宋 Song · 词 Ci lyric
玉京秋
The Autumn of the Capital of the Jade
烟水阔。
高林弄残照，晚蜩凄切。
碧砧度韵，银床飘叶。
衣湿桐阴露冷，采凉花、时赋秋雪。
叹轻别。
一襟幽事，砌蛩能说。
客思吟商还怯。
怨歌长、琼壶暗缺。
翠扇恩疏，红衣香褪，翻成消歇。
玉骨西风，恨最恨、闲却新凉时节。
楚箫咽。
谁倚西楼淡月。
The high woods, playing the remaining light,
The evening cicadas, mournful and cutting.
The green washing blocks, passing the rhythm,
The silver beds, drifting the leaves.
The clothes, wet, the tung shade, the dew, cold,
Gathering the cool flowers, from time to time, composing, the autumn snow.
Sighing, the light parting.
One bosom of the hidden matters,
The crickets of the steps, able to tell.
The guest thoughts, chanting the shang, still, timid.
The mournful songs, long, the jade pot, secretly, broken.
The green fan, the kindness, sparse,
The red clothes, the fragrance, faded,
Turning into, the ceasing of the silence.
The jade bones, the west wind,
The grief, the most grieving, the idle wasting, the new cool season.
The Chu flute, sobbing.
Who, leaning, the west tower, the pale moon.
Meaning
A lyric of the autumn and the grief, written by Zhou Mi. The misty waters wide with the high woods playing the remaining light, the evening cicadas mournful, and the washing blocks with the silver beds drifting the leaves — the autumn of the opening. The clothes wet with the tung shade and the dew cold, gathering the cool flowers composing the autumn snow, and the sighing of the light parting with the crickets of the steps — the parting and the crickets. The guest thoughts chanting the shang timid with the mournful songs and the jade pot broken, and the green fan sparse with the red clothes faded, turning into the silence — the fading and the silence. And the close's jade bones with the west wind, the idle wasting the new cool season, the Chu flute sobbing, who leaning the west tower the pale moon — the close's asking. The lyric is the autumn and the grief: the cicadas, the fading, and the close's who leaning the west tower.
烟水阔。高林弄残照，晚蜩凄切。碧砧度韵，银床飘叶。衣湿桐阴露冷，采凉花、时赋秋雪。叹轻别。一襟幽事，砌蛩能说。客思吟商还怯。怨歌长、琼壶暗缺。翠扇恩疏，红衣香褪，翻成消歇。玉骨西风，恨最恨、闲却新凉时节。楚箫咽。谁倚西楼淡月。
Appreciation
[Plain Paraphrase] The misty waters, wide. The high woods, playing the remaining light, the evening cicadas, mournful and cutting. The green washing blocks, passing the rhythm, the silver beds, drifting the leaves. The clothes, wet, the tung shade, the dew, cold, gathering the cool flowers, from time to time, composing, the autumn snow. Sighing, the light parting. One bosom of the hidden matters, the crickets of the steps, able to tell. The guest thoughts, chanting the shang, still, timid. The mournful songs, long, the jade pot, secretly, broken. The green fan, the kindness, sparse, the red clothes, the fragrance, faded, turning into, the ceasing of the silence. The jade bones, the west wind, the grief, the most grieving, the idle wasting, the new cool season. The Chu flute, sobbing. Who, leaning, the west tower, the pale moon. [Structure and Thought] The lyric moves from the autumn of the misty waters and the cicadas, through the parting and the fading of the fan and the clothes, to the close's jade bones with the west wind and the who leaning the west tower. [Key Technique] The lyric's art is the grief of the autumn: the fading of the fan and the clothes of the middle, and the close's idle wasting the new cool season — the grief gathered in the fading and the close's wasting. [Emotional Tone] Cold, sorrowful, and grieving: the lyric is the autumn, the fading and the close's west tower.
【白话串讲】 周密写《玉京秋》：“烟水阔。高林弄残照，晚蜩凄切”——“碧砧度韵，银床飘叶”——“衣湿桐阴露冷，采凉花、时赋秋雪”——“叹轻别。一襟幽事，砌蛩能说”——他写秋日——一襟幽事。 【意象与手法】 “烟水阔。高林弄残照，晚蜩凄切”写烟水阔；“碧砧度韵，银床飘叶”写碧砧银床；“衣湿桐阴露冷，采凉花、时赋秋雪”写采凉花；“叹轻别。一襟幽事，砌蛩能说”写一襟幽事；结以“楚箫咽。谁倚西楼淡月”写谁倚西楼淡月。含蓄深婉。 【情感与主旨】 周密写秋思羁旅之作，写秋景凄清、一襟幽事与对旧游的追忆，以“谁倚西楼淡月”写怀人，是周密词中秋思的代表。 【名句点睛】 常考“烟水阔。高林弄残照，晚蜩凄切”以烟水阔写秋景；“叹轻别。一襟幽事，砌蛩能说”以一襟幽事写愁。
Background
Zhou Mi (1232–1298), the poet of the late Song, wrote this 'The Autumn of the Capital of the Jade' of the autumn and the grief — the sorrow of the season. The autumn of the misty waters with the mournful cicadas, the parting with the crickets of the steps, the fading of the fan and the clothes, and the close's jade bones with the west wind, the who leaning the west tower — the lyric gathers the grief of the autumn, the sorrow of the season. The lyric is one of the famous works of the poet's lyrics of the autumn.
《玉京秋》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」。此词写秋思羁旅。词中「烟水阔。高林弄残照，晚蜩凄切」写烟水阔；「碧砧度韵，银床飘叶」写碧砧银床；「衣湿桐阴露冷，采凉花、时赋秋雪」写采凉花；「叹轻别。一襟幽事，砌蛩能说」写叹轻别；「客思吟商还怯。怨歌长、琼壶暗缺」写客思吟商；「翠扇恩疏，红衣香褪，翻成消歇」写红衣香褪；「玉骨西风，恨最恨、闲却新凉时节」写玉骨西风；「楚箫咽。谁倚西楼淡月」写谁倚西楼淡月。周密此词以秋思羁旅、谁倚西楼淡月写其秋思，含蓄深婉，是周密词中的名篇。此篇《玉京秋》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。此篇《玉京秋》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 autumn grief. The autumn opens: the misty waters, wide — the wide waters; the high woods, playing the remaining light — the remaining light of the high woods; the evening cicadas, mournful and cutting — the mournful cicadas; the green washing blocks, passing the rhythm — the rhythm of the blocks; the silver beds, drifting the leaves — the leaves of the silver beds; the clothes, wet, the tung shade, the dew, cold — the dew of the tung shade; gathering the cool flowers, from time to time, composing, the autumn snow — the autumn snow of the flowers. The parting follows: sighing, the light parting — the light parting; one bosom of the hidden matters — the crickets of the steps, able to tell — the hidden matters of the crickets; the guest thoughts, chanting the shang, still, timid — the timid guest thoughts; the mournful songs, long, the jade pot, secretly, broken — the broken jade pot. The fading: the green fan, the kindness, sparse — the sparse fan; the red clothes, the fragrance, faded — the faded clothes; turning into, the ceasing of the silence — the ceasing of the silence. And the close gathers the grief: the jade bones, the west wind — the jade bones of the wind; the grief, the most grieving, the idle wasting, the new cool season — the wasting of the season; the Chu flute, sobbing — the sobbing flute; who, leaning, the west tower, the pale moon — the who of the close — the autumn, the fading and the close's west tower, gathered in the lyric.
此词艺术上以「含蓄深婉、以景写情」见长。全词上片写烟水阔与叹轻别，下片写客思吟商与谁倚西楼淡月。上片「烟水阔。高林弄残照，晚蜩凄切」写烟水阔：烟水阔，高林弄残照，晚蜩凄切；「碧砧度韵，银床飘叶」写碧砧银床：碧砧度韵，银床飘叶；「衣湿桐阴露冷，采凉花、时赋秋雪」写采凉花：衣湿桐阴露冷，采凉花、时赋秋雪；「叹轻别。一襟幽事，砌蛩能说」写叹轻别：叹轻别，一襟幽事，砌蛩能说。下片「客思吟商还怯。怨歌长、琼壶暗缺」写客思吟商：客思吟商还怯，怨歌长、琼壶暗缺；「翠扇恩疏，红衣香褪，翻成消歇」写红衣香褪：翠扇恩疏，红衣香褪，翻成消歇；「玉骨西风，恨最恨、闲却新凉时节」写玉骨西风：玉骨西风，恨最恨、闲却新凉时节；「楚箫咽。谁倚西楼淡月」写谁倚西楼淡月：楚箫咽，谁倚西楼淡月。全词含蓄深婉，以景写情，是周密词中的名篇。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 washing blocks' (zhen) are the washing blocks — the blocks of the washing, the rhythm of the autumn; 'the silver beds' (yin chuang) are the silver beds — the beds of the well, the drifting leaves; 'the autumn snow' (qiu xue) are the autumn snow — the snow of the reeds, the cool flowers; 'the jade pot' (qiong hu) is the jade pot — the pot of the jade, the broken of the songs; 'the Chu flute' (Chu xiao) is the Chu flute — the flute of the Chu, the sobbing of the close.
词中「烟水阔」「高林弄残照」「晚蜩凄切」「碧砧度韵」「银床飘叶」「衣湿桐阴露冷」「采凉花时赋秋雪」「叹轻别」「一襟幽事砌蛩能说」「客思吟商还怯」「怨歌长琼壶暗缺」「翠扇恩疏」「红衣香褪翻成消歇」「玉骨西风」「恨最恨闲却新凉时节」「楚箫咽」「谁倚西楼淡月」等语，皆含典故故实。「烟水阔」写烟水阔；「高林弄残照」写高林弄残照；「晚蜩凄切」写晚蜩凄切；「碧砧度韵」写碧砧度韵（砧为捣衣石）；「银床飘叶」写银床飘叶（银床为井栏）；「衣湿桐阴露冷」写衣湿桐阴露冷；「采凉花时赋秋雪」写采凉花时赋秋雪（凉花为秋花，秋雪为白花）；「叹轻别」写叹轻别；「一襟幽事砌蛩能说」写一襟幽事砌蛩能说（砌蛩为阶下蟋蟀）；「客思吟商还怯」写客思吟商还怯（商为秋声）；「怨歌长琼壶暗缺」用王敦击壶之典（王敦酒后击唾壶为节，壶口尽缺），写琼壶暗缺；「翠扇恩疏」用班婕妤团扇之典（秋扇见弃），写翠扇恩疏；「红衣香褪」写红衣香褪；「翻成消歇」写翻成消歇；「玉骨西风」写玉骨西风；「恨最恨闲却新凉时节」写恨最恨闲却新凉时节；「楚箫咽」写楚箫咽；「谁倚西楼淡月」写谁倚西楼淡月。词人以捣衣砧、击壶、团扇、红衣等语入词，不着痕迹，而把秋思羁旅之情写得真切可感，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 autumn, quoted for the cold of its scene and the wasting of its close. The mournful cicadas, and the idle wasting the new cool season, are among the admired passages of the poet's lyrics. Critics praise the lyric's grief: the autumn gathered in the fading, to the close's west tower.
这首《玉京秋》，是周密写秋思羁旅之作，写烟水阔、叹轻别、谁倚西楼淡月之情，含蓄深婉。上片写烟水阔与叹轻别：「烟水阔。高林弄残照，晚蜩凄切」——烟水阔，高林弄残照，晚蜩凄切。写烟水阔：烟水阔、高林弄残照，晚蜩凄切——烟水阔、高林残照、晚蜩凄切；「碧砧度韵，银床飘叶」——碧砧度韵，银床飘叶。写碧砧银床：碧砧度韵、银床飘叶——砧声度韵、银床飘叶；「衣湿桐阴露冷，采凉花、时赋秋雪」——衣湿桐阴露冷，采凉花、时赋秋雪。写采凉花：衣湿桐阴露冷、采凉花时赋秋雪——衣湿露冷、采凉花赋秋雪；「叹轻别。一襟幽事，砌蛩能说」——叹轻别，一襟幽事，砌蛩能说。写叹轻别：叹轻别、一襟幽事，砌蛩能说——叹轻别、幽事蛩能说。下片写客思吟商与谁倚西楼淡月：「客思吟商还怯。怨歌长、琼壶暗缺」——客思吟商还怯，怨歌长、琼壶暗缺（用击壶之典）。写客思吟商：客思吟商还怯、怨歌长琼壶暗缺——客思吟商、怨歌琼壶缺；「翠扇恩疏，红衣香褪，翻成消歇」——翠扇恩疏（用团扇之典），红衣香褪，翻成消歇。写红衣香褪：翠扇恩疏、红衣香褪，翻成消歇——翠扇恩疏、红衣香褪、翻成消歇；「玉骨西风，恨最恨、闲却新凉时节」——玉骨西风，恨最恨、闲却新凉时节。写玉骨西风：玉骨西风、恨最恨闲却新凉时节——玉骨西风、恨闲却新凉时节；「楚箫咽。谁倚西楼淡月」——楚箫咽，谁倚西楼淡月。写谁倚西楼淡月：楚箫咽、谁倚西楼淡月——楚箫咽、谁倚西楼淡月。这「楚箫咽。谁倚西楼淡月」，是全词之结：以谁倚西楼淡月写其秋思。全词含蓄深婉，以景写情，正是周密词中的名篇。
Prosody
Line by line
烟水阔。
Mist and water stretch wide.
烟水阔。
Mist and open water stretch wide.
首句写烟水阔，起笔即见其境。「烟水阔」写烟水阔，「烟水」写烟水、「阔」写辽阔。一句以「烟水」写烟水、「阔」写其阔，写尽烟水阔之情——烟水之面辽阔。以景起兴，含蓄而苍茫，是「以景起兴」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 writes mist and water stretched wide, and the realm is visible from the first stroke. 'Mist and water stretch wide' — 'mist and water' the veiled expanse, 'wide' its vastness. One phrase writes the veiled water through veiled water and its breadth through breadth, exhausting the feeling of mist and water — the expanse of the misty flood. Raising feeling through scenery, restrained and vast, it is a fine stroke of 'raising feeling through scenery.' In a few words it exhausts deep meaning, waves hidden between the characters and turns lodged in the plainness, worth repeated pondering to grasp its inner quality.
高林弄残照，晚蜩凄切。
Tall trees toy with the last light; evening cicadas shrill in desolation.
高林弄残照，晚蜩凄切。
Tall woods play with the fading sunlight; evening cicadas chirp mournfully.
此二句写晚蜩凄切，是全词写秋景的关键。「高林弄残照」写高林弄残照，「高林」写高林、「弄残照」写玩弄着残照；「晚蜩凄切」写晚蜩凄切，「晚蜩」写晚蝉、「凄切」写凄切。两句一写高林弄残照、一写晚蜩凄切，以高林弄残照写林中残照、以晚蜩凄切写蝉声凄切，写尽高林弄残照、晚蜩凄切之情。以景写秋，含蓄而深婉，是「以景写秋」的点睛之笔。
These two phrases write the evening cicadas' shrill desolation and are central to the ci's autumn scenery. 'Tall woods play with the fading sunlight' — 'tall woods' the high trees, 'play with the last light' the toying of sunset. 'Evening cicadas shrill in desolation' — 'evening cicadas' the late insects, 'desolation' their mournful cry. One phrase each: tall toying with last light, evening cicadas shrill. The tall woods with last light write the fading sun among trees, the evening cicadas write the shrill insect cry; it exhausts the feeling of tall woods in the last glow and desolate evening cicadas. Writing autumn through scenery, restrained and delicate — an illuminating stroke of 'writing autumn through scenery.'
碧砧度韵，银床飘叶。
Green washing-stones send forth their rhythm; silver well-coping drifts with leaves.
碧砧度韵，银床飘叶。
The blue washing-stones carry a rhythmic sound; leaves fall by the silver well-frame.
此二句写碧砧银床，是全词以声写秋的关键。「碧砧度韵」写碧砧度韵，「碧砧」写青碧之砧、「度韵」写度出音韵；「银床飘叶」写银床飘叶，「银床」写银饰之井栏、「飘叶」写飘落之叶。两句一写碧砧度韵、一写银床飘叶，以碧砧度韵写砧声之韵、以银床飘叶写井栏之叶，写尽碧砧度韵、银床飘叶之情。以声写秋，含蓄而深婉，是「以声写秋」的点睛之笔。
These two phrases write green washing-stones and silver well-frame and are central to the ci's writing autumn through sound. 'Green washing-stones send forth their rhythm' — 'green washing-stones' the bluish stones, 'send forth rhythm' the sound they carry. 'Silver well-coping drifts with leaves' — 'silver well-frame' the ornamented well curb, 'drifting leaves' the falling foliage. One phrase each: the green stone's rhythm, leaves by the silver curb. The washing-stone's sound writes the rhythm of beating clothes, the well-frame leaves write foliage at the curb; it exhausts the feeling of the green stone carrying its cadence and leaves drifting by the silver well. Writing autumn through sound, restrained and delicate — an illuminating stroke of 'writing autumn through sound.'
客思吟商还怯。
A traveler's thought, chanting the autumn mode, is still afraid.
客思吟商还怯。
A traveler's longing, as he chants the autumn scale, is yet half afraid.
此句写客思吟商还怯，是全词写客思的关键。「客思吟商还怯」写客思吟商还怯，「客思」写客中之思、「吟商还怯」写吟秋声而还怯。一句以「客思」写客思、「吟商还怯」写吟秋而怯，写尽客思吟商还怯之情。以客写思，含蓄而深挚，是「以客写思」的点睛之笔。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。
This line writes a traveler's longing that chants autumn yet is afraid, and is central to the ci's writing of the traveler's thought. 'A traveler's thought, chanting the autumn mode, is still afraid' — 'traveler's thought' the longing of one away from home, 'chanting the autumn mode yet afraid' the chanting of the autumn scale with shrinking. One phrase writes the traveler's thought through the traveler's thought and the autumn chant with fear through the autumn chant with fear, exhausting the feeling of a traveler's longing chanting the autumn yet shrinking. Writing longing through the traveler, restrained and deep — an illuminating stroke of 'writing longing through the traveler.' In a few words it exhausts deep meaning, waves hidden in the plainness.
谁倚西楼淡月。
Who leans on the west tower in the pale moon?
楚箫咽。谁倚西楼淡月。
The Chu flute sobs. Who leans on the west tower in the pale moonlight?
尾句写谁倚西楼淡月，是全词立意的落点。「谁倚西楼淡月」写谁倚西楼淡月，「谁倚」写谁倚着、「西楼淡月」写西楼之淡月。一句以「谁倚」写其问、「西楼淡月」写月下西楼，写尽楚箫咽中谁倚西楼淡月之情。以问写情，含蓄而深挚，是全词最动人处，也是「以问写情」的点睛之笔。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 closing writes who leans on the west tower in the pale moon and is where the ci's meaning lands. 'Who leans on the west tower in the pale moon?' — 'who leans' the question, 'west tower in the pale moon' the moonlit tower. One phrase writes the question through 'who leans' and the moonlit west tower through the moonlit tower, exhausting the feeling, amid the sobbing Chu flute, of who leans on the west tower in the pale moon. Writing feeling through a question, restrained and deep, it is the most moving place of the ci and an illuminating stroke of 'writing feeling through a question.' In a few words it exhausts deep meaning, waves hidden in the plainness.
Study
Word focus
Related Reading
Compare this related work with the poem above through theme, imagery, tone, and emotional movement.
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」，写秋景苍茫、羁旅之愁，是宋词写羁旅的名篇；周密《玉京秋》则以「烟水阔。高林弄残照，晚蜩凄切」「客思吟商还怯」写烟水阔、客思吟商。两词同写秋景苍茫、客思难禁：一写对潇潇暮雨洒江天、以暮雨写清秋，一写客思吟商还怯、以客思写怯；一为柳永之清丽、一为周密之清婉，并读正可见宋词写「秋景客思」的两种笔法，皆于秋景之中见客思。
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 · 同写秋夜凝愁、独自倚楼，一写罗幕轻寒燕子双飞去、一写楚箫咽谁倚西楼淡月，皆于秋夜之中见独自倚楼 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」，写秋夜离愁、独自倚楼，是宋词写愁的名篇；周密《玉京秋》则以「楚箫咽。谁倚西楼淡月」写楚箫咽、谁倚西楼淡月。两词同写秋夜凝愁、独自倚楼：一写罗幕轻寒燕子双飞去、以燕去写愁，一写楚箫咽谁倚西楼淡月、以箫月写愁；一为晏殊之温润、一为周密之清婉，并读正可见宋词写「秋夜倚楼」的两种笔法，皆于秋夜之中见独自倚楼。