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宋 Song · 词 Ci lyric

临江仙·送钱穆父

Linjiang Immortal: Seeing Off Qian Mu-fu

苏轼

Su Shi

送别Farewell 友情Friendship 旷达Theme 行旅Theme

一别都门三改火，天涯踏尽红尘。
依然一笑作春温。
无波真古井，有节是秋筠。
惆怅孤帆连夜发，送行淡月微云。
尊前不用翠眉颦。
人生如逆旅，我亦是行人。

Since we parted at the capital, three changes of fire - you have trodden the red dust to the world's end.
Still you smile as in spring's warmth.
A true ancient well without a ripple; a bamboo of autumn, with its integrity.
Wistful, the lone sail launches by night; a pale moon and faint clouds see you off.
Before the cup, no need for the green-browed one to frown.
Life is like a wayfarers' inn; I too am a traveler on the road.

Listen

Meaning

To a friend departing again, Su Shi offers the calm of an ancient well and the truth that all life is a journey.

自从在京城分别已经换了三次新火，你踏遍天涯走尽了人世风尘。重逢时你依然一笑，像春天般温润。你的心如古井无波，你的节操似秋竹有筠。惆怅你连夜便乘孤帆出发，送行时只有淡淡的月与薄薄的云。酒席前不必让歌女皱起眉头。人生就像逆旅，我也只是个路上的行人。

Appreciation

Su Shi does not cling. He salutes his friend's calm and then reminds him - and himself - that the road belongs to everyone. The farewell becomes a shared philosophy of passage.

【白话串讲】 “一别都门三改火，天涯踏尽红尘”——苏轼送钱穆父：天涯漂泊。“依然一笑作春温”——见面还像春天一样温暖。“人生如逆旅，我亦是行人”——人生就是逆旅，我也是个过客。苏轼最豁达的离别。【意象与手法】上片写久别重逢，“三改火”点明别后三年，“无波真古井，有节是秋筠”以古井秋筠比喻友人处逆境而心静节坚，既是称友也是自况；下片“孤帆连夜发、淡月微云”写离景之清寂，结以“人生如逆旅，我亦是行人”。全词情韵与理趣兼长。【情感与主旨】送别好友钱勰之作，把一场送别升华为对人生如寄的旷达体认。不落儿女沾巾的常套，而以行人自况化解离愁，既见二人气类相投，也见苏轼不以聚散萦怀的豪放襟怀，是东坡送别词的代表。【名句点睛】常考“人生如逆旅，我亦是行人”以逆旅行人写人生如寄的旷达；“无波真古井，有节是秋筠”以古井秋筠称许友人之节。

Background

Su Shi (1037-1101) wrote this for Qian Mu-fu (Qian Xun), a friend forever being transferred. The 'three changes of fire' marks three years since their capital parting.

此词作于宋哲宗元祐六年三月，苏轼时知杭州，钱穆父名勰，自越州徙知瀛州，途经杭州，苏轼赋此送行。二人早年同朝，气类相善；元祐三年穆父因奏开封狱空不实被贬出知越州，都门帐饮时苏轼曾赠诗，至此别后三改火（改火指寒食后重新取火，一岁一改，三改火即三年），重聚又即离。北宋元祐年间旧党执政，党内亦多倾轧，钱勰辗转吴越与瀛州间，正仕途浮沉之缩影。苏轼自身亦几起几落，此时虽在外任，前途未卜。作此词者，既为送友，亦为自遣：以古井秋筠称友之操守，实则以之自勉；以逆旅行人结穴，则是把个人聚散纳入人生如寄的大视野。理解二人同经贬徙、相知于患难的交谊背景，方能懂词中一笑春温的珍贵与人生如逆旅的沉静——那不是冷漠，而是看透聚散后的彼此珍重。二人同经元祐党争起伏，相聚匆匆又各赴前程，此词表面送友，实亦自遣，把聚散之无奈纳入人生如寄的达观，最见东坡于交情中见哲理的本领。

Art

Praises the friend's steadiness (well / autumn bamboo) then dissolves sorrow with the famous aphorism that everyone is a passing traveler - consolation raised to philosophy.

此词艺术在情、理交融而能以飏挫出之。上片起拍一别都门三改火，天涯踏尽红尘，以数字与空间写别久与漂泊，沉稳开阔；随即依然一笑作春温一笔回暖，把三年风尘化作重逢的春温，用笔忽抑忽扬。无波真古井，有节是秋筠以两个比喻写友人之静与节，对仗精警，且暗以自况，是东坡评人亦自评的常法。下片惆怅孤帆连夜发，送行淡月微云由叙入景，孤帆、淡月、微云皆清寂意象，惆怅二字点离情而不滥。尊前不用翠眉颦劝歌女莫颦，由具体宴席收悲，已露旷意；终以人生如逆旅，我亦是行人翻空收束，把个体送别提炼为普遍的人生感慨。全词不使丽字、不作曲折，语似平淡而意致深婉，上片密下片疏，情理相生，是东坡以诗为词、寄妙理于豪放之外的典范。上片由别久写到重逢之温，下片由孤帆写到逆旅之达，情韵与理趣相生，不落婉约送别沾巾常套，而以行人自况化解离愁，旷达中见温厚。

Allusions

'Ancient well' and 'autumn bamboo' are conventional images of undisturbed integrity. 'Wayfarers' inn' is a Buddhist/Daoist trope for earthly life.

词中典故与意象都典雅而贴切。改火用古礼，寒食禁火、清明取新火，一岁一改，三改火即三年，见于《论语》钻燧改火，以礼典代流年，极见书卷气。古井出于白居易《酬李儋》无波古井水，喻心境澄静无波；秋筠即秋竹，筠指竹皮，喻节操坚贞，化用《礼记》如竹箭之有筠与东坡自爱坚贞的惯例。红尘本佛家语，指繁华人世，天涯踏尽红尘写宦游之远。逆旅出于《左传》与李白夫天地者万物之逆旅，喻人生如客舍，苏轼取以化解聚散之执。春温则反用悲凉，以春之温润写友情。这些典故经苏轼点化，皆成送别中的性情语：古井秋筠写友，逆旅行人写己，无一堆垛，只见体贴，正见其运化故实、如水中着盐的本领。改火、古井、秋筠、红尘、逆旅诸典皆典雅而贴切，苏轼运化故实如水中着盐，以古井秋筠写友之静节、以逆旅行人写己之通达，无一堆垛，只见体贴。逆旅之喻尤见东坡以哲解情的一贯，前文春温、惆怅皆由此生，故送别而不坠于悲，全在古井秋筠与逆旅行人二象相济。

Commentary

The closing couplet is among Su Shi's most quoted lines, turning a sad send-off into a serene acceptance of impermanence.

全词上下片分工明确：上写重逢，下写送别。起句一别都门三改火，天涯踏尽红尘，先倒叙别后三年与友人漂泊之远，沉甸甸铺垫离绪。依然一笑作春温忽作轻扬，重逢之笑如春温，既写钱穆父性情温润，也写二人交情不为风尘所改。无波真古井，有节是秋筠，由笑入评，以古井写其心静、秋筠写其节坚，是对友人的最高礼赞，亦含自况。过片惆怅孤帆连夜发，送行淡月微云，回到眼下：孤帆夜发，唯淡月微云相送，景清而情惆，惆怅二字方点离愁。尊前不用翠眉颦，劝席间歌女莫皱眉添悲，已含旷达。结句人生如逆旅，我亦是行人，以逆旅喻人生、以行人自处，把送与被送都看成同路旅客，聚散本常，何必沾巾。两句如异峰突起，把全词从具体送别托向哲理高空，余味悠然。通篇由叙到评、由景到理，离情愈轻而交谊愈重。从三改火到春温，从孤帆到逆旅，全词由叙到评、由景到理，离情愈轻而交谊愈重，结句翻空收束，把具体送别托向人生高空，余味悠然。

Prosody

Reading note Celebrated for its poise; the last line is a hallmark of Su Shi's openness.《临江仙》双调五十四字（此词实五十八字，因衬字与异文，通行本作六十字体），上下片各三平韵。苏轼此首上片一别都门三改火，天涯踏尽红尘，依然一笑作春温，无波真古井，有节是秋筠，韵脚尘、温、筠，属平水韵上平十一真、十二文通押（宋词韵宽）；下片惆怅孤帆连夜发，送行淡月微云，尊前不用翠眉颦，人生如逆旅，我亦是行人，韵脚云、颦、人，属上平十二文、十一真、十二文。句式以七字句为主，间以五字句（无波真古井、有节是秋筠）与六字句（人生如逆旅），长短错落，符合《临江仙》疏朗的体格。平仄上片多仄起，下片云、颦、人递转，声调由开阔（天涯踏尽）渐入清寂（淡月微云），终以逆旅行人作旷达收束，韵调与情思同其抑扬，是苏词豪放中含温婉的代表音节。其音节虽婉而骨力自遒，以疏朗之调写深挚之情，最宜送别旷达之格。

Line by line

无波真古井，有节是秋筠。

A true ancient well without a ripple; a bamboo of autumn, with its integrity.

No ripples — truly an ancient well; with joints — an autumn bamboo.

这是上片的警策，也是全词对友人最凝练的画像。古井无波喻心境澄静不为外物所动，出于白居易诗；秋筠即秋竹，竹有节，筠其皮，喻节操经秋弥坚。两句对仗写钱穆父处宦海浮沉而心静节存，是东坡因人下笔的精准。更深一层，这实是苏轼的自我投射：他屡遭贬徙，正以古井秋筠自勉。以物喻人而不即不离，既赞友又明志，一举两得。在送别词中，通常写依依不舍，东坡却写静与节，把离愁转为品格的欣赏，境界顿高。这两句也为结句逆旅行人张本：正因为心如古井、节似秋筠，方能视聚散为逆旅之常。十字对偶精严，典重而温厚，是宋词中以议论入骨、以比兴立品的范例。

This is the aphorism of the first stanza, and the most condensed portrait of the friend in the ci. The ancient well without ripples figures the mind's clarity, unmoved by outer things, from Bai Juyi's verse; the autumn bamboo the autumn bamboo, the bamboo with joints, its skin, figuring the integrity toughened through the autumn. The two lines in parallel write Qian Mufu amid the official seas' rising and falling, the mind calm and the integrity intact, the precision of Su Shi's writing the man before him. The deeper layer, this is in truth Su Shi's self-projection: himself exiled and transferred again and again, precisely taking the ancient well and the autumn bamboo as the self-exhortation. Figuring the man through the thing, neither too near nor too far, at once praising the friend and declaring the resolve, the double gain. In a farewell ci, the usual writing of the reluctant parting, and Su Shi writes the calm and the integrity, turning the parting grief into the appreciation of character, the realm suddenly high. These two lines also store ground for the closing traveler: precisely because the heart is like the ancient well and the integrity like the autumn bamboo, one may view meeting and parting as the common lot of the inn. Ten characters in strict parallelism, weighty and warm, the model in Song ci of the argument bone-deep and the character established through bixing.

人生如逆旅，我亦是行人。

Life is like a wayfarers' inn; I too am a traveler on the road.

Life is like an inn; I too am a passing traveler.

这是全词的词眼与收束，也是苏轼送别哲学的顶点。逆旅即客舍，语本李白夫天地者万物之逆旅也，意谓人生不过暂寓天地之间，人人都是过路旅客。我亦是行人一句把送者与被送者拉平：你固远行，我亦在途，聚散本逆旅之常，何须作儿女之态。这就把具体的离愁升华为对存在方式的体认，既安慰了钱穆父，也安顿了自己。它不否定情（前文春温、惆怅俱在），而是超越情之执，是东坡和陶、前赋共适一脉的口语化表达。此句后来成为千古名言，正因其以极平常的旅舍比喻，说透了聚散无常却不妨珍重的通达：既看破，又深情，这是苏轼最打动人的地方，也是宋词理趣的最高成就之一。

This is the eye and the close of the ci, and the summit of Su Shi's farewell philosophy. The inn means the lodging, from Li Bai's the heaven and earth are the ten thousand things' inn, meaning life's brief sojourn between heaven and earth, every man a passing guest. The five words I too am a passing traveler level the sender and the sent: you surely travel far, and I am also on the road, meeting and parting by nature the inn's common lot, why take the lover's pose? This raises the concrete parting grief into the recognition of the way of being, at once comforting Qian Mufu and settling himself. It does not deny feeling (the above spring warmth and the melancholy are all present), but transcends the clinging to feeling, the colloquial expression of Su Shi's temper of the harmony with Tao, the former rhapsody's common adaptability. This line later became a famous saying through the ages, precisely because, in the most ordinary inn metaphor, it says through to the equanimity that the mutability of meeting and parting yet does not forbid treasuring: seeing through, and yet deep feeling, precisely what moves men most in Su Shi, and one of the highest achievements of the Song ci's rational charm.

Study

Word focus

三改火 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 改火用古礼寒食后重新钻木取火，一岁一改，三改火即分别三年。苏轼以礼典代流年，比直说三年更见书卷与含蓄。这个词的妙处有三：一是以制度性时间写私人离索，庄重而深情；二是暗点二人别于都门、各历寒暑，含羁旅之远；三是与下句天涯踏尽红尘呼应，三年对天涯，时间对空间，离绪遂有纵横之广。若易为三年别便寡味，唯三改火三字，把流年写成可触摸的礼俗循环，最见东坡以故实入情、化雅为挚的本领，也是宋词好用典实以省词增味的典型。

春温 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 春温犹春天的温润，苏轼依然一笑作春温，以春之暖写重逢之笑，把抽象情谊化为可感的体温。这个意象的选择极巧：友人在天涯踏尽红尘后，一笑仍如春温，既状钱穆父性情之和厚，也写交情不为风尘所改。春对前文红尘之浊、秋筠之凛，构成温—清—坚的层次。它反用一般送别词的悲凉基调，先以暖笔定调，使全词离而不伤。温字平易却准确，若用春和则泛，用春融则腻；唯春温二字，清润可喜，最合东坡重逢词中那一笑的分量，也是宋人善以时令物候写人情的一例。

逆旅 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 逆旅即客舍、旅店，出于《左传》与李白《春夜宴桃李园序》夫天地者万物之逆旅也。苏轼人生如逆旅，我亦是行人，以此喻人生暂寓、人人过客。这个词的份量在于它把送别从一时一地的离愁，拓展为对生命本质的观照：既然都是逆旅行人，聚散便如投宿与启程，本属寻常。它既承接前赋逝者如斯、共适造物的旷达，又比之理更日常、更易共鸣。逆旅二字古雅，行人二字平易，古雅与平易相济，恰成东坡晚年语体——以最普通的旅舍比喻，说出最通透的人生结论，是全词得以流传千古的关键。