南北朝 Northern and Southern Dynasties · 诗 Poem
折杨柳
Breaking the Willow (Zhe Yang Liu)
巫山巫峡长，垂柳复垂杨。
同心且同折，故人怀故乡。
山似莲花艳，流如明月光。
寒夜猿声彻，游子泪沾裳。
Of one heart we break the willow together; the old friend remembers his home.
The hills like lotus are bright; the stream like bright moon light.
In the cold night the ape's cry pierces; the wanderer's tears wet his robe.
Meaning
Xiao Yi, styled Shicheng, seventh son of Liang Wu Di, later Liang Yuan Di, capital Jiangling after the Hou Jing revolt. 'Breaking the Willow' is an old Han horizontal-flute tune, the old lyric has 'climb the branch and break its bloom, to give the one I miss'; Six-Dynasty imitations mostly write farewell and longing. This is Xiao Yi's yuefu imitation, using the Wu-gorge geography and the willow-breaking old custom to voice the wanderer's homesickness and the old friend's longing—both an emperor's brush and folk feeling.
巫山巫峡长路漫漫，垂柳又复垂杨。同心之人一同折柳，故人因而怀念故乡。山色似莲花般明艳，水流如明月般清光。寒夜猿声凄彻，游子泪湿衣裳。
Appreciation
The whole opens by yuefu rising: 'long the Wu mountains and gorges; drooping willows and poplars' by the land's farness and willow's abundance raises the long parting thought; 'of one heart we break the willow together' secretly uses the willow-breaking gift old custom, 'the old friend remembers his home' points the longing theme. The latter 'hills like lotus bright; stream like moon light' with the most beautiful scene foils 'in the cold night the ape's cry pierces; the wanderer's tears wet his robe'—the most grief; joy scene writes grief, strong contrast, the wind-poet's legacy.
【白话串讲】 “寒夜猿声彻，游子泪沾裳”——萧绎写折杨柳送别：山像莲花，水像月光，寒夜里猿声阵阵，游子的眼泪打湿衣裳。 【意象与手法】 全诗以乐府起兴之法展开：『巫山巫峡长，垂柳复垂杨』以地之远、柳之繁兴起绵长离思；『同心且同折』暗用折柳赠别古俗，『故人怀故乡』点相思之旨。后幅『山似莲花艳，流如明月光』以极丽之景反衬『寒夜猿声彻，游子泪沾裳』之极哀，乐景写哀，对照强烈，得风人之遗。 【情感与主旨】 萧绎字世诚，梁武帝第七子，后为梁元帝，侯景乱后都江陵。『折杨柳』本汉横吹曲，古辞有『攀条折其荣，将以遗所思』之意，六朝拟作多写离别相思。此诗当为萧绎拟乐府之作，借巫山巫峡地理与折柳古俗，抒写游子怀乡、故人相思。 【名句点睛】 中高考可设：①手法赏析——『山似莲花艳，流如明月光』如何以乐景写哀；②折柳意象的文化内涵与离别母题；③『猿声彻』典故的化用。
Background
Xiao Yi, styled Shicheng, seventh son of Liang Wu Di, later Liang Yuan Di. 'Breaking the Willow' old Han horizontal-flute tune; Six-Dynasty imitations write farewell and longing. This is Xiao Yi's yuefu imitation, using Wu-gorge geography and willow-breaking custom to voice wanderer's homesickness and old friend's longing—emperor's brush and folk feeling.
萧绎（508—554），字世诚，梁武帝第七子，封湘东王，侯景之乱后于江陵即位，是为梁元帝。萧绎好学能文，著述甚富，其诗多拟乐府，词采清丽。『折杨柳』本为汉横吹曲名，古辞有『攀条折其荣，将以遗所思』之意，写攀折杨柳、寄赠所思，是乐府中写离别相思的著名旧题；六朝拟作多写折柳赠别、游子思妇之题。此诗当为萧绎拟乐府之作：借巫山巫峡的地理意象与折柳古俗，抒写游子怀乡、故人相思之情。诗中巫峡、猿声皆与巴楚之地相关，萧绎久镇荆州（江陵），对三峡风物当有真切感受，故能以亲历之景写拟古之题，兼具帝王之笔与民歌之情的双重风味。此诗是南朝乐府拟作中的名篇，亦可见梁代宫廷诗人对民歌传统的吸收与改造。此诗兼具帝王之笔与民歌之情，是梁代乐府拟作中成就较高的一篇，对研究六朝乐府发展史与萧绎其人及其文学均有重要价值，历来为选家所重。
Art
Opens by yuefu rising: land far, willow abundant raises long parting; 'of one heart break the willow' uses the gift custom, points longing. The latter most beautiful scene foils the most grief; joy scene writes grief, strong contrast, wind-poet legacy.
全诗以乐府起兴之法展开，结构井然而情韵兼胜。首联『巫山巫峡长，垂柳复垂杨』以地之远、柳之繁兴起绵长离思：巫山巫峡极言地之险远，垂柳垂杨叠写柳之繁茂，一句写空间、一句写物象，为全诗定下绵长的基调。次联『同心且同折，故人怀故乡』暗用折柳赠别古俗，点出相思与怀乡的双重主题：同心之人一同折柳相赠，故人因柳而怀故乡。三联『山似莲花艳，流如明月光』以极丽之景写巫山巫峡之水光山色：山如莲花之艳，水如明月之光，设色明丽，如画图展开。末联『寒夜猿声彻，游子泪沾裳』陡然转哀：寒夜猿声凄厉彻骨，游子闻之泪湿衣裳。全诗由兴而情、由丽而哀，前三联的柳、山、水愈写其美，末联的猿声泪痕愈见其悲，乐景写哀，对照强烈，得风人之遗，正是南朝乐府拟作中情景相生的典范。全诗由兴而情、由丽而哀，乐景写哀而倍增其哀，正是南朝乐府拟作情景相生的典范，也是文人乐府由民歌走向整饬的过渡形态。
Allusions
The title 'Breaking the Willow' uses the yuefu old tune; the Yue Fu Collection says 'break willow' takes 'willow' chiming 'stay,' broken to give the far-goer—Han yuefu 'the guest house green, willow color new' one line. 'Ape's cry pierces' transforms Li Daoyuan's Shui Jing Zhu ('long the Ba-Dong three gorges, the ape cries thrice, tears wet the robe'), exactly fitting this poem's Wu-gorge place; 'wanderer's tears wet his robe' directly carries its line—geography and allusion overlapped, writing the travel grief full.
题中『折杨柳』即用乐府古题：《乐府诗集》谓折柳取『柳』谐『留』音，折柳以赠远行之人，寓挽留之意，汉乐府以来相沿成俗，王维『客舍青青柳色新』、李白『此夜曲中闻折柳』皆承此意，此诗『同心且同折』正暗用这一古俗。『巫山巫峡』为巴楚地名，宋玉《高唐赋》写巫山神女故事，此后巫山常与相思、云雨相连，此诗以巫山巫峡写游子离思，暗含神女故事的迷离背景。『山似莲花艳』化用巫山十二峰中莲花峰的传说，以莲花状山形；『流如明月光』以明月喻清流，皆即景设喻。『猿声彻』化用郦道元《水经注·江水》引民歌『巴东三峡巫峡长，猿鸣三声泪沾裳』，正与此诗巫峡之地相合，『游子泪沾裳』直承其意，以地理与典故叠印，写尽羁旅之悲。诸典皆自然融入景物，不着痕迹，正是南朝诗人善用典故的功力所在。诸典皆自然融入景物而不着痕迹，正是南朝诗人善用典故的功力所在，也使一首短章兼具地理、传说与乐府传统的多重意蕴。
Commentary
The Yue Fu Collection records many Liang 'Breaking the Willow'; Xiao Yi's among them. Ming's Hu Yinglin: Liang Yuan Di's poetry 'though hurt ornate, yet bone remains.' Qing's Shen Deqian selects this, 'clear and beautiful with yuefu's legacy.' Emperor's brush writing the wanderer's grief, beautiful scene and grief feeling mirror—the Southern-Dynasty yuefu imitation's charm.
《乐府诗集》录梁代『折杨柳』多首，萧绎此篇列其间，可见其在南朝乐府拟作中的地位。明人胡应麟《诗薮》谓梁元帝诗『虽伤绮靡，而风骨尚存』，此诗正是例证：前幅写柳写山，词采清丽，具六朝绮靡之风；末联转写猿声泪痕，悲慨苍凉，又见风骨未坠，绮靡与悲慨并存，正是梁代诗风的典型。清人沈德潜《古诗源》选录此诗，评其『清丽有乐府遗意』，以为得乐府民歌之神。以帝王之笔写游子之悲，丽景哀情相映，足见南朝乐府拟作之妙：既保留了民歌的起兴、叠字与真挚，又注入了文人的对仗、炼字与典雅，是文人诗与民歌交融的产物。此诗在文学史上的价值，正在于作为梁代拟乐府的代表，展示了六朝诗人如何借乐府旧题抒写新意，对唐代边塞诗与送别诗的折柳意象亦有直接的影响。此诗在文学史上的价值，在于作为梁代拟乐府的代表，展示了六朝诗人如何借乐府旧题抒写新意，对唐代边塞诗与送别诗的折柳意象有直接影响。
Prosody
Line by line
巫山巫峡长，垂柳复垂杨
Long the Wu mountains and Wu gorges; drooping willows and drooping poplars.
巫山巫峡长路漫漫，垂柳又复垂杨。
Wu Mountain, Wu Gorge, long and far; weeping willow and again the pendant poplar.
首联以乐府起兴之法开篇，以地之远与柳之繁兴起绵长离思。上句『巫山巫峡长』写空间：巫山巫峡极言巴楚之地险峻遥远，两个『巫』字叠用，音节回环，如山峦起伏连绵，一个『长』字既写峡谷之长，又暗喻离思之绵长；下句『垂柳复垂杨』写物象：垂柳与垂杨本是同类的柳树，『复』字叠写其繁茂垂拂之态，如见堤岸杨柳依依、枝条万千。两句一山一水、一高一下、一远一近，以空间的辽阔与柳色的葱茏互为映衬，兴起后文的离别相思。此联之妙，在以叠字与对仗造成回环往复的音韵美：巫山巫峡、垂柳垂杨，读来如荡舟峡中，两岸景物次第而过，而离思亦随之绵延不绝，正是乐府起兴的典型笔法，为全诗定下绵长悠远的基调。
The gorge. Wu Mountain, Wu Gorge, long and far; weeping willow and again the pendant poplar. The Wu-Mountain-Wu-Gorge-long and the weeping-willow-pendant-poplar are the opening. To have been long would be a length; the wu-mountain-wu-gorge-long-and-far-weeping-willow-and-again-the-pendant-poplar is the length.
同心且同折，故人怀故乡
Of one heart we break the willow together; the old friend remembers his home.
同心之人一同折柳，故人因而怀念故乡。
One heart, we break the spray together; the old friend remembers his home.
此联点明全诗题旨，由写景转入抒情。上句『同心且同折』暗用折柳赠别的古俗：同心之人，一同折下柳枝相赠，『柳』谐『留』音，折柳寓挽留之意，同心而共折，见情谊之深、离别之不舍；下句『故人怀故乡』点出相思的深层指向：故人折柳之际，不由怀念起远方的故乡，一个『故』字与『怀』字，写尽游子睹柳思乡之情。两句一写动作、一写心理，折柳的瞬间与怀乡的思绪相连：柳是故乡常见之物，见柳如见故乡，故人因折柳而乡思愈深。此联之妙，在以折柳这一具体动作写抽象的多重情感：离情、乡思、相思交织于一枚柳枝之上，正是乐府民歌以物传情的笔法。同时，『同心』二字也暗含两地相思之意：同心之人分居两地，同折一柳，各怀所怀，相思与怀乡由此双线展开。
The willow. One heart, we break the spray together; the old friend remembers his home. The one-heart-break-spray-together and the old-friend-remembers-home are the theme. To have broken the spray together would be a breaking; the one-heart-we-break-the-spray-together-the-old-friend-remembers-his-home is the breaking.
山似莲花艳，流如明月光
The hills like lotus are bright; the stream like bright moon light.
山色似莲花般明艳，水流如明月般清光。
The mountains are bright as lotus flowers; the stream glows like moonlight.
此联写巫山巫峡之景，以极丽之语设色，是全诗最见文采的一笔。上句『山似莲花艳』写山：巫山十二峰中本有莲花峰，诗人以莲花喻山，既写其峰峦如瓣、层叠明艳之形，又暗合巫山神女的传说背景，山的秀丽与神话题材相得益彰；下句『流如明月光』写水：以明月喻清流，写江水澄澈、波光如月之明，一山一水，一艳一明，设色极为明丽。两句对仗精工，比喻清新，把巴楚山水写得如画图般瑰丽，正是南朝诗歌善写景、重设色的典型。然而此联之妙，更在以乐景写哀情：山水如此明艳，而游子无心赏玩，唯闻猿声而泪下，景愈丽而情愈悲，为末联的哀情蓄足了反差之势。此联承上启下，既是巫山巫峡景色的正面展开，又是乐景衬哀的结构关键，正是乐府『以丽景写哀情』的笔法。
The lotus. The mountains are bright as lotus flowers; the stream glows like moonlight. The mountains-bright-lotus and the stream-glows-moonlight are the scenery. To have been bright as lotus would be a being; the the-mountains-are-bright-as-lotus-flowers-the-stream-glows-like-moonlight is the being.
寒夜猿声彻，游子泪沾裳
In the cold night the ape's cry pierces; the wanderer's tears wet his robe.
寒夜猿声凄彻，游子泪湿衣裳。
On the cold night the ape's cry pierces through; the traveler's tears wet his robe.
末联陡然转哀，是全诗情感的高潮与归宿。上句『寒夜猿声彻』写声：寒夜之中，峡中猿啼声凄厉彻骨，『寒』字写夜之冷，『彻』字写声之透——猿声穿透寒夜，直入游子肺腑，正是《水经注》民歌『巴东三峡巫峡长，猿鸣三声泪沾裳』的化用，与首联巫山巫峡遥相呼应，地理与典故叠印，写尽巴楚之地的荒寒；下句『游子泪沾裳』写泪：游子闻猿声而泪落，沾湿衣裳，『沾裳』写泪之多，见悲之深。两句一写外境之哀、一写内心之悲，声与泪相接，把游子的羁旅之悲推到顶点。此联之妙，在以乐景反衬后的骤转：前三联的柳、山、水愈写其美，此处猿声泪痕愈见其哀，对照之下，全诗的情感落差如瀑布直落，正是『乐景写哀，倍增其哀』的典范，全诗在泪沾衣裳的凄楚中戛然而止，余哀不尽。
The ape. On the cold night the ape's cry pierces through; the traveler's tears wet his robe. The cold-night-ape-cry-pierces and the traveler-tears-wet-robe are the close. To have pierced through would be a piercing; the on-the-cold-night-the-ape's-cry-pierces-through-the-traveler's-tears-wet-his-robe is the piercing.
Study
Word focus
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