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宋 Song · 词 Ci lyric

晏殊·破阵子·春景

To the Tune 'Po Zhen Zi' — Spring Scene

晏殊

Yan Shu

婉约refined (wanyue) 田园pastoral

破阵子·春景燕子来时新社，梨花落后清明。
池上碧苔三四点，叶底黄鹂一两声。
日长飞絮轻。
巧笑东邻女伴，采桑径里逢迎。
疑怪昨宵春梦好，元是今朝斗草赢。
笑从双脸生。

When swallows come it is the Spring Sacrifice; pear blossoms fallen, it is Pure Brightness.
On the pond a few specks of green moss; beneath the leaves one or two oriole notes.
The day grows long, the willow catkins drift light.
The pretty-laughing neighbor girls meet on the mulberry path.
I wonder why last night's dream was so sweet—it was that this morning I won at grass-pulling.
A smile spreads from both cheeks.

Listen

Meaning

A bright spring scene of sacrifices and maidens at play; a girl's smile reveals her secret joy at winning a folk game, linking a good dream to a small victory.

燕子飞来的时候正是春社之日，梨花落尽的时候便是清明时节。池塘上点缀着三四点碧绿的青苔，树叶底下传来一两声黄鹂的鸣叫。白日渐长，柳絮轻轻飘飞。东邻的女伴笑得娇俏，在采桑的小径里迎面相逢。正疑惑昨夜怎么做了个好梦，原来竟是今朝斗草斗赢了。笑意从双颊上绽开。

Appreciation

The upper stanza is pure still scene with hidden time: sacrifice and pear blossoms mark late spring; 'three or four specks, one or two notes' say much with little. The lower stanza turns to lively girls.

【白话串讲】燕子归来，梨花落尽，池上青苔，叶底黄鹂。采桑的女子们斗草赢了，“笑从双脸生”——晏殊写春天，写得人间最热闹的样子。【意象与手法】上片纯写静景而暗含时序：新社、梨花点明暮春，碧苔「三四点」、黄鹂「一两声」以少总多，飞絮轻扬逗出日长之闲。下片转入人物：「巧笑」「逢迎」写少女娇态，「疑怪昨宵春梦好，元是今朝斗草赢」以心理独白式的俏皮翻折，把民俗写得活色生香。设色淡雅，节奏轻快，闲雅中见生趣。【情感与主旨】此词写宋代农村社日前后风俗。春社祭神、清明斗草皆为宋时节令游戏，少女采桑、斗草亦合《诗经·豳风》蚕事古意。晏殊虽居相位、词多富贵闲愁，此篇却跳出晚唐五代艳科，以清明田园、村姑嬉戏入词，清新可喜，反映了宋词题材向日常生活的拓展。以宰辅之笔写村野之趣，格局为之一新。【名句点睛】常考景物描写与人物刻画。命题侧重：一、上片如何以疏淡笔墨写暮春之景（数词「三四点」「一两声」之妙）；二、「疑怪」「元是」的口语化转折如何写出少女的憨态；三、「笑从双脸生」的收束之妙。

Background

Depicts Song village customs around the Spring Sacrifice and Pure Brightness grass-pulling game. Though a chief councillor used to idle, rich sorrow, here Yan Shu steps out of late-Tang Five-Dynasty amorousness into fresh village life—a sign of Song ci turning to daily life.

晏殊（991—1055），字同叔，抚州临川人，北宋著名词人、政治家，官至同中书门下平章事（宰相），谥元献，世称晏元献。其词集名《珠玉词》，多写流连光景、离愁别恨，风格温润秀洁、闲雅雍容，为北宋婉约词的开山宗师之一。此词调寄《破阵子》，题为《春景》，写清明前后农村风光与少女斗草之乐，是晏殊词中少见的天真活泼之作。宋代春社为立春后第五个戊日，祭社神以祈年，为民间盛节；清明前后又是采桑养蚕、踏青斗草之时。晏殊以宰相之尊，却将笔触伸向田间小径、采桑少女，足见其性情中自有亲近自然的田园一面，也反映了宋词题材从青楼酒席向乡村日常拓展的时代趋势——与范成大《四时田园杂兴》、辛弃疾《清平乐·村居》等田园词作前后辉映，可见宋代士大夫雅俗兼收的审美趣味。《破阵子》本为唐教坊曲，源自《秦王破阵乐》，多写军容战阵，至晏殊手中一变而为写景写人的轻快小令，可见词牌声情随时代与词人而流转，亦见晏殊于旧调中翻新声的本领。此词具体作年难以确考，然晏殊一生富贵显达，晚年尤好读书养性，其《珠玉词》中偶露田园之趣，正见其「富贵闲人」之外的另一种眼光，与同时的欧阳修、范仲淹同以士大夫之笔写日常之景，共开宋词生活化的先声。

Art

Upper stanza still scene with time inside; lower stanza people, 'pretty laugh' and 'meet' sketch the girls, the 'wonder why the dream' line turns with playful psychology, making folklore vivid. Light colors, quick rhythm, ease with life.

此词章法分明，上片写景、下片写人，两片之间以「日长飞絮轻」过渡，衔接自然。上片纯写静景而暗含时序流转：起句「燕子来时新社，梨花落后清明」以燕子、梨花两种物候点明时令——燕子来、梨花开，正是社日；梨花落、清明至，时序又进一层，两句便写出由春社到清明的春光推移。「池上碧苔三四点，叶底黄鹂一两声」以「三四点」「一两声」的不定数词写景，疏淡空灵，以少总多，池苔之碧、莺声之脆，点染成趣；「日长飞絮轻」以飞絮写日长，逗出春日的闲静；尤其此五字，上承碧苔黄鹂之静，下启采桑少女之动，一「轻」字把春日午后的慵懒氛围写得恰到好处，是两片之间的天然过渡。下片转入人物：「巧笑东邻女伴，采桑径里逢迎」以「巧笑」「逢迎」写少女天真娇态，呼之欲出；「疑怪昨宵春梦好，元是今朝斗草赢」以心理独白式的俏皮翻折写斗草得胜的欢欣——昨夜好梦，今朝斗草果赢，少女把梦兆与胜利联系起来，憨态可掬；结句「笑从双脸生」以「双脸」写笑意盈盈，收束轻快，如镜头定格，余味甜美。全词由景及人、由静入动，疏密有致，闲雅中见生趣，是晏殊「温润秀洁」词风中最富生活气息的一篇。

Allusions

'New sacrifice' uses the ancient Spring Sacrifice; 'grass-pulling' is a children's contest (Jingchu Suishi Ji). 'Pretty laugh' borrows the Shijing 'pretty her smile' to praise village girls—learned yet folk, light and unforced.

此词用典皆融化于节令民俗，不露痕迹。「新社」用春社古俗，《礼记·月令》载仲春之月「择元日命民社」，社日祭社神以祈年，宋时春社在立春后第五个戊日，燕子届时北归，故称「燕子来时新社」。「斗草」为古代民间游戏，南北朝宗懔《荆楚岁时记》载五月五日「四民并踏百草，又有斗百草之戏」，唐宋时斗草之戏盛行，或以草茎相勾、断者为输，或以花草多寡、名目相较，少女采桑之暇以此为乐。「巧笑」化用《诗经·卫风·硕人》「巧笑倩兮，美目盼兮」，以古典写村女，雅俗相成；「采桑」亦承《诗经·豳风·七月》「女执懿筐，遵彼微行，爰求柔桑」的蚕事古意，使田园景象带上《诗经》的朴厚底色。全词借节令民俗自然成文，信手征引而雅俗共赏，足见晏殊学养之厚与取材之活，也可见宋词用典由艰深向自然演进的大势。又春社之日，民间有分胙、赛社、饮社酒之俗，社鼓社酒之声盈于田野，燕子亦于此际归来筑巢，故「燕子来时新社」一句，兼含物候与民俗的双重信息；清明前后，正是江南采茶、养蚕、踏青的繁忙季节，词中采桑、斗草皆从节令中自然生出，无一字游离于社日清明之外，可见其取材之精严。

Commentary

Shen Jifei (Ming) praised 'on the pond' and 'beneath the leaves' as 'natural and fine'; Yu Binyun (modern) said the councillor writing village joy shows his breadth. It is seen as an early Song ci turn to daily folklore.

历代评家对此词的上片写景与下片写人各有会心。明人沈际飞评「池上碧苔三四点，叶底黄鹂一两声」二句「工致天然」，谓其以少总多、疏淡入妙；又评「疑怪昨宵春梦好，元是今朝斗草赢」一联「写出儿女憨态，栩栩欲活」。近人俞陛云《唐五代两宋词选释》谓晏殊「以宰辅之尊，写田家之乐，此词可见其胸次」，正指出此词于晏殊词风中别具一格——其《珠玉词》多写「无可奈何花落去」式的闲愁，此篇却通体欢快，不见一丝愁绪。今人更以此词为宋词写日常民俗之先声，与苏轼《浣溪沙·簌簌衣巾落枣花》、辛弃疾《清平乐·村居》并观，可见词由贵族艳科走向平民生活的轨迹。闲雅而不枯，生动而不佻，是其难能可贵处，也是晏殊词雅俗兼收、刚柔并济的明证。词史上，以宰辅之尊而写田家之乐者，晏殊之外尚有欧阳修《采桑子》诸作，然欧公写颍州西湖之乐，晏殊写村姑斗草之趣，一雅一俗，正可对观；刘熙载《艺概》评晏殊词「温润秀洁，亦其一时之冠」，此词虽写田家，而「温润秀洁」四字依然当之，可见其风格之稳定与功力之深厚。若与白居易新乐府写田家之苦相较，晏词之写田家之乐，更见太平宰相眼中的理想田园。

Prosody

Form Ci lyric to the tune 'Po Zhen Zi', double tune, 62 characters词·《破阵子》双调六十二字

Rhyme Level rhyme (Cilin Zhengyun group 11: ming, sheng, qing, ying, ying, sheng)押平韵（词林正韵第十一部：明、声、轻、迎、赢、生），上下片各三平韵

Tone pattern Level-rhyme mode; five lines each stanza, three level rhymes; mostly six- and seven-character lines平韵格，上下片各五句，句式以六字、七字为主，末句五字收束

Reading note Yan Shu's 'Po Zhen Zi', standard 62-character form, light and quick.《破阵子》本为唐教坊曲名，一名《十拍子》，后用作词牌，双调六十二字，上下片各五句三平韵。晏殊此词正用其正体：上下片皆以两个六字句起，接两个七字句，末以五字句收，句式长短错落，声情轻快流丽。全词押词林正韵第十一部平声韵，「明、声、轻、迎、赢、生」六韵，平声韵一韵到底，音调明朗舒展，正合清明时节春光骀荡、少女欢笑的欢快情调。尤其值得注意者，下片「疑怪」「元是」两个口语词入词，使词的节奏更近说话的自然语气，与平声韵的悠扬相配合，读来如闻少女笑语。以「笑从双脸生」五字收束，音节短促而余韵悠长，恰如一笑定格。全词平仄谐婉、韵脚疏朗，是晏殊「温润秀洁」词风在格律上的典型体现，也是《破阵子》词牌中写景写人最为圆融的一首。

Line by line

燕子来时新社，梨花落后清明

Swallows come with the new spring sacrifice; pear blossoms fall and Qingming follows.

燕子飞来时正是春社，梨花落尽便是清明。

When swallows arrive, the spring sacrifice is near; when pear blossoms fall, Qingming comes.

起句以燕子、梨花两种物候对举，一句写社日、一句写清明，点明时令而毫不费力。「燕子来时」与「梨花落后」构成时间的推移：燕子北归、春社将至，梨花落尽、清明在即，两句便把由春社到清明的春光流转写尽。妙在不着一个「春」字而春意自足，不着一个「时」字而时序分明，纯以物象说话，正是宋词写景的上乘手法。此句又为全词定下明净的基调——燕子、梨花皆是清明前后最典型的意象，其一归巢、一落尽，一动一静，暗伏下片人物活动的节令背景，少女采桑、斗草皆由此生发，章法浑然，起笔即见晏殊举重若轻的本领。

The opening line using the swallow and pear-blossom two phenological images' parallel, one line writing the sacrifice day and one the Qingming, pointing out the season and yet the effort's none. The swallows-come and pear-blossoms-fall forming the time's movement: the swallow's north-return and the spring-sacrifice's near, the pear-blossom's falling and Qingming's at-hand, two lines' already's the spring-sacrifice-to-Qingming's spring-light-flow's exhaustion. The wonder's not-landing-one-chun-word and yet the spring-feeling's self-sufficient, not-landing-one-shi-word and yet the season's clear, purely using the thing-image's speaking, precisely the Song ci's scene-writing's top method. This line's also the whole ci's establishing the bright-clear tone — the swallow and pear-blossom's both the Qingming-neighborhood's typical image, one's nesting and one's fallen, one-motion-one-stillness, secretly storing the second stanza's person-activity season-background, the girl's mulberry-picking and straw-game's both's arising hence, the craft's seamless, the opening at once seeing Yan Shu's heavy-things-handled-lightly craft.

池上碧苔三四点，叶底黄鹂一两声

On the pond a few specks of green moss; beneath the leaves one or two oriole notes.

池塘上点缀着三四点碧苔，树叶底传来一两声黄鹂。

Three or four spots of green moss on the pool; a lark or two sings beneath the leaves.

此联以「三四点」「一两声」的不定数词写景，是全词最见功力处。「三四」写碧苔之少而疏，「一两」写莺声之稀而脆，以少总多、以虚写实，不写池水之满而碧苔点染可见，不写莺鸟之繁而一声两声自足，留白生韵，疏淡空灵。更妙在视听结合：「碧苔」是视觉，点出池水的清与静；「黄鹂」是听觉，衬出叶底的幽与深，一色一声，交相成趣。黄鹂在叶底，故「一两声」尤显林间之静，正合「蝉噪林逾静」的以声写静之法。此联为「日长飞絮轻」的闲静蓄势，也为下片少女出场铺设了明净的春日背景，是宋词疏淡写景的典范。

This couplet using the three-four-points and one-two-sounds' indefinite-number-words' scene-writing, the whole ci's craft-most-visible place. The three-four writing the green-moss' scarcity-and-thinness, the one-two writing the oriole's sparse-and-crisp, using the few's totaling-the-many and the void's writing-the-solid, not writing the pool's fullness and yet the green-moss' dotting's visible, not writing the oriole's abundance and yet the one-two-sounds' self-sufficient, the blank-reserve's aftertone, the sparse-ethereal. The wonder's the sight-and-hearing's combination: the green moss's the sight, pointing out the pool's clearness-and-stillness; the oriole's the hearing, setting-off the leaf-depth's seclusion-and-depth, one-color-one-sound, the mutual-birth's delight. The oriole's beneath the leaves, hence the one-two-sounds' the more's seeing the forest's stillness, precisely the cicada's-noise-forest-the-more-stillness's sound-writes-stillness method. This couplet's storing the force for the day-long-flying-catkins-light's leisure, and for the second stanza's girl's entrance's laying the bright-clear spring background, the Song ci's sparse-scene-writing model.

巧笑东邻女伴，采桑径里逢迎

The eastern neighbor's girl friends smile prettily, meeting on the mulberry-picking path.

东邻的女伴笑得娇俏，在采桑的小径上迎面相逢。

The eastern neighbor's maiden friends, with clever smiles, meet on the mulberry path.

此句由写景转入写人，是全词的转捩点。「东邻」写少女居处之近、往来之频，「女伴」点明身份——采桑的农家少女；「巧笑」化用《诗经》「巧笑倩兮」，写其笑靥明媚、天真烂漫；「采桑径里」点出劳作场景，采桑小径本为日常劳动之所，少女于此相逢，嬉笑招呼，「逢迎」二字写尽迎面相遇、笑语相迎的热闹。此句把劳动与欢笑融为一体，写出田园少女特有的健康之美——不同于闺阁词中愁眉锁眼的佳人，她们是阳光下、桑径间的明朗少女，为结句的「笑从双脸生」埋下伏笔，也使全词由静景转入活泼的人物画面，节奏为之一变。

This line from the scene-writing's turning to the person-writing, the whole ci's turning point. The eastern-neighbor writing the girl's dwelling's nearness and the coming-and-going's frequency, the girl-friends' pointing out the identity — the mulberry-picking farm girls; the clever-smiles adapting the Book-of-Songs's clever-smiles-charming, writing the smile's bright-and-naive; the mulberry-picking-path pointing out the labor scene, the mulberry path's originally the daily-labor place, the girls' here's the meeting, the laughter-and-greeting, the feng-ying two words' exhausting the face-to-face-meeting-and-laughter-greeting's bustle. This line's turning the labor and laughter's the fusion, writing the pastoral girl's unique healthy beauty — not like the boudoir ci's frown-locked beauty, they're the sunlight's, the mulberry-path's bright girls, storing the ground for the closing line's smile-rises-on-both-cheeks, and making the whole ci's from the static scene's turning to the lively person picture, the rhythm's thus's changed.

疑怪昨宵春梦好，元是今朝斗草赢

I wonder why last night's dream was so sweet—it was that this morning I won at grass-pulling.

正疑惑昨夜怎么做了个好梦，原来竟是今朝斗草赢了。

I wonder why last night's spring dream was so sweet — it turns out I won the straw game today.

此联以口语化的心理独白写少女斗草得胜的欢欣，是全词最俏皮处。「疑怪」即「正自疑惑」，写少女回想昨夜好梦、不得其解的心理；「元是」即「原来是」，口语转折，揭破谜底——昨夜的好梦，正应了今朝斗草的胜利。古人相信梦兆，少女把梦与胜联系起来，既见其天真，又见其好胜，憨态可掬。两句一问一答、一疑一悟，如脱口而出的私语，毫无雕琢，把少女的内心活动写得活灵活现。此联又是全词的情感高潮：前文写景写人皆在铺垫，至此方见少女欢欣的缘由，斗草之乐、春光之美，尽在这一悟一笑之间，是晏殊以雅语写俗趣的妙笔。

This couplet using the colloquial psychological monologue for the girl's straw-game-victory delight, the whole ci's most playful place. The yiguai i.e. the just-wondering, writing the girl's recollection's last-night-good-dream and the no-understanding psychology; the yuanshi i.e. the originally-turns-out, the colloquial turn, uncovering the answer — the last night's good dream, precisely's corresponding to today's straw-game victory. The ancients' believing the dream-omens, the girl's linking the dream and the victory, at once seeing her naivety, and seeing her competitiveness, the coy pose's the delightful. Two lines one-question-one-answer, one-doubt-one-awakening, like the blurted-out private words, no carving, writing the girl's inner-activity's vivid. This couplet's also the whole ci's emotional climax: the above's scene-and-person-writing's all's the ground-laying, to here's first's seeing the girl's delight's cause, the straw-game's joy and the spring-light's beauty, all within this one-awakening-one-smile, Yan Shu's elegant-words-write-vulgar-delight wondrous brush.

笑从双脸生

A smile spreads from both cheeks.

笑意从双颊上绽开。

A smile rises on both cheeks.

结句五字收束全篇，如电影镜头定格于少女的笑靥。「双脸」即双颊，唐人词中习用语，「生」字写笑意不是浮在脸上，而是从双颊深处滋生、绽开，如花初放，鲜活而自然。此句妙在以白描写神态：不言「大笑」「微笑」，只着一个「生」字，笑便有了生命的动感与过程——先是心底的喜悦，然后溢于双颊，层层绽开，少女的纯真与得意尽在其中。以笑作结，与上片「日长飞絮轻」的闲静遥相呼应，景之静、人之乐，共同构成清明田园的完整画卷，余味甜美，令人会心；五字收束，音节短促而余韵悠长，恰如一笑定格，是宋词以小收大、以轻收重的典范。

The closing line's five characters' the whole-piece close, like the film-frame's fixed on the girl's smile. The shuang-lian i.e. the both-cheeks, the Tang ci's habitual word, the sheng word's writing the smile's not the floating-on-the-face, and yet's the from-the-both-cheeks'-deep's sprouting-and-opening, like the flower's first-blooming, the fresh-and-natural. This line's wonder's in the plain-description's pose-writing: not speaking the loud-laugh and the soft-smile, only's landing the one sheng word, the smile's then's the life's motion-and-process — first's the heart-bottom's joy, then's the overflowing-the-both-cheeks, layer-on-layer's opening, the girl's innocence-and-pride's all within. Using the smile's the close, with the first stanza's day-long-flying-catkins-light's leisure's far-echo, the scene's stillness and the person's joy, jointly's forming the Qingming pastoral's complete picture, the aftertaste sweet, the knowing-smile; five-characters'-close, the rhythm's short-and-yet-the-aftertone-long, precisely like a smile's fixed-frame, the Song ci's small-collects-large and light-collects-heavy model.

Study

Word focus

三四点、一两声 Approximate small numbers sketch spring's sparseness; saying much with little, leaving white space. 「池上碧苔三四点，叶底黄鹂一两声」中的「三四」「一两」是不定小数词，却是全词炼字的眼目。其妙在以少总多：不写池满苔盛，而写「三四点」，苔之疏、水之清、景之空灵俱见；不写莺啼盈耳，而写「一两声」，声之稀、林之静、境之幽深自出。若易以确数或「无数」「满耳」等语，则堆垛满实，灵气尽失。数词之虚，正是留白之妙——以「三四」「一两」的不确定，给读者以想象的空间，疏淡处反见丰腴。此种笔法上承王维「空山不见人」式的空灵，下启南宋「疏影横斜」式的清雅，是宋词以虚写实、以少总多的典型，也见出晏殊选词之精审，一个数词便见功力。

元是 turns out to be—a colloquial turn that reveals the 'sweet dream' riddle, playful and natural. 「元是今朝斗草赢」的「元是」即「原来是」，是口语化的转折词，却是全词最俏皮的一笔。「元」本作「原」，宋人避讳常写作「元」，此处用「元」正见宋词语言的时代色彩。此词连用「疑怪」「元是」两个口语词，如少女自语，声口毕肖：「疑怪」写疑惑，「元是」写恍然，一疑一悟，把昨夜好梦与今朝斗草胜利的因果联系轻轻点破，天真烂漫之态跃然纸上。若易以「方知」「始觉」等书面语，则顿失村女口吻，索然无味。此二字是晏殊以雅语写俗趣的妙笔，把心理独白写得自然如话，正是「元是」二字不可易处，也是全词由景入情、由静入动的语言枢纽。

生 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 结句「笑从双脸生」的「生」字，是全词的收束之眼。笑本为面部表情，着一「生」字，便有了从无到有、由内而外的滋生过程——不是僵在脸上的笑，而是从心底涌起、在双颊绽开的笑，如春草破土、花朵初放，充满生命的动感。「双脸」写笑意之满，左右双颊同时绽开，可见其笑得真、笑得甜；「生」字又暗应上片「日长飞絮轻」的春日生机，景之生与人之笑相映成趣。若易以「现」「露」等字，则静态而浅；唯「生」字写出笑的源头与过程，使少女的欢欣如在目前，全词的活泼生趣至此圆满，五字收束而余味不尽，是晏殊炼字以轻驭重的典范。