宋 Song · 词 Ci lyric
东风第一枝
The First Branch of the East Wind
巧沁兰心，偷黏草甲，东风欲障新暖。
谩凝碧瓦难留，信知暮寒轻浅。
行天入镜，做弄出、轻松纤软。
料故园、不卷重帘，误了乍来双燕。
青未了、柳回白眼。
红欲断、杏开素面。
旧游忆著山阴，厚盟遂妨上苑。
寒炉重暖，便放慢春衫针线。
恐凤靴、挑菜归来，万一灞桥相见。
In vain it gathers on the blue tiles, unable to stay; I know the evening cold is mild and shallow.
It crosses the sky and enters the mirror, making a show of light, soft, and delicate grace.
I imagine in the old garden the heavy curtains are never rolled up, wronging the newly arrived pair of swallows.
The green is not yet ended, yet the willows turn back their whites of eyes;
the red is about to break, and the apricot opens its plain face.
I recall the old excursion to Shanyin; the solemn pledge is hindered in the imperial park.
The cold stove is warm again, so I slow the needlework on my spring gown.
I fear she returns from gathering herbs in her phoenix boots; what if we meet by chance on the Ba Bridge?
Meaning
A poem on spring snow. With exquisite, almost mischievous detail, Shi Dazu describes snow that soaks the orchid's heart and clings to the grass sprouts, resisting the east wind's new warmth. Imagining his old garden and the swallows delayed by unrolled curtains, he turns to willows and apricots under snow, recalls old excursions, and finally hopes for a chance meeting on the snowy Ba Bridge, a delicate blend of object description and longing.
巧沁兰心，偷黏草甲，东风欲障新暖。谩凝碧瓦难留，信知暮寒轻浅。行天入镜，做弄出、轻松纤软。料故园、不卷重帘，误了乍来双燕。青未了、柳回白眼。红欲断、杏开素面。旧游忆著山阴，厚盟遂妨上苑。寒炉重暖，便放慢春衫针线。恐凤靴、挑菜归来，万一灞桥相见。
Appreciation
[Plain Paraphrase] The first stanza describes spring snow: it cleverly seeps into the orchid bud and secretly clings to the grass blades, as if trying to hold back the east wind's new warmth. It gathers on the blue tiles but cannot stay, for the evening cold is mild. The snow crosses the sky and enters the mirror, light and soft. In the old garden the heavy curtains are never rolled up, wronging the newly arrived swallows. The second stanza sees willows like upturned white eyes and snow-covered apricots like plain faces; old excursions to Shanyin are recalled, the cold stove warms again, the sewing slows, and the poem closes with the hope of a chance meeting on the snowy Ba Bridge. [Imagery] The verbs cleverly and secretly personify the snow as a playful visitor. [Style] A masterpiece of the Southern Song yongwu tradition: exact, minute, quietly emotional.
【白话串讲】 史达祖写《东风第一枝》：“巧沁兰心，偷黏草甲，东风欲障新暖”——“行天入镜，做弄出、轻松纤软”——“料故园、不卷重帘，误了乍来双燕”——他写春雪——巧沁兰心。 【意象与手法】 “巧沁兰心，偷黏草甲”以巧偷写春雪之细；“行天入镜，做弄出、轻松纤软”以行天入镜写春雪之态；“料故园、不卷重帘，误了乍来双燕”以故园双燕写思乡；结以“恐凤靴、挑菜归来，万一灞桥相见”以灞桥写雪中情致。咏物工细、刻画入微。 【情感与主旨】 史达祖咏春雪之作，以细腻笔触写春雪之轻盈纤软与故园之思，是南宋咏物词中“以物写情”的典范。 【名句点睛】 常考“巧沁兰心，偷黏草甲”以巧偷写春雪之细；“料故园、不卷重帘，误了乍来双燕”以双燕写思乡。
Background
Shi Dazu (1163-c. 1220), courtesy name Bangqing, style name Meixi, was a native of Bian (modern Kaifeng), a Southern Song lyric poet famous for poems on objects. This First Branch of the East Wind is a celebrated yongwu lyric on spring snow, admired for its minute observation and for weaving memory and longing into the description of snow.
《东风第一枝》为南宋词人史达祖所作词。史达祖（1163—约1220），字邦卿，号梅溪，汴（今河南开封）人，南宋词人，词以咏物见长，人称「梅溪词」。此词咏春雪。词中「巧沁兰心，偷黏草甲，东风欲障新暖」写巧沁兰心；「谩凝碧瓦难留，信知暮寒轻浅」写暮寒轻浅；「行天入镜，做弄出、轻松纤软」写行天入镜；「料故园、不卷重帘，误了乍来双燕」写误了双燕；「青未了、柳回白眼。红欲断、杏开素面」写柳回白眼；「旧游忆著山阴，厚盟遂妨上苑」写旧游山阴；「寒炉重暖，便放慢春衫针线」写寒炉重暖；「恐凤靴、挑菜归来，万一灞桥相见」写灞桥相见。史达祖此词以咏春雪、灞桥相见写其春雪之思，含蓄深婉，是史达祖词中的名篇。此篇《东风第一枝》在历代选本中多被收录，其艺术价值与流传之广，正可见此诗在同类题材中的重要地位。诗人以匠心独运之笔写寻常之情事，遂使此作历千载而犹有生气，为后人所称赏不绝。
Art
The poem's art lies in its personification and its shifts of scale. The opening verbs cleverly soaks and secretly clings give the snow a mischievous intelligence, as if it were a deliberate visitor blocking spring's warmth. In vain it gathers on the blue tiles records its fragility, and crosses the sky and enters the mirror lifts the scene into crystalline light, the phrase adapting Han Yu's line about a phoenix peering into a pool. The lower stanza reduces the scene to two perfect miniatures, willows with whites of eyes from the Wang Yan allusion and apricots with plain faces, and then, through the unrolled curtains, the delayed swallows, the slowed sewing, and the hoped-for meeting on the Ba Bridge, turns the snow into a token of absence and expectation.
此词艺术上以「含蓄深婉、咏物寄情」见长。全词上片写巧沁兰心与行天入镜，下片写柳回白眼与灞桥相见。上片「巧沁兰心，偷黏草甲，东风欲障新暖」写巧沁兰心：巧沁兰心，偷黏草甲，东风欲障新暖；「谩凝碧瓦难留，信知暮寒轻浅」写暮寒轻浅：谩凝碧瓦难留，信知暮寒轻浅；「行天入镜，做弄出、轻松纤软」写行天入镜：行天入镜，做弄出、轻松纤软；「料故园、不卷重帘，误了乍来双燕」写误了双燕：料故园、不卷重帘，误了乍来双燕。下片「青未了、柳回白眼。红欲断、杏开素面」写柳回白眼：青未了、柳回白眼，红欲断、杏开素面；「旧游忆著山阴，厚盟遂妨上苑」写旧游山阴：旧游忆著山阴，厚盟遂妨上苑；「寒炉重暖，便放慢春衫针线」写寒炉重暖：寒炉重暖，便放慢春衫针线；「恐凤靴、挑菜归来，万一灞桥相见」写灞桥相见：恐凤靴、挑菜归来，万一灞桥相见。全词含蓄深婉，咏物寄情，是史达祖词中的名篇。
Allusions
Crosses the sky and enters the mirror adapts Han Yu's poem on snow, in which it enters the mirror as a phoenix peers into the pool and crosses the sky as a horse passes over a bridge. Willows turning back their whites of eyes alludes to Wang Yan, who showed the whites of his eyes in contempt; here the snow-covered willow buds look like upturned white eyes. The old excursion to Shanyin recalls Wang Ziyou's famous night visit to Dai by boat, a byword for spontaneous romantic impulse. Phoenix boots gathering herbs refers to the spring custom of walking in the country to gather herbs. The Ba Bridge recalls Zheng Qi, who sought poetic inspiration riding a donkey in the wind and snow of the Ba Bridge.
词中「巧沁兰心」「偷黏草甲」「东风欲障新暖」「谩凝碧瓦难留」「暮寒轻浅」「行天入镜」「轻松纤软」「故园不卷重帘」「误了乍来双燕」「柳回白眼」「杏开素面」「旧游忆著山阴」「厚盟遂妨上苑」「寒炉重暖」「放慢春衫针线」「凤靴挑菜归来」「灞桥相见」等语，皆含典故故实。「巧沁兰心」写雪巧沁兰心；「偷黏草甲」写雪偷黏草甲；「东风欲障新暖」写东风欲遮新暖；「谩凝碧瓦难留」写雪凝碧瓦而难留；「暮寒轻浅」写暮寒轻浅；「行天入镜」写雪行于天、如入镜中（用韩愈「入镜鸾窥沼，行天马度桥」之意）；「轻松纤软」写雪之轻松纤软；「故园不卷重帘」写故园不卷重帘；「误了乍来双燕」写误了乍来双燕；「柳回白眼」用王衍白眼之典（柳眼初开又为雪覆，如白眼）；「杏开素面」写杏花如素面（雪覆杏花）；「旧游忆著山阴」用王子猷雪夜访戴（山阴）之典；「厚盟遂妨上苑」写厚盟妨上苑；「寒炉重暖」写寒炉重暖；「放慢春衫针线」写放慢春衫针线；「凤靴挑菜归来」写凤靴挑菜归来（挑菜为踏青节俗）；「灞桥相见」用郑綮灞桥风雪中骑驴觅诗之典，写灞桥相见。词人以行天入镜、山阴访戴、灞桥风雪等典入词，不着痕迹，而把咏春雪之情写得真切可感，是善于熔铸典故的体现。
Commentary
Shi Dazu's First Branch of the East Wind has been held up since the Song as the model of the yongwu lyric, describing a thing so exactly that thing and feeling become inseparable. Readers have especially prized the opening lines, where two small verbs make the snow cunning and tender at once. The closing hope of a chance meeting on the Ba Bridge converts a poem about snow into a poem about longing.
这首《东风第一枝》，是史达祖写咏物春雪之作，写巧沁兰心、行天入镜、灞桥相见之情，含蓄深婉。上片写巧沁兰心与行天入镜：「巧沁兰心，偷黏草甲，东风欲障新暖」——巧沁兰心，偷黏草甲，东风欲障新暖。写巧沁兰心：巧沁兰心、偷黏草甲，东风欲障新暖——雪巧沁兰心、偷黏草甲；「谩凝碧瓦难留，信知暮寒轻浅」——谩凝碧瓦难留，信知暮寒轻浅。写暮寒轻浅：谩凝碧瓦难留、信知暮寒轻浅——雪凝碧瓦难留、暮寒轻浅；「行天入镜，做弄出、轻松纤软」——行天入镜，做弄出、轻松纤软。写行天入镜：行天入镜（用韩愈入镜窥鸾之意）、做弄出轻松纤软——雪行天入镜、轻松纤软；「料故园、不卷重帘，误了乍来双燕」——料故园、不卷重帘，误了乍来双燕。写误了双燕：料故园不卷重帘、误了乍来双燕——故园不卷帘、误了双燕。下片写柳回白眼与灞桥相见：「青未了、柳回白眼。红欲断、杏开素面」——青未了、柳回白眼，红欲断、杏开素面。写柳回白眼：青未了柳回白眼（用白眼之典）、红欲断杏开素面——柳回白眼、杏开素面；「旧游忆著山阴，厚盟遂妨上苑」——旧游忆著山阴，厚盟遂妨上苑。写旧游山阴：旧游忆著山阴（用王子猷访戴之典）、厚盟遂妨上苑——忆山阴旧游、妨上苑厚盟；「寒炉重暖，便放慢春衫针线」——寒炉重暖，便放慢春衫针线。写寒炉重暖：寒炉重暖、便放慢春衫针线——寒炉重暖、春衫针线放缓；「恐凤靴、挑菜归来，万一灞桥相见」——恐凤靴、挑菜归来，万一灞桥相见。写灞桥相见：恐凤靴挑菜归来（写踏青）、万一灞桥相见（用郑綮灞桥风雪之典）——恐挑菜归来、灞桥相见。这「恐凤靴、挑菜归来，万一灞桥相见」，是全词之结：以灞桥相见写其盼雪中相逢。全词含蓄深婉，咏物寄情，正是史达祖词中的名篇。
Prosody
Line by line
巧沁兰心，偷黏草甲，东风欲障新暖。
Cleverly it soaks the orchid's heart, secretly it clings to the grass sprouts; the east wind would fend off the new warmth.
巧沁兰心，偷黏草甲，东风欲障新暖。
Cunningly soaking the orchid hearts, stealthily clinging to the sheaths of grass; the east wind would bar the new warmth.
首三句写巧沁兰心，起笔即见其雪。「巧沁兰心」写巧沁兰心，「巧沁」写巧妙地沁入、「兰心」写兰花之心；「偷黏草甲」写偷黏草甲，「偷黏」写悄悄地黏住、「草甲」写草之甲；「东风欲障新暖」写东风欲障新暖，「东风」写春风、「欲障新暖」写想要遮挡新暖。三句一写巧沁兰心、一写偷黏草甲、一写东风欲障新暖，以巧沁兰心写雪之沁、以偷黏草甲写雪之黏、以欲障新暖写雪之寒，写尽春雪巧沁兰心、偷黏草甲、欲障新暖之情。以物起兴，含蓄而深婉，是「以物起兴」的妙笔。
The first three lines write the cunningly soaking orchid hearts, the snow at the first stroke. Cunningly soaking the orchid hearts writes the cunning soaking, the orchid heart; stealthily clinging to the sheaths of grass writes the stealthy clinging, the grass sheath; the east wind would bar the new warmth writes the east wind, the would-bar the new warmth. Three lines, one the soaking orchid hearts, one the clinging grass sheaths, one the east wind barring the warmth, the orchid-soaking for the snow's soaking, the grass-clinging for the snow's sticking, the barring-the-warmth for the snow's cold, exhausting the spring snow's soaking and sticking and barring. Rising on the thing, restrained and tactful, the fine brush.
行天入镜，做弄出、轻松纤软。
It crosses the sky and enters the mirror, making a show of light, soft, and delicate grace.
行天入镜，做弄出、轻松纤软。
Traversing the sky, entering the mirror, it fashions the light, the soft, the fine, the tender.
此三句写行天入镜，是全词写雪态的关键。「行天入镜」写行天入镜，用韩愈入镜窥鸾之意写雪行天入镜；「做弄出、轻松纤软」写做弄出轻松纤软，「做弄出」写做出、「轻松纤软」写轻盈松软纤细。三句一写行天入镜、一写做弄出轻松纤软，以行天入镜写雪之飞、以轻松纤软写雪之态，写尽行天入镜、轻松纤软之雪态。以典写雪，含蓄而灵动，是「以典写雪」的点睛之笔。
The three lines write the traversing sky, entering the mirror, the key of the ci's writing of the snow's bearing. Traversing the sky, entering the mirror uses Han Yu's entering-the-mirror-to-view-the-luan allusion for the snow's traversing the sky and entering the mirror; it fashions the light, the soft, the fine, the tender writes the fashioning, the light soft and fine. Three lines, one the sky-traversing mirror-entering, one the fashioning of the light and soft, the sky-traversing for the snow's flight, the light-soft for the snow's bearing, exhausting the snow's light, soft, fine, tender bearing. Writing the snow through allusion, restrained and lively, the pointed brush.
青未了、柳回白眼。
The green is not yet ended, yet the willows turn back their whites of eyes.
青未了、柳回白眼。
The green not yet ended — the willow has turned white-eyed.
此二句写柳回白眼，是全词以柳写雪的关键。「青未了」写青未了，「青未了」写青色未了；「柳回白眼」写柳回白眼，「柳回白眼」用王衍白眼之典写柳眼为雪所覆如白眼。两句一写青未了、一写柳回白眼，以青未了写柳色尚青、以柳回白眼写柳眼覆雪如白眼，写尽春雪覆柳、柳眼如白眼之情。以柳写雪，含蓄而深婉，是「以柳写雪」的点睛之笔。
The two lines write the willow's turning white-eyed, the key of the ci's writing the snow through the willow. The green not yet ended writes the green not ended; the willow has turned white-eyed uses the Wang Yan white-eye allusion for the willow eye covered by the snow like the white eye. Two lines, one the green not ended, one the willow's white eye, the green-not-ended for the willow color still green, the white-eye for the willow eye snow-covered like the white eye, exhausting the spring snow covering the willow, the willow eye like the white eye. Writing the snow through the willow, restrained and tactful, the pointed brush.
恐凤靴、挑菜归来，万一灞桥相见。
I fear she returns from gathering herbs in her phoenix boots; what if we meet by chance on the Ba Bridge?
恐凤靴、挑菜归来，万一灞桥相见。
I fear the phoenix-boots returning from the vegetable-picking, and by chance meeting at Ba Bridge.
尾三句写灞桥相见，是全词立意的落点。「恐凤靴、挑菜归来」写恐凤靴挑菜归来，「恐」写恐怕、「凤靴挑菜归来」写穿着凤靴挑菜归来（挑菜为踏青节俗）；「万一灞桥相见」写万一灞桥相见，「万一」写万一、「灞桥相见」用郑綮灞桥风雪之典写灞桥相逢。三句一写恐凤靴挑菜归来、一写万一灞桥相见，以恐凤靴写其盼、以万一灞桥相见写雪中相逢之想，写尽恐其挑菜归来、万一灞桥相见之情。以典写情，含蓄而深挚，是全词最动人处，也是「以典写情」的点睛之笔。
The closing three lines write the meeting at Ba Bridge, the landing point of the ci. I fear the phoenix-boots returning from the vegetable-picking writes the fear, the phoenix-boots returning from the picking (the picking the spring-outing festival custom); and by chance meeting at Ba Bridge writes the by chance, the Ba Bridge meeting using the Zheng Qi Ba Bridge wind-snow allusion. Three lines, one the fear of the boots' return, one the by-chance Ba Bridge meeting, the fear-of-the-boots for the longing, the by-chance Ba Bridge meeting for the thought of the snow meeting, exhausting the fear of the return and the by-chance meeting. Writing feeling through allusion, restrained and deep, the most moving place, the pointed brush.
Study
Word focus
Related Reading
Lin Bu's sparse shadows slant, the water clear and shallow, hidden fragrance floats, the moon at dusk sets the standard for elegant description; Shi Dazu's cleverly soaks the orchid's heart matches its precision with a tenderer wit. One writes purity through plum, the other grace through snow.
林逋《山园小梅》「疏影横斜水清浅，暗香浮动月黄昏」，写梅之清雅，是宋诗咏物的绝唱；史达祖《东风第一枝》则以「巧沁兰心，偷黏草甲，东风欲障新暖」「青未了、柳回白眼。红欲断、杏开素面」写巧沁兰心、柳回白眼。两词同写咏物清雅、以物寄情：一写疏影横斜水清浅暗香浮动月黄昏、以梅写清，一写巧沁兰心偷黏草甲、以雪写雅；一为林逋之清逸、一为史达祖之深婉，并读正可见宋代写「咏物寄情」的两种笔法，皆于咏物之中见清雅。
晏殊·蝶恋花·槛菊愁烟兰泣露 Butterfly in Love with Flowers: Fence Chrysanthemums Grieve in Mist, Orchids Weep Dew 晏殊 · 同写春寒景物、独自凝愁，一写罗幕轻寒燕子双飞去、一写误了乍来双燕，皆于燕子之中见春寒凝愁 Both write spring scenes and solitary sorrow, one with swallows flying away, one with swallows delayed.Yan Shu's light cold within the gauze curtains, swallows fly away in pairs uses departing swallows for sorrow; Shi Dazu's wronging the newly arrived pair of swallows uses delayed swallows for spring cold. Yan Shu writes with warm restraint, Shi Dazu with delicate density.
晏殊《蝶恋花·槛菊愁烟兰泣露》「槛菊愁烟兰泣露。罗幕轻寒，燕子双飞去」，写秋景凝愁、燕子飞去，是宋词写愁的名篇；史达祖《东风第一枝》则以「料故园、不卷重帘，误了乍来双燕」「恐凤靴、挑菜归来，万一灞桥相见」写误了双燕、灞桥相见。两词同写春寒景物、独自凝愁：一写罗幕轻寒燕子双飞去、以燕去写愁，一写误了乍来双燕、以燕误写寒；一为晏殊之温润、一为史达祖之深婉，并读正可见宋词写「燕与春寒」的两种笔法，皆于燕子之中见春寒凝愁。