宋 Song · 词 Ci lyric
瑶华
The Jade Flower
朱钿宝玦。
天上飞琼，比人间春别。
江南江北，曾未见，谩拟梨云梅雪。
淮山春晚，问谁识、芳心高洁。
消几番、花落花开，老了玉关豪杰。
金壶翦送琼枝，看一骑红尘，香度瑶阙。
韶华正好，应自喜、初识长安蜂蝶。
杜郎老矣，想旧事、花须能说。
记少年，一梦扬州，二十四桥明月。
The flying jade of the sky,
Compared with the spring parting of the human world.
South of the river, north of the river,
Never seen before,
Vainly likening to the clouds of the pears, the snow of the mumes.
The Huai mountains, in the late spring,
Asking, who knows, the noble heart, high and pure.
After how many, the falling of the flowers, the opening of the flowers,
The heroes of the Jade Pass, grown old.
The golden pot, cut and sent, the branches of the jade,
Watching one rider of the red dust,
The fragrance, passing, the jade palace of the tower.
The youthful time, just right,
Should, from itself, be glad,
First knowing, the bees and the butterflies of the Chang'an.
The young Du Lang, grown old,
Thinking the old matters, the flowers, should be able to tell.
Remembering the youth, one dream, the Yangzhou,
The bright moon of the twenty-four bridges.
Meaning
A lyric of the flowers and the memory, written by Zhou Mi. The cinnabar ornaments with the flying jade of the sky, the spring parting compared, and the clouds of the pears with the snow of the mumes — the beauty of the opening. The Huai mountains with the noble heart high and pure, the falling and the opening of the flowers with the heroes grown old — the noble heart and the aging. The golden pot sending the branches of the jade with the rider of the red dust, the fragrance passing the jade palace, and the youth just right with the bees of the Chang'an — the sending and the youth. The young Du Lang grown old with the old matters the flowers able to tell, and the close's youth one dream of the Yangzhou with the bright moon of the twenty-four bridges — the memory and the close's dream. The lyric is the flowers and the memory: the beauty of the opening, the aging of the middle, and the close's dream of the Yangzhou.
朱钿宝玦。天上飞琼，比人间春别。江南江北，曾未见，谩拟梨云梅雪。淮山春晚，问谁识、芳心高洁。消几番、花落花开，老了玉关豪杰。金壶翦送琼枝，看一骑红尘，香度瑶阙。韶华正好，应自喜、初识长安蜂蝶。杜郎老矣，想旧事、花须能说。记少年，一梦扬州，二十四桥明月。
Appreciation
[Plain Paraphrase] The cinnabar ornaments, the treasure rings, the flying jade of the sky, compared with the spring parting of the human world. South of the river, north of the river, never seen before, vainly likening to the clouds of the pears, the snow of the mumes. The Huai mountains, in the late spring, asking, who knows, the noble heart, high and pure. After how many, the falling of the flowers, the opening of the flowers, the heroes of the Jade Pass, grown old. The golden pot, cut and sent, the branches of the jade, watching one rider of the red dust, the fragrance, passing, the jade palace of the tower. The youthful time, just right, should, from itself, be glad, first knowing, the bees and the butterflies of the Chang'an. The young Du Lang, grown old, thinking the old matters, the flowers, should be able to tell. Remembering the youth, one dream, the Yangzhou, the bright moon of the twenty-four bridges. [Structure and Thought] The lyric moves from the beauty of the ornaments and the flying jade, through the noble heart and the aging heroes, and the sending of the branches with the youth of the Chang'an, to the close's young Du Lang and the dream of the Yangzhou. [Key Technique] The lyric's art is the memory of the flowers: the beauty and the aging of the flowers, and the close's dream of the Yangzhou — the memory gathered in the flowers and the close's dream. [Emotional Tone] Elegant, nostalgic, and slightly sorrowful: the lyric is the flowers, the memory and the close's dream of the Yangzhou.
【白话串讲】 周密写《瑶华》：“朱钿宝玦。天上飞琼，比人间春别”——“江南江北，曾未见，谩拟梨云梅雪”——“淮山春晚，问谁识、芳心高洁”——“金壶翦送琼枝，看一骑红尘，香度瑶阙”——他写琼花——芳心高洁。 【意象与手法】 “朱钿宝玦。天上飞琼，比人间春别”以飞琼写琼花；“江南江北，曾未见，谩拟梨云梅雪”写未曾见而拟梨云；“淮山春晚，问谁识、芳心高洁”写芳心高洁；“金壶翦送琼枝，看一骑红尘，香度瑶阙”以一骑红尘写进贡；结以“记少年，一梦扬州，二十四桥明月”以二十四桥明月收束。咏物寄慨、含蓄深婉。 【情感与主旨】 周密咏琼花之作，写琼花之珍异高洁与进贡之事，结以扬州旧梦写今昔之感，是周密咏物词中寄托时事之慨的代表。 【名句点睛】 常考“淮山春晚，问谁识、芳心高洁”以芳心高洁写琼花；“记少年，一梦扬州，二十四桥明月”以二十四桥明月写旧梦。
Background
Zhou Mi (1232–1298), the poet of the late Song, wrote this 'The Jade Flower' of the flowers and the memory — the nostalgia of the youth. The beauty of the ornaments with the flying jade, the noble heart of the Huai mountains with the aging heroes, the sending of the branches with the youth of the Chang'an, and the close's young Du Lang with the dream of the Yangzhou — the lyric gathers the memory of the youth, the nostalgia of the flowers. The lyric is one of the famous works of the poet's lyrics of the memory.
《瑶华》为南宋词人周密所作词。周密（1232—1298），字公谨，号草窗，先世济南人，后居吴兴（今浙江湖州），南宋词人，与吴文英并称「二窗」。此词咏琼花，为咏物之作。词中「朱钿宝玦。天上飞琼，比人间春别」写朱钿宝玦；「江南江北，曾未见，谩拟梨云梅雪」写谩拟梨云；「淮山春晚，问谁识、芳心高洁」写芳心高洁；「消几番、花落花开，老了玉关豪杰」写老了豪杰；「金壶翦送琼枝，看一骑红尘，香度瑶阙」写一骑红尘；「韶华正好，应自喜、初识长安蜂蝶」写初识蜂蝶；「杜郎老矣，想旧事、花须能说」写杜郎老矣；「记少年，一梦扬州，二十四桥明月」写二十四桥明月。周密此词以咏琼花、二十四桥明月写其惜花之情，含蓄深婉，是周密词中的名篇。此篇《瑶华》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 memory. The beauty opens: the cinnabar ornaments, the treasure rings — the ornaments of the beauty; the flying jade of the sky — the flying jade of the sky; the clouds of the pears, the snow of the mumes — the likening of the beauty. The noble heart follows: the Huai mountains, in the late spring — asking, who knows, the noble heart, high and pure — the noble heart; after how many, the falling of the flowers, the opening of the flowers — the heroes of the Jade Pass, grown old — the aging of the heroes. The sending: the golden pot, cut and sent, the branches of the jade — watching one rider of the red dust — the fragrance, passing, the jade palace of the tower — the sending of the branches. And the close gathers the memory: the young Du Lang, grown old — thinking the old matters, the flowers, should be able to tell — remembering the youth, one dream, the Yangzhou — the bright moon of the twenty-four bridges — the memory of the close, the dream of the Yangzhou — the beauty, the aging and the close's dream, gathered in the lyric.
此词艺术上以「含蓄深婉、以典咏物」见长。全词上片写朱钿宝玦与芳心高洁，下片写一骑红尘与二十四桥明月。上片「朱钿宝玦。天上飞琼，比人间春别」写朱钿宝玦：朱钿宝玦，天上飞琼，比人间春别；「江南江北，曾未见，谩拟梨云梅雪」写谩拟梨云：江南江北，曾未见，谩拟梨云梅雪；「淮山春晚，问谁识、芳心高洁」写芳心高洁：淮山春晚，问谁识、芳心高洁；「消几番、花落花开，老了玉关豪杰」写老了豪杰：消几番、花落花开，老了玉关豪杰。下片「金壶翦送琼枝，看一骑红尘，香度瑶阙」写一骑红尘：金壶翦送琼枝，看一骑红尘，香度瑶阙；「韶华正好，应自喜、初识长安蜂蝶」写初识蜂蝶：韶华正好，应自喜、初识长安蜂蝶；「杜郎老矣，想旧事、花须能说」写杜郎老矣：杜郎老矣，想旧事、花须能说；「记少年，一梦扬州，二十四桥明月」写二十四桥明月：记少年，一梦扬州，二十四桥明月。全词含蓄深婉，以典咏物，是周密词中的名篇。
Allusions
'The flying jade' (fei qiong) is the flying jade — the jade of the sky, the beauty of the immortals; 'the Jade Pass' (Yu guan) is the Jade Pass — the pass of the frontier, the heroes grown old; 'one rider of the red dust' (yi qi hong chen) is one rider of the red dust — the rider of the lychee, the sending of the branches; 'the young Du Lang' (Du Lang) is the young Du Lang — the young poet Du Mu, the memory of the youth; 'the twenty-four bridges' (er shi si qiao) are the twenty-four bridges — the bridges of the Yangzhou, the bright moon of the close.
词中「朱钿宝玦」「天上飞琼」「比人间春别」「江南江北」「谩拟梨云梅雪」「淮山春晚」「芳心高洁」「消几番花落花开」「老了玉关豪杰」「金壶翦送琼枝」「一骑红尘」「香度瑶阙」「韶华正好」「初识长安蜂蝶」「杜郎老矣」「想旧事花须能说」「记少年一梦扬州」「二十四桥明月」等语，皆含典故故实。「朱钿宝玦」写朱钿宝玦（玦为玉器）；「天上飞琼」用飞琼之典（飞琼为西王母侍女许飞琼），写天上飞琼；「比人间春别」写比人间春别；「江南江北」写江南江北；「谩拟梨云梅雪」写谩拟梨云梅雪（梨云写梨花如云、梅雪写梅花如雪）；「淮山春晚」写淮山春晚；「芳心高洁」写芳心高洁；「消几番花落花开」写消几番花落花开；「老了玉关豪杰」写老了玉关豪杰；「金壶翦送琼枝」写金壶翦送琼枝；「一骑红尘」用杜牧「一骑红尘妃子笑，无人知是荔枝来」之意，写一骑红尘；「香度瑶阙」写香度瑶阙；「韶华正好」写韶华正好；「初识长安蜂蝶」写初识长安蜂蝶；「杜郎老矣」用杜牧之典（杜郎指杜牧），写杜郎老矣；「想旧事花须能说」写想旧事花须能说；「记少年一梦扬州」用杜牧「十年一觉扬州梦」之意，写一梦扬州；「二十四桥明月」用杜牧「二十四桥明月夜，玉人何处教吹箫」之意，写二十四桥明月。词人以飞琼、一骑红尘、扬州梦、二十四桥等典入词，不着痕迹，而把咏琼花之情写得真切可感，是善于熔铸典故的体现。
Commentary
This lyric is one of the famous works of Zhou Mi's lyrics of the memory, quoted for the elegance of its flowers and the dream of its close. The noble heart high and pure, and the bright moon of the twenty-four bridges, are among the admired passages of the lyric. Critics praise the lyric's nostalgia: the memory gathered in the flowers, to the close's dream of the Yangzhou.
这首《瑶华》，是周密写咏物咏琼花之作，写朱钿宝玦、芳心高洁、二十四桥明月之情，含蓄深婉。上片写朱钿宝玦与芳心高洁：「朱钿宝玦。天上飞琼，比人间春别」——朱钿宝玦，天上飞琼（用飞琼之典），比人间春别。写朱钿宝玦：朱钿宝玦、天上飞琼，比人间春别——朱钿宝玦、如天上飞琼；「江南江北，曾未见，谩拟梨云梅雪」——江南江北，曾未见，谩拟梨云梅雪。写谩拟梨云：江南江北曾未见、谩拟梨云梅雪——江南江北未见、漫拟梨云梅雪；「淮山春晚，问谁识、芳心高洁」——淮山春晚，问谁识、芳心高洁。写芳心高洁：淮山春晚、问谁识芳心高洁——淮山春晚、问谁识芳心高洁；「消几番、花落花开，老了玉关豪杰」——消几番、花落花开，老了玉关豪杰。写老了豪杰：消几番花落花开、老了玉关豪杰——几番花开花落、老了豪杰。下片写一骑红尘与二十四桥明月：「金壶翦送琼枝，看一骑红尘，香度瑶阙」——金壶翦送琼枝，看一骑红尘（用一骑红尘之典），香度瑶阙。写一骑红尘：金壶翦送琼枝、看一骑红尘，香度瑶阙——翦送琼枝、一骑红尘香度瑶阙；「韶华正好，应自喜、初识长安蜂蝶」——韶华正好，应自喜、初识长安蜂蝶。写初识蜂蝶：韶华正好、应自喜初识长安蜂蝶——韶华正好、初识长安蜂蝶；「杜郎老矣，想旧事、花须能说」——杜郎老矣（用杜牧之典），想旧事、花须能说。写杜郎老矣：杜郎老矣、想旧事花须能说——杜郎老矣、旧事花能说；「记少年，一梦扬州，二十四桥明月」——记少年，一梦扬州（用十年一觉扬州梦之意），二十四桥明月（用二十四桥明月夜之意）。写二十四桥明月：记少年一梦扬州、二十四桥明月——少年一梦扬州、二十四桥明月。这「记少年，一梦扬州，二十四桥明月」，是全词之结：以二十四桥明月写其忆旧。全词含蓄深婉，以典咏物，正是周密词中的名篇。
Prosody
Line by line
朱钿宝玦。
Red jeweled hairpins and precious jade pendants.
朱钿宝玦。
Red jeweled pins and precious jade ornaments.
首句写朱钿宝玦，起笔即见其花。「朱钿宝玦」写朱钿宝玦，「朱钿」写朱红之钿、「宝玦」写宝贵之玉玦。一句以「朱钿宝玦」写花如朱钿宝玦，写尽朱钿宝玦之情——琼花如朱钿宝玦之贵。以物起兴，含蓄而密丽，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 the red jeweled pins and precious jade ornaments, the first stroke at once seeing the flower. One line using the red-pin-jade-pendant's writing the flower like the red pin and jade pendant, exhausting the Qiong flower's like the red pin's preciousness. Using the thing's uprising, reserved and dense-pretty, the thing-uprising wondrous brush.
天上飞琼，比人间春别。
The Flying Qiong of heaven — how unlike the spring of the human world.
天上飞琼，比人间春别。
The immortal Feiqiong of heaven — how different from the spring of the human world.
此二句写天上飞琼，是全词以仙写花的关键。「天上飞琼」写天上飞琼，用飞琼之典写天上飞琼；「比人间春别」写比人间春别，「比人间」写比起人间、「春别」写春有别。两句一写天上飞琼、一写比人间春别，以天上飞琼写花如仙子、以比人间春别写其别于人，写尽天上飞琼、比人间春别之情。以仙写花，含蓄而深婉，是「以仙写花」的点睛之笔。
These two lines write the heaven's Feiqiong, the whole ci's immortal-writes-flower key. The heaven's-Flying-Qiong using the Feiqiong allusion; how-unlike-the-spring-of-the-human-world writing the comparison's difference. Two lines one writing the immortal and one the human-world's-difference, using the immortal's writing the flower-like-fairy and the human-world-difference for its being's-unlike-others, exhausting the immortal and the difference. Using the immortal for the flower-writing, reserved and deep-gentle, the immortal-writes-flower telling stroke.
淮山春晚，问谁识、芳心高洁。
Huai hills in late spring; who knows this flower heart's lofty purity?
淮山春晚，问谁识、芳心高洁。
Huai hills in late spring; who understands the lofty purity of this flower heart?
此二句写芳心高洁，是全词写花之高洁的关键。「淮山春晚」写淮山春晚，「淮山」写淮山、「春晚」写春晚；「问谁识、芳心高洁」写问谁识芳心高洁，「问谁识」写问谁认识、「芳心高洁」写芳心之高洁。两句一写淮山春晚、一写问谁识芳心高洁，以淮山春晚写春暮、以问谁识芳心高洁写其高洁无人识，写尽淮山春晚、问谁识芳心高洁之情。以问写高，含蓄而深婉，是「以问写高」的点睛之笔。
These two lines write the flower-heart's lofty purity, the whole ci's flower-loftiness key. The Huai-hills-in-late-spring writing the Huai hills and late spring; who-knows-this-flower-heart's-lofty-purity writing the asking and the purity. Two lines one writing the Huai-hills-late-spring and one the who-knows-lofty-purity, using the late-spring for the season's end and the who-knows for the no-recognition, exhausting the Huai-hills-late-spring and the unknown purity. Using the question for the loftiness-writing, reserved and deep-gentle, the question-writes-loftiness telling stroke.
看一骑红尘，香度瑶阙。
See — a rider in the red dust; its fragrance reaches the jade palace.
看一骑红尘，香度瑶阙。
See a lone rider in the red dust; the fragrance drifts across the jade towers.
此二句写一骑红尘，是全词写送花的关键。「看一骑红尘」写看一骑红尘，用一骑红尘之典写一骑红尘；「香度瑶阙」写香度瑶阙，「香度」写香气飞度、「瑶阙」写瑶台宫阙。两句一写看一骑红尘、一写香度瑶阙，以一骑红尘写快马送花、以香度瑶阙写香度宫阙，写尽一骑红尘、香度瑶阙之情。以典写花，含蓄而深婉，是「以典写花」的点睛之笔。
These two lines write the lone-rider's-red-dust, the whole ci's flower-sending key. The see-a-lone-rider-in-the-red-dust using the one-rider-red-dust allusion; the fragrance-drifts-across-the-jade-towers writing the fragrance's flight and the jade palace. Two lines one writing the rider and one the fragrance across the palace, using the rider's red dust for the fast-horse-flower-sending and the fragrance's palace for the fragrance's drift, exhausting the rider and the fragrance. Using the allusion for the flower-writing, reserved and deep-gentle, the allusion-writes-flower telling stroke.
记少年，一梦扬州，二十四桥明月。
Remembering the youth, one dream, the Yangzhou, the bright moon of the twenty-four bridges.
记少年，一梦扬州，二十四桥明月。
I remember my youth: a dream of Yangzhou, and the bright moon over the Twenty-Four Bridges.
尾三句写二十四桥明月，是全词立意的落点。「记少年」写记少年，「记」写追忆、「少年」写少年之时；「一梦扬州」写一梦扬州，用十年一觉扬州梦之意写一梦扬州；「二十四桥明月」写二十四桥明月，用二十四桥明月夜之意写二十四桥明月。三句一写记少年、一写一梦扬州、一写二十四桥明月，以记少年写忆少年、以一梦扬州写扬州之梦、以二十四桥明月写桥月，写尽记少年一梦扬州、二十四桥明月之情。以典忆旧，含蓄而深挚，是全词最动人处，也是「以典忆旧」的点睛之笔。
The closing three lines write the Twenty-Four-Bridges bright moon, the whole ci's intention landing. The I-remember-my-youth writing the remembrance; a-dream-of-Yangzhou using the ten-years'-one-awakening-Yangzhou-dream meaning; the bright-moon-over-the-Twenty-Four-Bridges using the Twenty-Four-Bridges'-bright-moon-night meaning. Three lines one writing the youth's remembrance, one the Yangzhou dream, one the bridge's moon, using the remember for the youth's recollection, the dream-of-Yangzhou for the Yangzhou dream, and the moon-over-the-bridges for the bridge's moon, exhausting the youth and the Yangzhou dream and the bridge moon. Using the allusion's remembrance, reserved and deep, the whole ci's most moving place, the allusion-remembers-old telling stroke.
Study
Word focus
Related Reading
Compare this related work with the poem above through theme, imagery, tone, and emotional movement.
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；周密《瑶华》则以「朱钿宝玦。天上飞琼，比人间春别」「淮山春晚，问谁识、芳心高洁」写天上飞琼、芳心高洁。两词同写咏花高洁、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，一写问谁识芳心高洁、以高洁写琼花；一为林逋之清逸、一为周密之清婉，并读正可见宋代写「咏花高洁」的两种笔法，皆于咏花之中见高洁。
晏殊·蝶恋花·槛菊愁烟兰泣露 Butterfly Loves Flower · Rail Chrysanthemum in Mourning Mist, Orchid Weeping Dew 晏殊 · 同写惜花怀人、月明凝愁，一写槛菊愁烟兰泣露、一写二十四桥明月，皆于花月之中见惜花怀人 Related readingCompare this related work with the poem above through theme, imagery, tone, and emotional movement.
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；周密《瑶华》则以「杜郎老矣，想旧事、花须能说」「记少年，一梦扬州，二十四桥明月」写杜郎老矣、二十四桥明月。两词同写惜花怀人、月明凝愁：一写槛菊愁烟兰泣露、以菊烟写愁，一写二十四桥明月、以桥月写忆；一为晏殊之温润、一为周密之清婉，并读正可见宋词写「惜花月明」的两种笔法，皆于花月之中见惜花怀人。