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宋 Song · 词 Ci lyric

御街行

Tune: Walking on the Imperial Street

范仲淹

Fan Zhongyan

怀人Longing for One Absent 秋思Autumn Thought 婉约Graceful (Wanyue)

纷纷堕叶飘香砌。
夜寂静、寒声碎。
真珠帘卷玉楼空，天淡银河垂地。
年年今夜，月华如练，长是人千里。
愁肠已断无由醉。
酒未到、先成泪。
残灯明灭枕头欹。
谙尽孤眠滋味。
都来此事，眉间心上，无计相回避。

Endlessly falling leaves drift on the fragrant steps;
The night is still; the cold sounds are shattered.
The pearl blinds rolled up, the jade tower stands empty; the sky pales, the Milky Way hangs to the earth.
Year by year on this night, the moon's light like white silk, ever the one I love is a thousand li away.
My sorrowful bowels already broken, no way to grow drunk;
The wine not yet to my lips, first becomes tears.
The dying lamp flickers; the pillow leans.
I have known full the taste of lonely sleep.
All told, this matter, on brow and in heart, no means to flee it.

Listen

Meaning

Falling leaves drift on the fragrant steps; the night is still, the cold sounds shattered. The pearl blinds rolled up, the jade tower stands empty; the sky pales, the Milky Way hangs to the earth. Year by year on this night the moon is white as silk, yet the beloved is a thousand li away. His sorrowful heart already broken, he cannot even drink to forget; the wine not yet to his lips becomes tears. The dying lamp flickers, the pillow leans; he has known the taste of lonely sleep. This parting grief lodges on brow and in heart, with no way to flee.

卷起珍珠帘幕,玉楼空空荡荡;天色淡远,银河仿佛一直垂落到地面。酒还没入口,就已经先化作了眼泪。算来这离愁别绪,总在眉间心头萦绕,没有办法可以回避。

Appreciation

A lyric of autumn-night longing. Layer by layer, outer scene to inner feeling: upper, 'falling leaves, shattered cold sounds' write silence by sound; 'pearl blinds rolled, jade tower empty; sky pales, Milky Way hangs' near then far, vast in realm; 'year by year on this night, moon like silk, ever the one a thousand li away' turns to the longing. Lower, 'wine not yet to lips, first tears' is a strange image; 'dying lamp, leaning pillow' writes sleeplessness; closing 'on brow and in heart, no means to flee' makes grief tangible. From scene-grief to feeling-grief to heart-grief, like peeling a banana to the core.

【白话串讲】范仲淹写御街行：“纷纷堕叶飘香砌。夜寂静、寒声碎”。“年年今夜，月华如练，长是人千里”——“愁肠已断无由醉。酒未到、先成泪”——“残灯明灭枕头欹。谙尽孤眠滋味”——他写深秋的孤独。【意象与手法】层层递进，由外景而内情：上片「纷纷堕叶」「寒声碎」以声写静，「真珠帘卷玉楼空，天淡银河垂地」一近一远，境界空阔；「年年今夜，月华如练，长是人千里」翻出怀人主旨。下片「酒未到、先成泪」想象奇绝，「残灯明灭枕头欹」写尽无眠之态；结句「眉间心上，无计相回避」，愁情可触可感，由景愁而情愁而心愁，如剥蕉见心。【情感与主旨】范仲淹久宦他乡，秋夜怀人，遂有此作。华屋玉楼空对银河垂地，年年月华如练而人隔千里；愁肠已断，酒未入肠先已成泪，眉间心上无处回避。以名臣之身作此销魂之语，情真意挚，可见「铁石心肠人」亦有至情，是北宋怀人词中的杰作。【名句点睛】「都来此事，眉间心上，无计相回避」把离愁写为眉间心头的双栖之物，挥之不去，无可奈何，以极平淡语写极普遍的人生体验，李清照「才下眉头，却上心头」即由此化出，影响深远。

Background

Fan Zhongyan, styled Xi-wen, of Wu county, a Northern Song statesman and writer, reached參知政事, famous for 'worried before the world, glad after it,' posthumously Wen-zheng. He was no specialist in ci, yet his 'Fisherman's Pride,' 'Su Mu Zhe,' and 'Walking on the Imperial Street' are all immortal; a Qing critic said 'even an iron-heart man writes such soul-breaking words.' This 'Walking on the Imperial Street — Autumn Night Recalling the Past' writes autumn-night longing: falling leaves, shattered cold, alone with rolled blinds, the Milky Way hanging, moon like silk, the loved one a thousand li off; heart broken, wine not yet drunk already tears; dying lamp, lone pillow, the taste of lonely sleep; grief on brow and heart, no escape. It may date from his border service, far from home; 'jade tower empty, one a thousand li' is the common deep grief of an official away, and 'on brow and in heart' opens the way for Li Qingzhao's 'off the brow, onto the heart.' Chosen in Zhu Zu-qian's 'Three Hundred Song Lyrics' with 'Su Mu Zhe' as his twin grief lyrics.

范仲淹字希文,吴县人,北宋政治家、文学家,官至参知政事,以「先天下之忧而忧,后天下之乐而乐」著称,卒谥文正。范仲淹不以词名家,然其《渔家傲》《苏幕遮》《御街行》三首皆传诵千古,清人誉之「铁石心肠人亦作此销魂语」,足见其词情深至。《御街行·秋日怀旧》写秋夜怀人之情:落叶飘砌,寒声碎碎,独卷珠帘,银河垂地,月华如练,而所思之人远在千里;愁肠已断,无由成醉,酒未入肠先已化泪;残灯明灭,独枕孤眠,谙尽孤眠滋味;眉间心上,无计回避,离愁无处不在。据《宋史·范仲淹传》等所载,范仲淹早年贫苦力学,及长戍边御夏,久在军中,思乡怀人之作每多苍凉之致。此词或作于其宣抚边地、久宦他乡之时,词中「玉楼空」「人千里」的意象正是宦游者共通的深愁,而「眉间心上,无计相回避」的写法更开后世「才下眉头,却上心头」的先声。此词被朱祖谋《宋词三百首》收录,与《苏幕遮》同为范仲淹写愁情的双璧。范仲淹久历边任,守延安、防西夏,身居塞上而心怀乡国,其词中思乡怀人之作正是这种边塞生活的真实投影。此词题曰「怀旧」,或作「秋日怀旧」,旧者,所思之故人、故乡也。词中「玉楼空」「人千里」点明怀想之人当在千里之外的家中,而「年年今夜,月华如练」更以岁岁相同的月光写岁岁不变的相思,足见其情之久且深。要之,此词虽写一己之怀人,而其「酒未到、先成泪」的深愁实与《渔家傲》「浊酒一杯家万里」的边愁同源,是理解范仲淹心灵世界的又一窗口。

Art

The poem writes longing grief layer by layer, outer to inner, form to heart, strict in plan. The upper is all autumn night: 'endlessly falling leaves drift on the fragrant steps' with 'endlessly' and 'fragrant steps' hinting the once-flowering place now leaf-strewn; 'night still; cold sounds shattered' writes silence by sound, 'shattered' the most worked word; 'pearl blinds rolled, jade tower empty; sky pales, Milky Way hangs' near then far, vast; 'year by year on this night, moon like silk, ever the one a thousand li away' writes the long hate. The lower turns to grief: 'sorrowful bowels broken, no way to grow drunk; wine not yet to lips, first tears' strange and ultimate; 'dying lamp flickers, leaning pillow' writes the sleepless; 'all told, on brow and in heart, no means to flee' closes with strength. From scene to feeling, shallow to deep, it makes abstract 'grief' tangible—four layers: scene-grief, form-grief, feeling-grief, heart-grief, like peeling a banana, 'all told' gathering all into one.

此词写怀人之愁,层层递进,由外景而内情,由形体而入心,章法极为细密。上片全写秋夜之景:起拍「纷纷堕叶飘香砌」,以落叶纷纷写秋之萧索,「纷纷」叠字见其多,而「香砌」二字暗点当初玉楼花香之地,今已秋叶堆砌,物是人非;次句「夜寂静、寒声碎」,以声写静,「碎」字写尽寒声之细碎繁密,是上片最见锻炼的字眼。「真珠帘卷玉楼空,天淡银河垂地」,一写近景玉楼之空,一写远景银河之垂,由近及远,境界空阔;「年年今夜,月华如练,长是人千里」,以「年年」写出此恨之长久,以「练」字写月光之洁白绵长,翻出怀人主旨。下片转写愁情:「愁肠已断无由醉。酒未到、先成泪」,想象奇绝,酒尚未入口愁已先化泪,极写愁之深重,为千古名句;「残灯明灭枕头欹」,以灯之明灭写夜之将阑,以一「欹」字写倚枕难眠之态;「谙尽孤眠滋味」,直写久经孤眠之苦;「都来此事,眉间心上,无计相回避」,结以愁之无所不在:眉头心头皆被离愁占据,无可回避,收束得极有力量。全词由景入情,由浅入深,把抽象的「愁」写得可触可感,是范仲淹词中的压卷之作。更可玩味的是,此词之写愁由外而内凡经四层:第一层景愁,落叶寒声;第二层形愁,枕欹难眠;第三层情愁,酒未到先成泪;第四层心愁,眉间心上无处回避。层层深入如剥蕉见心,而「都来此事」一句更以「都」字总括所有,把分散的愁绪收拢归一,结构极为严整。且全词句式长短错落,短句促、长句缓,恰与愁绪的急迫与绵长相应,声情之配合亦臻化境,读来有一种幽咽回环的节奏之美。又,此词上片「真珠帘卷玉楼空,天淡银河垂地」二句,以「玉楼」与「银河」对举,一为室内之近景,一为天外之远景,一空一垂,境界极为高远;下片「都来此事,眉间心上」,又自天地之远收归方寸之近,由外而内,由远而近,章法回环,恰与怀人愁思的流转无方相映成趣,可见范仲淹于词体虽非专攻,而落笔自有法度。

Allusions

'Pearl blinds' (pearl curtain) is the jade tower's fine adornment, continuing the rich-yet-desolate scene of Li Yu; 'sky pales, Milky Way hangs' echoes the Han yuefu 'the Cowherd far, the Weaving Maid bright,' the Milky Way as witness of parted love; 'moon like silk' (lian) from Xie Tiao's 'the clear river calm as silk' became a fixed moon-image; 'on brow and in heart, no means to flee' opens Li Qingzhao's 'this feeling no way to remove, off the brow, onto the heart.' 'Sorrowful bowels broken, wine not yet to lips, first tears' continues Li Bai's 'raise cup to drown sorrow, sorrow yet more' and his own 'Su Mu Zhe' ('wine into sorrow bowels, turns to longing tears'). 'Fragrant steps' points the once-flowering place now only leaves; 'dying lamp flickers' the long night's end. All transform old allusions into new sense, showing his wide reading.

「真珠帘」即珍珠帘,为玉楼华贵之饰,李煜《浪淘沙》「帘外雨潺潺」、《乌夜啼》「罗衾不耐五更寒」诸作皆有富贵而悲凉之景,范仲淹以「真珠帘卷玉楼空」写华屋之空寂,正是这一传统的延续。「天淡银河垂地」令人想起《古诗十九首》「迢迢牵牛星,皎皎河汉女」的银河意象,银河既是牛女相思的见证,此处亦暗含遥隔千里的怀人之思。「月华如练」之「练」典出谢朓《晚登三山还望京邑》「余霞散成绮,澄江静如练」,以洁白的绢练喻月光,意象清绝,后世诗词中「月如练」屡见不鲜,范仲淹此句正是直接取径谢朓。「都来此事,眉间心上,无计相回避」数句写离愁盘踞眉头心头、挥之不去,此法开后世李清照《一剪梅》「此情无计可消除,才下眉头,却上心头」的先声,李清照化用其意几成千古绝唱,足见此词影响之深远。至于「愁肠已断」「酒未到、先成泪」,则与李白「举杯消愁愁更愁」、范仲淹自家《苏幕遮》「酒入愁肠,化作相思泪」一脉相承,皆是借酒写愁的传统意象。又,「香砌」之「砌」指台阶,「香砌」本谓落花堆积的台阶,暗点秋前此地曾是繁花满地,而如今只余堕叶,物候之变与人事之非于此双关。至于「谙尽孤眠滋味」之「谙尽」写饱尝孤眠之苦,此「谙」字可与欧阳修「渐行渐远渐无书」之「渐」字并看,皆以时间的累积写情感的深重。而「残灯明灭」之「明灭」写灯光将尽未尽的闪烁,正是长夜将阑之象,与「枕头欹」的倚枕之态相合,于细微处见出词人彻夜无眠的情状。要之,此词化用前典而皆能自铸新意,处处可见范仲淹读书养气之功。

Commentary

Fan's 'Walking on the Imperial Street' is highly praised; a Qing saying 'even an iron-heart man writes such soul-breaking words' fits exactly—a statesman for the world yet so tender in lyric, proving his true nature. Xu Ang-xiao's 'Ci Zong Ou Ping' notes its tight wording; Zhu Zu-qian placed 'Su Mu Zhe,' 'Walking on the Imperial Street,' 'Fisherman's Pride' in the 'Three Hundred,' showing its classic standing. Wang Guo-wei's 'I view things, so all things bear my color' explains its leaves, cold sounds, dying lamp all tinged with longing. Tang Gui-zhang prizes 'wine not yet to lips, first tears' and 'on brow and in heart' as绝唱. With Ming critic Shen Ji-fei calling 'on brow and in heart' the finest feeling-line, beside Li Yi-an's 'off the brow,' its influence is clear. Though few ci survive, 'Su Mu Zhe' and this one suffice to teach later ages; one soft, one strong, they represent the two poles of Fan's ci, and this lyric's life proves true feeling's worth.

范仲淹《御街行》历代评价极高。清人评范仲淹词,有「铁石心肠人,亦作此销魂语」之语(见各家词语所引),此言精当:范仲淹以名臣之身志在天下,而其词中情意缠绵如此,正见其性情之真。清代许昂霄《词综偶评》评范仲淹词,谓其情致缠绵、语语凝练,此词上片写景、下片写情,字字有锻炼之痕而无凑泊之弊,正合「语语凝练」之评。朱祖谋《宋词三百首》选范仲淹《苏幕遮》《御街行》《渔家傲》三首,足见此词在清代选家眼中的经典地位。王国维《人间词话》虽未专评此词,然其「以我观物,故物皆著我之色彩」之论正可移解此词:落叶、寒声、残灯无一不染上怀人的愁色。近代唐圭璋《唐宋词简释》评此词,谓其写景清丽、抒情深婉,尤以「酒未到,先成泪」及「眉间心上」数句为绝唱,推为北宋前期词中杰构。综观历代评论,皆着眼于其情之深、语之炼,此词在词史上的地位已然稳固。此外,明人沈际飞《草堂诗余正集》评此词,谓其「眉间心上」数句为情语中之最精者,与李易安「才下眉头」并称,足见明代评家已着意于此。又,清人《历代诗余》引诸家评语多以「深婉」「凄切」目此词,以为范公以名臣作此缠绵语,正见其性情之不可及。要之,此词在清代选本中地位极高,朱祖谋选《宋词三百首》置之范仲淹名下,与《渔家傲》一柔一刚并峙,恰可代表范词的两极,后之读者自当于二者之间参互求之。又,若将此词置于北宋词坛的总体格局中看,范仲淹存词虽仅数首,而《苏幕遮》《御街行》诸作皆足以垂范后世,其写情之深婉,不输晏欧,其写景之阔大,又开东坡气象,可见其词在北宋词史上的枢纽地位。此词「酒未到、先成泪」与「眉间心上」诸句,千百年来传诵人口,正是其艺术生命力的明证。要之,范仲淹以一代名臣而能作此销魂之语,足证真情之可贵、至情之无碍,此词亦因此超越词体的局限,成为中国人表达离愁别绪的经典语言,其文化影响早已超出文学批评的范围。

Prosody

Form Ci (mid-tune).词(中调)

Rhyme Category 3 of the Ci Lin Zheng Yun, oblique; feet qi, sui, di, li, zui, lei, wei, bi.词林正韵第三部仄声,韵脚为「砌、碎、地、里、醉、泪、味、避」

Tone pattern Double tune, four oblique rhymes each; short lines with quick beats, mournful in tone.双调各四仄韵,短句促节,声情幽咽

Reading note The 'Walking on the Imperial Street' is double, 78 characters, each stanza seven lines four oblique rhymes, Category 3 oblique; feet qi, sui, di, li, zui, lei, wei, bi. All oblique, short and choking, matching the 'shattered cold sounds,' 'first tears,' 'no means to flee' in mournful unity. The form varies: upper opens with 'endlessly falling leaves' and 'night still; cold sounds shattered' as three-character short lines like falling-leaf sounds; then a long line 'pearl blinds rolled, jade tower empty; sky pales, Milky Way hangs' for rise and fall. Lower 'sorrowful bowels broken, no way to grow drunk; wine not yet to lips, first tears' with five- then three-character lines, checked and clear; closing 'all told, on brow and in heart, no means to flee' flows in one breath. Within the oblique choke it uses 'year by year' and void words to keep流动—a Northern Song early ci strong in both sound and feeling.《御街行》双调七十八字,上下片各七句四仄韵,押词林正韵第三部仄声韵,韵脚为「砌、碎、地、里、醉、泪、味、避」。全词通押仄韵,仄声韵短促咽塞,正与词中「寒声碎」「先成泪」「无计相回避」的幽咽愁情相表里,声情高度统一。此调句法参差,上片以「纷纷堕叶飘香砌」「夜寂静、寒声碎」两个三言短句起始,音节细碎,恰如落叶之声;中间插入「真珠帘卷玉楼空,天淡银河垂地」这样的长句,一短一长,节奏起伏,如幽咽中的舒啸。下片「愁肠已断无由醉。酒未到、先成泪」,以五字句接三字句,顿挫分明,把情感的迸发凝于短句之中;结句「都来此事,眉间心上,无计相回避」,以「都来」领起,三句一韵到底,音节一气流转。全词于仄韵的短促之中,又善用「年年今夜」「无计相回避」等叠语与虚字调节,使声情于幽咽中见流动,是北宋前期词中声情兼胜的佳作。

Line by line

真珠帘卷玉楼空，天淡银河垂地。

The pearl blinds rolled up, the jade tower stands empty; the sky pales, the Milky Way hangs to the earth. — A vastly cold, clear scene: near 'pearl blinds rolled, jade tower empty' turns to void loneliness, the rich tower against the empty one; far 'sky pales, Milky Way hangs' opens the boundless. Near and far, empty and hanging, build the autumn-night longing's boundless loneliness, the stage for 'year by year, the one a thousand li away.'

卷起珍珠帘幕,玉楼空空荡荡;天色淡远,银河仿佛一直垂落到地面。

The pearl curtain is rolled up, the jade tower empty; the sky is pale, and the Silver River seems to slant down to the earth.

此二句写景极为空阔清冷。「真珠帘卷」是近景,「玉楼空」顿转虚寂,华贵的楼阁与空无一人的落寞相对,物是人非之感油然而生;「天淡银河垂地」则推开远景,银河倒挂仿佛垂到地面,境界苍茫而渺远。一近一远,一空一垂,共同营造出秋夜怀人的无边寂寥,为下片「年年今夜,月华如练,长是人千里」的怀人主旨铺设了空阔的舞台,是全词写景最见功力的一笔。

These two lines write scenery of utmost vastness and chill. The pearl curtain rolled up is a near view, and the jade tower empty turns it at once to void: the luxurious tower set against the loneliness of no one in it makes the sense of things enduring, people changed rise of itself. The sky is pale, the Silver River slanting down to the earth pushes to a far view, the galaxy hanging as if reaching the ground, the mood vast and remote. One near, one far; one void, one hanging - together they create the boundless solitude of a lovelorn autumn night, laying a vast stage for the lower stanza's year after year on this night, the moonlight like white silk, always the person a thousand li away, the most masterly landscape of the ci.

酒未到、先成泪。

The wine not yet to my lips, first becomes tears. — A strange, ultimate line: 'sorrowful bowels broken, no way to grow drunk' writes grief so deep no wine can reach; 'wine not yet to lips, first tears' goes further—the wine still in the cup, grief already flows as tears. The word 'first' writes grief's urgency beyond reason yet true; more than 'raise cup to drown sorrow, sorrow yet more,' a model of writing the real through the虚.

酒还没入口,就已经先化作了眼泪。

Before the wine reaches the lips, it has already turned to tears.

此句想象奇绝,是千古名句。「愁肠已断无由醉」写愁之极,已无余肠可承酒,想求一醉而不可得,连逃避愁苦的途径都被断绝;「酒未到、先成泪」更进一层:酒尚在杯中,愁已化作泪水先流了出来。这个「先」字把愁的迫不及待与深不可解写尽,比「举杯消愁愁更愁」更进一层,是北宋词中以虚写实、夸而有节的典范,千百年来打动无数读者。

This line has an extraordinary conception and is a famous verse across the ages. The grief-split gut cannot be drunk means grief has reached the extreme, no gut left to hold wine, and the way of escape through drunkenness itself is cut off; before the wine reaches the lips, it has already turned to tears goes one step further: the wine is still in the cup, and grief has already dissolved into tears that flow first. The single word before writes grief's urgency and its unfathomable depth, going further than drinking wine to drown grief only makes grief deeper; it is a Northern Song model of writing the solid through the void, hyperbole within measure, moving countless readers across the centuries.

都来此事，眉间心上，无计相回避。

All told, this matter, on brow and in heart, no means to flee. — The close gathers the parting grief as everywhere: 'all told' means in sum; 'this matter' the longing; 'on brow and in heart' splits grief's dwelling to brow and heart both; 'no means to flee' ends in helplessness. Plain words for a common experience, yet immortal; Li Qingzhao's 'off the brow, onto the heart' is transmuted from this, showing its deep influence.

算来这离愁别绪,总在眉间心头萦绕,没有办法可以回避。

After all, this grief, between the brows and in the heart, has no way to be avoided.

尾三句写离愁之无所不在,收束全篇。「都来」是算来、总来之意,「此事」即怀人之愁;「眉间心上」四字把愁的栖身之所一分为二,眉头之蹙与心头之结双双被愁占据;「无计相回避」更以无可奈何作结,离愁之深之切至此已无可逃遁。这三句以最平淡的语句写最普遍的人生体验,遂成千古传诵的愁语,李清照「才下眉头,却上心头」正是由此化出,其影响之深可见一斑。

The last three lines write grief's omnipresence and close the piece. After all means when all is reckoned; this matter is the longing. Between the brows and in the heart splits grief's dwelling in two places - the knitted brow and the knotted heart both taken by sorrow; no way to avoid ends in helplessness, and grief's depth and keenness have reached the point of no escape. These three lines write the most universal human experience in the plainest words, and so became a timeless phrase of sorrow; Li Qingzhao's scarcely left the brow, yet rose again to the heart is plainly transformed from here, showing how deep the influence.

Study

Word focus

碎 shattered — The most worked word of the upper stanza: cold sounds (falling leaves, insects) are fine, broken, busy; 'shattered' writes that fineness and discontinuity as if on the heart. 'Night still' and 'cold sounds shattered' set motion against stillness, the more still, the more the listener's mind is disturbed—sound writing heart, the model of a live word. 「夜寂静、寒声碎」之「碎」是上片最见锻炼的字眼。寒声本是秋夜落叶、秋虫等种种细碎之音,着一「碎」字便把这种声音的细密、断续、繁乱写得如在耳畔,且「碎」字兼含心境:静夜独处的人听到的每一声细响,都像碎在心上。「夜寂静」与「寒声碎」一静一动,以动衬静,愈见其静,也愈见听者心绪的纷乱,是炼字传神的典范。要之,「碎」字以声写心,既见听觉之细,亦见心绪之乱,是上片景语中暗含情语的关键一笔,读者于此可悟大词人炼字之精。

垂 hangs — 'sky pales, Milky Way hangs' writes the Milky Way as if dropped from sky to earth, vastly open; one word makes a silver light hang down, the night's clarity and distance, the looker's void all in it. It answers the upper 'jade tower empty,' one empty one hanging, pushing the autumn-night loneliness to the boundless heaven and earth, the word that opens the whole realm. 「天淡银河垂地」之「垂」,写银河如从天空直挂到地,境界空阔之极。着一「垂」字便觉天地之间一道银光悬垂而下,既写银河之明亮绵长,也写夜空之澄澈渺远,登楼人仰望之际的空茫之感尽在字里。此字下语大胆而不失分寸,与「玉楼空」之「空」字上下呼应,一空一垂,把秋夜的寂寞推向无边的天地之间,是炼字于大境界处的妙笔。要之,「垂」字写天地相接之势,使怀人者之愁思亦随之弥漫六合,境界全由此字撑开,是写景中极见气象的一笔。

先 first — The strange word in the strange line: wine not yet to lips, tears already first; 'first' pushes grief beyond logic yet true—at grief's extreme, even the step of drinking to drown it cannot wait, tears rush first. Set against 'not yet,' the one虚 one real, cause and effect, make this the most striking image of the poem. 「酒未到、先成泪」之「先」是奇句中的奇字。酒尚未入口,泪已先流,这个「先」字把愁的汹涌与不可抑制推到逻辑与常理之外,却又是情感的真实:愁到了极处,连借酒浇愁的程序都等不及完成,泪便抢先而出。「先」字与「未」字对举,一虚一实互为因果,使这一句成为全词最具冲击力的想象,千百年来打动无数读者,是炼字于情感逻辑突破点的成功范例。

御街行