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宋 Song · 词 Ci lyric

水调歌头·带湖吾甚爱

Prelude to Water Melody: The Dai Lake, I Love It Deeply

辛弃疾

Xin Qiji

山水Landscape 田园Pastoral life 抒情Emotion

带湖吾甚爱，千丈翠奁开。
先生杖屦无事，一日走千回。
凡我同盟鸥鸟，今日既盟之后，来往莫相猜。
白鹤在何处，尝试与偕来。
破青萍，排翠藻，立苍苔。
窥鱼笑汝痴计，不解举吾杯。
废沼荒丘畴昔，明月清风此夜，人世几欢哀。
东岸绿阴少，杨柳更须栽。

The Dai Lake, I love it deeply —
A thousand zhang of the emerald dressing-case opened.
The Master, with his staff and shoes, with nothing to do,
Walks it a thousand times a day.
All the gulls and the birds of my covenant —
Now that the covenant is made,
In the comings and the goings, do not be suspicious of each other.
Where is the white crane?
Try to bring it along.
I break through the green duckweed,
Push aside the emerald algae,
And stand on the gray moss.
I watch the fish, laughing at your foolish schemes —
You do not understand my raising of the cup.
The ruined marsh, the desolate mound of the past —
The bright moon and the clear wind of this night:
In the world of men, how many joys and sorrows?
On the eastern bank the green shade is little —
The willows must be planted more.

Listen

Meaning

A lyric of the retirement and the lake, written by Xin Qiji at the Dai Lake, his retreat. The Dai Lake, he loves it deeply — a thousand zhang of the emerald dressing-case opened, the lake like the opened dressing-case of the green jade. The Master, with his staff and shoes, with nothing to do, walks it a thousand times a day. All the gulls and the birds of his covenant — the covenant of the gulls, the bond with the natural world — now that the covenant is made, in the comings and the goings, do not be suspicious of each other. Where is the white crane? Try to bring it along. He breaks through the green duckweed, pushes aside the emerald algae, and stands on the gray moss; he watches the fish, laughing at their foolish schemes — they do not understand his raising of the cup. The ruined marsh and the desolate mound of the past — the bright moon and the clear wind of this night: in the world of men, how many joys and sorrows? And the close: on the eastern bank the green shade is little — the willows must be planted more. The lyric is the joy of the retirement: the lake loved, the covenant of the gulls, and the planting of the willows on the eastern bank.

带湖啊，我十分喜爱你，千丈湖水像打开的翠绿妆镜。我这位先生拄着杖、穿着便鞋，无事一身轻，一天要在湖边走上千回。凡是我结盟的鸥鸟，今天既然已经结盟之后，来往之间就不要互相猜疑了。白鹤在什么地方？试着与它一起飞来。拨开青色浮萍，排开翠绿水藻，站立在苍苔之上。白鹤窥看游鱼，笑我这是痴心算计，却不懂得举起酒杯与我共饮。废置的沼泽、荒芜的土丘是往昔的景象，明月清风才是今夜的伴侣，人世间几多欢乐几多悲哀。东岸的绿荫还少，杨柳更须栽种。

Appreciation

[Plain Paraphrase] The Dai Lake, I love it deeply — a thousand zhang of the emerald dressing-case opened. The Master, with his staff and shoes, with nothing to do, walks it a thousand times a day. All the gulls and the birds of my covenant — now that the covenant is made, in the comings and the goings, do not be suspicious of each other. Where is the white crane? Try to bring it along. I break through the green duckweed, push aside the emerald algae, and stand on the gray moss. I watch the fish, laughing at your foolish schemes — you do not understand my raising of the cup. The ruined marsh, the desolate mound of the past — the bright moon and the clear wind of this night: in the world of men, how many joys and sorrows? On the eastern bank the green shade is little — the willows must be planted more. [Structure and Thought] The lyric moves from the love of the lake — the opened dressing-case, the thousand walks — through the covenant of the gulls and the playing with the fish, to the reflection on the joys and sorrows, and the close's planting of the willows on the eastern bank. [Key Technique] The poem's art is the ease of the retirement: the staff and the shoes, the covenant of the gulls, the watching of the fish, and the planting of the willows — the natural world and the retired hero at ease together. [Emotional Tone] Easy, free, and quietly reflective: the lyric is the joy of the retirement, the lake loved and walked, the gulls trusted, and the willows planted for the future shade.

【白话串讲】辛弃疾在带湖闲居，写水调歌头：“带湖吾甚爱，千丈翠奁开”。“凡我同盟鸥鸟，今日既盟之后，来往莫相猜”——“废沼荒丘畴昔，明月清风此夜”——他写与鸥鸟为盟的闲居。【意象与手法】全词以「爱」字领起，翠奁、鸥鸟、白鹤、青萍、苍苔、明月清风等意象织成一片清幽的田园图画；「盟鸥」「窥鱼笑汝」以拟人写物我相亲，妙趣横生；结尾以「人世几欢哀」宕开，乐中寓悲。【情感与主旨】辛弃疾罢官闲居带湖，此词写湖居之乐与物我相亲之境，然「人世几欢哀」一语透出英雄失路、壮志难酬的深沉感慨，闲适之中暗藏悲愤。【名句点睛】常考「凡我同盟鸥鸟，今日既盟之后，来往莫相猜」的鸥鹭忘机之典，以及「废沼荒丘畴昔，明月清风此夜，人世几欢哀」今昔对照、乐中寓悲的写法。

Background

Xin Qiji (1140–1207), the greatest patriotic lyricist of the Southern Song, built the Dai Lake retreat and lived there in his forced retirement. This 'Prelude to Water Melody' is one of his most famous retirement lyrics: the lake loved deeply, the covenant of the gulls — the classic bond with the natural world — and the quiet reflection on the joys and sorrows of the world of men. The close's planting of the willows on the eastern bank is one of the most quoted gestures of the retired hero. The lyric shows Xin Qiji's ease and his depth in the retirement.

《水调歌头·带湖吾甚爱》作于宋孝宗淳熙九年（1182）前后。辛弃疾自绍兴三十一年（1161）南归后，力主抗金恢复中原，却屡遭主和派排挤。淳熙八年（1181）冬，他被谏官王蔺弹劾，罢去江西安抚使之职，次年便在上饶带湖营造庄园，开始了长达十余年的闲居生活。带湖位于今江西上饶城北，湖水澄碧，风景秀美，辛弃疾在此建起稼轩居，自号稼轩居士，并以带湖为题的词作颇多。此词即其初居带湖时所作，写他对这片湖山的喜爱与闲居生活的自得。然而辛弃疾本是「壮岁旌旗拥万夫」的抗金志士，罢官闲居实非所愿，故词中虽写「一日走千回」的闲适与「盟鸥」「窥鱼」的野趣，却于「人世几欢哀」处透出深沉的人生感慨，暗含英雄失路的悲愤与对世事的洞观。此词是研究辛弃疾闲居时期心态的重要作品，也是其田园词、山水词中的代表作。词人以「甚爱」二字直剖心迹，于湖山之乐中自寓丘壑之志，读之可想见其杖屦往来、与鸥为友的闲人风致。

Art

The lyric's art is the art of the retirement's ease. The love of the lake is given first — a thousand zhang of the emerald dressing-case opened, the lake like the opened jade; the Master with nothing to do walks it a thousand times a day. The covenant of the gulls follows — the bond with the natural world, the birds asked not to be suspicious; the white crane is invited along. The playing with the natural world continues: the breaking of the duckweed, the pushing of the algae, the standing on the moss, the watching of the fish — the fish's foolish schemes laughed at, for they do not understand the raising of the cup. The reflection follows: the ruined marsh and the desolate mound of the past, against the bright moon and the clear wind of this night — how many joys and sorrows in the world of men? And the close turns to the future: on the eastern bank the green shade is little — the willows must be planted more. The lyric is the whole ease of the retirement, from the covenant of the gulls to the planting of the willows.

此词艺术上以「以物写心、乐中寓悲」见长。上片写带湖之爱：起拍「带湖吾甚爱，千丈翠奁开」直抒胸臆，「翠奁」喻湖水如打开的翠绿妆镜，既写水色之碧，又暗含女性化的柔美联想，以「爱」字领起全篇；「先生杖屦无事，一日走千回」以自嘲的口吻写闲居之态，「杖屦无事」写身闲，「一日走千回」写心爱，夸张中见真情。接着「凡我同盟鸥鸟」以下，写与鸥鸟结盟、邀白鹤偕来，用《列子》鸥鹭忘机之典，以拟人笔法写物我相亲，妙趣横生，更暗示诗人远离机心、自甘淡泊的怀抱。下片「破青萍，排翠藻，立苍苔」连用三个动词，写观鱼之专注，刻画入微；「窥鱼笑汝痴计，不解举吾杯」以白鹤拟人，写人鸟相乐，极富谐趣。末三句「废沼荒丘畴昔，明月清风此夜，人世几欢哀」陡转深沉，由今昔对照引出人生悲欢的感慨，乐中寓悲；结尾「东岸绿阴少，杨柳更须栽」以栽柳之事收束，又归平淡，余味悠长。全词由实景入妙趣，由妙趣入感慨，层层转进，章法灵动，是稼轩闲居词的典范。

Allusions

'The covenant of the gulls' (ou meng) alludes to the story of the man who lived with the gulls without suspicion — the classic bond with the natural world, the covenant of the retired; the 'suspicion' of the gulls is the suspicion of the world, left behind in the retirement. 'The white crane' (baihe) is the bird of the immortals, invited along in the covenant. 'The raising of the cup' (ju wu bei) is the toasting of the natural world, not understood by the fish. 'The bright moon and the clear wind' (mingyue qingfeng) is the classic phrase of the natural pleasure of the retirement.

此词用典自然贴切，皆与闲居心境相合。「盟鸥」用《列子·黄帝》鸥鹭忘机之典：海上有人好鸥鸟，每日与之游，鸥鸟至者百数；其父命其取鸥，次日鸥鸟舞而不下，因为此人有了机心。辛弃疾以「凡我同盟鸥鸟，今日既盟之后，来往莫相猜」自誓无机心、与鸥鸟为友，既写物我相亲之趣，又暗含远离官场倾轧、自甘淡泊的深意，是「鸥盟」意象的著名用例，后世文人多以「盟鸥」写归隐。「翠奁」喻湖水，取自闺阁妆镜意象，以「开奁」写湖光潋滟，新颖别致；「杖屦」写闲居野服之态，暗含陶渊明「策扶老以流憩」的隐逸传统。「废沼荒丘」写带湖旧日的荒芜，暗含沧海桑田之慨；「明月清风」则用苏轼《前赤壁赋》「惟江上之清风，与山间之明月」的意象，以清风明月为无价之宝，写今夜的良辰美景。「人世几欢哀」化用《庄子》及历代兴亡之叹的母题，把个人际遇上升到人生悲欢的普遍感慨。全词用典皆化入日常情景之中，无掉书袋之弊，正见稼轩「以文为词」而能浑化的功力。

Commentary

This lyric is one of Xin Qiji's most famous retirement lyrics, quoted for its ease and its depth. The covenant of the gulls and the playing with the fish, the reflection on the joys and sorrows, and the close's planting of the willows are among the most admired images of the retirement. Critics praise the lyric's art: the lake loved and walked, the gulls trusted, and the willows planted for the future shade.

《水调歌头·带湖吾甚爱》是辛弃疾闲居词的佳作，体现了稼轩词「刚柔并济、庄谐兼善」的多样面貌。前人论稼轩词，多赏其豪放悲壮，如「醉里挑灯看剑」，而此词却以清新活泼的笔调写湖居之乐，盟鸥窥鱼、破萍立苔，妙趣横生，可见稼轩词风的另一面。词中最见功力处，在于「废沼荒丘畴昔，明月清风此夜，人世几欢哀」三句：由带湖今昔之变，引出人世悲欢的感慨，把眼前的闲适提升到对历史的思考，乐中寓悲，似淡实浓，正是稼轩「以闲适之笔写悲愤之怀」的典型手法。全词以「爱」字起，以「栽」字结，由爱湖而盟鸥、而观鱼、而感慨、而栽柳，章法如行云流水，情致在谐趣与深沉之间流转。此词与《清平乐·村居》《西江月·夜行黄沙道中》等并称稼轩田园词的代表，是理解辛弃疾闲居时期复杂心态的窗口，也是宋代山水田园词中独标一格的作品。其以谐趣写悲慨、以闲适寄深忧的笔路，尤为后世文人闲居词所祖述。

Prosody

Form Shuidiaogetou (Prelude to Water Melody), a long lyric词（水调歌头）

Rhyme The lyric rhymes on the level-tone kai, hui, cai, lai, tai, cuo and zai — the flowing, level rhyme that carries the ease of the retirement.全词押平声十灰韵，韵脚为「开、回、猜、来、苔、杯、哀、栽」，一韵到底，平声韵宽宏流利，与湖居闲适的明快情调相合。

Tone pattern The cadence is that of the retirement: the level opening with the love of the lake, the turning with the covenant and the playing, the reflection with the joys and sorrows, and the close's planting with the level, easy fall.水调歌头句式长短错落，以五、六、七言相间，节奏疏密有致；「破青萍，排翠藻，立苍苔」三字句短促明快，恰合动作之敏捷；「废沼荒丘畴昔，明月清风此夜，人世几欢哀」六言排比，声调在舒展中见顿挫。

Reading note The lyric's sound matches its retirement ease: the flowing level rhymes of the kai group carry the cadence of the lake and the gulls, and the close — 'dong an lv yin shao, yangliu geng xu zai' — falls with the planting of the willows, the sound of the ease and the future begun.《水调歌头·带湖吾甚爱》是双调词牌，上下片各九句，上片四平韵、下片四平韵，全词押平声十灰韵，一韵到底，韵脚「开、回、猜、来、苔、杯、哀、栽」皆平声，音调宽宏流利，正与湖居闲适的明快情调相合。水调歌头句式以五言、六言、七言相间，节奏疏密有致，稼轩此词充分利用了这一词牌的节奏特点：「带湖吾甚爱，千丈翠奁开」五言起拍，明快利落；「凡我同盟鸥鸟，今日既盟之后，来往莫相猜」长短交错，如盟誓之语，顿挫有力；「破青萍，排翠藻，立苍苔」三字短句连用，节奏短促，恰合拨萍立苔的动作；「废沼荒丘畴昔，明月清风此夜，人世几欢哀」六言三句排比，声调舒展，感慨悠长。全词声情相合，以流利之调写闲适之趣，以顿挫之声传深沉之慨，是稼轩驾驭长调词牌的高超技艺的体现，也是学习水调歌头词牌的典范之作。

Line by line

带湖吾甚爱，千丈翠奁开。

The Dai Lake, I love it deeply — a thousand zhang of the emerald dressing-case opened.

带湖啊，我十分喜爱你，千丈湖水像打开的翠绿妆镜。

Daike Lake, I love you deeply; your thousand-fathom waters open like a green jeweled mirror.

起拍直抒胸臆，「带湖吾甚爱」以「吾」字入句，如对湖而言，亲切自然，一个「甚」字写尽爱湖之深。次句「千丈翠奁开」以「翠奁」喻湖水——奁是古代女子盛妆的镜匣，「翠奁开」即打开翠绿色的妆镜，既写湖水之碧绿澄澈，又暗含湖面如镜、光可鉴人的联想，比喻新颖别致。两句一情一景：先言情之深，后写景之美，情因景生，景以情观，开篇便定下全词欣悦明快的基调。「千丈」写湖面之开阔，「翠」写水色之澄碧，「开」写波光之潋滟，三个字写尽带湖的形色光态。此拍以通俗自然的语言写景抒情，正是稼轩「以文为词」、不避俚俗而自见清新的本色，也为下文的盟鸥、观鱼之趣作了铺垫。

The opening beat direct-uttering the breast, the Daike-Lake-I-love-you-deeply using the I word entering the line, as if speaking to the lake, intimate and natural, the one word deeply exhausting the lake-love's depth. The next line your-thousand-fathom-waters-open-like-a-green-jeweled-mirror using the green-jeweled-mirror for the lake water — the jeweled case the ancient woman's mirror box, the green-jeweled-mirror-opening i.e. the opening of the emerald mirror, at once writing the lake's emerald clearness, and secretly the lake-surface-like-a-mirror-and-light-reflecting associating, the metaphor novel and distinctive. Two lines, one feeling one scene: first the feeling's depth, then the scene's beauty, the feeling born from scene, the scene viewed through feeling, the opening at once establishing the whole ci's joyful bright tone. The thousand-fathom writing the lake's openness, the green writing the water's emerald clarity, the open writing the waves' shimmer, three characters exhausting Daike Lake's form-color-light-state. This beat using the plain natural language for scene and feeling, precisely Jiaxuan's prose-as-ci craft, no fear of the vernacular and yet the self-seen freshness, and storing the ground for the below's gull-league and fish-watching charm.

凡我同盟鸥鸟，今日既盟之后，来往莫相猜。

All the gulls and the birds of my covenant — now that the covenant is made, in the comings and the goings, do not be suspicious of each other.

凡是我结盟的鸥鸟，今天既然已经结盟之后，来往之间就不要互相猜疑了。

All you gulls sworn to my league, now that the oath is sworn, henceforth come and go without mistrust.

此三句是全词最见巧思处，以「盟」字把人与鸥鸟的关系写得郑重其事，妙趣横生。辛弃疾用《列子》鸥鹭忘机之典，向鸥鸟发出结盟的邀请：既然你我结为同盟，今后来往便不要再相猜疑。这一写法至少有四层意味：其一，写闲居之趣，与鸥鸟结盟，见出诗人栖身湖山的自得其乐；其二，写无机心之自誓，鸥鸟本与无机心者相亲，诗人与鸥结盟，正是自明心迹坦荡、无算计之心；其三，暗含对官场的厌倦，官场倾轧猜忌，诗人转而与鸥鸟为盟，是对人世的疏离与对自然的回归；其四，以幽默写沉痛，结盟本是人类政治活动，稼轩移之于鸥鸟，庄谐并作，苦笑之间见出英雄失路的无奈。三句口语化十足，却含蕴深厚，是稼轩「以文为词」的妙笔。

These three lines are the whole ci's most ingenious place, using the league word for the person-and-gull relationship's solemnity, the wit's overflow. Xin Qiji uses the Liezi's gulls-forget-their-machines allusion, issuing the league invitation to the gulls: since you and I have sworn the league, henceforth the coming-and-going no more mutual mistrust. This writing at least four layers of meaning: one, writing the idle-dwelling charm, the gull league, seeing the poet's lake-and-hill dwelling's self-content; two, writing the no-machinery-heart's self-vow, the gulls by nature the no-machinery-ones' intimates, the poet's gull league, precisely the heart's-openness-and-no-calculation self-declaration; three, secretly carrying the officialdom's weariness, the officialdom's intrigue and mistrust, the poet's turning to the gull league, the human-world's estrangement and the nature's return; four, using humor for grief, the league by nature the human political activity, Jiaxuan's transferring it to the gulls, the solemn-and-humorous together, within the bitter smile seeing the hero's lost-road helplessness. Three lines' full colloquialism, and yet the depth profound, Jiaxuan's prose-as-ci wondrous stroke.

破青萍，排翠藻，立苍苔。

I break through the green duckweed, push aside the emerald algae, and stand on the gray moss.

拨开青色浮萍，排开翠绿水藻，站立在苍苔之上。

He parts the green duckweed, pushes aside the emerald algae, and stands on the grey moss.

此三句连用「破」「排」「立」三个动词，写诗人拨开浮萍水藻、立于苍苔观鱼的情态，动作连贯，如在目前。三个动词的选择极见功力：「破」写拨开浮萍之轻捷，「排」写分开水藻之从容，「立」写驻足苍苔之专注，由动而静，把观鱼前的准备动作写得分明。青萍、翠藻、苍苔，三种植物皆呈青绿色系，色彩和谐，构成一片清凉幽静的水边世界，与「千丈翠奁」的碧绿湖水相呼应。三句句式短促，节奏明快，正合动作的敏捷；而「立苍苔」的静态收束，又写出诗人凝神观鱼的专注神态，为下句「窥鱼笑汝痴计」蓄势。此三句纯用白描，无一字写情而情在景中，见出诗人对带湖一草一木的深情，是稼轩写景状物「如在目前」的本领的体现。

These three lines in succession using the part, push-aside, and stand three verbs, writing the poet's parting the duckweed and algae and standing on the grey moss watching the fish, the action coherent, as if before the eyes. The three verbs' choice the craft seen: the part writing the duckweed's light parting, the push-aside writing the algae's calm separation, the stand writing the grey moss's focused stopping, from motion to stillness, writing the fish-watching's preparatory action distinctly. The green duckweed, the emerald algae, and the grey moss, three plants all the green color family, the color harmonious, forming a cool quiet waterside world, echoing the thousand-fathom-green-jeweled-mirror's emerald lake. Three lines' short sentences, the rhythm bright, precisely the action's agility; and the stand-on-the-grey-moss's still close, writing the poet's rapt fish-watching focused look, storing the force for the below's the peeping-fish-laughing-at-your-folly line. These three lines purely plain drawing, not one feeling word and yet the feeling within the scene, seeing the poet's deep feeling for Daike Lake's every grass and tree, Jiaxuan's scene-and-thing-writing's as-if-before-the-eyes craft embodiment.

废沼荒丘畴昔，明月清风此夜，人世几欢哀。

The ruined marsh, the desolate mound of the past — the bright moon and the clear wind of this night: in the world of men, how many joys and sorrows?

废置的沼泽、荒芜的土丘是往昔的景象，明月清风才是今夜的伴侣，人世间几多欢乐几多悲哀。

The drained pond and barren hill were once the scene; the bright moon and clear wind are tonight's companions — how many joys and sorrows has the human world seen.

此三句是全词的转捩与升华，由闲适之乐转入深沉之慨，乐中寓悲。「废沼荒丘畴昔」写带湖旧日之荒芜，暗含沧海桑田之变；「明月清风此夜」写今夜之清景，用苏轼《前赤壁赋》「惟江上之清风，与山间之明月」之意，以清风明月为无价之宝；两句今昔对照，废沼荒丘与明月清风并列，一荒凉一清幽，见出人力经营之功与自然造化之美。第三句「人世几欢哀」由眼前的今昔之变，宕开一笔，引出对整个人世悲欢的感慨：欢者几何？哀者几何？这既是对自身仕途起落的感喟——当年金戈铁马，今日闲居湖山，欢哀难定；也是对历史兴亡的洞观。三句由实入虚，由景入理，把一首闲适词提升到人生感慨的高度，是稼轩「于豪放中见沉郁」的典型笔法。

These three lines are the whole ci's turning and sublimation, from the idle-dwelling joy turning to the deep sigh, the joy's inner grief. The-drained-pond-and-barren-hill-were-once-the-scene writing Daike Lake's past barrenness, secretly carrying the seas-change-to-mulberry-fields change; the-bright-moon-and-clear-wind-are-tonight's-companions writing tonight's clear scene, using Su Shi's Former-Red-Cliff-Rhapsody's only-the-river's-clear-wind-and-the-mountain's-bright-moon meaning, taking the clear wind and bright moon as the priceless treasure; two lines' present-past contrast, the drained pond and barren hill placed side by side with the bright moon and clear wind, one desolate one quiet, seeing the human labor's achievement and the nature's making beauty. The third line how-many-joys-and-sorrows-has-the-human-world-seen from the present scene's change, sweeping out one stroke, leading to the whole human world's joy-and-sorrow sigh: the joys how many? The sorrows how many? This at once the personal official career's rise-and-fall sigh — that year's golden-spears-and-iron-horses, today's lake-and-hill idle dwelling, the joy-and-grief's hard-to-fix; and the history's rise-and-fall insight. Three lines, from the real to the void, from scene to reason, elevating an idle-dwelling ci to the life-sigh's height, Jiaxuan's boldness-within-seen-the-somber typical brush.

Study

Word focus

翠奁 'The emerald dressing-case' — the lake like the opened dressing-case of the green jade, the image of the love. 「千丈翠奁开」之「翠奁」是全词的比喻之眼。「奁」是古代女子盛放梳妆用具的镜匣，「翠奁」即翠绿色的妆镜匣子，「翠奁开」喻带湖如打开的翠绿妆镜。这一比喻的妙处在于：其一，以闺阁之物喻山水，把湖水写得既碧绿澄澈又柔美可亲，新颖别致，打破以「镜」喻水的熟套，赋予湖光以女儿般的妩媚；其二，「开」字写奁匣打开的动作，暗喻湖水初展、波光四射的动态，使静态的湖面有了展开的过程；其三，翠奁与妆镜相连，湖面如镜可鉴，暗含湖光映照云天、清可见底之意。辛弃疾是豪放词人，此处却用如此柔美的比喻，正见其词风的多样性。此词以「翠奁」写湖，与李清照「玉枕纱橱」以闺中物写情思异曲同工，皆是巧用日常物象入词的佳例。

盟 'The covenant' — the covenant of the gulls, the bond with the natural world of the retirement. 「凡我同盟鸥鸟」之「盟」字，是此词的立意所在。「盟」本指古代诸侯会盟立誓，辛弃疾移用之于人与鸥鸟之间，郑重其事地要与鸥鸟结为同盟，这一用法至少有四层深意：其一，以「盟」字写人与自然的平等相交，鸥鸟不再是观赏的对象，而是与诗人对等的盟友，物我相亲之旨立现；其二，「盟」字本身庄重，与鸥鸟结盟的谐趣正从这庄谐反差中生出，令人忍俊不禁；其三，用《列子》鸥鹭忘机之典，「盟」字暗含无机心之自誓——只有坦荡无机心者方能与鸥盟，稼轩以「盟」自明心迹；其四，反衬之意，官场多背盟负约之徒，诗人却与鸥鸟真诚结盟，以自然之盟反衬人世之伪。一个「盟」字，庄谐并作，含蕴丰厚，是稼轩炼字见意的范例。

几 'How many' — in the world of men, how many joys and sorrows? The reflection of the retirement. 「人世几欢哀」之「几」字，是词意转深的关节。「几」即多少，以疑问出之，写人世间欢乐与悲哀究竟各有多少。这一个「几」字，把具体的人生际遇引向抽象的追问：诗人自己由抗金名将而闲居湖山，欢耶哀耶？带湖由废沼荒丘而明月清风，其间几度兴废？推而广之，古往今来，人世悲欢，又有几何？「几」字以问句出之，不作回答，正是感慨深沉的表现——答案不需说出，也说不尽。「几欢哀」三字连用，音节顿挫，情感由前面的轻松谐趣转为沉郁苍凉，是全词情感的转折点。此字与辛弃疾「了却君王天下事，赢得生前身后名」的豪情相对照，可见闲居词中的「几」字，正是英雄失路后对人生价值的重新掂量，语浅而意深。