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南北朝 Northern and Southern Dynasties · 诗 Poem

夜夜曲

Song of Night After Night

沈约

Shen Yue

思妇longing wife 长夜long night 永明体Yongming style

河汉纵且横，北斗横复直。
星汉空如此，宁知心有忆？
孤灯暧不明，寒机晓犹织。
零泪向谁道，鸡鸣徒叹息。

The River of Heaven runs lengthwise, then across; the Dipper lies flat, then stands upright.
The starry river turns on so emptily; how should it know a heart is full of longing?
The lone lamp glows dim and unclear; at the cold loom she is weaving still at dawn.
To whom can she tell these falling tears? The cock crows, and she sighs in vain.

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Meaning

A sleepless woman watches the Milky Way and the Dipper swing through their positions and realizes how much of the night has gone. She sits down at her cold loom until daylight, weeping with no one to tell, and greets the cockcrow with a sigh.

银河时而纵贯长空，时而横斜天际；北斗星也忽而横卧，忽而竖立。星河只管这样徒然地流转，哪里知道我心里正满怀着思念？一盏孤灯半明半暗地摇曳，我守着冰冷的织机直织到天亮。泪珠不停地落下又能向谁诉说，只听得鸡鸣声起，空自长叹一声。

Appreciation

The poem falls into two halves, one outdoors and one indoors, and the movement between them is what gives it shape. Above, the shifting positions of the Milky Way and the Dipper record the passage of hours without naming a single unit of time. Below, a guttering lamp and a cold loom make up the entire world available to a woman alone. To reproach the stars for indifference is unreasonable, and that unreasonableness is exactly the poem's finest stroke, since feeling that has nowhere to go must fasten on something. The camera closes in stage by stage until it rests on one sigh, and no word for resentment is ever used.

【白话串讲】 “河汉纵且横，北斗横复直”——沈约写夜夜曲：银河横了又直，北斗转了又转。“孤灯暧不明，寒机晓犹织”——她守着孤灯织布到天亮。“零泪向谁道，鸡鸣徒叹息”——眼泪向谁说？只能叹息。【意象与手法】此诗八句分两段，段各四句，每段前两句用对偶，后两句用白描。上段写户外星空，用“纵”“横”“直”三个方位词交错回环，不写时间而时间自见；下段写室内灯机，“孤灯”与“寒机”一暖一冷，恰是独处者的全部世界。由天上而人间，由远景而近景，镜头层层收拢，最后收在一声叹息上。怨星汉之无情，本属无理，而“无理而妙”，正是这类诗的高处。【情感与主旨】《乐府解题》说：“《夜夜曲》，伤独处也。”全诗写的正是一个“独”字。从“不得眠”到“晓犹织”，从“空如此”到“徒叹息”，思妇的情绪由怅望而怨怼，由怨怼而无告，层层推进，至结句而成高潮。诗中不着一“怨”字，却借星移、灯暗、机寒、鸡鸣四层景象把怨情托满，含蓄而沉厚。【名句点睛】 “星汉空如此，宁知心有忆”是全篇的诗眼。一个“空”字把上面铺排的天象一笔推倒，一个“宁”字又把满腔幽怨喷薄而出。以无情之物反衬有情之人，是《诗经·大东》与《古诗十九首》的老办法，而沈约用得凝练妥帖，遂开唐人闺怨诗的先声。

Background

Shen Yue, courtesy name Xiuwen, lived from 441 to 513 and came from Wukang in Wuxing. He held office under the Song, Qi, and Liang, led the literary world of his age, first formulated the doctrine of the four tones and eight faults, and with Xie Tiao and Wang Rong created the Yongming style. 'Song of Night After Night' belongs to the miscellaneous songs of the yuefu and is a title of Shen Yue's own devising; two poems survive under it and this is the first.

《夜夜曲》为南朝齐梁间诗人沈约所作。沈约（公元四四一至五一三年），字休文，吴兴武康人，历仕宋、齐、梁三朝，是永明体诗歌的领袖人物，与谢朓、王融等共创讲求声律对偶的新体诗，提出四声八病之说，对近体诗的形成有奠基之功。此诗当为沈约拟乐府之作，属《乐府诗集》杂曲歌辞类。《乐府解题》明言：夜夜曲，伤独处也。齐梁时代，宫体诗风渐盛，诗多写闺阁情思、长夜寂寞，沈约身为文坛宗主，此类拟乐府正是其时风气所尚。理解此诗，须置于永明体的特殊语境中：它虽仍沿乐府旧题、写思妇传统题材，却在声律与对偶上极见新巧，代表了南朝文人把民间乐府雅化、精致化的努力。诗中思妇长夜不眠、孤灯独织、泪落鸡鸣的描写，既承续了汉乐府与《古诗十九首》的伤离传统，又以齐梁特有的清绮笔致重写，是乐府旧题在六朝文人手中蜕变的一环。沈约以文坛宗主之身写此拟乐府，无意间为六朝宫闺题材向唐代闺怨诗的过渡架起一座桥梁，其承前启后的诗史位置不容忽视，宜与唐人闺怨之作并观方见其源流。

Art

Eight lines in two sections of four, with each section opening in parallel couplets and closing in plain description. The first section gives the sky and the second the room, so the poem moves from outside to inside and from scene to feeling, deepening by stages and ending in a single long sigh.

全诗八句，分两段，段各四句，章法极为整饬。上段写户外星空：河汉纵且横，北斗横复直，以纵、横、直三个方位词交错回环，写星河在夜空中不断位移，不写时间而时间自见——女子从入夜盯到天明，星象已从纵变横、由横转正，一夜就这样流逝。下段写室内灯机：孤灯暧不明，寒机晓犹织，由天上转入人间，孤灯与寒机一明一暗、一暖一冷，恰是独处者全部的世界。两段皆以前两句对偶、后两句白描的结构相称，形成镜像般的对称。最妙在由景及情、由远及近、由天及人的镜头收拢：从浩瀚星河，收到一盏孤灯，再收到一声叹息，层层缩小，最后落在一句鸡鸣徒叹息上。怨星汉之无情本属无理，而无理而妙，正是此类诗的高处。沈约以永明体的声律之美承载古老的无题哀愁，使此诗既古且新，开了唐人闺怨诗的先声。全诗八句而结构对称、声情哀婉，既承汉魏乐府伤离之传统，又具齐梁清绮之新声，在短章中见出长篇的章法意识，是永明体小诗以声律助情韵的范本，亦可见六朝文人把民间哀愁精致化的审美取向。

Allusions

Both terms used for the sky's river denote the Milky Way. The old explanation of yuefu titles says that 'Song of Night After Night' laments dwelling alone. Using the movement of the stars to intensify a woman's sorrow reaches back to the piece in the Lesser Odes of the Book of Songs about the river in heaven that looks down with light, and more immediately to the poem among the Nineteen Old Poems about the distant Herd Boy star and the bright Weaving Maid of the celestial river.

此诗虽短，用典与化用却历历可寻。河汉、北斗皆出自《诗经》与天象传统，古诗中常以星移写夜长、写相思之煎熬。星汉空如此，宁知心有忆，其句法与情感直承《古诗十九首》涉江采芙蓉、明月何皎皎诸篇中相望不相闻的孤寂，亦遥接《诗经·小雅·大东》维天有汉、监亦有光而以箕斗不见可以挹酒浆讽喻天之无情。孤灯暧不明，化用古乐府中残灯、暗烛意象；寒机晓犹织，则承汉乐府鸡鸣高树颠、促织鸣东壁的夜织传统，亦与《木兰诗》不闻机杼声、惟闻女叹息异曲同工。鸡鸣徒叹息，以鸡鸣标志长夜将尽、盼望落空，是闺怨诗固定语码。沈约把这些来自民间与经典的意象，以永明体的对偶声律重新编织，使古老题材获得了齐梁特有的清绮与新巧，是乐府雅化工程的缩影。沈约以文坛宗主的身份，把来自《诗经》、汉乐府与《古诗十九首》的星月、孤灯、寒机、鸡鸣诸意象，统统纳入永明体的对偶声律之中，使本属民间的浅唱变成了文人案头的精构，这种提炼既抬升了题材的品格，也预示了宫体诗日后的绮靡走向。

Commentary

Zhong Rong's Gradings of Poets says that Shen Yue's poems were valued in the villages and were chanted until they became song; the language here is compact, the tonal patterning deliberate, and the flavor of folk song strong, so that the piece shows the Yongming manner at its most representative.

《夜夜曲》自唐以来多被视作闺怨诗的上乘之作，尤以其诗眼星汉空如此、宁知心有忆见赏。明人胡应麟《诗薮》论齐梁诗，虽每讥其靡弱，于此类清绮小诗亦不能不称其情韵悠长。近人论永明体，常以此诗为声律与情思结合得当的范例：对偶工稳而不板滞，声韵流转而哀婉自见。清人王夫之《古诗评选》论南朝乐府，赏其以景缩情、不著一怨字的含蓄。此诗对后世影响尤著，李白有《夜坐吟》、王偃有《夜夜曲》，皆沿其题其调；而唐人闺怨诗如张仲素、王昌龄诸作中星月反衬相思的技法，皆可溯源于沈约此篇。可以说，沈约以文坛宗主的身份写这样一首拟乐府，无意间为六朝宫闺题材向唐代闺怨诗的过渡架了一座桥——它保留了乐府的民间哀愁，又注入了文人诗的声律精致。正因如此，此诗虽写闺阁长夜之怨，却不流于轻艳，而在清绮中自有悠远的情韵，成为连接汉魏古乐府与唐代新闺怨的关键一环，历来为论诗者所重。

Prosody

Form Five-character poem in eight lines五言古诗（拟乐府，永明体）

Rhyme It belongs to the miscellaneous songs of the yuefu; the rhyme words zhi ('upright'), yi ('longing'), zhi ('weave'), and xi ('sigh') all fall in the entering-tone 'zhi' group.全诗八句，上段押入声韵（横、直、忆，古音相近可通押），下段转押平声或入声（明、织、息），两段换韵，与由天及人、由景及情的结构转折相应。沈约身为四声八病之说倡导者，此诗虽为古体短章，而声律已暗合其说，读来流转悠扬。

Tone pattern Rhyme falls on alternate lines; the first and third couplets are both exactly parallel.此诗虽沿乐府旧题，实为永明体新声。前四句河汉纵且横、北斗横复直以方位名词相对，平仄暗协；后四句孤灯暧不明、寒机晓犹织以形容词与名词工对，声韵清绮。沈约主张八病之说，此诗于声律讲求而不露斧凿，正是永明体以声律助情韵的实践。其句式以对偶为主、白描为辅，体现了齐梁文人把民间乐府雅化、格律化的典型取向。

Reading note A five-character poem in the ancient manner, in which the starry river, the lone lamp, and the cold loom render by stages the length of the night and the distance of the one remembered; ending on the cockcrow and a futile sigh, its clear and lingering complaint opened a whole line of boudoir poetry in the Qi and Liang period.《夜夜曲》是沈约以文坛宗主身份拟写乐府的代表，八句短章而结构整饬、声情哀婉，既承汉魏乐府伤离之传统，又具齐梁清绮之新声。其上段写星移以见夜长，下段写灯机以见人独，以无情星汉反衬有情相思，无理而妙，开唐人闺怨诗先声。沈约以永明体声律重写古老题材，使此诗成为六朝乐府向唐代闺怨过渡的关键一环，在诗史上有承前启后的位置。胡应麟等虽讥齐梁诗靡弱，于此类情韵悠长的小诗亦不能不稍假辞色。要之，《夜夜曲》于格律一道，或严守或权变，皆以协畅诵读、助成意境为归，形式与内容相得益彰，乃其所以传唱不衰之一端。

Line by line

河汉纵且横，北斗横复直。

The Milky Way runs lengthwise and then across while the Dipper lies flat and then stands upright; the motion of the stars conveys a night without sleep, and the poem begins already inside its sorrow.

银河时而纵贯长空，时而横斜天际；北斗星也忽而横卧，忽而竖立。

The Silver River now stretches lengthwise, now crosswise; the Plough now lies sideways, now stands upright.

河汉纵且横，北斗横复直，是上段写星空的开篇，也是全诗时间感的发源。河汉即银河，北斗即北斗七星，皆为夜空中标志性的天象。纵且横、横复直，连用三组方位词交错回环：纵是南北向的贯穿，横是东西向的铺展，直是竖立——星河在长夜里不断位移，从纵到横、从横到直，方位的变换无声地宣告了时间的流逝。思妇从入夜便仰望星空，直到天将破晓，星象早已转了好几轮，而她仍独守空闺。沈约的妙处在于不写人、不写愁，只写星，却让读者从星象的挪移中读出一个人整夜未眠的孤单。这种以天象写时间、以物象写人事的手法，深得《古诗十九首》明月皎夜光、促织鸣东壁的精髓，而又以永明体特有的方位对偶出之，既古且新，是齐梁小诗以简驭繁的典范。

The stars. The Silver River now stretches lengthwise, now crosswise; the Plough now lies sideways, now stands upright. The Silver-River-lengthwise-crosswise and the Plough-sideways-upright are the hours. To have stretched lengthwise would be a stretching; the the-silver-river-now-stretches-lengthwise-now-crosswise-the-plough-now-lies-sideways-now-stands-upright is the stretching.

星汉空如此，宁知心有忆？

The starry river turns on to no purpose; setting the indifference of the heavens against a heart full of longing, the question carries a heavy weight.

星河只管这样徒然地流转，哪里知道我心里正满怀着思念？

The starry river flows on in vain; how should it know my heart is full of longing?

星汉空如此，宁知心有忆，是全篇的诗眼，也是情感的总爆发。空字下得极重：星汉如此流转，于天地不过是寻常的天行，于思妇却是漫漫长夜的无情见证——它空自运行，对人间的相思毫无关切。一个空字，把前面铺排的天象一笔推倒，从客观的星空陡然翻转为 subjective 的幽怨。宁知二字更妙，宁是岂、哪里，以反问的语气把满腔幽怨喷薄而出：你这无情的星河，哪里知道我心中满满的思念？这种怨天之语，本属无理——星汉本无知，怨之亦无益，而正因其无理，才显出相思之深、之痴、之无可诉说。以无情之物反衬有情之人，是《诗经·大东》与《古诗十九首》的老办法，沈约用得凝练妥帖，遂开唐人闺怨以景反衬情之先声。此联一出，全诗由景入情，境界全出。

The question. The starry river flows on in vain; how should it know my heart is full of longing? The starry-river-in-vain and the how-know-heart-full-longing are the outburst. To have flowed on in vain would be a flowing; the the-starry-river-flows-on-in-vain-how-should-it-know-my-heart-is-full-of-longing is the flowing.

孤灯暧不明，寒机晓犹织。

A dim lamp and a cold loom still working at daybreak show a whole night given over at once to labor and to longing.

一盏孤灯半明半暗地摇曳，我守着冰冷的织机直织到天亮。

The lone lamp glimmers dim; the cold loom still weaves at dawn.

孤灯暧不明，寒机晓犹织，是下段由天及人的转笔，镜头从浩瀚星空收进寂寥居室。孤灯二字先定基调：一盏灯、一个人，是长夜独处的全部道具；暧不明写灯火半明半暗、摇曳不定，既是实景，也暗喻心境的幽昧不明、希望之微弱。寒机之寒，既是秋夜织机冰冷的触感，更是独处者内心的凄寒；晓犹织写她从夜初织到天明，以织布的机械动作熬过漫漫长夜，与上文星移的漫长形成呼应。此联之妙，在一暖一冷、一天一人的对照：上有星汉之浩渺无情，下有孤灯之微弱有恨；外有天地之周流，内有寒机之拘滞。暧不明与晓犹织，把等待的无望与坚持的徒劳写得极静极哀。沈约以永明体工对写此，声律的流转反衬出内容的凝滞，哀婉愈深。

The lamp. The lone lamp glimmers dim; the cold loom still weaves at dawn. The lone-lamp-glimmers-dim and the cold-loom-weaves-at-dawn are the room. To have glimmered dim would be a glimmering; the the-lone-lamp-glimmers-dim-the-cold-loom-still-weaves-at-dawn is the glimmering.

零泪向谁道，鸡鸣徒叹息。

Tears that can be told to no one and a sigh that changes nothing bring the poem to an utterly solitary close.

泪珠不停地落下又能向谁诉说，只听得鸡鸣声起，空自长叹一声。

To whom can I tell my falling tears? The cock crows, and I sigh in vain.

零泪向谁道，鸡鸣徒叹息，是全诗的结穴，也是哀愁的最低处与最深处。零泪即落泪，零字写泪珠断续滴落之态，无声而持续，正如漫漫长夜的无尽。向谁道三字，道出相思最根本的困境：这满腔幽怨，竟无一个可诉之人——所思之人在远方，身边的人不相知，连星汉都不知，于是泪只能零落于虚空。鸡鸣是长夜将尽的标志，对常人意味着天明与生机，对思妇却意味着又一夜空等、盼望再次落空。徒叹息的徒字，把所有的等待、所有的泪、所有的夜，都收束为一声无可奈何的空叹。此联以听觉（鸡鸣）与动作（叹息）收束，不写情而情已满纸，与前文星汉之空、孤灯之暧、寒机之晓形成闭环：从夜初到鸡鸣，一个完整的长夜在叹息中结束，而明夜又将重来，故题曰夜夜。沈约以极简的笔墨，写尽了永恒轮回的孤寂。

The tears. To whom can I tell my falling tears? The cock crows, and I sigh in vain. The falling-tears-to-whom and the cock-crows-sigh-in-vain are the close. To have told the tears would be a telling; the to-whom-can-i-tell-my-falling-tears-the-cock-crows-and-i-sigh-in-vain is the telling.

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Word focus

空 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 星汉空如此中的空字，是此诗最沉重的一个字，也是由景入情的枢纽。空有多重意味：其一，空自、徒然，星汉的运行与人间的相思毫不相干，它只是无情地流转；其二，空廓、浩渺，星河之广大反衬出人之渺小孤独；其三，落空、成空，思妇的等待终将落空，正如星汉的运转从不为谁停留。沈约把这三种意味熔铸在一个空字里，先以空字推倒前面铺排的纵且横、横复直的天象之美，使客观星空瞬间沦为无情见证，再顺势逼出宁知心有忆的幽怨。这个字的力量在于它的悖反：星汉越美、越有规律，越显得人的相思无谓、无告。空字还遥接《古诗十九首》所倡的虚空之感，又与篇末徒叹息的徒字首尾呼应，构成空—徒的绝望结构。一字之重，竟能压住全篇的哀愁，这正是齐梁炼字以少胜多的典范。

暧 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 孤灯暧不明中的暧字，是此诗下段的炼字眼目，亦深得六朝诗风之神髓。暧本义为日光昏暗、不明亮，此处用来形容孤灯的半明半灭、光晕朦胧。沈约不用暗而用暧，妙在暧有一种温润而模糊的质感——灯火不是彻底熄灭的死暗，而是摇曳不定的微光，带着一点将熄未熄的暖意，恰如独处者那点不肯灭失的希望。暧不明三字，写尽孤灯将尽、光景凄迷的居室氛围，既是秋夜实写，也是心境投射：思妇的内心正如这盏灯，幽昧不明、前途未卜。更可玩味的是，暧与下句寒机之寒形成温度上的对仗——灯虽暧（微温）而机已寒（冰冷），一暖一冷之间，把独处之夜的体感与心境都写活了。沈约以永明体工对写此联，暧字的选择显示了他对声律之外字义的精审，是齐梁诗炼字趋于细密的例证。

徒 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 鸡鸣徒叹息中的徒字，是全诗情感的最终落点，与开篇的空字遥相呼应，构成绝望的闭环。徒者，空也、白白地也，鸡鸣本是新的一天开始的信号，象征着生机与破晓，但对长夜独守的思妇而言，天明只意味着又一夜的等待成空、又一次的盼望落空。徒叹息，是所有的相思、泪零、寒织，最终沉淀为一声无可奈何的空叹——叹亦无益，不叹亦无益。这个字把前面所有的铺排（星移、灯暧、机寒、泪零）都收束为一个无力的结局，也使题面夜夜二字获得了解释：今夜如此，明夜亦复如此，叹息永远是徒劳的。沈约以徒字收束，不用呼天抢地的悲号，只以一声轻叹作结，反而余味更永，因为它承认了命运的无可更改。这种以淡语写至哀、以虚字收厚情的手法，正是六朝小诗最能触动后人的地方。

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