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南北朝 Northern and Southern Dynasties · 乐府 Yuefu ballad

梅花落

Plum Blossoms Fall

鲍照

Bao Zhao

咏物object chant 梅花plum blossom 乐府yuefu

中庭多杂树，偏为梅咨嗟。
问君何独然？
念其霜中能作花，露中能作实。
摇荡春风媚春日，念尔零落逐寒风，徒有霜华无霜质。

In the middle court are many mixed trees; I alone sigh for the plum.
One asks why you alone so? Because it can bloom in frost, bear fruit in dew.
They sway in the spring wind, flatter the spring day; I think of you falling, chased by the cold wind—vainly with frost's bloom but no frost's substance.

Listen

Meaning

Using the plum as a type of the principled man and the mixed trees as timeservers, the poem praises the plum that blooms and bears in frost and scorns those who only seem stern but lack the substance, declaring the poet's own refusal to fawn.

庭院里杂树繁多，我却单单为梅花叹息。问你为何偏偏如此？只因它能在霜中开花，在露中结子。看那些杂树摇荡在春风里、献媚于春日，想到你（梅花）终将零落、随寒风飘逝，它们空有霜一般的外貌，却没有凌霜的资质。

Appreciation

The poem uses a question-and-answer frame: many mixed trees in the court, yet the poet alone sighs for the plum; asked why alone so, he answers because the plum can bloom in frost and bear in dew. Then the contrast: the mixed trees sway in spring wind, flatter the spring day, yet will fall and chase the cold wind, vainly with frost's bloom but no frost's substance. Using the plum's chastity to set off the trees' fawning, the allegory is clear. The whole is cast as question and answer, setting the plum against the mixed trees. Blooming in frost and bearing in dew writes the plum's firm joint; frost's bloom but no frost's substance mocks the boneless sort. The metaphor runs free—a fine work of Bao Zhao's yuefu lodging feeling in things.

【白话串讲】 “中庭多杂树，偏为梅咨嗟”——鲍照写梅花落：满院杂树，他独独欣赏梅花。“问君何独然？念其霜中能作花”——因为梅花能在霜里开花。“摇荡春风媚春日，念尔零落逐寒风”——他叹：梅花虽好，也被寒风零落。他写梅花，是写寒士的气节。【意象与手法】通篇拟问答，以梅与杂树对举。霜中作花、露中作实写梅之劲节；霜华无霜质讽无骨之徒。比体淋漓，是鲍照乐府以物寓怀的佳作。【情感与主旨】借梅之凌霜实结，讥世俗趋炎附势、外似而内荏，自明守节不媚之志。鲍照寒士，借梅写孤标，亦含不遇之愤。【名句点睛】念尔零落逐寒风，徒有霜华无霜质——以霜华霜质之辨，道尽表里真伪，是全篇机锋所在。

Background

'Plum Blossoms Fall' is the title of a Han yuefu horizontal-flute tune; Bao Zhao uses the topic to figure the principled man by the plum and the timeserver by the mixed trees—likely his work grieving the oppression of lineage and the success of small men.

鲍照字明远，南朝宋文学家，与谢灵运、颜延之并称「元嘉三大家」，尤工乐府，诗风俊逸遒丽。其人身世寒微，虽才高八斗而久沉下僚，仕途坎坷，终为乱兵所杀。南朝门阀制度森严，寒士进身极难，鲍照一生多「才秀人微」之叹，故诗中常借物寓怀、发孤标不遇之愤。《梅花落》本为汉乐府横吹曲名（笛曲），多咏梅之作，鲍照此篇以梅与中庭杂树对举，借梅之「霜中作花、露中作实」写其凌寒守节之质，以杂树「徒有霜华无霜质」讥世俗趋炎附势、外似而内荏。表面咏物，实则以梅自况，表明自己守节不媚、不随流俗的孤标之志，亦暗含寒士见弃的不平。此诗是鲍照乐府「以物寓怀、俊逸刚健」的代表，亦六朝咏物诗中托物言志的佳作。鲍照字明远，南朝宋文学家，与谢灵运、颜延之并称「元嘉三大家」，尤工乐府，诗风俊逸遒丽。其人身世寒微，虽才高八斗而久沉下僚，仕途坎坷。南朝门阀制度森严，寒士进身极难，鲍照一生多「才秀人微」之叹，故诗中常借物寓怀、发孤标不遇之愤。《梅花落》本为汉乐府横吹曲名，多咏梅，鲍照此篇以梅与杂树对举，借梅之凌霜实结讥世俗趋炎附势，亦暗含寒士见弃的不平。

Art

It opens with a question, closes with contrast, colloquial yet sharp-edged; frost's bloom and frost's substance set side by side, the vehicle and tenor knit without seam—gaining the yuefu satire body.

此诗通篇拟问答，以梅与杂树对举，结构如一篇微型驳论，章法奇崛。开篇「中庭多杂树，偏为梅咨嗟」以反差起笔——杂树繁多而独嗟梅花，先设悬念；次以「问君何独然」设问，自答「念其霜中能作花，露中能作实」，正面写梅之劲节，于霜露中开花结子，耐寒而有实。末幅「摇荡春风媚春日，念尔零落逐寒风，徒有霜华无霜质」陡转杂树，写其逢春摇荡、献媚取宠，终将零落，空有霜般外貌而无凌霜资质。全诗以梅之贞衬杂树之媚，比体淋漓，一扬一抑、一问答一断制，将咏物升格为人格的审判。语言俊爽，设色冷峭，是鲍照乐府「如饥鹰独出、奇矫无前」的典型笔力，六朝咏物至此而别开生面。此诗通篇拟问答，以梅与杂树对举，结构如一篇微型驳论，章法奇崛。开篇以反差起笔，杂树繁多而独嗟梅花，先设悬念；次以设问自答，正面写梅之劲节，于霜露中开花结子；末幅陡转杂树，写其逢春摇荡、献媚取宠，终将零落，空有霜般外貌而无凌霜资质。全诗以梅之贞衬杂树之媚，比体淋漓，一扬一抑、一问答一断制，将咏物升格为人格的审判，语言俊爽而设色冷峭。

Allusions

Sigh (zi jie): to lament. Bloom in frost, bear in dew: praising the plum's cold endurance and fruit. Frost's bloom no frost's substance: vainly with a frost-like look but no frost-enduring essence.

诗中故实与比兴皆有所本。其一为《梅花落》本调，乃汉乐府横吹曲，多写梅花傲雪，鲍照沿其题而寄新意，使咏物兼成抒怀。其二为「霜中作花、露中作实」，化用《诗经·小雅·頍弁》「如彼雨雪，先集维霰」及楚辞「饮露」之洁，以霜露之寒写梅之劲节，较之常咏「凌雪」更添「作实」的收获之意，不只言其清而更言其成。其三为「霜华」「霜质」之辨——霜华指霜般洁白的外貌，霜质指凌霜不凋的内质，化用《庄子》「物之生也，若骤若驰」与士人「质」「文」之辨（如「文质彬彬」），以表里真伪之判讽无骨之徒。数典皆融化入物，使一首短章兼具经典厚度与锋锐的批判性，是鲍照善于以古事铸今讽的明证。诗中故实与比兴皆有所本：《梅花落》本调乃汉乐府横吹曲，多写梅花傲雪，鲍照沿其题而寄新意；「霜中作花、露中作实」化用《诗经》与楚辞「饮露」之洁，以霜露之寒写梅之劲节，较常咏「凌雪」更添「作实」的收获之意；「霜华」「霜质」之辨化用士人「文质」之辨，以表里真伪之判讽无骨之徒。数典皆融化入物，使短章兼具经典厚度与锋锐的批判性，是鲍照善于以古事铸今讽的明证。

Commentary

Mingyuan's yuefu excels at lodging anger in things; read this with 'Imitating Hard Roads' to see his upright heart hates the vulgar.

《梅花落》是鲍照乐府中托物言志的奇作，素为论者激赏。其异于六朝一般绮靡柔婉的咏物诗，而在以俊爽之笔、驳论之体写孤标之节，刚健之气直逼建安。诗中「念尔零落逐寒风，徒有霜华无霜质」二句，以霜华霜质之辨道尽表里真伪，是全篇机锋所在，亦鲍照对当时趋炎附势、名实乖违士风的冷峻审判。前人谓鲍诗「如饥鹰独出」，此篇正见其奇矫：不假铺陈而一问一答间是非立判，梅之贞与杂树之媚对照如镜。较之陆游《卜算子》之孤婉、王安石《梅花》之峻洁，鲍照此作更早以「质」胜于「华」立论，开后世咏梅寄慨之先声。其为后世重，正在于将寒士不遇之愤，凝为可触可感的物性之辨，是六朝咏物诗由体物向言志转关的关键之作。《梅花落》是鲍照乐府中托物言志的奇作。其异于六朝一般绮靡柔婉的咏物诗，而在以俊爽之笔、驳论之体写孤标之节，刚健之气直逼建安。「念尔零落逐寒风，徒有霜华无霜质」以霜华霜质之辨道尽表里真伪，是全篇机锋所在。较之陆游《卜算子》之孤婉、王安石《梅花》之峻洁，鲍照此作更早以「质」胜于「华」立论，开后世咏梅寄慨之先声，是六朝咏物诗由体物向言志转关的关键之作。

Prosody

Form Mixed-length yuefu乐府·杂言（拟《梅花落》横吹曲）

Rhyme Rhyme category not specified in the source; follows the yuefu convention.嗟、花（平水韵下平六麻），实、日、质（入声质韵），两段换韵：前段麻韵写梅之嗟赏，后段质韵写杂树之断制，韵随情转

Tone pattern Lines of three, five, seven characters interleave, not bound by rules; the syllables are arrested.杂言乐府，句式错落（五、五／五、七、六／六、七、七），不尚近体平仄，以气驭辞、随势转韵，符合六朝拟乐府「击节可读、不主故常」的体性

Reading note Setting plum against mixed trees, the question-and-answer writes the plum's chaste substance, closing on frost's bloom no frost's substance as a retort—Mingyuan's mode of lodging feeling in object-chant.此诗为鲍照拟汉乐府《梅花落》之作，属杂言乐府，凡三解，句式长短错落而气脉奔注，最见其「俊逸」本色。其声律之特征在随情换韵、以韵助意：首解「中庭多杂树，偏为梅咨嗟」「问君何独然？念其霜中能作花」，嗟、花同归麻韵，声情温厚，写对梅之叹赏；次解「露中能作实」转质韵（实、日、质），入声短促急收，与「霜中作花」「零落逐寒风」「霜华无霜质」的冷峭断制相协，声文互为表里。全篇不务近体声病，而顿挫处自合歌行之节，如「摇荡春风媚春日」之舒缓、「徒有霜华无霜质」之斩截，句式长短随语意起伏。杂言乐府最忌散漫，此诗以问答绾合、以比体贯气，读来如笛声清越而有锋棱，是六朝拟乐府中声情与理趣相生的标本，亦鲍照「奇矫无前」诗风在声律层面的印证。

Line by line

中庭多杂树，偏为梅咨嗟。

In the middle court are many mixed trees; I alone sigh for the plum.

庭院里杂树繁多，我却单单为梅花叹息

The courtyard has many common trees, yet I alone sigh for the plum.

此句为全篇起兴之笔，以反差设悬，先声夺人。「中庭多杂树」写庭院树木之繁、杂树之平庸，平平起笔；「偏为梅咨嗟」以「偏」字逆接，于众树之中独嗟梅花，既出人意表，又暗藏褒贬——杂树虽多而不足道，梅花虽孤而可叹可敬。一个「偏」字是全诗机杼，将读者的疑问（何以独嗟梅）引出下文的设问作答，章法如一篇微型驳论之起。更深一层，「咨嗟」含叹赏与痛惜双重意味：赏其凌霜之节，惜其孤标见弃，已暗合诗人自身寒士不遇的身世之慨。此五字以最寻常的庭院之景，立起全篇「扬梅抑杂树」的价值坐标，是鲍照乐府善于以简驭繁、以反差造势的典型起手。

The sigh. The courtyard has many common trees, yet I alone sigh for the plum. The courtyard-many-common-trees and the yet-i-alone-sigh-for-plum are the opening. To have sighed for the plum would be a sighing; the the-courtyard-has-many-common-trees-yet-i-alone-sigh-for-the-plum is the sighing.

摇荡春风媚春日，念尔零落逐寒风，徒有霜华无霜质。

They sway in the spring wind, flatter the spring day; I think of you falling, chased by the cold wind—vainly with frost's bloom but no frost's substance.

看那些杂树摇荡在春风里、献媚于春日，想到你（梅花）终将零落、随寒风飘逝，它们空有霜一般的外貌，却没有凌霜的资质

They toss in the spring wind and flatter the spring sun; but you, I think, will fall before the cold wind—they have only frost-like looks, no frost-like soul.

此句为全篇断制之笔，也是托物言志的机锋所在，锋锐无比。「摇荡春风媚春日」写杂树逢春便摇荡献媚、趋炎取宠之态，一个「媚」字揭其卑骨；「念尔零落逐寒风」转写梅花虽贞却终随寒风零落，暗含孤标者不免凋伤的悲悯；末以「徒有霜华无霜质」下断语——杂树空有霜般洁白的外貌（霜华），却无凌霜不凋的内质（霜质）。「霜华」与「霜质」一字之差，道尽表里真伪、名实乖违之辨，是全诗批判的落脚点。鲍照以此刺当时趋炎附势、外似内荏之徒，亦自明守节不媚之志。三句一气转折，由斥杂树、惜梅花到立真判，刚健冷峻，是六朝咏物诗中罕见的以「质」胜「华」的理性锋芒，开后世咏梅寄慨之先声。

The frost. They toss in the spring wind and flatter the spring sun; but you, I think, will fall before the cold wind—they have only frost-like looks, no frost-like soul. The toss-in-spring-wind-flatter-spring-sun and the will-fall-cold-wind-frost-looks-no-frost-soul are the judgment. To have flattered the spring sun would be a flattering; the they-toss-in-the-spring-wind-and-flatter-the-spring-sun-but-you-i-think-will-fall-before-the-cold-wind-they-have-only-frost-like-looks-no-frost-like-soul is the flattering.

Study

Word focus

咨嗟 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「咨嗟」是开篇定调之眼，本为叹息、嗟叹之意（《诗经》「咨汝殷商」、阮籍「咨嗟涕洟」皆用之），含叹赏与痛惜的双重情味。鲍照以「偏为梅咨嗟」写于众树中独叹梅花，一个「咨嗟」既是对梅凌霜劲节的由衷叹赏，亦是对其孤标见弃、终将零落的深沉痛惜，悲欣交并。此词之妙在分量：若用「爱」「赏」则浅，用「咨嗟」则沉，恰合六朝诗人以重笔写孤芳的体性。更者，「咨嗟」之叹与后文杂树之「媚」形成价值对照——可叹者贞，可鄙者媚，一字已立全篇褒贬之轴。鲍照身为寒士，借「咨嗟」梅花寄己身不遇之痛，使寻常咏物之叹升为身世之鸣，是六朝咏物诗善于以情驭象的练字典范。

霜质 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「霜质」是篇末立论之核，与「霜华」对举，意谓凌霜不凋的内在资质，是全诗批判性比喻的落脚点。霜华指霜般洁白的外貌，霜质则指经霜愈劲的本性——华者表也，质者里也，鲍照以「徒有霜华无霜质」断制杂树，谓其空具清白之表而乏守节之实，直指名实乖违、表里不一的士风之弊。此词化用士人「文质」之辨（如孔子「质胜文则野，文胜质则史」），而将「质」赋予凌寒守节的道德内涵，使咏物之喻兼具人格审判的力度。较之常咏梅之「凌雪」「傲寒」，鲍照独标「霜质」，更重内在之「实」胜于外在之「华」，一字之中见其重质轻文、尚骨贱媚的价值取向，是鲍照乐府俊爽刚健诗风在炼字上的集中体现。

梅花落