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宋 Song · 词 Ci lyric

姜夔·踏莎行·自沔东来

Treading on Grass: Coming from Mian East

姜夔

Jiang Kui

婉约graceful and restrained 离愁parting sorrow

踏莎行·自沔东来（自沔东来，丁未元日至金陵，江上感梦而作）燕燕轻盈，莺莺娇软。
分明又向华胥见。
夜长争得薄情知，春初早被相思染。
别后书辞，别时针线。
离魂暗逐郎行远。
淮南皓月冷千山，冥冥归去无人管。

Swallows light, orioles soft and tender.
Clearly again I meet her in Hua Xu dream.
How can the fickle one know the long night?
Early spring already dyed with longing.

Letters after parting, needlework at parting.
Her soul secretly follows her lover far.
The cold moon over Huainan chills a thousand hills.
In the dim dark she returns, no one to care.

Listen

Meaning

The poet dreams of his beloved, recalling her graceful figure and soft voice. He laments that she does not know his longing through the long night. After parting, her letters and needlework are constant reminders. Her soul seems to follow him, but under the cold moon over Huainan, she returns alone in darkness, uncared for.

燕燕身姿轻盈，莺莺笑语娇软。分明又在梦境的华胥之国与她相见。漫漫长夜，那薄情的人儿怎知我的相思？初春时节，心早被离情别绪浸染。别后的书信言辞，别时的衣物针线，件件在眼。她的离魂暗暗追随着情郎远去天涯。淮南的明月清冷，照着千里千山，她就这样在幽冥中归去，再无人照管。

Appreciation

This poem was written on New Year's Day 1187 when Jiang Kui traveled from Mian to Jinling and dreamed of his former lover in Hefei. The first stanza depicts the dream meeting; the second shifts to reality with tokens of remembrance. The final lines use the cold moon to create a desolate atmosphere, turning longing into a pure, ethereal realm.

【白话串讲】姜夔在金陵梦见恋人：“燕燕轻盈，莺莺娇软。分明又向华胥见”——梦里她那么清楚。“淮南皓月冷千山”——梦醒，只有淮南的冷月照着千山。姜夔的情词，冷得让人心碎。【意象与手法】此词艺术之妙，首在虚实相生之构：上片入梦，「华胥」用《列子》黄帝梦游之典点明梦境；下片出梦，以「书辞」「针线」等实物勾连别后情事。结句「淮南皓月冷千山，冥冥归去无人管」纯以景语收束，冷月千山、幽魂独归，不言恨而恨自深，得清空骚雅之致。用语炼而不涩，「轻盈」「娇软」叠用形容，声情并茂。【情感与主旨】此词小序明言「自沔东来，丁未元日至金陵，江上感梦而作」。丁未为淳熙十四年（1187），姜夔自汉阳东下，于金陵舟中梦见合肥旧日恋人而作。姜夔青年时客居合肥，与一对善弹琵琶的姐妹相恋，后被迫离别，终身念念不忘。词中「燕燕」「莺莺」即指所恋女子，「淮南」代指合肥一带。【名句点睛】中考高考赏析常从以下角度命题：①结句「淮南皓月冷千山」的意境与情感，答以景结情、空阔凄冷、深化相思之效；②「华胥」用典与虚实相生的结构；③「离魂暗逐郎行远」的痴情想象。

Background

The preface states: 'Coming from Mian East, on New Year's Day of 1187, I arrived at Jinling and, feeling dreamlike on the river, wrote this.' Jiang Kui dreamed of his Hefei lover on the boat. In his youth, he lived in Hefei and loved two pipa-playing sisters; they were forced to part. 'Swallows' and 'orioles' refer to the beloved, and 'Huainan' indicates the Hefei area. This poem is key evidence of his lifelong attachment.

此词小序明言「自沔东来，丁未元日至金陵，江上感梦而作」。丁未为宋孝宗淳熙十四年（1187），姜夔自汉阳（沔）东下，正月初一舟至金陵，江上感梦而作此词。姜夔（约1155—约1221），字尧章，号白石道人，鄱阳人，南宋词人、音乐家，终身布衣，依人作客，漂泊江湖。其青年时客居合肥（今属安徽），与一对善弹琵琶的姐妹相恋，后因家贫与世事所迫离别，遂成终身之憾，词中屡屡追怀（《鹧鸪天·元夕有所梦》《踏莎行》等皆咏此事）。此词上片写梦中相见，下片写梦醒后之悬想，「燕燕」「莺莺」即指所恋女子，「淮南」代指合肥一带。全词是白石一生合肥情事的重要物证，与其《鹧鸪天》《暗香》《疏影》诸作互为表里，共同构成南宋词中最深挚的恋情记忆。白石一生飘零，依人作客，其恋情亦因身世而不得善果，合肥之恋遂成其词中最深挚的底色。此词作于新年元日舟中，万家团圆之际而独在江上，感梦而作，相思与身世之感交织，遂成清空凄绝之音；词中「冥冥归去无人管」的孤寂，既是梦魂的孤寂，亦是词人一生的写照。

Art

The artistry lies in the interplay of illusion and reality: the first stanza enters a dream using the Hua Xu allusion; the second returns to reality with concrete objects like letters and needlework. The final lines use pure landscape imagery to convey emotion—the cold moon over a thousand hills, a lonely soul returning—achieving clarity and elegance. The language is refined and musical, characteristic of Jiang Kui's lyrical style.

此词艺术之妙，首在虚实相生之构。上片入梦：「燕燕轻盈，莺莺娇软」以叠字双关写梦中人的体态声容，「分明又向华胥见」以华胥之典点明梦境，「又」字暗示相思之频、入梦之多；「夜长争得薄情知，春初早被相思染」由梦转醒，以痴怨口吻写独守长夜的相思，谓对方怎知我长夜难眠，而春心早已被相思浸染。下片出梦：「别后书辞，别时针线」以两件实物勾连别后情事，物在人遥；「离魂暗逐郎行远」忽作痴情奇想——人虽不能相见，魂魄却暗随郎踪远去；结句「淮南皓月冷千山，冥冥归去无人管」纯以景语收束，冷月千山、幽魂独归，不言恨而恨自深。全词由梦入醒、由实入虚，结构回环，得清空骚雅之致。全词以梦为骨，以魂为脉：上片入梦写相见之欢，下片出梦写离别之思，而中间以「夜长」「春初」的时间流转与「书辞」「针线」的物证勾连，梦与醒、虚与实、欢与悲交织，结构回环而情感一气；结句以景收情，冷月千山，境界全出，是白石以景结情的经典示范。

Allusions

'Hua Xu' alludes to the Liezi: the Yellow Emperor dreamed of visiting Hua Xu, so it denotes a dream. 'Swallows' and 'orioles' are reduplicated words that describe the beloved's charm and echo classical poetry. 'Lang xing' uses the pronunciation 'hang', a Song colloquialism meaning 'that direction'. The allusions are seamlessly integrated, elegant yet not obscure.

「华胥」出自《列子·黄帝》「黄帝昼寝而梦，游于华胥氏之国」，后泛指梦境，此处点明「感梦」之由，以古雅之典写寻常之梦。「燕燕」「莺莺」并非严格典故，而是以叠字双关：既状女子体态声容（燕之轻盈、莺之娇软），又暗合《诗经·邶风·燕燕》「燕燕于飞」的送别传统与唐宋词中对歌妓的昵称，含亲昵怜惜之意。「郎行」之「行」读háng，指行列、那边，为宋人方言，犹言他那边，亲切而具时代色彩。「淮南皓月」以地名入景，淮南即合肥一带，月照千山而离人千里，以空间的辽阔写相思的无涯。全词典故化于无形，雅致而不艰深，是白石「以骚雅为宗」词风的典型体现。华胥之典本是帝王之梦，白石移以写儿女之情，古雅之中别见缠绵；燕燕莺莺之叠字，既本《诗经》燕燕于飞之章，又合唐宋词中歌妓昵称之习，雅俗相济；郎行之方言，更添口语之亲。诸般典故语汇并用于一阕之中而不觉驳杂，正见白石融铸雅俗、点铁成金的本领。

Commentary

Chen Tingzhuo in his Baiyu Zhai Poetry Notes said Jiang Kui's ci is rooted in elegance. This piece is profoundly sorrowful and reveals true emotion. Modern scholar Xia Chengtao dated it to 1187 as part of the Hefei love affair. Tang Guizhang praised the final lines as a masterpiece of lyrical sorrow.

陈廷焯《白雨斋词话》谓白石词「以骚雅为宗」，此作幽艳哀婉，最见性情。近人夏承焘《姜白石词编年笺校》考定此词为合肥情事之作，系于淳熙十四年，为研究白石生平情事的关键文献。唐圭璋《唐宋词简释》称「淮南皓月冷千山」二句「冷月千山，魂归无主，写足离魂之悲」，推为恋情词绝唱。白石词以「清空」著称（张炎《词源》：「清空二字，亦一生受用不尽」），此词写情而不涉艳语，以梦境、离魂、冷月出之，正是清空之境的体现；其以景结情的结尾方式，更为后世词家所取法。词中「春初早被相思染」之「染」字、「冥冥归去无人管」之「无人管」三字，皆于淡语中见深情，是白石恋情词的扛鼎之作。此词在姜夔恋情词中情感最为外显，学界论白石合肥情事，必以此词为证；其以清空之笔写至深之情，为后世词家所取法，周济、陈廷焯等皆予好评。词中「淮南皓月冷千山」一句，更成为中国词史上以景写情的名句，其冷寂空灵之境，千百年来感动无数读者。

Prosody

Form Ci poem, tune 'Treading on Grass', 58 characters in two stanzas词·《踏莎行》双调五十八字

Rhyme Oblique rhyme, free shifting. This poem rhymes with ruan/jian/ran/yuan/guan仄韵，换韵自由，本词以软、见、染、远、管等押韵

Tone pattern Each stanza has five lines with three oblique rhymes, regular structure上下片各五句三仄韵，句式整齐，音节低回

Reading note Jiang Kui follows the standard tune but with fluidity and ethereal quality.《踏莎行》双调五十八字，上下片各五句三仄韵，句式以七言与四言错落为主，声调低回婉转，宜写缠绵相思。此词上片「燕燕轻盈，莺莺娇软。分明又向华胥见」以四、四、七言相接，音节轻盈，正合梦中相见之缥缈；「夜长争得薄情知，春初早被相思染」两个七言对句，声情转深，写梦醒后的幽怨。下片「别后书辞，别时针线。离魂暗逐郎行远」句式与上片相同而内容更实，以对句写物、以散句写魂，节奏由平实转灵动；结句「淮南皓月冷千山，冥冥归去无人管」两个七言句低回收束，冷月千山、余韵凄清。全词押仄韵，韵字紧促，与相思的缠绵深挚相合，是白石词中声情与辞情相得的名篇，亦可见其通晓音律、以乐律入词的专业素养。

Line by line

燕燕轻盈，莺莺娇软。分明又向华胥见。

Yanyan, so light and graceful; Yingying, so tender and soft. Plainly, in a dream of Huaxu, I see her again.

燕燕身姿轻盈，莺莺笑语娇软，分明又在梦境中与她相见。

Yanyan's form is light and graceful; Yingying's voice is tender and soft. Plainly, in a dreamland, I have met her again.

起笔以叠字双关写梦中人：「燕燕」「莺莺」既是昵称，又以燕之轻盈状其体态、莺之娇软状其声容，两个叠词并置，声情并茂，人未登场而风韵已出。「分明又向华胥见」以华胥之典点明梦境，「分明」写梦中之真切，仿佛历历在目，「又」字见入梦之频——唯其相思之深，故重逢于梦。三句由昵称到典语，由实写到点梦，虚实相生，为全词的梦幻氛围定调。

The opening uses the doubled names with double meaning for the woman in the dream: Yanyan and Yingying at once the endearments and the swallow's light grace for her bearing, the oriole's tender softness for her voice and form, the two doubled words set side by side, sound and feeling complete, the charm out before the figure appears. Plainly, in a dreamland, I have met her again uses the Huaxu allusion to name the dream, the plainly the dream's vividness as if before the eyes, the again the frequency of the dreaming — precisely because the longing is deep, the reunion comes in the dream. Three lines from the endearment to the allusion, from the real writing to the naming of the dream, the real and the imagined feeding each other, setting the dreamy mood of the ci.

夜长争得薄情知，春初早被相思染。

The night is long; how can the faithless one know it? Early spring is already dyed through with longing.

漫漫长夜，那薄情的人儿怎知我的相思？初春时节，心早被离情浸染。

The long night — how can the faithless one know it? Early spring is already dyed through with longing.

由梦转醒，以痴怨口吻写相思：「夜长争得薄情知」谓长夜漫漫，独守空闺的滋味，那薄情的人怎能知道？一声「薄情」，怨中含爱，痴情可掬。「春初早被相思染」转写时序——春才初至，心已被相思浸染，一个「染」字化无形之情为可染之物，相思如墨、春心如纸，色浓难褪。两句一问一叹，将梦醒后的孤独与相思的深浓层层写出，是上片情感的高潮，也为下片离魂之想铺垫。

Turning from dream to waking, the grievance-and-devotion tone writes the longing. The long night — how can the faithless one know it? means the endless night, the taste of the sleepless chamber, how should the faithless one know? The one word faithless carries love within the grievance, the devotion visible. Early spring is already dyed through with longing turns to the season — spring just come, and the heart already dyed with longing, the word dye turning the invisible feeling into the dyeable thing, longing like ink, the spring heart like paper, the color deep and hard to fade. Two lines, one question one sigh, writing the loneliness after waking and the depth of longing layer on layer, the emotional peak of the first stanza, storing ground for the second stanza's parted-soul imagining.

别后书辞，别时针线。离魂暗逐郎行远。

The letters after the parting, the needlework at the parting; her parted soul secretly follows her lover far away.

别后的书信言辞，别时的衣物针线，件件在眼；她的离魂暗暗追随着情郎远去天涯。

The letters exchanged after the parting, the needlework at the hour of parting; her parted soul secretly follows her lover's distant road.

下片出梦，以两件实物勾连情事：「书辞」是别后往还的尺素，「针线」是别时缝衣的遗物，物在人遥，睹物思人，相思有了具体的凭依。继以「离魂暗逐郎行远」作痴情奇想：身不能同往，魂魄却暗随郎踪，远行千里。一个「暗」字写离魂之悄无声息，如影随形，痴情到了极处便生奇想，此句将相思写透写绝，是下片的奇峰，亦为结句冷月魂归蓄势。

The second stanza leaves the dream, linking the love affair through two concrete objects: the letters the exchanged notes after the parting, the needlework the sewn garment left at the parting, the thing present and the man far, the sight of the thing thinking of the man, the longing given a concrete hold. Then her parted soul secretly follows her lover's distant road makes the wild fancy of devotion: the body cannot go together, and yet the soul secretly follows the lover's track, traveling a thousand li. The word secretly writes the parted soul's soundless coming, shadow and form following; devotion at the extremity breeds the fancy, and the line writes the longing through to its end, the second stanza's rising peak, storing force for the closing cold-moon return.

淮南皓月冷千山，冥冥归去无人管。

The bright moon over Huainan chills the thousand hills; in the dark she returns, with none to tend her way.

淮南的明月清冷，照着千里千山；她就这样在幽冥中归去，再无人照管。

The bright moon over Huainan, cold on a thousand hills; in the dark she returns, and no one sees to her going.

结句以景结情，清空凄绝，是全词之眼：淮南皓月当空，清冷的光辉照着千山万水，离魂在这冷月下冥冥归去，再无人照管。「冷」字写月色之凄清浸入千山，「无人管」三字写魂归无主、孤寂无依，将相思的痴情转为彻骨的悲凉——人既不能长相守，魂亦不能长相随，唯冷月千山为伴。两句不言恨而恨自深，以景语收束，境界空阔而情感深挚，是白石词「清空骚雅」的极致，向为词家所称赏。

The close ends feeling in scene, lucid and desolate to the extreme, the eye of the ci: the bright moon over Huainan, its cold light over a thousand hills, the parted soul returning in the dark beneath this cold moon, with none to tend her way. The word cold writes the moonlight's bleakness sinking into the thousand hills; the three words none to tend write the soulless return, the loneliness without stay, turning the devotion of longing into the bone-deep desolation — the man cannot stay together, the soul cannot follow long, only the cold moon and the thousand hills for company. Two lines naming no grief and the grief self-deep, closing in the language of scene, the realm vast and the feeling deep, the extreme of Jiang Kui's lucid elegance, long admired by the critics.

Study

Word focus

华胥 Refers to a dreamland from Liezi, indicating the dream state. 「分明又向华胥见」之「华胥」，化用《列子·黄帝》黄帝梦游华胥氏之国的典故，以古雅之词代指梦境，自然点出「感梦」题旨。华胥之用妙在双关：既点明所写为梦中相会，又暗含此梦之美好如华胥乐土，一典而意境全出。白石用典贵在融化无痕，此词以一个华胥领起全篇梦境，不释而自明，正是其「用事不为事所使」的典范，也是理解全词虚实结构的钥匙。

冷 Used as an adjective meaning 'chilling', conveying the coldness of moonlight and loneliness. 「淮南皓月冷千山」之「冷」字，形容词用作使动，写月光之凄清浸入千山，烘托离魂孤寂。月本无情，一「冷」字便觉月之清辉如寒霜洒遍千山，天地为之萧瑟；冷月照离魂，冷月映孤心，物我同一凄清。此字承上片「相思染」的浓烈而来，转以冷寂出之，由热入冷，正见相思至极反归于苍凉，是全词情感基调的转折字眼，也是白石炼字以营造意境的代表。

郎行 'Lang xing' (xing pronounced hang) is a Song colloquialism meaning 'that direction', referring to the lover. 「离魂暗逐郎行远」之「郎行」，「行」读háng，指那边、行列，为宋人俗语，犹言他那边、情郎那里。以方言入词，亲切而具时代色彩，与「燕燕莺莺」的昵称相配，更显情侣间的亲昵口吻。此二字使「离魂暗逐」的奇想带上了家常的温情——不是书面的郎君，而是口语的郎行，痴情之语因此愈显真挚，是白石词雅中带俗、炼而不涩的语言特色的一个缩影。