宋 Song · 词 Ci lyric
疏影
The Sparse Shadow
碧圆自洁。
向浅洲远渚，亭亭清绝。
犹有遗簪，不展秋心，能卷几多炎热。
鸳鸯密语同倾盖，且莫与、浣纱人说。
恐怨歌、忽断花风，碎却翠云千叠。
回首当年汉舞，怕飞去、谩皱留仙裙折。
恋恋青衫，犹染枯香，还叹鬓丝飘雪。
盘心清露如铅水，又一夜、西风吹折。
喜静看、匹练秋光，倒泻半湖明月。
Toward the shallow isle, the far shoal,
It stands tall and clear.
Still there is the abandoned hairpin —
It does not unroll the autumn heart,
Yet can roll up how much of the heat?
The mandarin ducks whisper together under the same canopy —
But do not tell it to the washer-girl by the stream.
Looking back to the Han dance of the year,
Fearing to fly away, they vainly creased the skirt that held the immortal.
I am pleased to watch quietly:
The bolt of white autumn light,
Poured down, the half lake of the bright moon.
Meaning
A lyric on the lotus leaf, written by the late Southern Song master Zhang Yan. The green round — the lotus leaf — of itself pure; toward the shallow isle and the far shoal, it stands tall and clear. Still there is the abandoned hairpin — the rolled leaf like the abandoned hairpin — it does not unroll the autumn heart, yet can roll up how much of the heat? The mandarin ducks whisper together under the same canopy — the pair under the leaf — but do not tell it to the washer-girl by the stream. Looking back to the Han dance of the year, fearing to fly away, they vainly creased the skirt that held the immortal — the dancer's skirt of the lotus, the legend of the skirt that held the immortal. And the close: he is pleased to watch quietly — the bolt of white autumn light, poured down, the half lake of the bright moon. The lyric is the pure observation of the lotus leaf: the green round standing clear, and the half lake of the bright moon poured down.
碧圆自洁。向浅洲远渚，亭亭清绝。犹有遗簪，不展秋心，能卷几多炎热。鸳鸯密语同倾盖，且莫与、浣纱人说。恐怨歌、忽断花风，碎却翠云千叠。回首当年汉舞，怕飞去、谩皱留仙裙折。恋恋青衫，犹染枯香，还叹鬓丝飘雪。盘心清露如铅水，又一夜、西风吹折。喜静看、匹练秋光，倒泻半湖明月。
Appreciation
[Plain Paraphrase] The green round — of itself pure. Toward the shallow isle, the far shoal, it stands tall and clear. Still there is the abandoned hairpin — it does not unroll the autumn heart, yet can roll up how much of the heat? The mandarin ducks whisper together under the same canopy — but do not tell it to the washer-girl by the stream. Looking back to the Han dance of the year, fearing to fly away, they vainly creased the skirt that held the immortal. I am pleased to watch quietly: the bolt of white autumn light, poured down, the half lake of the bright moon. [Structure and Thought] The lyric moves from the pure leaf, through the hairpin of the rolled leaf and the pair under the canopy, to the memory of the Han dance, and the close's quiet watching of the autumn light poured down over the half lake. [Key Technique] The poem's art is the observation of the lotus leaf: the green round, the abandoned hairpin, the canopy of the pair, and the skirt of the dance — the leaf seen through the transformations, gathered in the close's quiet watching. [Emotional Tone] Pure, quiet, and refined: the lyric is the pure observation of the lotus leaf, the green round standing clear, and the autumn light poured down over the lake.
【白话串讲】 张炎写《疏影》：“碧圆自洁。向浅洲远渚，亭亭清绝”——“犹有遗簪，不展秋心，能卷几多炎热”——“鸳鸯密语同倾盖，且莫与、浣纱人说”——“回首当年汉舞，怕飞去、谩皱留仙裙折”——他写荷叶——亭亭清绝。 【意象与手法】 “碧圆自洁。向浅洲远渚，亭亭清绝”写荷叶亭亭；“犹有遗簪，不展秋心，能卷几多炎热”写不展秋心；“鸳鸯密语同倾盖，且莫与、浣纱人说”写鸳鸯密语；“回首当年汉舞，怕飞去、谩皱留仙裙折”以汉舞写荷裙；结以“喜静看、匹练秋光，倒泻半湖明月”写倒泻明月。咏物传神。 【情感与主旨】 张炎咏荷叶之作，写荷叶之清绝与鸳鸯密语之趣，以“倒泻半湖明月”写清境，是张炎咏物词中清空雅洁的代表。 【名句点睛】 常考“碧圆自洁。向浅洲远渚，亭亭清绝”以碧圆亭亭写荷叶；“喜静看、匹练秋光，倒泻半湖明月”以倒泻明月写清境。
Background
Zhang Yan (1248–c. 1320) was one of the last masters of the Song lyric, famous for the purity and the refinement of his style — the 'clear and empty' manner of the late lyric. This 'Sparse Shadow' — the tune named for the famous poem on the plum by Jiang Kui — is a lyric on the lotus leaf, observed with the utmost purity: the green round of itself pure, the abandoned hairpin of the rolled leaf, the pair under the canopy, and the close's quiet watching of the autumn light. 'The skirt that held the immortal' alludes to the legend of the dancer whose lotus skirt was held by the immortals. The lyric is one of the purest poems on the lotus.
《疏影》为宋末元初词人张炎所作词。张炎（1248—约1320），字叔夏，号玉田，又号乐笑翁，临安（今浙江杭州）人，宋末词人，词清空疏快，为「清空词派」之宗。此词咏荷叶，为咏物之作。词中「碧圆自洁。向浅洲远渚，亭亭清绝」写碧圆自洁；「犹有遗簪，不展秋心，能卷几多炎热」写不展秋心；「鸳鸯密语同倾盖，且莫与、浣纱人说」写鸳鸯密语；「恐怨歌、忽断花风，碎却翠云千叠」写碎却翠云；「回首当年汉舞，怕飞去、谩皱留仙裙折」写当年汉舞；「恋恋青衫，犹染枯香，还叹鬓丝飘雪」写鬓丝飘雪；「盘心清露如铅水，又一夜、西风吹折」写盘心清露；「喜静看、匹练秋光，倒泻半湖明月」写倒泻半湖明月。张炎此词以咏荷叶、倒泻半湖明月写其咏物之情，含蓄深婉，是张炎词中的名篇。此篇《疏影》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 pure observation. The leaf is given first in its purity: the green round, of itself pure; toward the shallow isle and the far shoal, it stands tall and clear. The transformations follow: the abandoned hairpin — the rolled leaf like the hairpin — which does not unroll the autumn heart, yet can roll up the heat; the canopy under which the mandarin ducks whisper — the pair sheltered by the leaf, told not to speak to the washer-girl; and the memory of the Han dance — the skirt of the dancer, the legend of the skirt that held the immortal, vainly creased in the fear of the flying away. And the close returns to the quiet: he is pleased to watch quietly — the bolt of white autumn light, poured down, the half lake of the bright moon. The observation is pure throughout, gathered in the close's quiet watching.
此词艺术上以「含蓄深婉、清空以情」见长。全词上片写碧圆自洁与鸳鸯密语，下片写当年汉舞与倒泻半湖明月。上片「碧圆自洁。向浅洲远渚，亭亭清绝」写碧圆自洁：碧圆自洁，向浅洲远渚，亭亭清绝；「犹有遗簪，不展秋心，能卷几多炎热」写不展秋心：犹有遗簪，不展秋心，能卷几多炎热；「鸳鸯密语同倾盖，且莫与、浣纱人说」写鸳鸯密语：鸳鸯密语同倾盖，且莫与、浣纱人说；「恐怨歌、忽断花风，碎却翠云千叠」写碎却翠云：恐怨歌、忽断花风，碎却翠云千叠。下片「回首当年汉舞，怕飞去、谩皱留仙裙折」写当年汉舞：回首当年汉舞，怕飞去、谩皱留仙裙折；「恋恋青衫，犹染枯香，还叹鬓丝飘雪」写鬓丝飘雪：恋恋青衫，犹染枯香，还叹鬓丝飘雪；「盘心清露如铅水，又一夜、西风吹折」写盘心清露：盘心清露如铅水，又一夜、西风吹折；「喜静看、匹练秋光，倒泻半湖明月」写倒泻半湖明月：喜静看、匹练秋光，倒泻半湖明月。全词含蓄深婉，清空以情，是张炎词中的名篇。
Allusions
'The abandoned hairpin' (yizan) is the rolled lotus leaf, shaped like the abandoned hairpin; 'the autumn heart' (qiuxin) is the heart of the leaf, unrolled in the autumn. 'The washer-girl by the stream' (huansha ren) is the beauty of the stream, of the legend of the Xi Shi; 'the Han dance' (Han wu) is the dance of the Han palace; 'the skirt that held the immortal' (liuxian qun) alludes to the legend of the dancer whose lotus skirt, held by the immortals, kept her from flying away — the skirt creased in vain in the fear of the flight. 'The bolt of white autumn light' (pilian qiuguang) is the moon's light, like a bolt of white silk, poured down over the half lake.
词中「碧圆自洁」「向浅洲远渚亭亭清绝」「犹有遗簪不展秋心」「能卷几多炎热」「鸳鸯密语同倾盖」「且莫与浣纱人说」「恐怨歌忽断花风碎却翠云千叠」「回首当年汉舞怕飞去谩皱留仙裙折」「恋恋青衫犹染枯香还叹鬓丝飘雪」「盘心清露如铅水又一夜西风吹折」「喜静看匹练秋光倒泻半湖明月」等语，皆含典故故实。「碧圆自洁」写碧圆自洁（碧圆写荷叶圆绿）；「向浅洲远渚亭亭清绝」写向浅洲远渚亭亭清绝；「犹有遗簪不展秋心」写犹有遗簪不展秋心（遗簪写荷叶如遗簪，不展秋心写荷叶未舒）；「能卷几多炎热」写能卷几多炎热；「鸳鸯密语同倾盖」写鸳鸯密语同倾盖（倾盖写荷叶如伞盖）；「且莫与浣纱人说」写且莫与浣纱人说；「恐怨歌忽断花风碎却翠云千叠」写恐怨歌忽断花风碎却翠云千叠；「回首当年汉舞怕飞去谩皱留仙裙折」用赵飞燕留仙裙之典（赵飞燕舞时裙皱如留仙裙），写当年汉舞；「恋恋青衫犹染枯香还叹鬓丝飘雪」写恋恋青衫犹染枯香还叹鬓丝飘雪；「盘心清露如铅水」用铜仙铅泪之典（金铜仙人承露盘泪如铅水），写盘心清露如铅水；「又一夜西风吹折」写又一夜西风吹折；「喜静看匹练秋光倒泻半湖明月」写喜静看匹练秋光倒泻半湖明月。词人以赵飞燕留仙裙、铜仙铅泪等典入词，不着痕迹，而把咏荷叶之情写得真切可感，是善于熔铸典故的体现。
Commentary
This lyric is one of the purest poems on the lotus, quoted for the refinement of its observation. The green round standing clear, the abandoned hairpin, and the close's quiet watching of the autumn light are among the most admired passages of the clear and empty manner. Critics praise the lyric's purity: the lotus leaf observed through the transformations, gathered in the half lake of the bright moon.
这首《疏影》，是张炎写咏物咏荷叶之作，写碧圆自洁、当年汉舞、倒泻半湖明月之情，含蓄深婉。上片写碧圆自洁与鸳鸯密语：「碧圆自洁。向浅洲远渚，亭亭清绝」——碧圆自洁，向浅洲远渚，亭亭清绝。写碧圆自洁：碧圆自洁、向浅洲远渚，亭亭清绝——碧圆自洁、浅洲远渚、亭亭清绝；「犹有遗簪，不展秋心，能卷几多炎热」——犹有遗簪，不展秋心，能卷几多炎热。写不展秋心：犹有遗簪、不展秋心，能卷几多炎热——遗簪不展、能卷几多炎热；「鸳鸯密语同倾盖，且莫与、浣纱人说」——鸳鸯密语同倾盖，且莫与、浣纱人说。写鸳鸯密语：鸳鸯密语同倾盖、且莫与浣纱人说——鸳鸯密语、莫与浣纱人说；「恐怨歌、忽断花风，碎却翠云千叠」——恐怨歌、忽断花风，碎却翠云千叠。写碎却翠云：恐怨歌忽断花风、碎却翠云千叠——怨歌断花风、碎却翠云千叠。下片写当年汉舞与倒泻半湖明月：「回首当年汉舞，怕飞去、谩皱留仙裙折」——回首当年汉舞（用赵飞燕留仙裙之典），怕飞去、谩皱留仙裙折。写当年汉舞：回首当年汉舞、怕飞去谩皱留仙裙折——当年汉舞、留仙裙折；「恋恋青衫，犹染枯香，还叹鬓丝飘雪」——恋恋青衫，犹染枯香，还叹鬓丝飘雪。写鬓丝飘雪：恋恋青衫、犹染枯香，还叹鬓丝飘雪——青衫恋恋、枯香犹染、鬓丝飘雪；「盘心清露如铅水，又一夜、西风吹折」——盘心清露如铅水（用铜仙铅泪之典），又一夜、西风吹折。写盘心清露：盘心清露如铅水、又一夜西风吹折——清露如铅水、西风吹折；「喜静看、匹练秋光，倒泻半湖明月」——喜静看、匹练秋光，倒泻半湖明月。写倒泻半湖明月：喜静看匹练秋光、倒泻半湖明月——匹练秋光、倒泻半湖明月。这「喜静看、匹练秋光，倒泻半湖明月」，是全词之结：以倒泻半湖明月写其咏荷。全词含蓄深婉，清空以情，正是张炎词中的名篇。
Prosody
Line by line
碧圆自洁。
The green round — of itself pure.
碧圆自洁。
Green round leaves, self-pure.
首句写碧圆自洁，起笔即见其荷。「碧圆自洁」写碧圆自洁，「碧圆」写碧绿圆润之荷叶、「自洁」写自然高洁。一句以「碧圆」写荷叶之圆绿、「自洁」写其高洁，写尽碧圆自洁之情——荷叶圆绿而自洁。以物起兴，含蓄而清丽，是「以物起兴」的妙笔。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。
The opening line writes green-round-and-self-pure, the first stroke at once seeing the lotus. The green-round writes the lotus leaves' green-and-round, the self-pure writes their natural loftiness. One line using the green-round for the leaves' roundness and greenness and the self-pure for their purity, exhausting the green-round-and-self-pure feeling — the leaves round-and-green and self-pure. Using the thing's uprising, reserved and clear-lovely, the thing-uprising wondrous brush. The stroke lands on the lotus at once, establishing the piece's clean lofty tone before a single further image is named.
犹有遗簪，不展秋心，能卷几多炎热。
Still there is the abandoned hairpin — it does not unroll the autumn heart, yet can roll up how much of the heat?
犹有遗簪，不展秋心，能卷几多炎热。
Still there are fallen hairpins; the autumn heart unopened, how much heat can it curl away.
此三句写不展秋心，是全词以簪写荷的关键。「犹有遗簪」写犹有遗簪，「犹有」写还有、「遗簪」写遗落之簪（以簪喻荷）；「不展秋心」写不展秋心，「不展」写未展开、「秋心」写秋心；「能卷几多炎热」写能卷几多炎热，「能卷」写能卷、「几多炎热」写多少炎热。三句一写犹有遗簪、一写不展秋心、一写能卷几多炎热，以遗簪写荷如簪、以不展秋心写荷未舒、以能卷炎热写荷卷凉，写尽遗簪不展、能卷几多炎热之情。以物写荷，含蓄而深婉，是「以物写荷」的点睛之笔。
These three lines write the unopened autumn heart, the whole ci's hairpin-as-lotus key. The still-there-are-fallen-hairpins writing the remaining dropped pins (the pin as lotus); the autumn-heart-unopened writing the lotus not yet unfurled; the how-much-heat-can-it-curl-away writing the curled leaf's rolling the summer's heat. Three lines one writing the leftover pins, one the unopened heart, one the heat it curls, using the dropped pin for the lotus's pin-like form, the unopened heart for the leaf's not-yet-spread, the curling-away-heat for the leaf's folding coolness, exhausting the fallen-pin-unopened-and-curling-heat feeling. Using the thing for the lotus, reserved and deep-gentle, the thing-writes-lotus telling stroke.
鸳鸯密语同倾盖，且莫与、浣纱人说。
The mandarin ducks whisper together under the same canopy — but do not tell it to the washer-girl by the stream.
鸳鸯密语同倾盖，且莫与、浣纱人说。
Mandarin ducks whisper beneath the shared canopy; tell it not, to the silk-washing maid.
此二句写鸳鸯密语，是全词以鸳鸯写荷的关键。「鸳鸯密语同倾盖」写鸳鸯密语同倾盖，「鸳鸯密语」写鸳鸯密语、「同倾盖」写同遮如伞盖之荷叶；「且莫与、浣纱人说」写且莫与浣纱人说，「且莫与」写且不要与、「浣纱人说」写浣纱人说。两句一写鸳鸯密语同倾盖、一写且莫与浣纱人说，以鸳鸯密语写鸳鸯语、以同倾盖写荷如盖、以莫与浣纱人说写其秘语，写尽鸳鸯密语同倾盖、莫与浣纱人说之情。以鸳鸯写荷，含蓄而深婉，是「以鸳鸯写荷」的点睛之笔。
These two lines write the mandarin ducks' whispered words, the whole ci's duck-as-lotus key. The mandarin-ducks-whisper-beneath-the-shared-canopy writing the ducks' close murmuring beneath the lotus leaf's umbrella-like canopy; the tell-it-not-to-the-silk-washing-maid writing the hushed secret not for the washerwoman's ear. Two lines one writing the ducks' shared canopy, one the telling-not, using the duck's whisper for the lotus's paired secrecy, the canopy for the leaf's umbrella spread, the not-telling for the intimacy kept. The washerwoman allusion (the lotus-gathering maiden of old) hints the human world outside this watery privacy, and the piece's lotus-as-secret-sharing mood takes shape.
回首当年汉舞，怕飞去、谩皱留仙裙折。
Looking back to the Han dance of the year, fearing to fly away, they vainly creased the skirt that held the immortal.
回首当年汉舞，怕飞去、谩皱留仙裙折。
Looking back on that year's Han dance, fearing it would fly away, in vain wrinkling the Liuxian skirt's folds.
此二句写当年汉舞，是全词以典写荷的关键。「回首当年汉舞」写回首当年汉舞，用赵飞燕留仙裙之典写回首当年汉舞；「怕飞去、谩皱留仙裙折」写怕飞去谩皱留仙裙折，「怕飞去」写怕飞去、「谩皱留仙裙折」写徒皱留仙之裙。两句一写回首当年汉舞、一写怕飞去谩皱留仙裙折，以当年汉舞写舞、以留仙裙折写裙皱如荷，写尽回首当年汉舞、怕飞去谩皱留仙裙折之情。以典写荷，含蓄而深婉，是「以典写荷」的点睛之笔。
These two lines write that year's Han dance, the whole ci's allusion-as-lotus key. The looking-back-on-that-year's-Han-dance using Zhao Feiyan's Liuxian-skirt allusion for the remembrance of the Han palace dance; the fearing-it-would-fly-away-in-vain-wrinkling-the-Liuxian-skirt's-folds writing the dancer's light skirt caught in the wind, the folds wrinkled like the curled lotus leaf. Two lines one writing the remembered dance, one the wrinkled skirt, using the Han dance for the lotus's light floating, the Liuxian skirt's folds for the leaf's folded ruffle. The allusion's beauty and the leaf's form meet in the wrinkled hem, the lotus taking on the elegance of a vanished dancer.
喜静看、匹练秋光，倒泻半湖明月。
I am pleased to watch quietly: the bolt of white autumn light, poured down, the half lake of the bright moon.
喜静看、匹练秋光，倒泻半湖明月。
Gladly I watch, quiet, the unrolled silk of autumn light, the moon's bright flood pouring down half the lake.
尾三句写倒泻半湖明月，是全词立意的落点。「喜静看、匹练秋光」写喜静看匹练秋光，「喜静看」写喜欢静看、「匹练秋光」写如匹练之秋光；「倒泻半湖明月」写倒泻半湖明月，「倒泻」写倒泻、「半湖明月」写半湖明月。三句一写喜静看匹练秋光、一写倒泻半湖明月，以匹练秋光写秋光如练、以倒泻半湖明月写明月倒泻，写尽喜静看匹练秋光、倒泻半湖明月之情。以月写荷，含蓄而深挚，是全词最动人处，也是「以月写荷」的点睛之笔。
The closing three lines write the moon pouring over half the lake, the whole ci's intention landing point. The gladly-I-watch-quiet-the-unrolled-silk-of-autumn-light writing the autumn light's unrolled-silk evenness; the moon's-bright-flood-pouring-down-half-the-lake writing the moon's inverted flood across half the water. Two beats one writing the quiet watching of silk-like light, one the pouring moon, using the unrolled silk for the autumn light's sheen, the pouring flood for the moon's inverted glow. The moon as the closing image gathers the earlier leaves, ducks, and skirt allusions into one still lake of light; the piece ends on a note of hushed delight, the lotus's purity carried upward to the moon.
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Lin Bu's 'Small Plum of the Mountain Garden' — 'the sparse shadow crosses the shallow water, the hidden fragrance floats in the moon of the dusk' — is the model poem on the plum, the source of the 'Sparse Shadow' tune name; Zhang Yan's 'Sparse Shadow' is the model lyric on the lotus — the green round of itself pure, the same pure observation of the natural object.
林逋《山园小梅》「疏影横斜水清浅，暗香浮动月黄昏」，写梅之清雅，是宋诗咏物的绝唱；张炎《疏影》则以「碧圆自洁。向浅洲远渚，亭亭清绝」「犹有遗簪，不展秋心」写碧圆自洁、亭亭清绝。两词同写咏物清雅、以物寄情：一写疏影横斜水清浅暗香浮动月黄昏、以疏影暗香写梅，一写碧圆自洁亭亭清绝、以碧圆清绝写荷；一为林逋之清逸、一为张炎之清空，并读正可见宋代写「咏物清雅」的两种笔法，皆于咏物之中见清雅。
晏殊·蝶恋花·槛菊愁烟兰泣露 Butterflies Lingering over Flowers: Chrysanthemums Weave Sorrow, Orchids Weep Dew 晏殊 · 同写秋景凝愁、独自凝伫，一写槛菊愁烟兰泣露、一写又一夜西风吹折，皆于秋景之中见凝愁 Both are the lyrics of the pure autumn observation — Yan Shu's chrysanthemums and the bright moon, Zhang Yan's lotus and the autumn light.Yan Shu's 'Butterflies Lingering over Flowers' — 'the chrysanthemums weave sorrow, the orchids weep dew' — is the refined lyric of the autumn scene; Zhang Yan's 'Sparse Shadow' is the pure version — the lotus leaf observed through the transformations, gathered in the half lake of the bright moon — the same refined autumn, the two manners of the pure observation.
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；张炎《疏影》则以「恋恋青衫，犹染枯香，还叹鬓丝飘雪」「盘心清露如铅水，又一夜、西风吹折」写鬓丝飘雪、西风吹折。两词同写秋景凝愁、独自凝伫：一写槛菊愁烟兰泣露、以菊烟写愁，一写又一夜西风吹折、以西风写愁；一为晏殊之温润、一为张炎之清空，并读正可见宋词写「秋景凝愁」的两种笔法，皆于秋景之中见凝愁。