语对举发出青春虚度的浩叹。良辰美景奈何天写面对大好春光却无可奈何的无力——天意弄人，青春空度；赏心乐事谁家院以反诘写美景无人共赏、乐事不在己家的孤寂。二句化用谢朓赏心乐事谁家院及良辰美景旧语，经汤显祖点化更显娇嗔而沉痛。奈何天三字将客观春景转为主观的命定悲感，谁家院则把普遍春愁坐实为杜丽娘个人的深闺囚禁。对偶精整而语气悠婉，景愈美而情愈哀，遂将游园惊梦的主题由惜春推向惜青春、惜自我的觉醒。此联是连接上幅写景与下幅铺陈的抒情枢纽，哀婉动人。

The courtyard. Beautiful day, fair scene—what can be done with heaven? Whose courtyard holds the joys that delight the heart? The what-can-be-done-with-heaven and the whose-courtyard question are Du Liniang's sigh. To have sighed at the fair day would be a sigh; the beautiful-day-fair-scene-what-can-be-done-with-heaven-whose-courtyard-holds-the-joys-that-delight-the-heart is the sigh.

锦屏人忒看的这韶光贱！

We behind brocade screens have held this springtime all too cheap!

深闺中的人儿，竟把如此春光看得这样轻贱！

We, behind brocade screens, have thought this springtime far too cheap!

此句为全曲收束与主旨所归，以破折号（戏曲顿挫）由铺陈春景跌入人事评判。锦屏人指深闺女子，即杜丽娘自谓；忒看即竟将、偏把；韶光既指春光亦喻青春年华；贱字是诗眼，写深闺把大好春光（亦即大好青春）看得轻贱、任其虚度。表面责锦屏人不知惜春，实则是丽娘对自身被礼教禁锢、青春空老的觉醒与自伤——她惊觉自己正是那轻贱韶光的人，亦是被迫轻贱的人。此句举重若轻，将前面所有的春景铺陈收束为一个沉痛的的自我发现，遂成中国文学写青春被误的经典语码。以景起以理结，情、景、理三者圆融，是《牡丹亭》以情抗理美学纲领的最凝练表达。

The screen. We behind brocade screens have held this springtime all too cheap! The brocade-screen people who held spring cheap are the self-recognition. To have recognized her own wasted youth would be an awakening; the we-behind-brocade-screens-have-held-this-springtime-all-too-cheap is the awakening.

Study

Word focus

姹紫嫣红 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 姹紫嫣红是此曲最艳丽的意象，总写满园春花的绚烂色彩。姹、嫣皆状艳丽，紫、红并举极写花色之富，成语本形容百花争妍，汤显祖用以开篇，以浓墨重彩制造视觉的惊艳。其妙全在与断井颓垣的对照：明媚若此的春色，竟交付荒凉废井，盛衰、丽寂反差强烈，遂将自然春景转化为青春被囚的隐喻。姹紫嫣红自《牡丹亭》后已成汉语写春色的经典语码，凡言繁花辄引此四字，足见其传播之广。更深层看，这一片姹紫嫣红正是杜丽娘被压抑的生命力的外化——她初见春光而惊，实是初见自己被禁锢的青春。一词以乐景写哀，景愈妍而情愈悲，是全曲以景衬情、以盛反衰的关键。

韶光贱 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 韶光贱是收束全曲的诗眼，韶光本指春光，亦喻青春年华；贱字写轻贱、虚度。锦屏人忒看的这韶光贱，表面叹深闺女子不识惜春，实则是杜丽娘对自身青春被礼教禁锢、任其空老的觉醒与自伤。贱字极沉痛：春光（青春）如此珍贵，却被囚于闺阁的自己与时代看得轻贱如泥。此词将前面所有的春景铺陈（姹紫嫣红、云霞翠轩、烟波画船）收束为一个存在主义的发现——美好者正被轻贱着。韶光贱遂成中国文学写青春被误、真情被抑的代语，与汤显祖情不知所起，一往而深互为表里。一词以景结理，举重若轻，是《牡丹亭》以情抗理美学的最凝练概括，亦见晚明个性觉醒思潮中人性苏醒的痛切。