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宋 Song · 诗 Poem

临安春雨初霁

First Morning Rain in Lin'an

陆游

Lu You

感慨Emotion 江南Jiangnan

世味年来薄似纱，谁令骑马客京华。
小楼一夜听春雨，深巷明朝卖杏花。
矮纸斜行闲作草，晴窗细乳戏分茶。
素衣莫起风尘叹，犹及清明可到家。

Worldly tastes in recent years thin as gauze,
Who made me ride a horse to lodge in the capital?
In a small tower all night I listen to spring rain,
In deep lanes at dawn they sell apricot blossoms.
On short paper slanting lines I idly practice cursive,
By sunny window fine tea froth I play at dividing.
Let not the white robe sigh over dust and grime,
I can still get home by Qingming time.

Listen

Meaning

The poet laments the thinness of human relationships and his forced stay in the capital. He depicts a quiet night listening to rain and the vivid morning scene of flower sellers. He engages in calligraphy and tea to pass time, and finally consoles himself that he can return home before Qingming.

近年来人情世态淡薄得像一层纱，是谁让我骑马客居京城临安？小楼上整夜听着春雨淅沥，清晨深巷里传来叫卖杏花的声音。铺开短纸随意写成草书，晴窗下细品茶沫、学着分茶游戏。莫要兴起白衣沾染风尘的感叹，还赶得上清明时节回到家中。

Appreciation

This poem uses the contrast between seemingly idle activities and inner frustration. The famous couplet 'In a small tower...' blends auditory and visual imagery to depict a fresh spring morning in Jiangnan, evoking both tranquility and melancholy. The poet's leisure masks a deep discontent with unfulfilled ambitions.

【白话串讲】 “小楼一夜听春雨，深巷明朝卖杏花”——陆游在临安等召见，一夜听雨，第二天小巷里卖杏花。他闲到练字分茶，闲得越雅，心里的失望越深。【意象与手法】全诗以「世味」起、「到家」结，首尾呼应，中间四句工对铺陈闲居情状。颔联「小楼一夜听春雨，深巷明朝卖杏花」听觉与视觉交织，时空由夜转晨，以寻常市井写尽江南春意，清空如画；颈联「矮纸斜行闲作草，晴窗细乳戏分茶」以草书、分茶细节写无聊消遣，暗含壮夫不为的牢骚。以乐景闲笔写悲情，含蓄蕴藉，深得宛转之妙。【情感与主旨】此诗作于南宋淳熙十三年（1186）春，陆游六十二岁，奉诏入京（临安）接受严州知州任命，候缺待命。距其上一次罢官闲居已逾六年，壮志未伸而年华老去。客居京华、听雨待朝，表面闲雅，内心却满怀报国无门之闷。「世味薄似纱」正是久经仕途浮沉后的苍凉体悟，而「清明可到家」则透露亟欲摆脱官场风尘的归意。【名句点睛】高频考点：①「小楼一夜听春雨，深巷明朝卖杏花」的意境与手法（听觉视觉交织、虚实相生）；②「闲」「戏」二字的反讽意味；③「薄似纱」的比喻；④首尾呼应、以闲适写悲愤的章法。

Background

Written in spring 1186, when Lu You, at 62, was summoned to Lin'an to await appointment as prefect of Yanzhou. He had been out of office for six years, feeling his ambitions unfulfilled. The poem reflects his weariness with official life and longing for home.

此诗作于南宋孝宗淳熙十三年（1186）春，陆游六十二岁，时奉诏入临安（今杭州）接受严州知州任命，候缺待命于旅邸。陆游自孝宗乾道六年（1170）入蜀后，历官夔州、南郑、成都等地，乾道八年（1172）被劾罢官，此后长期闲居山阴（今浙江绍兴），至淳熙十三年才再次起用，距其罢官闲居已逾六年。六年间，他壮志未伸而年华老去，对国家偏安一隅、自己报国无门的处境深感愤懑。此次奉诏入京，本是一次仕途转机，然陆游对官场浮沉早已看透，「世味年来薄似纱」正是他久经仕途后的苍凉体悟。诗人客居京华，候缺待命，百无聊赖，一夜听雨，明朝卖花，于闲适琐屑中暗藏郁愤。全诗表面写春雨初霁的江南春色与闲居情状，实则写尽一位爱国老诗人于暮年入京、壮志难酬的复杂心境，「清明可到家」之语，更透露其亟欲摆脱官场风尘、归返山阴故园的内心归意。此诗正是其暮年入京这一特殊时点的心境实录，兼具身世之感与家国之思。

Art

The poem opens and closes with personal feelings, with the middle two couplets depicting idle activities. The second couplet uses auditory and visual imagery to create a vivid scene. The third couplet details calligraphy and tea, suggesting forced leisure that hides deep frustration. The structure is balanced, with a shift from external observation to inner reflection.

此诗艺术上以「闲适其表，悲愤其里」为最大特色，含蓄蕴藉，深得宛转之妙。全诗以「世味」起、以「到家」结，首尾呼应，中间四句工对铺陈闲居情状。首联「世味年来薄似纱，谁令骑马客京华」以比喻写世情之淡薄，以设问写客居之无奈，起笔即含抑塞之气。颔联「小楼一夜听春雨，深巷明朝卖杏花」是千古名联：一夜听雨是听觉，明朝卖花是想象中的视觉，时空由夜转晨、由实入虚，以寻常市井写尽江南春意，清空如画，而「一夜」之听雨，正暗写愁思之绵长。颈联「矮纸斜行闲作草，晴窗细乳戏分茶」以草书、分茶两个细节写无聊消遣，「闲」「戏」二字表面闲适，实则暗含壮夫不为的牢骚——以草书、品茶消磨时光，正是英雄无用武之地的苦闷。尾联「素衣莫起风尘叹，犹及清明可到家」自我宽慰，以「素衣」喻清白，暗含对官场风尘的厌倦。全诗以乐景闲笔写悲情，一抑一扬，含蓄不尽。而「细乳」写茶沫之细，「斜行」写草书之逸，皆于细微处见功力。

Allusions

The line 'Let not the white robe sigh...' alludes to Lu Ji's poem about the dust of the capital staining a white robe, symbolizing official corruption. 'Cursive' and 'tea division' refer to literati pastimes, hinting at wasted talent.

此诗用典不多而皆精当。「素衣莫起风尘叹」化用西晋陆机《为顾彦先赠妇》「京洛多风尘，素衣化为缁」及谢朓《酬王晋安》「谁能久京洛，缁尘染素衣」，以白衣染尘喻宦途污浊、风尘劳顿，诗人反其意而用之，劝自己莫要兴起素衣染尘之叹，因为还来得及在清明前回家。「闲作草」暗用草书名家张芝「匆匆不暇草书」之典：张芝以草书著称，谓匆忙之时无暇写草书，陆游反其意，谓自己正因太闲，才得以从容写草书，暗含无事可做的牢骚。「分茶」为宋代点茶技艺，指以茶筅搅动茶汤使汤花呈现图案的茶戏，陆游《疏山东堂昼眠》「分茶何似煎茶好」等屡咏及之。「杏花」卖声则承江南早春习俗，点染出南宋都城临安的市井春色。诸典皆化入日常生活，不着痕迹，正是陆游晚年诗艺圆熟的表现。此外，「清明」二字暗含节令与人伦双重意蕴——清明本为祭祖踏青之节，诗人以「清明可到家」自慰，正见其对故园亲情的眷恋，与「世味薄似纱」的世态炎凉恰成对照，人伦之暖与世情之冷相映成趣。

Commentary

Critics praise the second couplet for its naturalness and evocative power. It is seen as a high point of Southern Song poetry, capturing the spirit of Lin'an. The poem's balance of idle description and personal lament is typical of Lu You's later work.

此诗为陆游晚年七律名篇，历代评价极高。南宋刘克庄《后村诗话》谓「小楼一夜听春雨，深巷明朝卖杏花」一联「明白如话而意极深远」。方回《瀛奎律髓》评曰：「以『世味』领起，以『到家』收束，中间两联极工。」近人论此诗，多以「闲适其表，悲愤其里」概括，以为此诗是放翁晚年诗风由豪宕转澄淡之代表。陆游一生以恢复中原为志，其诗或慷慨激昂如《书愤》，或沉郁苍凉如《示儿》，而此诗独以温婉闲雅之笔写报国无门之闷，以小楼春雨、深巷杏花的江南小景，衬托一位老诗人于京华客邸中的落寞，以小见大，别开生面。此诗与《书愤》恰成对照：一写「楼船夜雪瓜洲渡」的壮怀，一写「小楼一夜听春雨」的闲愁，可见陆游诗风之全，也可见其爱国之情在不同情境下的不同表达。在宋代七律中，此诗以其含蓄蕴藉、意境清空而独树一帜。此诗与《十一月四日风雨大作》等作对照，可见陆游晚年诗风之丰富——既能慷慨，亦能清婉，皆本于一片爱国丹心。

Prosody

Form Seven-character regulated verse, first line rhymes, even tone pattern七言律诗，首句入韵，平起平收（平水韵·六麻韵）

Rhyme sha, hua, hua, cha, jia (pingshui rhyme group six ma)纱、华、花、茶、家（平声麻韵）

Tone pattern Middle couplets are antithetical, with parallel structure中二联对仗：「小楼」对「深巷」、「一夜」对「明朝」、「矮纸」对「晴窗」，工整精严；平仄合律，音节流美。

Reading note Famous for the second couplet's imagery and subtle emotion此诗为七言律诗，首句入韵，平起平收，押平水韵下平六麻韵，「纱」「华」「花」「茶」「家」五字一韵到底。麻韵字音舒展明快，与全诗表面闲适的格调相谐，然诗中「薄似纱」「闲作草」「戏分茶」等语，于明快的韵律下暗藏沉郁，正见「以乐景写哀」之妙。全诗八句四联：首联写世味与客居，颔联写春雨杏花之江南春色，颈联写草书分茶之闲居情状，尾联写归家之愿，结构谨严，首尾呼应。颔联「小楼一夜听春雨，深巷明朝卖杏花」对仗工巧、意境清空，为千古名联，方回《瀛奎律髓》极赏之。此诗以工整的格律写闲适的生活，而以闲适之表掩悲愤之里，是陆游晚年七律「外示平淡、内蕴深沉」的典范。

Line by line

世味年来薄似纱，谁令骑马客京华。

Worldly tastes in recent years thin as gauze; who made me ride a horse to lodge in the capital? - Opening lament on human fickleness and forced stay.

近年来人情世态淡薄得像一层纱，是谁让我骑马客居京城临安？

The ways of the world of late are thin as gauze; who made me ride horseback, a guest in the capital?

「世味年来薄似纱，谁令骑马客京华」为全诗首联，起笔即定下全诗的基调。「世味」指人情世态的滋味，「年来薄似纱」以纱之轻薄喻世味之淡薄，贴切新奇：纱薄而透明，看似可亲，实则一捅即破，正写官场人情之虚浮凉薄。「谁令骑马客京华」以设问写客居之无奈：「谁令」二字看似责人，实为自嘲——六十二岁的老诗人，本可安居山阴，是谁让我骑马入京、客居于此？既是身不由己的感叹，也是壮志未酬的牢骚。此联由虚入实、由感入叹，以「薄似纱」的比喻与「谁令」的设问，将暮年入京的苍凉心境和盘托出，为全诗定下抑塞的基调。

The first couplet sets the poem's tone at the opening. The ways of the world of late are thin as gauze writes the thinness of human relations, the gauze's thin transparency a vivid, novel metaphor: gauze thin and see-through, seeming close, and yet torn at a touch, precisely the officialdom's hollow chill. Who made me ride horseback, a guest in the capital? writes the helplessness of the guest life in the question: the who made me seems to blame another, and is in truth the self-mockery — the sixty-two-year-old poet, who might have dwelled quietly in Shanyin, who made me ride to the capital and lodge here? At once the sigh of the body's unfreedom and the grievance of the thwarted ambition. The couplet moves from the abstract to the concrete, from feeling to sigh, using the thin-as-gauze metaphor and the who-made-me question to pour out the bleakness of the old man's coming to the capital, laying the poem's oppressed tone.

小楼一夜听春雨，深巷明朝卖杏花。

In a small tower all night I listen to spring rain; in deep lanes at dawn they sell apricot blossoms. - Auditory and visual imagery of spring night and morning.

小楼上整夜听着春雨淅沥，清晨深巷里传来叫卖杏花的声音。

All night on the small tower I listened to the spring rain; at dawn in the deep lane they will be selling apricot blossoms.

「小楼一夜听春雨，深巷明朝卖杏花」为全诗颔联，是千古传诵的名联。「小楼」点出客居之所，「一夜听春雨」以听觉写春夜：诗人整夜未眠，听春雨淅沥，既是写实，更暗写愁思——一夜听雨，正是心事重重、辗转难眠的写照。「深巷明朝卖杏花」由夜及晨、由实入虚：诗人料想明朝深巷中会有卖杏花之声，这是由春雨而生的合理想象，也是江南春意的点睛之笔——杏花春雨，正是江南最具代表性的春景。此联以「一夜」对「明朝」、「听」对「卖」、「春雨」对「杏花」，对仗工巧，听觉与视觉交织，时空由夜转晨，虚实相生，清空如画。而雨夜之愁与杏花之喜并置，乐景与悲情相衬，含蕴深远。

The second couplet is the famous couplet recited through the ages. The small tower names the lodging; all night I listened to the spring rain writes the spring night through hearing: the poet sleepless all night, listening to the pattering rain, at once the fact and the hidden grief — the night-long listening to rain, precisely the portrait of the heavy heart and the restless turning. At dawn in the deep lane they will be selling apricot blossoms moves from night to morning, from the real to the imagined: the poet imagines the morning's deep-lane cry of the apricot seller, the reasonable imagining born of the spring rain, and the telling stroke of the Jiangnan spring — the apricot blossom and the spring rain, precisely the most representative Jiangnan scene. The couplet matches all night against at dawn, listen against sell, spring rain against apricot blossoms, the parallelism crafted, hearing and sight interwoven, the time from night to morning, the real and the imagined feeding, clear as a painting. And the rain-night grief and the apricot-morning delight set side by side, the delighted scene set against the grief-stricken feeling, the implication deep.

矮纸斜行闲作草，晴窗细乳戏分茶。

On short paper slanting lines I idly practice cursive; by sunny window fine tea froth I play at dividing. - Details of calligraphy and tea as idle pastimes.

铺开短纸随意写成草书，晴窗下细品茶沫、学着分茶游戏。

On the short paper, in idle leisure, I write running grass script; by the sunny window, over the fine creamy foam, I play at the tea-dividing game.

「矮纸斜行闲作草，晴窗细乳戏分茶」为全诗颈联，以闲适雅事写无聊消遣。「矮纸」指短幅的纸张，「斜行」写草书字迹纵横斜逸之态，「闲作草」写以练字消磨时光，暗用张芝「匆匆不暇草书」之典——本当匆忙无暇才写草书，如今却因太闲而从容写草，反衬出无事可为的苦闷。「晴窗细乳戏分茶」写雨后初晴，窗前品茶分茶，「细乳」指茶汤上的细白泡沫，「分茶」为宋代点茶之戏，一个「戏」字写其以茶为戏、聊以自遣。此联表面写闲适风雅，实则「闲」「戏」二字暗含壮志难伸的牢骚：以草书、分茶消磨时日，正是一位老诗人报国无门、虚度光阴的无奈自遣，闲笔之中，苦闷自见。

The third couplet writes the idle elegance as the idle pastime. The short paper writes the short sheet, the slanting lines the running script's free strokes, the idle grass the killing of time in the practice of characters, secretly using the Zhang Zhi allusion of no time for the running script — by rights one writes the running script only in haste, and now one writes it at leisure out of idleness, setting off the boredom of having nothing to do. By the sunny window, over the fine creamy foam, I play at the tea-dividing game writes the post-rain sun, the window tea and the dividing, the fine creamy foam the fine white froth on the tea, the dividing the Song tea-whisking game, the one word play writing the tea as a game, the self-pastime. The couplet on the surface writes leisure and elegance, and in truth the two words idle and play hide the grievance of the thwarted ambition: the grass script and the tea-dividing killing the days, precisely the helpless pastime of an old poet with no road to serve the country, the idle brush and the self-seen boredom.

素衣莫起风尘叹，犹及清明可到家。

Let not the white robe sigh over dust and grime; I can still get home by Qingming time. - Allusion to official corruption and hope to return.

莫要兴起白衣沾染风尘的感叹，还赶得上清明时节回到家中。

Let no sigh rise that the white robe is stained by the dust; I shall still reach home before the Pure Brightness festival.

「素衣莫起风尘叹，犹及清明可到家」为全诗尾联，以自我宽慰收束全篇。「素衣」化用陆机「京洛多风尘，素衣化为缁」之典，以白衣染尘喻宦途污浊；「莫起风尘叹」劝自己莫要叹息，表面豁达，实则透露出对官场风尘的深深厌倦——正因为厌，才劝自己莫叹。「犹及清明可到家」自我宽解：还来得及在清明前回到家中。清明是祭扫祖先、家人团聚的节气，诗人以此自慰，既写归期之近，更写归心之切——客居京华的诗人，最向往的仍是山阴故园。此联与首联呼应，以「到家」对「客京华」，由「谁令」的无奈到「可到家」的期待，自我宽慰中见无奈与归意，为全诗画上含蓄的句号。

The last couplet closes the poem in self-consolation. The white robe borrows Lu Ji's the capital's dust is thick, the white robe turns black, using the dust-stained white robe for the officialdom's filth; let no sigh rise that the white robe is stained by the dust writes the self-admonition not to sigh, open on the surface, and in truth revealing the deep weariness of the official dust — precisely because of the weariness, the admonition not to sigh. I shall still reach home before the Pure Brightness festival writes the self-ease: still in time to reach home before the festival. Pure Brightness the season of ancestor sacrifice and family reunion, the poet's self-comfort writing at once the nearness of the homecoming and the urgency of the heart — the poet lodging in the capital, and the greatest longing is still the old garden of Shanyin. The couplet echoes the opening, home against guest in the capital, from the who-made-me helplessness to the can-reach-home expectation, the self-consolation showing the helplessness and the homeward will, drawing the restrained period of the poem.

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Word focus

薄似纱 As thin as gauze - metaphor for thin human feelings. 「世味年来薄似纱」之「薄似纱」，是全诗开篇的比喻，也是全诗基调的奠定者。「薄」写世味之淡薄，人情冷暖、世态炎凉，尽在一个「薄」字；「似纱」以纱为喻，妙在纱之特性与世味之淡薄高度契合：纱薄而透明，看似可亲可近，实则脆弱易破，正写官场人情之虚浮凉薄——笑脸相迎之下，并无真情实意。此喻之妙有三：其一，贴切，纱之薄与世味之淡，形神兼似；其二，新颖，以纱喻世味，前人所未有，出语新奇；其三，有层次，「纱」又暗含一层意思——纱是衣裳之料，白衣入京、缁尘染衣，为尾联「素衣风尘叹」埋下伏笔。一个比喻，既写世情之薄，又启全诗之思，炼字设喻，精警传神。

闲、戏 Idle, play - words hinting at forced leisure and hidden frustration. 「矮纸斜行闲作草，晴窗细乳戏分茶」之「闲」「戏」二字，是全诗以闲适写悲愤的点睛之笔，须合观方见其妙。「闲作草」之「闲」，表面写从容写字、悠闲自得，实则暗含反讽——诗人本是胸怀恢复大志的志士，如今却只能以草书消磨时光，「闲」字正是其英雄无用武之地的写照；「戏分茶」之「戏」，表面写以分茶为戏、自得其乐，实则暗含无奈——本应金戈铁马、驰骋沙场，如今却只能以茶戏自遣，「戏」字正是其壮志难酬的悲哀。二字表面闲适，内里沉痛，以乐景写哀情、以闲笔写悲愤，正是放翁晚年诗「看似平淡，实则郁愤」的典型手法，也是全诗最耐咀嚼处。

一夜 All night - emphasizes the long sad listening. 「小楼一夜听春雨」之「一夜」，是颔联的时间支点，一字写尽愁思之绵长。「一夜」点明听雨时间之久——从夜到明，诗人始终未眠，听春雨淅沥了一整夜；而这「一夜」的听雨，绝非闲情逸致，而是心事重重、辗转反侧的长夜。此字之妙有三层：其一，写实，春雨连绵，彻夜不止，诗人客居小楼，听着雨声度过一宵；其二，写愁，「一夜」暗示诗人整夜无眠，愁思如春雨般绵长不绝，听雨之久正是愁思之深的写照；其三，写章法，「一夜」与下句「明朝」相对，将时间由夜推到明晨，由「听雨」引出「卖花」的想象，一实一虚，章法灵动。一个「一夜」，把客居京华、候缺待命的老诗人的长夜愁思，写得含蓄而深沉。