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宋 Song · 词 Ci lyric

踏莎行

Treading the Grass: A Courtside Song

晏殊

Yan Shu

闺怨Theme 相思Longing 婉约Refined style

细草愁烟，幽花怯露。
凭阑总是销魂处。
日高深院静无人，时时海燕双飞去。
带缓罗衣，香残蕙炷。
天长不禁迢迢路。
垂杨只解惹春风，何曾系得行人住。

Fine grass grieves in the mist; secluded flowers fear the dew.
Leaning on the rail is ever a place that dissolves the soul.
The sun climbs high; the deep courtyard is still, no one there - now and then the sea-swallows fly off in pairs.
The sash loosens on my silken robe; the incense of the orchid-wick burns low.
The sky is long, but it cannot bar the far, far road.
The drooping willows only know how to stir the spring wind - when did they ever tie the traveler down?

Listen

Meaning

A lady's spring melancholy: the willows stir the wind but cannot hold her departing lover.

烟雾缭绕中的细草含愁带怨，沾着露水的幽花畏怯瑟缩。日头升高了，深院空寂无人，时时只有成双的海燕飞过。垂杨只知道招惹春风，又哪里能拴得住远行人的脚步呢。

Appreciation

Everything in the courtyard is still and grieving; only the willows move, and they move the wind instead of the man. Yan Shu makes absence the true subject of the spring.

【白话串讲】晏殊写踏莎行：“细草愁烟，幽花怯露。凭阑总是销魂处”。“日高深院静无人，时时海燕双飞去”——“垂杨只解惹春风，何曾系得行人住”——他怨垂杨留不住行人。【意象与手法】起笔移情于景，草含愁、花带怯，为全篇定下凄迷底色。日高院静与海燕双飞相衬，以双写单，孤寂自见。下片以衣带渐宽、香炷残尽的细节写相思之苦，结句责垂杨空惹春风而不能系人，无理而妙，含蓄隽永。【情感与主旨】词写深闺女子的春日怀人之情，于深院闲景与日用细节中写尽相思入骨之态，最后以一声痴问托出留人不住的哀怨。情感温婉内敛，怨而不怒，正是晏殊「温润秀洁」词风的典型体现。【名句点睛】「垂杨只解惹春风，何曾系得行人住」以痴语问物，责垂杨之不能系人，实写留人不住的怅惘，无理而有情，妙趣天成，余味袅袅。

Background

Yan Shu (991-1055), a Northern Song grand councillor and master of the restrained lyric. This is a 'boudoir lament' in his polished manner.

晏殊字同叔，抚州临川人，北宋真宗、仁宗朝名臣，七岁能属文，十四岁以神童召试，赐同进士出身，后历仕枢密使、参知政事，官至同平章事，位极人臣，世称「太平宰相」。晏殊以词名世，有《珠玉词》传世，其词温润秀洁，一洗五代以来香艳俚俗之习，开北宋词坛雅正之风。《踏莎行·细草愁烟》是他描写离别相思的名篇，写一女子于春日深院中凭阑远望、思念行人之情。细草、幽花、海燕、垂杨等意象皆围绕「销魂」二字展开，是典型的闺怨题材。晏殊一生富贵优游，然词中常流露出对人生聚散无常的感伤，此词即其例。全词上片写景，下片言情，以「销魂」为眼目，以「垂杨系不得行人」为收束，于温婉闲雅中寓深情绵邈之致。此词不见于史传系年，据其意象与词境，当作于晏殊中年以后，与其《蝶恋花·槛菊愁烟兰泣露》同属一组深闺念远之作。近人吴梅《词学通论》谓晏殊词「小令是其长处」，读此词可见一斑。晏殊词风之形成，与其身世阅历密切相关：自幼以神童见知于真宗，出入馆阁，优游富贵，故其词少见悲苦之音，而多言愁而不伤、怨而不怒之情。此词写闺怨而归结于「系不得行人住」的轻轻一问，正是其「闲雅有情思」的体现，与柳永「执手相看泪眼」的沉痛、苏轼「十年生死两茫茫」的凄厉均判然有别。宋人评晏殊词，每谓其「流于闲雅」「风流蕴藉」，此词可作代表。

Art

Builds a closed, still world (mist, dew, empty courtyard, low incense) and a single restless image - the willows that move the wind yet fail to keep the traveler - turning setting into feeling.

此词以「草」「花」起笔而皆著以情态：「细草愁烟，幽花怯露」，烟中之草如含愁，露下之花似畏怯，移情于景，两句便已笼罩全篇凄迷之气。三、四句「凭阑总是销魂处」点破题旨，以「总是」二字总括，言处处触目皆愁。随后写景愈转愈静：「日高深院静无人，时时海燕双飞去」，日高、院静、无人，叠加三个孤寂条件，唯有海燕成双来去，以鸟之双衬人之单，用笔极淡而情致极浓。过片「带缓罗衣，香残蕙炷」以衣带渐宽、香消炷残两个细节写相思之苦，物候与体态并写，从人前之景转入人内之身，层次井然。结句「垂杨只解惹春风，何曾系得行人住」，将愁思归罪于垂杨，责其空惹春风而不能系住行人，无理而妙，正是无理有情之至笔。全词结构上片景中寓情、下片情中见景，终以诘问收束，一气流注，深得含蓄蕴藉之旨。尤其结句一问，把深院中无计可施的期待与哀怨轻轻托出，不直说而自见深切，是晏殊以小令写大情的典型手段。此外，全词造句极重声调与色彩的调配：细草、幽花是冷色，海燕、垂杨是活色，深院、日高是空色，词人不直接着色而颜色自见，此即所谓「不着一字，尽得风流」。下片「带缓罗衣，香残蕙炷」两句以「带」对「香」、「缓」对「残」、「罗衣」对「蕙炷」，字字精整，由人之体态写到室之氛氲，把相思之苦化为可见可闻的物象，较之直说「瘦」「愁」更见婉曲。

Allusions

Sea-swallows as paired lovers' birds; the loosened sash signals weight loss from longing. The orchid-wick is fine incense.

「带缓罗衣」暗用《古诗十九首·行行重行行》「相去日已远，衣带日已缓」之意，以衣带渐宽写相思销骨，是古乐府以来写情之常法，晏殊化用而更见蕴藉。「蕙炷」指以蕙草研末制成的香炷，与「带缓罗衣」对举，一写衣带，一写熏香，皆以日常物事之变写心绪之变，意象精雅。「销魂」语出江淹《别赋》「黯然销魂者，唯别而已矣」，晏殊直用其字，为全词定下基调。「海燕双飞去」以双燕反衬独处，唐人温庭筠《菩萨蛮》「双双金鹧鸪」同一机杼，皆以成双之物写形单之影。「垂杨」句则化用刘禹锡《杨柳枝词》「长安陌上无穷树，唯有垂杨绾别离」之思，翻进一层，言垂杨虽能绾别离之名，终系不住行人之足，将前人之语转出新意。「天长不禁迢迢路」以天高地远写归程之遥，与「迢迢」双字相叠，音节绵长，正见离思之无穷。以上数典，皆融化无迹，非深于词学者不能窥其来历。「凭阑」一词亦自有来历，古人登楼倚栏，多寄望远怀人之思，李白《菩萨蛮》「暝色入高楼，有人楼上愁」即其先声，晏殊「凭阑总是销魂处」直承此脉，而用「总是」二字把倚栏之愁推及一切处所，遂使个人之情升为普遍之叹。「天长不禁迢迢路」之「不禁」用法亦新，天不能限路之远，反衬归期之杳，无理之语而合情理之真。凡此化用与点染，皆见晏殊以博学运空灵的手段。

Commentary

Typical Yan Shu: elegant, temperate, the emotion implied rather than declared. The last line is the poem's quiet ache.

王灼《碧鸡漫志》卷二论晏殊词云：「晏元献公长短句，风流蕴藉，一时莫及，而温润秀洁，亦无其比。」「温润秀洁」四字，正可移评此词：写闺怨而不涉冶艳，言情深而不失庄雅。刘熙载《艺概·词曲概》谓「冯延巳词，晏同叔得其俊，欧阳永叔得其深」，晏殊此词「细草愁烟，幽花怯露」之俊语、「垂杨只解惹春风」之痴语，皆可谓「得其俊」之证。吴曾《能改斋漫录》卷十一载，晏殊与宋祁论及「无可奈何花落去」之句，自谓系入词方得工整，可见其对词之语言经营极细，此词「何曾系得行人住」以诘问收束，正见其出以新意处。近人吴梅《词学通论》谓晏词「于淡雅中见韶秀」，此作通体清丽而情致绵长，堪称其小令中之上驷。综观诸家所评，晏殊词之长处在于能以极文雅的字面写极深挚的情思，举重若轻，此词正是其美学理想的集中体现。又《珠玉词》中以「无可奈何花落去，似曾相识燕归来」一联最为传诵，前人每以之比此词「垂杨只解惹春风」之句，谓二联皆以寻常语写永恒情，一属理趣，一属情痴，同为晏殊「语浅情深」的明证。要之，晏词之美不在奇辞警句，而在平常字面下蕴藏的不尽情思，故读之愈久，味之愈长，此词之所以耐读，正在于此。后之学者论北宋小令之雅正，鲜有能出晏殊之右者。

Prosody

Form Lyric in Ta Suo Xing (Treading the Grass) tune词（双调小令，五十八字）

Rhyme Rhymes on 'dew' (lu), 'place' (chu), 'pairs' (qu), 'wick' (zhu), 'road' (lu), 'down' (zhu) - level/oblique mixed in the yu group.押仄声韵，韵字属《词林正韵》第四部（上声语麌、去声御遇）

Tone pattern Song lyric; even lines carry the rhyme.句式以七言与四言相间，句脚多仄，音调低回

Reading note A model of Northern Song 'boudoir' restraint; the close is gently philosophical.《踏莎行》为双调五十八字，前段五句三仄韵，后段五句三仄韵。此词韵字「露、处、去、炷、路、住」，于《词林正韵》皆属第四部仄声（上声「语」、去声「御、遇」通用），仄韵声情低抑，正合闺怨婉转吞吐之情。从句式看，上片七言「日高深院静无人」与四言对句相间，节奏顿挫有致；「凭阑总是销魂处」一句七言单行，承上启下，如文之转折。下片「带缓罗衣，香残蕙炷」四言对起，声调沉稳，至「天长不禁迢迢路」复以七言扬起，「迢迢」叠字入句，音节绵长，正写归路之无尽；末句「何曾系得行人住」以「住」字仄收，一问到底，声情与句意同趋于激。全词平仄相协，拗折处如「细草愁烟」作仄仄平平，起调低沉，恰与愁烟迷离之境相合，可见晏殊选声配色之细密。

Line by line

细草愁烟，幽花怯露。

Fine grass grieves in the mist; secluded flowers fear the dew.

烟雾缭绕中的细草含愁带怨，沾着露水的幽花畏怯瑟缩。

Fine grass is sad in the mist; shy flowers shrink from the dew.

起句即以移情手法写景，将人的愁绪投射于无知的草木。「愁」「怯」二字本写人情，此处著于草花之上，草何尝知愁，花何尝知怯，而经诗人点染，满目凄迷之景便与心中之愁冥然相合。此种写法源于「感时花溅泪，恨别鸟惊心」一类的物我交融传统，而晏殊出之以更工细的体察：草言「细」，花言「幽」，皆纤弱孤微之物，正是离人自况。两句六字，已为全词铺定「销魂」底色，笔致之婉约由此可见。

The opening uses empathy at once, projecting human grief on the senseless grass and flowers. Sad and shrinking are human feelings, here laid on grass and flowers: the grass knows no grief, the flower no shrinking, yet once touched by the poet's brush the whole desolate scene matches the grief in the heart. This follows the tradition of things and self interwoven - in troubled times flowers shed tears, at parting birds startle the heart - but Yan Shu writes with finer observation: the grass is fine, the flower secluded, both frail and small, exactly the parted man's self-portrait. Two six-character lines already lay the grief-stricken ground of the whole ci, and the delicate grace of the brush is plain to see.

日高深院静无人，时时海燕双飞去。

The sun climbs high; the deep courtyard is still, no one there - now and then the sea-swallows fly off in pairs.

日头升高了，深院空寂无人，时时只有成双的海燕飞过。

The sun is high, the deep courtyard still and empty; now and then swallows fly off in pairs.

此二句由近景推开，写深院白昼的寂静。「日高」「深院」「无人」三词层层叠加，把孤独的时间与空间推演到极致，而「时时海燕双飞去」则以双燕之来去打破静境，动中写静，双中写单，反衬之妙尽在言外。燕能双飞，人却独处，连燕子也留不住，只能目送其远引，一个「时时」写目送之频，孤寂之感遂随燕影一再加深。句中无一愁字而愁满院宇，正是晏殊以淡语写浓情的本色。

These two lines push out from the near view to write the stillness of the deep courtyard in daytime. Sun high, deep courtyard, no one - the three words layer on one another, pushing lonely time and space to the limit; then now and then swallows fly off in pairs breaks the stillness with the paired birds, writing stillness through motion and singleness through pairs, the beauty of the contrast beyond words. The swallows can fly paired, the person sits alone; even the swallows cannot be kept, only watched as they go, and the word now and then writes the frequency of watching, so that loneliness deepens again and again with the bird shadow. Not one word of grief in the lines, yet grief fills the courtyard - Yan Shu's true way of writing deep feeling in plain words.

垂杨只解惹春风，何曾系得行人住。

The drooping willows only know how to stir the spring wind - when did they ever tie the traveler down?

垂杨只知道招惹春风，又哪里能拴得住远行人的脚步呢。

The drooping willow only knows to tease the spring wind; how has it ever bound the traveler to stay?

结句以诘问作收，是全词最见才思之笔。行人远行，本与垂杨无涉，诗人却把留人不住的怨怅归咎于垂杨，责其只知惹弄春风而不能系住征鞍，责物之语正是自伤之辞，无理而有情。垂杨自古为离别之象征，「系」字双关牵系与绾系，化虚为实，妙趣横生。这一问，问得痴，问得怨，也问得俏，把闺中人无可奈何的期待与哀怨写得既深挚又蕴藉，留下袅袅余音，是宋词中「以痴语写深情」的典范。

The closing ends in a question, the line of greatest wit in the ci. The traveler going far has nothing to do with the willow, yet the poet blames the willow for not keeping him, charging it with only teasing the spring wind and never binding the traveler's horse; the blame laid on the thing is really self-pity, unreasonable yet full of feeling. The willow has been the symbol of parting since old times, and the word bind is a double entendre - to entangle and to tether - turning the void into the solid, full of charm. This question is foolish, resentful and playful at once, writing the boudoir woman's helpless expectation and grief as deep yet reserved, leaving a lingering note - a model in Song ci of writing deep feeling through foolish words.

Study

Word focus

怯 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「幽花怯露」之「怯」字，移情之笔，妙绝千古。花本无心，著一「怯」字，则幽花似畏晨露之寒、恐凋零之速，楚楚可怜之态立现。此字与上句「愁」字对举，一愁一怯，草木皆有情，实则是思妇自我心境的投射。晏殊不用「沾露」「泣露」等习见字面，独取「怯」，以人拟花，以花况人，写出深闺少妇对自身命运的忐忑畏怯，微婉之致，非炉锤功深者不能道。且「怯」字为入声? 怯为入声字，声短而轻，恰合幽花瑟缩之态，字音与字义相济，更见选字之细。

惹 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「垂杨只解惹春风」之「惹」字，俗字雅用，最见晏殊炼字功力。垂杨遇风，本属自然，著一「惹」字，则垂杨仿佛主动撩逗春风，姿态轻倩，风情自见。此句正是为下句「何曾系得行人住」作衬：既能「惹」春风，便该能「系」行人，孰知只惹春风而系不住行人，「惹」之轻浮反衬「系」之无望，埋怨与戏谑并生。「惹」字又暗合晏殊「无可奈何花落去」中「去」字之法，皆以轻巧之字写深沉之情，举重若轻，是词家所谓「小字眼写大情绪」的范例。

静 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「日高深院静无人」之「静」字，是全篇布景之眼。深院本已幽深，日高更显空旷，再加上「无人」，三重寂静层层逼出。此「静」并非死寂，下文「时时海燕双飞去」即在静中起动静，惟其静，故燕飞之声影格外分明；惟其静，故相思之潮涌格外汹涌。「静」字为「双飞去」的动提供了最空阔的背景，也为末句垂杨之问蓄足了势。以静衬动、以动显静，晏殊于此得虚实相生之妙，而「无人」二字尤见笔力，其孤独不待言而自见。

踏莎行