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宋 Song · 词 Ci lyric

点绛唇

Rouge Lips: The Auspicious Vapor, Filling, the Gate

吕胜己

Lv Shengji

贺诞Theme 祝颂Theme 民俗people 吉庆Theme

瑞气盈门，神仙谪下看看到。
已知消耗。
弧矢呈祥了。
种德阴功，自有多男报。
还知道。
果生蓬岛。
不比人间早。

The auspicious vapor, filling, the gate,
The immortal, exiled, descending, look, and, see.
Already, knowing, the consuming,
The bow and the arrow, presenting, the auspicious sign, done.
Planting, the virtue, the hidden merit,
Of, the self, having, the many sons, the report.
Still, knowing,
Indeed, born, on, the isle of the Penglai,
Not, comparing, the early, of the human world.

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Meaning

A lyric of the birth and the blessing, written by Lv Shengji. The auspicious vapor filling the gate, the immortal exiled descending look and see, already knowing the consuming, the bow and the arrow presenting the auspicious sign done — the blessing of the opening. Planting the virtue with the hidden merit, of the self having the many sons the report — the virtue of the middle. And the close's indeed born on the isle of the Penglai, not comparing the early of the human world — the close's blessing. The lyric is the birth and the blessing: the auspicious vapor, the virtue, and the close's Penglai.

祥瑞之气充盈家门,连天上的神仙也谪降凡尘,特地来看一看。悬弧之礼已成,果然是生了男儿的祥兆。种下的德行、暗积的功德,自然会有多子多男的好报应。果然,这孩儿是生于蓬莱仙岛的仙种。

Appreciation

[Plain Paraphrase] The auspicious vapor, filling, the gate, the immortal, exiled, descending, look, and, see. Already, knowing, the consuming, the bow and the arrow, presenting, the auspicious sign, done. Planting, the virtue, the hidden merit, of, the self, having, the many sons, the report. Still, knowing, indeed, born, on, the isle of the Penglai, not, comparing, the early, of the human world. [Structure and Thought] The lyric moves from the blessing of the auspicious vapor and the immortal, through the virtue of the planting with the hidden merit, to the close's the son born on the isle of the Penglai. [Key Technique] The lyric's art is the close of the Penglai: the virtue of the middle, and the close's the son born on the isle, not comparing the human world — the blessing gathered in the virtue and the close's Penglai. [Emotional Tone] Auspicious, blessed, and rejoicing: the lyric is the vapor, the virtue and the close's Penglai.

【白话串讲】吕胜己写点绛唇贺生子：“瑞气盈门，神仙谪下看看到”。“种德阴功，自有多男报”——“果生蓬岛。不比人间早”——他写添丁之喜。【意象与手法】全词以贺词常格层层递进:由「瑞气盈门」铺祥瑞,「弧矢呈祥」点生子之题,「种德阴功,自有多男报」转入颂德,「果生蓬岛」以仙岛收束。通篇善以短句承接,「已知消耗」「还知道」如话家常,语气流转。「谪下看看到」以俚语拟神仙,「蓬岛」喻仙种,俗中见巧,颂扬步步升级而口吻始终亲切。【情感与主旨】这是南宋贺人得子的祝词。全篇皆吉祥颂美之语:谓其家种德积善,故天降祥瑞,神仙谪凡,得一佳儿,且此儿乃蓬莱仙种,非人间凡胎。虽无深意,而情真意挚,喜气盈溢,正是宋代「以俗语作吉语」的贺诞词典型。字里行间,是民间「积善之家必有余庆」的朴素信念,读之可想见宾主相贺、满堂欢笑的场景。【名句点睛】「神仙谪下看看到」:不说此儿不凡,却说神仙也降凡来看,「看看到」三字口语化极强,仿佛邻人探看新生婴儿的神情,以仙衬凡、以俚语写瑞,亲切有趣,起笔便见贺词讨彩头的本色。

Background

Lv Shengji (c. 12th century), the poet of the ci of the Southern Song, wrote this 'Rouge Lips' of the birth and the blessing — the joy of the new son. The auspicious vapor with the immortal exiled, the planting of the virtue with the hidden merit, and the close's the son born on the isle of the Penglai — the lyric gathers the blessing of the poet, the joy of the family. The lyric is one of the works of the poet's lyrics of the blessing.

吕胜己,字季克,号渭川居士,福建建阳人,南宋中期词人,与理学家吕祖谦同郡同宗,其词多纪游、赠答、祝颂之作,风格平易近人,有《渭川居士词》一卷传世。此首《点绛唇》是一篇贺人得子的祝词。宋代社会中上层,每有生子之喜,亲友例以词章为贺,或颂德积善,或祝其成才,遂成一专门的应酬文体。此词以「瑞气盈门」起,以「果生蓬岛」结,通篇皆吉祥颂美之语:谓其家积善种德,故天降祥瑞,神仙谪降,得一佳儿。其中「弧矢呈祥」,用《礼记·内则》生子悬弧之礼;「自有多男报」,用《庄子·天地》华封人祝尧多男之典;「蓬岛」则言此儿来自蓬莱仙山,非寻常凡胎。全词语言俚俗浅白,如对友人口述家常,正是宋代贺诞词「以俗语作吉语」的典型,虽无深意,而情真意挚,喜气盈溢,读之可想见当日宾主相贺、满堂欢笑的场景,是研究宋代词体应酬功能与民俗心态的第一手材料。全词虽无家国之思、身世之叹,而一腔真率,专为吉庆而发,正是词体「应歌应酬」本色的留存,其俗其朴,皆有其不可替代的价值。

Art

The lyric's art is the art of the blessing. The blessing opens: the auspicious vapor, filling, the gate — the filling of the auspicious vapor; the immortal, exiled, descending, look, and, see — the descending of the immortal; already, knowing, the consuming — the knowing of the consuming; the bow and the arrow, presenting, the auspicious sign, done — the auspicious sign of the bow and the arrow. The virtue follows: planting, the virtue, the hidden merit — the planting of the virtue; of, the self, having, the many sons, the report — the report of the many sons. And the close gathers the Penglai: still, knowing, indeed, born, on, the isle of the Penglai — the born of the Penglai; not, comparing, the early, of the human world — the not comparing of the human world — the blessing, the virtue and the close's Penglai, gathered in the lyric.

此词体制短小,全用贺词常格,而其妙在「俗中见巧」。「瑞气盈门,神仙谪下看看到」,起笔先布一层祥瑞氛围,以「谪下看看到」的拟人谐语,写神仙也降凡来贺,新奇而有喜趣。「已知消耗」与「还知道」两处,皆以短句承接,如话家常,一呼一应,使通篇语气流转,不嫌板滞。「弧矢呈祥了」,点出生子之题;「种德阴功,自有多男报」,则从门楣之喜,转入祖德之颂,以为此儿之来,乃先人积善之报,命意周匝。「果生蓬岛」,以仙岛作结,谓此儿为仙种谪降,抬举之意,至矣尽矣;末句「不比人间早」,复轻轻一宕,言其根基不与凡儿同,看似补足,实为全词留一余韵。全词层层递进:由祥瑞而悬弧,由积德而报应,由凡胎而仙种,颂扬步步升级,而语气始终亲切,如祝者当面执手,娓娓道来,是贺词中「以拙藏巧、大巧若拙」的上品。且上下片皆以短句独立成拍,「已知消耗」「还知道」两处,句断而意连,如对话中的应答,使全词语气活泛,毫无应酬文字的板滞气。

Allusions

'The auspicious vapor' (rui qi) is the auspicious vapor — the vapor of the auspicious, the filling of the gate; 'the bow and the arrow' (hu shi) are the bow and the arrow — the presenting of the bows and the arrows, the auspicious sign of the son; 'the isle of the Penglai' (Peng dao) is the isle of the Penglai — the isle of the immortals, the born of the son.

此词用典皆取眼前习见之典,通俗而不浅陋。「弧矢呈祥」用《礼记·内则》之礼:「子生,男子设弧于门左,女子设帨于门右」,古人以悬弓于门左为生男之礼,后世遂以「悬弧」「弧矢」称男子生辰,诗人用「呈祥」二字点化,既贴生子之题,又添祥瑞之意。「自有多男报」,本于《庄子·天地》:尧观乎华,华封人祝曰「使圣人富,使圣人寿,使圣人多男子」,是为「华封三祝」,后世以「多男」为多子多孙之祝,诗人谓积德自有「多男」之报,借庄子之典,申果报之理。「蓬岛」即蓬莱仙岛,为海上三神山之一,见《史记·封禅书》及《列子》诸书,后世以「蓬岛」喻神仙居所,诗人言此儿「果生蓬岛」,谓其仙种不凡。三典皆妇孺习知,随手拈来,恰到好处,正是应酬词「用常语之典,作吉利之文」的路数,俗而能雅,浅而有味。此外,「瑞气盈门」之语,亦自《周易·系辞》「积善之家,必有余庆」之义演化而来,与「种德阴功」前后呼应,全篇因果之旨,一以贯之,可见作者虽作俗词,而经史根底未失,遣词造语,自有法度。

Commentary

This lyric is one of the works of Lv Shengji's lyrics of the blessing, quoted for the auspiciousness of its opening and the joy of its close. The auspicious vapor filling the gate, and the son born on the isle of the Penglai, are among the admired passages of the poet's lyrics. Critics praise the lyric's joy: the blessing gathered in the virtue, to the close's Penglai.

宋代贺诞祝寿之词,向为论词者所轻,然其于词史民俗研究之价值,不容忽视。吕胜己此作,虽无深刻寄托,而自有一种质朴真率之美。全词无一藻饰语,无一冷僻典,如田家父老相贺,口吻逼肖,而喜气溢于纸外;「神仙谪下看看到」「不比人间早」诸语,俚俗之中,别饶风趣,正是宋人所谓「词中白话,自有一种佳处」。以词贺子,前人偶有所作,而通篇以俗语作颂、以仙凡作衬者,此词堪称典型。况周颐《蕙风词话》论宋词有「拙、重、大」之说,吕氏此词,字句不事雕琢,情意朴拙真诚,虽不足以当「重」「大」,而其「拙」处,正见民间词活泼泼的生命力。又此词与文人词多用代字、矜奇炫博者不同,通篇直说其事、直抒其情,贺则贺矣,无半字虚饰,反觉亲切动人,正合古人「修辞立其诚」之旨。置之《渭川居士词》中,此作虽非压卷,而能保存当日民俗风情之一角,其文献意义,实过于其文学意义,词史家于此,不可不察。

Prosody

Form A short ci lyric of the blessing (ci diao)词·点绛唇（双调四十一字体）

Rhyme The lyric rhymes on the level and the oblique of the group — the cadence of the short ci that carries the auspicious joy.通押仄声韵,以上声皓、筱部与去声号部互叶（到、耗、了、报、道、岛、早）,统属词韵第八部萧豪部

Tone pattern The cadence is that of the blessing: the level opening with the vapor, the turning with the virtue, and the close's fall with the Penglai.仄韵到底,上片四句三仄韵,下片五句四仄韵,句式长短参差,音节明快清脆,合贺喜之词声情

Reading note The lyric's sound matches its joy: the cadences of the short ci, and the close — 'bi ren jian zao' — falls with the not comparing, the sound of the Penglai of the blessed poet.《点绛唇》为晚唐五代以来流传极广的小令,双调四十一字,上片四句、三仄韵,下片五句、四仄韵,句式以四、五、七、三字为主,短小轻快,最宜写小巧之情与应酬之喜。吕胜己此词通押词韵第八部萧豪部仄声,以上声「了、岛、早」与去声「到、耗、报、道」互叶,上声其音低徊,去声其音清远,一低一清,交错成声,如爆竹连响,节奏分明,正与贺子之喜的欢快气氛相合。句中「瑞气盈门」四字起,平平仄平,从容而庄;「神仙谪下看看到」七字,平平仄仄平平仄,一句之中,平仄起伏,如喜乐之渐扬;至「弧矢呈祥了」「果生蓬岛」诸短句,三字收束,顿挫有力,声情俱爽。通观全词,句短韵密,节促音欢,声调之轻快与内容之喜庆,可谓表里如一,可见此调在宋代词人笔下已成为贺喜祝颂的专用声腔,其声情与体制相须之理,于此可得印证。

Line by line

瑞气盈门，神仙谪下看看到。

The auspicious vapor, filling, the gate, the immortal, exiled, descending, look, and, see.

祥瑞之气充盈家门,连天上的神仙也谪降凡尘,特地来看一看。

Auspicious breath fills the door; even the immortals have descended to earth to come and see.

起句先布祥瑞,是贺词的开门见山法。「瑞气盈门」四字,写喜气充溢门庭,为全篇定下吉庆的基调;「神仙谪下看看到」则奇思突至:不说此儿不凡,而说神仙也降凡来看,仿佛满门祥瑞连仙人都惊动了,忍不住下来一睹为快。「看看到」三字,口语化极强,仿佛邻人探看新生婴儿时那种探头探脑、喜不自胜的神情,亲切而有趣。此句以仙衬凡,以俚语写瑞,既抬举了新生的孩子,又渲染了满堂的喜气,起笔便见贺词「讨彩头」的本色,也见词人善以家常话作吉祥语的工夫,俗而不失其真。

The opening first lays the auspiciousness, the straight-to-the-point method of a congratulatory ci. The four words auspicious breath fills the door write the joy flooding the household, fixing the festive key of the whole piece. Then the immortals have descended to earth to come and see brings a sudden fancy: instead of saying the child is extraordinary, it says the immortals themselves have come down to look, as if the household's auspiciousness has stirred even the gods, who cannot help but descend and see. The three words come and see are highly colloquial, like the eager peeking of a neighbor come to see the newborn, warm and amusing. The line sets the mortal against the immortal, writes auspiciousness in homely words, both exalting the child and rendering the joy of the hall; from the first stroke it shows the congratulatory ci's love of the lucky phrase, and the poet's skill at making auspicious words from household speech - homely yet true.

弧矢呈祥了。

The bow and arrow now announce the auspicious sign.

悬弧之礼已成,果然是生了男儿的祥兆。

The bow-and-arrow rite is complete - the blessed sign of a son is born.

「弧矢」用《礼记·内则》生子悬弧于门左的古礼,明点生男之意,是全词点题之笔。「呈祥了」三字,以「了」字收口,如释重负,又如称心遂愿,喜气自见。此句虽短,而分量不轻:它把上句「瑞气盈门」的抽象祥瑞,落实为具体的生男之喜,又为下句「种德阴功,自有多男报」的因果之论张本。古人重男嗣,悬弧之礼既行,则门祚有继,阖家欣慰之情,尽在「了」字之中。此句单行短句,独立成句,在词中顿出一拍,正是《点绛唇》句式参差之美,于急促之中见明朗,把生子之喜写得斩截痛快,是贺词点题最干脆利落的一笔。

The bow and arrow borrow the Book of Rites rite of hanging the bow at the left of the door when a son is born, plainly naming the birth of a boy, the point where the ci strikes its theme. The three words announce the auspicious sign close with the word now, like a weight lifted, like a wish fulfilled, the joy plain. Short as it is, it carries weight: it grounds the abstract auspiciousness of auspicious breath fills the door in the concrete joy of a son, and prepares the causal argument of the next line - virtue sown, secret merit done, surely the reward of many sons. The ancients valued an heir; the rite done means the line of the house continues, and the whole family's delight is held in the single word now. The short, single line stands by itself, striking a beat in the ci - the varied phrasing of the Rouged Lips melody, bright amid the quick rhythm, writing the joy of a son's birth with decisive relish, the crispest stroke where the congratulatory ci strikes its theme.

种德阴功，自有多男报。

Planting, the virtue, the hidden merit, of, the self, having, the many sons, the report.

种下的德行、暗积的功德,自然会有多子多男的好报应。

The virtue sown and the secret merit done will surely bring the reward of many sons.

此二句是全词的命意所在,由庆贺转入颂德,笔法圆转。「种德阴功」,谓先人积善行德,不使人知,所谓「阴德」;「自有多男报」,本《庄子·天地》华封人祝尧「多男」之典,谓上天自有报应,多生男儿,便是福报的显证。一「种」一「报」,因果相衔,把新生儿的到来,说成是祖上阴德积累的必然结果,既安慰了生子之家,又颂扬了其家风,措辞得体,不卑不亢。「自有」二字,语含笃定,仿佛天理昭彰,分毫不爽,是祝者由衷的信念,亦是民间「积善之家必有余庆」观念的生动呈现,为全词注入一层温厚的劝善之意。

These two lines are the ci's very meaning, turning from congratulation to praise of virtue, the brush turning round. Virtue sown and secret merit done means ancestors accumulating goodness without others knowing, the so-called hidden virtue; surely the reward of many sons is from Zhuangzi's Hua Feng man wishing Yao many sons, meaning heaven has its reward, and many sons born is the plain proof of blessedness. One sowing, one reward, cause and effect linked, making the newborn's arrival the necessary fruit of the ancestors' hidden merit, at once comforting the family and praising their stock, the phrasing apt, neither fawning nor stiff. The words surely hold certainty, as if heaven's law were manifest and exact, the earnest belief of the one who offers the wish and a vivid rendering of the folk idea that the house that does good has always surplus blessing, infusing the ci with a warm, homely exhortation to goodness.

果生蓬岛。

Indeed he was born on the isle of Penglai.

果然,这孩儿是生于蓬莱仙岛的仙种。

Indeed, this child was born on the fairy isle of Penglai.

结句以「蓬岛」作结,把贺词颂扬之意推到极致。「果生蓬岛」,谓这孩儿果然是蓬莱仙山降下的仙种,「果」字与上句「还知道」相呼应,仿佛早有预感,如今果然应验,语气笃定而欣然。蓬莱为海上神山,仙人居之,以「蓬岛」拟其儿,则此儿之不凡,已非人间凡胎可比,父家的欣喜与骄傲,尽在其中。然此句妙在收而不尽:既是仙种,则此儿前程,岂复限量?言外之意,正是「此儿必贵」的殷殷期待。以仙岛作结,全词由「瑞气」起、由「仙岛」收,首尾笼罩于仙祥之气中,喜庆的浓度达到顶点,而戛然止笔,把想象的空间留给读者,是贺词结句「以仙收束、余味不尽」的妙手。

The closing ends on the fairy isle, pushing the congratulatory praise to the limit. Born indeed on Penglai means the child was truly born from the fairy seed of the Penglai isles; the word indeed echoes the earlier has come to know, as if it had long been foreseen and now fulfilled, the tone certain and delighted. Penglai is the holy isle of the eastern sea, home of the immortals; comparing the child to Penglai, his extraordinariness is beyond any mortal frame, and the father's joy and pride are all in it. The beauty of the line is that it closes without exhausting: if he is fairy seed, then his future is beyond measure? The unspoken meaning is the earnest expectation that this child will surely be eminent. Ending on the fairy isle, the ci opens on auspicious breath and closes on the fairy isle, head and tail wrapped in an air of blessedness, the festive feeling at its peak; the brush stops short, leaving the space of imagination to the reader - the congratulatory art of closing on the immortal, with aftertone not exhausted.

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Word focus

盈 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「瑞气盈门」之「盈」,是起句立景之字,写喜气之盛,恰到好处。「盈」有充满、充盈之义,与「满」字近而微异:满者,满则溢,有界限之感;盈者,充塞其间,不见边缘。着一「盈」字,瑞气便不是薄薄一层,而是充溢门庭、无所不在,如春水满池,自内而外地涌动。且「盈门」二字,古已有之,如《易经》「积善之家,必有余庆」的庆字,与盈门之瑞正相发明,读者自会联想到善门之庆。此字朴素而准确,不事雕琢而气象自足,把贺词起笔的吉祥氛围一笔写透,正见词人于寻常字面中取意的工夫,是「以平常字写不平常之气」的范例。

谪 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「神仙谪下看看到」之「谪」,是全词最具仙气、也最见巧思的一字。「谪」本指贬谪、流放,道家则以「谪仙」称由天界谪降凡间的仙人,李白即被贺知章称为「谪仙人」。词人不说神仙「下来」,而说「谪下」,一则暗用「谪仙」之典,把神仙与凡间连成一条仙凡之路;一则隐含谐趣:仿佛神仙犯了什么小过,被贬下凡,顺路来看看这家孩子,满纸皆是亲切的调侃。着一「谪」字,仙凡的距离顿时拉近,神的威重与人的亲昵并存,为这喜庆的场面添一分仙气,也添一分趣味,是贺词中以典故生发谐趣的妙笔,俗中有雅,雅不伤俗。

祥 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「弧矢呈祥了」之「祥」,是点题句中的着力字。「祥」为吉祥、祥兆,悬弧本只是生男之礼,着一「祥」字,这寻常礼俗便有了天意的色彩:仿佛连弓矢都预先感应了吉兆,专等这个男孩的诞生。「呈祥」与上句「瑞气盈门」呼应,使全词始终笼罩在祥瑞的气氛之中,笔不脱题。且「祥」字与「了」字连读,「呈祥了」三字,短促而轻快,如报喜的锣声,一敲而止,喜气却久久不散。此字选得平常,用得妥帖,使生子之题由礼俗升华为祥瑞,正见贺词「凡事皆取吉义」的笔法,也见词人善于在寻常处点出吉祥意趣的功力。

多男 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「自有多男报」之「多男」,是借用经典最见分寸的一字。「多男」本于《庄子·天地》华封人祝尧「使圣人多男子」之语,后世遂以「多男」为祝人多子的美辞。词人此处不用「多子」而用「多男」,一则取典有据,典雅而不俚;二则「男」字直指所贺之对象,与「弧矢呈祥」的生子之题紧密呼应,使颂德之辞不离贺子之本。且「多男」与「阴功」对举,暗寓因果:阴功为因,多男为果,报应不爽,劝善之意自在其中。此二字看似平易,实经史百家随手拈来,正是宋词应酬之作「以学问为颂祷」的本领,也是吕胜己词「质而不俚、俗而有典」的缩影。

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