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清 Qing · 词 Ci lyric

满江红·秋日经信陵君祠

Manjianghong: Passing the Shrine of Lord Xinling on an Autumn Day

陈维崧

Chen Weisong

怀古meditating on the past 咏史historical 清词Qing lyric

席帽聊萧，偶经过、信陵祠下。
正满目、荒台败叶，夕阳西挂。
万古只今余此地，一生还见几回也。
问何人、击筑且悲歌，谁呵夜。
公子去，长裙化。
侯嬴死，重瞳霸。
笑纷纷青史，不知真假。
倘使当年身未死，亦无一剑酬君者。
叹兴亡、往事总销沉，寒烟挂。

In a humble straw hat, careworn, I chance to pass below the shrine of Lord Xinling.
All before my eyes: desolate terrace, fallen leaves, the setting sun hung in the west.
Ten thousand ages leave only this place now; in one life how many times shall I see it?
I ask: who strikes the zhu and sings a mournful song; who in the cold night breathes warmth?
The lord is gone, his long robes turned to dust. Hou Ying is dead; the Double-Pupil ruled.
I laugh at the teeming histories, not knowing true from false.
Had they not died in those years, still none would draw a sword to repay their lord.
I sigh at rise and fall—past affairs all sink away; cold mist hangs.

Listen

Meaning

On an autumn visit to Lord Xinling's shrine, the lyric laments the desolation of heroes' relics and the unreliability of history, using the stories of the lord's retainers to voice a bleak sense that loyalty and understanding are hard to find—a Ming-Qing transition scholar's lament over his own age.

我这落拓书生，偶然经过信陵君祠下。正满眼荒台败叶，夕阳向西悬挂。万古至今只余下这处遗迹，一生还能见几回呢。试问何人击筑悲歌，又有谁在寒夜相呵。公子已去，长裙化尘。侯嬴已死，重瞳（项羽）称霸。笑那纷纷青史，不知真假。倘若当年他们身未死，也未必有人持剑报君。叹兴亡往事总归销沉，只剩寒烟挂枝。

Appreciation

It writes vast historical feeling through desolate scene, using the allusions of Lord Xinling, Hou Ying, and Xiang Yu to overturn judgments layer by layer. Closing on cold mist, it is deep and desolate—the heavy, settled strain of the Yangxian school's historical lyrics. Its famous line 'I sigh at rise and fall—past affairs all sink away; cold mist hangs' entrusts a thousand years of rise and fall to the cold mist, endless in its desolation.

【白话串讲】陈维崧路过信陵君祠：“正满目、荒台败叶，夕阳西挂”。“公子去，长裙化。侯嬴死，重瞳霸”——信陵君、侯嬴都死了。“笑纷纷青史，不知真假”——他借古人，写自己的失意。【意象与手法】以荒凉之景写沧桑之慨，用信陵、侯嬴、项羽典故层层翻案。结以寒烟收束，沉郁苍凉，是阳羡派怀古词的沉厚一路。【情感与主旨】借信陵君门客故事，抒历史虚无、知音难觅、忠义难凭的悲慨，亦暗含易代文人的身世之叹。【名句点睛】叹兴亡、往事总销沉，寒烟挂——以景结情，将千载兴亡付与寒烟，苍凉无尽。

Background

Chen Weisong lived through the Ming-Qing transition, enduring upheaval. This lyric was written on an autumn day passing the shrine of Lord Xinling in Daliang (Kaifeng), using the Warring-States story of Lord Xinling with Hou Ying and Zhu Hai to stir feeling over history and loyalty.

陈维崧（一六二五至一六八二），字其年，号迦陵，江苏宜兴人，阳羡词派创始人，清初词坛巨擘，与朱彝尊、纳兰性德并称「清词三大家」。其祖陈于廷、父陈贞慧皆明末名士，维崧早年才名藉甚，然明清易代后科场蹭蹬，长期落拓，晚年举博学鸿词，授翰林院检讨，未几而卒。其词风格霸悍沉雄，题材极广，怀古、咏物、纪游、艳情无不擅长，而怀古之作尤见沉郁顿挫的「阳羡骨力」。信陵君魏无忌为战国四公子之首，礼贤下士、窃符救赵，门下客如侯嬴、朱亥皆以死报知遇，历来为文人追慕知音与忠义的象征。此词题「秋日经信陵君祠」，当为陈维崧漫游或失意途经祠庙时所作，于秋景荒祠中吊公子、侯嬴之故事，既伤知音难觅、忠义难凭，亦暗含易代文人怀才不遇、身世飘零的深层自伤。清初文网渐密，士人每借怀古以遣幽怀，此词即其「以古写心」的显例，于沉郁中见阳羡派特有的豪宕与冷峭。

Art

The upper part writes scene and asks; the lower part uses allusion to overturn judgment; the characters 'laugh' and 'sigh' lift the emotion, moving from real to empty, deep yet showing the Yangxian power.

此词章法沉厚跌宕，上片由身入景、由景入古，下片由古翻案、以景收束，血脉贯通而气象苍凉。上片起以「席帽聊萧，偶经过、信陵祠下」，以寒士落拓之身拜谒古贤之祠，身份反差已暗埋自伤；「正满目、荒台败叶，夕阳西挂」以赋笔铺衰景，荒台败叶与惨淡夕阳叠加成劫后荒寂；「万古只今余此地，一生还见几回也」忽作时空之叹，由亘古收至一祠、由历史跌回个人；「问何人、击筑且悲歌，谁呵夜」以荆轲、高渐离击筑悲歌之典问知音之不可复得。下片「公子去，长裙化。侯嬴死，重瞳霸」以短促史笔罗列结局，「笑纷纷青史，不知真假」翻案疑史，「倘使当年身未死，亦无一剑酬君者」更作沉痛反讽；终以「叹兴亡、往事总销沉，寒烟挂」以景结情。全词以荒凉之景写沧桑之慨，用信陵、侯嬴、项羽典故层层翻案，结以寒烟收束，沉郁苍凉，是阳羡派怀古词的沉厚一路，亦见陈维崧「以豪笔写沉痛」的腕力。

Allusions

Lord Xinling: Wei prince Wuji, who kept three thousand retainers; Hou Ying: a gate-keeper who offered the plan to steal the tally and save Zhao, then cut his throat; 'striking the zhu': Gao Jianli's affair, also meaning stirring brave song; 'Double-Pupil' (zhongtong): Xiang Yu.

信陵君魏无忌为战国四公子之一，门下客三千，最著者侯嬴（守门监者）、朱亥，信陵「窃符救赵」赖侯嬴之谋、朱亥之勇，后侯嬴北乡自刭以报知遇，事见《史记·魏公子列传》，历来为「知遇」「忠义」之典范。陈维崧「侯嬴死」即指此事；「重瞳霸」之「重瞳」指项羽（史称项羽目有重瞳），以「霸」收束，暗含对暴力长存、忠义寂灭的荒诞反讽。「击筑且悲歌」用荆轲刺秦前于易水「高渐离击筑，荆轲和而歌」之典（《史记·刺客列传》），写知音悲歌、慷慨赴死之境，词人借以问千古之下谁复如此。「长裙化」以「长裙」指代公子门下风流体貌或象征，暗用「长裙」意象写繁华化尽。「青史不知真假」则承司马迁以来「实录」与「谤书」之辨，以翻案笔法疑史。全词驱遣战国秦汉故实，以信陵—侯嬴的死生知遇为骨，织成一片知音难觅、忠义虚悬的怀古之网，用典沉厚而不堆垛，最见阳羡词「以故实为骨、以翻案见奇」的功力。

Commentary

Qi Nian's (Chen's) historical lyrics are deep and desolate, close to Xin Qiji yet with more personal sorrow of the age—this piece may stand for them.

陈维崧为阳羡派宗主，清人蒋景祁序《陈迦陵词》称其「取裁非一体，造就非一诣」，近人论清词多以陈、朱、纳兰并峙，而陈以「沉雄俊爽」独树一帜。此《满江红》吊信陵君，向为论者推重，被视为阳羡怀古词「沉厚」一路的代表。它与岳飞《满江红》同调而异趣——岳词壮烈外向，陈词沉郁内向；与苏轼《念奴娇·赤壁怀古》则以景结情之法相通。今人读之，既能赏其「荒台败叶」「寒烟挂」的意象经营与「不知真假」的史识翻案，亦当体会易代文人于荒祠秋景中寄寓的身世之悲与知音之渴——信陵、侯嬴的死生知遇，实是陈维崧对自身怀才不遇、忠义难伸的千年呼应。此词以古写心，沉郁冷峭，足称清词怀古的上乘之作，亦为阳羡派「以豪笔写沉痛」的绝佳注脚。其沉郁冷峭之处，既不同于岳飞《满江红》之壮烈外向，亦不同于苏轼怀古之旷达超脱，而于荒祠秋景中独标清词怀古「沉厚」一格，在阳羡词中尤具代表性。陈维崧以寒士之身拜谒古贤，于颂古中暗藏自伤，知音难觅与忠义虚悬的双重悲慨，使此词超越寻常怀古而具易代文人的身世之痛，足称清词怀古的上乘。

Prosody

Form Manjianghong, double-tune, ninety-three characters词·满江红（双调九十三字）

Rhyme Rhyme not specified in the source.上片仄韵（下、挂、也、夜），下片仄韵（霸、假、者、挂），同部换韵

Tone pattern Its voice is deep and desolate.依《满江红》词谱平仄，多仄声顿挫

Reading note A long-tune meditation on the past: the upper part writes the desolate scene before the shrine, the lower part uses the allusions of Xinling, Hou Ying, and Xiang Yu to overturn judgments on rise and fall, closing on the sinking cold mist—a deep, stirring, bitter work of Jialing (Chen).此词依《满江红》双调九十三字体，上下片各四仄韵，句式以三四、四五、七等错落，声情激越沉郁，最宜怀古伤时。用韵取仄声，上片「下、挂、也、夜」、下片「霸、假、者、挂」，韵脚低回而顿挫，与「叹世」的苍凉同构。上片起以「席帽聊萧」的寒士之身过祠，「荒台败叶，夕阳西挂」铺衰景，「万古只今余此地」作时空之叹；下片「公子去……重瞳霸」以短句罗列史事，「笑纷纷青史」翻案，「寒烟挂」以景结情。陈维崧为阳羡派宗主，论者谓其《满江红》诸作「沉雄俊爽」，此首于怀古中注入知音难觅、忠义难凭的悲慨，兼以「不知真假」的史识翻案，章法沉厚跌宕。整体看，其平仄之密、韵脚之促服务于情感的沉郁顿挫，是清词怀古「沉厚」一格的典范，亦可见阳羡词「以豪笔写沉痛」的腕力。

Line by line

万古只今余此地，一生还见几回也。

Ten thousand ages leave only this place now; in one life how many times shall I see it?

万古至今只余下这处遗迹，一生还能见几回呢。

Through all the ages, only this site remains today; in a whole lifetime, how many times may one see it?

此句于过祠之顷，忽作苍茫时空之叹。「万古只今余此地」将时间拉至亘古、空间收至一祠，千载兴亡唯余眼前荒祠，以「万古」之漫长反衬「此地」之孤存，历史的重量与遗迹的轻渺形成强烈张力。「一生还见几回也」则由历史跌回个人，以问句写此生得见此祠的次数之稀，暗含人生苦短、盛迹难逢的怅惘。两句一宏观一微观，将怀古之思与身世之感绾合无间。陈维崧以阳羡派豪宕之笔写此，不似婉约词人只作儿女态，而于「余此地」「几回也」中见出一种苍凉的珍惜——遗迹之存，正因人事之速朽，遂使凭吊本身成为对抗遗忘的姿仪，章法由景入情、由古及身，沉郁顿挫。

The line, at the moment of passing the shrine, suddenly turns to a vast sigh over time and space. Through all the ages, only this site remains today pulls time to the utmost antiquity and gathers space to one shrine; a thousand years of rise and fall leave but the desolate shrine before the eyes, the vastness of antiquity set against the loneliness of this site, the weight of history and the slightness of the ruin forming a strong tension. In a whole lifetime, how many times may one see it? falls from history back to the person, using a question to write the rarity of seeing this shrine in one's life, secretly lodging the wistfulness of brief life and hard-won glory. Two lines, one macroscopic, one microscopic, binding the meditation on the past and the feeling for one's own lot without a seam. Chen Weisong writes this in the bold brush of the Yangxian school, not like the tender ciars who write only the lover's mood; within this site remains and how many times may one see it, a desolate treasuring appears — the ruin endures precisely because human affairs rot so fast, so that the act of mourning itself becomes the posture against forgetting; the craft moves from scene to feeling, from antiquity to the self, somber and broken.

公子去，长裙化。侯嬴死，重瞳霸。

The lord is gone, his long robes turned to dust. Hou Ying is dead; the Double-Pupil ruled.

公子已去，长裙化尘。侯嬴已死，重瞳（项羽）称霸。

The Prince is gone, his long-robed guests turned to dust; Hou Ying is dead, and the Double-Pupiled one became the hegemon.

过片四句，以极简净的史笔罗列信陵君门客故事的结局，节奏如鼓点般短促有力。「公子去」写信陵君之亡，「长裙化」用「长裙」代指其门下宾客（或谓指代某种象征），「侯嬴死」写监者侯嬴以死报知遇，「重瞳霸」则以项羽（重瞳）称霸收束一段恩仇。四句三组人事，皆以「去」「化」「死」「霸」等斩截动词收尾，于极短的篇幅内完成一场历史的速写，冷峻而苍凉。尤为可味者，陈维崧于此暗含翻案之意——信陵、侯嬴的忠义终归寂灭，而「重瞳霸」的暴力却长存青史，忠奸颠倒、真假难凭的荒诞由此隐现，遂自然引出下片「笑纷纷青史，不知真假」的激愤。这种以名词性意象并置、以动词斡旋的章法，最见阳羡词「沉厚」一路的骨力。

The four lines of the second stanza list the ends of the tales of Lord Xinling's followers in the sparest historical brush, the rhythm short and forceful as drumbeats. The Prince is gone writes the death of Lord Xinling; his long-robed guests turned to dust takes the long robe for his followers (or for a kind of symbol); Hou Ying is dead writes the gatekeeper Hou Ying who repaid his patron's trust with his life; the Double-Pupiled one became the hegemon closes the tale of gratitude and enmity with Xiang Yu (the double-pupiled). Four lines, three groups of human affairs, all ending in decisive verbs — gone, turned to dust, dead, became the hegemon; within the shortest space a historical sketch is completed, cold and desolate. Especially to be savored: Chen Weisong secretly lodges a reversal here — the loyalty of Xinling and Hou Ying ends in silence after all, while the violence of the double-pupiled hegemon lives on in the histories; the absurdity of loyalty and treachery reversed, the true and the false untrustworthy, is hidden here, leading naturally to the indignation of laughing at the histories in the second stanza, who knows what is true and what false? This craft of juxtaposing nominal images and turning them with verbs shows most the bone and muscle of the Yangxian school's somber, substantial manner.

叹兴亡、往事总销沉，寒烟挂。

I sigh at rise and fall—past affairs all sink away; cold mist hangs.

叹兴亡往事总归销沉，只剩寒烟挂枝。

Sighing over rise and fall — the past has all sunk into silence; only the cold mist hangs on.

结句以景结情，将千载兴亡尽付与「寒烟挂」三字，苍凉无尽。「叹兴亡」直揭怀古主旨，「往事总销沉」以「总」字写尽一切繁华与忠义终归沉寂的必然，语似平淡而悲慨深沉；「寒烟挂」则以凄清之景收束全篇——寒烟漠漠，空挂枝头，既写祠外实景，亦喻历史烟云之缥缈难捉。陈维崧于此不直斥其非，而以使观者触目伤怀的画面作结，讽意全在言外，与前文「荒台败叶，夕阳西挂」遥相呼应，章法首尾圆合。以「寒烟」对「夕阳」，冷暖相生，兴亡之叹遂由具体的史事升华为永恒的苍茫。此结法承苏轼、辛弃疾以景结情之妙，而更添阳羡派特有的沉郁冷峭，是清词怀古「沉厚」一格的完美收煞。

The close ends emotion in scene, committing a thousand years of rise and fall to the three words the cold mist hangs, desolation unending. Sighing over rise and fall names the theme of the meditation directly; the past has all sunk into silence writes through the word all the inevitability by which all splendor and loyalty end in stillness, the words seeming plain and the grief deep. The cold mist hangs closes the piece in a forlorn scene — the cold mist, vast and blank, hanging on the branches, at once the real scene outside the shrine and the figure of history's smoke and cloud, elusive and hard to grasp. Chen Weisong here does not rebuke the wrong directly, but closes on a picture that stings the eye and wounds the heart, the satire all beyond the words, answering from afar the wasted terrace and fallen leaves, the setting sun hanging from before; the craft round, head to tail. Setting cold mist against setting sun, warmth and cold begetting each other, the sigh over rise and fall rises from the concrete event into the eternal desolation. This manner of closing inherits the excellence of Su Shi and Xin Qiji in ending emotion in scene, and adds the somber, cold edge peculiar to the Yangxian school, the perfect close of the substantial manner of Qing ci on the past.

Study

Word focus

聊萧 'Liao xiao' (careworn/humble) writes of his down-and-out state. 「席帽聊萧」之「聊萧」，状落拓萧然之态，写词人过祠时身为寒士、帽影萧条的形象。陈维崧一生科场蹭蹬、长期落拓，此二字既是实景白描，亦是身世自况——以「聊萧」之我，拜谒「信陵」之祠，身份与气象的反差已暗埋怀才不遇的伏线。「聊萧」本为平常口语形容词，入词却极见风神，于起首便定下苍凉自伤的基调，与后文「万古只今余此地」的孤怀相映。阳羡词尚「拗怒」，此「聊萧」以疏淡起笔，先抑后扬，使全篇沉郁之气自寒士之身缓缓透出，最见陈维崧以貌写心、以淡写沉的腕力，亦为怀古词中「以我入古」的典型笔法。

荒台败叶 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「正满目、荒台败叶，夕阳西挂」之「荒台败叶」，为全篇意象之眼。荒台写祠庙倾颓，败叶写草木零落，二者叠加成一片劫后荒寂，既是信陵君祠的实景，亦是千载功名化为尘土的视觉象征。「荒」与「败」皆冷色调形容词，与「夕阳西挂」的惨淡余晖相衬，构成衰飒而庄严的怀古画面。陈维崧于此以赋笔铺景，不事藻饰而气骨自张，遂使「荒台败叶」成为兴亡之喻——无论信陵之贵、侯嬴之忠，终归于荒台一隅、败叶满地。炼字之重，在以最寻常的衰景承载最沉郁的历史虚无，章法上亦为结句「寒烟挂」的苍凉预作铺垫，一景贯穿首尾。

不知真假 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「笑纷纷青史，不知真假」之「不知真假」，是下片翻案的关键，亦见陈维崧史观之冷峻。青史记载信陵、侯嬴之忠义，然「长裙化」「侯嬴死」的寂灭与「重瞳霸」的长存，已显史笔之不可尽信；词人故作「笑」态，以「不知真假」消解青史的庄严，实则是对忠义难凭、是非颠倒的激愤反语。此四字以口语入词，天然质朴而哲理深沉，将怀古由「伤逝」推进至「疑史」的更高维度。它与上片「击筑悲歌」的知音之叹呼应，共同构成对「信义价值在历史上虚悬」的悲慨，最见阳羡词沉厚一路「以议论入词、以翻案见奇」的特质，亦显陈维崧史识之深。