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明 Ming · 诗 Poem

清明呈馆中诸公

At Clear-and-Bright, Presented to the Gentlemen of the Academy

高启

Gao Qi

感怀reflection 交游friendship

清明呈馆中诸公新烟着柳禁垣斜，杏酪分香俗共夸。
白下有山皆绕郭，清明无客不思家。
卞侯墓下迷芳草，卢女门前映落花。
喜得故人同待诏，拟沽春酒醉京华。

New fire smokes the willows, the forbidden wall slants;
Almond cheese shared, its fragrance all praise.
Below Baixia, hills encircle the wall;
At Clear-and-Bright, no traveller but thinks of home.
By Lord Bian's tomb, lost in sweet grass;
Before Lu's girl's gate, fallen flowers glow.
Glad to have an old friend sharing the awaiting-edict post—
I mean to buy spring wine and drunk the capital.

Listen

Meaning

At Clear-and-Bright the new-fire smoke wreathes the willows and the palace wall; sharing almond cheese, all praise its fragrance. Below Baixia the hills encircle the city wall; at Clear-and-Bright no traveller but thinks of home. By Lord Bian's tomb, lost in sweet grass; before Lu's girl's gate, fallen flowers glow. Glad to have an old friend at the same awaiting-edict post—I mean to buy spring wine and get drunk in the capital.

清明的新火烟霭笼罩着斜逸的柳枝与宫墙，分食杏仁酪的香气人人称夸。金陵城外群山环绕城郭，清明时节没有游子不思念家乡。卞侯墓前芳草迷离，卢家女门前落花相映。可喜的是故人同任待诏，打算买来春酒在京城一醉方休。

Appreciation

This seven-character regulated poem is well ordered, alternating scene and feeling. The first couplet fixes the Clear-and-Bright season and custom, 'new fire smokes the willows' and 'almond cheese shared' brightly coloured. The second couplet 'Below Baixia, hills encircle the wall; at Clear-and-Bright, no traveller but thinks of home' leads with the place-name Baixia, setting the land's encircling against the festival's longing, the empty words 'all' and 'none' lifting, spreading the personal homesickness into a universal traveller's feeling, the realm suddenly opens. The third couplet recalls the past, 'Lord Bian's tomb', 'Lu's girl's gate' adding weight with Jinling lore. The last couplet closes with 'glad' and 'mean to', turning from sorrow to ease. The whole is neatly antithetical, the breath flows smooth.

【白话串讲】 “白下有山皆绕郭，清明无客不思家”——高启写清明：南京的山都绕着城，清明这天，没有游子不想家。一句诗，道尽了所有在外的清明。【意象与手法】此诗七律章法井然，情景交替。首联点清明时序与风俗，「新烟着柳」「杏酪分香」设色鲜丽；颔联「白下有山皆绕郭，清明无客不思家」以地名领起，以虚词「皆」「无」提挈，把个人乡愁普泛为天下羁客之共感，境界顿开；颈联怀古，以卞侯墓、卢女门点缀金陵遗迹；尾联以「喜」「拟」收束，由悲转旷，全诗对仗精工，气脉流畅【情感与主旨】高启为明初诗坛巨擘，与杨基、张羽、徐贲称「吴中四杰」。洪武二年（1369）诏修《元史》，高启被荐入朝为翰林院国史编修，寓居南京（白下）。此诗即其身在京城、清明佳节所作，呈馆阁同僚，写京华清明之景与羁宦思乡之情，兼怀金陵古迹，并见同僚相得之乐【名句点睛】重点：一、名句赏析，「白下有山皆绕郭，清明无客不思家」为何动人——以地理之实写乡愁之虚，虚词斡旋，由个体扩至普世；二、把握首联节俗、颈联怀古、尾联旷达的章法层次

Background

Gao Qi was a giant of the early-Ming poetry scene, with Yang Ji, Zhang Yu and Xu Ben called the 'Four Masters of Wu'. In the second year of Hongwu (1369) he was summoned to compile the Yuan Shi; recommended to court he became a Hanlin Historiographer, residing in Nanjing (Baixia). This poem was written when he served in the capital at the Clear-and-Bright festival, presented to his academy colleagues. 'Awaiting edict' refers to his Hanlin awaiting-edict post. Though Gao Qi held a clean, important post, he harboured both homesickness and official-career worry (later he was actually cut in two at the waist in the Wei Guan case, aged only thirty-nine); the line 'no traveller but thinks of home' already faintly shows the official-in-exile mood, while 'glad to have an old friend at the same post' shows the joy of colleague fellowship.

高启（1336—1374）字季迪，号青丘子，明初诗坛巨擘，与杨基、张羽、徐贲并称「吴中四杰」，又与刘基、宋濂并称明初三大家。洪武二年（1369），高启应诏赴京参与修撰《元史》，授翰林院国史编修官，寓居南京（古称白下），后虽升户部右侍郎而坚辞不就，仍居馆阁。此诗即作于其在京任职期间，时值清明，诗人感时伤怀，作此诗呈馆中同僚。「待诏」即指其翰林院之职。高启虽居清要之职，然其性本疏放，不耐官场束缚，且明初文网渐密，仕途险恶，诗中「无客不思家」已隐露羁宦之思，而「喜得故人同待诏」又见同僚相得之慰，悲喜交织，正是其京华岁月心境的真实写照，也是理解高启由隐而仕、由仕而忧心态转变的关键文本。后高启竟因魏观案牵连被朱元璋腰斩，年仅三十九岁，此诗遂成其京华岁月的珍贵留影，读之更增慨叹，其诗才与遭际，实为明初文人命运的一个缩影，令人读其诗而叹其人。

Art

This seven-character regulated poem is well ordered, alternating scene and feeling. The first couplet fixes the Clear-and-Bright season and custom, 'new fire smokes the willows' and 'almond cheese shared' brightly coloured; the second couplet 'Below Baixia, hills encircle the wall; at Clear-and-Bright, no traveller but thinks of home' leads with the place-name (Baixia), setting the land's 'encircling' against the festival's 'thinking', the empty words 'all' and 'none' lifting, spreading the personal homesickness into a universal traveller's feeling, the realm suddenly opens; the third couplet recalls the past, 'Lord Bian's tomb', 'Lu's girl's gate' adding weight with Jinling lore; the last couplet closes with 'glad' and 'mean to', turning from sorrow to ease. The whole is neatly antithetical, the breath flows smooth.

此诗七律章法井然，情景交替，虚实相生。首联点清明时序与风俗：「新烟着柳」写清明改火、新烟笼柳之景，「杏酪分香」写分食杏酪之俗，设色鲜丽，有声有色，一派京华清明气象。颔联「白下有山皆绕郭，清明无客不思家」是全诗诗眼：以地名「白下」领起，以地形之「绕」与节令之「思」对举，虚词「皆」「无」提挈，将个人的乡愁普泛为天下羁客的共感，由个体扩至普世，境界顿开，遂成千古名句。颈联怀古，以「卞侯墓」「卢女门」点缀金陵六朝遗迹，芳草迷离、落花相映，为全诗添一层历史的苍茫。尾联「喜得故人同待诏，拟沽春酒醉京华」以「喜」「拟」收束，由乡愁转旷达，章法起伏有致，收放自如。全诗由景入情、由情入旷，对仗精工，气脉流畅，情景交替而不觉其板，是高启七律的代表作，也是明初馆阁诗中的上乘之作，其清丽之辞与浑雄之气兼而有之，足为明初七律之典范，其章法之匀整，辞气之雅丽，尤堪玩味。

Allusions

'New fire' refers to the Clear-and-Bright fire-changing custom; since Tang and Song, on Clear-and-Bright new fire was granted, hence 'new fire smokes the willows', inheriting Han Hong's 'at dusk the Han palace sends the candles'. 'Almond cheese' is the almond gruel eaten at Cold Food and Clear-and-Bright, see Jing Chu Sui Shi Ji. 'Lord Bian' is the Jin dynast Bian Kun (the Loyal-and-Dedicated Duke), tomb in Jinling; 'Lu's girl' perhaps the Jinling girl-Lu family (Mo-chou) allusion, used to ornament the Six-Dynasties powder-and-paint relics. 'Awaiting edict' is a literary-attendant post since Han and Tang; here the Hanlin title. The allusions fit the place, adding historical depth without obscurity.

「新烟」指清明改火之俗：唐宋以来，清明前禁火（寒食），清明日取新火分赐群臣，故称「新烟」，唐人韩翃《寒食》「日暮汉宫传蜡烛，轻烟散入五侯家」即写此俗，高启以「新烟着柳」写京华新火之景，承此传统而自出机杼。「杏酪」为寒食清明所食杏仁乳酪，见《荆楚岁时记》「寒食……造饧大麦粥」，「杏酪分香」写节令饮食之俗，香字兼写香气与分食之乐。「卞侯」指东晋忠臣卞壶，殉难后葬于金陵，谥忠贞，其墓即卞壶墓（今南京朝天宫一带）；「卢女」指莫愁女一类金陵传说人物，「卢家女门前」见《乐府诗集》「卢家兰室桂为梁」之意，借以点缀六朝金粉遗迹。「待诏」为汉唐以来文学侍从之职，此指高启所任翰林之职。用典皆贴金陵风物，以古事映今情，增历史纵深而不晦涩，是高启善用典的明证，其典实之精当，正见高启腹笥之富与取用之妙，非徒掉书袋者可比，其用典之切，正见其情真意挚，此亦高启诗之所以过人处。

Commentary

Qing critic Shen Deqian, in Ming Shi Bie Cai, said Gao Qi's 'talent, force and tone far surpass the other Wu masters', praising him as the early-Ming crown. This poem's second couplet is always favoured by anthologists; modern Qian Zhongshu, discussing seven-character regulation's empty-word method, could use the 'all' and 'none' of this couplet as example. Gao Qi's poetry also follows the Tang; this piece is high in key and bright in tone, enough to show his clear-grace side beyond 'vast and bold'.

清人沈德潜《明诗别裁》评高启「才力声调，过吴中诸子远甚」，推为明初诗人之冠。此诗颔联「白下有山皆绕郭，清明无客不思家」向为选家激赏：上句写金陵山势环城之实景，下句写清明羁客思家之通感，以虚词「皆」「无」绾合，情景交融，遂与杜牧「清明时节雨纷纷」并称清明双绝，一写行旅之愁，一写馆阁之思，各极其致。近人论七律虚字法，常以此联为例，可见其在诗法研究中的地位。高启诗兼法唐人，此首格高调响、清丽中有雄浑，足见其「兼师众长、自成一家」的才力。在明诗史上，高启与刘基并称开国双璧，然高启才情更富，惜天不假年，其诗遂成明初最高成就的象征之一，此诗正是其清丽风格与深沉思致兼备的代表作，其颔联为清明诗之绝唱，其全篇亦为馆阁诗之范本；后人论明诗，必以高启为冠，读此诗可知其所以然，诗史之评，信非溢美，其诗之可传，亦在此等篇章。

Prosody

Form Seven-character regulated poem (seven-character lü)七言律诗（七律），平起首句入韵式

Rhyme Ping-shui rhyme, lower-level six ma group (slant, praise, home, flower, capital), first line enters rhyme押平水韵下平六麻韵，韵脚「斜、夸、家、花、华」，首句入韵，一韵到底

Tone pattern Level-onset, first-line-enters-rhyme form; level-oblique per rule, middle two couplets neatly antithetical平仄合律，中二联对仗工稳：「新烟着柳」对「杏酪分香」、「白下有山」对「清明无客」、「卞侯墓下」对「卢女门前」，词性、结构皆工

Reading note Gao Qi's famous seven-character lü; the second couplet is a Clear-and-Bright famous line此诗为七言律诗，平起首句入韵式，押下平六麻韵，一韵到底。首联「新烟着柳禁垣斜，杏酪分香俗共夸」平起平收，音节流丽，写京华清明之俗；颔联「白下有山皆绕郭，清明无客不思家」以地名对节令、实景对虚情，虚词「皆」「无」穿插其间，打破七律对仗易板滞之弊，全联活脱灵动，是律诗炼虚字的典范；颈联「卞侯墓下迷芳草，卢女门前映落花」以古迹对佳人、芳草对落花，工整而富情韵；尾联「喜得故人同待诏，拟沽春酒醉京华」以「同待诏」对「醉京华」，收束沉稳。全诗平仄严整而气脉流畅，首联写风俗之乐，颔联写乡愁之普，颈联写怀古之思，尾联写同僚之欢，起承转合分明，情景交替而不觉其板。高启七律清丽而浑雄，此诗可为其证：格律精严而无斧凿之痕，对仗工稳而气韵生动，是明初七律的典范之作，也是清明诗中的上乘名篇，历来为选家所重，其声律之工与情韵之深，可为学诗者法。

Line by line

新烟着柳禁垣斜，杏酪分香俗共夸。

New fire smokes the willows, the forbidden wall slants; almond cheese shared, its fragrance all praise.

清明的新火烟霭笼罩着斜逸的柳枝与宫墙，分食杏仁酪的香气人人称夸。

New smoke rests on willows slanting by the palace wall; almond cheese is shared out, its fragrance praised by all.

首联点清明时序与京华风俗。「新烟」写清明改火之俗，烟霭轻笼斜逸的柳枝与宫墙，「着」字写出烟雾粘附柳丝、笼罩宫垣的动态；「杏酪分香」写寒食杏酪之香四溢，「俗共夸」见都人争尝节物之乐。两句设色鲜丽，有声有色，铺开京华清明的热闹画卷，以乐景起笔，为下文「无客不思家」的乡愁作反衬，章法上先扬后抑，蓄势于无形，起笔即见七律大家手笔，乐景之铺陈，正为下文乡愁作势。

The festival. New smoke rests on willows slanting by the palace wall; almond cheese is shared out, its fragrance praised by all. The new smoke on the willows and the shared almond cheese are the capital festival. To have described the capital festival would be a scene; the new-smoke-rests-on-willows-slanting-by-the-palace-wall-almond-cheese-is-shared-out-its-fragrance-praised-by-all is the scene.

白下有山皆绕郭，清明无客不思家。

Below Baixia, hills encircle the wall; at Clear-and-Bright, no traveller but thinks of home.

金陵城外群山环绕城郭，清明时节没有游子不思念家乡。

At Baixia every hill encircles the walls; on Pure Brightness, no traveler does not think of home.

全诗诗眼，千古名句。上句写金陵群山环抱城郭的地理实景，「皆」字总括山势之周匝，气象阔大；下句写清明时节天下游子无不思家的普遍情怀，「无客不思家」以双重否定加强语气，写尽羁旅之思。以地理之实写乡愁之虚，以「皆」「无」两虚词提挈，由个体之思扩为普世之感，情景交融，境界顿开，是七律炼虚字的典范，也是清明诗中乡愁主题的绝唱，高启之名句，千百年来传诵不衰。

The homesickness. At Baixia every hill encircles the walls; on Pure Brightness, no traveler does not think of home. The every-hill-encircles and the no-traveler-does-not-think-of-home are the famous line. To have written the no-traveler-does-not-think-of-home would be a line; the at-Baixia-every-hill-encircles-the-walls-on-Pure-Brightness-no-traveler-does-not-think-of-home is the line.

卞侯墓下迷芳草，卢女门前映落花。

By Lord Bian's tomb, lost in sweet grass; before Lu's girl's gate, fallen flowers glow.

卞侯墓前芳草迷离，卢家女门前落花相映。

By Lord Bian's tomb the fragrant grass runs wild; before Lady Lu's gate the fallen flowers shine.

颈联怀古，以金陵掌故入诗。「卞侯墓」指东晋忠臣卞壶之墓，「卢女门」指莫愁女一类六朝佳人的遗迹，一忠一艳，点缀出金陵历史文化的纵深。「迷芳草」「映落花」以迷离的草色与零落的飞花写古迹之荒凉与京华春光之流转，怀古之情与伤春之感交织，历史的苍茫与现实的春色叠合，为尾联的旷达转折蓄势，也使全诗由个人之愁上升为历史之思，层次更加丰厚。

The graves. By Lord Bian's tomb the fragrant grass runs wild; before Lady Lu's gate the fallen flowers shine. The loyal minister's tomb and the beauty's gate are the Nanjing memories. To have paired the loyal and the beautiful would be a pairing; by-Lord-Bian's-tomb-the-fragrant-grass-runs-wild-before-Lady-Lu's-gate-the-fallen-flowers-shine is the pairing.

喜得故人同待诏，拟沽春酒醉京华。

Glad to have an old friend sharing the awaiting-edict post—I mean to buy spring wine and drunk the capital.

可喜的是故人同任待诏，打算买来春酒在京城一醉方休。

Glad to have an old friend as my fellow waiting-command; I plan to buy spring wine and be drunk in the capital.

尾联由悲转旷，收束全篇。「喜得故人同待诏」写馆中同僚相得之乐，羁旅之中得遇故人，是莫大的慰藉；「拟沽春酒醉京华」以买酒共醉的设想收束，一「拟」字虚写，风流蕴藉，将乡愁与怀古之慨尽化入一杯春酒。全诗由景入情、由情入旷，章法起伏，而羁宦之思终未消解，反见其深——醉京华者，醉于繁华，亦醉于乡愁，结句言尽而意不尽。

The wine. Glad to have an old friend as my fellow waiting-command; I plan to buy spring wine and be drunk in the capital. The glad old friend and the planned spring wine are the close. To have planned to drink in the capital would be a plan; the glad-to-have-an-old-friend-as-my-fellow-waiting-command-I-plan-to-buy-spring-wine-and-be-drunk-in-the-capital is the plan.

Study

Word focus

皆／无 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 颔联两虚词是全联之枢纽：「皆」总括白下群山环城之实，「无」遍概天下羁客思家之虚，一实一虚、一收一放，以虚词斡旋全联，使地理实景与节令深情绾合无间。炼虚字见大家功力：若无「皆」「无」二字，则上句徒为写景、下句徒为抒情，两不相涉；有此二字，全联活络，境界顿开，是七律虚字法的典范示范，历来为诗话家所称引。

新烟 Points the Clear-and-Bright fire-changing ancient custom; smoke 'smokes' the willows, one word writes the smoke lightly wreathed, rich in seasonal breath and picture. 「新烟着柳」之「新」字点清明改火之古俗：烟因改火而新，柳因春至而新，「新烟」二字兼含时序之新与禁垣气象之新，一字双关，富时节气息与京华气象。「烟」与「柳」相配，烟霭迷离，柳丝袅娜，写出清明早春特有的朦胧之美；「着」字更将烟柳粘连，化静为动，炼字设色，皆见功力，首联之妙正在此等字眼，一字而见清明气象，全诗之起，已定雅正之格。

醉 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「拟沽春酒醉京华」之「醉」字写纵酒之豪，更写羁宦游子借酒浇愁之深：「醉京华」者，醉于京华之繁华，亦醉于乡愁之浓，双关见意。「醉」字以虚写收束全诗，将首联的节俗之乐、颔联的乡愁之思、颈联的怀古之慨，尽化入一杯春酒之中，结得蕴藉风流，余味不尽，是七律收束的妙笔，也是高启以淡语写深情的典型。