清 Qing · 诗 Poem
村居
Dwelling in the Village
草长莺飞二月天，拂堤杨柳醉春烟。
儿童散学归来早，忙趁东风放纸鸢。
Willows brush the bank, drunken in the spring mist.
Children come home early from school,
And hurry to fly their paper kites on the east wind.
Meaning
A bright pastoral scene of early spring in a village, where growing grass, flying orioles, misty willows, and children flying kites convey the poet's delight in rural spring and childhood joy.
草木生长、黄莺飞舞的二月天，杨柳拂堤、迷醉在春烟里。孩子们放学回来得早，赶忙趁着东风放起纸鸢。
Appreciation
The first two lines paint nature: 'grasses grow and orioles fly' and 'willows brush the bank' brighten the spring with clear touches, and the word 'drunken' personifies the willows, making their misty pose lazy and lovely. The latter two lines turn to human delight, closing on the moving scene of children flying kites, injecting life into the still picture. The whole poem is bright in color and light in rhythm, a famous Qing pastoral piece. It flows from scene to people, motion and stillness answering, most full of childlike cheer.
【白话串讲】 “草长莺飞二月天，拂堤杨柳醉春烟”——高鼎写村居：二月天，草长莺飞。“儿童散学归来早，忙趁东风放纸鸢”——孩子们放学早，趁着东风放风筝。清代最经典的一首童趣诗。 【意象与手法】前两句写自然之景，“草长莺飞”“拂堤杨柳”以明丽笔触点染春色，“醉”字拟人，把杨柳沐烟的姿态写得慵懒可爱。后两句写人物之趣，以“儿童放鸢”的动景收束，静景中注入生机。 【情感与主旨】描绘一幅和平喜庆的早春村居图，流露出诗人对田园春光的喜爱与对童真生活的欣悦。全诗色彩明快、节奏轻灵，是清代田园小诗中的名篇。 【名句点睛】“儿童散学归来早，忙趁东风放纸鸢。”——由景及人，以“忙趁”二字写出儿童趁风放鸢的雀跃，动静相生，把春的欢愉点活，最是童趣盎然。
Background
Gao Ding (late Qing), courtesy Xiangyi, was from Renhe in Zhejiang; little is known of his life. Most of his poems write village and pastoral life. This poem was likely written in his late, leisurely years, sketching early-spring scenery and children's fun in plain description, fresh and delightful.
《村居》为清代高鼎所作，是写二月春景、儿童放纸鸢的诗。高鼎（约1828—约1880），字象一，又字拙吾，仁和人，清代诗人。此诗：草长莺飞二月天，拂堤杨柳醉春烟。儿童散学归来早，忙趁东风放纸鸢。全诗写二月春景、儿童放纸鸢，是高鼎诗的名篇。
Art
The first two lines set the scene (grasses, orioles, willow mist), with the word 'drunken' personifying cleverly; the latter two write people (children flying kites), closing the still scene with motion. The composition moves far to near, scene to people, bright in color — a fine plain-sketch little poem.
《村居》艺术上以二月春景的描摹与儿童放纸鸢的活泼见长。全诗四句：首写二月春景——“草长莺飞二月天，拂堤杨柳醉春烟”写草长莺飞二月天、拂堤杨柳醉春烟；末写儿童放鸢——“儿童散学归来早，忙趁东风放纸鸢”写儿童散学归来早、忙趁东风放纸鸢。全诗以二月春景写儿童放纸鸢，正是高鼎诗活泼的笔法。
Allusions
'Second-month sky' marks early spring (lunar calendar); 'paper kite' is a kite, anciently called wooden kite or paper hawk. 'Willows brush the bank, drunken in the spring mist' writes willows bathed in spring fog as if drunk, turning stillness to motion.
《村居》用典在“草长莺飞”“拂堤杨柳”“醉春烟”“纸鸢”。“草长莺飞”用丘迟与陈伯之书中“草长莺飞”之典；“拂堤杨柳”写拂堤杨柳；“醉春烟”写醉春烟；“纸鸢”写纸鸢（风筝）。全诗以这些意象写二月春景、儿童放纸鸢，用典自然而活泼自见，正是高鼎诗的笔法。
Commentary
This poem does not strive for ornament, writing spring and childhood purely in bright tones. As Qing poetry turned plainer, this piece is representative; later anthologies often put it in primers, showing its popular beauty.
《村居》是高鼎诗的名篇，也是清诗中写乡村春景的代表作。此诗写二月春景、儿童放纸鸢，向为论者称道。论者多赏其二月春景的描摹与儿童放纸鸢的活泼——“草长莺飞二月天，拂堤杨柳醉春烟”用草长莺飞之典写草长莺飞二月天、拂堤杨柳醉春烟，活泼之极；“儿童散学归来早，忙趁东风放纸鸢”写儿童散学归来早、忙趁东风放纸鸢，更见其趣。高鼎此诗为清代儿童诗名篇，正是其代表——以二月春景写儿童放纸鸢，正是其诗风。
Prosody
Line by line
草长莺飞二月天，拂堤杨柳醉春烟。
Grass grows, orioles fly, in the second-month sky; willow branches brush the embankment, drunk in the spring mist.
草长莺飞二月天，拂堤杨柳醉春烟。
Grass grows and orioles dart through the February air; willow trailing branches brush the bank, drunken in the spring haze.
首用草长莺飞之典写草长莺飞二月天、拂堤杨柳醉春烟，是全诗写二月春景的起点。“草长莺飞二月天”用草长莺飞之典写草长莺飞二月天——“草长莺飞二月天”用丘迟草长莺飞之典写草长莺飞、正是二月天——草长莺飞二月天；“拂堤杨柳醉春烟”写拂堤杨柳醉春烟——“拂堤杨柳醉春烟”写拂堤杨柳、沉醉春烟——拂堤杨柳醉春烟。二句写草长莺飞二月天、拂堤杨柳醉春烟：草长莺飞二月天，拂堤杨柳醉春烟。以“草长莺飞二月天”用草长莺飞之典写草长莺飞、二月春回，以“拂堤杨柳醉春烟”写杨柳拂堤、沉醉春烟，正是高鼎诗写二月春景的起点——草长莺飞，杨柳春烟。
The opening uses the allusion to grass grows, orioles fly, writing the February day, the starting point of the poem's spring scene. Grass grows, orioles fly, in the second-month sky borrows Qiu Chi's famous grass grows and orioles fly for a spring day south of the river, grass growing, orioles flying, the second month of spring. Willow branches brush the embankment, drunk in the spring mist writes the willow caressing the bank, drunken in the spring haze. Two lines: grass and orioles in the second-month sky, willow and mist by the embankment. Using the allusion for spring's return in the second month, and the willow in spring mist, is the starting point of Gao Ding's spring scene: grass and orioles, willow and spring haze.
儿童散学归来早，忙趁东风放纸鸢。
Children come home early from school, eager to take the east wind and fly their paper kites.
儿童散学归来早，忙趁东风放纸鸢。
The children are home early from school, and hurry to use the east wind to fly their paper kites.
末写儿童散学归来早、忙趁东风放纸鸢，是全诗写儿童之趣的归结。“儿童散学归来早”写儿童散学归来早——“儿童散学归来早”写儿童散学、早早归来——儿童散学归来早；“忙趁东风放纸鸢”写忙趁东风放纸鸢——“忙趁东风放纸鸢”写忙趁着东风放纸鸢——忙趁东风放纸鸢。二句写儿童散学归来早、忙趁东风放纸鸢：儿童散学归来早，忙趁东风放纸鸢。以“儿童散学归来早”写儿童散学、归来尚早，以“忙趁东风放纸鸢”写趁东风放纸鸢、童趣盎然，正是高鼎诗写儿童之趣的归结——散学归来，趁风放鸢。
The close writes children home early from school, eager to fly paper kites, the conclusion of the poem's childlike delight. Children come home early from school writes children dismissed from lessons, returned while the day is early. Hurry to take the east wind and fly their paper kites writes seizing the east wind for kites, childlike delight overflowing. Two lines: children home early, busy with kites on the wind. Writing the children's early return and their seizing the east wind for kites is the conclusion of the poem's child's play: dismissed from school, the kites on the wind.
Study
Word focus
Related Reading
Compare this related work with the poem above through theme, imagery, tone, and emotional movement.
袁枚《所见》写牧童捕蝉、童趣盎然，与本首同为清诗写儿童之趣。差异在情境：村居写放纸鸢；所见写捕鸣蝉。一写“放”之乐，一写“捕”之趣。两者并读，可见清诗写儿童之趣的两种情境。
宿新市徐公店 Lodging at New-Market Xu's Inn 杨万里 · 同为诗写儿童逐蝶戏鸢，一写放纸鸢一写追黄蝶，皆活泼 Related readingCompare this related work with the poem above through theme, imagery, tone, and emotional movement.
杨万里《宿新市徐公店》写儿童追蝶、菜花之趣，与本首同为诗写儿童嬉戏。差异在情境：村居写放纸鸢；宿新市徐公店写追黄蝶。一写“放”之乐，一写“追”之趣。两者并读，可见诗写儿童嬉戏的两种情境。
闲居初夏午睡起 Idle Life: Waking from a Nap on an Early Summer Day 杨万里 · 同为诗写儿童之趣，一写放纸鸢一写捉柳花，皆活泼 Related readingCompare this related work with the poem above through theme, imagery, tone, and emotional movement.
杨万里《闲居初夏午睡起》写闲看儿童捉柳花，与本首同为诗写儿童之趣。差异在时令：村居写二月放鸢；闲居初夏写初夏捉花。一写“春”之乐，一写“夏”之趣。两者并读，可见诗写儿童之趣的两种时令。