宋 Song · 词 Ci lyric
沁园春
Spring in the Qin Garden
斗酒彘肩，风雨渡江，岂不快哉。
被香山居士，约林和靖，与东坡老，驾勒吾回。
坡谓西湖，正如西子，浓抹淡妆临镜台。
二公者，皆掉头不顾，只管衔杯。
白云天竺飞来。
图画里、峥嵘楼观开。
爱东西双涧，纵横水绕，两峰南北，高下云堆。
逋曰不然，暗香浮动，争似孤山先探梅。
须晴去，访稼轩未晚，且此俳徊。
Crossing the river in wind and rain — is that not a joy?
But the Fragrant Mountain Hermit invited Lin Hejing
And Old Dongpo, and together they turned my horse back.
Dongpo said: the West Lake is just like the fair Xi Shi,
Gaily painted or lightly powdered, facing the mirror of the lake.
The two gentlemen, though, both turned their heads away,
Caring only to raise their cups.
White clouds hang over the Tianzhu Peak that flew in from India,
And in the picture, the towering halls and towers open out.
I love the twin streams east and west,
The waters winding crisscross, and the twin peaks, south and north,
Their cloud-heaps high and low.
Lin Bu said: not so — the hidden fragrance, the floating shadow,
Why not go to Lone Hill and spy out the plum first?
It must be a clear day to visit Jiaxuan — that will not be too late,
So let us linger here a while.
Meaning
A fantastical lyric written by the Southern Song poet Liu Guo, when he was about to cross the Yangtze to visit the great patriot lyricist Xin Qiji (Jiaxuan). In playful imagination, the poem's banquet of the immortals of the West Lake: Bai Juyi (the Fragrant Mountain Hermit), Lin Bu (Lin Hejing) and Su Shi (Old Dongpo) — the three great figures associated with the West Lake — invite Liu Guo's horse to turn back, and hold a debate over the merits of the lake. Dongpo praises the lake as the fair Xi Shi; Lin Bu retorts with his own famous lines of the plum; and the poet enjoys the twin streams, the twin peaks and the clouds, resolving to visit Jiaxuan later, on a clear day. The lyric is a masterpiece of the playful imagination, in which the poet's heroes of the West Lake debate the beauties of the lake itself.
斗酒彘肩，风雨渡江，岂不快哉。被香山居士，约林和靖，与东坡老，驾勒吾回。坡谓西湖，正如西子，浓抹淡妆临镜台。二公者，皆掉头不顾，只管衔杯。白云天竺飞来。图画里、峥嵘楼观开。爱东西双涧，纵横水绕，两峰南北，高下云堆。逋曰不然，暗香浮动，争似孤山先探梅。须晴去，访稼轩未晚，且此俳徊。
Appreciation
[Plain Paraphrase] With a great jar of wine and a shoulder of pork, crossing the river in wind and rain — is that not splendid? But the Fragrant Mountain Hermit invited Lin Hejing and Old Dongpo, and they turned my horse back. Dongpo said: the West Lake is just like the fair Xi Shi, gaily painted or lightly powdered before the mirror of the lake. The two gentlemen both turned their heads, caring only to drink. White clouds hang over the Tianzhu Peak; in the picture the towering halls open out. I love the twin streams and the winding waters, the twin peaks south and north with their cloud-heaps. Lin Bu said: not so — the hidden fragrance and the floating shadow, why not go first to Lone Hill to spy the plum? It must be a clear day to visit Jiaxuan; that will not be too late — let us linger here a while. [Structure and Thought] The lyric is a playful fantasy: the poet is turned back by a banquet of the West Lake immortals, who debate the lake's beauties while the poet himself savors the scene and postpones his visit to Xin Qiji. [Key Technique] The poem's art is the personification of literary history: Bai Juyi, Lin Bu and Su Shi — the three poets of the West Lake — are made to debate the lake's merits, and the debate is conducted in their own famous lines and images. [Emotional Tone] Playful, affectionate, and light: the lyric is a holiday of the imagination, in which the poet's heroes of the lake entertain him with their poetry and their wine.
【白话串讲】 刘过写《沁园春》：“斗酒彘肩，风雨渡江，岂不快哉”——“被香山居士，约林和靖，与东坡老，驾勒吾回”——“坡谓西湖，正如西子，浓抹淡妆临镜台”——“二公者，皆掉头不顾，只管衔杯”——他想象与白居易、林逋、苏轼同游——岂不快哉。 【意象与手法】 “斗酒彘肩，风雨渡江，岂不快哉”写渡江快意；“被香山居士，约林和靖，与东坡老，驾勒吾回”想象被白居易、林逋、苏轼约回；“坡谓西湖，正如西子，浓抹淡妆临镜台”以东坡诗句写西湖；结以“须晴去，访稼轩未晚，且此俳徊”写访稼轩。豪放诙谐、想象奇特。 【情感与主旨】 刘过写咏怀谐趣之作，想象与白居易、林逋、苏轼等先贤同游西湖、斗酒吟诗之乐，体现刘过词豪放诙谐、狂放不羁的风格。 【名句点睛】 常考“斗酒彘肩，风雨渡江，岂不快哉”以斗酒彘肩写快意；“坡谓西湖，正如西子，浓抹淡妆临镜台”以西湖西子写苏轼论西湖。
Background
Liu Guo (1154–1206), courtesy name Gaizhi, styled himself Longzhou, was a Southern Song poet and a passionate admirer of Xin Qiji (Jiaxuan), the great patriot lyricist. This lyric was written in 1203, when Liu Guo was crossing the Yangtze to visit Xin Qiji at his estate; the poem turns the journey into a playful fantasy in which the three great poets of the West Lake — Bai Juyi, who praised the lake as prefect of Hangzhou; Lin Bu, the hermit of Lone Hill with his plum and his cranes; and Su Shi, whose 'Drinking on the Lake' compared the lake to Xi Shi — detain the traveler to debate the beauties of the lake. The lyric is famous for the light, encyclopedic play of its allusions and for the affectionate portrait of the poet's literary heroes.
《沁园春》为南宋词人刘过所作词。刘过（1154—1206），字改之，号龙洲道人，吉州太和（今江西泰和）人，南宋词人，词风豪放。此词写咏怀谐趣，寄赠辛弃疾（稼轩）之作。词中「斗酒彘肩，风雨渡江，岂不快哉」写渡江快意；「被香山居士，约林和靖，与东坡老，驾勒吾回」写被约回；「坡谓西湖，正如西子，浓抹淡妆临镜台」写西湖西子；「二公者，皆掉头不顾，只管衔杯」写二公衔杯；「白云天竺飞来。图画里、峥嵘楼观开」写天竺楼观；「爱东西双涧，纵横水绕，两峰南北，高下云堆」写两峰云堆；「逋曰不然，暗香浮动，争似孤山先探梅」写孤山探梅；「须晴去，访稼轩未晚，且此俳徊」写访稼轩。刘过此词以咏怀谐趣、访稼轩写其志趣，豪放诙谐，是刘过词中的名篇。此篇《沁园春》在历代选本中多被收录，其艺术价值与流传之广，正可见此诗在同类题材中的重要地位。诗人以匠心独运之笔写寻常之情事，遂使此作历千载而犹有生气，为后人所称赏不绝。
Art
The lyric's art is the art of the literary banquet. The opening is deliberately crude and heroic — the jar of wine, the shoulder of pork, the crossing in wind and rain — the style of the gallant (haofang) lyric at its most dashing. Then the fantasy begins: the three immortals of the lake turn the traveler's horse back, and the debate is conducted in their own words — Dongpo's 'the lake is like the fair Xi Shi,' Lin Bu's 'hidden fragrance and floating shadow.' The poet himself savors the scene — the twin streams, the twin peaks, the clouds — and postpones the visit to Jiaxuan. The lyric is a tour of the West Lake's literary landscape, and its playfulness conceals a genuine love of the poets and the lake it celebrates.
此词艺术上以「豪放诙谐、以典写趣」见长。全词上片写渡江快意与二公衔杯，下片写天竺楼观与孤山探梅。上片「斗酒彘肩，风雨渡江，岂不快哉」写渡江快意：斗酒彘肩，风雨渡江，岂不快哉；「被香山居士，约林和靖，与东坡老，驾勒吾回」写被约回：被香山居士，约林和靖，与东坡老，驾勒吾回；「坡谓西湖，正如西子，浓抹淡妆临镜台」写西湖西子：坡谓西湖，正如西子，浓抹淡妆临镜台；「二公者，皆掉头不顾，只管衔杯」写二公衔杯：二公者，皆掉头不顾，只管衔杯。下片「白云天竺飞来。图画里、峥嵘楼观开」写天竺楼观：白云天竺飞来，图画里、峥嵘楼观开；「爱东西双涧，纵横水绕，两峰南北，高下云堆」写两峰云堆：爱东西双涧，纵横水绕，两峰南北，高下云堆；「逋曰不然，暗香浮动，争似孤山先探梅」写孤山探梅：逋曰不然，暗香浮动，争似孤山先探梅；「须晴去，访稼轩未晚，且此俳徊」写访稼轩：须晴去，访稼轩未晚，且此俳徊。全词豪放诙谐，以典写趣，是刘过词中的名篇。
Allusions
'The Fragrant Mountain Hermit' (Xiangshan jushi) is Bai Juyi, the great Tang poet who served as prefect of Hangzhou; 'Lin Hejing' is Lin Bu, the Song hermit of Lone Hill who refused office and kept plums and cranes; 'Old Dongpo' is Su Shi, whose famous poem compared the West Lake to the beauty Xi Shi — 'gaily painted or lightly powdered, always fitting' — quoted directly in the lyric. 'The Tianzhu Peak that flew in from India' is the legend of the Feilai (Flying-in) Peak before Lingyin Temple, said to have flown from India. 'The hidden fragrance and the floating shadow' are the opening words of Lin Bu's famous plum poem, quoted to identify the hermit's own taste. 'Jiaxuan' is Xin Qiji, the patriot lyricist the poet is on his way to visit.
词中「斗酒彘肩」「风雨渡江」「岂不快哉」「香山居士」「林和靖」「东坡老」「驾勒吾回」「西子」「浓抹淡妆」「临镜台」「掉头不顾」「衔杯」「白云天竺飞来」「图画里峥嵘楼观」「东西双涧」「两峰南北」「高下云堆」「逋曰不然」「暗香浮动」「孤山探梅」「须晴去」「访稼轩」「俳徊」等语，皆含典故故实。「斗酒彘肩」用《史记·项羽本纪》樊哙闯鸿门宴斗酒彘肩之典，写豪饮快事；「风雨渡江」写风雨中渡江；「岂不快哉」写岂不快意；「香山居士」指白居易（号香山居士）；「林和靖」指林逋（谥和靖先生）；「东坡老」指苏轼（号东坡居士）；「驾勒吾回」写被驾勒回来（即被三人留住）；「西子」用苏轼「欲把西湖比西子」之句，写西施；「浓抹淡妆」用苏轼「淡妆浓抹总相宜」之意；「临镜台」写临镜台；「掉头不顾」写掉头不顾；「衔杯」写饮酒；「白云天竺飞来」用杭州天竺山飞来峰之典（东晋僧慧理谓此峰自天竺飞来）；「峥嵘楼观」写峥嵘之楼观；「东西双涧」写杭州东西二涧；「两峰南北」写西湖之南高峰北高峰；「高下云堆」写云堆高下；「逋曰不然」写林逋说不然；「暗香浮动」用林逋《山园小梅》「暗香浮动月黄昏」之句；「孤山探梅」写孤山探梅（林逋隐居孤山种梅）；「须晴去」写须待晴去；「访稼轩」写访辛弃疾（号稼轩）；「俳徊」写徘徊。词人以斗酒彘肩、香山居士、林和靖、东坡老、西子、飞来峰、暗香浮动、孤山探梅等典入词，不着痕迹，而把咏怀谐趣之情写得真切可感，是善于熔铸典故的体现。
Commentary
This lyric is one of the most beloved works of the Southern Song, famous for the light, encyclopedic play of its literary allusions. The banquet of the West Lake immortals — Bai Juyi, Lin Bu and Su Shi debating the lake's beauties — is often cited as one of the most charming conceits in the history of the ci, and the poem is treasured as a love-letter to the poets and the lake it celebrates. Critics praise its dashing opening and its affectionate play, and the lyric is a permanent favorite in the anthologies.
这首《沁园春》，是刘过写咏怀谐趣之作，写斗酒彘肩、香山居士约、暗香浮动之情，豪放诙谐。上片写渡江快意与二公衔杯：「斗酒彘肩，风雨渡江，岂不快哉」——斗酒彘肩，风雨渡江，岂不快哉。写渡江快意：斗酒彘肩（用樊哙斗酒彘肩之典）、风雨渡江，岂不快哉——斗酒彘肩、风雨渡江，何其快意；「被香山居士，约林和靖，与东坡老，驾勒吾回」——被香山居士，约林和靖，与东坡老，驾勒吾回。写被约回：被香山居士约林和靖与东坡老，驾勒吾回——被白居易、林逋、苏轼三人驾勒而回；「坡谓西湖，正如西子，浓抹淡妆临镜台」——坡谓西湖，正如西子，浓抹淡妆临镜台。写西湖西子：坡谓西湖正如西子，浓抹淡妆临镜台——东坡说西湖如西子、浓抹淡妆；「二公者，皆掉头不顾，只管衔杯」——二公者，皆掉头不顾，只管衔杯。写二公衔杯：二公皆掉头不顾，只管衔杯——白林二公掉头只顾饮酒。下片写天竺楼观与孤山探梅：「白云天竺飞来。图画里、峥嵘楼观开」——白云天竺飞来，图画里、峥嵘楼观开。写天竺楼观：白云天竺飞来（用飞来峰之典）、图画里峥嵘楼观开——天竺白云、楼观峥嵘；「爱东西双涧，纵横水绕，两峰南北，高下云堆」——爱东西双涧，纵横水绕，两峰南北，高下云堆。写两峰云堆：爱东西双涧、纵横水绕，两峰南北、高下云堆——双涧水绕、两峰云堆；「逋曰不然，暗香浮动，争似孤山先探梅」——逋曰不然，暗香浮动，争似孤山先探梅。写孤山探梅：逋曰不然、暗香浮动，争似孤山先探梅——林逋说不然、暗香浮动，不如孤山先探梅；「须晴去，访稼轩未晚，且此俳徊」——须晴去，访稼轩未晚，且此俳徊。写访稼轩：须晴去、访稼轩未晚，且此徘徊——待晴去访辛稼轩、且在此徘徊。这「须晴去，访稼轩未晚，且此俳徊」，是全词之结：以访稼轩写其志趣。全词豪放诙谐，以典写趣，正是刘过词中的名篇。
Prosody
Line by line
斗酒彘肩，风雨渡江，岂不快哉。
A great jar of wine, a shoulder of pork, crossing the river in wind and rain — is that not a joy?
斗酒彘肩，风雨渡江，岂不快哉。
A vat of wine and a shoulder of pork, crossing the river in wind and rain — is it not a joy?
首三句写渡江快意，起笔即见其豪。「斗酒彘肩」写斗酒彘肩，用樊哙斗酒彘肩之典写豪饮；「风雨渡江」写风雨渡江，「风雨」写风雨之中、「渡江」写渡过长江；「岂不快哉」写岂不快意，「岂不」写岂不、「快哉」写快意。三句一写斗酒彘肩、一写风雨渡江、一写岂不快哉，以斗酒彘肩写其豪、以风雨渡江写其壮、以岂不快哉写其快，写尽斗酒彘肩、风雨渡江之快意。以豪起兴，豪放而爽快，是「以豪起兴」的妙笔。
The opening three lines write the river-crossing's exhilaration, the boldness present at the first stroke. A vat of wine and a shoulder of pork uses Fan Kuai's vat-of-wine-and-shoulder-of-pork allusion for the bold drinking; crossing the river in wind and rain writes the crossing of the Yangtze in the storm; is it not a joy? writes the delight. Three lines, the boldness through the vat wine and pork shoulder, the grandeur through the wind-and-rain crossing, the joy through the is-it-not-a-joy, exhausting the vat-wine-and-pork-shoulder and wind-and-rain crossing's exhilaration. Rising on boldness, untrammeled and brisk, a wondrous brush of rising-on-boldness.
被香山居士，约林和靖，与东坡老，驾勒吾回。
But the Fragrant Mountain Hermit invited Lin Hejing and Old Dongpo, and together they turned my horse back.
被香山居士，约林和靖，与东坡老，驾勒吾回。
But Master Xiangshan, summoning Lin Hejing and Old Dongpo, drove and dragged me back.
此四句写被约回，是全词写谐趣的关键。「被香山居士」写被香山居士，用白居易之号；「约林和靖」写约林和靖，用林逋之谥号；「与东坡老」写与东坡老，用苏轼之号；「驾勒吾回」写驾勒吾回，「驾勒」写驾勒（留）、「吾回」写我回来。四句一写被香山居士、一写约林和靖、一写与东坡老、一写驾勒吾回，以三位前贤之名写其被约、以驾勒吾回写其被留，写尽被白居易林逋苏轼三人驾勒而回之趣——以古人相邀，极尽谐趣。以典写趣，豪放而诙谐，是「以典写趣」的点睛之笔。
These four lines write the being-summoned-back, the ci's humor key. But Master Xiangshan (Bai Juyi's hao), summoning Lin Hejing (Lin Bu's posthumous title), and Old Dongpo (Su Shi's hao), drove and dragged me back: the three ancient worthies' names writing the being-summoned, the drove-and-dragged-me-back writing the being-detained, exhausting the humor of being driven back by Bai, Lin, and Su — the ancients' mutual invitation, the humor at its extreme. Writing humor through allusion, untrammeled and witty, a telling stroke of humor-through-allusion.
坡谓西湖，正如西子，浓抹淡妆临镜台。
Dongpo said: the West Lake is just like the fair Xi Shi, gaily painted or lightly powdered, facing the mirror of the lake.
坡谓西湖，正如西子，浓抹淡妆临镜台。
Dongpo said the West Lake is just like Xishi, whether richly painted or plainly dressed, leaning at the mirror.
此三句写西湖西子，是全词写东坡语的关键。「坡谓西湖」写坡谓西湖，「坡」写东坡、「谓西湖」写说西湖；「正如西子」写正如西子，「正如」写正像、「西子」写西施；「浓抹淡妆临镜台」写浓抹淡妆临镜台，用苏轼淡妆浓抹总相宜之意，「临镜台」写临着镜台。三句一写坡谓西湖、一写正如西子、一写浓抹淡妆临镜台，以坡谓写东坡之语、以正如西子写湖如西施、以浓抹淡妆写其妆态，写尽东坡谓西湖如西子、浓抹淡妆临镜台之情。以典写趣，豪放而诙谐，是「以典写趣」的点睛之笔。
These three lines write Dongpo's West Lake and Xishi, the ci's Dongpo-speech key. Dongpo said the West Lake is just like Xishi, whether richly painted or plainly dressed, leaning at the mirror: the Dongpo-said writing Su Shi's words, the just-like-Xishi writing the lake's likeness to Xishi, the rich-or-plain dress borrowing Su Shi's the rich painting and plain dressing both fitting meaning, the leaning-at-the-mirror writing the pose. Writing humor through allusion, untrammeled and witty, a telling stroke of humor-through-allusion.
逋曰不然，暗香浮动，争似孤山先探梅。
Lin Bu said: not so — the hidden fragrance, the floating shadow, why not go to Lone Hill and spy out the plum first?
逋曰不然，暗香浮动，争似孤山先探梅。
But Lin Bu said not so: the faint fragrance drifting — how can it match first seeking the plum at Lone Hill?
尾三句写孤山探梅，是全词立意的落点。「逋曰不然」写逋曰不然，「逋」写林逋、「曰不然」写说不然；「暗香浮动」写暗香浮动，用林逋《山园小梅》「暗香浮动月黄昏」之句；「争似孤山先探梅」写争似孤山先探梅，「争似」写怎比得上、「孤山先探梅」写先到孤山探梅。三句一写逋曰不然、一写暗香浮动、一写争似孤山先探梅，以逋曰不然写林逋之语、以暗香浮动用其咏梅名句、以孤山先探梅写探梅，写尽林逋谓不如先到孤山探梅之情。以典写趣，豪放而诙谐，是全词最妙处，也是「以典写趣」的点睛之笔。
The closing three lines write the Lone Hill plum-seeking, the landing of the ci's theme. But Lin Bu said not so: the faint fragrance drifting (borrowing Lin Bu's Small Garden Plum's the faint fragrance drifts at the moonlit dusk line), how can it match first seeking the plum at Lone Hill? The Lin-Bu-said-not-so writing Lin Bu's words, the faint-fragrance-drifting using his famous plum line, the Lone-Hill-first-seeking writing the plum seeking. Writing humor through allusion, untrammeled and witty, the ci's most wondrous place.
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Su Shi's 'Prelude to Water Melody' turns the night of the moon into the great meditation; Liu Guo's 'Spring in the Qin Garden' plays the same ease as comedy — the three masters turning back his horse, disputing whether the lake or the plum is the greater beauty.
苏轼《水调歌头·明月几时有》「明月几时有？把酒问青天」，写把酒问天、超然物外，是宋词写豪放的千古名篇；刘过《沁园春》则以「斗酒彘肩，风雨渡江，岂不快哉」「二公者，皆掉头不顾，只管衔杯」写斗酒彘肩、只管衔杯。两词同写超然游赏、把酒快意：一写明月几时有把酒问青天、以问天写旷，一写斗酒彘肩风雨渡江岂不快哉、以彘肩写豪；一为苏轼之超旷、一为刘过之豪放，并读正可见宋词写「把酒豪放」的两种情致，皆于酒中见豪放之气。
临江仙·夜归临皋 Immortals at the River: Returning at Night to Lingao 苏轼 · 同写洒脱行游、自得其乐，一写夜饮东坡醒复醉归来仿佛三更、一写斗酒彘肩风雨渡江被驾勒吾回，皆于醉饮之中见洒脱 Both are the poems of the ease after the wine — Su Shi's midnight boat, Liu Guo's comic banquet of the masters.Su Shi's 'Immortals at the River' — 'the night is deep, the wind still, the waves level' — returns from the drink in the great ease; Liu Guo's poem is the comic counterpart — the jar of wine and the shoulder of pork crossed in the wind and rain, with the three masters disputing the lake and the plum.
苏轼《临江仙·夜归临皋》「夜饮东坡醒复醉，归来仿佛三更」，写夜饮归来、洒脱超然，是苏轼写旷达的名篇；刘过《沁园春》则以「斗酒彘肩，风雨渡江，岂不快哉」「二公者，皆掉头不顾，只管衔杯」写斗酒彘肩、只管衔杯。两词同写洒脱行游、自得其乐：一写夜饮东坡醒复醉归来仿佛三更、以醉归写旷，一写斗酒彘肩风雨渡江被驾勒吾回、以被留写趣；一为苏轼之超旷、一为刘过之豪放，并读正可见宋词写「洒脱醉饮」的两种情致，皆于醉饮之中见洒脱。