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宋 Song · 词 Ci lyric

念奴娇·萧条庭院

Tune: Nian Nu Jiao — A Desolate Courtyard

李清照

Li Qingzhao

闺怨Boudoir Sorrow 伤春Grief at Spring's Passing

萧条庭院，有斜风细雨，重门须闭。
宠柳娇花寒食近，种种恼人天气。
险韵诗成，扶头酒醒，别是闲滋味。
征鸿过尽，万千心事难寄。
楼上几日春寒，帘垂四面，玉阑干慵倚。
被冷香消新梦觉，不许愁人不起。
清露晨流，新桐初引，多少游春意。
日高烟敛，更看今日晴未。

A desolate courtyard; there are slanting winds and fine rain — the double gates must be closed.
Favored willows, tender flowers — Cold Food draws near; every kind of annoying weather.
A poem in tricky rhymes is done; the sobering wine has worn off — a different idle taste.
The migrating wild geese have all passed; a thousand, myriad affairs of the heart are hard to send.
Upstairs these few days of spring chill; curtains hang on every side; by the jade railing I lean, too languid.
The quilt cold, the incense spent, I wake from a new dream — the sorrowful one is not allowed to stay abed.
Clear dew flows at dawn; new paulownia just sprouting — how much the desire to wander in spring!
The sun climbs high, the mist clears — shall we see if it is fine today?

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Meaning

A desolate courtyard, slanting winds and fine rain, the gates barred shut — such is the scene of spring chill. The speaker, left alone as Cold Food approaches, finds no relief: poems and wine only deepen her idle sorrow, and the passing geese carry none of her countless heart-messages. As spring cold lingers and dreams break at dawn, she longs for the clear morning when she might wander out. The lyric turns from enclosed gloom to a faint hope of fine weather, capturing the deep, restrained melancholy of a woman confined to her chambers.

萧条庭院，有斜风细雨，重门须闭。宠柳娇花寒食近，种种恼人天气。险韵诗成，扶头酒醒，别是闲滋味。征鸿过尽，万千心事难寄。楼上几日春寒，帘垂四面，玉阑干慵倚。被冷香消新梦觉，不许愁人不起。清露晨流，新桐初引，多少游春意。日高烟敛，更看今日晴未。

Appreciation

This is one of Li Qingzhao's finest lyrics on spring-chill and boudoir sorrow, written around the Cold Food Festival during her married life, before the southward flight. Through paired images of weather and mood — slanting rain, barred gates, languid leaning, broken dreams — the poem weaves a sustained mood of quiet depression. The celebrated lines 'the migrating geese have all passed; my thousand heart-affairs are hard to send' and 'the sun climbs, the mist clears — shall we see if it is fine today' show her signature restraint: sorrow never erupts, it only deepens and hints.

【白话串讲】李清照写《念奴娇·萧条庭院》：“萧条庭院，有斜风细雨，重门须闭”——“宠柳娇花寒食近，种种恼人天气”——“险韵诗成，扶头酒醒，别是闲滋味”——“征鸿过尽，万千心事难寄”——“楼上几日春寒，帘垂四面，玉阑干慵倚”——她写独居的闲愁。【意象与手法】此词是李清照写春寒闺愁的名篇，写寒食前后的庭院春寒与闺中愁绪，是李清照词中「以春寒写闺愁」的名篇。上片写庭院春寒：「萧条庭院，有斜风细雨，重门须闭」写斜风细雨、重门深闭；「宠柳娇花寒食近，种种恼人天气」写寒食近、恼人天气；「险韵诗成，扶头酒醒，别是闲滋味」写险韵诗成、扶头酒醒的闲滋味；「征鸿过尽，万千心事难寄」写征鸿过尽、心事难寄，是千古名句。下片写闺中愁绪：「楼上几日春寒，帘垂四面，玉阑干慵倚」写楼上春寒、玉阑慵倚；「被冷香消新梦觉，不许愁人不起」写被冷梦觉、愁人不起；「清露晨流，新桐初引，多少游春意」写清露新桐的游春意；「日高烟敛，更看今日晴未」写日高烟敛、看今日晴未，是千古名句。全词以春寒写闺愁，以「万千心事难寄」「更看今日晴未」写愁绪的深婉，是李清照「以春寒写闺愁」的名篇。【情感与主旨】此词约作于李清照与赵明诚婚后（约建炎南渡前）的某个寒食前后，时赵明诚或外出（或居外），李清照独处庭院，写春寒闺愁。李清照婚后与赵明诚志趣相投，但赵明诚或因仕宦、或因游学而时有外出，李清照独处时便写闺怨词。此词即写其寒食前后独处庭院、春寒闺愁。词中「萧条庭院，有斜风细雨，重门须闭」写庭院春寒——萧条庭院，有斜风细雨，重门须闭，写尽庭院的萧条与春寒；「宠柳娇花寒食近，种种恼人天气」写寒食近、恼人天气——宠柳娇花（娇艳的柳与花）寒食近，种种恼人天气，写尽寒食前恼人的天气；「险韵诗成，扶头酒醒，别是闲滋味」写险韵诗成、扶头酒醒——险韵诗成（用险韵作诗），扶头酒醒（喝扶头酒而醒），别是闲滋味（别是一番闲愁的滋味），写尽独处的闲愁；「征鸿过尽，万千心事难寄」写征鸿过尽、心事难寄——征鸿过尽（大雁飞尽），万千心事难寄（万千心事难以寄出），那「万千心事难寄」写尽心事无人可寄的惆怅；下片「楼上几日春寒，帘垂四面，玉阑干慵倚」写楼上春寒——楼上几日春寒，帘垂四面，玉阑干慵倚（懒得倚栏杆），写尽春寒中的慵懒；「被冷香消新梦觉，不许愁人不起」写被冷梦觉——被冷香消新梦觉（被子冷、香消，从新梦中醒来），不许愁人不起（不许愁人不起身），写尽愁人夜不能寐；「清露晨流，新桐初引，多少游春意」写清露新桐——清露晨流（清晨的清露流动），新桐初引（新生的梧桐初发），多少游春意，写尽晨光中的春意；「日高烟敛，更看今日晴未」写日高烟敛——日高烟敛（太阳升高、烟霭收敛），更看今日晴未（再看今日是否放晴），那「更看今日晴未」写尽对晴天的期待（也暗含对放晴后出游/心情好转的期待）。全词以春寒写闺愁，那「万千心事难寄」「更看今日晴未」写尽愁绪的深婉，是李清照「以春寒写闺愁」的名篇。【名句点睛】常考“萧条庭院，有斜风细雨，重门须闭”写庭院春寒的萧瑟；“征鸿过尽，万千心事难寄”写心事难寄，是千古名句。

Background

Composed around the Cold Food Festival during Li Qingzhao's married life, before the Jianyan southward flight, this is a lyric on spring chill and boudoir sorrow. Li Qingzhao, style-name Yi'an Jushi, married Zhao Mingcheng at eighteen; the couple shared literary and antiquarian interests, but Zhao was often away on official or scholarly travels, and Li wrote boudoir-lament lyrics when alone. This poem captures her solitude in the courtyard amid spring cold. The opening sets the bleak, sealed scene; 'Favored willows, tender flowers — Cold Food draws near' contrasts lovely blossoms with hateful weather; 'A poem in tricky rhymes is done, the sobering wine worn off' shows her trying to dispel loneliness through poetry and drink; 'The migrating geese have all passed, a thousand heart-affairs hard to send' expresses that no one can receive her messages. The lower stanza moves from sleeplessness to a faint longing for the clear day that might allow an outing. It is a key work for understanding her spring-chill boudoir-sorrow style.

此词约作于李清照与赵明诚婚后（约建炎南渡前）的寒食前后，是李清照写春寒闺愁的词。李清照（1084-约1155）号易安居士，十八岁嫁赵明诚，夫妻志趣相投（金石书画、诗词唱和），但赵明诚或因仕宦（出仕外地）、或因游学而时有外出，李清照独处时便写闺怨词。此词即写其独处庭院、春寒闺愁。词中「萧条庭院，有斜风细雨，重门须闭」写庭院春寒——「萧条庭院」写庭院的萧条（庭院冷落），「有斜风细雨」写有斜风细雨，「重门须闭」写重门（一道道门）须闭（需要紧闭），那「萧条庭院」「重门须闭」写尽庭院的萧条与春寒；「宠柳娇花寒食近，种种恼人天气」写寒食近、恼人天气——「宠柳娇花」写宠柳娇花（那娇艳的柳与花，「宠」「娇」写柳花的娇艳），「寒食近」写寒食将近，「种种恼人天气」写种种恼人的天气（那寒食前的阴雨，恼人），那「宠柳娇花」与「恼人天气」对照，写尽寒食前恼人的天气（花柳虽好，天气恼人）；「险韵诗成，扶头酒醒，别是闲滋味」写险韵诗成、扶头酒醒——「险韵诗成」写用险韵（生僻的韵脚）作诗写成，「扶头酒醒」写扶头酒（一种易醉的酒）醒，「别是闲滋味」写别是一番闲愁的滋味，那「险韵诗成」「扶头酒醒」写尽独处排遣（作诗饮酒以排遣闲愁），「别是闲滋味」写尽独处的闲愁；「征鸿过尽，万千心事难寄」写征鸿过尽、心事难寄——「征鸿过尽」写大雁（征鸿）飞尽，「万千心事难寄」写万千心事难以寄出，那「万千心事难寄」写尽心事无人可寄的惆怅（本想托鸿雁寄信，却征鸿过尽、心事难寄）；下片「楼上几日春寒，帘垂四面，玉阑干慵倚」写楼上春寒——「楼上几日春寒」写楼上连日春寒，「帘垂四面」写四面的帘子垂下，「玉阑干慵倚」写玉阑干（玉栏杆）慵倚（懒得倚靠），那「帘垂四面」写尽闺中的深闭，「玉阑干慵倚」写尽春寒中的慵懒；「被冷香消新梦觉，不许愁人不起」写被冷梦觉——「被冷香消新梦觉」写被子冷、香消，从新梦中醒来，「不许愁人不起」写不许愁人不起身（那被冷梦觉，愁人无法安睡，只能起身），那「被冷香消新梦觉」写尽夜不能寐（被冷、香消、梦觉），「不许愁人不起」写尽愁人无眠；「清露晨流，新桐初引，多少游春意」写清露新桐——「清露晨流，新桐初引」写清晨的清露流动、新生的梧桐初发（引写抽芽），「多少游春意」写多少游春的意兴，那「清露晨流，新桐初引」写尽晨光中的春意（雨后的清晨，露流桐引，正是游春的好光景）；「日高烟敛，更看今日晴未」写日高烟敛——「日高烟敛」写太阳升高、烟霭收敛，「更看今日晴未」写再看今日是否放晴，那「更看今日晴未」写尽对晴天的期待——那雨后初晴的清晨，正是游春的好时机，那「更看今日晴未」既是看天气，也是看心情（若放晴，便可出游散心，冲淡闲愁）。此词是李清照「以春寒写闺愁」的名篇，那「万千心事难寄」「更看今日晴未」写尽愁绪的深婉，是理解其闺怨词风的关键作品。

Art

This lyric's artistry can be read on four levels. First, the conception of using spring chill to write boudoir sorrow: the whole poem uses the courtyard's cold to embody the inner melancholy, blending scene and feeling. Second, writing sorrow through annoying weather: the lovely willows and flowers set against the hateful weather mirrors the unresolved spring grief. Third, writing idle sorrow through action — composing poems, waking from wine, leaning languidly — shows the attempt to distract and its futility. Fourth, the close with 'shall we see if it is fine today': after the fresh dawn, the lingering hope for clear weather is both a weather-watch and a mood-watch, restrained and deep. These layers make it a model of her manner.

此词的艺术特色可从四个层面解析。其一，以春寒写闺愁的构思。全词以庭院的春寒（斜风细雨、重门须闭、春寒帘垂）写闺中的愁绪（闲滋味、心事难寄、愁人不起），那春寒的萧条正是闺愁的背景，那闺愁的深婉正是春寒的深化，以春寒写闺愁、情景交融。其二，以「恼人天气」写愁绪。「宠柳娇花寒食近，种种恼人天气」以「宠柳娇花」写春景的美好、以「恼人天气」写天气的恼人，那美好与恼人的对照，写尽寒食前的春愁（春景虽好，天气恼人，正如愁绪难解）。其三，以动作写闲愁。「险韵诗成，扶头酒醒」「玉阑干慵倚」以「险韵诗成」「扶头酒醒」「慵倚」写独处的排遣与慵懒——作诗、饮酒以排遣闲愁，倚阑亦慵，那「险韵诗成，扶头酒醒，别是闲滋味」写尽独处的闲愁。其四，以「更看今日晴未」写收束。「清露晨流，新桐初引，多少游春意。日高烟敛，更看今日晴未」以「清露晨流，新桐初引」写晨光中的春意，以「更看今日晴未」写对晴天的期待——那雨后的清晨，正是游春的好时机，那「更看今日晴未」既是看天气，也是看心情（若放晴，便可出游散心），以期待收束、含蓄深婉，写尽愁绪中一丝希望的萌动。四重手法层层推进，使此词成为李清照词中「以春寒写闺愁」的名篇。

Allusions

The poem's imagery is rooted in the traditions of boudoir lament and spring grief. 'A desolate courtyard' evokes Ouyang Xiu's 'How deep, how deep the courtyard' and the sealed inner court; 'slanting wind and fine rain' inverts Zhang Zhihe's 'No need to return in slanting wind and fine rain,' here made troublesome. 'Favored willows, tender flowers' echoes Song Qi's 'light spring chill beyond green willows, red apricots bustling with spring'; 'Cold Food draws near' recalls Han Hong's Cold Food poem. 'A different idle taste' covertly borrows Li Yu's 'a different kind of taste in the heart.' 'The migrating geese have all passed' reverses her own 'when the wild-goose script returns' from A Cut of Plum — here the geese are gone and no letter can go. 'By the jade railing I lean too languid' echoes her own 'leaning on the railing, no mood at all.' Drawing on Ouyang Xiu, Li Yu, Wen Tingyun, Shishuo Xinyu and her own earlier lyrics, she writes boudoir sorrow with characteristic subtlety.

此词的意象与用语深植于闺怨与伤春传统。「萧条庭院，有斜风细雨，重门须闭」写庭院春寒——「萧条庭院」写庭院的萧条（令人想到「庭院深深深几许」（欧阳修《蝶恋花》）的庭院意象与「萧条」的冷落），「斜风细雨」写斜风细雨（令人想到「斜风细雨不须归」（张志和《渔歌子》）的斜风细雨意象——此处反用其意，写风雨恼人），「重门须闭」写重门紧闭（令人想到「重门深锁」的闺中意象），那「萧条庭院」「重门须闭」写尽庭院的深闭与春寒。「宠柳娇花寒食近，种种恼人天气」写寒食近、恼人天气——「宠柳娇花」写娇艳的柳与花（令人想到「绿杨烟外晓寒轻，红杏枝头春意闹」（宋祁《玉楼春》）的柳花意象与「宠」「娇」的拟人），「寒食近」写寒食将近（令人想到「春城无处不飞花，寒食东风御柳斜」（韩翃《寒食》）的寒食意象），「恼人天气」写恼人的天气（令人想到「春色恼人眠不得」（王安石《春夜》）的「恼人」意象——「恼人」暗写春愁），那「宠柳娇花」与「恼人天气」对照，写尽寒食前的春愁。「险韵诗成，扶头酒醒，别是闲滋味」写险韵诗成、扶头酒醒——「险韵诗成」写用险韵作诗（「险韵」写生僻的韵脚，令人想到「分韵赋诗」的雅事），「扶头酒醒」写扶头酒醒（「扶头酒」是一种易醉的酒，令人想到「扶头卯酒」的意象），「别是闲滋味」写别是一番闲愁的滋味（令人想到「别是一般滋味在心头」（李煜《相见欢》）的「别是」意象——那「别是闲滋味」暗用李煜「别是一般滋味」，写尽独处的闲愁）。「征鸿过尽，万千心事难寄」写征鸿过尽、心事难寄——「征鸿过尽」写大雁飞尽（「征鸿」写远飞的大雁，令人想到「鸿雁传书」的典故与「雁字回时，月满西楼」（李清照《一剪梅》）的雁意象——「雁字回时」写盼雁寄书，此处「征鸿过尽」写雁已飞尽、书无从寄），「万千心事难寄」写万千心事难以寄出（令人想到「此情无计可消除」（李清照《一剪梅》）的心事意象），那「征鸿过尽，万千心事难寄」写尽心事无人可寄的惆怅。「楼上几日春寒，帘垂四面，玉阑干慵倚」写楼上春寒——「帘垂四面」写四面的帘子垂下（令人想到「帘卷西风」（李清照《醉花阴》）的帘意象，「帘垂」写深闭），「玉阑干慵倚」写玉阑干慵倚（「慵倚」写懒得倚靠，令人想到「倚栏杆」的闺怨传统——「倚遍阑干，只是无情绪」（李清照《点绛唇》）的倚阑意象，「慵」写春困慵懒）。「被冷香消新梦觉，不许愁人不起」写被冷梦觉——「被冷香消新梦觉」写被子冷、香消、梦觉（「被冷香消」令人想到「玉炉香，红蜡泪」（温庭筠《更漏子》）的香销意象与「冷」的孤寂），「不许愁人不起」写不许愁人不起身（那被冷梦觉，愁人无法安睡，只能起身）。「清露晨流，新桐初引，多少游春意」写清露新桐——「清露晨流，新桐初引」写清晨的清露流动、新生的梧桐初发（「清露晨流，新桐初引」化用《世说新语》王恭「清露晨流，新桐初引」之语，令人想到《世说新语》的雅言与「梧桐初引」的春意），「多少游春意」写多少游春的意兴，那「清露晨流，新桐初引」写尽晨光中的春意。「日高烟敛，更看今日晴未」写日高烟敛——「日高烟敛」写太阳升高、烟霭收敛（令人想到「日照香炉生紫烟」的烟意象与「烟敛云收」的晴意），「更看今日晴未」写再看今日是否放晴（令人想到「试问卷帘人，却道海棠依旧」（李清照《如梦令》）的「试问」笔法——那「更看今日晴未」正是「试问卷帘人」式的看晴问花）。全词化用欧阳修、李煜、温庭筠、《世说新语》（及李清照自己的《一剪梅》《醉花阴》）的意象与典故，以春寒写闺愁，正是李清照「以婉约写闺愁」的本领。

Commentary

This lyric has long been esteemed as Li Qingzhao's masterpiece of spring-chill boudoir sorrow and the source of famous lines such as 'the migrating geese have all passed; my thousand heart-affairs are hard to send,' 'clear dew flows at dawn, new paulownia just sprouting,' and 'shall we see if it is fine today.' Critics through the ages have praised it highly: the Song critic Huang Sheng called it fresh in every line, and Qing scholars noted that it writes boudoir sorrow through spring chill. Its special value lies in expressing, through spring cold, the deep restraint of boudoir grief — the sealed desolate courtyard, the annoying Cold Food weather, the idle distraction of poetry and wine; and above all the geese line, a line for the ages: she meant to entrust her letter to the wild geese, yet they have flown and no message can go. 'The quilt cold, the incense spent, I wake from a new dream' captures sleepless sorrow; the closing lines capture the first light after rain and the hope for clear weather — the 'fine today' line watches both the sky and the heart. Alongside Tipsy in the Flower Shade, it is a model of her boudoir lament.

此词历来被推为李清照「以春寒写闺愁」的名篇，也是「征鸿过尽，万千心事难寄」「清露晨流，新桐初引」「更看今日晴未」等名句的出处。历代论者对此词评价极高：宋人黄昇在《花庵词选》中评此词「句句清新」，清人更指出此词「以春寒写闺愁，以风雨写心情」，是李清照闺怨词中的佳作。在文学史上，此词的特殊价值在于：它以春寒写出了闺愁的深婉——那「萧条庭院，有斜风细雨，重门须闭」写尽了庭院的萧条与深闭，「宠柳娇花寒食近，种种恼人天气」写尽了寒食前恼人的天气，「险韵诗成，扶头酒醒，别是闲滋味」写尽了独处排遣的闲愁；而那「征鸿过尽，万千心事难寄」更是千古名句——本想托鸿雁寄信，却征鸿过尽、心事难寄，写尽心事无人可寄的惆怅；那「被冷香消新梦觉，不许愁人不起」写尽了夜不能寐的愁绪；那「清露晨流，新桐初引，多少游春意。日高烟敛，更看今日晴未」写尽了雨后初晴的晨光与对晴天的期待——那「更看今日晴未」既是看天气，也是看心情，写尽愁绪中一丝希望的萌动，正是「愁极而转晴」的含蓄深婉。词中「征鸿过尽，万千心事难寄」写心事难寄，是千古名句；「清露晨流，新桐初引，多少游春意。日高烟敛，更看今日晴未」写雨后初晴，更是千古名句。此词与李清照的《醉花阴》（「帘卷西风，人比黄花瘦」）一样，都是写闺怨的名篇，一写重阳的愁绪，一写寒食的闺愁。对于今日读者，此词是理解李清照闺怨词风与「以春寒写闺愁」手法的窗口，也是感受中国词「婉约深婉」传统的典范——那萧条庭院、斜风细雨、征鸿难寄的心事、清露新桐的晨光、更看今日晴未的期待，穿越千年，仍在诉说着一个闺中人「万千心事难寄」的深婉。

Prosody

Form Lyric (Tune: Nian Nu Jiao; double mode, one hundred characters)词（念奴娇，双调一百字）

Rhyme The upper stanza rhymes with the oblique-tone zhi/wei rhymes (closed, weather, taste, send); the lower stanza also with the oblique-tone zhi/wei rhymes (lean, rise, intent, fine). All rhymes are oblique-tone, short and low-returning, fitting the style of spring-chill boudoir sorrow.上片押仄声寘未韵（闭、气、味、寄），下片押仄声寘未韵（倚、起、意、未），韵脚皆属仄声，韵音短促低回，正合其写春寒闺愁的风格。

Tone pattern This is the tune Nian Nu Jiao, double mode of one hundred characters, with four oblique rhymes per stanza, its uneven lines serving the emotion. The poem divides into two stanzas: the upper writes the courtyard's spring chill; the lower writes boudoir sorrow and dawn light. The uneven long-short lines trace the rise and fall of spring-chill grief; the oblique rhymes, short and low, suit the mood.此词为「念奴娇」词牌，双调一百字，上下片各四仄韵，以长短句的错落为抒情服务。全词按内容可分为两片：上片写庭院春寒（萧条庭院、斜风细雨、重门须闭、宠柳娇花寒食近、恼人天气、险韵诗成、扶头酒醒、别是闲滋味、征鸿过尽、万千心事难寄）；下片写闺中愁绪与晨光（楼上几日春寒、帘垂四面、玉阑干慵倚、被冷香消新梦觉、不许愁人不起、清露晨流、新桐初引、多少游春意、日高烟敛、更看今日晴未）。声调上，全词以长短句的错落（「萧条庭院，有斜风细雨，重门须闭」的紧凑与「清露晨流，新桐初引，多少游春意」的舒展）写春寒闺愁的起伏，韵脚皆属仄声，韵音短促低回，正合其写春寒闺愁的风格。

Reading note This is the long Nian Nu Jiao tune, using uneven lines to write spring-chill boudoir sorrow, showing Li Qingzhao's gift of writing feeling through the lyric. Two stanzas: upper on courtyard chill, lower on boudoir sorrow and dawn light. The oblique-tone rhymes, short and low, with the desolation of 'gates must close' and the hope of 'fine today,' keep the music low yet deep. Read the upper stanza's chill with a low, returning tone, and the lower stanza's dawn with a clear, gentle tone; especially the geese line should be read with depth and restraint.此词是「念奴娇」双调长调，以长短句的错落写春寒闺愁，正是李清照「以词写情」的本领。全词两片：上片写庭院春寒（萧条庭院、斜风细雨、宠柳娇花、险韵诗成、征鸿过尽、万千心事难寄），下片写闺中愁绪与晨光（楼上春寒、玉阑干慵倚、被冷香消、清露晨流、新桐初引、更看今日晴未）。声调上，全词以仄声韵为韵脚，韵音短促低回，配合「重门须闭」的萧条与「更看今日晴未」的期待，全篇音节低回而不失深婉。诵读此词，宜以低回的语调读上片的庭院春寒（萧条庭院、万千心事难寄），以清婉的语调读下片的晨光（清露晨流、新桐初引、更看今日晴未），尤其「征鸿过尽，万千心事难寄」两句，要读得深婉而含蓄，方能传达出李清照「以春寒写闺愁」的深意。李清照词以「婉约」著称，此词正是其「以春寒写闺愁」的经典。

Line by line

征鸿过尽，万千心事难寄。

The migrating wild geese have all passed; a thousand, myriad affairs of the heart are hard to send. (A famous line: she had meant to send her letter by the geese, but they have flown; the countless heart-messages now have no bearer — the very core of boudoir lament is not the absence of feeling but the absence of any to receive it.)

大雁已飞尽，万千心事却难以寄出。

The wild geese have flown past; ten thousand thoughts, hard to send.

这两句是写心事难寄的名句，也是千古名句，以「征鸿过尽」写雁已飞尽，以「万千心事难寄」写心事无人可寄，含蓄而深婉。「征鸿过尽」写雁已飞尽——那远飞的大雁（征鸿）已飞尽，「征鸿」写远飞的大雁（令人想到「鸿雁传书」的典故），「过尽」写飞尽（那大雁成群飞过，已尽数飞过），那「征鸿过尽」写尽雁已飞尽——本想托鸿雁寄信，却大雁已飞尽，正是「欲寄彩笺兼尺素，山长水阔知何处」的怅惘；「万千心事难寄」写心事难以寄出——那万千心事难以寄出，「万千心事」写心事之多（那万千的心事，说不尽、道不完），「难寄」写难以寄出（那万千心事，难以托鸿雁寄出，也无人可寄），那「万千心事难寄」写尽心事无人可寄的惆怅。这两句的深意在于：它以「征鸿过尽」与「万千心事难寄」写出了闺中人心事难寄的深婉——那「征鸿过尽」是寄托的落空（本想托鸿雁传书，却雁已飞尽），那「万千心事难寄」是心事的无寄（那万千的心事，无人可寄、无处可寄）；而那「万千心事难寄」的「难寄」，正是闺怨的核心——不是没有心事（万千心事），而是无人可寄（难寄）；那「征鸿过尽」的「过尽」，写尽寄托的落空与等待的漫长——正是征鸿过尽、音信全无，才知「万千心事难寄」。而更深一层，那「万千心事」暗含对远方之人（赵明诚）的思念，「难寄」暗含「此情无计可消除」的深婉。以「征鸿过尽」写落空、以「万千心事难寄」写无寄，正是李清照「以婉约写闺愁」的本领，也让这两句成为千古名句。

These two lines are a famous verse of thoughts-hard-to-send, a famous line through the ages, writing the geese's flown-past through the passing wild geese, and the thoughts' no-recipient through ten thousand thoughts, restrained and deep. The wild geese have flown past writes the far-flying geese all flown, the wild geese writing the far-flying geese (calling to mind the geese-carry-the-letter allusion), the flown-past writing the complete passage (the geese in flocks over, all past), exhausting the geese's gone — wishing to entrust the geese with the letter, and the geese already flown, precisely the wishing-to-send-the-color-paper-and-the-foot-long-and-the-water-wide-and-not-knowing-where wistfulness; ten thousand thoughts, hard to send writes the thoughts' unsendable, the ten thousand thoughts writing the thoughts' number (the myriad thoughts, unsaid and untold), the hard to send writing the unsendable (the myriad thoughts, hard to entrust to the geese, and no one to send to), exhausting the thoughts' no-recipient. The deep meaning lies in: the wild geese have flown past and ten thousand thoughts, hard to send write the boudoir woman's thoughts-hard-to-send restraint — the geese's flown-past the entrustment's void (wishing the geese to carry the letter, and the geese gone), the ten thousand thoughts, hard to send the thoughts' no-recipient (the myriad thoughts, no one to send to, no place to send to); and the hard to send's hard, precisely the boudoir grief's core — not the absence of thoughts (the myriad thoughts), but the absence of the recipient (the hard to send); the flown-past's flown, exhausting the entrustment's void and the waiting's length — precisely the geese's flown and the letters' silence, hence the ten thousand thoughts' hard to send known. And the deeper layer, the ten thousand thoughts secretly carrying the longing for the far-off man (Zhao Mingcheng), the hard to send secretly carrying the this-feeling's-no-way-to-remove restraint. Writing the void through the flown-past, the no-recipient through the unsendable, precisely Li Qingzhao's craft of writing boudoir grief through grace, making these two lines a famous line through the ages.

清露晨流，新桐初引，多少游春意。

Clear dew flows at dawn, the new paulownia just sends forth its shoots — how much the desire to wander in spring! (A famous line adapting Shishuo Xinyu: the fresh dew and sprouting tree mark the first stir of spring after rain, and within the sorrowful speaker a faint wish to go out awakens — the mood begins, quietly, to turn toward light.)

清晨的清露流动，新生的梧桐初发，有多少游春的意兴。

The clear dew flows at dawn, the new paulownia first sprouting — how much spring-roaming feeling rises.

这三句是写雨后晨光的名句，也是千古名句，以「清露晨流，新桐初引」写晨光中的春意，以「多少游春意」写游春的意兴，清新而明快。「清露晨流，新桐初引」写晨光中的春意——那清晨的清露流动（「清露晨流」写露珠在晨光中流动，化用《世说新语》「清露晨流，新桐初引」），新生的梧桐初发（「新桐初引」写新桐抽芽初发），那「清露晨流，新桐初引」写尽雨后清晨的清新——露流桐引，正是春意萌动的清晨；「多少游春意」写游春的意兴——有多少游春的意兴，「多少」写有多少（那「多少」写游春意兴的萌发），「游春意」写游春的意兴，那「多少游春意」写尽雨后晨光中游春意兴的萌动——那清露新桐的清晨，正是游春的好光景，那「多少游春意」写尽对出游的向往。这三句的深意在于：它以「清露晨流，新桐初引」写雨后清晨的清新——那「清露晨流」「新桐初引」化用《世说新语》的雅言，写尽晨光中的春意（露流桐引，正是雨后初晴的生机）；而那「多少游春意」更写尽游春意兴的萌动——那「被冷香消新梦觉，不许愁人不起」的愁人，在晨光中看到清露新桐，竟生出「多少游春意」——那愁绪中一丝希望的萌动，正是「更看今日晴未」的铺垫；而这三句从「愁人不起」到「游春意」，正是心境的转晴——那「清露晨流，新桐初引」的清新，冲淡了春寒的愁绪，那「多少游春意」写尽愁绪中希望的萌动。以「清露晨流，新桐初引」写晨光、以「多少游春意」写意兴，正是李清照「以景写心境」的本领，也让这三句成为千古名句。

These three lines are a famous verse of the post-rain morning light, a famous line through the ages, writing the morning-light spring through the clear dew flows at dawn, the new paulownia first sprouting, and the spring-roaming feeling through how much spring-roaming feeling rises, fresh and bright. The clear dew flows at dawn, the new paulownia first sprouting writes the morning-light spring — the dawn's clear dew flowing (the clear dew flows at dawn writes the dewdrops flowing in the morning light, borrowing the New Account of the Tales of the World's clear dew flows at dawn, the new paulownia first sprouting), the new paulownia's first budding (the new paulownia first sprouting writes the new paulownia's budding), exhausting the post-rain dawn's freshness — the flowing dew and the sprouting paulownia, precisely the spring-stirring dawn; how much spring-roaming feeling rises writes the spring-roaming zest — how much spring-roaming zest, the how much writing the zest's stirring (the how much writing the roaming feeling's stirring), the spring-roaming feeling writing the roaming zest, exhausting the post-rain morning's roaming zest stirring — the clear-dew-new-paulownia dawn, precisely the roaming's fair season, the how much spring-roaming feeling rising writing the longing for the outing. The deep meaning lies in: the clear dew flows at dawn, the new paulownia first sprouting writing the post-rain dawn's freshness — the two lines borrowing the New Account's elegant words, exhausting the morning light's spring (the flowing dew and sprouting paulownia, precisely the post-rain first-clear life); and the how much spring-roaming feeling rising further exhausting the roaming zest's stirring — the above's cold-perfume-gone and new-dream-waking and the not-letting-the-grieving-man-rise grieving man, seeing the clear dew and new paulownia in the morning light, suddenly raising how much spring-roaming feeling rises — the one thread of hope stirring in the grief, precisely the below's see-if-today-is-fine ground; and these three lines from the grieving-man-will-not-rise to the spring-roaming feeling, precisely the mood's clearing — the clear dew's freshness diluting the spring-cold grief, the how much spring-roaming feeling rising exhausting the hope's stirring within the grief. Writing the morning through the dew and paulownia, the zest through the how much, precisely Li Qingzhao's craft of writing mood through scene, making these three lines a famous line through the ages.

Study

Word focus

慵 Languid / too idle to. A key word: 'by the jade railing I lean too languid' — one character conveys both the spring-chill laziness (she will not even lean on the rail) and the deep sorrow (leaning would only deepen longing). It fuses physical languor and emotional restraint, a quintessential Li Qingzhao touch; 'lazy' or 'weary' would lose its soft grace. 「慵」字是写春寒闺愁的关键字，一个「慵」字写尽春寒中的慵懒与愁绪，传神而深婉。慵者，慵懒、懒得也。李清照以「玉阑干慵倚」写闺中，一个「慵」字，至少有双重意味：其一，写春寒之慵懒——「玉阑干慵倚」写懒得倚靠玉阑干，「慵」写慵懒——那春寒料峭、帘垂四面，闺中人懒得倚阑远望，那「慵」写尽春寒中的慵懒（春困慵懒，无心倚阑）；其二，写愁绪之深婉——「慵」暗写愁绪——那「慵倚」不是不想倚，而是倚阑也无益（倚阑望远，望远更添愁），那「慵」写尽愁绪的深婉——懒得倚阑，正是「倚遍阑干，只是无情绪」的深婉；那「慵」字，把春寒的慵懒与愁绪的深婉融为一体。以「慵」写倚阑，正是李清照炼字的本领：一个「慵」字，既是写春寒的慵懒（春困慵懒），也是写愁绪的深婉（倚阑无益、慵懒倚阑），更是写闺中人的情态（慵懒倚阑，正是「帘卷西风，人比黄花瘦」的慵懒）——那「慵」字，写尽春寒闺愁的情态。若换作「懒」「倦」等字，则或失其「慵」的柔婉，或失其与「玉阑干」的相映；唯「慵」字，以一字写尽春寒中的慵懒与愁绪的深婉，也让「玉阑干慵倚」成为写闺愁的名句——那「慵」字，正是李清照词中「婉约」的体现。

晴 Clear / fine (weather). A pivotal word: 'shall we see if it is fine today' — 'fine' denotes both the clearing sky after rain and, covertly, the clearing of the heart. From the annoying weather to the fresh dawn to this one word lies the whole turn from grief toward hope; only 'fine' can carry both the weather and the mood. 「晴」字是写心境转晴的关键字，一个「晴」字写尽对晴天的期待，也暗含心境的转晴，含蓄而深婉。晴者，晴朗、放晴也。李清照以「更看今日晴未」写天气，一个「晴」字，至少有双重意味：其一，写天气之转晴——「更看今日晴未」写再看今日是否放晴，「晴」写天气的晴朗——那「日高烟敛」正是雨后天晴的征兆，那「晴」写尽天气的转晴（雨后初晴）；其二，写心境之转晴——「晴」不仅写天气，也暗写心境——那「更看今日晴未」既看天气，也看心情（若放晴，便可出游散心，冲淡闲愁），那「晴」写尽心境的转晴——从「种种恼人天气」的春愁，到「清露晨流，新桐初引」的春意，再到「更看今日晴未」的期待，那「晴」字写尽愁绪中希望的萌动。以「晴」写天气，正是李清照炼字的本领：一个「晴」字，既是写天气的转晴（雨后初晴），也是写心境的转晴（愁绪中希望的萌动），更是写「看晴问花」的深婉（「更看今日晴未」正是「试问卷帘人」式的深婉）——那「晴」字，把天气与心境融为一体，写尽「愁极而转晴」的含蓄。若换作「好」「朗」等字，则或失其「放晴」的动态，或失其「心境转晴」的深意；唯「晴」字，以一字写尽天气的转晴与心境的转晴，也让「更看今日晴未」成为千古名句——那「晴」字，正是闺愁中一丝希望的萌动。