南北朝 Northern and Southern Dynasties · 诗 Poem
之宣城郡出新林浦向板桥
Travelling to Xuancheng as Prefect: From the New Forest Ferry to Banqiao
江路西南永,归流东北骛。
天际识归舟,云中辨江树。
旅思倦摇摇,孤游昔已屡。
既欢怀禄情,复协沧洲趣。
嚣尘自兹隔,赏心于此遇。
虽无玄豹姿,终隐南山雾。
At the far edge of the sky I make out boats going home; among the clouds I pick out the trees along the river.
Weary of the journey, my thoughts rock to and fro, and travelling alone has often been my lot.
I am glad of the feeling that comes with a salary, and it chimes with the delight of the islets.
From here the noise of the world is shut out, and a delighted heart meets what it loves here.
I have not the markings of the dark leopard, but in the end I shall hide in the mist of the southern mountain.
Meaning
On his way to take up the governorship of Xuancheng, Xie Tiao travels the river road southwest while the current carries him northeast; from the edge of the sky he picks out boats that are going home, and from the clouds the trees along the bank. He confesses to a weariness of travel and to being alone, then says that the office he is taking is itself welcome because it allows him the company of the islets — the hermit's life of the water's edge. The poem closes by saying he lacks the markings of the dark leopard that hid in the south mountain, and yet intends to end there hidden in the mist.
江路西南永,归流东北骛。天际识归舟,云中辨江树。旅思倦摇摇,孤游昔已屡。既欢怀禄情,复协沧洲趣。嚣尘自兹隔,赏心于此遇。虽无玄豹姿,终隐南山雾。
Appreciation
[Structure] The poem moves in two halves of six lines. The first half is the journey seen from the boat — directions, a far horizon, an absent home — and the second half turns to the self and to the choice that the office makes possible. The turn is abrupt and is carried by two plain verbs: 'I am glad' and 'from here'. [Imagery] The famous couplet is an exercise in seeing: at the rim of the sky the traveller recognises returning boats; among the clouds he distinguishes the trees of the bank. Both lines describe distance conquered by the eye, and both are built as mirror images of each other — sky against cloud, boat against tree, far against near. [Closures] The ending withholds any consolation and any comfort: it concedes the failure of the leopard's markings and then simply states an intention to be hidden. The mist that closes the poem is the same one with which the whole poem has been dealing, since mist is also what makes the trees visible in the second couplet, and the poet quietly turns a travel symptom into a destination.
【白话串讲】 谢朓写《之宣城郡出新林浦向板桥》:“江路西南永,归流东北骛”——“天际识归舟,云中辨江树”——“旅思倦摇摇,孤游昔已屡”——“既欢怀禄情,复协沧洲趣”——“虽无玄豹姿,终隐南山雾”——他赴宣城——天际识归舟。 【意象与手法】 “江路西南永,归流东北骛”以江路归流写方向之逆;“天际识归舟,云中辨江树”以归舟江树写望乡;“旅思倦摇摇,孤游昔已屡”写倦旅;结以“虽无玄豹姿,终隐南山雾”用典写归隐之志。写景明丽、含蓄深婉。 【情感与主旨】 谢朓赴宣城太守任途中所作,写江行所见与去国怀乡之情,既有“怀禄”又含“沧洲”之趣,体现南朝士人仕隐两兼的心态,“天际识归舟”为千古名句。 【名句点睛】 常考“天际识归舟,云中辨江树”以归舟江树写望乡;“虽无玄豹姿,终隐南山雾”以玄豹隐雾写归隐之志。
Background
Xie Tiao (464–499), courtesy name Xuanhui, was from Chen County Yangxia (modern Taikang, Henan) and served the southern Qi. He was a leading poet of the new style of the late fifth century and is ranked with Xie Lingyun as the 'Greater and Lesser Xie' of landscape poetry; he was also, by tradition, unlucky in office and died young, in his mid-thirties. This poem was written on the road to Xuancheng, where he had just been appointed prefect. It is one of the most frequently anthologised of his works and belongs to the group of poems written in the manner that Li Yu and later Tang poets would call the 'palace and reclusion' mode.
《之宣城郡出新林浦向板桥》为南朝齐诗人谢朓所作诗。谢朓(464—499),字玄晖,陈郡阳夏(今河南太康)人,南朝齐诗人,山水诗大家,与谢灵运并称「大小谢」。此诗写羁旅写景,为赴宣城太守任途中所作。诗中「江路西南永,归流东北骛」写江路西南永,归流东北骛;「天际识归舟,云中辨江树」写天际识归舟,云中辨江树;「旅思倦摇摇,孤游昔已屡」写旅思倦摇摇,孤游昔已屡;「既欢怀禄情,复协沧洲趣」写既欢怀禄情,复协沧洲趣;「嚣尘自兹隔,赏心于此遇」写嚣尘自兹隔,赏心于此遇;「虽无玄豹姿,终隐南山雾」写虽无玄豹姿,终隐南山雾。谢朓此诗以羁旅写景、终隐南山雾写其羁旅之情,含蓄深婉,是南朝诗中的名篇。此篇《之宣城郡出新林浦向板桥》在历代选本中多被收录,其艺术价值与流传之广,正可见此诗在同类题材中的重要地位。诗人以匠心独运之笔写寻常之情事,遂使此作历千载而犹有生气,为后人所称赏不绝。
Art
The technique is the early Chinese way of arriving at a mood by accurate sight. 'The river road runs southwest' and 'the returning current runs northeast' set two directions against each other in six words, and the whole poem's disorientation is in that hinge. The two central couplets are syntactically compressed to the point where the grammar has to be supplied by the reader — the boats and the trees are not said to belong to anyone, and the weariness is not said to be caused by anything. Xie Tiao is one of the first poets to make this compression an aesthetic, and 'at the far edge of the sky I make out boats going home' has been an anthology piece ever since for exactly this reason. The closing couplet then inverts the whole register: instead of describing the view, it uses an allusion to register a least of intent, and the poem's final gesture is the rhyming image of a hidden animal.
此诗艺术上以「含蓄深婉、以景写情」见长。全诗共十二句,由江路西南永、天际识归舟而既欢怀禄情、终隐南山雾。起「江路西南永,归流东北骛」写江路西南永:江路西南永,归流东北骛;「天际识归舟,云中辨江树」写天际识归舟:天际识归舟,云中辨江树;「旅思倦摇摇,孤游昔已屡」写旅思倦摇摇:旅思倦摇摇,孤游昔已屡;「既欢怀禄情,复协沧洲趣」写既欢怀禄情:既欢怀禄情,复协沧洲趣;「嚣尘自兹隔,赏心于此遇」写嚣尘自兹隔:嚣尘自兹隔,赏心于此遇;尾「虽无玄豹姿,终隐南山雾」写终隐南山雾:虽无玄豹姿,终隐南山雾。全诗以景写情,由江路西南永而天际识归舟而终隐南山雾,含蓄深婉,是南朝诗中的名篇。通篇以少总多之法出之,章法严谨而用意深曲,意象凝练而情韵悠长,读之愈久,愈觉其构思之精与笔力之健,堪称同类诗作中不可多得之佳篇,足见诗人炉火纯青的艺术功力。
Allusions
'The delight of the islets' is the standard phrase for the reclusive life on the edge of water, borrowed from the vocabulary of the hermit and used here to describe enjoying one's own salary — a mixing of officialdom and reclusion that was typical of the age. 'The dark leopard hidden in the mist' carries a legend from the Biographies of the Hermits: the leopard of the southern mountain is variegated but stays hidden in the mist, and so keeps its skin whole. By saying he lacks those markings, the poet is not admitting defeat; he is saying that the trick of surviving is not a natural gift but something he can resolve on. The image of the trees in cloud and the boats at the edge of the sky needs no borrowed story, and is the reason the poem is remembered as landscape.
诗中「江路西南永归流东北骛」「天际识归舟云中辨江树」「旅思倦摇摇孤游昔已屡」「既欢怀禄情复协沧洲趣」「嚣尘自兹隔赏心于此遇」「虽无玄豹姿终隐南山雾」等语,皆含典故故实。「江路西南永归流东北骛」写江路西南永归流东北骛;「天际识归舟云中辨江树」写天际识归舟云中辨江树(千古名句);「旅思倦摇摇孤游昔已屡」写旅思倦摇摇孤游昔已屡;「既欢怀禄情复协沧洲趣」用沧洲之典(沧洲写隐居之地),写既欢怀禄情复协沧洲趣;「嚣尘自兹隔赏心于此遇」写嚣尘自兹隔赏心于此遇;「虽无玄豹姿终隐南山雾」用玄豹南山之典(陶答子妻玄豹隐雾),写虽无玄豹姿终隐南山雾。诗人以沧洲、玄豹隐雾等典入诗,不着痕迹,而把羁旅写景之情写得真切可感,是善于熔铸典故的体现。此等用典之法,熔铸古今而不着痕迹,既不炫博以示学,亦不拘泥于旧解,正见诗人学养之深与运思之巧。读者于此等处尤当细心玩味,方能领会其言外之旨与味外之味。
Commentary
The couplet 'at the far edge of the sky I make out boats going home; among the clouds I pick out the trees along the river' is one of the most quoted lines in the whole southern Qi corpus, and Qing anthologists placed the poem high among Xie Tiao's river journeys. Later readers have used it as a test case for the new style of the period: a landscape that is welded together out of recognised objects and almost no verbs, and a feeling that never states itself. Its influence is visible in the Tang poems of the same subject as far away as Wang Wei's river journey and, in a different register, in the Song lyric, where a view at the end of a journey is the standard way to end a parting.
这首《之宣城郡出新林浦向板桥》,是谢朓写羁旅写景之作,写江路西南永、天际识归舟、终隐南山雾之情,含蓄深婉。起「江路西南永,归流东北骛」——江路西南永,归流东北骛。写江路西南永:江路西南永、归流东北骛——江路西南永、归流东北骛;「天际识归舟,云中辨江树」——天际识归舟,云中辨江树。写天际识归舟:天际识归舟、云中辨江树——天际识归舟、云中辨江树;「旅思倦摇摇,孤游昔已屡」——旅思倦摇摇,孤游昔已屡。写旅思倦摇摇:旅思倦摇摇、孤游昔已屡——旅思倦摇摇、孤游昔已屡;「既欢怀禄情,复协沧洲趣」——既欢怀禄情,复协沧洲趣(用沧洲之典)。写既欢怀禄情:既欢怀禄情、复协沧洲趣——怀禄情、沧洲趣;「嚣尘自兹隔,赏心于此遇」——嚣尘自兹隔,赏心于此遇。写嚣尘自兹隔:嚣尘自兹隔、赏心于此遇——嚣尘隔、赏心遇;尾「虽无玄豹姿,终隐南山雾」——虽无玄豹姿(用玄豹隐雾之典),终隐南山雾。写终隐南山雾:虽无玄豹姿、终隐南山雾——无玄豹姿、终隐南山雾。这「虽无玄豹姿,终隐南山雾」,是全诗之结:以终隐南山雾写其隐逸。全诗含蓄深婉,以景写情,正是南朝诗中的名篇。
Prosody
Line by line
江路西南永,归流东北骛。
The river road runs southwest and is endless, while the returning current runs northeast at speed.
江路西南永,归流东北骛。
The river road stretches southwest, endless; the homeward current races northeast.
首联写江路西南永,起笔即见其行。「江路西南永」写江路西南永,「江路」写江路、「西南永」写西南悠长;「归流东北骛」写归流东北骛,「归流」写归流、「东北骛」写东北疾驰。两句一写江路西南永、一写归流东北骛,以江路西南永写江路之永、以归流东北骛写归流之骛,写尽江路西南永、归流东北骛之情。以景起兴,含蓄而开阔,是「以景起兴」的妙笔。
The current. The river road stretches southwest, endless; the homeward current races northeast. The southwest-endless road and the northeast-racing current are the opening. To have stretched endless would be a stretching; the the-river-road-stretches-southwest-endless-the-homeward-current-races-northeast is the stretching.
天际识归舟,云中辨江树。
At the far edge of the sky I make out boats going home; among the clouds I pick out the trees along the river.
天际识归舟,云中辨江树。
At the sky's rim I make out a homecoming boat; through the clouds I distinguish riverside trees.
此二句写天际识归舟,是全诗写景的关键。「天际识归舟」写天际识归舟,「天际」写天边、「识归舟」写认出归舟;「云中辨江树」写云中辨江树,「云中」写云中、「辨江树」写分辨江树。两句一写天际识归舟、一写云中辨江树,以天际识归舟写江上望舟、以云中辨江树写云中辨树,写尽天际识归舟、云中辨江树之情。以景写望,含蓄而开阔,是「以景写望」的点睛之笔。
The boat. At the sky's rim I make out a homecoming boat; through the clouds I distinguish riverside trees. The sky's-rim-homecoming-boat and the clouds-distinguished-riverside-trees are the gaze. To have made out the boat would be a making-out; the at-the-sky's-rim-i-make-out-a-homecoming-boat-through-the-clouds-i-distinguish-riverside-trees is the making-out.
旅思倦摇摇,孤游昔已屡。
Weary of the journey, my thoughts rock to and fro, and travelling alone has often been my lot.
旅思倦摇摇,孤游昔已屡。
Travel-weary, my thoughts drift; lonely journeys have been many before.
此二句写旅思倦摇摇,是全诗写羁旅的关键。「旅思倦摇摇」写旅思倦摇摇,「旅思」写旅途之思、「倦摇摇」写倦而摇摇;「孤游昔已屡」写孤游昔已屡,「孤游」写孤游、「昔已屡」写往昔已多次。两句一写旅思倦摇摇、一写孤游昔已屡,以旅思倦摇摇写旅途之倦、以孤游昔已屡写孤游屡次,写尽旅思倦摇摇、孤游昔已屡之情。以倦写旅,含蓄而深婉,是「以倦写旅」的点睛之笔。
The weariness. Travel-weary, my thoughts drift; lonely journeys have been many before. The travel-weary-drifting thoughts and the lonely-journeys-many-before are the weariness. To have drifted would be a drifting; the travel-weary-my-thoughts-drift-lonely-journeys-have-been-many-before is the drifting.
既欢怀禄情,复协沧洲趣。
I am glad of the feeling that comes with a salary, and it chimes with the delight of the islets.
既欢怀禄情,复协沧洲趣。
At once glad for the love of office, I also match the pleasures of the wilds.
此二句写既欢怀禄情,是全诗写怀禄沧洲的关键。「既欢怀禄情」写既欢怀禄情,「既欢」写既欢喜、「怀禄情」写怀禄之情;「复协沧洲趣」写复协沧洲趣,用沧洲之典写复协沧洲趣。两句一写既欢怀禄情、一写复协沧洲趣,以既欢怀禄情写怀禄之欢、以复协沧洲趣写沧洲之趣,写尽既欢怀禄情、复协沧洲趣之情。以典写志,含蓄而旷达,是「以典写志」的点睛之笔。
The wilds. At once glad for the love of office, I also match the pleasures of the wilds. The glad-for-office-love and the matching-the-wilds'-pleasures are the balance. To have matched the wilds would be a matching; the at-once-glad-for-the-love-of-office-i-also-match-the-pleasures-of-the-wilds is the matching.
虽无玄豹姿,终隐南山雾。
I have not the markings of the dark leopard, but in the end I shall hide in the mist of the southern mountain.
虽无玄豹姿,终隐南山雾。
Though I lack the black leopard's grace, I will hide at last in the southern hills' mist.
尾联写终隐南山雾,是全诗立意的落点。「虽无玄豹姿」写虽无玄豹姿,用玄豹隐雾之典写虽无玄豹姿;「终隐南山雾」写终隐南山雾,「终隐」写终究隐于、「南山雾」写南山之雾。两句一写虽无玄豹姿、一写终隐南山雾,以虽无玄豹姿写无玄豹之姿、以终隐南山雾写终隐南山雾,写尽虽无玄豹姿、终隐南山雾之情。以典写志,含蓄而深婉,是全诗最动人处,也是「以典写志」的点睛之笔。
The leopard. Though I lack the black leopard's grace, I will hide at last in the southern hills' mist. The black-leopard-grace-lacking and the hidden-at-last-in-southern-mist are the close. To have hidden at last would be a hiding; the though-i-lack-the-black-leopard's-grace-i-will-hide-at-last-in-the-southern-hills'-mist is the hiding.
Study
Word focus
Related Reading
Liu Yong's lyric asks a woman on the riverbank to look up and imagine her man on a boat, and makes her 'mistakenly' think she recognises returning sails several times over, since he himself has been mistaken in the same way. Xie Tiao's couplet does the same thing in ten words without a speaker and without a woman. Both turn the far horizon into a test of expectation, and the later poem cannot be understood without knowing that the earlier line was the standard image a Song reader would call to mind.
柳永《八声甘州·对潇潇暮雨洒江天》「想佳人妆楼颙望,误几回、天际识归舟」,写江上望远、羁旅怀归,是宋词写羁旅的名篇;谢朓此诗则以「天际识归舟,云中辨江树」「旅思倦摇摇,孤游昔已屡」写天际识归舟、旅思倦摇摇。两诗同写江上望远、羁旅怀归:一写想佳人妆楼颙望误几回天际识归舟、以归舟写怀归,一写天际识归舟云中辨江树、以归舟江树写羁旅;一为柳永之清丽、一为谢朓之清新,并读正可见诗写「江上望远」的两种笔法,皆于江上望远之中见怀归。
山园小梅 Shan Yuan Xiao Mei: The Small Garden of the Mountain 林逋 · 同写隐逸之趣、以物寄志,一写疏影横斜水清浅暗香浮动月黄昏、一写虽无玄豹姿终隐南山雾,皆于隐逸之中见寄志 The same theme of hidden reclusion, one appealing to a hidden orchid's fine smell and this one to a mountain mist that keeps a wild animal's markings unseenLin Bu's famous couplet praises a plum by its shadow on clear water and its scent in the moonlight and so becomes the emblem of the scholar who is famous without seeking fame. Xie Tiao ends by denying that he has such inherited gifts and then says the mist of the southern mountain will do the hiding anyway. The difference is instructive: the Song poet makes concealment into an elegant achievement, while the southern Qi poet leaves it as a bare intention, which is closer to the plainness that later readers of this poem admired.
林逋《山园小梅》「疏影横斜水清浅,暗香浮动月黄昏」,写梅之清雅、隐逸之趣,是宋诗咏物的绝唱;谢朓此诗则以「既欢怀禄情,复协沧洲趣」「虽无玄豹姿,终隐南山雾」写沧洲趣、终隐南山雾。两诗同写隐逸之趣、以物寄志:一写疏影横斜水清浅暗香浮动月黄昏、以梅写隐逸,一写虽无玄豹姿终隐南山雾、以玄豹写隐逸;一为林逋之清逸、一为谢朓之清新,并读正可见诗写「隐逸寄志」的两种笔法,皆于隐逸之中见寄志。