All poems

宋 Song · 词 Ci lyric

剔银灯·与欧阳公席上分题

Picking the Silver Lamp: Dividing the Subject at the Table with Lord Ouyang

范仲淹

Fan Zhongyan

咏史Singing of History 哲理Philosophy

昨夜因看蜀志。
笑曹操、孙权、刘备。
用尽机关，徒劳心力，只得三分天地。
屈指细寻思，争如共、刘伶一醉。
人世都无百岁。
少痴呆、老成尩悴。
只有中间，些子少年，忍把浮名牵系。
一品与千金，问白发、如何回避。

Last night, because I was reading the History of Shu.
I laughed at Cao Cao, Sun Quan, and Liu Bei.
Exhausting all the schemes, toiling in vain the heart and the strength, they only gained the three parts of the heaven and the earth.
Counting on my fingers and thinking carefully, how is it as good as drinking drunk together with Liu Ling.
In the human world, none lives a hundred years.
The young are foolish, and the old become withered and worn.
Only in the middle, a little of the youth, would one bear to be tied by the floating fame.
As for the first rank and the thousand gold, ask the white hair, how can one avoid it?

Listen

Meaning

A ci written by Fan Zhongyan and Ouyang Xiu dividing the subject at the banquet, roughly in the Qingli era of Renzong of Song. The whole ci, taking the reading of the History of Shu last night as the rise, leads to the argument on the heroes of the Three Kingdoms: 'I laughed at Cao Cao, Sun Quan, and Liu Bei. Exhausting all the schemes, toiling in vain the heart and the strength, they only gained the three parts of the heaven and the earth'—the mockery of the toil of the heroes; 'counting on my fingers and thinking carefully, how is it as good as drinking drunk together with Liu Ling'—the free-and-easy conclusion, the preferring of the drunk of Liu Ling to the toil of the heroes. The second half turns to the argument on the life: 'in the human world, none lives a hundred years. The young are foolish, and the old become withered and worn'—the shortness and the helplessness of the life; 'only in the middle, a little of the youth, would one bear to be tied by the floating fame'—the youth of the short life yet tied by the floating fame; and the close, 'as for the first rank and the thousand gold, ask the white hair, how can one avoid it?'—the first rank and the thousand gold, against the white hair, the return to the void, the whole ci's philosophy of the life in the question.

昨夜我读《三国志》，读到曹操、孙权、刘备的故事不禁发笑。他们用尽权谋心机，徒然耗费心力，最终只得三分天下。屈指细细思量，还不如和刘伶一同喝个酩酊大醉。人生在世都活不到百岁，少年时懵懂痴呆，老了又衰弱憔悴。只有中间那段年华，短暂的少年时光，却还要忍心把浮名虚利牵挂在心。纵使官至一品、家财千金，请问白发苍苍的岁月，又如何能够回避？

Appreciation

The most striking features of the art of the ci are the argument into the ci and the use of the vulgar language. The whole ci opens with 'last night, because I was reading the History of Shu,' leading from the reading of the history to the argument on the heroes of the Three Kingdoms: 'I laughed at Cao Cao, Sun Quan, and Liu Bei. Exhausting all the schemes, toiling in vain the heart and the strength, they only gained the three parts of the heaven and the earth,' the toil of the heroes written with the playful pen; 'counting on my fingers and thinking carefully, how is it as good as drinking drunk together with Liu Ling,' the free-and-easy conclusion, the preferring of the drunk. The second half turns to the argument on the life: 'in the human world, none lives a hundred years. The young are foolish, and the old become withered and worn,' the shortness and the helplessness of the life written plainly; 'only in the middle, a little of the youth, would one bear to be tied by the floating fame,' the 'bear' character the helplessness of the youth tied by the fame; and the close, 'as for the first rank and the thousand gold, ask the white hair, how can one avoid it?' the question of the close, the return to the void. The whole ci, with the vulgar language and the free-and-easy tone, writes the philosophy of the life, the 'the discussion into the ci' of the Song ci, a distinctive piece of Fan Zhongyan's ci.

【白话串讲】范仲淹和欧阳修喝酒，写剔银灯：“昨夜因看蜀志。笑曹操、孙权、刘备”。“用尽机关，徒劳心力，只得三分天地”——“屈指细寻思，争如共、刘伶一醉”——“人世都无百岁”——他笑三国的英雄白费心机。【意象与手法】全词以读史起兴，借三国英雄的成败说人生易老之理，手法上最突出的是对比与反讽：曹操等英雄的机关算尽与刘伶一醉的旷达相对，少年痴呆与老成憔悴相对，一品千金与白发苍苍相对，层层对比，把功名的虚妄与人生的短暂写得入木三分。语言俚俗诙谐，议论纵横，是范仲淹词中别具一格的作品。【情感与主旨】词写读史有感，主旨在于看破功名、感叹人生短暂，主张及时行乐、旷达自适。范仲淹一生以天下为己任，此词却以戏谑之笔写看破功名之语，正可见其严肃之外的另一面，也可见宋人词中议论化的倾向。【名句点睛】人世都无百岁，少痴呆、老成尩悴写人生之短促与无奈，平实而深刻；一品与千金，问白发、如何回避以反问收束，道尽功名富贵在时间面前的无力，是千古警句。

Background

The ci was written by Fan Zhongyan and Ouyang Xiu dividing the subject at the banquet, roughly in the Qingli era of Renzong of Song. 'Picking the Silver Lamp' is the name of the tune, and the 'dividing the subject' is the elegant custom of the ancients gathering and assigning the subject to compose the poem and the ci, and the 'dividing the subject at the table with Lord Ouyang' means that the poet, drinking with Ouyang Xiu, used 'Picking the Silver Lamp' as the tune to divide the subject. Ouyang Xiu was eighteen years younger than Fan Zhongyan, and the two served in the court together, their friendship deep, and Ouyang Xiu wrote the 'Discourse on the Factions' to defend Fan Zhongyan. The ci was written when the two were serving in Bianjing. Fan Zhongyan, all his life taking the 'to be worried before the world worries, and to delight after the world delights' as his aim, presided over the Qingli New Policies, keen on the reform, yet failed by the opposition of the conservatives and was repeatedly demoted. This ci, with the reading of the History of Shu last night as the rise, the mockery of the heroes of the Three Kingdoms and the preference of the drunk of Liu Ling, is the free-and-easy side of the usually solemn Fan Zhongyan, the momentary release of the reformer under the pressure of the official career.

《剔银灯·与欧阳公席上分题》是范仲淹与欧阳修宴席上分题赋词之作，约作于宋仁宗庆历年间。剔银灯为词牌名，分题是古人聚会时命题赋诗填词的雅事，与欧阳公席上分题，即词人与欧阳修宴饮时以剔银灯为词牌分题而作。欧阳修比范仲淹小十八岁，二人同朝为官，交谊深厚，欧阳修曾作《朋党论》为范仲淹辩护。此词当作于二人同在汴京任职之时。范仲淹一生以先天下之忧而忧，后天下之乐而乐为志，主持庆历新政，锐意改革，却因保守派反对而失败，屡遭贬谪。此词以昨夜因看蜀志起兴，笑曹操、孙权、刘备用尽机关徒劳心力，感叹人世都无百岁，主张不如刘伶一醉，看似消极，实是词人在宦海浮沉、历经风波之后的感慨之言，于戏谑中见其对人世名利的清醒认识。词中提到的刘伶为西晋名士，以嗜酒放达著称，词人借其旷达以自解，可见其内心深处的超脱情怀。

Art

The art is the argument into the ci and the use of the vulgar language: the reading of the history leading to the argument on the heroes, the mockery of the toil of the heroes with the playful pen, the free-and-easy conclusion of the preference of the drunk, the argument on the life of the shortness and the helplessness, and the close of the question—the 'the discussion into the ci' of the Song ci, a distinctive piece of Fan Zhongyan's ci.

此词在艺术上最显著的特点是议论入词与俚俗语言的运用。全词以昨夜因看蜀志开篇，由读史引出对三国英雄的议论：笑曹操、孙权、刘备，用尽机关，徒劳心力，只得三分天地，以戏谑之笔写英雄的徒劳；屈指细寻思，争如共、刘伶一醉，以旷达之语作结，主张不如一醉。下片转入对人生的议论：人世都无百岁，少痴呆、老成尩悴，写人生之短促与无奈；只有中间，些子少年，忍把浮名牵系，写仅有的一点少年时光还被浮名所累；一品与千金，问白发、如何回避，以反问收束，写功名富贵在时间面前的无力。章法上由读史而及人生，由他人而及自身，议论层层深入，逻辑严密。语言上俚俗诙谐，笑、痴呆、尩悴、些子、牵系等口语入词，明白如话，却于戏谑中见深刻，是宋词议论化、俚俗化的典型作品，直接启发了后世辛弃疾等人的以文为词。全词于戏谑中寓严肃之思，似旷达而实深沉，正是范文正公忧乐之外的又一重面目。

Allusions

The allusions of the ci are rich yet all apt and natural. The History of Shu is the 'Book of Shu' of the Records of the Three Kingdoms, referring generally to the history of the Three Kingdoms, the poet reading the history of the Three Kingdoms at night, seeing Cao Cao, Sun Quan, and Liu Bei exhausting the schemes and contending for the world, yet finally only gaining the three parts of the heaven and the earth, hence the reflection. 'Exhausting all the schemes, toiling in vain the heart and the strength' writes the scheming of the heroes of the Three Kingdoms finally returning to the vain, covertly containing the negation of the struggle for the fame and the merit. Liu Ling is one of the Seven Worthies of the Bamboo Grove of the Western Jin, famous for the drunkenness, 'the one who takes the heaven and the earth as the single period and the ten thousand ages as the single moment,' the preferring of the drunk of Liu Ling the free-and-easy of the Wei-Jin, and the 'the first rank and the thousand gold' the rank and the wealth of the world.

此词用典丰富而皆贴切自然。蜀志即《三国志》中的《蜀书》，泛指三国史事，词人夜读三国史，见曹操、孙权、刘备三人用尽机关、争霸天下，最终只得三分天地，遂发感慨。用尽机关，徒劳心力，写三国英雄的权谋心机最终归于徒劳，暗含对功名争夺的否定。刘伶为西晋名士，竹林七贤之一，以嗜酒著称，曾作《酒德颂》，纵酒放达，蔑视礼法，词人屈指细寻思，觉得与其如三国英雄般机关算尽，不如共刘伶一醉，借刘伶之旷达表达看破功名之意。人世都无百岁，化用曹操《短歌行》对酒当歌，人生几何之慨及古诗人生不满百，常怀千岁忧之意，写人生之短促。一品指一品高官，千金指巨额家财，皆代指功名富贵，词人以一品与千金，问白发、如何回避作结，写功名富贵无法抵挡时间之流逝，语含深讽。全词用典皆服务于人生感慨的阐发，纵横捭阖而不失于学究气，是宋词中以议论用典见长的佳作。

Commentary

The ci is a distinctive piece of Fan Zhongyan's ci. Fan Zhongyan has only five ci extant, the 'Fisherman's Pride: The Autumn Thoughts' famous for the solemn frontier, and this ci excels in the playful argument, showing the diversity of his ci style. What is most noteworthy of this ci is the tendency of the argumentation of the Song ci: the whole ci, with the reading of the history as the rise, the mockery of the heroes and the preference of the drunk, the argument on the life of the shortness, is the model of the 'the discussion into the ci,' and the philosophy of the 'as for the first rank and the thousand gold, ask the white hair, how can one avoid it' the free-and-easy of the reformer under the pressure, the other face of the 'the worried before the world worries and the delighted after the world delights.'

《剔银灯·与欧阳公席上分题》是范仲淹词中别具一格的作品。范仲淹存词仅五首，《渔家傲·秋思》以边塞悲壮著称，此词却以戏谑议论见长，可见其词风的多样性。此词最值得注意的是宋词议论化的倾向：全词以读史起兴，通篇议论，把三国英雄的功业与刘伶的一醉、人生的短促与浮名的牵系层层对比，以俚俗的语言写深刻的人生哲理，是宋词由抒情向议论、由雅致向俚俗转变的先声。笑曹操、孙权、刘备，用尽机关，徒劳心力，只得三分天地，以三句极简之语概括三国史事，举重若轻；一品与千金，问白发、如何回避，以反问收束，道尽功名富贵在时间面前的无力，堪称警句。此词与范仲淹先忧后乐的形象形成有趣对照：忧国忧民的志士，在酒席之上亦作看破功名之语，正可见其作为文士的通达一面。就词史而言，此词上承晏欧的雅致，下启苏轼辛弃疾的议论化词风，具有重要的过渡意义。

Prosody

Form Double long tune ('Picking the Silver Lamp')双调长调（剔银灯）

Rhyme Two stanzas, on the oblique rhymes: bei, di, zui, sui, cui, xi, bi, one rhyme to the end, the tone with the pauses and the turns全词两阕，押仄声韵：备、地、醉、岁、悴、系、避相协，一韵到底，声调顿挫。

Tone pattern The 'last night, because I was reading the History of Shu' is calm, the 'I laughed at Cao Cao, Sun Quan, and Liu Bei' is playful, the 'none lives a hundred years' is plain, and the 'ask the white hair' is questioning—the whole from the reading to the reflection to the question, the philosophy of the life carried by the rhyme剔银灯词牌句式长短错落，节奏顿挫有力，正合议论之体。全词押仄声韵，韵脚短促，读来如评点史事、条分缕析；句中多用口语虚字（因、笑、只、争如、都、些子、忍、如何），语势自然流转，如席间谈笑，亲切而有理趣。

Reading note The oblique rhymes and the pauses and the turns carry the free-and-easy philosophy, the argument of the life.《剔银灯》为宋词词牌，双调，句式长短错落，音节顿挫。此词为双调长调，押仄声韵：备、地、醉、岁、悴、系、避诸韵脚皆为去声或上声，仄声韵短促有力，正合议论说理之体。全词两阕，上片写读史，下片写人生，声情随内容而变：上片昨夜因看蜀志，笑曹操、孙权、刘备，用尽机关，徒劳心力，只得三分天地，句式以五言、七言为主，间以三言短句，节奏明快，如评点史事；下片人世都无百岁，少痴呆、老成尩悴，只有中间，些子少年，忍把浮名牵系，句式更见错落，三言四言五言七言相间，节奏顿挫，如席间论道。此词最显著的声律特点是口语虚词的大量运用：因、笑、只、争如、都、些子、忍、如何等语词穿插句中，使整齐的词律生出自然流转的语势，读来如听人席间谈笑，亲切而有理趣。范仲淹此词以议论入词而以声律驭之，通篇谐谑而不失词体的音乐之美，是宋词议论化的早期佳作，为后世以文为词、以论为词的词风开了先路。

Line by line

昨夜因看蜀志。

Last night, because I was reading the History of Shu. (The rise: the reading of the history last night, the beginning of the argument on the heroes of the Three Kingdoms.)

昨夜我翻阅《三国志》中的蜀书，读到曹操、孙权、刘备争霸天下的故事。

Last night, reading the Annals of Shu.

开篇一句以读史起兴，是全词的引子，也是全词议论的起点。昨夜因看蜀志，写词人昨夜翻阅《三国志》中的蜀书，一个因字，点出看史是感慨的诱因，为下文的笑与议论作了铺垫；此句之下，笑曹操、孙权、刘备，写词人读三国史而发笑，笑的是他们用尽机关、争霸天下，不过只得三分天地，徒劳一场。一个笑字，是全词情感的总纲：不是敬佩，不是感叹，而是带着几分戏谑的看破——英雄的千秋功业，在词人眼中不过是一场徒劳的争夺。这两句以极简的笔墨引出三国史事，笑字定下全词戏谑的基调，为下文屈指寻思、不如一醉的旷达之论作了铺垫，也见出词人冷眼旁观的超脱姿态。

The opening one line using the history-reading uprising, the whole ci's introduction, and the whole ci's argument start. Last-night-reading-the-Annals-of-Shu writing the poet's last night's perusal of the Three Kingdoms Records's Shu book, the one yin word pointing out the history-reading's the sigh's inducement, storing the ground for the below's laughter and argument; beneath this line, the laughing-at-Cao-Cao-Sun-Quan-Liu-Bei writing the poet's Three-Kingdoms-history-reading's laughter, the laughter at their using-every-scheme-and-contending-the-world and yet's only-winning-a-third-of-heaven-and-earth's vain affair. The one xiao word, the whole ci's emotional master plan: not the admiration, not the sigh, and yet the with-a-touch-of-mockery's seeing-through — the heroes' thousand-year achievement, in the poet's eyes's only a vain contention. These two lines using the extreme concise brush for the Three-Kingdoms history's introduction, the xiao word's establishing the whole ci's mocking tone, storing the ground for the below's finger-counting-and-better-one-drink open-minded argument, and seeing the poet's cold-eye-onlook detachment.

用尽机关，徒劳心力，只得三分天地。

Exhausting all the schemes, toiling in vain the heart and the strength, they only gained the three parts of the heaven and the earth. (The mockery: the toil of the heroes of the Three Kingdoms, exhausting the schemes yet only gaining the three parts, the negation of the struggle for the merit.)

他们用尽权谋心机，徒然耗费心力，最终只得三分天地。

Exhausting every scheme, vainly spending heart and mind, they won only a divided third of the world.

此三句写词人对三国英雄的评价，是全词议论的核心。用尽机关，写曹操、孙权、刘备三人的权谋心机：机关即权谋计策，用尽二字，写其算计之深、用心之苦；徒劳心力，写其最终的结果：所有的谋划算计都徒然耗费心力，一无所获；只得三分天地，点明其结局：争来争去，不过各得天下三分之一，而这三分的基业，最终也未能长久。三句一气贯注，由因及果，层层推进，把三国英雄的功业一笔抹倒。词人评史，眼光极为冷峻：不写英雄的豪情壮志，只写其机关的徒劳与心力的空耗，这正是看破功名者所见的真相。这三句是借史论人，也是借人论己，词人历经宦海风波，深知机关算尽终归徒劳，故有此深沉之叹。

These three lines write the poet's Three-Kingdoms-heroes evaluation, the whole ci's argument core. The using-every-scheme writing Cao Cao, Sun Quan, Liu Bei's three men's schemes: the schemes i.e. the plots, the exhausted two words writing the calculation's depth and the heart's bitterness; the vainly-spending-heart-and-mind writing the final result: all the planning and calculation's vainly spending heart-and-mind, no gain; the only-winning-a-divided-third-of-the-world pointing out the ending: the contention's back-and-forth, and yet each winning only a third of the world, and this third's foundation's ultimately's not lasting. Three lines in one breath, from cause to result, layer on layer's advance, wiping out the Three-Kingdoms heroes' achievement in one stroke. The poet's history-evaluation, the eye's extremely cold: not writing the heroes' bold ambition, and yet writing the schemes' vanity and the heart-and-mind's empty cost, precisely the fame-seer-through's seen truth. These three lines at once the history-through-person writing, and the person-through-self writing, the poet's experienced official-wind-waves, deeply knowing the schemes'-exhaustion's ultimate vanity, hence this deep sigh.

人世都无百岁。

In the human world, none lives a hundred years. (The argument on the life: the shortness of the human life, the plain statement of the philosophy.)

人生在世，大多活不到百岁之寿，生命本就如此短促。

In this human world few reach a hundred years.

此句由评史转入论人，写人生之短促，是全词由史入情的关键。人世都无百岁，写人寿之有限：古往今来，人活百岁的极少，百岁是人生难以企及的上限，一个都字，写尽人寿之短促的普遍性；此句之下，少痴呆、老成尩悴，写人生两端的无奈：少年时懵懂痴呆，不解世事，老了又衰弱憔悴，尩悴即瘦弱憔悴之意，痴呆与尩悴相对，写出人生的两头皆不可意。这两句以极朴素的道理写极深沉的感慨：人生如此短促，而短促的人生中，可意之时又如此之少。这与三国英雄的机关算尽形成对照：纵使英雄如曹刘孙，也不过活不到百岁，机关算尽又有何用？语气虽平淡，而感慨极深，为下文的浮名牵系与白发难避作了铺垫。

This line from the history-evaluation turning to the person-argument, writing life's shortness, the whole ci's history-to-feeling key. The in-this-human-world-few-reach-a-hundred-years writing life-span's limit: the ancient-to-present, the hundred-year-lived's few, the hundred-year the life's hard-to-reach upper limit, the one dou word exhausting the life-span's shortness universality; beneath this line, the young-folly-and-old-wretchedness writing life's two ends' helplessness: the youth's muddled folly's not-understanding-the-world, the old age's feeble-and-withered, the wretchedness meaning the thin-and-worn, the folly and wretchedness's opposition, writing life's two ends' both unsatisfactory. These two lines using the extremely plain reason for the extremely deep sigh: life's so short, and within the short life, the satisfactory time's so few. This with the Three-Kingdoms heroes' schemes'-exhaustion's contrast: though the hero like Cao-Liu-Sun, and yet only the no-reaching-a-hundred-years, the schemes'-exhaustion's of-what-use? The tone though plain, and yet the sigh's extremely deep, storing the ground for the below's empty-fame-binding and white-hair's unavoidable.

只有中间，些子少年，忍把浮名牵系。

Only in the middle, a little of the youth, would one bear to be tied by the floating fame. (The helplessness: the youth of the short life yet tied by the floating fame, the 'bear' character the helplessness of the fame.)

只有中间那段短暂的少年时光，却还要忍心把浮名牵挂。

Only the middle, a little youth, and yet one endures to be tied by empty fame.

此三句写人生唯一可意之时的短暂与虚耗，是全词感慨最深处。只有中间，写人生两端痴呆与尩悴之间，唯有中间一段尚可人意；些子少年，写这段可意时光之短，些子是宋人口语，犹言一点点，少年时光本已短暂，以些子形容，更见其少；忍把浮名牵系，写这短暂时光还被浮名所累：忍把即忍心把，竟然忍心让浮名把自己牵系住，仅有的一点清醒岁月，竟耗费在浮名的追逐上，语含深深的自责与惋惜。这三句由人生之短写到浮名之累，层层推进，把功名富贵的虚妄写得入木三分；与上文的刘伶一醉相呼应，与下文的白发难避相衔接，是全词由论史到论人生、由看破到劝解的枢纽。

These three lines write life's one satisfactory time's shortness and vain cost, the whole ci's sigh's deepest place. The only-the-middle writing life's two-end folly-and-wretchedness's between, only the middle one section's still person-pleasing; the a-little-youth writing this satisfactory time's shortness, the xiezai the Song colloquial, like the a-little, the youth time's originally short, using the xiezai for the description, the smallness the clearer; one-endures-to-be-tied-by-empty-fame writing this short time's still the empty-fame's burden: the endures-to-bind i.e. the heart's endurance to bind, actually's heart's endurance to let the empty fame bind oneself, the only little clear years, actually's spent on the empty-fame pursuit, the words carrying the deep self-blame and regret. These three lines from life's shortness to the empty-fame's burden, layer on layer's advance, writing the rank-and-wealth's delusion's to-the-bone; with the above's Liu Ling's-one-drink's echo, with the below's white-hair's unavoidable's linkage, the whole ci's history-argument-to-life-argument and seeing-through-to-persuasion hinge.

一品与千金，问白发、如何回避。

As for the first rank and the thousand gold, ask the white hair, how can one avoid it? (The close: the first rank and the thousand gold against the white hair, the return to the void, the philosophy of the life in the question.)

纵使官至一品、家财千金，请问白发苍苍的岁月，又如何能够回避？

Rank of the first grade and wealth of a thousand pieces — yet ask, how can white hair be avoided?

末三句是全词的收束，以反问道尽功名富贵在时间面前的无力，是千古警句。一品与千金，写功名富贵的极致：一品是官爵的最高等级，千金是财富的极多数量，二者代指人生追求的目标；问白发、如何回避，陡然一问：纵使官至一品、富至千金，那白发苍苍的衰老岁月，又如何能够回避？一个问字，把功名富贵的意义彻底瓦解——无论你如何争权夺利、积财聚富，都无法阻挡白发的生长、衰老的到来。这两句以反问收束，力量千钧：品级与千金是人人向往的，白发是人人逃避的，而词人偏偏指出，前者无法阻止后者，功名富贵在时间面前毫无意义。这与上文的刘伶一醉相呼应：既然白发难避，何不学刘伶纵酒放达，及时行乐？全词以这一问作结，余音袅袅，令人深思。

The last three lines are the whole ci's close, using the rhetorical question for the rank-and-wealth's time-powerlessness's utterance, the through-the-ages alert line. The first-grade-rank-and-a-thousand-pieces writing the rank-and-wealth's extreme: the first grade the official rank's highest class, the thousand pieces the wealth's extreme amount, the two standing for the life's pursued goal; the ask-how-can-white-hair-be-avoided's sharp question: though the rank's first grade and the wealth's thousand pieces, that white-haired aging years's how's avoidable? The one wen word, turning the rank-and-wealth's meaning's thoroughly disintegrated — however you the power-and-profit's contention and the wealth's accumulation, all unable to block the white hair's growth and the aging's arrival. These two lines closing on the rhetorical question, the force's thousand jun: the grade and thousand pieces the everyone's longing, the white hair the everyone's avoidance, and yet the poet precisely pointing out, the former's unable to prevent the latter, the rank-and-wealth's before-time's meaningless. This with the above's Liu Ling's-one-drink's echo: since the white hair's unavoidable, why not learn Liu Ling's drunken abandon and the timely joy? The whole ci's closing on this one question, the lingering sound, making the reader think.

Study

Word focus

笑 To laugh at. The word of the mockery: 'I laughed at Cao Cao, Sun Quan, and Liu Bei'—the playful mockery of the heroes of the Three Kingdoms, the toil of the heroes in the one 'laugh.' 笑曹操、孙权、刘备之笑字，是全词情感基调的关键字。笑本为平常之字，此处却含深意：词人读三国史而笑英雄，不是轻佻的嘲笑，而是看破世情的会心一笑。这一笑，笑的是英雄的徒劳：曹操、孙权、刘备用尽机关、争霸天下，不过只得三分天地，机关算尽，终归尘土，思之可笑；这一笑，也是自嘲式的旷达：英雄尚且如此，何况常人，不如学刘伶一醉，看破功名，一笑置之。笑字定下全词戏谑的基调，使下文用尽机关、徒劳心力、不如一醉的议论都染上这份谐趣。若作叹曹操、孙权、刘备或惜曹操、孙权、刘备，便只是寻常的感慨；笑字一出，便有了居高临下的超脱，有了看破红尘的智慧。此字是全词由读史到议论的情感总纲，一字之妙，全篇生辉。

尩悴 Withered and worn. The word of the old age: 'the old become withered and worn'—the withering and the wearing of the old age, against the 'foolish' of the young, the shortness and the helplessness of the life. 老成尩悴之尩悴二字，写衰老之态，是全词议论人生最见功力的炼字。尩本作尪，指身体孱弱、骨骼弯曲，悴指憔悴，尩悴二字连用，写人老之后形体衰弱、精神憔悴之状，比单一的憔悴或衰弱更具画面感。此二字之妙，在于与上句少痴呆相对：少年痴呆是心智未开之痴，老成尩悴是形体衰败之弱，一痴一悴，写出人生的两端皆不尽如人意，中间那点清醒的时光转瞬即逝。范仲淹不用老来衰弱而用老成尩悴，既合词律（此处需仄声字），又形象入骨，把老年的衰败写得如在目前。此二字还是全词议论的支点：正因为老成尩悴，人生可意之时才如此之少，浮名的牵系才如此不值，白发的回避才如此无奈。以俚俗之字写深刻之理，正是此词语言风格的特色，此二字即为明证。

牵系 To be tied. The word of the fame: 'would one bear to be tied by the floating fame'—the youth tied by the floating fame, the helplessness of the fame, the 'bear' and the 'tied' the bound of the life. 忍把浮名牵系之牵系二字，写浮名对人的束缚，是全词议论浮名虚妄的关键词。牵系即牵挂、系累之意，牵字写浮名之牵扯纠缠，系字写浮名之束缚羁绊，二字连用，把无形的浮名写得如绳索般捆缚人心。此二字之妙，在于写出一种身不由己的被动：人并非主动追求浮名，而是被浮名牵系着、拖累着，身陷其中而不能自拔。忍把二字更添一层意味：忍心把，即竟然忍心让浮名把自己牵系住——仅有的一点少年时光，清醒的岁月，竟然忍心耗费在浮名的追逐上，语含深深的自责与惋惜。若作为把浮名牵挂，便只是平叙；牵系一出，浮名便有了主动缠人的姿态，人便有了挣扎不得的无奈。此二字与上文的刘伶一醉、下文的问白发如何回避相呼应，把功名富贵之累写得入木三分。