宋 Song · 词 Ci lyric
瑞鹤仙
The Auspicious Crane Immortal
恰芳菲梦醒，漾残月、转湘帘。
正翠崦收钟，彤墀放仗，台榭轻烟。
东园。
夜游乍散，听金壶、逗晓歇花签。
宫柳微开露眼，小莺寂妒春眠。
冰奁。
黛浅红鲜。
临晓鉴、竞晨妍。
怕误却佳期，宿妆旋整，忙上雕𫐌。
都缘探芳起早，看堤边、早有已开船。
薇帐残香泪蜡，有人病酒恹恹。
The remnant moon ripples, turning the Xiang curtain.
Just then the green peaks take in the bell,
The vermilion court lets out the guard,
And the terraces and towers are in light smoke.
The eastern garden —
The night excursion has just scattered,
I hear the golden clepsydra: until dawn the flower-tallies rest.
The palace willows half open their dew-eyes,
The little orioles, silent, envy the spring sleep.
The ice cosmetics-case —
The brows light, the rouge fresh.
Facing the dawn mirror, they vie in the morning's beauty.
Fearing to miss the fair tryst,
They quickly redo the night's makeup,
And hurry to the carved carriage.
All because the flower-seeking rose early —
I see by the dike there are already boats cast off.
In the rose-curtained tent, the remnant fragrance, the wax-tears,
And someone, sick of the wine, lies languid.
Meaning
A lyric of the spring dawn and the flower-seeking, written by the late Southern Song poet Zhou Mi. The fragrant dream awakens as the remnant moon ripples through the curtain; the green peaks take in the bell and the court lets out the guard; the terraces are in light smoke, the night excursion scattered. The palace willows half open their dew-eyes; the little orioles, silent, envy the spring sleep. Then the human scene: the ladies at the cosmetics-case, brows light and rouge fresh, vying in the morning's beauty before the dawn mirror; fearing to miss the fair tryst, they quickly redo the night's makeup and hurry to the carved carriage — all because the flower-seeking rose early: by the dike, there are already boats cast off. And the close is the contrast: in the rose-curtained tent, the remnant fragrance and the wax-tears, and someone, sick of the wine, lies languid. The lyric is a picture of the spring dawn — the waking world, the hurrying beauties, and the one who cannot rise.
恰芳菲梦醒，漾残月、转湘帘。正翠崦收钟，彤墀放仗，台榭轻烟。东园。夜游乍散，听金壶、逗晓歇花签。宫柳微开露眼，小莺寂妒春眠。冰奁。黛浅红鲜。临晓鉴、竞晨妍。怕误却佳期，宿妆旋整，忙上雕𫐌。都缘探芳起早，看堤边、早有已开船。薇帐残香泪蜡，有人病酒恹恹。
Appreciation
[Plain Paraphrase] Just as the fragrant dream awakens, the remnant moon ripples, turning the Xiang curtain. Just then the green peaks take in the bell; the vermilion court lets out the guard; the terraces and towers are in light smoke. The eastern garden — the night excursion has just scattered; I hear the golden clepsydra: until dawn the flower-tallies rest. The palace willows half open their dew-eyes; the little orioles, silent, envy the spring sleep. The ice cosmetics-case — the brows light, the rouge fresh. Facing the dawn mirror, they vie in the morning's beauty. Fearing to miss the fair tryst, they quickly redo the night's makeup and hurry to the carved carriage. All because the flower-seeking rose early — I see by the dike there are already boats cast off. In the rose-curtained tent, the remnant fragrance and the wax-tears, and someone, sick of the wine, lies languid. [Structure and Thought] The lyric moves from the waking world of the dawn (the moon, the bell, the smoke) through the natural awakening (the willows, the orioles) to the human scene (the ladies at the mirror, the hurrying to the boats) and the close of the contrast — the one who cannot rise. [Key Technique] The poem's art is the contrast of the two mornings: the beauties hurrying to the flower-seeking in their fresh makeup, and the one in the rose-tent, sick of the wine, lying languid — the dawn seen from both sides. [Emotional Tone] Refined and gently ironic: the lyric watches the spring dawn with a connoisseur's eye, and the closing languor of the wine-sick one is the quiet counterpoint to the hurrying beauties.
【白话串讲】 周密写《瑞鹤仙》：“恰芳菲梦醒，漾残月、转湘帘”——“东园。夜游乍散，听金壶、逗晓歇花签”——“宫柳微开露眼，小莺寂妒春眠”——他写春晓——小莺寂妒春眠。 【意象与手法】 “恰芳菲梦醒，漾残月、转湘帘”写芳菲梦醒；“正翠崦收钟、彤墀放仗、台榭轻烟”写台榭轻烟；“东园。夜游乍散，听金壶、逗晓歇花签”写夜游乍散；结以“薇帐残香泪蜡，有人病酒恹恹”写病酒恹恹。含蓄深婉。 【情感与主旨】 周密写春晓宫词之作，写春晓时分宫中夜游方散、有人病酒的情态，体现周密词中工于描摹、含蓄深婉的风格。 【名句点睛】 常考“恰芳菲梦醒，漾残月、转湘帘”以芳菲梦醒写春晓；“薇帐残香泪蜡，有人病酒恹恹”以病酒恹恹写宫人情态。
Background
Zhou Mi (1232–1298) was a late Southern Song poet, scholar and connoisseur, a member of the elegant literary circle of the last years of the dynasty. This lyric belongs to his refined observation of the spring dawn — the waking of the court and the city, the hurrying of the flower-seekers, the languor of the reveller. Its precise, sensuous detail — the clepsydra, the flower-tallies, the dew-eyes of the willows, the cosmetics-case — is the characteristic art of the late Song lyric, and the poem is a small masterpiece of the dawn scene.
《瑞鹤仙》为南宋词人周密所作词。周密（1232—1298），字公谨，号草窗，先世济南人，后居吴兴（今浙江湖州），南宋词人，与吴文英并称「二窗」。此词写春晓宫词。词中「恰芳菲梦醒，漾残月、转湘帘」写芳菲梦醒；「正翠崦收钟，彤墀放仗，台榭轻烟」写翠崦收钟；「东园。夜游乍散，听金壶、逗晓歇花签」写夜游乍散；「宫柳微开露眼，小莺寂妒春眠」写宫柳露眼；「冰奁。黛浅红鲜。临晓鉴、竞晨妍」写临晓鉴；「怕误却佳期，宿妆旋整，忙上雕𫐌」写忙上雕𫐌；「都缘探芳起早，看堤边、早有已开船」写探芳起早；「薇帐残香泪蜡，有人病酒恹恹」写病酒恹恹。周密此词以春晓宫词、病酒恹恹写其宫中春晓之情，含蓄深婉，是周密词中的名篇。此篇《瑞鹤仙》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 two-sided dawn. The first stanza is the world's waking: the remnant moon rippling through the curtain, the bell taken in by the peaks, the guard let out, the terraces in smoke, the night excursion scattered, the clepsydra with its flower-tallies resting until dawn. The second stanza is nature's waking: the willows half opening their dew-eyes, the orioles silent with envy of the spring sleep. The third is the human waking: the ladies at the cosmetics-case, vying in the morning's beauty, redoing the night's makeup and hurrying to the boats — the flower-seeking that rose early. The close is the counterpoint: in the rose-tent, the remnant fragrance and the wax-tears, and someone, sick of the wine, lying languid — the dawn from the side of the sleepless reveller.
此词艺术上以「含蓄深婉、以景写情」见长。全词上片写芳菲梦醒与翠崦收钟，下片写临晓鉴与病酒恹恹。上片「恰芳菲梦醒，漾残月、转湘帘」写芳菲梦醒：恰芳菲梦醒，漾残月、转湘帘；「正翠崦收钟，彤墀放仗，台榭轻烟」写翠崦收钟：正翠崦收钟，彤墀放仗，台榭轻烟；「东园。夜游乍散，听金壶、逗晓歇花签」写夜游乍散：东园，夜游乍散，听金壶、逗晓歇花签；「宫柳微开露眼，小莺寂妒春眠」写宫柳露眼：宫柳微开露眼，小莺寂妒春眠。下片「冰奁。黛浅红鲜。临晓鉴、竞晨妍」写临晓鉴：冰奁，黛浅红鲜，临晓鉴、竞晨妍；「怕误却佳期，宿妆旋整，忙上雕𫐌」写忙上雕𫐌：怕误却佳期，宿妆旋整，忙上雕𫐌；「都缘探芳起早，看堤边、早有已开船」写探芳起早：都缘探芳起早，看堤边、早有已开船；「薇帐残香泪蜡，有人病酒恹恹」写病酒恹恹：薇帐残香泪蜡，有人病酒恹恹。全词含蓄深婉，以景写情，是周密词中的名篇。
Allusions
'The flower-tallies' (huaqian) are the tally-slips of the night watch, the clepsydra's record of the hours; their resting until dawn marks the end of the night. 'The dew-eyes of the willows' (luyan) are the buds of the willows, likened to eyes opening with the dew — the personification of the waking spring. 'The carved carriage' (diaolian) is the decorated carriage of the excursion. 'The rose-curtained tent' (weizhang) is the bed-curtain of the reveller; 'the wax-tears' are the melted candle of the long night.
词中「恰芳菲梦醒」「漾残月转湘帘」「翠崦收钟」「彤墀放仗」「台榭轻烟」「东园夜游乍散」「金壶逗晓歇花签」「宫柳微开露眼」「小莺寂妒春眠」「冰奁黛浅红鲜」「临晓鉴竞晨妍」「怕误却佳期宿妆旋整」「忙上雕𫐌」「都缘探芳起早」「看堤边早有已开船」「薇帐残香泪蜡」「有人病酒恹恹」等语，皆含典故故实。「恰芳菲梦醒」写恰芳菲梦醒；「漾残月转湘帘」写漾残月转湘帘；「翠崦收钟」写翠崦收钟（翠崦为青山）；「彤墀放仗」写彤墀放仗（彤墀为宫殿丹墀）；「台榭轻烟」写台榭轻烟；「东园夜游乍散」写东园夜游乍散；「金壶逗晓歇花签」写金壶逗晓歇花签（金壶为更漏）；「宫柳微开露眼」写宫柳微开露眼；「小莺寂妒春眠」写小莺寂妒春眠；「冰奁黛浅红鲜」写冰奁黛浅红鲜（冰奁为镜奁）；「临晓鉴竞晨妍」写临晓鉴竞晨妍（晓鉴为晓镜）；「怕误却佳期宿妆旋整」写怕误却佳期宿妆旋整；「忙上雕𫐌」写忙上雕𫐌；「都缘探芳起早」写都缘探芳起早；「看堤边早有已开船」写看堤边早有已开船；「薇帐残香泪蜡」写薇帐残香泪蜡；「有人病酒恹恹」写有人病酒恹恹。词人以彤墀、金壶、晓鉴、雕𫐌等语入词，不着痕迹，而把春晓宫词之情写得真切可感，是善于熔铸意象的体现。
Commentary
This lyric is one of Zhou Mi's most refined works, quoted for the precision and sensuousness of its dawn scene. The contrast of the hurrying beauties and the languid reveller is often cited as a model of the two-sided scene, and the personifications — the willows' dew-eyes, the envious orioles — are ranked among the finest touches of the late Song. Critics praise the lyric's composed structure: the world, the nature and the human all waking to the same spring dawn.
这首《瑞鹤仙》，是周密写春晓宫词之作，写芳菲梦醒、临晓鉴、病酒恹恹之情，含蓄深婉。上片写芳菲梦醒与翠崦收钟：「恰芳菲梦醒，漾残月、转湘帘」——恰芳菲梦醒，漾残月、转湘帘。写芳菲梦醒：恰芳菲梦醒、漾残月转湘帘——芳菲梦醒、残月漾湘帘；「正翠崦收钟，彤墀放仗，台榭轻烟」——正翠崦收钟，彤墀放仗，台榭轻烟。写翠崦收钟：正翠崦收钟、彤墀放仗，台榭轻烟——翠崦收钟、彤墀放仗、台榭轻烟；「东园。夜游乍散，听金壶、逗晓歇花签」——东园，夜游乍散，听金壶、逗晓歇花签。写夜游乍散：东园夜游乍散、听金壶逗晓歇花签——东园夜游乍散、金壶逗晓歇花签；「宫柳微开露眼，小莺寂妒春眠」——宫柳微开露眼，小莺寂妒春眠。写宫柳露眼：宫柳微开露眼、小莺寂妒春眠——宫柳开露眼、小莺妒春眠。下片写临晓鉴与病酒恹恹：「冰奁。黛浅红鲜。临晓鉴、竞晨妍」——冰奁，黛浅红鲜，临晓鉴、竞晨妍。写临晓鉴：冰奁黛浅红鲜、临晓鉴竞晨妍——冰奁黛浅红鲜、临晓鉴竞晨妍；「怕误却佳期，宿妆旋整，忙上雕𫐌」——怕误却佳期，宿妆旋整，忙上雕𫐌。写忙上雕𫐌：怕误却佳期、宿妆旋整，忙上雕𫐌——怕误佳期、宿妆旋整、忙上雕𫐌；「都缘探芳起早，看堤边、早有已开船」——都缘探芳起早，看堤边、早有已开船。写探芳起早：都缘探芳起早、看堤边早有已开船——探芳起早、堤边已有开船；「薇帐残香泪蜡，有人病酒恹恹」——薇帐残香泪蜡，有人病酒恹恹。写病酒恹恹：薇帐残香泪蜡、有人病酒恹恹——薇帐残香泪蜡、有人病酒恹恹。这「薇帐残香泪蜡，有人病酒恹恹」，是全词之结：以病酒恹恹写其慵懒。全词含蓄深婉，以景写情，正是周密词中的名篇。
Prosody
Line by line
恰芳菲梦醒，漾残月、转湘帘。
Just as the fragrant dream awakens, the remnant moon ripples, turning the Xiang curtain.
恰芳菲梦醒，漾残月、转湘帘。
Just as the fragrant spring dream wakes, the wan moon ripples and moves past the Xiang curtain.
首二句写芳菲梦醒，起笔即见其晓。「恰芳菲梦醒」写恰芳菲梦醒，「恰」写恰好、「芳菲梦醒」写芳菲中梦醒；「漾残月、转湘帘」写漾残月转湘帘，「漾残月」写荡漾之残月、「转湘帘」写转过湘帘。两句一写恰芳菲梦醒、一写漾残月转湘帘，以芳菲梦醒写梦醒之时、以漾残月转湘帘写月照帘，写尽芳菲梦醒、漾残月转湘帘之情。以晓起兴，含蓄而清丽，是「以晓起兴」的妙笔。
The opening two lines write the fragrant-spring dream's waking, the dawn present at the first stroke. Just as the fragrant spring dream wakes writes the just and the fragrant dream's waking; the wan moon ripples and moves past the Xiang curtain writes the rippling wan moon and the turned curtain. Two lines, the dream-waking time through the fragrant dream, the moon-on-curtain through the rippling wan moon, exhausting the dream's waking and the moon's passing. Rising on dawn, restrained and fair, a wondrous brush of rising-on-dawn.
正翠崦收钟，彤墀放仗，台榭轻烟。
Just then the green peaks take in the bell, the vermilion court lets out the guard, and the terraces and towers are in light smoke.
正翠崦收钟，彤墀放仗，台榭轻烟。
Just then the green hills receive the closing bell, the red terrace dismisses the guard, and light mist hangs on the towers.
此三句写翠崦收钟，是全词写宫晓之景的关键。「正翠崦收钟」写正翠崦收钟，「翠崦」写青山、「收钟」写钟声收歇；「彤墀放仗」写彤墀放仗，「彤墀」写丹墀、「放仗」写放仗；「台榭轻烟」写台榭轻烟，「台榭」写台榭、「轻烟」写轻烟。三句一写正翠崦收钟、一写彤墀放仗、一写台榭轻烟，以翠崦收钟写钟歇、以彤墀放仗写罢朝、以台榭轻烟写晓烟，写尽翠崦收钟、彤墀放仗、台榭轻烟之情。以景写晓，含蓄而深婉，是「以景写晓」的点睛之笔。
These three lines write the green hills' receiving bell, the ci's palace-dawn scene key. Just then the green hills receive the closing bell writes the green hills and the bell's closing; the red terrace dismisses the guard writes the red steps and the guard's release; light mist hangs on the towers writes the terraces and the light mist. Three lines, the bell's rest through the closing bell, the court's dismissal through the released guard, the dawn mist through the light mist, exhausting the closing bell and the dismissed guard. Writing dawn through scene, restrained and graceful, a telling stroke of dawn-through-scene.
临晓鉴、竞晨妍。
Facing the dawn mirror, they vie in the morning's beauty.
临晓鉴、竞晨妍。
Leaning to the dawn mirror, they vie in morning beauty.
此二句写临晓鉴，是全词写晨妆的关键。「临晓鉴」写临晓鉴，「临」写对着、「晓鉴」写晓镜；「竞晨妍」写竞晨妍，「竞」写争相、「晨妍」写晨妆之美。两句一写临晓鉴、一写竞晨妍，以临晓鉴写对镜、以竞晨妍写争妍，写尽临晓鉴、竞晨妍之情。以妆写晓，含蓄而深婉，是「以妆写晓」的点睛之笔。此句以寥寥数语写尽深意，情韵兼胜，正是全诗点睛之笔。其于字句之间暗藏波澜，于平易之中寄寓曲折，尤当反复涵泳，方能得其三昧。
These two lines write the leaning to the dawn mirror, the ci's morning-toilette key. Leaning to the dawn mirror writes the facing and the dawn mirror; they vie in morning beauty writes the vying and the morning beauty. Two lines, the mirror-facing through the dawn mirror, the beauty-vying through the morning beauty, exhausting the mirror and the vying. Writing dawn through the toilette, restrained and graceful, a telling stroke of dawn-through-toilette. This line in the few words exhausts the deep meaning, feeling and charm both supreme; its hidden waves between the words, the turns within the plainness, require the repeated savouring to grasp its heart.
都缘探芳起早，看堤边、早有已开船。
All because the flower-seeking rose early — I see by the dike there are already boats cast off.
都缘探芳起早，看堤边、早有已开船。
All because the flower-seeking rose early; see, along the bank, boats already let slip.
此二句写探芳起早，是全词写游春的关键。「都缘探芳起早」写都缘探芳起早，「都缘」写都因为、「探芳起早」写探花而早起；「看堤边、早有已开船」写看堤边早有已开船，「看堤边」写看堤边、「早有已开船」写早已有开出的船。两句一写都缘探芳起早、一写看堤边早有已开船，以探芳起早写其早、以堤边已有开船写船之早开，写尽探芳起早、堤边已有开船之情。以游写晓，含蓄而深婉，是「以游写晓」的点睛之笔。
These two lines write the flower-seeking's early rising, the ci's spring-roaming key. All because the flower-seeking rose early writes the all-because and the flower-seeking early rising; see, along the bank, boats already let slip writes the bank-side and the already-slipped boats. Two lines, the earliness through the flower-seeking, the boats' early slip through the bank-side boats, exhausting the early rising and the slipped boats. Writing dawn through the roam, restrained and graceful, a telling stroke of dawn-through-roam.
薇帐残香泪蜡，有人病酒恹恹。
In the rose-curtained tent, the remnant fragrance, the wax-tears, and someone, sick of the wine, lies languid.
薇帐残香泪蜡，有人病酒恹恹。
In the fern-curtained room, the remnant fragrance and teardrop candles; someone, wine-sick, lies listless.
尾二句写病酒恹恹，是全词立意的落点。「薇帐残香泪蜡」写薇帐残香泪蜡，「薇帐」写薇帐、「残香泪蜡」写残香与蜡泪；「有人病酒恹恹」写有人病酒恹恹，「有人」写有人、「病酒恹恹」写病酒而恹恹。两句一写薇帐残香泪蜡、一写有人病酒恹恹，以薇帐残香泪蜡写帐中残蜡、以有人病酒恹恹写其慵懒，写尽薇帐残香泪蜡、有人病酒恹恹之情。以病写慵，含蓄而深挚，是全词最动人处，也是「以病写慵」的点睛之笔。
The closing two lines write the wine-sick listlessness, the landing of the ci's theme. In the fern-curtained room, the remnant fragrance and teardrop candles writes the fern curtain and the remnant fragrance and teardrop wax; someone, wine-sick, lies listless writes the someone and the wine-sick listlessness. Two lines, the inner-room remnant candle through the fern curtain, the languor through the wine-sickness, exhausting the remnant fragrance and the listlessness. writing languor through sickness, restrained and deep, the ci's most moving place.
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Yan Shu's 'Silk-Washing Stream' watches the flowers fall and the swallows return; Zhou Mi's 'Auspicious Crane Immortal' watches the dawn of the same spring — the beauties hurrying to the boats and the reveller too sick of wine to rise.
晏殊《浣溪沙·一曲新词酒一杯》「一曲新词酒一杯。去年天气旧亭台」，写酒中游赏、时序流转，是宋词写闲适的名篇；周密《瑞鹤仙》则以「恰芳菲梦醒，漾残月、转湘帘」「薇帐残香泪蜡，有人病酒恹恹」写芳菲梦醒、病酒恹恹。两词同写春晓景物、酒醉花间：一写一曲新词酒一杯、以酒写闲，一写有人病酒恹恹、以病酒写慵；一为晏殊之温润、一为周密之清婉，并读正可见宋词写「春晓酒醉」的两种笔法，皆于酒中花间见春晓。
晏殊·蝶恋花·槛菊愁烟兰泣露 Butterflies Lingering over Flowers: Chrysanthemums Weave Sorrow, Orchids Weep Dew 晏殊 · 同写独自凝愁、春景如画，一写槛菊愁烟兰泣露、一写宫柳微开露眼，皆于春景之中见凝愁 Both are the exquisite lyric of the spring's human sorrow — Yan Shu's sleepless tower, Zhou Mi's wine-sick languor.Yan Shu's 'Butterflies Lingering over Flowers' — 'last night the west wind withered the green trees' — is the model of the refined spring sorrow; Zhou Mi's lyric is its late Song descendant, the same refinement turned to the dawn's beauties and the reveller's languor.
晏殊《蝶恋花·槛菊愁烟兰泣露》「槛菊愁烟兰泣露。罗幕轻寒，燕子双飞去」，写秋景凝愁，是宋词写愁的名篇；周密《瑞鹤仙》则以「宫柳微开露眼，小莺寂妒春眠」「薇帐残香泪蜡，有人病酒恹恹」写宫柳露眼、病酒恹恹。两词同写独自凝愁、春景如画：一写槛菊愁烟兰泣露、以菊烟写愁，一写宫柳微开露眼、以宫柳写晓；一为晏殊之温润、一为周密之清婉，并读正可见宋词写「春景凝愁」的两种笔法，皆于春景之中见凝愁。