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宋 Song · 词 Ci lyric

蒋捷·一剪梅·舟过吴江

A Branch of Plum Blossoms: Passing Wu River by Boat

蒋捷

Jiang Jie

婉约graceful lyricism (wan-yue style) 羁旅travel and homesickness

一剪梅·舟过吴江一片春愁待酒浇。
江上舟摇，楼上帘招。
秋娘渡与泰娘桥，风又飘飘，雨又萧萧。
何日归家洗客袍？
银字笙调，心字香烧。
流光容易把人抛，红了樱桃，绿了芭蕉。

A measure of spring sorrow awaits wine to drown it.
The boat rocks upon the river; the tavern curtain beckons from the tower.
Past Qiuniang Ferry and Tainiang Bridge, the wind drifts on and on, the rain sighs and sighs.
When shall I return home to wash my traveller's robe? Tune the silver-lettered sheng, burn the heart-shaped incense.
Fleeting time easily casts men aside; the cherries redden, the plantains turn green.

Listen

Meaning

Spring sorrow fills the heart, waiting for wine to wash it away. On the river the small boat sways; from the tower the wine-shop curtain flutters and beckons. The boat passes Qiuniang Ferry and Tainiang Bridge, while wind and rain drift and sigh. When may I return home to wash my traveller's clothes? Then I would play the silver-lettered sheng and burn heart-shaped incense. Fleeting time easily casts men aside; the cherries redden, the plantains grow green.

满怀春愁等着酒来浇熄。江上小船摇荡，酒楼帘幕招展。过了秋娘渡、泰娘桥，风雨飘飘萧萧。何时才能回家洗净旅衣？调弄银字笙，焚起心字香。流光易抛人而去，樱桃红了，芭蕉绿了。

Appreciation

This is a lyric of the graceful (wan-yue) school, structured in two parts: scene above, feeling below. The opening sets a drifting, lonely mood, spring sorrow met with wine, the rocking boat and fluttering curtain painting a wanderer's rootlessness. Past the named ferries and bridges, the reduplicated 'drifting' and 'sighing' of wind and rain sound out a desolate, lingering grief. The lower part turns inward: 'when shall I go home' states the homesick ache directly, while 'tune the sheng, burn the incense' imagines a quiet domestic ease by way of comfort. The closing line is the stroke of genius, colouring the passing seasons to make abstract time visible, weaving the pain of wandering into a fresh, delicate image.

【白话串讲】 “一片春愁待酒浇。江上舟摇，楼上帘招”——蒋捷乘舟过吴江：春愁要酒来浇。“何日归家洗客袍”——什么时候回家洗去客袍？“流光容易把人抛，红了樱桃，绿了芭蕉”——时光抛下人就走了，樱桃红了，芭蕉绿了。【意象与手法】上片以“舟摇”“帘招”与“风又飘飘，雨又萧萧”的叠字，铺写舟行风雨中的飘零感，声情凄切【情感与主旨】蒋捷（约1245—1305），字胜欲，号竹山，阳羡（今江苏宜兴）人，宋末元初遗民词人【名句点睛】中高考常考：一、叠字，“飘飘”“萧萧”的音响与情感效果

Background

Jiang Jie (ca. 1245-1305), courtesy Shengyu, pen-name Zhushan, was a lyricist of Yixing (modern Jiangsu) who lived through the fall of the Southern Song and the rise of the Yuan. This lyric was likely written during his wanderings through Jiangsu and Zhejiang around the time of the dynastic collapse. Wu River (modern Suzhou's Wujiang) was a canal hub; the title 'Passing Wu River by Boat' marks a journey. In an age of dynastic upheaval, scholars drifted as guests and travellers; the 'spring sorrow' here holds both homesickness and the grief of a lost state and a fractured life. 'Qiuniang Ferry' and 'Tainiang Bridge' are local Wu landmarks named after singing girls, hinting at the ease of bygone prosperity now gone. The closing 'cherries redden, plantains green' uses the turning of the seasons to write time's heartlessness, a miniature of the lonely, drifting mind of a left-behind subject after the ruin of his country.

《一剪梅·舟过吴江》为南宋词人蒋捷所作。蒋捷（约1245—约1310），字胜欲，号竹山，阳羡人，南宋末词人，“宋末四大家”之一。此词写舟过吴江的春愁与羁旅：一片春愁待酒浇，江上舟摇，楼上帘招；秋娘渡与泰娘桥，风又飘飘，雨又萧萧；何日归家洗客袍？银字笙调，心字香烧；流光容易把人抛，红了樱桃，绿了芭蕉。全词以春愁写羁旅之思与流光之感，是蒋捷词的名篇。

Art

The upper part lays out the drifting rain and wind with 'the boat rocks' 'the curtain beckons' and the reduplicated 'drifting on and on, sighing and sighs', building a forlorn, echoing sound and feeling. The lower part moves from outer scene to inner heart: 'when shall I return home' speaks the travel grief plainly; 'tune the silver-lettered sheng, burn the heart-shaped incense' imagines the ease after return, a small self-consolation. The closing 'Fleeting time easily casts men aside; the cherries redden, the plantains turn green' is inspired: 'red' and 'green' are set as colours, the ripening of cherry and plantain marking the silent change of seasons and an uncertain homecoming, turning abstract time into a visible, sensible scene, new in conception, and deeply in the spirit of Li Qingzhao's 'green is fat, red is slim', yet heavier with the pain of wandering.

《一剪梅·舟过吴江》艺术上以时光的流转与声情的流转见长。全词结构分明：上片写春愁羁旅——“一片春愁待酒浇”写春愁待酒，“江上舟摇，楼上帘招”写舟行酒招，“秋娘渡与泰娘桥，风又飘飘，雨又萧萧”写行船风雨；下片写归家之愿与流光之感——“何日归家洗客袍”写归家之愿，“银字笙调，心字香烧”写家中之乐，“流光容易把人抛，红了樱桃，绿了芭蕉”写流光之感。全词以“红了樱桃，绿了芭蕉”写流光之流转，声情并茂，正是蒋捷词“流转如珠”的风格。

Allusions

The lyric's allusions are light. 'Qiuniang Ferry' and 'Tainiang Bridge' are not book-allusions but place names in Wu named after singing girls (Qiuniang, Tainiang), local colour that hints at the ease of bygone prosperity now gone. 'Silver-lettered sheng' (a sheng inlaid with silver characters) and 'heart-shaped incense' (heart-formed incense cakes) were ordinary Song objects, evoking the quiet pleasures of home. On the whole the poem favours imagery over erudition, fitting Jiang Jie's 'replace allusion with scene' manner in his post-conquest lyrics. It may be read beside Li Qingzhao's 'A Branch of Plum Blossoms: The Red Lotus Fades', a same-tune work, one writes parting love, the other travel-weariness, both fond of reduplication and colouring.

《一剪梅·舟过吴江》用典在“秋娘渡”“泰娘桥”“银字笙”“心字香”。“秋娘渡”用唐杜秋娘之典，指吴江渡口；“泰娘桥”用唐泰娘之典，指吴江桥名；“银字笙”指饰银字的笙；“心字香”指心字形的香。全词以这些典故地名写行船之程与归家之乐，用典自然而不着痕迹，正是蒋捷“以典入词”而流转的风格。

Commentary

Liu Xizai, in his Arts in General (Yi Gai), said Jiang Jie's lyrics are 'refined and tight, with much that is newly won'; this closing line shows his cunning best. The modern scholar Tang Guizhang, in A Simple Exegesis of Tang and Song Lyrics, wrote: 'the cherries redden, the plantains green are truly famous lines, writing how swift time's stream is.' After entering the Yuan, Jiang Jie lived in retirement and would not serve; his lyrics often carry the sigh 'joys and partings are all without feeling'. Later ages rank him with Zhou Mi and Wang Yisun as one of the 'three great masters of the late Song'; this is a representative work of his travel lyrics.

《一剪梅·舟过吴江》是蒋捷词的名篇，也是宋末词中写流光之感的代表作。此词写舟过吴江的春愁与羁旅，向为论者称道。论者多赏其“流光容易把人抛，红了樱桃，绿了芭蕉”的收束——以“红了樱桃，绿了芭蕉”写流光之流转，红绿相对，遂成千古名句；“风又飘飘，雨又萧萧”写羁旅之风雨，更见愁绪。蒋捷为宋末词人，历经亡国，其词多写羁旅之感，此词正是其代表——以春愁写流光，正是其流转如珠的风格。

Prosody

Form Lyric, 'A Branch of Plum Blossoms' (Yi Jian Mei), double-tune sixty characters词牌·一剪梅

Rhyme Level rhyme (drown, beckons, sigh, robe, burn, green, etc.)《一剪梅》为双调，上下片各六句，押平声韵。此词用韵：浇、摇、招、桥、萧（萧豪部）、袍、调、烧、抛、蕉（萧豪部），上下片同韵，音节流转。

Tone pattern Six lines each in upper and lower parts, with varied sentence lengths《一剪梅》句式以七、四言相间，音节流转。此词上片写舟行风雨，音节低回，如风又飘飘；下片写归家之愿与流光之感，音节流转，如红了樱桃。全词以平韵贯底，声调与羁旅流光的内容相合，是宋词中流转如珠的一路。

Reading note This lyric uses the level-rhyme Yi Jian Mei form; its repeated lines show folk-song flavour.《一剪梅·舟过吴江》为词牌《一剪梅》，是蒋捷词的名篇。此词写舟过吴江的春愁与羁旅：上片写春愁待酒、舟行风雨，下片写归家之愿与流光之感。以“红了樱桃，绿了芭蕉”写流光之流转，红绿相对、化静为动，遂成千古名句。蒋捷为宋末词人，历经亡国，其词多写羁旅，此词正是其“流转如珠”风格的代表。

Line by line

一片春愁待酒浇，江上舟摇，楼上帘招。

A stretch of spring sorrow waits for wine to drown it; the boat rocks on the river, the wine curtain beckons from the tavern.

一片春愁，等着酒来浇。江上小舟摇荡，楼上酒帘招展。

A stretch of spring sorrow, waiting for wine to drown it; the boat rocks on the river, the wine curtain from the tavern beckons.

上片起写春愁与舟行。“一片春愁待酒浇”写春愁待酒——“一片”写其弥漫，“春愁”写春之愁绪，“待酒浇”写等待酒浇愁；“江上舟摇，楼上帘招”写舟行酒招——“江上舟摇”写舟在江上摇荡，“楼上帘招”写楼上酒帘招展——舟摇而行，帘招而饮。三句写春愁与舟行：一片春愁，待酒来浇；江上舟摇，楼上帘招。以“待酒浇”写春愁之浓，以“舟摇”“帘招”写羁旅之景，正是蒋捷写羁旅春愁的笔法——愁深待酒，而酒帘正招。

The first stanza opens on spring sorrow and the boat's drifting. A stretch of spring sorrow waits for wine to drown it writes the sorrow's diffusion and its waiting on wine; the boat rocks on the river, the wine curtain beckons from the tavern writes the boat on the water and the tavern curtain's call — the boat drifting on its way, the curtain calling to drink. Three lines: the stretch of sorrow waiting for wine, the rocking boat, the beckoning curtain. The waiting-on-wine writes the sorrow's depth; the rocking and the beckoning write the travel scene — precisely Jiang Jie's way of writing the travel spring sorrow: grief deep and wine-laden, and the wine curtain calling.

秋娘渡与泰娘桥，风又飘飘，雨又萧萧。

Past Qiuniang Ferry and Tainiang Bridge, the wind drifts again, the rain patters again.

过了秋娘渡与泰娘桥，风又飘飘，雨又萧萧。

Passing Qiuniang Ferry and Tainiang Bridge, the wind drifts on and the rain patters on.

此数句写行船风雨，是全词写羁旅之苦的关键。“秋娘渡与泰娘桥”写行船之程——“秋娘渡”“泰娘桥”写吴江地名，点出行船所经；“风又飘飘，雨又萧萧”写行船风雨——“风又飘飘”写风又飘飘，“雨又萧萧”写雨又萧萧——风雨交加，行船艰难。三句写行船风雨：过了秋娘渡与泰娘桥，风又飘飘、雨又萧萧。以“秋娘渡与泰娘桥”写行船之程，以“风又飘飘，雨又萧萧”写风雨之苦，两个“又”字写风雨之不断，正是蒋捷写羁旅之苦的笔法——行船已倦，风雨又至。

These lines write the boat in wind and rain, the key of the ci's travel hardship. Qiuniang Ferry and Tainiang Bridge name the Wujiang places on the boat's course; the wind drifts again, the rain patters again writes the wind and rain beating on the boat, the storm's hardship. Three lines: past the ferry and the bridge, the wind drifting, the rain pattering. The two again write the wind and rain's ceaselessness — precisely Jiang Jie's way of writing the travel hardship: the boat already weary, and the wind and rain come again.

何日归家洗客袍？银字笙调，心字香烧。

When shall I go home and wash the traveler's robe? The silver-noted sheng tuned, the heart-shaped incense burning.

何日归家，洗去客袍上的风尘？调弄银字笙，焚烧心字香。

When shall I return home and wash the dust from my traveler's robe? The silver-noted sheng tuned, the heart-shaped incense burned.

下片起写归家之愿，是全词情感的转折。“何日归家洗客袍”写归家之愿——“何日”写何时，“归家洗客袍”写归家洗去客袍风尘——何时能归家，洗去羁旅之尘；“银字笙调，心字香烧”写家中之乐——“银字笙调”写调弄银字笙，“心字香烧”写焚烧心字香——归家之后，调笙烧香，何等安闲。三句写归家之愿与家中之乐：何日归家洗客袍？调银字笙、烧心字香。以“何日归家”写归期之渺茫，以“银字笙调，心字香烧”写家中之安乐，正是蒋捷写羁旅之思的笔法——以家之乐，反衬旅之苦。

The second stanza opens on the wish to return home, the emotional turn of the ci. When shall I go home and wash the traveler's robe? writes the return's longing — when, and the home washing of the robe's dust; the silver-noted sheng tuned, the heart-shaped incense burning writes the home's ease — tuning the sheng, burning the heart-shaped incense, what leisure after the return. Three lines: the when-shall-I, the tuned sheng, the burning incense. The when-shall-I writes the homecoming's uncertainty; the tuned sheng and burning incense write the home's ease — precisely Jiang Jie's way of writing the travel longing: the home's joy set against the road's hardship.

流光容易把人抛，红了樱桃，绿了芭蕉。

Flowing time so easily casts men aside; it reddens the cherries, it greens the banana leaves.

流光容易把人抛弃，红了樱桃，绿了芭蕉。

Flowing time so easily casts men aside; it has reddened the cherries and greened the banana leaves.

末句写流光之感，是全词的归结与名句。“流光容易把人抛”写流光之易逝——“流光”写流逝之光阴，“容易把人抛”写轻易把人抛弃；“红了樱桃，绿了芭蕉”写时光之流转——“红了樱桃”写樱桃变红，“绿了芭蕉”写芭蕉变绿——春去夏来，樱桃红而芭蕉绿。三句写流光之感：流光容易把人抛弃，红了樱桃、绿了芭蕉。以“容易把人抛”写流光之无情，以“红了樱桃，绿了芭蕉”写时光之流转，红绿相对、化静为动，正是蒋捷写流光的妙笔——不着一个“春”字，而春去夏来尽在其中。这一收束，流转如珠，遂成千古名句。

The close writes the sense of fleeting time, the gathering and the famous line. Flowing time so easily casts men aside writes the time's swift flight and its casting-off; it reddens the cherries, it greens the banana leaves writes the turning of the seasons — cherries red, banana leaves green, spring gone and summer come. Three lines: the time's casting off, the red cherries, the green banana. The easily-casts-aside writes time's ruthlessness; the red-and-green writes the seasons' turn, the red against green, stillness turned to motion — precisely Jiang Jie's wondrous brush for fleeting time: not one word of spring, and spring's going and summer's coming are all within. The close rolls like a bead, and has become a famous line through the ages.

Study

Word focus

春愁 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. “一片春愁待酒浇”之“春愁”，写春之愁绪，是全词情感的核心词。“春”写时节，“愁”写愁绪——一片春愁，弥漫心怀。这一词写羁旅春愁：不是寻常之愁，而是春愁；不是一时之愁，而是弥漫一片。以“春愁”写愁，以“待酒浇”写其浓，正是蒋捷写羁旅愁绪的笔法——愁深待酒。

客袍 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. “何日归家洗客袍”之“客袍”，写客居之衣，是全词写羁旅的关键词。“客”写客居，“袍”写衣袍——归家洗去客袍，即洗去羁旅风尘。这一词写羁旅之身：不是家衣，而是客袍；不是安居之服，而是漂泊之衣。以“客袍”写羁旅，以“洗客袍”写归家之愿，正是蒋捷写羁旅之思的笔法——客袍在身，归期无期。

流光 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. “流光容易把人抛”之“流光”，写流逝之光阴，是全词写时光之感的关键词。“流”写流逝，“光”写光阴——流光如逝水，容易把人抛。这一词写时光之无情：不是静止之时光，而是流光；不是可留之时间，而是把人抛之流光。以“流光”写时光，以“容易把人抛”写其无情，正是蒋捷写流光之感的笔法——流光抛人，人自不察。

红了樱桃，绿了芭蕉 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. “红了樱桃，绿了芭蕉”之“红了樱桃，绿了芭蕉”，写樱桃红而芭蕉绿，是全词写时光流转的名句。“红”写变红，“绿”写变绿——樱桃红了，芭蕉绿了。这一句化静为动，以颜色的变化写时光的流转：不着“春”“夏”字样，而春去夏来尽在其中。以“红了”“绿了”写颜色之变，正是蒋捷写流光的妙笔——两句之中，一年已过。