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南北朝 Northern and Southern Dynasties · 诗 Poem

咏早梅

On the Early Plum Blossoms

何逊

He Xun

咏物Object poem 梅花Theme 南朝梁Theme

兔园标物序，惊时最是梅。
衔霜当路发，映雪拟寒开。
枝横却月观，花绕凌风台。
朝洒长门泣，夕驻临邛杯。
应知早飘落，故逐上春来。

In the rabbit park it signals the order of things; most startling of the season is the plum.
Carrying frost it opens by the road; mirroring snow it seems to bloom against the cold.
Its branches stretch sideways before the Moon-Setting Pavilion; its flowers cluster around the Wind-Soaring Terrace.
At dawn it sprinkles tears at the Long Gate; at dusk it stays the cup at Linqiong.
It should know its petals will soon drift down—so it hastens to come with the early spring.

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Meaning

The early plum, blooming in frost and snow, marks the turning of the seasons; knowing its petals fall soon, it rushes to open with the first spring.

在园林中很容易看出时节的变换，其中最使人惊异、最能标志节序的便是梅花。它含着霜雪在路边开放，映着白雪仿佛对着严寒而开。横斜的枝条伸展在却月观前，繁密的花朵环绕着凌风台。清晨它惹得长门宫里的人落泪，傍晚又停留在临邛醉酒的杯前。它应当知道自己的花瓣容易早落，所以赶在正月里便争相开放。

Appreciation

A foundational 'yong wu' (object-chanting) poem of the Southern dynasties, He Xun's 'On the Early Plum Blossoms' lifts a small flower into a meditation on fame and transience. The plum is personified as a conscious being that 'knows' its brief glory and therefore rushes to bloom in frost and snow before the Moon-Setting Pavilion and the Wind-Soaring Terrace. Court sites and palace allusions—the deserted Long Gate of Empress Chen, the Linqiong wine shop of Sima Xiangru—tie the blossom to neglected talent and parting, so the natural image carries a quiet social ache. Strictly regulated five-character verse gives the lines musical precision, while the closing couplet makes the plum's self-awareness the emotional pivot: knowing it must fall early, it hastens with the first spring. This personifying, allusion-rich approach established the 'early plum' subgenre that later masters Yu Xin and Du Fu would echo and surpass. As a benchmark of Southern-dynasty nature poetry, it shows how regulated form and symbolic loading could turn a seasonal observation into enduring literary comment on ambition and impermanence.

【白话串讲】 “兔园标物序，惊时最是梅”——何逊写早梅：最先报春的是梅花。“衔霜当路发，映雪拟寒开”——梅花衔霜映雪而开。“应知早飘落，故逐上春来”——它知道会早落，所以早早开放。【意象与手法】首联点题，“惊时最是梅”突出梅对节候的敏锐；颔联“衔霜当路发，映雪拟寒开”炼字如“衔”“映”极见精神；颈联“枝横却月观，花绕凌风台”以扬州名观衬梅之姿态，已开林逋“疏影横斜”先声。全诗情景交融、化物为人，一扫齐梁宫体浮华。【情感与主旨】咏梅之冰清玉洁与不畏严寒，尾联“应知早飘落，故逐上春来”以梅花自况，寄寓诗人坚定的情操与高远之志，是六朝咏物诗的杰作，被视为文人咏梅之祖。杜甫“还如何逊在扬州”、姜夔“春风词笔”皆由此出。【名句点睛】常考“衔霜当路发，映雪拟寒开”炼字写梅之凌寒；“应知早飘落，故逐上春来”以梅自况寄寓高志。

Background

He Xun (c. 472–519), a Liang-dynasty poet famed for regulated verse and nature imagery. This is a 'yong wu' (object-chanting) poem on the plum.

何逊字仲言，东海郯人，南朝梁著名诗人，与阴铿并称「阴何」，对杜甫影响极深。此诗约作于梁武帝天监七年（五〇八）前后，时何逊为扬州法曹参军，借咏梅以自况。诗题一作《扬州法曹梅花盛开》，可知写于扬州任上。诗中「却月观」「凌风台」皆为扬州台观名，可见所咏乃扬州官署梅树。何逊一生沉沦下僚，其诗多清苦之音，此诗以梅之当路发、映雪开、早飘落而逐上春，正暗喻自己虽处卑位、遭际飘零，而操守坚定、才情早发。理解此诗，须将其置于六朝咏物诗由体物形似转向寄托性情的发展脉络中：何逊此作已突破齐梁宫体单纯描摹的习气，将物性与人情打成一片，故能成为后世咏梅的祖庭。何逊咏梅，在六朝咏物诗中别开生面，其以梅自况、托物寄慨的路数，直接影响了后世林逋「疏影横斜」、陆游「零落成泥碾作尘」等经典咏梅之作。杜甫于何逊极为推重，自称「颇学阴何苦用心」，其咏物诗之工切寄托，正得力于阴何一派，而此篇以早梅写身世，尤可视为杜甫《瘦马行》《病橘》一类托物诗的精神先声，渊源所系甚为清晰。

Art

The plum is personified as a conscious being that 'knows' its brief glory and therefore rushes to bloom. Court sites and palace allusions lift a small flower into a meditation on fame and transience.

此诗艺术之妙在「体物工切而能拟人寄慨」。首联「兔园标物序，惊时最是梅」以「标」「惊」二字提挈，点明梅花为节序转换的最敏感标志，「惊时」一语拟人，突出梅意初破的突兀与惹眼。颔联「衔霜当路发，映雪拟寒开」是全诗最警策处：梅开当路、不慕繁华，与霜雪并立、相映成趣，「衔」字写霜落枝头如含，「映」字写梅雪互衬，既状其冰清玉洁之质，又传其倔强孤峭之神，炼字之工直追谢朓。颈联「枝横却月观，花绕凌风台」以地名状梅之横斜环绕，开阔了咏物的空间意境，已启林逋「疏影横斜水清浅」之先声。尾联「应知早飘落，故逐上春来」以梅花口吻自道，由物及人，完成托物言志的收束。通篇由时令到形姿、由物象到人情，不即不离，是为六朝咏物之上乘。何逊此诗虽写物而处处见人，所谓「不即不离」者是也。其炼字之细，如「衔」「映」「横」「绕」诸字，皆能状梅之神而非仅梅之形；其章法之密，由时令而形姿、由物象而人情，层层转进而不露痕迹。较之齐梁宫体单纯体物的艳丽之作，此诗以清苦之笔写高洁之格，已开唐人咏物「形神兼备」之境，在六朝诗风由绮入清的转折中，自有其标识意义，亦为后世咏物诗树立了托物寄慨的范式。

Allusions

'Long Gate' (Chang Men) evokes the deserted palace of Empress Chen; 'Linqiong' recalls Sima Xiangru's wine shop—both tying the plum to neglected talent and parting.

诗中典故与意象皆有所本而能新变。「兔园」本为汉梁孝王所筑名园（亦称梁园），何逊借指扬州官署园林，兼以梁园之繁华反衬梅之清孤。「衔霜」「映雪」化用鲍照《梅花落》「念其霜中能作花，露中能作实」之意，而更见精练。「却月观」「凌风台」为扬州实有台观，诗人以地标梅，使物象落实于真实空间。「长门」用汉武帝陈皇后失宠居长门宫、司马相如作《长门赋》之典，以宫怨写梅之惹人落泪；「临邛」用司马相如临邛醉酒、识卓文君之典，以酒客写梅之动人清兴。二典一泣一驻，将梅与人间幽怨、风雅相连，赋予梅花以人的情感。尾联「上春」即孟春正月，点明早梅之「早」。凡此皆可见何逊以古事润色新物、以人事写物情的巧妙。「兔园」既指扬州官圃，又暗含梁园词客之典，一语双关，使眼前梅树与历史记忆叠合；「长门」「临邛」二典，一写宫怨之泪、一写风雅之杯，将梅由自然物提升为承载人间情感的媒介，手法已近唐人咏物之寄托。后世如李商隐「定定住天涯，依依向物华」以梅写羁旅，其以人事附丽于物象的笔意，正从此篇化出，足见六朝咏物诗由形似迈向寄托的演进轨迹。

Commentary

A benchmark of the 'early plum' subgenre that later poets (e.g., Yu Xin, Du Fu) would echo and surpass.

逐联读去，此诗如一幅扬州梅花图卷徐徐展开。首联破题，以节序之感引入梅花，不写梅而先写梅之「惊时」，已见其迥出群芳。颔联正面写梅之品格：当路而发，甘于寂寞而不慕繁华；衔霜映雪，愈显冰清玉洁。「衔」「映」二字是全诗眼目，将无情的霜雪与梅花写成相与为伴、相映成趣的有情之物。颈联拓开空间，以却月观、凌风台二地名写梅枝横斜、花朵环绕之态，气象由幽细转开朗，亦暗含梅花点缀名观、与雅人高会相宜之意。腹联由物及人，长门之泣、临邛之杯，一写幽怨一写清欢，梅花遂由自然之物升为触动人情的中介。尾联收束全篇，以梅花自知早落、故趁春来，寄寓诗人虽知身世飘零而仍惜取春光、坚守本心的微旨。通篇写梅而不滞于梅，是为咏物之极则。何逊此诗之佳，在能以小物写大感慨而不落痕迹：早梅之「早飘落」，既是物候之实，亦是才人薄命之喻；「故逐上春来」，既写梅趁春而发，亦写诗人虽知飘零而仍惜春光、不废本心。物我之间，相得益彰。清人陈祚明评何逊诗「情词宛转，浅语俱深」，此篇以清浅之辞寓深沉之慨，恰可为证，亦足见六朝咏物诗已由形似迈向寄托的重要一步，在咏物诗史中自有承前启后之功。

Prosody

Reading note A foundational plum-blossom poem of the Southern dynasties.此诗为五言古诗（咏物小篇），十句，虽为何逊齐梁间作品，去永明体未远，诗中已多讲求对仗声律，然整体上仍保持古诗的流转自如。中间两联「衔霜当路发，映雪拟寒开」与「枝横却月观，花绕凌风台」皆为工稳的对仗：前联以「衔霜」对「映雪」、「当路」对「拟寒」、「发」对「开」，后联以「枝横」对「花绕」、「却月观」对「凌风台」，词性相侔、平仄多协，已具律联雏形，而气脉仍属古体之圆畅。首尾两联则为散句，「兔园标物序，惊时最是梅」破题直入，「应知早飘落，故逐上春来」以虚语收束，使全诗于对仗中见活泼。用韵上大致押平声灰、佳、灰、台、杯、来诸韵（六朝音近相通），一韵到底，清远和雅，与梅花高洁之格相称，体现了六朝五言咏物诗声情合一、由古趋律的过渡风貌。

Line by line

衔霜当路发，映雪拟寒开。

Carrying frost it opens by the road; mirroring snow it seems to bloom against the cold.

Cradling the frost, it opens by the road; mirrored in the snow, it dares bloom in the cold.

此联为何逊咏梅的千古名句，亦全诗精神所聚。「衔霜」写梅在霜落枝头之际悄然开放，如含霜而立；「当路发」则写其不避人迹、不慕幽僻，偏在路边焕发生机，见出梅之坦然与孤峭。「映雪拟寒开」写梅与白雪相映，仿佛有意对着严寒而绽放，「拟」字拟人，将梅写成主动迎寒的勇士。二字「衔」「映」炼得极活，不仅状梅之形态，更传梅之神韵——冰清玉洁而非娇弱，倔强迎寒而非畏缩。较之鲍照《梅花落》的直白赞颂，何逊此联更见含蓄与精神，故杜甫「还如何逊在扬州」特赏此等句法，林逋「疏影横斜」一脉亦自此中「枝横」之意化出。

The frost. Cradling the frost, it opens by the road; mirrored in the snow, it dares bloom in the cold. The cradling-frost-opens-by-road and the mirrored-snow-dares-bloom-cold are the couplet. To have cradled the frost would be a cradling; the cradling-the-frost-it-opens-by-the-road-mirrored-in-the-snow-it-dares-bloom-in-the-cold is the cradling.

枝横却月观，花绕凌风台。

Its branches stretch sideways before the Moon-Setting Pavilion; its flowers cluster around the Wind-Soaring Terrace.

Its branches spread by the Queyue Terrace; its blossoms cluster round the Lingfeng Pavilion.

此联以空间与地名写梅之姿态，是六朝咏物诗由单纯体物转向意境开拓的关键一笔。「枝横」状梅枝横斜舒展之态，已暗启后世「疏影横斜」的审美范式；「花绕」写繁花环绕，见梅之秾密与生气。而「却月观」「凌风台」皆为扬州实有台观，诗人以地标梅，使梅花生于真实的人文胜境之中，既点明扬州法曹任所，又将梅与雅人登览、高台临风之清兴相连，物象因空间而开阔，意境因人文而深厚。一联之中，枝横对花绕、却月对凌风，对仗工稳而气象开朗，足见何逊融景物、地名、情致于一炉的巧思，在六朝咏物诗中殊为难得。

The terrace. Its branches spread by the Queyue Terrace; its blossoms cluster round the Lingfeng Pavilion. The branches-spread-Queyue and the blossoms-cluster-Lingfeng are the setting. To have spread by the terrace would be a spreading; the its-branches-spread-by-the-queyue-terrace-its-blossoms-cluster-round-the-lingfeng-pavilion is the spreading.

应知早飘落，故逐上春来。

It should know its petals will soon drift down—so it hastens to come with the early spring.

Knowing it must fall early, it hurries to bloom with the first spring.

尾联二句由物及人，以梅花的口吻收束全篇，是托物言志的点睛之笔。「应知」是推想，「早飘落」点明梅花命运之短、易逝之悲——早开者往往早谢，这是梅的宿命；而「故逐上春来」则是梅花（亦是诗人）的主动选择：既知易落，更须趁早绽放、不负春光。这种明知短暂而仍要盛开的姿态，正暗喻何逊虽沉沦下僚、身世飘零（早飘落），却仍要在有限的仕途与生命中奋发才情、坚守情操（逐上春来）。以问询语气作结，余味不尽，将一首咏物小诗升华为述志之作，是六朝咏物诗寄托一脉的成熟标志。

The early bloom. Knowing it must fall early, it hurries to bloom with the first spring. The knowing-it-must-fall-early and the hurries-to-bloom-first-spring are the close. To have known it must fall would be a knowing; the knowing-it-must-fall-early-it-hurries-to-bloom-with-the-first-spring is the knowing.

Study

Word focus

惊时 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「惊时最是梅」之「惊时」意为对时令转换最为敏感、最能惊动人心。何逊以「惊」字写梅花感知节序的敏锐与初破寒腊的突兀惹眼，赋予梅花以主动的、几乎带警觉性的生命力。六朝咏物诗好以一字提挈物性，谢朓「圆景早已满」之「早」、何逊此「惊」皆其例。「惊时」二字不仅点出早梅之「早」，更写出群芳未动而梅先破之的孤迥姿态，较之直说「最先开」情味远胜，是此诗炼意最吃紧处。

衔霜 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「衔霜当路发」之「衔」本义为用口含，何逊移用于霜落梅枝，仿佛梅花含霜而立，既写霜之附着枝头，又赋予梅以主动承霜的从容与坚韧。此一字将无情的霜雪化为梅花主动迎受的对象，物我之间顿生情味。六朝诗人炼字好求「活法」，谢朓「余霞散成绮」之「散」、何逊「衔霜」之「衔」皆以动词使静景生动。杜甫深赏何逊句法，「衔霜」一类炼字正是「阴何」影响杜诗「语不惊人死不休」的源头之一。

上春 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「故逐上春来」之「上春」即孟春、正月，古人以孟春为岁首之春，故称上春。何逊用此雅称点明早梅赶在正月（初春）便开，呼应题面「早」字，亦暗含「趁早」之意。以「上春」代「正月」，措语尔雅，与全诗清丽温雅的格调相称。更重要的是，「上春」作为一年之始，与「早飘落」的短暂形成对照——梅在始春绽放却又早谢，这一时间意象强化了生命须及时、境遇虽促而志不可夺的深层寄托，是炼字见章法的一例。

咏早梅