先秦 Pre-Qin · 楚辞 Chu Ci
九歌·东皇太一
Nine Songs · The Great One, Sovereign of the East
吉日兮辰良，穆将愉兮上皇。
抚长剑兮玉珥，璆锵鸣兮琳琅。
瑶席兮玉瑱，盍将把兮琼芳。
蕙肴蒸兮兰藉，奠桂酒兮椒浆。
扬枹兮拊鼓，疏缓节兮安歌，陈竽瑟兮浩倡。
灵偃蹇兮姣服，芳菲菲兮满堂。
五音纷兮繁会，君欣欣兮乐康。
He holds the long sword by its jade hilt-guard; his girdle gems ring out clear and bright.
On the jasper mat with jade weights at its corners, why not take up the flowering jade?
Meat steamed on melilotus and laid on orchid leaves; we set out cassia wine and pepper brew.
Raising the drumstick we beat upon the drums; the measure is slow and wide, the singing calm;
the reed organs and the zithers are ranged, and the chorus swells out full.
The spirit medium sways in her beautiful robes, and fragrance fills the whole hall.
The five notes mingle in a rich concert, and the god rejoices, glad and at peace.
Meaning
The day is lucky and the hour is fine; with reverence we come to give delight to the Sovereign on high. He rests his hand on the long sword with its jade hilt-guard, and his girdle gems ring out with a clear, bright sound. Fine mats are spread with jade weights holding down their corners; why not take up these flowering jades and sweet plants? Meat is steamed on melilotus and laid on orchid leaves, and we offer cassia wine mixed with a brew of pepper. Raising the drumsticks we beat the drums; the measure is slow and wide, and the singing is calm; the reed organs and zithers are set in order and the chorus swells out. The spirit medium moves and sways in her beautiful robes, and a rich fragrance fills the hall. The five notes mingle in one abundant harmony, and the god of the east rejoices, glad and at peace.
吉祥的日子啊良辰美好，肃穆地要娱悦天帝上皇。手抚长剑啊玉饰的剑鼻，环佩璆锵啊声响琳琅。 瑶草为席啊玉镇压角，何不执握啊那琼玉芳草。蕙草蒸肉啊兰草垫底，奠献桂酒啊和以椒浆。 举起鼓槌啊拍打乐鼓，疏缓的节拍啊安详地歌，列开竽瑟啊浩荡合唱。 神巫宛转啊盛装美丽，香气菲菲啊溢满厅堂。五音缤纷啊繁复交响，东皇欣喜啊安乐康强。
Appreciation
This is the first of the eleven Nine Songs of the Songs of Chu. Its god, the Great One of the East, was the supreme deity of the people of Chu, the Great Unity being the venerable spirit of the origin of the cosmos and the title of the East marking his quarter of the sky. The piece excels at spreading out the details of a rite and colouring them richly. The opening inverts the words for a fine hour to catch the rhyme and takes the ear at once, and the second line states the purpose plainly: to give the god delight. There follows a procession of jade and fragrant plants, the jade hilt-guard and ringing girdle gems, the jasper mat and its jade weights, flowering jade, meat steamed on melilotus and laid on orchid, cassia wine and pepper brew, all of them building up the purity of the offerings and the splendour of the ceremony. Then come the drums, the ranged reed organs and zithers, the swelling chorus, the swaying medium in her beautiful robes, and the fragrance filling the hall. The closing line, in which the god rejoices, glad and at peace, gives the whole hymn a bright and genial ending unlike anything else in the Nine Songs.
【白话串讲】 屈原写祭祀东皇太一：“吉日兮辰良，穆将愉兮上皇”——吉日良辰，恭敬地取悦天神。“扬枹兮拊鼓，疏缓节兮安歌”——敲鼓唱歌。“灵偃蹇兮姣服，芳菲菲兮满堂”——巫师舞姿翩跹。这是《九歌》的开篇，一场庄严的祭神典礼。 【意象与手法】 本篇艺术以“铺陈祭典、渲染华美”见长。开篇“吉日兮辰良”倒文协韵，先声夺人；“穆将愉兮上皇”点明娱神主旨 【情感与主旨】 《东皇太一》为《楚辞·九歌》十一篇之第一章 【名句点睛】 本诗中高考要点：一、“吉日兮辰良”的倒装与“兮”字句式特点
Background
This is the first of the eleven pieces of the Nine Songs in the Songs of Chu. The Great One of the East was the highest deity worshipped by the people of Chu; the Great Unity is the venerable spirit of the origin of the cosmos, and the title of the East marks his quarter of the sky. According to Wang Yi's Chapter and Verse of the Songs of Chu, 'the Nine Songs were made by Qu Yuan. In the old days, in the southern towns of Chu and in the country between the Yuan and the Xiang, the custom was to believe in spirits and to delight in sacrifice, and at such sacrifices they always made songs and music, drumming and dancing to give the gods pleasure. Qu Yuan, banished and hiding in that region, saw the rites of sacrifice among the common people and the joy of their singing and dancing, and finding their words coarse he composed for them the airs of the Nine Songs.'
《九歌·东皇太一》为战国屈原所作，是祭天神东皇太一的祭歌。《九歌》为屈原据楚地祭神乐歌改写。此篇：吉日兮辰良，穆将愉兮上皇。抚长剑兮玉珥，璆锵鸣兮琳琅。瑶席兮玉瑱，盍将把兮琼芳。蕙肴蒸兮兰藉，奠桂酒兮椒浆。扬枹兮拊鼓，疏缓节兮安歌，陈竽瑟兮浩倡。灵偃蹇兮姣服，芳菲菲兮满堂。五音纷兮繁会，君欣欣兮乐康。全篇写祭祀东皇太一之盛，是《九歌》的首篇。
Art
The art of this piece lies in spreading out the details of a rite and colouring them richly. The opening line inverts the ordinary word order for a fine hour so as to catch the rhyme, and it takes the ear at once; the second line states the purpose, which is to give the god delight. There follows a whole series of images of fragrant plants and fine jade, the jade hilt-guard, the ringing girdle gems, the jasper mat and its jade weights, the flowering jade, meat steamed on melilotus and laid on orchid, cassia wine and pepper brew, layer upon layer, building up the purity of the offerings and the splendour of the ceremony. The raising of the drumsticks, the ranging of reed organs and zithers and the swelling chorus write the fullness of the music and dance, while the swaying of the medium in her beautiful robes and the fragrance filling the hall write the descent of the god. The lines are mainly of six characters with the Chu exclamatory particle, varied in length, and the movement is slow and serene.
《九歌·东皇太一》艺术上以祭仪的铺陈与神之愉悦的庄严见长。全篇写祭神：首写吉日良辰、祭神之始——“吉日兮辰良，穆将愉兮上皇”写吉日良辰、穆愉上皇，“抚长剑兮玉珥，璆锵鸣兮琳琅”写抚剑鸣玉；中写祭品之盛——“瑶席兮玉瑱，盍将把兮琼芳”写瑶席琼芳，“蕙肴蒸兮兰藉，奠桂酒兮椒浆”写蕙肴桂酒；末写乐舞之盛、神之乐康——“扬枹兮拊鼓，疏缓节兮安歌，陈竽瑟兮浩倡”写枹鼓竽瑟，“灵偃蹇兮姣服，芳菲菲兮满堂”写灵之姣服满堂，“五音纷兮繁会，君欣欣兮乐康”写五音繁会、君乐康。全篇以祭仪铺陈写神之愉悦，正是《九歌》华美庄严的笔法。
Allusions
The references in this piece belong to the sacrificial customs of Chu. The Great Unity derives from the pre-Qin deity of cosmic origin, named in the Zhuangzi and the Record of Rites alike, and honoured by the people of Chu as the most exalted of gods; the Sovereign on high is that same deity. The jade hilt-guard is the ornament at the end of a sword-hilt, and the two words for the ringing of gems both denote the sound of jade, as in the ancient glossary which explains those characters as jade. The jasper mat and its jade weights adorn the place of sacrifice with fine stone. Steaming meat on melilotus and laying it on orchid follows the old ritual preference for purity recorded in the Rites of Zhou, where offerings are dressed with fragrant water plants. Cassia wine and pepper brew are drinks steeped with cassia and pepper for the sacrifices of Chu, and the drumstick is the beater of the drum.
《九歌·东皇太一》用典在“东皇太一”“瑶席”“琼芳”。“东皇太一”写楚人至上神；“瑶席”写玉饰之席；“琼芳”写琼玉之芳（祭品之花）；“蕙肴、桂酒、椒浆”写蕙草之肴、桂酒椒浆（祭品）。全篇以这些意象写祭神之盛，用典自然而华美自见，正是《九歌》的笔法。
Commentary
Wang Yi, explaining the origin of the Nine Songs in his Chapter and Verse of the Songs of Chu, says that Qu Yuan composed them 'on the occasion of the rites of sacrifice'. Hong Xingzu, in his Supplementary Notes, quotes the Treatise on Sacrifices in the History of the Han that 'among the gods of heaven the most honoured is the Great Unity', proving the exalted rank of the god of the east. Zhu Xi, in his Collected Commentaries on the Songs of Chu, says of this piece that 'it tells how men serve the god with the utmost sincerity and full ceremony, and how the god sends down blessings in return'. In modern times Jiang Liangfu, in his Comprehensive Studies of the Songs of Chu, calls it 'a spreading out of the rite in language so rich that it is the crown of the Nine Songs'.
《九歌·东皇太一》是《九歌》的首篇，也是中国诗歌中祭神乐歌的代表作。此篇写祭祀东皇太一之盛，向为论者称道。论者多赏其祭仪的铺陈与神之愉悦的庄严——“吉日兮辰良，穆将愉兮上皇”写吉日良辰、穆然祭神，庄严之极；“五音纷兮繁会，君欣欣兮乐康”写五音繁会、神之乐康，更见祭神之盛。屈原为楚辞之祖，其《九歌》以华美庄严著称，此篇正是其代表——以祭仪铺陈写神之愉悦，正是其笔法。
Prosody
Line by line
吉日兮辰良，穆将愉兮上皇。抚长剑兮玉珥，璆锵鸣兮琳琅。
Auspicious the day, fair the hour; reverently we delight the August Emperor. Hand on the long sword's jade guard, the jade pendants jingle and tinkle.
吉日兮良辰，穆然将愉兮上皇。抚长剑兮玉珥，璆锵鸣兮琳琅。
Auspicious the day, fair the hour; reverent, we delight the August Emperor. Hand on the long sword's jade hilt, the jade pendants jingle and tinkle.
首写吉日良辰、祭神之始，是全篇祭神之盛的开端。“吉日兮辰良，穆将愉兮上皇”写吉日祭神——“吉日兮辰良”写吉日良辰，“穆将愉兮上皇”写穆然将愉祭上皇——吉日良辰，愉乎上皇；“抚长剑兮玉珥，璆锵鸣兮琳琅”写抚剑鸣玉——“抚长剑兮玉珥”写抚着玉珥长剑，“璆锵鸣兮琳琅”写璆锵鸣于琳琅——抚剑鸣玉。四句写祭神之始：吉日兮辰良、穆将愉兮上皇，抚长剑兮玉珥、璆锵鸣兮琳琅。以“吉日兮辰良，穆将愉兮上皇”写择吉日良辰、穆然祭神，以“抚长剑兮玉珥，璆锵鸣兮琳琅”写主祭者抚剑、玉佩锵鸣，正是《九歌》写祭神之始的笔法——吉日良辰，庄严肃穆。
The day. Auspicious the day, fair the hour; reverently we delight the August Emperor. Hand on the long sword's jade guard, the jade pendants jingle and tinkle. The auspicious-day-fair-hour and the delight-August-Emperor and the long-sword-jade-guard and the jade-pendants-jingle are the opening. To have been auspicious would be a being; the auspicious-the-day-fair-the-hour-reverently-we-delight-the-august-emperor-hand-on-the-long-sword's-jade-guard-the-jade-pendants-jingle-and-tinkle is the being.
瑶席兮玉瑱，盍将把兮琼芳。蕙肴蒸兮兰藉，奠桂酒兮椒浆。
The jade mat with its jade pins—why not take the brilliant blossoms? Steamed lamb on rush mats, set out with cassia wine and pepper broth.
瑶席兮玉瑱，何不将把兮琼芳。蕙肴蒸兮以兰为藉，奠桂酒兮椒浆。
The jade mat and jade pins—why not hold the gem-like flowers? Steamed meats on rush mats, set out with cassia wine and pepper brew.
此四句写祭品之盛，是全篇祭神之盛的主体。“瑶席兮玉瑱，盍将把兮琼芳”写瑶席琼芳——“瑶席兮玉瑱”写玉饰之席（瑶席）玉瑱，“盍将把兮琼芳”写何不将把琼玉之芳——瑶席玉瑱，琼芳将把；“蕙肴蒸兮兰藉，奠桂酒兮椒浆”写蕙肴桂酒——“蕙肴蒸兮兰藉”写蕙草之肴蒸而以兰为藉，“奠桂酒兮椒浆”写奠桂酒椒浆——蕙肴兰藉，桂酒椒浆。四句写祭品之盛：瑶席兮玉瑱、盍将把兮琼芳，蕙肴蒸兮兰藉、奠桂酒兮椒浆。以“瑶席兮玉瑱，盍将把兮琼芳”写玉席琼花之祭，以“蕙肴蒸兮兰藉，奠桂酒兮椒浆”写蕙肴桂酒椒浆之献，正是《九歌》写祭神之盛、祭品丰洁的笔法——琼芳满把，酒肴芬芳。
The offerings. The jade mat with its jade pins—why not take the brilliant blossoms? Steamed lamb on rush mats, set out with cassia wine and pepper broth. The jade-mat-jade-pins and the brilliant-blossoms and the steamed-lamb-rush-mats and the cassia-wine-pepper-broth are the sacrifice. To have taken the blossoms would be a taking; the the-jade-mat-with-its-jade-pins-why-not-take-the-brilliant-blossoms-steamed-lamb-on-rush-mats-set-out-with-cassia-wine-and-pepper-broth is the taking.
扬枹兮拊鼓，疏缓节兮安歌，陈竽瑟兮浩倡。灵偃蹇兮姣服，芳菲菲兮满堂。
Raise the drumstick, strike the drum; slow and measured, the song rises; yu and zither lead the great chant. The spirit sways in beauteous robes, fragrance filling the hall.
扬枹兮拊鼓，疏缓节兮安歌，陈竽瑟兮浩倡。灵偃蹇兮姣服，芳菲菲兮满堂。
Lift the drumstick and beat the drum; slow the measure, calm the song; yu and zither raise the great chant. The spirit sways in beauteous robes; fragrance fills the hall.
此五句写乐舞之盛，是全篇祭神之盛的高潮。“扬枹兮拊鼓，疏缓节兮安歌，陈竽瑟兮浩倡”写乐舞——“扬枹兮拊鼓”写扬枹拊鼓，“疏缓节兮安歌”写疏缓节拍安歌，“陈竽瑟兮浩倡”写陈竽瑟而浩唱——枹鼓竽瑟，安歌浩倡；“灵偃蹇兮姣服，芳菲菲兮满堂”写灵之姣服满堂——“灵偃蹇兮姣服”写神灵偃蹇（舞貌）而服姣好，“芳菲菲兮满堂”写芳菲菲满堂——灵服姣好，芬芳满堂。五句写乐舞之盛：扬枹兮拊鼓、疏缓节兮安歌、陈竽瑟兮浩倡，灵偃蹇兮姣服、芳菲菲兮满堂。以“扬枹兮拊鼓，疏缓节兮安歌，陈竽瑟兮浩倡”写鼓乐歌舞之盛，以“灵偃蹇兮姣服，芳菲菲兮满堂”写神灵起舞、芬芳满堂，正是《九歌》写祭神乐舞之盛的高潮——歌舞升平，神降满堂。
The dance. Raise the drumstick, strike the drum; slow and measured, the song rises; yu and zither lead the great chant. The spirit sways in beauteous robes, fragrance filling the hall. The raise-drumstick-strike-drum and the slow-measure-calm-song and the yu-zither-great-chant and the spirit-sways-beauteous-robes and the fragrance-fills-hall are the climax. To have raised the drumstick would be a raising; the raise-the-drumstick-strike-the-drum-slow-and-measured-the-song-rises-yu-and-zither-lead-the-great-chant-the-spirit-sways-in-beauteous-robes-fragrance-filling-the-hall is the raising.
Study
Word focus
Related Reading
Compare this related work with the poem above through theme, imagery, tone, and emotional movement.
屈原《九歌·国殇》“操吴戈兮被犀甲”写祭战亡将士，与本首同为《九歌》祭歌。差异在对象：东皇太一祭天神之乐康；国殇祭战亡之悲壮。一写“神”之乐，一写“魂”之悲。两者并读，可见《九歌》祭歌的两种对象与情致。
九歌·云中君 The Lord Among the Clouds 屈原 · 同为屈原九歌祭神，一祭东皇太一（上帝）一祭云神，皆华美 Same (Nine Songs, hymn to a god)Both belong to the Nine Songs as hymns of sacrifice; one honours the god of the east, the other the god of the clouds, and both are dignified ceremonial pieces.
屈原《九歌·云中君》“浴兰汤兮沐芳，华采衣兮若英”写祭云中君，与本首同为《九歌》祭神。差异在对象：东皇太一祭至上神；云中君祭云神。一写“帝”之尊，一写“云”之神。两者并读，可见《九歌》祭神乐歌的两种对象。
九歌·湘君 Lord Xiang 屈原 · 与本首相关联的同类或同作者作品，供对比阅读 Same (Nine Songs)Both come from the Nine Songs; one is a genial hymn of delight to a god, the other writes the love of god and mortal, and the contrast shows the variety of Qu Yuan's work.
此处关联屈原《九歌·湘君》，与本首在主题、体裁或作者上相关联，可对比阅读以见其同异。