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宋 Song · 词 Ci lyric

浣溪沙·一曲新词酒一杯

Silk-Washing Stream: A Cup of Wine, A New Song

晏殊

Yan Shu

闲愁leisurely melancholy 哲理philosophy 婉约graceful

一曲新词酒一杯，去年天气旧亭台。
夕阳西下几时回？
无可奈何花落去，似曾相识燕归来。
小园香径独徘徊。

A cup of wine and a new song, the same weather and the same old terrace.
The setting sun goes down; when will it come back again?
Nothing can help the fallen flowers; the swallows return, but they seem familiar.
On the scented path of the little garden I pace alone.

Listen

Meaning

The poet drinks wine and sings a new song, but the weather and terrace are the same as last year, evoking a sense of time's passage. He laments the setting sun, the fallen flowers, and the return of swallows, which bring both familiarity and loss. Finally, he wanders alone on the garden path, lost in melancholy reflection.

听一曲新词，饮一杯醇酒，依然是去年的天气、旧时的亭台。夕阳缓缓沉向西边，可曾几时回转？花儿零落，教人无可奈何；那似曾相识的燕子，又翩然归来。我独自在小园里落花飘香的小径上，来回徘徊。

Appreciation

This ci poem captures the gentle sorrow of a leisurely aristocrat during late spring. Through simple yet profound imagery—the unchanging terrace, the setting sun, falling flowers, and returning swallows—Yan Shu expresses the universal regret over the passage of time. The parallel couplet 'Nothing can help the fallen flowers; the swallows return, but they seem familiar' is especially celebrated for its natural symmetry and philosophical depth, blending emotion and reason seamlessly.

【白话串讲】 “无可奈何花落去，似曾相识燕归来”——晏殊在酒席上写下的这句，成了中国人感叹时光最常用的一句话。花会落，燕会来，年年如此，像某种温柔的循环。【意象与手法】全词语言圆融闲雅，如珠走盘，于不经意处见工巧【情感与主旨】晏殊（991—1055）少年成名，官至宰相，词多写士大夫闲雅富贵生活中的淡淡哀愁，开创北宋婉约唯美一脉，世称"北宋倚【名句点睛】常考名句"无可奈何花落去，似曾相识燕归来"，重点赏析其工整对仗与"闲愁"中含理趣的特质

Background

Yan Shu (991–1055) rose to become a prime minister in the Northern Song dynasty. His ci poetry is known for its elegant, leisurely tone, often expressing a subtle melancholy amid a life of comfort. This poem was likely written during a spring feast when the poet, faced with the unchanging scenery, was acutely aware of time's relentless flow. It embodies the 'leisurely sorrow' typical of his collection 'Pearl and Jade Lyrics'.

晏殊（九九一—一〇五五），字同叔，抚州临川人，北宋名相、词人，少年成名，官至宰相，谥元献。其词多写士大夫闲雅富贵生活中的淡淡哀愁，开创北宋婉约唯美一脉，世称「北宋倚声家初祖」。《浣溪沙·一曲新词酒一杯》约作于其早年或中年居官优游之时，具体年月难确。词写听歌饮酒、面对亭台夕阳花燕的闲愁，正是太平宰相「不识愁滋味而自带愁思」的典型心境。就文学传统而言，伤春惜时自宋玉《九辩》「岁忽忽而遒尽」发端，至李煜「林花谢了春红」以亡国之痛写花落，晏殊则以承平士大夫的身份，将花落燕归化为一种哲理性的闲愁，别开「闲雅中有理趣」之风。版本上，此词异文多见于起句，或作一曲新词酒一杯，亦有一本作一曲新声酒一杯者，今从通行本。花落去、燕归来一联，相传晏殊曾与王安石、王琪等人共为属对，虽属宋人笔记小说家言，亦可见其名句之受重与推敲之勤。

Art

The language is smooth and refined, seemingly effortless yet meticulously crafted. The famous couplet 'Nothing can help the fallen flowers; the swallows return, but they seem familiar' is a perfect natural parallel, devoid of artifice. The poem progresses from drinking and song to the sight of the setting sun, then to the falling flowers and returning swallows, and finally to solitary pacing—each scene infused with emotion and reflection.

此词艺术之妙，在于以圆融闲雅之笔写深沉的时光之慨。上片起句一曲新词酒一杯，去年天气旧亭台，以对仗写今年与去年的重叠——歌酒如旧、天气亭台如旧，唯人已非昨；夕阳西下几时回以问句写日之西沉不可回，暗喻时光之不可逆。下片无可奈何花落去，似曾相识燕归来，以千古名对写花落之无奈与燕归之似曾，一消一长、一逝一返，蕴含宇宙循环与人生无常的哲思；小园香径独徘徊以独徘徊收束，写闲愁之无可排遣。章法上，由今昔重叠、到日逝不回、到花落燕归、到独徘徊，层层递入，景情相生。语言如珠走盘，于不经意处见工巧，是晏殊「富贵闲雅」词风的代表。其看似随意，实则字字经营，是炉火纯青后的从容。上片以重叠写今昔之似、以问句写逝水之慨，下片以名对写消长之思；全词如行云流水，于不经意处见经营，是晏殊圆融闲雅风格最凝练的呈现。

Allusions

The opening 'a cup of wine and a new song' echoes the literary banquets of the Tang dynasty. 'When will the setting sun come back again?' recalls Li Shangyin's lines about the sunset's beauty tinged with regret. The falling flowers and returning swallows are traditional symbols of spring's end; according to Song dynasty records, the line 'the swallows return, but they seem familiar' was actually suggested by Yan Shu's disciple Wang Qi, showing the poet's meticulous crafting.

词中意象多承古典而能化俗为雅。一曲新词酒一杯化用唐人宴乐歌酒之风（如白居易「诗酒趁年华」）；去年天气旧亭台暗用李商隐《夜雨寄北》及「昔去雪如花，今来花似雪」的今昔对照之意，以天气亭台之旧反衬人事之新。夕阳西下几时回本于孔子「逝者如斯夫」与李商隐「夕阳无限好，只是近黄昏」的时光之叹。无可奈何花落去承李煜「林花谢了春红，太匆匆」及孟浩然「夜来风雨声，花落知多少」的惜花传统；似曾相识燕归来化用刘禹锡「旧时王谢堂前燕」之燕归意象，以燕之识旧写似曾之感。小园香径暗合魏晋园林之趣。整体用典融化无痕，于富贵闲适中藏理趣。其点化前人成句，如自肺腑流出，是大家化境。新词酒、旧亭台、夕阳、落花、归燕，皆自唐宋诗文中提炼的时光意象；经晏殊组合，遂成闲愁书写的典型语码，后此意象群为历代词家所袭用。此种意象组合，遂成宋人写时光流转之经典范式，流风所及甚远。

Commentary

Modern critics praise Yan Shu's 'Pearl and Jade Lyrics' as 'round as pearls, smooth as jade, leisurely and refined.' This poem embodies the typical 'graceful sorrow' of the Yan-Ou school. Yang Shen of the Ming dynasty admired the couplet as 'naturally paired, with lingering charm,' confirming its high status in ci history.

此词向来被誉为晏殊词的代表作，亦宋词中写闲愁含理趣的典范。明人杨慎《词品》称其「无可奈何」一联「天然奇偶」；清人王士禛《花草蒙拾》以为「定非香奁诗可比」。无可奈何花落去，似曾相识燕归来一联，尤为千古名句，其工整对仗与闲愁中含理趣的特质，被推为宋词骈俪之冠。此词因语言圆融、意境优美且便于记诵，历来入选总集与教材，现代传播极广，亦常作为古典诗词对仗教学的范例。在经典地位上，它标志晏殊以承平士大夫的身份，将晚唐五代香软词风洗为闲雅清丽，开北宋婉约唯美一脉；而论宋词中「闲愁即理趣」一路，则足与欧阳修、秦观并峙，而以晏殊为初祖。学者每以「富贵气象，闲雅情怀」评晏词，此篇足为其代表。此词以承平宰相之笔写光阴之叹，洗晚唐五代香艳而为清丽，开北宋婉约一脉；其无可奈何一联更成宋人对仗与理趣结合的千古标格。

Prosody

Form Ci meter: Huanxisha (Silk-Washing Stream), 42 characters in two stanzas, level-tone rhymes词（小令）·《浣溪沙》

Rhyme Rhymes on the same tone category (Pingsheng Shangping Shihui): cup, terrace, back, again, alone此词押平声灰哈韵，杯、台、回、来、徊同属平水韵上平十灰，一韵到底，声情闲雅和婉。

Tone pattern First stanza: three lines; transition line with couplet; second stanza: parallel couplet 'Nothing can help the fallen flowers; the swallows return, but they seem familiar' forms a flowing parallel双调四十二字，上片三句三平韵，下片三句两平韵（首句不押），句式以七、七、五错落，平仄协调，宜于写清丽婉转之情。

Reading note Overall style: graceful and elegant, with natural parallelism. The famous couplet is a masterpiece of effortless artistry.《浣溪沙》为唐教坊曲，双调小令，句式整饬而疏朗，最宜写清丽闲雅之情。晏殊此词上下片对称，上片由今昔重叠入夕阳之问，下片由花落燕归入独徘徊，结构由景及情、由慨及徊。押韵上，杯、台、回、来、徊同属平水韵十灰，一韵贯通，声情和婉闲雅，与承平士大夫的闲愁之调相协，读来如珠走盘。平仄方面，七字句领起，继以七字对句（无可奈何花落去，似曾相识燕归来）工对如铸，至结句小园香径独徘徊以七言疏朗收束。整体格律与内容相生，是以声调助闲雅、以对句见理趣的典范，亦见晏殊作为北宋倚声初祖的炼韵炼句之工。其韵平而情永，声与意俱闲。

Line by line

一曲新词酒一杯，去年天气旧亭台。

A cup of wine and a new song, the same weather and the same old terrace as last year. The contrast between 'new song' and 'old terrace' subtly evokes the passage of time and the melancholy of things remaining while people change.

听一曲新词，饮一杯醇酒，依然是去年的天气、旧时的亭台。

A new song, a cup of wine; the weather is still last year's, the pavilions still the old ones.

起二句以对仗写今昔之重叠，是晏殊闲雅词风的起笔典范。一曲新词酒一杯写眼前宴乐，去年天气旧亭台写环境之依旧——天气仍是去年之天气，亭台仍是旧时之亭台，唯有流年暗换、人事潜移。这一重叠句式看似平淡，实则以物之恒反衬人之变，暗含「风景不殊，正自有山河之异」式的淡淡哀感（语出《世说新语》）。晏殊以太平宰相之身，于富贵闲适中忽生今昔之慨，不写沉痛而写闲愁，举重若轻。对仗工稳，设色温润，是承平词笔的典型。其于乐景中暗藏哀音，最见婉约之妙。

The opening couplet writes the overlap of now and then, the model of Yan Shu's leisured elegance. A new song, a cup of wine writes the present delight; the weather is still last year's, the pavilions still the old ones writes the unchanged surroundings — the weather the same, the pavilions the same, only the years silently exchanged, the people imperceptibly moved. The overlapping phrasing seems plain, and yet sets the constancy of things against the change of men, carrying the faint grief of the scenery unchanged, only the times differ. Yan Shu, the grand councillor of peace, suddenly feeling the contrast of now and then in the midst of wealth and leisure — no heavy grief, only idle sorrow, the weight borne lightly. The couplet steady, the colors warm, the typical brush of the age of plenty; the hidden note of sorrow within the scene of delight, the quintessence of the graceful style.

夕阳西下几时回？

The setting sun goes down; when will it come back again? The question is addressed to the sun but laments the irreversibility of time. It shows the poet's deep regret over the fleeting years.

夕阳缓缓沉向西边，可曾几时回转？

The setting sun sinks in the west; when will it return?

上片结句以问收束，将前文的今昔重叠推入时光之慨。夕阳西下写日之沉没，几时回以问句出之，明知夕阳日日复西、明年仍有，却偏问「几时回」，暗喻的是逝去之时光、青春与人事不可重来。这一问承孔子「逝者如斯」与李商隐「夕阳无限好」的时光之叹，而化为闲雅口吻。它既是对自然循环的怅望，亦是对人生有限的轻慨，为下片花落燕归的宇宙之思张本。以景语作问、以问写慨，是晏殊词于不经意处见深沉的范例。其问而不答，余韵悠长。

The closing of the first stanza ends in the question, pushing the now-and-then overlap into the sigh for time. The setting sun sinks in the west writes the day's going down; when will it return? in the question: knowing full well the sun returns tomorrow, yet asking when it returns, the hidden reference the departed time, youth, and human affairs that cannot come again. The question inherits Confucius' what passes like this, and Li Shangyin's the setting sun is infinitely beautiful, turned into the leisured tone. It is both the longing for the natural cycle and the light sigh at life's limit, preparing the ground for the second stanza's blossoms and swallows. Ending scene in question, writing sigh in the question, the model of Yan Shu's depth in the unregarded — the question unanswered, the aftertone long.

无可奈何花落去，似曾相识燕归来。

Nothing can make the fallen flowers return; the swallows that come back seem familiar. The couplet is perfectly parallel: the helplessness of flowers falling and the familiarity of returning swallows blend emotion and philosophy, mourning loss while hinting at cyclical return.

花儿零落，教人无可奈何；那似曾相识的燕子，又翩然归来。

Helpless, the blossoms fall; as if familiar, the swallows come back.

此句为全词最著称的千古名联，亦宋词对仗的巅峰。无可奈何花落去写花之零落不可挽回，是无常之叹；似曾相识燕归来写燕之重临似曾相识，是循环之慰。一逝一返、一无奈一欣慰，构成宇宙间「消长相生」的辩证：花落象征逝去之不可留，燕归象征归来之可期。晏殊于此将闲愁升华为对时间循环的哲思，不着力而理趣自见。对仗上，无可奈何对似曾相识，花落去对燕归来，虚词与名词皆工，天然如铸。此联不仅写春愁，更写出人类面对时间流逝的普遍怅惘，故能千古传诵。

This is the ci's most famous couplet, the summit of Song ci parallelism. Helpless, the blossoms fall writes the falling beyond recall, the sigh for impermanence; as if familiar, the swallows come back writes the returning swallows, as if known before, the comfort of the cycle. One departure, one return; one helplessness, one solace — the dialectic of ebb and flow in the universe: the fallen blossom symbolizes the departed that cannot be kept, the returning swallow the comeback that may be hoped. Yan Shu here raises idle sorrow into the meditation on the cycle of time, the thought showing itself without effort. In parallelism, helpless against as if familiar, fall against return, the function words and nouns all exact, natural as if cast. The couplet writes not only spring sorrow, but the common human longing before time's passage, and so has been recited through the ages.

小园香径独徘徊。

On the scented path of the little garden, I pace alone. The solitary action sums up the mood of quiet melancholy, leaving the reader with a lingering sense of wistfulness.

我独自在小园里落花飘香的小径上，来回徘徊。

Alone, I wander on the fragrant path of the small garden.

结句以独徘徊收束全篇，是闲愁的最终落点。小园香径写环境的清幽香雅，独徘徊写主人公的孤行往复——既不忍去，亦无可如何，只能在落花小径上独自回旋。一个独字，呼应上片之闲与下片之慨，将前文所有今昔之重叠、夕阳之问、花落燕归之思，收束为一人之孤徘徊。这一收束不着悲字而闲愁自满，余韵悠长。它与起句的一曲新词酒一杯的宴乐形成对照：由众乐到独徘徊，由外境之热闹到内心之徊徨，章法圆融，是晏殊婉约词「以乐景写哀、以闲笔写深」的范例。其结如余音，绕梁不已。

The close ends the whole ci in the lone wandering, the final landing of the idle sorrow. The small garden's fragrant path writes the quiet elegance of the surroundings; alone, I wander writes the hero's solitary pacing — neither willing to leave nor able to help, only circling alone on the petal-strewn path. The word alone answers the leisure of the first stanza and the sigh of the second, gathering all the overlaps, the question, the blossoms and swallows into one solitary pacing. The close names no grief and yet the idle sorrow fills the line, the aftertone long. It contrasts the opening's new song, a cup of wine: from shared delight to lone wandering, from the outer bustle to the inner unrest, the circular structure the model of Yan Shu's writing grief through delight and depth through leisure. The close lingers like the afternote, winding around the beam.

Study

Word focus

旧 The character 'old' in 'old terrace' contrasts with 'new song,' highlighting the unchanged setting against the changed circumstances, a classic device for expressing nostalgia. 去年天气旧亭台之旧字，是上片写今昔之慨的眼目。旧与去年呼应，写亭台之依旧、物象之恒常，反衬人事之潜移与流年之暗换。一个旧字，以物之不变衬人之变，暗含风景不殊而年光已逝的淡淡哀感，是化用《世说新语》「风景不殊，正自有山河之异」的士大夫闲愁。它亦与下片似曾相识的燕归形成呼应——亭台之旧与燕归之似，同写「似曾」之物，而人之感慨则在其中。以寻常字写深沉的时间之慨，是晏殊炼字如神的范例。其字近而意远，最耐涵咏。

奈何 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 无可奈何花落去之奈何，是全词最见理趣与无奈的虚词。奈何者，如何、怎么办也，无可奈何即全然无力回天。花落去本是自然现象，晏殊却以无可奈何写人对时间流逝的无力感，将物理之必然化为心理之怅惘。这一虚词组合使客观景物带上了主观的深哀，却不流于呼号，仍是闲雅口吻。它与似曾相识形成虚词对仗，一写无力、一写似识，共同构成对时间循环的辩证体认。以虚词担起全联的情感重量，是宋词炼虚字如炼实字的典型。其辞婉而意深，理趣盎然。

独 Alone. The final word 'alone' sums up the poet's solitary state, leaving a lasting impression of loneliness and melancholy. 小园香径独徘徊之独字，是结句收束全篇的眼目。由起句一曲新词酒一杯的宴乐众享，到结句独徘徊的孤行，独字写出了闲愁最终回落于一人之身的孤独。一个独字，把前文所有的今昔重叠、夕阳之问、花落燕归之思，收束为具体的孤影徊徨，不着悲字而悲（闲愁）自深。它与上片之「旧」、下片之「似曾相识」形成张力：物似曾而人独对，景愈雅而心愈孤。以一字收千里之慨，是晏殊以小见大、以闲笔写深哀的范例。其以结穴之字，总束全篇之情。