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明 Ming · 诗 Poem

夜泊钱塘

Mooring at Qiantang by Night

茅坤

Mao Kun

羁旅travel 山水landscape

江行日已暮，何处可维舟？
树里孤灯雨，风前一雁秋。
离心迸落叶，乡梦入寒流。
酒市那从问，微吟寄短愁。

The river-journey: the sun is already low; where can I moor my boat?
Among the trees, a lone lamp in the rain; before the wind, one wild-goose and autumn.
My parting heart bursts like falling leaves; my homeward dream enters the cold stream.
The wine-shops — how could I ask after them? A low chant bears my brief sorrow.

Listen

Meaning

Sailing the river, the day is already late; where can he tie up his boat? Among the trees a lone lamp shines through rain; before the wind a single wild-goose cries the autumn. His parting heart bursts like scattering leaves; his dream of home melts into the cold current. The wine-shops are nowhere to ask after; he can only chant softly, sending his brief sorrow.

江上船行，天色已晚，哪里可以系船停泊？树林里孤灯映雨，风前一只秋雁鸣叫。离人的心绪如落叶迸飞，思乡之梦融入寒流。酒市无处可问，只能低声吟咏，寄托这短短的愁思。

Appreciation

Mao Kun's five-character regulated poem is tight and clear. It opens on the topic of mooring — the sun low and no place to tie up already holds the drift. The second couplet piles six images — lone lamp in rain, one goose before wind — after Wen Tingyun's manner, a little stiff yet still pure and lonely. The third couplet is the poem's eye: the abstract parting heart becomes leaves that 'burst,' the home dream becomes water that it 'enters' — diction strange and sharp. It closes on 'a low chant bears my brief sorrow,' implicit and unending.

【白话串讲】 “树里孤灯雨，风前一雁秋”——茅坤夜泊钱塘：树里孤灯，风前一雁。“离心迸落叶，乡梦入寒流”——离愁像落叶迸散，乡梦沉入寒流。一首夜泊，全是乡愁。【意象与手法】首联「江行日已暮，何处可维舟」扣题写泊，日暮而无泊处，飘零之意已含。颔联「树里孤灯雨，风前一雁秋」以六意象并置，摹仿温庭筠《商山早行》句法而仍清绝。颈联「离心迸落叶，乡梦入寒流」乃全诗警策，「迸」「入」炼字奇警，化虚为实。尾联以「微吟寄短愁」收束，含蓄不尽【情感与主旨】茅坤（1512—1601），字顺甫，号鹿门，归安人，嘉靖十七年进士，明代散文家、藏书家，与唐顺之、归有光等同倡唐宋古文，编《唐宋八大家文钞》影响甚巨。其诗晚作而自谓半路修行，多写行旅山水与羁旅闲愁。此诗记夜泊钱塘江，时当漂泊在外，借萧瑟秋江之景写游子思归，属其诗歌中清婉可诵之作【名句点睛】中高考常从「景情关系」「炼字」设题。可赏颔联以「孤灯雨」「一雁秋」六意象并置烘托羁愁；可析颈联「离心迸落叶，乡梦入寒流」的「迸」「入」二字化虚为实之妙

Background

Mao Kun (1512-1601), courtesy Shunfu, style Lumen, was a native of Gui'an, a 1538 jinshi, a Ming prose master and book collector who with Tang Shunzhi and Gui Youguang championed Tang-Song ancient prose, and compiled the influential 'Eight Tang-Song Prose Masters.' His poetry came late and he called himself a half-way learner; much of it writes travel landscape and the idle sorrow of the road. This poem records mooring by night on the Qiantang River while he was adrift, using the desolate autumn river to write the wanderer's homesickness — among his clear, gentle, recitable works.

茅坤（1512—1601），字顺甫，号鹿门，归安（今浙江湖州）人，嘉靖十七年进士，明代散文家、藏书家，与唐顺之、归有光等同倡唐宋古文，编选《唐宋八大家文钞》影响甚巨。其诗为其晚年自谓「半路修行」之作，然多写行旅山水与羁旅闲愁，清婉可诵。此诗记夜泊钱塘江（今浙江杭州钱塘江）事，时当诗人漂泊在外、行旅途中，借萧瑟秋江之景写游子思归之情。明代中叶，士人游宦、商旅往来频繁，行旅之苦与思乡之情成为诗歌常见题材；茅坤此诗正写其时游子夜泊江上的典型情境：日暮无泊处、孤灯映雨、秋雁哀鸣、乡梦入流，皆羁旅之愁的具体写照。此诗属其诗歌中清婉可诵之作，也是理解明代文人行旅诗与茅坤诗风的重要作品。此诗为明代五律中写羁旅的代表作，其清婉工巧的风格，与明代前期台阁体的雍容、前后七子的复古皆有不同，体现了明代中后期文人诗「自出机杼」的新趋向。

Art

The first couplet addresses the topic of mooring; the low sun and no berth already hold the drift. The second couplet piles six images — a lone lamp in the rain, a grieving goose before the wind — imitating Wen Tingyun's 'cock-crow, thatched inn, moon; foot-tracks, plank bridge, frost' noun-piling; a touch stiff yet pure and lonely. The third couplet is the poem's sharp stroke: the abstract parting heart is made leaves that 'burst,' the home dream water that it 'enters' — diction strange and alert. The last couplet closes on 'a low chant bears my brief sorrow,' implicit and unending.

此诗章法谨严，情景交融，炼字奇警。首联「江行日已暮，何处可维舟」扣题写泊：日暮而行、无处可泊，飘零之意已含——「何处可维舟」以问写无泊处，亦写无归处，一问之中，羁旅之愁已见端倪。颔联「树里孤灯雨，风前一雁秋」以六意象并置：树、灯、雨、风、雁、秋，摹仿温庭筠《商山早行》「鸡声茅店月，人迹板桥霜」的名词并置法——雨中林里一点孤灯，风前一只秋雁，凄清之境毕现，虽带摹拟痕迹而仍清绝。颈联「离心迸落叶，乡梦入寒流」乃全诗警策：将抽象离情化为「迸」落之叶，将乡梦化为「入」流之水，炼字奇警，「迸」「入」二字化虚为实，力重千钧。尾联「酒市那从问，微吟寄短愁」以「微吟寄短愁」收束：酒市无处可问，只能微吟寄愁，含蓄不尽。全诗由泊而景、由景而情、由情而吟，层折入深，是明人五律中写羁旅的名篇。尤可注意者，颈联对仗工稳而气脉流动，「迸」「入」二字将景情打成一片，是「炼字不隔」的典范。

Allusions

The poem uses no obscure allusion, building its world purely from scene and feeling. 'Moor the boat' comes from the Shi Jing — 'there floats the willow boat, moored with rope' — later a travel commonplace. 'One goose in autumn' transforms the traditions of 'a goose's foot bears a letter' and 'sorrowful, the autumn air,' the goose a sign of home, autumn the season of falling. The second couplet clearly borrows Wen Tingyun's noun-piling; though with a trace of imitation, 'lone lamp' and 'one goose' add solitude, so it makes its own desolate realm.

此诗无明显僻典，纯以情景造境，而意象自有传统渊源。「维舟」出《诗经·小雅·采菽》「泛泛杨舟，绋纚维之」，本指系船，后成羁旅常语，「何处可维舟」一问，承唐人「移舟泊烟渚，日暮客愁新」（孟浩然《宿建德江》）一脉，写日暮无泊之愁。「一雁秋」化用「雁足传书」与「悲哉秋气」的传统意象：雁为思乡符号（《汉书·苏武传》雁足系书），秋为摇落之节（宋玉「悲哉秋之为气也」），风前一雁，正是羁旅孤客的写照。「树里孤灯雨」之「孤灯」为羁旅诗词常见意象（如司空曙「雨中黄叶树，灯下白头人」），写客中之孤。颔联句法明显借鉴温庭筠《商山早行》「鸡声茅店月，人迹板桥霜」的名词并置法，虽带摹拟痕迹，然「孤灯」「一雁」更添孤寂，故能自成凄清之境，是明代文人「转益多师」而自出机杼的典型。茅坤以古文家而能如此点化唐诗意象，正见其「转益多师」的学养，亦为明人「学唐而能化唐」提供例证。此诗之「学唐」，正在于「取神遗貌」。

Commentary

Qian Qianyi said of Mao Kun that 'the free air of his prose — Sima Qian after a thousand years found Ouyang, and five hundred more found Mao,' though that was of his prose, his poetry too is clear and gentle. Modern readers say the lines 'my parting heart bursts like falling leaves; my homeward dream enters the cold stream' join feeling and scene aptly; 'burst' has a startling effect, 'enter' draws the sorrow deep — though the Tang-imitation shows, these famous lines of homesickness stand on their own.

钱谦益评茅坤「文章之逸气，司马子长之后千余年而得欧阳子，又五百年而得茅子」，虽论其古文，然其诗亦清婉。近人论此诗，多赏「离心迸落叶，乡梦入寒流」二句，谓「情与景融合妥帖」，「迸」有惊心之效、「入」引愁于深，虽摹唐痕迹明显，而写乡愁之名句足以自立。此诗在文学史上的意义，在于明代文人「以文为诗」之外的清婉一路：茅坤以古文家而写诗，其诗不尚奇崛、不务雕琢，而以清婉之笔写羁旅之愁，正是明代中后期文人诗「宗唐」而能自出机杼的体现。其「树里孤灯雨，风前一雁秋」之名词并置、「离心迸落叶，乡梦入寒流」之炼字警策，皆为后世选家所重，是明代五律中写羁旅的佳作，也是理解明代诗风由复古到自得之转变的窗口。此诗与张继《枫桥夜泊》等唐人羁旅名篇并读，既可比较唐明诗风之异，也可管窥「羁旅」母题在中国诗歌中的绵延与演变。其诗虽不以多取胜，而一篇足以传世。

Prosody

Form Five-character regulated poem (five-character lü)诗·五言律诗

Rhyme Ping-shui rhyme, lower-level eleven you group (boat, autumn, stream, sorrow)平水韵·下平十一尤（舟、秋、流、愁），首句不入韵

Tone pattern First line not entering rhyme, oblique-onset oblique-close; middle two couplets antithetical首句不入韵，仄起仄收式，中二联对仗

Reading note Standard five-lü; second couplet noun-piling, third couplet flowing antithesis此诗为五言律诗，八句四联，押平水韵下平十一尤韵（舟、秋、流、愁），首句不入韵（「暮」字属去声，不押韵），一韵到底；尤韵悠长，与羁旅之愁的绵长相称。格律为仄起仄收式，平仄谐和；中二联对仗工整：颔联「树里孤灯雨，风前一雁秋」以「树里」对「风前」、「孤灯」对「一雁」、「雨」对「秋」，三组意象两两相对，是典型的名词并置对；颈联「离心迸落叶，乡梦入寒流」以「离心」对「乡梦」、「迸」对「入」、「落叶」对「寒流」，动词相对，流水对之致。章法上，首联扣题写泊，颔联写近景，颈联写情，尾联收束，起承转合分明；由泊而景、由景而情、由情而吟，层折入深。全诗五律正格，颔联名词并置、颈联炼字警策，是明代五律中写羁旅的佳作，体现了明代文人「宗唐」而能自出机杼的创作成就。

Line by line

江行日已暮，何处可维舟

The river-journey: the sun is already low; where can I moor my boat?

江上船行，天色已晚，哪里可以系船停泊

Sailing the river, the day is already dusk; where can I tie up my boat?

首联扣题写泊，是全诗之纲。「江行日已暮」写行程之状：江上行舟，天色已暮——「江行」点明行旅之方式（舟行江上），「日已暮」点明时之将晚，日暮而仍在江上，行而未息、泊而未定，飘零之意已含其中；「何处可维舟」以问写无泊处：「维舟」为系船停泊之意（出《诗经》「绋纚维之」），「何处」一问，写日暮江行而无处可泊——不是没有岸，而是没有归处；不是无处系舟，而是无处安顿漂泊之心。此联以「日暮」与「何处」相对，一问之中，羁旅之愁已见端倪：日暮是时间之迫，无处是空间之困，时空交迫，正是游子夜泊前的焦灼。起笔扣题而意境全出，为后文孤灯、秋雁、落叶、寒流的凄清之景定下基调。

The dusk. Sailing the river, the day is already dusk; where can I tie up my boat? The dusk on the river and the where-can-I-tie-up question are the opening. To have asked where to tie up would be a question; the sailing-the-river-the-day-is-already-dusk-where-can-I-tie-up-my-boat is the question.

树里孤灯雨，风前一雁秋

Among the trees, a lone lamp in the rain; before the wind, one wild-goose and autumn.

树林里孤灯映雨，风前一只秋雁鸣叫

Through the trees a lone lamp in the rain; before the wind a single autumn goose.

此联以六意象并置写景，是全诗最见功力的写景名句。「树里孤灯雨」写近景：树林之中，一点孤灯，映着潇潇夜雨——树、灯、雨三意象并置，雨中林间的一点灯火，写尽夜泊江岸的凄清孤寂，「孤灯」更衬人孤；「风前一雁秋」写远景：秋风之前，一只秋雁，哀鸣掠过——风、雁、秋三意象并置，风前一雁，正是羁旅孤客的写照，雁之孤飞即人之孤泊。六意象并置，不着一动词、不写一情语，而凄清孤寂之境毕现：此即温庭筠「鸡声茅店月，人迹板桥霜」的名词并置法，茅坤学其句法而自具面目——「孤灯」「一雁」更添孤寂，雨中、风前更添凄清。全联以景写情、以物传神，是明代诗人学唐而能自出机杼的典范。

The lamp. Through the trees a lone lamp in the rain; before the wind a single autumn goose. The six nouns (trees, lamp, rain, wind, goose, autumn) are the famous image-juxtaposition. To have juxtaposed the images would be a juxtaposition; the through-the-trees-a-lone-lamp-in-the-rain-before-the-wind-a-single-autumn-goose is the juxtaposition.

离心迸落叶，乡梦入寒流

My parting heart bursts like falling leaves; my homeward dream enters the cold stream.

离人的心绪如落叶迸飞，思乡之梦融入寒流

Parted thoughts burst like falling leaves; homeward dreams enter the cold current.

此联是全诗警策，炼字奇警，化虚为实，写尽羁旅之愁。「离心迸落叶」写离愁之迸发：离人的心绪，如落叶一般迸飞——「离心」为抽象之情，「落叶」为眼前之景，「迸」字将二者接通：落叶之迸飞，即离愁之迸发，秋风落叶，一片一片地凋落，正如离愁一缕一缕地迸出，化虚为实、力重千钧；「乡梦入寒流」写乡梦之沉入：思乡之梦，融入寒流之中——「乡梦」为抽象之思，「寒流」为眼前之水，「入」字将二者接通：寒流滚滚，乡梦沉入其中，随流而去、无迹可寻，正如乡思之无着无落、望断天涯。一「迸」一「入」，一写愁之迸发、一写梦之沉沦，将无形的离愁乡思化为有形的落叶寒流，情景交融、炼字警策，是明代五律中写羁旅的名句，也是茅坤诗「清婉而含骨力」的体现。

The dreams. Parted thoughts burst like falling leaves; homeward dreams enter the cold current. The bursting parted thoughts and the homeward dreams entering the cold current are the警句. To have burst like falling leaves would be a bursting; the parted-thoughts-burst-like-falling-leaves-homeward-dreams-enter-the-cold-current is the bursting.

酒市那从问，微吟寄短愁

The wine-shops — how could I ask after them? A low chant bears my brief sorrow.

酒市无处可问，只能低声吟咏，寄托这短短的愁思

Where is the wine market to ask of? In soft chanting I lodge this brief sorrow.

尾联以「微吟寄短愁」收束，含蓄不尽，是全诗情感的归结。「酒市那从问」写无处消愁：酒市在哪里？无处可问——「那从问」即无从问、哪里去问，夜泊江岸，酒市渺然，欲以酒消愁而不可得，愁上加愁；「微吟寄短愁」写以吟寄愁：只能低声吟咏，寄托这短短的愁思——「微吟」写吟声之低微，不是放歌，不是长啸，而是低声微吟，正见愁之深而力之微，欲抒而不能尽抒；「短愁」写愁之形态——「短」字反写愁长：愁本无尽，而以「短愁」名之，是自我宽解之辞，亦是无可奈何之语——愁太长，只能截取「短愁」以寄，微吟一声，寄去的不过是愁之万一。以「微吟寄短愁」收束，语淡情长，含蓄悠远，为全诗留下袅袅余音。

The chant. Where is the wine market to ask of? In soft chanting I lodge this brief sorrow. The nowhere-to-ask wine market and the soft chanting of the brief sorrow are the close. To have chanted the brief sorrow would be a chant; the where-is-the-wine-market-to-ask-of-in-soft-chanting-I-lodge-this-brief-sorrow is the chant.

Study

Word focus

孤灯 A single lamp in the rain sets off the traveller's loneliness, answering 'one goose' in a desolate pair. 「树里孤灯雨」之「孤灯」，是写羁旅之孤的关键意象，与「一雁」呼应成凄清之对。「孤灯」本为诗词常语，此处置于「树里」「雨」之间：夜雨潇潇，林间一点灯火，孤零零地亮着——「孤灯」写灯之孤，更写人之孤：灯是人之灯，灯孤即人孤，一点灯火在风雨中摇曳，正如游子在旅途中飘零。此词的妙处在于以灯写人、以物传情：不说「我孤」，而说「孤灯」，孤灯在雨中林里，其人其境自见；又与下句「一雁」相对——孤灯对一雁，灯孤、雁孤、人孤，三重孤寂叠加，羁旅之愁弥漫全联。炼字之精，在以常见的「孤灯」置于「树里」「雨」的特定组合中，旧词新境，凄清倍增，是明代诗人善于点化传统意象的体现。

迸 The parting heart bursts like a leaf suddenly splitting, figures the abrupt, startling force of parting sorrow; diction alert and lifted. 「离心迸落叶」之「迸」字，是全诗炼字最奇警的一字，化虚为实、力重千钧。「迸」本为迸裂、迸飞之意，写物体突然爆裂四射，此处移以写离心：离人的心绪如落叶迸飞——秋风中，落叶一片片离枝迸落，正如离愁一缕缕迸发而出，无从遏止。「迸」字的妙处有三：其一，写愁之突发——不是缓缓生愁，而是「迸」然而出，如叶之离枝、如弦之绷断，见愁之不可抑制；其二，写愁之纷乱——迸者四散飞射，落叶迸飞则漫天飘零，正如离愁之纷乱无绪、千头万绪；其三，写愁之力度——「迸」有爆裂之声、迸射之力，离心如落叶之迸，是心之撕裂、情之奔涌，惊心动魄。一字而写尽离愁之突发、纷乱与力度，是明代炼字「奇警」的典范。

短愁 The word 'brief' writes the long sorrow in reverse; the soft chant cannot exhaust it, leaving an enduring aftertaste. 「微吟寄短愁」之「短愁」，以「短」字反写愁长，是全诗情感最耐人寻味的炼字。「短愁」本为矛盾之辞：愁本无尽、无边，何短之有？然诗人偏以「短」名愁——此「短」字有三重意味：其一，自宽——愁太长、太深，无法尽寄，只能截取「短愁」以寄，自我宽解、自我设限，正见愁之深而力之微；其二，反衬——以「短」写愁，愈见愁之长：唯其愁长，方觉所寄者短；唯其愁重，方觉所吟者微，「短」字反写愁之长、之重；其三，收束——以「短愁」作结，轻描淡写、戛然而止，不写愁之尽而写愁之寄，言有尽而意无穷。一字而含自宽、反衬、收束三重妙用，是明代诗人炼字「以少胜多」的典范，也是此诗含蓄不尽之美的来源。