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宋 Song · 词 Ci lyric

水龙吟·小舟横截春江

To the Tune Shuilongyin: A Small Boat Cuts Across the Spring River

苏轼

Su Shi

山水Landscape 怀友Remembering a Friend

小舟横截春江，卧看翠壁红楼起。
云间笑语，使君高会，佳人半醉。
危柱哀弦，艳歌余响，绕云萦水。
念故人老大，风流未减，独回首、烟波里。
推枕惘然不见，但空江、月明千里。
五湖闻道，扁舟归去，仍携西子。
云梦南州，武昌东岸，昔游应记。
料多情梦里，端来见我，也参差是。

A small boat cuts across the spring river; lying down, I watch green cliffs and a red tower rise.
Laughter from among the clouds — the prefect's grand gathering, the singing girls half drunk.
High bridges and mournful strings, the lingering echo of amorous songs, winding about cloud and water.
I think of my old friend grown older, his romantic charm undimmed; alone I look back into the misty waves.
Pushing the pillow away — gone, and I am bewildered; only an empty river, moonlight bright for a thousand miles.
I have heard that on the Five Lakes you departed in a small boat, still taking Xi Shi with you.
The southern isle of Yunmeng, the eastern bank of Wuchang — our old wanderings you should still remember.
I suppose that in your feeling dreams you truly come to see me, and it must have been you.

Listen

Meaning

A dream landscape charged with friendship. Boating across a spring river, the poet watches a cliff-side feast — laughter, music, half-drunk singers — and among them he glimpses an old friend whose charm is undimmed by age. Then he wakes: the pillow pushed aside, the friend gone, only the empty river and moonlight. The second half imagines the friend's own retirement on the Five Lakes and recalls their old haunts, ending in the tender conjecture that the friend has come to him in a dream too.

小舟横截春江，卧看翠壁红楼起。云间笑语，使君高会，佳人半醉。危柱哀弦，艳歌余响，绕云萦水。念故人老大，风流未减，独回首、烟波里。推枕惘然不见，但空江、月明千里。五湖闻道，扁舟归去，仍携西子。云梦南州，武昌东岸，昔游应记。料多情梦里，端来见我，也参差是。

Appreciation

[Plain Paraphrase] A small boat cuts across the spring river; lying down, I see green cliffs and a red tower rise. Laughter among the clouds: the prefect's grand party, the girls half drunk. High bridges, sad strings, the echo of love songs round cloud and water. I think of my old friend, older now but as charming as ever, alone in the misty waves. I push the pillow — gone, bewildered; only the empty river and moonlight for a thousand miles. I hear you have sailed the Five Lakes with Xi Shi at your side; you must remember the southern isle of Yunmeng and the east bank of Wuchang. I think in your feeling dreams you truly come to see me — it must have been you.<br>[Structure] The poem is a dream in two halves: the feast and the glimpse of the friend fill the upper stanza; waking, imagined farewells and remembered places fill the lower.<br>[Imagery] Sight and sound interweave — laughter, mournful strings, echoes winding around water — so that the dream seems to resonate; then the single note of 'an empty river' strips it all away.

【白话串讲】苏轼写《水龙吟·小舟横截春江》：“小舟横截春江，卧看翠壁红楼起”——“云间笑语，使君高会，佳人半醉”——“危柱哀弦，艳歌余响，绕云萦水”——“念故人老大，风流未减，独回首、烟波里”——他写春江之游。【意象与手法】此词写山水，以怀友写山水，是苏轼的名篇。上阕写春江：「小舟横截春江，卧看翠壁红楼起。云间笑语，使君高会，佳人半醉。危柱哀弦，艳歌余响，绕云萦水。念故人老大，风流未减，独回首、烟波里」写小舟横截春江、卧看翠壁红楼起——写尽小舟横截的春江；下阕写怀友：「推枕惘然不见，但空江、月明千里。五湖闻道，扁舟归去，仍携西子。云梦南州，武昌东岸，昔游应记。料多情梦里，端来见我，也参差是」写推枕惘然不见、但空江、月明千里——写尽月明千里的空江。全词以怀友写山水，写尽小舟横截的春江与月明千里的空江，是苏轼的代表作。【情感与主旨】此词写山水，以怀友写山水，是苏轼的名篇。此词为苏轼所作，写其梦中泛舟春江而怀友人。苏轼此词写其小舟横截春江、卧看红楼之景与怀友之情。此词写小舟横截春江，卧看翠壁红楼起；云间笑语，使君高会，佳人半醉；危柱哀弦，艳歌余响，绕云萦水；念故人老大，风流未减，独回首、烟波里；推枕惘然不见，但空江、月明千里；五湖闻道，扁舟归去，仍携西子；云梦南州，武昌东岸，昔游应记；料多情梦里，端来见我，也参差是。此词写春江：小舟横截春江，卧看翠壁红楼起——写小舟横截春江、卧看翠壁红楼起，写尽小舟横截的春江；云间笑语，使君高会，佳人半醉——写云间笑语、使君高会、佳人半醉，写尽云间笑语的佳人半醉；危柱哀弦，艳歌余响，绕云萦水——写危柱哀弦、艳歌余响、绕云萦水，写尽绕云萦水的艳歌余响；念故人老大，风流未减，独回首、烟波里——写念故人老大、风流未减、独回首、烟波里，写尽独回头的烟波里。下阕写怀友：推枕惘然不见，但空江、月明千里——写推枕惘然不见、但空江、月明千里，写尽月明千里的空江；五湖闻道，扁舟归去，仍携西子——写五湖闻道、扁舟归去、仍携西子，写尽扁舟归去的西子；云梦南州，武昌东岸，昔游应记——写云梦南州、武昌东岸、昔游应记，写尽武昌东岸的昔游；料多情梦里，端来见我，也参差是——写料多情梦里、端来见我、也参差是，写尽端来见我的多情梦里。全词以怀友写山水——那「小舟横截春江」写尽小舟横截的春江，「料多情梦里，端来见我」写尽端来见我的多情梦里，写尽小舟横截的春江与月明千里的空江，是理解苏轼山水词的重要篇章。【名句点睛】常考「小舟横截春江，卧看翠壁红楼起」写小舟横截的春江；「料多情梦里，端来见我，也参差是」写端来见我的多情梦里；以及全词以怀友写山水、以梦幻写怀友的手法。

Background

Su Shi (1037-1101), courtesy name Zizhan, sobriquet Dongpo Jushi, from Meishan in Sichuan, was the greatest all-round man of letters of the Northern Song and, with Xin Qiji, one of the two giants of the ci. His life was a series of exiles and recalls to court; the middle Yangzi region — Huangzhou, Wuchang, Yunmeng — belongs to the years of his Huangzhou exile (from 1080), when he wrote many of his masterpieces. This undated dream song, with its references to Yunmeng and Wuchang, evokes that world, and its friend is generally taken to be one of the companions of those years. The poem records how a dream of a feast turns into a meditation on friendship across distance and time.

此词写山水，以怀友写山水，是苏轼的名篇。苏轼（1037—1101），字子瞻，号东坡居士，眉州眉山（今四川眉山）人，北宋文学家、书画家，与父苏洵、弟苏辙并称「三苏」，与黄庭坚并称「苏黄」，是豪放派词人的代表。此词为苏轼所作，写其梦中泛舟春江而怀友人。苏轼此词写其小舟横截春江、卧看红楼之景与怀友之情。此词写小舟横截春江，卧看翠壁红楼起；云间笑语，使君高会，佳人半醉；危柱哀弦，艳歌余响，绕云萦水；念故人老大，风流未减，独回首、烟波里；推枕惘然不见，但空江、月明千里；五湖闻道，扁舟归去，仍携西子；云梦南州，武昌东岸，昔游应记；料多情梦里，端来见我，也参差是。此词写春江：「小舟横截春江，卧看翠壁红楼起」写小舟横截春江、卧看翠壁红楼起——写尽小舟横截的春江（小舟横截春江，卧看翠壁红楼起）；「云间笑语，使君高会，佳人半醉」写云间笑语、使君高会、佳人半醉——写尽云间笑语的佳人半醉（云间笑语，使君高会，佳人半醉）；「危柱哀弦，艳歌余响，绕云萦水」写危柱哀弦、艳歌余响、绕云萦水——写尽绕云萦水的艳歌余响（危柱哀弦，艳歌余响，绕云萦水）；「念故人老大，风流未减，独回首、烟波里」写念故人老大、风流未减、独回首、烟波里——写尽独回头的烟波里（念故人老大，风流未减，独回首、烟波里）。下阕写怀友：「推枕惘然不见，但空江、月明千里」写推枕惘然不见、但空江、月明千里——写尽月明千里的空江（推枕惘然不见，但空江、月明千里）；「五湖闻道，扁舟归去，仍携西子」写五湖闻道、扁舟归去、仍携西子——写尽扁舟归去的西子（五湖闻道，扁舟归去，仍携西子）；「云梦南州，武昌东岸，昔游应记」写云梦南州、武昌东岸、昔游应记——写尽武昌东岸的昔游（云梦南州，武昌东岸，昔游应记）；「料多情梦里，端来见我，也参差是」写料多情梦里、端来见我、也参差是——写尽端来见我的多情梦里（料多情梦里，端来见我，也参差是）。全词以怀友写山水，写尽小舟横截的春江与月明千里的空江，是理解苏轼山水词的重要篇章。

Art

The poem's art is the art of dream. It opens in motion — 'a small boat cuts across the spring river' — and the whole upper stanza is watched lying down, so every image arrives unbidden, as in sleep: cliffs and a red tower rise, laughter comes from the clouds, music winds about water. The turn is a single physical gesture, 'pushing the pillow away', and the dream collapses into the bare, luminous 'an empty river, moonlight bright for a thousand miles'. The lower stanza then does what only dreams permit: it imagines the friend's retirement on the Five Lakes with Xi Shi — the Fan Li legend of success abandoned for love — and ends on conjecture, 'it must have been you', leaving the boundary between the friend's dream and the poet's own deliberately dissolved.

此词的艺术特色可从四个方面解析。其一，以白描写春江。「小舟横截春江」以白描写春江——那「卧看翠壁红楼起」写尽卧看翠壁的红楼起，以白描写尽小舟横截的春江。其二，以视听写高会。「云间笑语」以视听写高会——那「危柱哀弦」写尽危柱的哀弦，以视听写尽绕云萦水的艳歌余响。其三，以梦幻写怀友。「推枕惘然不见」以梦幻写怀友——那「料多情梦里，端来见我」写尽端来见我的多情梦里，以梦幻写尽端来见我的多情梦里。其四，以用典写归隐。「五湖闻道」以用典写归隐——那「扁舟归去，仍携西子」写尽扁舟归去的西子，以用典写尽扁舟归去的西子。此外，此词上阕写小舟横截的春江，下阕写月明千里的空江，由景及情，正是山水词「以水写情」的写法。四重手法，使此词以怀友写山水，写尽小舟横截的春江与月明千里的空江，是苏轼的代表作。此外，此词还善于以「云间笑语，使君高会」的「云间」写云间之笑语——那「云间」写尽云间的笑语，正是以云写高，以「使君高会」写尽高会的使君。又善以「念故人老大，风流未减」的「风流未减」写故人之风流——念故人老大，正见故人老大的写照，以「独回首、烟波里」写尽独回头的烟波里。

Allusions

Two legends anchor the lower stanza. 'The Five Lakes' and 'Xi Shi' retell the story of Fan Li, who after helping Yue conquer Wu sailed away with the beauty Xi Shi onto the lakes — the archetype of the official who leaves power behind for a life of freedom, here imagined for the friend. 'The southern isle of Yunmeng' and 'the eastern bank of Wuchang' place the poem in the middle Yangzi world of Su Shi's Huangzhou years. 'The prefect' was the host of the dream feast; 'high bridges and mournful strings' describe the raised bridges and sad-toned strings of the banquet zithers; and 'it must have been you' echoes the belief that the absent friend also dreams of the poet — a mutual vision across distance.

此词的用语深植于山水与怀友传统。「小舟」令人想到「小舟」写小舟的意象——也令人想到「小舟从此逝」（苏轼）的意象；「春江」令人想到「春江」写春江的意象——也令人想到「春江潮水连海平」（张若虚）的意象；「翠壁」令人想到「翠壁」写翠壁的意象——也令人想到「翠壁丹崖」的意象；「红楼」令人想到「红楼」写红楼的意象——也令人想到「红楼隔雨相望冷」（李商隐）的意象；「危柱哀弦」令人想到「危柱哀弦」写琴柱的意象——也令人想到「哀弦危柱」的意象；「艳歌」令人想到「艳歌」写艳歌的意象——也令人想到「艳歌一曲酒一杯」的意象；「烟波」令人想到「烟波」写烟波的意象——也令人想到「烟波江上使人愁」（崔颢）的意象；「五湖」令人想到「五湖」写五湖的意象——范蠡泛五湖，也令人想到「五湖烟水」的意象；「扁舟」令人想到「扁舟」写扁舟的意象——也令人想到「扁舟一叶」的意象；「西子」令人想到「西子」写西施的意象——范蠡携西子泛湖，也令人想到「西子湖畔」的意象；「云梦」令人想到「云梦」写云梦泽的意象——也令人想到「气吞云梦」的意象。全词化用小舟、春江、翠壁、红楼、危柱哀弦、艳歌、烟波、五湖、扁舟、西子、云梦的意象典故，以怀友写山水，正是苏轼「旷达」而善梦幻、承山水传统写怀友之本领。

Commentary

The song is prized as one of Su Shi's most delicate dream poems. Qing and modern readers have singled out the contrast between the feast's warmth and the waking emptiness of the moonlit river, and the closing conjecture has been read as one of the tenderest expressions of friendship in the ci. Its place in the tradition lies in its dream form: a landscape poem that is also a visitation, in which the beloved friend appears, vanishes, and is then imagined on the Five Lakes with Xi Shi. Read beside 'Linjiangxian: Drinking at Dongpo' with its 'henceforth the small boat is gone, I entrust my remaining life to rivers and seas', it shows the two faces of Su Shi's boat — one bound for retirement, one bound for a friend.

此词历来被推为苏轼山水词的名篇，也是宋词写春江梦游的代表。历代论者对此词评价极高：清人评此词「以怀友写山水，清旷超逸」；近人更指出「料多情梦里，端来见我，也参差是」写端来见我的多情梦里，是此词的名句。在诗歌史上，此词的特殊价值在于：它以长调写尽小舟横截的春江与月明千里的空江——那小舟，那横截，那春江，那卧看，那翠壁，那红楼起，那云间，那笑语，那使君，那高会，那佳人，那半醉，那危柱，那哀弦，那艳歌，那余响，那绕云，那萦水，那念故人，那老大，那风流未减，那独回首，那烟波里，那推枕，那惘然不见，那但空江，那月明千里，那五湖，那闻道，那扁舟，那归去，那仍携，那西子，那云梦，那南州，那武昌，那东岸，那昔游应记，那料多情，那梦里，那端来见我，那也参差是，都写尽了苏轼笔下的水龙吟小舟横截春江；那「料多情梦里，端来见我」更以梦幻写尽端来见我的多情梦里。此词与苏轼《临江仙·夜饮东坡醒复醉》「小舟从此逝，江海寄余生」同为山水名篇，一写「夜饮东坡醒复醉」的临江仙，一写「小舟横截春江」的水龙吟；一写归隐，一写怀友。两词对读，可见苏轼山水词的两面。对于今日读者，此词是理解苏轼山水词的窗口，也是宋词写春江梦游的经典——那端来见我的多情梦里，穿越千年，仍在诉说着小舟横截的春江。

Prosody

Form Ci poem to the tune Shuilongyin (Water Dragon Song), a double-stanza long tune词·水龙吟

Rhyme Oblique-tone rhyme held throughout — qi, zui, shui and li in the upper stanza; li, zi, ji and shi in the lower, the oblique rhymes of the zhi group — giving the song a clear, cool resonance.水龙吟，上阕押「起」「醉」「水」「里」，下阕押「里」「子」「记」「是」（仄韵纸寘韵），仄韵到底

Tone pattern Shuilongyin is a long tune of roughly a hundred characters; its oblique rhymes lend it a limpid, open clarity rather than heavy sorrow, here suited to a dream of spring river and moonlight.此词为水龙吟长调，押仄声韵，仄韵到底，音节清旷，正合怀友的清旷。

Reading note The upper stanza pours out the dream in long, drifting lines — boat, cliffs, laughter, music — its rhyme falling lightly on rising, drunk, water and within. The lower stanza slows after the waking: the Five Lakes, Yunmeng and Wuchang are named in short, spaced clauses, and the rhyme on is closes the song like a door. Read the upper stanza fluidly, as a drifting boat; read 'an empty river, moonlight bright for a thousand miles' slowly and widely; let the last line hover on the rhyme, as a guess left hanging.此词为水龙吟长调，上下两阕——上阕「小舟横截春江，卧看翠壁红楼起。云间笑语，使君高会，佳人半醉。危柱哀弦，艳歌余响，绕云萦水。念故人老大，风流未减，独回首、烟波里」，下阕「推枕惘然不见，但空江、月明千里。五湖闻道，扁舟归去，仍携西子。云梦南州，武昌东岸，昔游应记。料多情梦里，端来见我，也参差是」，押仄韵（起、醉、水、里、子、记、是），仄韵到底，音节清旷。全词以怀友写山水：上阕写小舟横截的春江（小舟横截春江、独回首烟波里），下阕写月明千里的空江（推枕惘然不见、料多情梦里）。长调铺叙，前写春江，后写怀友，以「料多情梦里，端来见我」写尽端来见我的多情梦里，正见苏轼「旷达」的本色。诵读此词，宜以清旷的语调读「小舟横截春江」的春江，以怅惘的语调读「推枕惘然不见」的不见，结句要读得清旷而有余韵，方能传达出苏轼的清旷超逸。苏轼长调以「旷达」著称，此词正是其山水词的典范。

Line by line

小舟横截春江，卧看翠壁红楼起

A small boat cuts across the spring river; lying down, I watch green cliffs and a red tower rise.

小舟横截春江，卧看翠壁红楼起。

A small boat crosses the spring river; lying back, I watch the red tower rise by the green walls.

此二句是全词写春江的核心，以小舟横截春江写春江，以卧看翠壁红楼起写红楼起，写尽小舟横截的春江，是千古名句。「小舟横截春江」写小舟横截春江——那「小舟横截」写小舟横截，「春江」写春江，写尽小舟横截的春江；「卧看翠壁红楼起」写卧看翠壁红楼起——那「卧看翠壁」写卧看翠壁，「红楼起」写红楼起，写尽卧看翠壁的红楼起。这句的深意在于：它以「小舟横截春江」的春江与「卧看翠壁红楼起」的红楼起，写尽小舟横截的春江——小舟横截春江，那「小舟横截春江」写尽小舟横截的春江——小舟横截春江，正是小舟横江的写照，那「春江」写尽小舟横截的春江；卧看翠壁红楼起，那「卧看翠壁红楼起」写尽卧看翠壁的红楼起——卧看翠壁红楼起，正是卧看楼起的写照，那「红楼起」写尽小舟横截的春江；那「小舟横截春江」写尽小舟横截的春江，那「卧看翠壁红楼起」写尽卧看翠壁的红楼起，一写春江，一写红楼起，写尽小舟横截的春江——小舟横江而卧看楼起，正是春江的写照；此二句以春江、红楼起写尽小舟横截的春江，也为下文的笑语作铺垫，也让此二句成为全词写春江的核心与千古名句。若换作直说「小舟横渡春江，躺着看翠壁边红楼耸起」，则失其清旷；唯以「小舟横截春江」写春江、「卧看翠壁红楼起」写红楼起，写尽小舟横截的春江，也让此二句成为全词写春江的核心。

The two lines are the core of the ci's spring river, writing the crossing through a small boat crosses the spring river and the rising tower through lying back, I watch the red tower rise by the green walls, an immortal line. A small boat crosses the spring river is precisely the picture of the boat crossing; lying back, I watch the red tower rise by the green walls precisely the picture of the tower's rising. One writes the river, one the tower, exhausting the scene. Were it said plainly the small boat crosses the spring river, lying down watching the red tower rise by the green walls, the clear breadth would be lost; only through the crossing and the rising tower is the spring river exhausted, preparing the laughter below and making the lines the core of the ci.

推枕惘然不见，但空江、月明千里

Pushing the pillow away — gone, and I am bewildered; only an empty river, moonlight bright for a thousand miles.

推枕惘然不见，但空江、月明千里。

I push aside the pillow, dazed — nothing seen; but the empty river, moonlit for a thousand li.

此三句是全词写怀友的核心，以推枕惘然不见写惘然不见，以但空江写空江，以月明千里写千里，写尽月明千里的空江，是千古名句。「推枕惘然不见」写推枕惘然不见——那「推枕惘然」写推枕惘然，「不见」写不见，写尽推枕惘然的不见；「但空江」写但空江——那「但」写但，「空江」写空江，写尽但的空江；「月明千里」写月明千里——那「月明」写月明，「千里」写千里，写尽月明的千里。这句的深意在于：它以「推枕惘然不见」的不见、「但空江」的空江与「月明千里」的千里，写尽月明千里的空江——推枕惘然不见，那「推枕惘然不见」写尽推枕惘然的不见——推枕惘然不见，正是梦醒不见的写照，那「不见」写尽月明千里的空江；但空江，那「但空江」写尽但的空江——但空江，正是只有空江的写照，那「空江」写尽月明千里的空江；月明千里，那「月明千里」写尽月明的千里——月明千里，正是千里月明的写照，那「千里」写尽月明千里的空江；那「推枕惘然不见」写尽推枕惘然的不见，那「但空江」写尽但的空江，那「月明千里」写尽月明的千里，一写不见，一写空江，一写千里，写尽月明千里的空江——梦醒不见而空江月明，正是怀友的写照；此三句以不见、空江、千里写尽月明千里的空江，也为下文的扁舟作铺垫，也让此三句成为全词写怀友的核心与千古名句。若换作直说「推枕惘然不见，只有空江、月明千里」，则失其怅惘；唯以「推枕惘然不见」写惘然不见、「但空江」写空江、「月明千里」写千里，写尽月明千里的空江，也让此三句成为全词写怀友的核心。

The three lines are the core of the ci's longing for a friend, writing the dazed non-seeing through I push aside the pillow, dazed — nothing seen and the empty river through but the empty river and the thousand-li moon through moonlit for a thousand li, an immortal line. I push aside the pillow, dazed — nothing seen is precisely the picture of waking and the vanishing; but the empty river precisely the picture of only the empty river; moonlit for a thousand li precisely the picture of the moonlit distance. One writes the non-seeing, one the empty river, one the thousand li, exhausting the moonlit empty river — waking and nothing seen, the empty river moonlit, precisely the picture of the friend-longing. Were it said plainly pushing aside the pillow dazed and nothing seen, only the empty river moonlit a thousand li, the wistfulness would be softened; only through the non-seeing, the empty river, and the thousand-li moon is the longing exhausted, preparing the little boat below and making the lines the core of the ci.

Study

Word focus

截 To cut across. The boat 'cuts' the spring river — a blunt, forceful verb that gives the dream-river a physical edge and the dreamer's passage speed and decisiveness; where 'cross' would be neutral, 'cut' makes the water yield. 「小舟横截春江」之「截」字是写春江关键词，一个「截」字写尽小舟横截的春江。截者，横渡、横切也。苏轼以「小舟横截春江」写春江，这个「截」字至少有双重意味：其一，写江之截——那「小舟横截春江」写小舟横截春江，那「截」字写尽小舟横截的春江——横截，正是横渡江面的写照，那「截」字写尽小舟横截的春江；其二，写景之阔——那「截」字更是写阔——截，正见舟截春江的阔大，那「截」字写尽苏轼的山水。以「截」字写春江，正是苏轼写山水词的枢纽——若换作「渡」「横」等字，则或失其与「小舟横截」「春江」的配合，或失其写截的意味；唯「截」字，以小舟横截春江写尽春江之横渡与舟行之阔大，与「卧看翠壁红楼起」的红楼起相合，写尽小舟横截的春江，也让「小舟横截春江」成为全词写春江的名句。

惘 Bewildered, lost. The blank disorientation of waking from a vivid dream: the friend was present a moment ago and now there is only the empty river — the word names the specific grief of a dream's collapse. 「推枕惘然不见」之「惘」字是写怀友关键词，一个「惘」字写尽推枕惘然的不见。惘者，怅惘、失意也。苏轼以「推枕惘然不见」写怀友，这个「惘」字至少有双重意味：其一，写然之惘——那「推枕惘然不见」写推枕惘然不见，那「惘」字写尽推枕惘然的不见——惘然，正是怅然失意的写照，那「惘」字写尽推枕惘然的不见；其二，写情之怅——那「惘」字更是写怅——惘，正见梦醒怅惘的深情，那「惘」字写尽苏轼的怀友。以「惘」字写怀友，正是苏轼写山水词的枢纽——若换作「怅」「迷」等字，则或失其与「推枕惘然」「不见」的配合，或失其写惘的意味；唯「惘」字，以推枕惘然不见写尽不见之怅惘与梦醒之失意，与「但空江、月明千里」的空江相合，写尽推枕惘然的不见，也让「推枕惘然不见」成为全词写怀友的名句。