清 Qing · 传奇 Tale
长生殿·弹词·一枝花
A Spray of Blossoms
【一枝花】不堤防余年值乱离，逼拶得歧路遭穷败。
受奔波风尘颜面黑，叹雕残霜雪鬓须白。
今日个流落天涯，只留下琵琶在，揣着羞脸上长街又过荒郊去来。
【梁州第七】想当日奏清歌趋承金殿，度新声供应瑶阶。
说不尽九重天上恩如海，幸温泉骊山雪霁，泛仙舟兴庆莲开。
玩婵娟风柔露浥，歌长恨玉转金裁。
……
Forced onto a byway, fallen into poverty and ruin.
Bearing hardship, my face blackened by wind and dust,
Sighing at my worn-out years, my beard and temples white as frost.
Now wandering to the ends of the earth,
Only this lute remains with me.
With a shameful face I walk the long street,
Then pass through the desolate countryside.
【梁州第七】I recall those days when I sang clear songs in attendance at the golden hall,
Composed new tunes to serve the jade steps.
Words cannot describe the favor deep as the sea from the ninefold heavens.
Fortunate to visit the hot springs at Lishan after snow cleared,
To drift on a fairy boat when the lotus bloomed in Xingqing Palace.
To enjoy the moon in gentle breeze and dew,
To sing of eternal regret, turning jade, cutting gold……
Meaning
This song suite portrays the aging court musician Li Guinian after the An Lushan Rebellion. In the first aria, he laments his destitute wandering, with only his lute left. In the second, he recalls the glorious days when he performed for the emperor. The contrast between past splendor and present misery evokes a deep sense of loss and nostalgia.
【一枝花】不料晚年遭逢战乱离散，逼迫得流落歧路、困顿败落。受尽奔波，风尘使容颜黧黑；可叹年华雕残，如霜雪染白鬓须。如今流落天涯，只留下这把琵琶在身，揣着羞惭走上长街，又走过荒郊而来。【梁州第七】想当年在金殿上奏唱清歌、奉承玉阶，度新声供应瑶台瑶阶。说不尽九重天上的恩泽如海；幸而骊山温泉雪霁，兴庆宫泛舟莲开，风柔露润中玩赏明月，将《长恨歌》谱成金玉新声……
Appreciation
Hong Sheng's use of a first-person narrative from a minor historical figure creates an intimate and poignant perspective on the fall of the Tang dynasty. The raw emotion in the lyrics, combined with vivid imagery of decay and memory, makes this one of the most moving passages in The Palace of Eternal Youth.
【白话串讲】 《长生殿》里，安史之乱后，宫廷乐师李龟年流落江南，弹琵琶唱兴亡：“不堤防余年值乱离，逼拶得歧路遭穷败”。“想当日奏清歌趋承金殿”——当年的盛况，如今只剩一把琵琶。唐明皇杨贵妃的故事，被唱成了苍凉。 【意象与手法】 【一枝花】以『不堤防』三字突兀起笔，写晚年横遭离乱；『逼拶』『遭穷败』极言困顿。『风尘颜面黑』『霜雪鬓须白』一外一内，写尽漂泊之态。结以『只留下琵琶在』『揣着羞脸上长街』，以老伶口吻自嘲，辛酸入骨。【梁州第七】转忆『奏清歌趋承金殿』之盛，『九重天上恩如海』与今日流落形成强烈今昔对照。全曲将个人沦落与盛世凋零叠合，呜咽吞吐。 【情感与主旨】 洪昇《长生殿》成于康熙二十七年（1688），演唐明皇杨贵妃爱情与安史之乱，与孔尚任《桃花扇》并称『南洪北孔』。『弹词』为第五十出，写乐师李龟年于江南兵荒后流落卖艺，借琵琶弹唱追忆开元盛世、明皇贵妃之事，此【一枝花】套为李龟年登场自叙之曲。洪昇本人历经家难科场失意，借伶人沦落寄寓兴亡之慨，亦含自家身世之悲。 【名句点睛】 考点一：人物与体裁——明确李龟年身份及『弹词』为传奇套曲，理解自叙口吻。考点二：今昔对比与兴亡之感——以乐工之飘零写明皇之寂寞。
Background
Hong Sheng (1645-1704) wrote The Palace of Eternal Youth in 1688, telling the love story of Emperor Xuanzong and Yang Guifei during the An Lushan Rebellion. The 'Lute Player's Song' is act 50, where Li Guinian, a former court musician, sings of the fallen empire while begging on the streets. Hong Sheng's own life setbacks and family tragedies add a layer of personal sorrow to the historical narrative.
洪昇（1645—1704），字昉思，号稗畦，钱塘（今浙江杭州）人，清代著名戏曲家。《长生殿》成于康熙二十七年（1688），历经十余年修改而成，演唐明皇李隆基与杨贵妃的爱情故事与安史之乱的兴亡沧桑，与孔尚任《桃花扇》并称清代传奇双璧，世称『南洪北孔』。『弹词』为《长生殿》第五十出，写安史乱后，乐师李龟年流落江南，靠弹唱卖艺为生，借琵琶追忆开元盛世与明皇贵妃旧事。此【一枝花】套曲为李龟年登场自叙之曲，写其晚年遭乱、流落天涯的悲凉身世。洪昇本人一生困顿：出身没落世家，科举屡试不第，又因国恤期间演《长生殿》获罪被黜，晚年郁郁而终。他借李龟年之口唱出伶人沦落之悲，实寄寓自身的身世之感与易代兴亡之慨，故全出苍凉悲咽，是《长生殿》中最为后世传诵的出目之一。洪昇借李龟年之口唱出伶人沦落之悲，实寄寓自身的身世之感与易代兴亡之慨，故全出苍凉悲咽，是《长生殿》中最为后世传诵的出目之一。
Art
The aria begins abruptly with 'Unexpectedly', setting a tone of sudden calamity. The contrast between 'wind and dust blackening the face' and 'frost-white beard and hair' paints a vivid picture of hardship. The repetition of 'only this lute remains' turns the instrument into a poignant symbol of lost identity. The shift to the glorious past in the second aria intensifies the tragedy, using parallel structure and ornate imagery to evoke the lost splendor.
【一枝花】以『不堤防』三字突兀起笔，写晚年横遭离乱，如一声惊雷，把太平盛世的幻梦陡然打破；『逼拶得歧路遭穷败』极言困顿之甚，『逼拶』二字写尽穷途末路之窘迫。『受奔波风尘颜面黑，叹雕残霜雪鬓须白』以『黑』写风尘之态、『白』写年华之衰，一外一内，对仗工整而辛酸入骨。『今日个流落天涯，只留下琵琶在』以物写人，琵琶是李龟年身份与身世的象征，乱后一无所有，唯余此物；『揣着羞脸上长街又过荒郊去来』以老伶口吻自嘲，『揣着羞脸』写尽卖艺乞食的难堪。下接【梁州第七】转忆昔日之盛：『奏清歌趋承金殿』『九重天上恩如海』写尽开元盛世的荣宠，与今日流落天涯形成强烈的今昔对照。全曲将个人沦落与盛世凋零叠合，呜咽吞吐，正是所谓『以龟年之飘零写明皇之寂寞』，苍凉动人。全曲将个人沦落与盛世凋零叠合，呜咽吞吐，正是所谓以龟年之飘零写明皇之寂寞，苍凉动人，是明清传奇唱段中抒情艺术的典范。
Allusions
This scene is inspired by Du Fu's poem 'Meeting Li Guinian Again in Jiangnan'. Li Guinian was a famous musician in Emperor Xuanzong's court. After the rebellion, he wandered in the south. Hong Sheng fictionalizes his story in this opera. References to 'hot springs at Lishan', 'Xingqing Palace', and 'Song of Everlasting Regret' directly allude to the historical romance of Xuanzong and Yang Guifei.
此套曲的本事与用典深植于历史与唐诗传统。李龟年为开元年间著名乐师，精通音律，善于歌唱，玄宗朝供奉内廷，安史乱后流落江南，杜甫《江南逢李龟年》『岐王宅里寻常见，崔九堂前几度闻。正是江南好风景，落花时节又逢君』即写乱后重逢之悲。洪昇借李龟年身份虚构『弹词』一出，以老伶自叙的视角追忆盛世，正承杜甫诗意而另辟戏剧之境。【梁州第七】中『温泉骊山』指骊山华清宫温泉，为玄宗贵妃冬日行乐之地；『兴庆莲开』指兴庆宫龙池，玄宗晚年与贵妃游赏之所；『歌长恨』指白居易《长恨歌》，为写玄宗贵妃爱情的长篇名作，李龟年以『玉转金裁』之音歌之；『九重天上恩如海』化用君恩如海之语。诸典皆关合玄宗贵妃故事，以历史故实与杜诗为骨，虚实相生，使兴亡之感愈加深沉。诸典皆关合玄宗贵妃故事，以历史故实与杜诗为骨，虚实相生，使兴亡之感愈加深沉，正是洪昇熔铸诗史、以曲写史的功力所在。
Commentary
Commentators have praised this suite for its intense melancholy. Liang Tingnan noted the opera's innovative stagecraft. Wu Mei called it 'the most profound' part. Wang Guowei compared its historical depth to Du Fu's poetry. It has been a favorite among performers and is considered a masterpiece of Chinese opera.
《长生殿·弹词》一出，历代评价极高。清人梁廷枏《曲话》评《长生殿》『排场毕具，见闻一新』；吴梅《中国戏曲概论》则谓『《弹词》一出，最为沉郁』，以为全剧之冠。近人王国维虽重元曲，亦许洪昇『以龟年写兴亡』之笔。此【一枝花】套曲自问世以来便广为传唱，伶人多以能弹此曲为荣，成为昆曲舞台的经典唱段。论者以为其苍凉之致直追杜甫《江南逢李龟年》：杜诗以二十八字写乱后重逢之悲，洪昇以套曲铺写伶人沦落与盛世凋零，一简一繁，而其沉痛则一，足称传奇中『诗史』之笔。此曲在文学史上的价值，既在戏曲艺术的精工，更在以乐工之眼观兴亡的独特视角：不写帝王将相，而写盛世亲历者的沦落，以小见大，正是明清易代之际兴亡文学的代表。此曲在文学史上的价值，既在戏曲艺术的精工，更在以乐工之眼观兴亡的独特视角，以小见大，正是明清易代之际兴亡文学的代表作。
Prosody
Line by line
不堤防余年值乱离
Unexpectedly in my old age I meet chaos and war — the opening 'unexpectedly' creates a sudden, ominous tone.
不料晚年遭逢战乱离散。
Unexpectedly, in my old age, I have fallen on war and exile.
首句以『不堤防』三字突兀起笔，是全曲情感的第一声惊雷。『不堤防』即不曾提防、没有料到，三字写尽横祸之猝然：太平岁月中，谁曾想到晚年会遭逢乱离？一个『堤防』见出盛世之人的毫无戒备，而乱离不期而至，正是历史无情的最好注脚；『余年值乱离』写晚年正值战乱，『余年』点明迟暮，『乱离』点明世变，安史之乱使开元盛世的亲历者沦为乱世流民，一夕之间天翻地覆。此句之妙，在以老伶口吻写历史巨变：不写战乱如何爆发、如何惨烈，只写一个老人『不堤防』的错愕，个人命运的突然转折即是时代巨变的缩影，突兀起笔，如当头棒喝，为全曲定下苍凉悲咽的基调，『不堤防』三字遂成千古传唱的曲中名句。
The opening rises abruptly on the three words unguarded, the first thunderclap of the aria's feeling. Unguarded means unwarned, unforeseen; three words exhaust the suddenness of calamity: in years of peace, who thought that old age would fall on war and exile? The word guarded shows the defenselessness of a man of the age of plenty, and exile comes unlooked for, the best footnote to history's cruelty. In my old age, I have fallen on war and exile: old age marks the declining years, exile the change of the age; the An Lushan rebellion made a witness of the Kaiyuan golden age a refugee in a disordered land, heaven and earth overturned in a night. The beauty lies in writing historical upheaval through the mouth of an old musician: not how the rebellion broke out, nor how cruel it was, but only one old man's unguarded start; the sudden turn of a personal fate is the miniature of the age's turning. The abrupt opening, like a blow to the head, sets the desolate, wailing tone of the aria; unguarded becomes a famous line sung through the ages.
受奔波风尘颜面黑，叹雕残霜雪鬓须白
Bearing hardship, my face blackened by wind and dust; sighing at my worn-out years, my beard and temples white as frost — external hardship and internal aging are paired symmetrically, evoking deep pathos.
受尽奔波，风尘使容颜黧黑；可叹年华雕残，如霜雪染白鬓须。
I have borne the rush of roads, and dust has blackened my face; I mourn my years' decay, for frost and snow have whitened my temples and beard.
此二句写乱后漂泊之态，一外一内，对仗工整而辛酸入骨。上句『受奔波风尘颜面黑』写外表：受尽奔波之苦，风尘满面，容颜黧黑，昔日供奉金殿、锦衣玉食的乐师，如今满面风尘，判若两人，『受奔波』三字写尽流亡岁月的艰辛；下句『叹雕残霜雪鬓须白』写内在：可叹年华雕残，如霜雪染白的鬓须，『雕残』写生命的凋谢，『霜雪』以白喻鬓，写尽老境的凄凉。两句以『黑』对『白』：颜面黑是乱世的磨蚀，鬓须白是岁月的痕迹，一外一内，色相对照，写尽乱世老伶的沧桑之态。此联之妙，在以色彩写悲情：黑与白本是寻常颜色，置于乱离漂泊的语境中，便成了苦难与衰老的烙印，对仗精工而不失自然，正是曲中本色当行的自叙之笔。
The two lines write the drifting after the disorder, one outer, one inner, matched in couplet yet bitter to the bone. The first line, I have borne the rush of roads, and dust has blackened my face, writes the outer: the hardship of wandering, a face caked with dust, blackened; the musician who once served the golden hall in silks now has a face of road dust, another man; borne the rush of roads exhausts the years of exile. The second, I mourn my years' decay, for frost and snow have whitened my temples and beard, writes the inner: decay writes the withering of life, frost and snow compare the white of the whiskers, the desolation of old age. The two lines set black against white: the blackened face is the erosion of the disordered age, the white beard the record of the years; outer and inner, color against color, write the weathered face of the old musician in troubled times. The beauty lies in writing grief through color: black and white are ordinary colors, yet set in the context of exile they become the brands of suffering and age; the couplet is exact and yet natural, the native self-narrative of the aria.
只留下琵琶在
Only this lute remains with me — the lute symbolizes his identity and lost glory.
只留下这把琵琶在身。
There remains only this lute by my side.
此句以物写人，是全曲最见深意的一笔。『只留下』三字写尽乱后的失去：家园、亲故、荣宠、岁月，一切皆已失去，唯一剩下的，是这把琵琶；『琵琶在』以物之存写人之幸与不幸——幸者，还有琵琶可伴，尚能以此谋生；不幸者，昔日以此供奉金殿，今日以此流落街头，琵琶见证了从极盛到极衰的一生。此句之妙，在以一件乐器写尽人物命运：琵琶是李龟年身份与身世的象征，是全曲的核心道具，也是贯穿《长生殿·弹词》一出的主线——李龟年正是凭这把琵琶弹唱开元旧事，追忆盛世繁华。『只留下』三字，既写家国之痛，又写身世之悲，物犹在而人已衰、世已变，千言万语凝于一句，正是戏曲以道具写人写世的典范笔法，令人不胜唏嘘。
The line writes the person through the object, the most profound stroke of the aria. There remains only writes, in three words, all that has been lost after the disorder: home, kin, favor, youth, all gone; the only thing left is this lute. The lute remains writes, through the survival of the object, the luck and ill fortune of the man: the luck, that there is still a lute to accompany him and a trade to live by; the ill fortune, that he once used it to serve the golden hall, and now uses it to drift the streets; the lute has witnessed a whole life from the height of glory to the depth of decline. The beauty lies in writing a whole fate through one instrument: the lute is the emblem of Li Guinian's identity and lot, the core prop of the aria, and the main thread running through the entire Lute-Song scene of the Palace of Long Life; Li Guinian sings the old Kaiyuan days, recollecting the golden age, by means of this very lute. The three words there remains write at once the grief of lost country and the sorrow of a fallen lot; the object survives, the man is worn, the age has changed; ten thousand words are condensed in one line, the model of opera's art of writing person and world through a prop, beyond tears.
想当日奏清歌趋承金殿，度新声供应瑶阶
I think of those days, when I sang pure lays before the Golden Hall, and composed new airs to play upon the Jade Steps.
想当年在金殿上奏唱清歌、奉承玉阶，度新声供应瑶台瑶阶。
I think of those days, when I sang pure lays at the Golden Hall, waited upon the throne, and composed new airs to perform on the Jade Steps.
此句转入【梁州第七】的追忆，是全曲今昔对照的『昔』之开端。『想当日』三字以回忆领起，如打开尘封的画卷；『奏清歌趋承金殿』写昔日之荣：在金殿上奏唱清歌，趋奉天颜，『趋承』二字写尽供奉内廷、承欢圣前的宠幸；『度新声供应瑶阶』写其才艺之盛：度新声即创制新曲，供应瑶阶即进献宫廷，李龟年以乐工之身，得以亲制新声、供奉御前，是盛世乐工的巅峰荣耀。两句对仗工整，『金殿』对『瑶阶』，极写宫廷之华贵；『奏清歌』对『度新声』，极写才艺之精绝。此句之妙，在以昔日之极盛反衬今日之极衰：越写当年的荣宠，越见此刻流落的凄凉，今昔对照的张力由此拉开，为下句『九重天上恩如海』的铺写蓄势，正是曲家以昔衬今、以乐写哀的典型笔法。
The line turns to recollection in the Seventh Liangzhou, the start of the past in the aria's contrast of then and now. The words I think of those days open the memory, as if unrolling a scroll long dust-covered. I sang pure lays before the Golden Hall, and waited upon the throne writes the old glory: singing pure lays in the golden hall, attending the emperor's presence; the word attend exhausts the favor of serving within the palace, delighting the throne. I composed new airs to play upon the Jade Steps writes the splendor of his art: composing new airs means creating new melodies, performing on the jade steps means presenting them at court; Li Guinian, a musician's son, could compose new airs and serve the emperor's presence, the peak glory of a musician in the golden age. The two lines are a matched couplet, golden hall against jade steps, writing the palace's splendor; pure lays against new airs, writing the perfection of his art. The beauty lies in using the utmost glory of the past to set off the utmost decline of the present: the more the old favor is written, the more desolate the present exile, and the tension of then-and-now opens, storing force for the next line's favor from the highest palaces, vast as the sea, the typical aria art of the past setting off the present, of joy writing grief.
说不尽九重天上恩如海
Beyond all telling was the favor from those highest palaces, vast as the sea.
说不尽九重天上的恩泽如海。
Beyond all telling was the imperial favor from those nine highest courts, vast as the sea.
此句写昔日君恩之隆，是全曲今昔对照的情感高峰。『说不尽』三字以欲说还休的口吻领起，写恩泽之深广，非言语所能尽述；『九重天上』以天之高远喻宫廷之深，极写君门之远与皇恩之重；『恩如海』以海喻恩，写君恩之浩荡无边。三个意象层层叠加，把开元盛世的君恩写到了极致：对乐工而言，能得帝王赏识、供奉内廷，便是天大的恩遇，何况如海之深。此句之妙，在以极尽之辞写昔日之盛，为今日之衰蓄足反差之势：恩如海而乱离至，昔日之恩已成追忆，如海之恩亦救不了流落之身，愈写恩之重，愈见今日之悲。同时，『说不尽』三字也暗含哽咽：不是不想说，而是说不尽、说不出，千言万语化作一声长叹，正是老伶追忆盛世的典型口吻，呜咽吞吐，余韵苍凉，为全曲的兴亡之叹写下最沉痛的一笔。
The line writes the old rank of royal favor, the emotional peak of the aria's then-and-now. Beyond all telling opens in a tone of saying and yet not saying, writing favor too deep and broad for words: nine highest palaces compares the depth of the court to the height of heaven, writing the distance of the royal gate and the weight of grace; favor as the sea compares favor to the sea, its boundlessness. Three images piled layer on layer, and the Kaiyuan favor reaches its height: for a musician, to be recognized by the emperor and to serve within the palace was already heaven-sent favor, and here it is deep as the sea. The beauty lies in writing the past's height in the utmost terms, storing the contrast with the present's decline: favor as the sea, yet exile came; the favor of old is now memory, and a favor as the sea cannot save the drifting man; the heavier the favor, the bitterer the present. At the same time, beyond all telling holds a sob: not that he will not speak, but that it cannot be told, cannot be spoken; ten thousand words dissolve into one long sigh, the very tone of an old musician recalling the golden age, choking and broken, desolate in the aftertone, the most sorrowful stroke of the aria's lament for a fallen age.
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Both works draw on the same historical romance; 'A Spray of Blossoms' is an opera suite, while 'Mawei' is a historical poem. Compare how different genres handle the same subject.
清人《马嵬》诗与洪昇《长生殿·弹词》同取材于唐明皇杨贵妃的兴亡故事，同寄兴亡之慨，而一为咏史诗、一为戏曲套曲，体裁与笔法迥异。《马嵬》诗以咏史笔法写马嵬之变，多以短章评骘玄宗贵妃之失与国运之衰，议论精警，是传统咏史诗的路数；《长生殿·弹词》则以戏曲笔法借乐工李龟年之口追忆盛世，不评骘是非，只写亲历者的沦落与追忆，以情动人，是戏曲抒情的路数。诗以议论见史识，曲以情致见兴亡；一冷静，一沉痛。二者对读，可见同一题材在诗与曲中的不同处理，亦可比较咏史之史笔与传奇之诗笔的差异，是理解清代咏史文学与戏曲文学的重要参照。
金陵怀古 Thoughts on Past at Jinling （清） · 同怀古伤今、寄兴亡之慨 Same theme (nostalgia and lament for the past, expressing rise and fall)Both are Qing-dynasty works that use historical settings to express feelings of decline; compare the approaches of opera vs. poetry in evoking nostalgia.
清人《金陵怀古》与洪昇《长生殿·弹词》同属清代怀古伤今之作，同寄兴亡之慨，而取景与抒情方式各别。《金陵怀古》以金陵（南京）为怀古对象，多写六朝、南明之遗迹，山川形胜、台城柳色入诗，以景起兴、借景抒怀，是传统怀古诗以地写史的写法；《长生殿·弹词》则以李龟年个人身世为线索，以乐工之眼观开元之盛与乱离之衰，以人写史，是戏曲以情写史的写法。《金陵怀古》怀的是地之兴亡，空间感强；《长生殿·弹词》叹的是人之沦落，时间感强。一以江山为鉴，一以人物为鉴。二作对读，可见清代兴亡文学的两种取径，亦可比较怀古诗的客观咏叹与戏曲唱段的抒情自叙之不同，都是明清易代之际士人兴亡之感的文学表达。