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南北朝 Northern and Southern Dynasties · 诗 Poem

江南曲

Song of the Southland

柳恽

Liu Yun

爱情/相思love/longing 山水/禅意landscape/chan mood

汀洲采白蘋，日暖江南春。
洞庭有归客，潇湘逢故人。
故人何不返，春华复应晚。
不道新知乐，只言行路远。

On the islet I gather the white duckweed; the southern spring is warm in the sun.
From Dongting comes a homebound guest; on the Xiao and Xiang I met an old friend.
Why does my old friend not return? The spring blossoms will soon be late again.
He does not say he has found new love's joy—only pleads the road is far.

Listen

Meaning

On the river islet I gather white duckweed; the southern spring is warm under the sun. From Dongting comes a homebound traveller; on the Xiao and Xiang I met an old acquaintance. Why does my old friend not return? The spring's flowers will soon be late again. He does not say he has taken new love's pleasure—only says the road is long.

江洲上采着白蘋，江南春日和暖。洞庭来了归乡之人，在潇湘遇着旧日故人。故人为何还不返家？春光恐怕又要迟晚。不说是有了新欢之乐，只推说那路途遥远。

Appreciation

This poem writes longing through a progressive structure of 'meeting a homebound guest—asking of the old friend—blaming his not returning.' The first couplet, 'On the islet I gather the white duckweed; the southern spring is warm in the sun,' sets a bright spring scene against the woman's loneliness; gathering duckweed carries the ancient meaning of the 'summoning the south' rite, here turned into the toil of a longing wife. 'From Dongting comes a homebound guest; on the Xiao and Xiang I met an old friend' raises a ripple from flat ground, a clever device of sending word by the guest. The last four lines speak in the woman's voice, directly asking 'why does my old friend not return,' and imagining that he 'does not say he has found new love's joy—only pleads the road is far'—guessing he uses distance as excuse to take another love, blame laced with jealousy, the psychology finely drawn. The whole piece is clear in language yet gentle in intent; the scene warm, the feeling cold; contrast runs throughout.

【白话串讲】 “汀洲采白蘋，日暖江南春”——柳恽写江南春：采白蘋的汀洲，日暖花开。“洞庭有归客，潇湘逢故人”——洞庭来客说在潇湘遇到了她的故人。“不道新知乐，只言行路远”——那人只说路远，没说有新欢。【意象与手法】此诗以“逢归客—问故人—怨不返”的递进结构写相思【情感与主旨】《江南曲》为南朝梁柳恽（465—517）拟乐府之作，属《乐府诗集·相和歌辞》“江南”古题的拟写【名句点睛】此诗常入“南朝乐府拟作”或“思妇诗”单元。考点一

Background

The Song of the Southland is a yuefu imitation by Liu Yun of Liang (465–517), belonging to the 'Southland' old topic under the 'Xianghe' songs in the Anthology of Yuefu. Liu Yun was skilled at the qin and chess and adept at poetry; this poem speaks for a southern longing wife, writing a duckweed-gathering woman who, on a spring islet, meets a homebound guest and asks him to carry word to the far-wandering old friend (her husband). 'Xiao and Xiang,' 'Dongting' are both Chu-region waters, marking how far the traveller has drifted. Southern-Dynasty yuefu often write the love of river-village youths; this piece refines the folk theme of 'longing for the far' with elegant diction, more literati-polished than the Wu songs and Western tunes, a typical case of Six-Dynasties 'yuefu imitation' moving from folk to literati, and it opened the way for Tang poets Zhang Jiuling and Li Bai's southern longing-wife poems.

《江南曲》为南朝梁柳恽所作，是写采蘋怀人的诗。柳恽（465—517），字文畅，河东解人，南朝梁诗人、音乐家。此诗：汀洲采白蘋，日暖江南春；洞庭有归客，潇湘逢故人；故人何不返，春华复应晚；不道新知乐，只言行路远。全诗写采蘋怀人、问故人不返，是南朝乐府诗的名篇。

Art

This poem writes longing through a progressive structure of 'meeting a homebound guest—asking of the old friend—blaming his not returning.' The first couplet, 'On the islet I gather the white duckweed; the southern spring is warm in the sun,' sets a bright spring scene against the woman's loneliness; gathering duckweed carries the ancient 'summoning the south' meaning, here turned into a longing wife's toil. 'From Dongting comes a homebound guest; on the Xiao and Xiang I met an old friend' raises a ripple from flat ground, sending word by the guest, a clever construction. The last four lines, in the woman's voice, directly ask 'why does my old friend not return,' and imagine he 'does not say he has found new love's joy—only pleads the road is far'—guessing he uses distance as excuse to take another, blame with jealousy, the psychology finely drawn. The whole is clear in language yet gentle in intent; the scene warm, the feeling cold; contrast runs throughout.

《江南曲》艺术上以问答的传神与含蓄的深婉见长。全诗八句，层层写来：前二句写采蘋之景——“汀洲采白蘋，日暖江南春”写采蘋于汀洲；中四句写逢客问人——“洞庭有归客，潇湘逢故人”写逢归客，“故人何不返，春华复应晚”写问故人何不返；末二句写客之答——“不道新知乐，只言行路远”写客答行路远。全诗以问答写采蘋怀人，正是柳恽乐府诗含蓄深婉的笔法。

Allusions

The poem's 'gathering white duckweed' quietly inherits the 'In the south, where shall I gather the duckweed, by the brook in the south' of the Songs of Zhou, Gathering Duckweed, a noble woman's rite of gathering the water-plant; Six-Dynasties yuefu imitations often use 'gathering duckweed' or 'gathering lotus' for a longing wife's toil and her love—already a fixed image. 'Islet' transforms the 'pluck the duckweed on the islet' of the Chu Ci, Lady Xiang, the meeting-place by the islet. 'Xiao and Xiang,' 'Dongting' are Chu waters that since the Chu Ci have stood for far exile and drift. The closing 'does not say he has found new love's joy' points to the folk-yuefu motif of 'hearing my love has found new favour.' The allusions all melt into the river-village scenery, without trace yet deep in meaning.

《江南曲》用典在“白蘋”“洞庭”“潇湘”。“白蘋”写水中之蘋草，采蘋为江南女子之事；“洞庭”“潇湘”写洞庭湖与潇湘之水，写江南之地；“新知乐”写新欢之乐。全诗以这些意象写采蘋怀人，不用深典而情致深婉，正是柳恽乐府诗写情的笔法。

Commentary

Liu Yun's name is not loud yet his pieces are clear and fair; the Book of Liang says he 'was skilled at verse from youth, his poems full of flavour.' This Song of the Southland is especially praised by later ages; many Tang poets imitated it, and Li Bai's 'I once heard the waters of Jiangxi, now I see the men of Jiangxi' and Zhang Ji's Song of the Southland both follow its thread. The Ming scholar Hu Yinglin, in his Poetry Shell, lists Six-Dynasties yuefu imitations and says 'Liu Yun's Southland is clear and gentle, a pleasure to recite.' The Qing scholar Wang Fuzhi comments: 'gentle and full of manner, deeply attaining the yuefu's lingering intent.' The modern Xiao Difei, on Southern-Dynasty yuefu, takes this as 'a fine piece of literati yuefu imitation.' In sum, writing folk feeling with an elegant brush, its thought reaches far and vague.

《江南曲》是柳恽乐府诗的代表作，也是南朝乐府诗中写采蘋怀人的名篇。此诗写采蘋怀人、问故人不返，向为论者称道。论者多赏其问答的传神——“洞庭有归客，潇湘逢故人”写逢客问人，一问一答情致宛然；“不道新知乐，只言行路远”写客之答，含蓄深婉。柳恽为南朝梁诗人兼音乐家，其乐府诗以清新婉转著称，此诗正是其代表——以问答写怀人，正是其含蓄深婉的风格。

Prosody

Form Yuefu imitation (Xianghe song, Southland topic)五言乐府（江南曲）

Rhyme Level-tone zhen/yuan rhymes, Southern-Dynasty yuefu shifting, one rhyme throughout《江南曲》为五言乐府，八句，押平声韵。此诗用韵：春、人、晚、远（文元部），音节婉转。

Tone pattern Literati yuefu imitation, tone growing strict yet not bound to the regulated-verse form五言乐府以音节婉转、情致含蓄见长。此诗写采蘋怀人，音节婉转而含蓄。全诗以五言贯底，声调与怀人之情的内容相合，是南朝乐府诗中含蓄深婉的一路。

Reading note Representative of the literati-made Six-Dynasties yuefu; a clear-gentle strain of the longing-wife poem.《江南曲》为南朝梁柳恽所作，是写采蘋怀人的诗。此诗以“汀洲采白蘋，日暖江南春”写采蘋之景，以“洞庭有归客，潇湘逢故人”写逢客，以“故人何不返，春华复应晚”写问故人，以“不道新知乐，只言行路远”写客之答。以问答写怀人，含蓄深婉，正是柳恽乐府诗的名篇。

Line by line

汀洲采白蘋，日暖江南春。

On the islet she gathers white duckweed; the sun is warm on Jiangnan's spring.

在汀洲上采摘白蘋，日暖融融，正是江南的春天。

On the sandbar she gathers white duckweed; the sun is warm over Jiangnan in spring.

前二句写采蘋之景，是全诗怀人的起点。“汀洲采白蘋”写采蘋——“汀洲”写水中沙洲，“采白蘋”写采摘白蘋——在汀洲采摘白蘋；“日暖江南春”写江南春日——“日暖”写日暖融融，“江南春”写江南的春天——日暖江南春。两句写采蘋之景：汀洲采白蘋，日暖江南春。以“汀洲采白蘋”写采蘋之事，以“日暖江南春”写江南春景，正是柳恽乐府诗写景起兴的笔法——采蘋江南，日暖春深，而怀人之情暗含其中。

The duckweed. On the islet she gathers white duckweed; the sun is warm on Jiangnan's spring. The islet-gathers-white-duckweed and the sun-warm-Jiangnan-spring are the opening. To have gathered the duckweed would be a gathering; the on-the-islet-she-gathers-white-duckweed-the-sun-is-warm-on-jiangnan's-spring is the gathering.

洞庭有归客，潇湘逢故人。故人何不返，春华复应晚。

A traveler comes home from Dongting, meeting an old friend by the Xiao-Xiang. Why does the old friend not return? The spring flowers must be fading again.

洞庭有归来的客人，说在潇湘遇到了故人。故人为什么不返回？春华又将晚谢了。

A traveler returns from Dongting; by the Xiao-Xiang he meets an old friend. Why does the old friend not come back? The spring flowers must be fading again.

中四句写逢客问人，是全诗怀人的核心。“洞庭有归客，潇湘逢故人”写逢归客——“洞庭有归客”写洞庭有归来的客人，“潇湘逢故人”写其在潇湘遇到了故人——归客在潇湘逢故人；“故人何不返，春华复应晚”写问故人何不返——“故人何不返”写故人为什么不返回，“春华复应晚”写春华又将晚谢——问故人何不返，春华复晚。四句写逢客问人：洞庭有归客、潇湘逢故人，故人何不返、春华复应晚。以“洞庭有归客，潇湘逢故人”写逢客得知故人消息，以“故人何不返，春华复应晚”写问故人何不返、恐春华已晚，正是柳恽写采蘋怀人的核心——问故人何不归，正见相思之切。

The friend. A traveler comes home from Dongting, meeting an old friend by the Xiao-Xiang. Why does the old friend not return? The spring flowers must be fading again. The Dongting-traveler-meets-old-friend and the why-not-return-flowers-fading are the question. To have met the old friend would be a meeting; the a-traveler-comes-home-from-dongting-meeting-an-old-friend-by-the-xiao-xiang-why-does-the-old-friend-not-return-the-spring-flowers-must-be-fading-again is the meeting.

不道新知乐，只言行路远。

He says nothing of new pleasures, only that the road was long.

归客不说故人有新欢之乐，只说行路遥远。

He says nothing of the joy of new friends, only that the road was long.

末二句写客之答，是全诗含蓄深婉的归结。“不道新知乐”写不说新知之乐——“不道”写不说，“新知乐”写新欢之乐——归客不说故人有新欢之乐；“只言行路远”写只说行路远——“只言”写只说，“行路远”写行路遥远——只说行路遥远。两句写客之答：不道新知乐，只言行路远。以“不道新知乐”写归客之讳言（不说故人有新欢），以“只言行路远”写其托词，正是柳恽乐府诗含蓄深婉的归结——客之言，含蓄吞吐；怀人之情，尽在不言之中。

The answer. He says nothing of new pleasures, only that the road was long. The says-nothing-of-new-pleasures and the only-road-was-long are the close. To have said nothing would be a saying-nothing; the he-says-nothing-of-new-pleasures-only-that-the-road-was-long is the saying-nothing.

Study

Word focus

汀洲 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. “汀洲采白蘋”之“汀洲”，写水中沙洲，是全诗写采蘋之地景的关键词。“汀洲”写水中之洲——在汀洲采摘白蘋。这一词写采蘋之地：不是陆地之畔，而是汀洲；不是寻常之地，而水中小洲。以“汀洲”写采蘋之地，正是柳恽乐府诗写江南之景的笔法——汀洲采蘋，江南春色。

白蘋 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. “汀洲采白蘋”之“白蘋”，写白蘋草，是全诗写采蘋怀人的关键词。“白蘋”写水中的白蘋草——采摘白蘋。这一词写采之物：不是寻常之草，而是白蘋；不是无义之采，而是怀人之采（古有采蘋寄远之意）。以“采白蘋”写怀人，正是柳恽乐府诗以物起兴、托物怀人的笔法。

何不返 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. “故人何不返”之“何不返”，写为什么不返回，是全诗问故人的关键词。“何不”写为什么不，“返”写返回——故人为什么不返回。这一词写问故人之不归：不是淡然之问，而何不返；不是不知其因，而急问其返。以“故人何不返”写问归，正是柳恽写采蘋怀人、盼故人归的笔法。

新知乐 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. “不道新知乐”之“新知乐”，写新欢之乐，是全诗含蓄深婉的归结词。“新知”写新结交的人，“乐”写其乐——归客不说故人有新欢之乐。这一词写客之讳言：不是直说故人有新欢，而讳言新知乐；不是明言其变心，而只言行路远。以“不道新知乐”写客之吞吐，正是柳恽乐府诗含蓄深婉的笔法——怀人之情，含蓄不尽。

江南曲