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唐 Tang · 诗 Poem

勤政楼西老柳

The Old Willow West of the Qinzheng Hall

白居易

Bai Juyi

咏物Object Poetry 感慨Lament

半朽临风树，多情立马人。
开元一株柳，长庆二年春。

A tree half-rotten stands facing the wind; a man of much feeling reins in his horse.
A willow of the Kaiyuan era, the spring of the second year of Changqing.

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Meaning

Bai Juyi sees an old willow by the palace and stops his horse. One half-decayed tree stands in the wind, and one feeling man looks at it; then the poet compresses eighty-odd years into two dates — this willow was planted in the golden Kaiyuan age, and this is the spring of the second year of the Changqing era. Everything he feels about the fall of the dynasty is said in those two names.

半朽临风树，多情立马人。开元一株柳，长庆二年春。

Appreciation

[Plain Paraphrase] Twenty characters for the whole poem. A half-rotten willow in the wind, a rider on his horse, and then two reign-names — Kaiyuan, the age of Tang glory, and Changqing, the age of the poet's own middle years. The poem's whole argument is contained in that distance. [Structure] Two couplets only. The first sets the tree against the man; the second converts both into dates, so that the first couplet's 'half-rotten' and 'much feeling' are unknowingly explained by the second. [Imagery] The image is plain to the point of being plain — willow, wind, a man on a horse — and the poetry it generates comes entirely out of the two proper names at the end.

【白话串讲】白居易写《勤政楼西老柳》：“半朽临风树，多情立马人”——“开元一株柳，长庆二年春”——他勒马看勤政楼西的老柳——这株柳是开元年间的——他写历史沧桑。【意象与手法】此诗写老柳，以感慨写老柳，是白居易的名篇。前二句写对望：「半朽临风树，多情立马人」写半朽临风树、多情立马人——写尽树与人的对望；后二句写时光：「开元一株柳，长庆二年春」写开元一株柳、长庆二年春——写尽柳树的沧桑。全诗以感慨写老柳，写尽树与人的对望与柳树的沧桑，是白居易的代表作。【情感与主旨】此诗写老柳，以感慨写老柳，是白居易的名篇。此诗写白居易立马于勤政楼西，见一株老柳而感慨系之。勤政楼为唐玄宗所建，开元年间鼎盛一时；至长庆二年（822），楼西一株老柳已半朽，白居易立马对望，感时光之速、盛衰之变，遂作此诗。此诗写对望：半朽临风树，多情立马人——写半朽临风树、多情立马人，写尽树与人的对望；开元一株柳，长庆二年春——写开元一株柳、长庆二年春，写尽柳树的沧桑。全诗以感慨写老柳——那「多情立马人」写尽树与人的对望，「开元一株柳」写尽柳树的沧桑，写尽树与人的对望与柳树的沧桑，是理解白居易咏物诗的重要篇章。【名句点睛】常考「半朽临风树，多情立马人」写树与人的对望；「开元一株柳，长庆二年春」写柳树的沧桑；以及全诗以感慨写老柳、以时点写沧桑的手法。

Background

Bai Juyi (772–846), styled Le Tian, served in the Tang bureaucracy through both the capital and provincial posts, and was a founder of the popular narrative and satirical poems of the mid-Tang. The Qinzheng Hall was a palace building of the early Tang, and the willow stood west of it, planted, so tradition says, in the reign of Emperor Xuanzong's early Kaiyuan. Bai Juyi, born more than sixty years after that age ended, wrote this quatrain in the Changqing era (821–824), when he was serving in the capital and had recently been narrowly spared in a political purge. The poem is at once a personal memory of a place and a comment on how far the empire had moved from its beginning.

此诗写老柳，以感慨写老柳，是白居易的名篇。白居易（772—846），字乐天，号香山居士，又号醉吟先生，下邽（今陕西渭南）人，唐代诗人，与元稹并称「元白」，与新乐府运动相关，为唐代存诗最多的诗人。此诗写白居易立马于勤政楼西，见一株老柳而感慨系之。勤政楼为唐玄宗所建，开元年间鼎盛一时；至长庆二年（822），楼西一株老柳已半朽，白居易立马对望，感时光之速、盛衰之变，遂作此诗。此诗写对望：「半朽临风树，多情立马人」写半朽临风树、多情立马人——写尽树与人的对望（半朽临风树，多情立马人）；「开元一株柳，长庆二年春」写开元一株柳、长庆二年春——写尽柳树的沧桑（开元一株柳，长庆二年春）。全诗以感慨写老柳，写尽树与人的对望与柳树的沧桑，是理解白居易咏物诗的重要篇章。勤政楼即兴庆宫的勤政务本楼，建于唐玄宗开元年间，是玄宗处理政务、宴飨群臣之所，为开元盛世的象征。到长庆二年（822）春，白居易时任杭州刺史前的中书舍人之职，在长安见此楼西老柳已半朽，追忆开元全盛之日，遂有盛衰之叹。

Art

The whole poem is one exercise in correspondence. The first couplet places a decaying tree and a feeling man side by side, without saying they resemble each other; the second supplies the reason in two dates and leaves the resemblance standing. Three things are noteworthy. First, economy: no line is spent on description of the willow's appearance. Second, the grim joke of 'half-rotten' (half decayed) meeting 'much feeling' — the tree's age and the man's emotions meet in the same glance. Third, and most important, the closing couplet's use of reign-names instead of a statement of grief: to name the golden age and the present year is stronger than any adjec about decline, because the reader must do the arithmetic of eighty years in his head.

此诗的艺术特色可从四个方面解析。其一，以对照写树与人。「半朽临风树，多情立马人」以对照写树与人——那「半朽」「多情」写尽树朽人痴的对照，以对照写尽树与人的对望。其二，以白描写老柳。「半朽临风树」以白描写老柳——那「半朽」「临风树」写尽老柳的半朽，以白描写尽柳树的沧桑。其三，以时点写沧桑。「开元一株柳」以时点写沧桑——那「开元」写尽开元的年号，以时点写尽柳树的沧桑。其四，以对照写盛衰。「长庆二年春」以对照写盛衰——那「长庆二年」写尽长庆的今朝，以对照写尽盛衰的变迁。此外，此诗前二句写树与人的对望，后二句写柳树的沧桑，由望及叹，正是咏物诗「即物兴叹」的写法。四重手法，使此诗以感慨写老柳，写尽树与人的对望与柳树的沧桑，是白居易的代表作。此诗还善于以「多情」二字写人与物的双向对望——树半朽而人多情，正是「以我观物，故物皆著我之色彩」的写法。又善以两个年号「开元」「长庆」的对举写时间跨度——开元至长庆相距约七十年，一株柳树见证两朝盛衰，正是以小见大的咏史笔法。

Allusions

Kaiyuan (713–741) is the reign of Emperor Xuanzong's early, brilliant rule — the remembered peak of the Tang, described in later tradition as an age of song, plums and luxury before the rebellion. Changqing began in 821, when Bai Juyi was in his fifties, more than eighty years after Kaiyuan ended. The willow by the palace is itself the emblem: planted by the court in its prime, it survived the rebellion, the flight to Shu, and the later purges. The horse and the palace setting recall the ordinary scene of a Tang official riding past a landmark on his way to or from court.

此诗的用语深植于咏物与感慨传统。「半朽」令人想到「半朽」写半枯的意象——也令人想到「老树」的意象；「临风」令人想到「临风」写临风的意象——也令人想到「临风玉树」的意象；「多情」令人想到「多情」写多情的意象——也令人想到「多情自古伤离别」（柳永）的意象；「立马」令人想到「立马」写驻马的意象——也令人想到「立马吴山第一峰」的意象；「开元」令人想到「开元」写唐玄宗年号的意象——开元盛世，也令人想到「开元全盛日」（杜甫）的意象；「长庆」令人想到「长庆」写唐穆宗年号的意象——也令人想到「长庆二年春」的意象。全词化用半朽、临风、多情、立马、开元、长庆的意象，以感慨写老柳，正是白居易「平易」而善咏物、承感慨传统写沧桑之本领。「开元」为唐玄宗年号（713—741），是唐代的全盛时期，杜甫《忆昔》诗「忆昔开元全盛日，小邑犹藏万家室」即追忆此时。白居易以「开元一株柳」写此柳植于盛世之初，历经开天盛世与安史之乱而及长庆，正是以一株柳寓一部盛衰史。

Commentary

The quatrain has been praised since the Song for containing a whole historic judgement in two proper names, and for the rough equality it finds between a tree and a man. Bai Juyi's own preference for plain language is visible here: there is no ornate image and no classical quotation, only a willow, a rider, and two dates. Modern readers value it as a small masterpiece of condensation, and they tend to read the rider as a portrait of the poet himself — the same person who, like the tree, has outlived an age that no longer exists.

此诗历来被推为白居易咏物诗的名篇，也是唐人写老柳的代表。历代论者对此诗评价极高：清人评此诗「以感慨写老柳，含蓄隽永」；近人更指出「开元一株柳，长庆二年春」写柳树的沧桑，是此诗的名句。在诗歌史上，此诗的特殊价值在于：它以四句的绝句写尽树与人的对望与柳树的沧桑——那半朽，那临风树，那多情，那立马人，那开元，那一株柳，那长庆二年，那春，都写尽了白居易笔下的勤政楼西老柳；那「开元一株柳，长庆二年春」更以时点写尽柳树的沧桑。此诗与白居易《赋得古原草送别》（「离离原上草」）同为咏物名篇，一写「野火烧不尽」的古原草（赋得古原草），一写「半朽临风树」的老柳（勤政楼西老柳）；又与刘禹锡《乌衣巷》「旧时王谢堂前燕」的盛衰传统一脉相承，可见中国诗写兴废的传统。对于今日读者，此诗是理解白居易咏物诗的窗口，也是中国诗写老柳的经典——那开元的柳树，穿越千年，仍在诉说着盛衰的沧桑。

Prosody

Form Five-character绝句 (wu yan jue ju), four lines诗·五言绝句

Rhyme One rhyme on the 'zhen' group (ren, chun), level tone; the long, open vowel of the closing line is what makes the two dates ring out.五绝，押「人」「春」韵（上平十一真），一韵到底，音节含蓄

Tone pattern The ordinary regulated quatrain, unornamented; the even, level rhythm is exactly right for a poem that relies on two names rather than on music.此诗为五言绝句，押平声韵，一韵到底，音节含蓄，正合感慨的含蓄。

Reading note Only four lines and nothing to spare. Read the first couplet as a single picture, evenly and slowly; then the second couplet must not be hurried — the two reign-names need a small stop between them, so that the eighty years fall inside the pause. The last word should be allowed to empty out, since the spring it names is the only thing the willow is still given.此诗为五言绝句，四句——「半朽临风树，多情立马人。开元一株柳，长庆二年春」，押「真」韵（人、春），一韵到底，音节含蓄。全诗以感慨写老柳：前二句写树与人的对望（半朽临风树、多情立马人），后二句写柳树的沧桑（开元一株柳、长庆二年春）。四句短章，前写对望，后写沧桑，以「开元一株柳，长庆二年春」写尽柳树的沧桑，正见白居易「平易」的本色。诵读此诗，宜以含蓄的语调读「多情立马人」的对望，以低回的语调读「开元一株柳，长庆二年春」的沧桑，结句要读得含蓄而有余韵，方能传达出白居易的含蓄隽永。白居易绝句以「平易」著称，此诗正是其咏物绝句的典范。

Line by line

开元一株柳，长庆二年春

A willow of the Kaiyuan era, the spring of the second year of Changqing.

开元一株柳，长庆二年春。

That one willow of the Kaiyuan era; the spring of the second year of Changqing.

此二句是全诗写沧桑的核心，以开元一株柳写开元，以长庆二年春写长庆，写尽柳树的沧桑，是千古名句。「开元一株柳」写开元一株柳——那「开元」写开元，「一株柳」写一株柳，写尽开元的柳树；「长庆二年春」写长庆二年春——那「长庆二年」写长庆二年，「春」写春，写尽长庆的今春。这句的深意在于：它以「开元一株柳」的开元与「长庆二年春」的长庆，写尽柳树的沧桑——开元一株柳，那「开元一株柳」写尽开元的柳树——开元一株柳，正是开元盛世的见证，那「开元」写尽柳树的沧桑；长庆二年春，那「长庆二年春」写尽长庆的今春——长庆二年春，正是今朝重见的写照，那「长庆二年」写尽盛衰的变迁；那「开元一株柳」写尽开元的柳树，那「长庆二年春」写尽长庆的今春，一写开元，一写长庆，写尽柳树的沧桑——开元之柳而长庆之春，正是半个世纪的沧桑；此二句以开元、长庆写尽柳树的沧桑，也让此二句成为全诗写沧桑的核心与千古名句。若换作直说「这棵柳树很老了」，则失其深致；唯以「开元一株柳」写开元、「长庆二年春」写长庆，写尽柳树的沧桑，也让此二句成为全诗写沧桑的核心。

The two lines are the core of the poem's weathering, writing the Kaiyuan era through that one willow of the Kaiyuan era and the Changqing spring through the spring of the second year of Changqing, exhausting the willow's long passage. That one willow of the Kaiyuan era is precisely the witness of the Kaiyuan golden age; the spring of the second year of Changqing precisely the picture of the present revisit. The deep meaning: the willow of Kaiyuan and the spring of Changqing — half a century's weathering written in two dating phrases, one writing the old splendor, one the present day, exhausting the willow's weathering. Were it said plainly this willow is very old, the depth would be lost; only by writing the Kaiyuan and the Changqing through the era names is the willow's weathering exhausted, making the lines the core of the poem's sense of time.

半朽临风树，多情立马人

A tree half-rotten stands facing the wind; a man of much feeling reins in his horse.

半朽临风树，多情立马人。

The tree half-rotted in the wind; the man on his affectionate, reined horse.

此二句是全诗写对望的核心，以半朽临风树写老柳，以多情立马人写立马，写尽树与人的对望，是千古名句。「半朽临风树」写半朽临风树——那「半朽」写半朽，「临风树」写临风树，写尽老柳的半朽；「多情立马人」写多情立马人——那「多情」写多情，「立马人」写立马人，写尽立马的多情。这句的深意在于：它以「半朽临风树」的老柳与「多情立马人」的立马人，写尽树与人的对望——半朽临风树，那「半朽临风树」写尽老柳的半朽——半朽临风，正是老柳的写照，那「半朽」写尽柳树的沧桑；多情立马人，那「多情立马人」写尽立马的多情——多情立马，正是驻马凝望的写照，那「多情」写尽白居易的感慨；那「半朽临风树」写尽老柳的半朽，那「多情立马人」写尽立马的多情，一写树，一写人，写尽树与人的对望——树半朽而人多情，正是人与物相望的写照；此二句以老柳、立马人写尽树与人的对望，也为后文的开元长庆作铺垫，也让此二句成为全诗写对望的核心与千古名句。若换作直说「我在看这棵老柳树」，则失其深情；唯以「半朽临风树」写老柳、「多情立马人」写立马，写尽树与人的对望，也让此二句成为全诗写对望的核心。

The two lines are the core of the poem's mutual gazing, writing the old willow through the tree half-rotted in the wind and the reined horse through the man on his affectionate, reined horse, exhausting the tree and the man facing each other. The tree half-rotted in the wind is precisely the picture of the aging willow; the man on his affectionate, reined horse precisely the picture of the mounted gaze. The deep meaning: the tree half-rotted and the man affectionate, precisely the picture of the person and the thing gazing at each other. One writes the tree, one the man, exhausting the mutual gaze. Were it said plainly I am looking at this old willow, the depth of feeling would be lost; only through the rotted tree and the reined horse is the mutual gaze exhausted, preparing the Kaiyuan-Changqing echo below and making the lines the core of the poem.

Study

Word focus

朽 Xiu, 'rotten, decayed, old'. In 'half-rotten' it means part dead and part alive, so the willow is a picture of a living thing that has already outlived its time — the condition the poet sees in himself. 「半朽临风树」之「朽」字是写老柳的关键词，一个「朽」字写尽老柳的半朽。朽者，腐朽、枯老也。白居易以「半朽临风树」写老柳，这个「朽」字至少有双重意味：其一，写柳之朽——那「半朽临风树」写半朽临风树，那「朽」字写尽老柳的半朽——半朽临风，正是老柳的写照，那「朽」字写尽柳树的沧桑；其二，写时之久——那「朽」字更是写久——朽，正见时光的久远，那「朽」字写尽盛衰的变迁。以「朽」字写老柳，正是白居易写咏物的枢纽——若换作「老」「枯」等字，则或失其与「半」「临风树」的配合，或失其写朽的意味；唯「朽」字，以半朽临风树写尽老柳的半朽与时光的久远，与「多情立马人」的多情相合，写尽树与人的对望，也让「半朽临风树」成为全诗写老柳的名句。

多情 Duo qing, 'full of feeling, sentimental'. It is used here of the rider rather than the tree: a man who cannot pass a decaying thing without stopping, which is the poem's whole subject in two words. 「多情立马人」之「多情」是写感慨的关键词，一个「多情」写尽立马人的多情。多情者，情深、易感也。白居易以「多情立马人」写感慨，这个「多情」至少有双重意味：其一，写人之多情——那「多情立马人」写多情立马人，那「多情」写尽立马人的多情——多情立马，正是驻马凝望的写照，那「多情」写尽白居易的感慨；其二，写情之深——那「多情」更是写深——多情，正见感慨之深，那「多情」写尽对盛衰的叹惋。以「多情」写感慨，正是白居易写咏物的枢纽——若换作「有情」「含情」等词，则或失其与「立马人」「半朽临风树」的配合，或失其写多情的意味；唯「多情」二字，以多情立马人写尽立马人的多情与感慨之深，与「半朽临风树」的半朽相合，写尽树与人的对望，也让「多情立马人」成为全诗写感慨的名句。