宋 Song · 诗 Poem
夜合花
The Night-Closing Flower
柳锁莺魂，花翻蝶梦，自知愁染潘郎。
轻衫未揽，犹将泪点偷藏。
念前事，怯流光。
早春窥、酥雨池塘。
向销凝里，梅开半面，情满徐妆。
风丝一寸柔肠。
曾在歌边惹恨，烛底萦香。
芳机瑞锦，如何未织鸳鸯。
人扶醉，月依墙。
是当初、谁敢疏狂。
把闲言语，花房夜久，各自思量。
The flowers, turning the dream of the butterfly,
Knowing from itself, the sorrow, staining the young Pan.
The light shirt, not yet drawn,
Still, hiding the tears, secretly.
Thinking the former matters,
Fearing the passing light.
The early spring, peeping, the drizzling rain of the pond.
Toward the congealing,
The mume, opening, half the face,
The feeling full, the makeup of Xu.
The silk of the wind, one inch, the soft bowels.
Once, by the songs, causing the grief,
Under the candle, wreathing the fragrance.
The fragrant loom, the auspicious brocade,
How, not yet woven, the mandarin ducks.
The man, helped, the drunken,
The moon, leaning the wall.
Is the former time, who dared, the wild and the wanton.
Putting the idle words,
In the flower room, the night long,
Each, thinking of himself.
Meaning
A lyric of the sorrow and the memory, written by Shi Dazu. The willows locking the soul of the oriole with the flowers turning the dream of the butterfly, the sorrow staining the young Pan, and the light shirt hiding the tears — the sorrow of the opening. Thinking the former matters with the fearing of the passing light, the early spring peeping the drizzling rain, and the mume opening half the face with the feeling full — the former matters and the mume. The silk of the wind, one inch, the soft bowels, with the grief by the songs and the fragrance under the candle, and the fragrant loom not yet woven the mandarin ducks — the soft bowels and the loom. The man helped the drunken with the moon leaning the wall, the former time who dared the wild and the wanton, and the close's idle words in the flower room, each thinking of himself — the close's thinking. The lyric is the sorrow and the memory: the sorrow of the opening, the soft bowels of the middle, and the close's each thinking of himself.
柳锁莺魂，花翻蝶梦，自知愁染潘郎。轻衫未揽，犹将泪点偷藏。念前事，怯流光。早春窥、酥雨池塘。向销凝里，梅开半面，情满徐妆。风丝一寸柔肠。曾在歌边惹恨，烛底萦香。芳机瑞锦，如何未织鸳鸯。人扶醉，月依墙。是当初、谁敢疏狂。把闲言语，花房夜久，各自思量。
Appreciation
[Plain Paraphrase] The willows, locking the soul of the oriole, the flowers, turning the dream of the butterfly, knowing from itself, the sorrow, staining the young Pan. The light shirt, not yet drawn, still, hiding the tears, secretly. Thinking the former matters, fearing the passing light. The early spring, peeping, the drizzling rain of the pond. Toward the congealing, the mume, opening, half the face, the feeling full, the makeup of Xu. The silk of the wind, one inch, the soft bowels. Once, by the songs, causing the grief, under the candle, wreathing the fragrance. The fragrant loom, the auspicious brocade, how, not yet woven, the mandarin ducks. The man, helped, the drunken, the moon, leaning the wall. Is the former time, who dared, the wild and the wanton. Putting the idle words, in the flower room, the night long, each, thinking of himself. [Structure and Thought] The lyric moves from the sorrow of the oriole and the butterfly with the tears hidden, through the former matters and the mume half face, and the soft bowels with the loom not yet woven, to the close's idle words, each thinking of himself. [Key Technique] The lyric's art is the hidden sorrow: the tears hidden in the shirt and the sorrow staining the young Pan, and the close's each thinking of himself — the sorrow gathered in the hiding and the close's thinking. [Emotional Tone] Delicate, sorrowful, and restrained: the lyric is the hidden tears, the soft bowels and the close's each thinking.
【白话串讲】 史达祖写《夜合花》：“柳锁莺魂，花翻蝶梦，自知愁染潘郎”——“轻衫未揽，犹将泪点偷藏”——“念前事，怯流光。早春窥、酥雨池塘”——“向销凝里，梅开半面，情满徐妆”——他写春愁——愁染潘郎。 【意象与手法】 “柳锁莺魂，花翻蝶梦，自知愁染潘郎”以潘岳自比写愁；“轻衫未揽，犹将泪点偷藏”写泪点偷藏；“念前事，怯流光。早春窥、酥雨池塘”写念前事；“向销凝里，梅开半面，情满徐妆”以梅开半面写情；结以“把闲言语，花房夜久，各自思量”写各自思量。含蓄深婉。 【情感与主旨】 史达祖写怀人伤春之作，写春愁中追忆前事、泪点偷藏与“各自思量”的怅惘，是史达祖词中婉约写情的代表。 【名句点睛】 常考“柳锁莺魂，花翻蝶梦，自知愁染潘郎”以愁染潘郎写愁；“把闲言语，花房夜久，各自思量”写各自思量。
Background
Shi Dazu (c. 1163–1220), the poet of the Southern Song, wrote this 'The Night-Closing Flower' of the sorrow and the memory — the grief of the love. The willows locking the soul of the oriole with the sorrow staining the young Pan, the former matters with the fearing of the passing light, the mume opening half the face, the soft bowels with the loom not yet woven, and the close's idle words, each thinking of himself — the lyric gathers the sorrow of the love, the restrained memory. The lyric is one of the famous works of the poet's lyrics of the sorrow.
《夜合花》为南宋词人史达祖所作词。史达祖（1163—约1220），字邦卿，号梅溪，汴（今河南开封）人，南宋词人，词以咏物见长，人称「梅溪词」。此词写怀人伤春。词中「柳锁莺魂，花翻蝶梦，自知愁染潘郎」写愁染潘郎；「轻衫未揽，犹将泪点偷藏」写泪点偷藏；「念前事，怯流光。早春窥、酥雨池塘」写念前事；「向销凝里，梅开半面，情满徐妆」写梅开半面；「风丝一寸柔肠。曾在歌边惹恨，烛底萦香」写烛底萦香；「芳机瑞锦，如何未织鸳鸯」写未织鸳鸯；「人扶醉，月依墙。是当初、谁敢疏狂」写谁敢疏狂；「把闲言语，花房夜久，各自思量」写各自思量。史达祖此词以怀人伤春、各自思量写其怀人之情，含蓄深婉，是史达祖词中的名篇。此篇《夜合花》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 hidden sorrow. The sorrow opens: the willows, locking the soul of the oriole — the willows locking the soul; the flowers, turning the dream of the butterfly — the dream of the butterfly; knowing from itself, the sorrow, staining the young Pan — the sorrow staining the young Pan; the light shirt, not yet drawn — still, hiding the tears, secretly — the tears hidden. The memory follows: thinking the former matters — fearing the passing light — the former matters; the early spring, peeping, the drizzling rain of the pond — the drizzling rain; toward the congealing, the mume, opening, half the face — the mume half face; the feeling full, the makeup of Xu — the feeling of the makeup. The bowels: the silk of the wind, one inch, the soft bowels — the soft bowels; once, by the songs, causing the grief — under the candle, wreathing the fragrance — the grief and the fragrance; the fragrant loom, the auspicious brocade — how, not yet woven, the mandarin ducks — the loom not woven. And the close gathers the thinking: the man, helped, the drunken — the moon, leaning the wall — the drunken and the moon; is the former time, who dared, the wild and the wanton — the former wanton; putting the idle words — in the flower room, the night long — each, thinking of himself — the thinking of the close — the hidden sorrow, the soft bowels and the close's thinking, gathered in the lyric.
此词艺术上以「含蓄深婉、以景写情」见长。全词上片写愁染潘郎与梅开半面，下片写烛底萦香与各自思量。上片「柳锁莺魂，花翻蝶梦，自知愁染潘郎」写愁染潘郎：柳锁莺魂，花翻蝶梦，自知愁染潘郎；「轻衫未揽，犹将泪点偷藏」写泪点偷藏：轻衫未揽，犹将泪点偷藏；「念前事，怯流光。早春窥、酥雨池塘」写念前事：念前事，怯流光，早春窥、酥雨池塘；「向销凝里，梅开半面，情满徐妆」写梅开半面：向销凝里，梅开半面，情满徐妆。下片「风丝一寸柔肠。曾在歌边惹恨，烛底萦香」写烛底萦香：风丝一寸柔肠，曾在歌边惹恨，烛底萦香；「芳机瑞锦，如何未织鸳鸯」写未织鸳鸯：芳机瑞锦，如何未织鸳鸯；「人扶醉，月依墙。是当初、谁敢疏狂」写谁敢疏狂：人扶醉，月依墙，是当初、谁敢疏狂；「把闲言语，花房夜久，各自思量」写各自思量：把闲言语，花房夜久，各自思量。全词含蓄深婉，以景写情，是史达祖词中的名篇。
Allusions
'The young Pan' (Pan lang) is the young Pan — the young Pan Yue, the poet of the sorrow; 'the makeup of Xu' (Xu zhuang) is the makeup of Xu — the half makeup of the beauty, the Xu of the half; 'the mandarin ducks' (yuan yang) are the mandarin ducks — the ducks of the pair, the brocade not yet woven; 'the flower room' (hua fang) is the flower room — the room of the flowers, the night long of the close.
词中「柳锁莺魂」「花翻蝶梦」「愁染潘郎」「轻衫未揽」「泪点偷藏」「念前事」「怯流光」「早春窥」「酥雨池塘」「销凝」「梅开半面」「徐妆」「风丝一寸柔肠」「歌边惹恨」「烛底萦香」「芳机瑞锦」「未织鸳鸯」「人扶醉」「月依墙」「谁敢疏狂」「闲言语」「花房夜久」「各自思量」等语，皆含典故故实。「柳锁莺魂」写柳锁莺魂；「花翻蝶梦」用庄周梦蝶之典写蝶梦；「愁染潘郎」用潘岳（潘郎）愁鬓之典（潘岳《秋兴赋》写秋日愁思，亦以潘鬓写愁），写愁染潘郎；「轻衫未揽」写轻衫未揽；「泪点偷藏」写泪点偷藏；「念前事」写念前事；「怯流光」写怯流光；「早春窥」写早春窥；「酥雨池塘」写酥雨池塘（用韩愈「天街小雨润如酥」之意）；「销凝」写销魂凝神；「梅开半面」写梅开半面；「徐妆」写徐妃半面妆之典（梁元帝徐妃半面妆），写情满徐妆；「风丝一寸柔肠」写风丝一寸柔肠；「歌边惹恨」写歌边惹恨；「烛底萦香」写烛底萦香；「芳机瑞锦」写芳机瑞锦；「未织鸳鸯」写未织鸳鸯；「人扶醉」写人扶醉；「月依墙」写月依墙；「谁敢疏狂」写谁敢疏狂；「闲言语」写闲言语；「花房夜久」写花房夜久；「各自思量」写各自思量。词人以潘郎愁鬓、徐妃半面妆、酥雨池塘、庄周梦蝶等典入词，不着痕迹，而把怀人伤春之情写得真切可感，是善于熔铸典故的体现。
Commentary
This lyric is one of the famous works of Shi Dazu's lyrics of the sorrow, quoted for the delicacy of its hidden tears and the thinking of its close. The tears hidden in the shirt, and each thinking of himself, are among the admired passages of the poet's lyrics. Critics praise the lyric's restraint: the sorrow gathered in the hiding, to the close's thinking of the night.
这首《夜合花》，是史达祖写怀人伤春之作，写柳锁莺魂、愁染潘郎、各自思量之情，含蓄深婉。上片写愁染潘郎与梅开半面：「柳锁莺魂，花翻蝶梦，自知愁染潘郎」——柳锁莺魂，花翻蝶梦（用庄周梦蝶之典），自知愁染潘郎（用潘岳愁鬓之典）——柳锁莺魂、花翻蝶梦，自知愁染潘郎；「轻衫未揽，犹将泪点偷藏」——轻衫未揽，犹将泪点偷藏。写泪点偷藏：轻衫未揽、犹将泪点偷藏——轻衫未揽、泪点偷藏；「念前事，怯流光。早春窥、酥雨池塘」——念前事，怯流光，早春窥、酥雨池塘。写念前事：念前事、怯流光，早春窥酥雨池塘（用天街小雨润如酥之意）——念前事怯流光、早春酥雨池塘；「向销凝里，梅开半面，情满徐妆」——向销凝里，梅开半面，情满徐妆。写梅开半面：向销凝里、梅开半面，情满徐妆（用徐妃半面妆之典）——梅开半面、情满徐妆。下片写烛底萦香与各自思量：「风丝一寸柔肠。曾在歌边惹恨，烛底萦香」——风丝一寸柔肠，曾在歌边惹恨，烛底萦香。写烛底萦香：风丝一寸柔肠、曾在歌边惹恨，烛底萦香——风丝柔肠、歌边惹恨、烛底萦香；「芳机瑞锦，如何未织鸳鸯」——芳机瑞锦，如何未织鸳鸯。写未织鸳鸯：芳机瑞锦、如何未织鸳鸯——芳机瑞锦、未织鸳鸯；「人扶醉，月依墙。是当初、谁敢疏狂」——人扶醉，月依墙，是当初、谁敢疏狂。写谁敢疏狂：人扶醉、月依墙，是当初谁敢疏狂——人扶醉月依墙、当初谁敢疏狂；「把闲言语，花房夜久，各自思量」——把闲言语，花房夜久，各自思量。写各自思量：把闲言语、花房夜久，各自思量——闲言语中花房夜久、各自思量。这「把闲言语，花房夜久，各自思量」，是全词之结：以各自思量写其怀人之情。全词含蓄深婉，以景写情，正是史达祖词中的名篇。
Prosody
Line by line
柳锁莺魂，花翻蝶梦，自知愁染潘郎。
The willows, locking the soul of the oriole, the flowers, turning the dream of the butterfly, knowing from itself, the sorrow, staining the young Pan.
柳锁莺魂，花翻蝶梦，自知愁染潘郎。
Willows lock the oriole's soul, flowers stir the butterfly dream; I know grief has dyed Pan Lang.
首三句写愁染潘郎，起笔即见其愁。「柳锁莺魂」写柳锁莺魂，「柳锁」写柳锁、「莺魂」写莺之魂；「花翻蝶梦」写花翻蝶梦，用庄周梦蝶之典写蝶梦；「自知愁染潘郎」写自知愁染潘郎，「自知」写自知、「愁染潘郎」用潘岳愁鬓之典写愁染潘郎。三句一写柳锁莺魂、一写花翻蝶梦、一写自知愁染潘郎，以柳锁莺魂写其境、以蝶梦写其梦、以愁染潘郎写其愁，写尽柳锁莺魂、花翻蝶梦、自知愁染潘郎之情。以典起兴，含蓄而深婉，是「以典起兴」的妙笔。
The opening three lines write the grief's dyeing-Pan-Lang, the first stroke at once seeing the grief. The willows-lock-the-oriole's-soul writing the willow's lock and the oriole's soul; the flowers-stir-the-butterfly-dream using Zhuangzi's butterfly-dream allusion; I-know-grief-has-dyed-Pan-Lang using Pan Yue's grief-temples allusion. Three lines one writing the willow-oriole, one the flower-butterfly dream, one the grief-dyed Pan Lang, using the willow-lock-oriole for the realm, the butterfly dream for the dream, the grief-dyed Pan Lang for the grief, exhausting the willow lock and butterfly dream and the grief's dyeing. Using the allusion's uprising, reserved and deep-gentle, the allusion-uprising wondrous brush.
念前事，怯流光。
I think of what has passed, and dread the flowing light.
念前事，怯流光。
I think on what has passed, and shrink from the flowing time.
此二句写念前事怯流光，是全词写其惧时之慨的关键。「念前事」写念前事，「念」写追念、「前事」写往日之事；「怯流光」写怯流光，「怯」写畏惧、「流光」写流逝之光阴。两句一写念前事、一写怯流光，以念前事写其追念、以怯流光写其惧时，写尽追念前事而怯于流光飞逝之情。以慨写情，含蓄而深挚，是「以慨写情」的点睛之笔。
These two lines write the past-thought-and-light-fearing, the whole ci's time-fear-sigh key. The I-think-on-what-has-passed writing the recollection and the past affairs; I-shrink-from-the-flowing-time writing the dread and the flowing years. Two lines one writing the past's remembrance and one the flowing-time's fear, using the past's recollection for the remembrance and the flowing-light's fear for the time's dread, exhausting the past's remembrance and the flowing-light's dread. Using the sigh for the feeling-writing, reserved and deep, the sigh-writes-feeling telling stroke.
向销凝里，梅开半面，情满徐妆。
Within my trance, the plum blooms half a face; love fills the Xu consort's half-side makeup.
向销凝里，梅开半面，情满徐妆。
In my trance, the plum blooms half a face; love fills the Xu-style half-makeup.
此三句写梅开半面，是全词以梅写人的关键。「向销凝里」写向销凝里，「向」写向、「销凝里」写销魂凝神之际；「梅开半面」写梅开半面，「梅开」写梅花开放、「半面」写半面；「情满徐妆」写情满徐妆，用徐妃半面妆之典写情满徐妆。三句一写向销凝里、一写梅开半面、一写情满徐妆，以销凝写其凝神、以梅开半面写梅之半开、以徐妆写其人如半面妆，写尽销凝之际梅开半面、情满徐妆之情。以典写人，含蓄而深婉，是「以典写人」的点睛之笔。
These three lines write the plum's half-bloom, the whole ci's plum-writes-person key. The in-my-trance writing the trance-and-gaze moment; the plum-blooms-half-a-face writing the plum's opening and the half-face; love-fills-the-Xu-consort's-half-side-makeup using the Xu consort's half-face-makeup allusion. Three lines one writing the trance, one the half-bloom, one the Xu makeup, using the trance for the gaze, the half-bloom for the plum's half-opening, and the Xu makeup for the person's half-side-makeup likeness, exhausting the trance's plum half-bloom and love-filled Xu makeup. Using the allusion for the person-writing, reserved and deep-gentle, the allusion-writes-person telling stroke.
把闲言语，花房夜久，各自思量。
Putting the idle words, in the flower room, the night long, each, thinking of himself.
把闲言语，花房夜久，各自思量。
Those idle words, the flower chamber's long night — each thinks alone.
尾三句写各自思量，是全词立意的落点。「把闲言语」写把闲言语，「把」写把着、「闲言语」写闲常之言语；「花房夜久」写花房夜久，「花房」写花房、「夜久」写夜已深；「各自思量」写各自思量，「各自」写各自、「思量」写思量。三句一写把闲言语、一写花房夜久、一写各自思量，以闲言语写昔年之言、以花房夜久写夜之深、以各自思量写彼此遥想，写尽闲言语中花房夜久、各自思量之情。以思写情，含蓄而深挚，是全词最动人处，也是「以思写情」的点睛之笔。
The closing three lines write the each-thinks-alone, the whole ci's intention landing. The those-idle-words writing the holding of idle words; the flower-chamber's-long-night writing the flower chamber and the deep night; each-thinks-alone writing the mutual thinking. Three lines one writing the idle words, one the long night, one the lone thinking, using the idle words for the bygone words, the long night for the night's depth, and the each-thinks-alone for the mutual distant thought, exhausting the idle words and the long night and the lone thinking. Using the thought for the feeling-writing, reserved and deep, the whole ci's most moving place, the thought-writes-feeling telling stroke.
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