宋 Song · 词 Ci lyric
琐窗寒
The Cold of the Ornate Window
暗柳啼鸦，单衣伫立，小帘朱户。
桐花半亩，静锁一庭愁雨。
洒空阶，夜阑未休，故人剪烛西窗语。
似楚江暝宿，风灯零乱，少年羁旅。
迟暮。
嬉游处。
正店舍无烟，禁城百五。
旗亭唤酒，付与高阳俦侣。
想东园，桃李自春，小唇秀靥今在否。
到归时，定有残英，待客携尊俎。
In the single coat I stand,
By the small curtain, the vermilion door.
The tung blossoms, half a mu,
Quietly lock a courtyard of the sorrowful rain.
Spattering on the empty steps,
The night deep, not yet ceasing,
The old friend, trimming the candle, speaks at the western window.
It seems the night lodging on the Chu river,
The wind-blown lamps scattered and confused,
The wandering of the youth.
The evening of the years.
The places of the past pleasures.
Now the inns have no smoke,
The forbidden city, the hundred-and-fifth day.
At the wine flag tower, calling for the wine,
I give it to the boon companions of Gaoyang.
I think of the eastern garden,
The peaches and the plums in their own spring,
The small lips and the lovely dimples — are they now?
At the time of the return,
Surely there will be the remaining blossoms,
Waiting for the guest to bring the wine vessel.
Meaning
A lyric of the cold spring and the wandering, written by Zhou Bangyan. The dark willows, the crying crows, in the single coat he stands, by the small curtain, the vermilion door — the cold scene of the standing. The tung blossoms, half a mu, quietly lock a courtyard of the sorrowful rain — the sorrowful rain locking the courtyard. Spattering on the empty steps, the night deep, not yet ceasing — the old friend, trimming the candle, speaks at the western window — the rain of the night and the remembered words at the western window. It seems the night lodging on the Chu river, the wind-blown lamps scattered and confused — the wandering of the youth — the memory of the youth's wandering. The evening of the years. The places of the past pleasures. Now the inns have no smoke, the forbidden city, the hundred-and-fifth day — the cold spring of the capital. At the wine flag tower, calling for the wine, he gives it to the boon companions of Gaoyang — the drinking of the day. I think of the eastern garden, the peaches and the plums in their own spring — the small lips and the lovely dimples, are they now? — the thought of the beloved. At the time of the return, surely there will be the remaining blossoms, waiting for the guest to bring the wine vessel — the hope of the return. The lyric is the cold spring and the wandering: the sorrowful rain, the remembered words, and the thought of the eastern garden.
暗柳啼鸦，单衣伫立，小帘朱户。桐花半亩，静锁一庭愁雨。洒空阶，夜阑未休，故人剪烛西窗语。似楚江暝宿，风灯零乱，少年羁旅。迟暮。嬉游处。正店舍无烟，禁城百五。旗亭唤酒，付与高阳俦侣。想东园，桃李自春，小唇秀靥今在否。到归时，定有残英，待客携尊俎。
Appreciation
[Plain Paraphrase] The dark willows, the crying crows, in the single coat I stand, by the small curtain, the vermilion door. The tung blossoms, half a mu, quietly lock a courtyard of the sorrowful rain. The old friend, trimming the candle, speaks at the western window. I think of the eastern garden, the peaches and the plums in their own spring — the small lips and the lovely dimples, are they now? [Structure and Thought] The lyric moves from the cold scene of the standing, through the sorrowful rain locking the courtyard and the remembered words at the western window, to the memory of the youth's wandering and the evening of the years; and the close turns to the thought of the eastern garden and the hope of the return. [Key Technique] The lyric's art is the layering of the cold and the memory: the sorrowful rain of the present locked in the courtyard, the words of the past at the western window, and the thought of the eastern garden — the present, the past, and the hoped-for gathered in the lyric of the wandering. [Emotional Tone] Cold, sorrowful, and lingering: the lyric is the cold spring of the wandering, the sorrowful rain and the remembered words, the thought of the beloved.
【白话串讲】 周邦彦写《琐窗寒》：“暗柳啼鸦，单衣伫立，小帘朱户”——“桐花半亩，静锁一庭愁雨”——“洒空阶，夜阑未休，故人剪烛西窗语”——“似楚江暝宿，风灯零乱，少年羁旅”——他写羁旅——静锁一庭愁雨。 【意象与手法】 “暗柳啼鸦，单衣伫立，小帘朱户”写单衣伫立；“桐花半亩，静锁一庭愁雨”以一庭愁雨写愁；“洒空阶，夜阑未休，故人剪烛西窗语”以剪烛西窗忆旧；“似楚江暝宿，风灯零乱，少年羁旅”忆少年羁旅；结以“到归时，定有残英，待客携尊俎”写归时残英。含蓄深婉。 【情感与主旨】 周邦彦写羁旅怀人之作，写寒食羁旅、一庭愁雨与对故人旧游的追忆，是清真词中羁旅怀人的代表。 【名句点睛】 常考“桐花半亩，静锁一庭愁雨”以一庭愁雨写羁愁；“故人剪烛西窗语”以剪烛西窗忆旧游。
Background
Zhou Bangyan (1056–1121), the master of the 'ornate' school of the lyric, wrote this 'Cold of the Ornate Window' of the cold spring in the capital — the wandering and the memory. The dark willows and the crying crows of the standing, the tung blossoms and the sorrowful rain locking the courtyard, the old friend trimming the candle at the western window — the remembered words of the past; the youth's wandering on the Chu river, the evening of the years, and the cold spring of the forbidden city — the present; and the close — the thought of the eastern garden, the peaches and the plums in their own spring, the small lips and the lovely dimples — the longing of the beloved. The lyric is one of the masterworks of the 'ornate' school, the cold spring gathered in the layers of the memory.
《琐窗寒》为北宋词人周邦彦所作词。周邦彦（1056—1121），字美成，号清真居士，钱塘（今浙江杭州）人，北宋词人，精通音律，词风典雅精工，为婉约词集大成者，人称「词中老杜」。此词写羁旅怀人。词中「暗柳啼鸦，单衣伫立，小帘朱户」写单衣伫立；「桐花半亩，静锁一庭愁雨。洒空阶，夜阑未休」写一庭愁雨；「故人剪烛西窗语。似楚江暝宿，风灯零乱，少年羁旅」写少年羁旅；「迟暮。嬉游处。正店舍无烟，禁城百五」写禁城寒食；「旗亭唤酒，付与高阳俦侣」写旗亭唤酒；「想东园，桃李自春，小唇秀靥今在否」写东园桃李；「到归时，定有残英，待客携尊俎」写归时残英。周邦彦此词以羁旅怀人、桃李自春写其羁旅之情，含蓄深婉，是周邦彦词中的名篇。此篇《琐窗寒》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 layered memory. The cold scene opens: the dark willows, the crying crows, in the single coat he stands, by the small curtain, the vermilion door — the standing in the cold. The sorrowful rain follows: the tung blossoms, half a mu, quietly lock a courtyard of the sorrowful rain — the rain locking the courtyard, the sorrow of the spring. The memory turns: the old friend, trimming the candle, speaks at the western window — the remembered words of the past, the trimming of the candle at the western window. The youth's wandering: it seems the night lodging on the Chu river, the wind-blown lamps scattered and confused — the wandering of the youth. The present: the evening of the years, the places of the past pleasures, now the inns have no smoke, the forbidden city, the hundred-and-fifth day — the cold spring of the capital; at the wine flag tower, calling for the wine, he gives it to the boon companions — the drinking of the day. And the close turns to the beloved and the return: I think of the eastern garden, the peaches and the plums in their own spring — the small lips and the lovely dimples, are they now? At the time of the return, surely there will be the remaining blossoms, waiting for the guest to bring the wine vessel — the thought of the eastern garden and the hope of the return. The present's cold, the past's words, and the hoped-for return — gathered in the lyric of the wandering.
此词艺术上以「含蓄深婉、今昔对照」见长。全词上片写单衣伫立与少年羁旅，下片写禁城寒食与归时残英。上片「暗柳啼鸦，单衣伫立，小帘朱户」写单衣伫立：暗柳啼鸦，单衣伫立，小帘朱户；「桐花半亩，静锁一庭愁雨。洒空阶，夜阑未休」写一庭愁雨：桐花半亩，静锁一庭愁雨，洒空阶，夜阑未休；「故人剪烛西窗语。似楚江暝宿，风灯零乱，少年羁旅」写少年羁旅：故人剪烛西窗语，似楚江暝宿，风灯零乱，少年羁旅。下片「迟暮。嬉游处。正店舍无烟，禁城百五」写禁城寒食：迟暮，嬉游处，正店舍无烟，禁城百五；「旗亭唤酒，付与高阳俦侣」写旗亭唤酒：旗亭唤酒，付与高阳俦侣；「想东园，桃李自春，小唇秀靥今在否」写东园桃李：想东园，桃李自春，小唇秀靥今在否；「到归时，定有残英，待客携尊俎」写归时残英：到归时，定有残英，待客携尊俎。全词含蓄深婉，今昔对照，是周邦彦词中的名篇。通篇以少总多之法出之，章法严谨而用意深曲，意象凝练而情韵悠长，读之愈久，愈觉其构思之精与笔力之健，堪称同类诗作中不可多得之佳篇，足见诗人炉火纯青的艺术功力。
Allusions
'The western window' (xi chuang) is the window of the old friend's words — the trimming of the candle at the western window, the remembered conversation; 'the Chu river' (Chu jiang) is the river of the south — the night lodging of the youth's wandering; 'the forbidden city, the hundred-and-fifth day' (jin cheng bai wu) is the cold-food festival of the capital — the hundred-and-fifth day after the winter solstice, the day of the no smoke; 'the boon companions of Gaoyang' (Gaoyang chou lü) are the drinking companions — the companions of the wine; 'the eastern garden' (dong yuan) is the garden of the beloved — the peaches and the plums in their own spring.
词中「暗柳啼鸦」「剪烛西窗」「楚江暝宿」「风灯零乱」「少年羁旅」「禁城百五」「旗亭」「高阳」「东园」「桃李」「小唇秀靥」「残英」「尊俎」等语，皆含典故故实。「暗柳啼鸦」写暗柳中鸦啼；「剪烛西窗」用李商隐《夜雨寄北》「何当共剪西窗烛，却话巴山夜雨时」之典，写剪烛夜语；「楚江暝宿」写楚江夜宿；「风灯零乱」写风中灯火零乱；「少年羁旅」写少年时之羁旅；「禁城百五」写寒食（冬至后一百五日为寒食，禁烟火）；「旗亭」写酒楼（旗亭为市楼）；「高阳」用郦食其「高阳酒徒」之典，「付与高阳俦侣」写付与高阳酒徒之友；「东园」写旧日之园；「桃李自春」写桃李自成春色；「小唇秀靥」写其小唇秀靥之容；「残英」写残落之花；「尊俎」写酒尊与俎（祭器），此处指携酒肴。词人以剪烛西窗、禁城百五、高阳、桃李自春、小唇秀靥等典入词，不着痕迹，而把羁旅怀人之情写得真切可感，是善于熔铸典故的体现。此等用典之法，熔铸古今而不着痕迹，既不炫博以示学，亦不拘泥于旧解，正见诗人学养之深与运思之巧。读者于此等处尤当细心玩味，方能领会其言外之旨与味外之味。
Commentary
This lyric is one of the masterworks of Zhou Bangyan's 'ornate' school, quoted for the layering of its memory. The sorrowful rain locking the courtyard, the words at the western window, and the thought of the eastern garden, are among the admired passages of the master's lyrics. Critics praise the lyric's depth: the cold spring of the present, the words of the past, and the hope of the return, gathered in the wandering.
这首《琐窗寒》，是周邦彦写羁旅怀人之作，写暗柳啼鸦、愁雨剪烛、桃李自春之情，含蓄深婉。上片写单衣伫立与少年羁旅：「暗柳啼鸦，单衣伫立，小帘朱户」——暗柳啼鸦，单衣伫立，小帘朱户。写单衣伫立：暗柳啼鸦，单衣伫立于小帘朱户之前——单衣伫立，正写寒食春寒、独处之况；「桐花半亩，静锁一庭愁雨。洒空阶，夜阑未休」——桐花半亩，静锁一庭愁雨，洒空阶，夜阑未休。写一庭愁雨：桐花半亩，静锁一庭愁雨，洒空阶，夜阑未休——以愁雨锁庭，写尽春寒雨愁；「故人剪烛西窗语。似楚江暝宿，风灯零乱，少年羁旅」——故人剪烛西窗语，似楚江暝宿，风灯零乱，少年羁旅。写少年羁旅：故人剪烛西窗夜语，似楚江暝宿、风灯零乱、少年羁旅——以剪烛西窗写忆旧、以少年羁旅写忆昔。下片写禁城寒食与归时残英：「迟暮。嬉游处。正店舍无烟，禁城百五」——迟暮，嬉游处，正店舍无烟，禁城百五。写禁城寒食：迟暮，嬉游之处，正店舍无烟、禁城寒食——寒食禁烟，正写时令；「旗亭唤酒，付与高阳俦侣」——旗亭唤酒，付与高阳俦侣。写旗亭唤酒：旗亭唤酒，付与高阳酒徒之友——以高阳酒徒写与友共饮；「想东园，桃李自春，小唇秀靥今在否」——想东园，桃李自春，小唇秀靥今在否。写东园桃李：想东园桃李自成春色，而小唇秀靥之人今在否——桃李自春，人不知在否，正写怀人；「到归时，定有残英，待客携尊俎」——到归时，定有残英，待客携尊俎。写归时残英：到归时，定有残英，待客携酒尊俎——归时花残，而人犹待我携尊俎。这「到归时，定有残英，待客携尊俎」，是全词之结：以归时残英写其期归。全词含蓄深婉，今昔对照，正是周邦彦词中的名篇。
Prosody
Line by line
暗柳啼鸦，单衣伫立，小帘朱户。
The dark willows, the crying crows, in the single coat I stand, by the small curtain, the vermilion door.
暗柳啼鸦，单衣伫立，小帘朱户。
Dim willows where crows cry; in single robes I stand, by the small curtains of the red door.
首三句写单衣伫立，起笔即见其境。「暗柳啼鸦」写暗柳啼鸦，「暗柳」写柳色深暗、「啼鸦」写鸦啼；「单衣伫立」写单衣伫立，「单衣」写衣之单、「伫立」写久立；「小帘朱户」写小帘朱户，「小帘」写小帘、「朱户」写朱门。三句以暗柳啼鸦写春寒之景、以单衣伫立写其久立、以小帘朱户写其所在，写尽春寒单衣、久立朱户之前之境。以景起兴，含蓄而清冷，是「以景起兴」的妙笔。
The opening three lines write the single-robed standing, the first stroke at once seeing the scene. The dim-willows-where-crows-cry writing the dark willow color and the crow's cry; the single-robes-I-stand writing the thin robe and the long standing; the small-curtains-of-the-red-door writing the little curtain and the vermilion door. Three lines using the dim-willows-crows-cry for the spring-chill scene, the single-robes-standing for the long standing, the small-curtains-red-door for the dwelling, exhausting the spring-chill thin-robe and long-standing-before-the-vermilion-door scene. Using the scene-uprising, reserved and cold, the scene-uprising wondrous brush.
桐花半亩，静锁一庭愁雨。
The tung blossoms, half a mu, quietly lock a courtyard of the sorrowful rain.
桐花半亩，静锁一庭愁雨。
Phoenix-tree blossoms on half a mu; quietly locked in a courtyard of grieving rain.
此二句写一庭愁雨，是全词写春寒之愁的关键。「桐花半亩」写桐花半亩，「桐花」写桐花、「半亩」写其多；「静锁一庭愁雨」写静锁一庭愁雨，「静锁」写静寂笼罩、「一庭愁雨」写满庭之愁雨。两句一写桐花半亩、一写静锁一庭愁雨，以桐花写春色、以愁雨锁庭写春寒之愁，写尽一庭愁雨、春寒锁愁之景。以雨写愁，含蓄而深挚，是「以雨写愁」的点睛之笔。
These two lines write the courtyard's grieving rain, the whole ci's spring-chill-grief key. The phoenix-tree-blossoms-on-half-a-mu writing the paulownia bloom and its abundance; the quietly-locked-in-a-courtyard-of-grieving-rain writing the silence's shroud and the courtyard's sorrowful rain. Two lines one writing the half-mu paulownia bloom, one the silent locked grief-rain, using the paulownia bloom for the spring color, the grief-rain locked-courtyard for the spring-chill sorrow, exhausting the courtyard grief-rain and spring-chill-locked-sorrow scene. Using the rain for the grief-writing, reserved and deep, the rain-writes-grief telling stroke.
故人剪烛西窗语。
The old friend, trimming the candle, speaks at the western window.
故人剪烛西窗语。
An old friend trims the candle and we talk by the western window.
此句写剪烛西窗，是全词写忆旧的关键。「故人剪烛西窗语」写故人剪烛西窗语，「故人」写旧友、「剪烛西窗」用李商隐「何当共剪西窗烛」之典、「语」写夜语。一句以「剪烛西窗」写与故人剪烛夜语、以「语」写其语旧，写尽忆念故人剪烛西窗夜语之情——当年与故人剪烛夜话。以典写忆，含蓄而深挚，是「以典写忆」的点睛之笔。
This line writes the western-window candle-trimming, the whole ci's memory key. The old-friend-trims-the-candle-and-we-talk-by-the-western-window writing the old friend, the western-window-candle-trimming using Li Shangyin's when-shall-we-trim-the-western-window-candle allusion, the talk writing the night conversation. One line using the western-window candle for the old friend's night-trimmed talk, the talk word for the remembrance, exhausting the old-friend western-window-night-talk feeling — that year's old friend's candle-trimmed night talk. Using the allusion for the memory-writing, reserved and deep, the allusion-writes-memory telling stroke.
想东园，桃李自春，小唇秀靥今在否。
I think of the eastern garden, the peaches and the plums in their own spring — the small lips and the lovely dimples, are they now?
想东园，桃李自春，小唇秀靥今在否。
I think of the eastern garden: peach and plum bloom on in spring; that small lip and lovely dimple — are they there now?
此三句写东园桃李，是全词写怀人的关键。「想东园」写想东园，「想」写思念、「东园」写旧日之园；「桃李自春」写桃李自春，「桃李自春」写桃李自成春色；「小唇秀靥今在否」写小唇秀靥今在否，「小唇秀靥」写其唇靥之容、「今在否」写今日在否。三句一写想东园、一写桃李自春、一写小唇秀靥今在否，以桃李自春写春色依旧、以小唇秀靥今在否写其人不知在否，写尽东园桃李自春而人不知在否之怀。以问写情，含蓄而深挚，是「以问写情」的点睛之笔。
These three lines write the eastern garden's peach and plum, the whole ci's longing-for-person key. The I-think-of-the-eastern-garden writing the remembrance and the old garden; the peach-and-plum-bloom-on-in-spring writing the blossoms' spring by themselves; that-small-lip-and-lovely-dimple-are-they-there-now writing the lip-and-dimple face and the now-question. Three lines one writing the eastern garden, one the self-blooming peach-plum, one the small-lip-dimple now-question, using the self-blooming peach-plum for the spring's unchanged, the small-lip-dimple's now-question for the person's unknown where, exhausting the eastern-garden self-blooming-and-yet-person's-unknown-where longing. Using the question for the feeling-writing, reserved and deep, the question-writes-feeling telling stroke.
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Liu Yong's 'Eight Beats of Ganzhou' — 'facing the evening rain that spatters the long river' — is the wandering of the traveler, the longing over the rain; Zhou Bangyan's 'Cold of the Ornate Window' is the wandering of the cold spring — the sorrowful rain locking the courtyard, the words at the western window — the two rains of the wandering, the one of the river, the other of the courtyard.
柳永《八声甘州·对潇潇暮雨洒江天》「对潇潇暮雨洒江天，一番洗清秋」「不忍登高临远，望故乡渺邈，归思难收」，写羁旅望乡、归思难收，是宋词写羁旅的名篇；周邦彦《琐窗寒》则以「桐花半亩，静锁一庭愁雨」「故人剪烛西窗语」「想东园，桃李自春，小唇秀靥今在否」写愁雨剪烛、东园怀人。两词同写羁旅望乡、寒食春愁：一写对潇潇暮雨洒江天、以登高写愁，一写静锁一庭愁雨、以忆旧写愁；一为柳永之婉约、一为周邦彦之精工，并读正可见宋词写「羁旅之愁」的两种笔法，皆于雨中见羁旅之愁。
月夜忆舍弟 Remembering My Brother on a Moonlit Night 杜甫 · 同写乱离羁旅、怀人之情，一写戍鼓断人行边秋一雁声、一写暗柳啼鸦单衣伫立，皆于秋夜之中见怀人之情 Both are the works of the night and the longing — the one the remembered brother of the war, the other the remembered friend of the rain — the two longings of the night.Du Fu's 'Remembering My Brother on a Moonlit Night' — 'the drums of the garrison cut the travel of men' — is the longing of the brother in the war; Zhou Bangyan's lyric is the longing of the old friend — the words at the western window in the sorrowful rain — the two longings of the night, the one of the war, the other of the rain.
杜甫《月夜忆舍弟》「戍鼓断人行，边秋一雁声。露从今夜白，月是故乡明」，写安史之乱中怀弟之情，是唐诗写怀亲的名篇；周邦彦《琐窗寒》则以「暗柳啼鸦，单衣伫立，小帘朱户」「想东园，桃李自春，小唇秀靥今在否」写羁旅怀人、东园桃李。两篇同写乱离羁旅、怀人之情：一写戍鼓断人行边秋一雁声、以秋月写怀亲，一写暗柳啼鸦单衣伫立、以春寒写怀人；一为杜甫之沉郁、一为周邦彦之精工，并读正可见诗与词写「羁旅怀人」的两种笔法，皆于秋夜之中见怀人之情。