清 Qing · 诗 Poem
遣兴
On Poetic Inspiration
但肯寻诗便有诗，灵犀一点是吾师。
夕阳芳草寻常物，解用多为绝妙词。
Sunset and fragrant grass, ordinary things—know how to use them and they become wondrous lines.
Meaning
If you only care to seek the poetic, everywhere a poem arises; that little bit of understanding in the heart is my best teacher for writing. Sunset, fragrant grass—these most ordinary sights, if you know how to use them well, mostly become wondrous lines.
只要肯用心去寻觅诗意的灵感，处处都能生出诗篇；心中那一点通透的创作灵性，便是我写诗最好的老师。夕阳、芳草这些再寻常不过的景物，只要懂得巧妙运用，多半都能写成绝妙的词句。
Appreciation
Yuan Mei, courtesy Zicai and style Jianzhai, Old Man Suiyuan, from Qiantang, a Qianlong jinshi and leader of the Qing 'spirit-and-nature' school who urged 'express the individual spirit, not bound by forms'. The four lines run in one breath: the first says poetry comes from life — seek and there is poetry; the second makes the 'little spirit-token' one's teacher; the last two use 'sunset, fragrant grass', the most ordinary things, to prove that knowing how to use them turns them into wondrous lines. The pun and intent of 'a little spirit-token is my teacher', and the spirit-and-nature creed in 'ordinary things — know use and become wondrous lines', compress a whole poetic philosophy into twenty-eight characters.
【白话串讲】 “但肯寻诗便有诗，灵犀一点是吾师”——袁枚说：只要愿意找，诗就在那里。“夕阳芳草寻常物，解用多为绝妙词”——最平常的东西，会用就是绝妙好诗。他的诗学心得。 【意象与手法】 四句一气呵成：首句言诗源于生活（寻则有诗），次句揭橥性灵为师，后两句以「夕阳芳草」寻常物证「解用成绝妙词」。语言口语化而理路清晰，以「灵犀」双关李义山「心有灵犀」，将诗学主张具象化；寻常与绝妙反差立意，破陈规，见性灵之趣。 【情感与主旨】 袁枚字子才，号简斋、随园老人，钱塘人，乾隆进士，清代性灵派诗坛领袖，主张「独抒性灵，不拘格套」。此《遣兴》为其论诗绝句之一，约作于乾隆后期退居随园、闲适自得之时，以浅语总结数十年创作体会。 【名句点睛】 考点：「灵犀一点是吾师」中「灵犀」的双关与用意；「夕阳芳草寻常物，解用多为绝妙词」所体现的性灵主张；袁枚论诗绝句浅语见深的特点。
Background
Yuan Mei, courtesy Zicai, style Jianzhai, Old Man Suiyuan, from Qiantang, a Qianlong jinshi, Qing 'spirit-and-nature' school leader, advocating 'express the individual spirit, not bound by forms'. This 'On Poetic Inspiration' is one of his poem-on-poetry quatrains, likely written in his late Qianlong retirement at Suiyuan, comfortable and self-content, summarizing decades of craft in plain words.
袁枚（1716—1798），字子才，号简斋，晚年自号随园主人、随园老人，钱塘人，乾隆四年进士，曾任江宁等地知县，三十三岁即辞官归隐，于南京小仓山筑随园，广交文士，诗酒自娱，为清代性灵派诗坛领袖，与赵翼、蒋士铨并称「乾隆三大家」。袁枚论诗主「性灵」，主张「独抒性灵，不拘格套」，反对沈德潜「格调说」之拟古与翁方纲「肌理说」之堆砌，认为诗应写真性情、真感受。此《遣兴》为其论诗绝句之一，约作于乾隆后期退居随园、闲适自得之时，以浅语总结数十年创作体会——「但肯寻诗便有诗」，诗源在生活、在性情、在灵机，不在辞藻、不在格套。此诗以二十八字讲透性灵说的核心主张，是其诗学思想的凝练表达，亦是清代论诗绝句中的名篇，为研究袁枚诗学与清代诗论的重要材料。袁枚于乾隆四年中进士，入翰林，旋改外任，历任溧水、江浦、沭阳、江宁知县，因不善逢迎，仕途不顺，乾隆十三年（1748）辞官，年甫三十三，即归隐南京随园，此后五十年，广收弟子，吟咏著述，名满天下。随园本为曹雪芹家旧园遗址，袁枚购得后精心经营，使其成为江南文人雅集之地，其《随园诗话》《随园诗草》即撰于此。袁枚论诗主「性灵」，其说有二要义：一曰诗写性情，二曰诗贵独创；此《遣兴》所谓「灵犀一点是吾师」，正是诗写性情的宣言；「解用多为绝妙词」，正是诗贵独创的注脚。
Art
Four lines in one breath: the first says poetry comes from life (seek and there is poetry), the second reveals spirit as teacher, the last two use 'sunset fragrant grass' ordinary things to prove 'know use and become wondrous lines'. The language is colloquial yet the logic clear; 'spirit-token' puns Li Yishan's 'hearts share one spirit-token', making the poetic creed concrete; the contrast of ordinary and wondrous breaks convention, showing spirit-and-nature interest.
四句一气呵成，理路清晰而语言浅白。首句「但肯寻诗便有诗」破「无诗」之惑——诗不是等来的，而是寻来的，只要肯用心寻觅，处处皆有诗，一个「但」字斩截有力，强调主观之肯与不肖；次句「灵犀一点是吾师」揭橥性灵为师——心中那一点灵犀（灵性），便是写诗最好的老师，以「灵犀」双关李商隐「心有灵犀一点通」，将抽象的诗学主张具象化，古为今用，翻出新意；后两句「夕阳芳草寻常物，解用多为绝妙词」以「夕阳芳草」之寻常物证「解用成绝妙词」之创作原理——寻常之物，贵在「解用」（懂得运用），用得好便是绝妙好词。全诗以「寻常」与「绝妙」的反差立意，破「好诗必奇」之陈规，正见性灵之趣；语言口语化，如与人论诗，亲切自然，正是袁枚「性灵说」主张「诗如话」的自我实践，四句环环相扣，由寻诗而师灵而解用，将性灵说的创作论讲得通透明白。又此诗之妙，在以浅语道深理：论诗之作，最易流于抽象说教，而袁枚此诗全以日常口语出之——「但肯寻诗便有诗」，如与人谈天；「灵犀一点是吾师」，如自道心得；「夕阳芳草寻常物，解用多为绝妙词」，如拈花示人。四句之中，无一僻典、无一奇字，而性灵说的核心主张——诗源于生活、诗本于性情、诗贵于点化——皆已道尽，正合其「诗如话」的主张，亦见论诗绝句以诗论诗、深入浅出的至高法度，与杜甫《戏为六绝句》之庄重、元好问《论诗三十首》之雄辩，各极其妙。
Allusions
'A little spirit-token' from Li Shangyin's 'No Title' 'hearts share one spirit-token', originally two hearts in accord; Yuan Mei borrows it for the poet's gifted intuitive spirit, turning it into 'my teacher', cleverly making it the spirit-and-nature school's poetic symbol, ancient and present fused, no trace.
「灵犀一点」典出李商隐《无题》「身无彩凤双飞翼，心有灵犀一点通」：犀角中有白纹如线，直通两头，感应灵异，故称灵犀，李商隐借以喻两心相通。袁枚此处翻用其意，将「灵犀」指诗人天赋之灵性、创作之直觉——心中那一点灵犀，即是诗心，即是性灵，翻用为「吾师」，巧妙化为性灵说的诗学符号。此典之用有三妙：一是借典喻新，借李商隐之名句翻出新意，由「两心相通」转为「心与诗通」，古为今用，不着痕迹；二是以象明理，将抽象的「性灵」化为「灵犀一点」的具象，灵犀一点，即诗心一点，形象而精微；三是双关之趣，灵犀既指性灵，又暗含李商隐诗学之「灵」，古今融贯，正是袁枚「用典如己出」的体现。此外「夕阳芳草」本为诗词习见之景，袁枚取以证「寻常物」可成绝妙词，以实景证诗理，正是「即事说理」的论诗笔法。又「夕阳芳草」之景，自来为诗人所咏：李商隐「夕阳无限好，只是近黄昏」写夕阳之怅惘，白居易「又送王孙去，萋萋满别情」写芳草之离思，皆以夕阳芳草写情；袁枚取此二物，非写其情，而证其「寻常可诗」之理——夕阳芳草本属寻常，而经诗人点化，遂成绝唱，正是化平凡为神奇的明证。又「解用」之「解」，兼含解悟、解得之意，谓懂得运用之妙，与佛教解悟之说暗合，袁枚以之论诗，正见其融通三教、以禅喻诗的本领，而其性灵之说，亦与王士祯神韵说、沈德潜格调说鼎足而三，为清代诗论之重镇。
Commentary
Hong Liangji said of Suiyuan's poetry 'like a heaven-fox, revealing its tail when drunk'. This quatrain in twenty-eight characters exhausts the spirit-and-nature creed; Yao Nai said of him 'in poetry he especially follows his talent to the full; what the world wants to say yet cannot express, he expresses all'—just a footnote to this poem.
洪亮吉评随园诗「如通天神狐，醉即露尾」，虽含微讽，亦见其诗之灵性逼人；姚鼐谓袁枚「于为诗尤纵才力所至，世人心所欲出而不能达者，悉为达之」，正可为《遣兴》此诗注脚——人人心中皆有诗，而袁枚能以浅语道破。此绝以二十八字尽显性灵宗旨，与赵翼「江山代有才人出，各领风骚数百年」同为清代论诗绝句之名篇：赵诗主「变」——时代推移，各有其诗；袁诗主「灵」——性灵为本，寻常可诗。二诗并读，可见乾隆诗坛「性灵」「创新」二说的同气相求。后世论袁枚诗学，多举此诗为证，谓其以极浅之语道破诗学深理，正见「性灵说」「诗如话」的自得之趣；而「夕阳芳草寻常物，解用多为绝妙词」一句，亦成为文学创作「化平凡为神奇」的经典表述，其影响及于今之文艺创作论。又袁枚此诗在清代诗论史上地位重要：乾隆朝诗坛，沈德潜主「格调」，翁方纲主「肌理」，皆以学古为宗；袁枚独倡「性灵」，主张「诗有性情而后真」，其说一出，风靡江南，虽遭卫道者非议，而其影响及于赵翼、蒋士铨、黄景仁诸家，遂成乾隆诗坛一大流派。近人论清诗，多谓性灵说为清代诗论中最富民主色彩与个性意识的一派，袁枚此诗正是其宣言；又「夕阳芳草寻常物，解用多为绝妙词」之句，揭示文学创作化平凡为神奇的普遍规律，至今仍为文艺创作论所称引，其价值已超越时代。
Prosody
Line by line
但肯寻诗便有诗
But seek poetry and there will be poetry;
只要肯用心去寻觅诗意的灵感，处处都能生出诗篇。
If only you are willing to seek poetry, there will be poetry everywhere.
起句破「无诗」之惑，是全诗立论的第一层。「但肯寻诗便有诗」，一个「但」字，训只要，语气斩截，将「有诗」的唯一条件归结为「肯寻」——不是没有诗，而是不肯寻；不是诗难得，而是人懒寻。此句之妙有三：一是立论之新，世俗以为诗在远方、在奇境，袁枚则谓诗在足下、在寻常，只要肯寻，处处皆有，正是性灵说的出发点——诗源于生活、源于性情；二是动词之精，「寻」字写主动寻觅之态，诗不是等来的、不是抄来的，而是寻来的，一个「寻」字，见创作的主体性与能动性；三是口语之畅，五字如话，脱口而出，正合「性灵说」主张「诗如话」的宗旨，起句即定全诗平易明快的论诗调性。
The opening line breaks the confusion of having no poetry, the first layer of the poem's argument. The word but trains on if only, decisive in tone, reducing the sole condition of having poetry to being willing to seek: there is no lack of poetry, only the unwillingness to seek; poetry is not hard to come by, men are too lazy to seek. The line is exquisite threefold: first, the novelty of the thesis — the world holds poetry to be far off, in strange wonders, while Yuan Mei says poetry is at our feet, in the ordinary; seek and it is everywhere, the very starting point of the xingling doctrine — poetry springs from life, from temperament. Second, the precision of the verb: seek writes the active search, poetry not waited for, not copied, but sought; the single seek reveals the subjectivity and agency of creation. Third, the ease of speech: five words like talk, spoken out, exactly the xingling tenet that poetry should be like speech; the opening at once fixes the plain, bright tone of this poem-on-poetry.
灵犀一点是吾师
A little spirit-token is my teacher.
心中那一点通透的创作灵性，便是我写诗最好的老师。
That single thread of luminous intuition in the heart is my true teacher.
此句揭橥性灵为师，是全诗立论的核心。「灵犀一点」翻用李商隐「心有灵犀一点通」之典，指诗人天赋的灵性、创作的直觉——那一点灵犀，即是诗心；「是吾师」写这灵犀便是我的老师——不师古人、不师格套，而师自己心中那一点灵性。此句之妙有三：一是以典喻新，借李商隐名句翻出新意，由「两心相通」转为「心与诗通」，将抽象的诗学主张化为具象的「灵犀」，古为今用；二是师承之变，世俗论诗，或师法汉魏、或师法盛唐，袁枚则谓师法自己之灵犀，正是「独抒性灵，不拘格套」的宣言，性灵说的核心由此揭出；三是「一点」之微，灵犀只须一点，不必多求——诗心本具，人人有之，只须护持这一点灵明，正是性灵说「人人可诗」的自信。
The line proclaims the spirit-tutor as the core of the poem's argument. The single thread of luminous intuition turns Li Shangyin's hearts linked by a thread of spirit to new use, meaning the poet's native gift of feeling, the intuition of creation — that spark of spirit, the poetic heart. Is my teacher says this spark of spirit is my teacher: not the ancients, not the formulas, but the single point of light within. Three beauties: first, the old allusion turned to new thought, from two hearts understanding each other to the heart understanding poetry, abstract poetics made concrete in the spirit spark, the old put to new use. Second, the changed lineage: the world schools itself on Han-Wei or High Tang, while Yuan Mei says school yourself on your own spirit spark, the declaration of expressing the spirit alone, unbound by the formulas, and the core of xingling theory. Third, the smallness of the single point: a single spark suffices, no need to seek more — the poetic heart is innate, in every man; tend this single spark, and there is the xingling confidence that any man may write poetry.
夕阳芳草寻常物，解用多为绝妙词
Sunset and fragrant grass, ordinary things—know how to use them and they become wondrous lines.
夕阳、芳草这些再寻常不过的景物，只要懂得巧妙运用，多半都能写成绝妙的词句。
The setting sun and the fragrant grass are common things; once you know how to use them, most become the finest lines.
后两句以实景证诗理，是全诗立论的完成。「夕阳芳草」取诗词中最习见之景——夕阳西下、芳草萋萋，寻常到不能再寻常；「寻常物」三字点破其平凡——夕阳芳草，人人见之，何奇之有？「解用多为绝妙词」陡转——只要「解用」（懂得运用），多半都能写成绝妙好词。「解用」二字是全句之眼：物之寻常与词之绝妙，其间的桥梁正是「解用」——善用者，平凡之物亦成绝妙之词；不善用者，奇景亦成俗句。此句之妙有三：一是以反差立论，「寻常」与「绝妙」两相对照，破「好诗必奇」之陈规，正是性灵说的精髓——诗之妙不在物之奇，而在用之灵；二是以实证虚，不空谈理论，举夕阳芳草之实景为证，即事说理，亲切可信；三是「解用」之悟，一字点出创作的关键在主体之灵——会解会用，则无处不诗，正是「但肯寻诗便有诗」的深化与完成。
The last two lines prove the poetics through real scenes, completing the argument. The setting sun and the fragrant grass take the most familiar sights in poetry — sun setting, grass growing, ordinary beyond ordinary; common things point out their plainness: sunset and grass, seen by all, what wonder? The next line turns sharply: once you know how to use them, most become the finest lines — know how to use is the eye of the whole: between the commonness of the object and the excellence of the line lies the bridge of use; the adept turns the ordinary into the superb, the inept turns the marvelous into the trite. Three beauties: first, arguing by contrast — common and superb set against each other, breaking the rule that good poetry must be strange, the essence of xingling: poetry's excellence lies not in the strangeness of the object but in the nimbleness of use. Second, proving the abstract by the concrete — no empty theory, but the real sunset and grass as evidence, arguing through the thing itself, intimate and persuasive. Third, the awakening of use: a single word points out that creation's key is the spirit of the subject — know how to see and use, and everywhere is poetry, the deepening and completion of if only you are willing to seek poetry, there will be poetry everywhere.
Study
Word focus
Related Reading
Both from Suiyuan's hand; one on poetic spirit, one on moss's self-content—both spirit-and-nature footnotes.
袁枚《苔》以「白日不到处，青春恰自来。苔花如米小，也学牡丹开」写苔花虽小而不自弃、自开自放的生机，托物言志；《遣兴》以「但肯寻诗便有诗，灵犀一点是吾师」论作诗之道，说理明心。二诗同出袁枚之手，同为五绝、七绝短章，而《苔》借物抒怀，以苔花自况，写平凡生命的自得；《遣兴》直陈诗理，以灵犀为师，写性灵为诗之本。一以形象见长，一以议论见长；一写物之生机，一明诗之本源。并读可见袁枚诗的两副笔墨——既能托物言志，亦能论诗说理，而其「性灵」主张则一以贯之，二诗皆可视为性灵说之注脚。
终南山 Zhongnan Mountain 王维 · 同写文人淡远之趣，一尚理趣一尚禅境 Same reclusion-landscape theme, different eraYuan Mei's leisurely spirit verse and Wang Wei's Zhongnan retirement both show the literati's pale-far interest—one on reasoned charm, one on chan mood.
王维《终南山》以「太乙近天都，连山到海隅」写终南山之雄浑，「白云回望合，青霭入看无」写山之变幻，结以「欲投人处宿，隔水问樵夫」写隐逸之趣，气象宏阔而心境恬淡；袁枚《遣兴》以「夕阳芳草寻常物，解用多为绝妙词」论诗理，言寻常之物经灵性点化即成绝妙好词。二诗同出文人手笔，同见淡远之趣，而王维之淡在禅境——以山水写空寂，物我两忘；袁枚之淡在理趣——以寻常论诗道，即物明理。一为唐诗之禅，一为清诗之理；一写山水之趣，一论创作之秘。并读可见唐人禅境与清人理趣之别，亦见「性灵说」与「神韵说」（王士祯以王维为宗）两种诗学旨趣的分野。