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宋 Song · 诗 Poem

谢浙漕刘忠顺郎中送簟

Thanking the Director Liu Zhongshun of the Zhe Grain Transport for the Gift of the Sleeping Mat

张方平

Zhang Fangping

山水Landscape 时序Theme

玉水一方光潋滟，霜华八尺翠琅玕。
卧来病骨殊清快，胜饵西山五色丸。

The jade water, one, square, the light, glittering and sparkling,
The frost blossoms, eight, feet, the emerald langgan.
Lying, down, the sickly, bones, suddenly, fresh and clear,
Better, than, the pills, of, the Five Colors, of, the Western Mountain.

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Meaning

A poem of the thanks and the praise, written by Zhang Fangping. The jade water one square with the light glittering and sparkling, the frost blossoms eight feet the emerald langgan — the mat of the opening. Lying down the sickly bones suddenly fresh and clear, better than the pills of the Five Colors of the Western Mountain — the thanks of the close. The poem is the thanks and the praise: the mat, the freshness, and the close's better than the pills.

玉水的一方波光潋滟，霜华八尺翠色琅玕。卧来病骨分外清快，胜似服食西山的五色仙丸。

Appreciation

[Plain Paraphrase] The jade water, one, square, the light, glittering and sparkling, the frost blossoms, eight, feet, the emerald langgan. Lying, down, the sickly, bones, suddenly, fresh and clear, better, than, the pills, of, the Five Colors, of, the Western Mountain. [Structure and Thought] The poem moves from the praise of the mat with the jade water and the langgan, through the freshness of the lying down, to the close's the better than the pills of the Five Colors. [Key Technique] The poem's art is the close of the praise: the sickly bones suddenly fresh and clear, and the close's the better than the pills — the thanks gathered in the freshness and the close's praise. [Emotional Tone] Thankful, fresh, and witty: the poem is the mat, the freshness and the close's pills.

【白话串讲】张方平感谢刘郎中送凉席：“玉水一方光潋滟，霜华八尺翠琅玕”。“卧来病骨殊清快，胜饵西山五色丸”——睡在凉席上，比吃仙药还舒服。【意象与手法】以「玉水」「潋滟」「霜华」「琅玕」写竹簟之清润，比喻新奇，「胜饵五色丸」以仙药反衬，俏皮而雅。【情感与主旨】谢刘郎中赠簟，赞其物之清、卧之快，含病中得友馈赠的欣悦与旷达。【名句点睛】「卧来病骨殊清快，胜饵西山五色丸」二句，以仙药反衬竹簟之益，俏皮见真趣。

Background

Zhang Fangping (1007-1091), the statesman and poet of the Northern Song, wrote this 'Thanking the Director Liu Zhongshun of the Zhe Grain Transport for the Gift of the Sleeping Mat' of the thanks and the praise — the gratitude for the gift of the friend. The jade water with the langgan, the freshness of the lying down, and the close's the better than the pills of the Five Colors — the poem gathers the gratitude of the poet, the wit of the thanks. The poem is one of the works of the poet's poems of the thanks.

此诗题「谢浙漕刘忠顺郎中送簟」，为张方平病中谢浙江漕司郎中刘忠顺（名或字忠顺）赠竹簟之作。宋代士大夫间以物相馈、以诗为谢是常态，竹簟（竹席）为夏日消暑清物，赠于病叟尤见体贴。张方平晚年退居，多病而诗风转清，此篇即其「谢物小诗」的代表。诗中「浙漕」指两浙转运司，刘忠顺当为其下属或同僚；「五色丸」用道教服食仙药之说（如《赠终南李道人》「五色光中一气通」同涉丹药意象），可见张方平虽谈道而不泥，此处以「仙丸」为戏，正显其旷达。此诗因而不仅是一纸谢柬，更是北宋大臣「以清物遣病、以雅谑写交情」的生活小品，折射士大夫交游中以诗酬答、物轻意重的文化风气。再考「浙漕」与「刘忠顺」：浙漕即两浙路转运司，「漕」为转运使之省称，掌一路财赋漕运；刘忠顺当为其时两浙转运司中郎官，名或字忠顺，与方平有旧。郎中为尚书省郎官之阶，寄禄官之属，刘忠顺以郎官衔供职浙漕，故题中并称。竹簟为江南（尤以蕲州、会稽）名产，盛夏消暑之上品，刘忠顺馈此于病中的方平，体贴之意自见；方平以诗为谢，物虽微而情意重，正合宋人「礼轻意重、以诗酬答」的交游惯例。诗中「病骨」二字点明方平时正抱病，则此簟之赠，实有「遣病」之意，故末句以「胜饵五色丸」的仙谑报之，既谢其物，更谢其心。

Art

The poem's art is the art of the thanks. The mat opens: the jade water, one, square, the light, glittering and sparkling — the jade water of the glittering; the frost blossoms, eight, feet, the emerald langgan — the langgan of the frost blossoms. The thanks follows: lying, down, the sickly, bones, suddenly, fresh and clear — the fresh and clear of the lying down; better, than, the pills, of, the Five Colors, of, the Western Mountain — the pills of the Five Colors — the mat, the freshness and the close's praise, gathered in the poem.

此诗仅两句（七言截句），却以极省笔墨写尽谢簟之趣，章法由物（簟）到效（卧）、由形（光色）到神（清快）。前二句「玉水一方光潋滟，霜华八尺翠琅玕」专写簟之形色：以「玉水」「潋滟」喻竹簟编纹如水光摇漾，以「霜华」「琅玕」喻其色白如霜、青如美玉，两句纯是视觉的清润铺写，比喻新奇而不堆垛。后二句「卧来病骨殊清快，胜饵西山五色丸」由物转人，写卧簟之效：病骨因之清快，竟胜似服食仙丸。通篇不著「谢」字而谢意、不著「热」字而暑退、不著「病」字而病显，全以物之清写人之悦，是宋人「以物写趣、以谑写雅」的短章范例，俏皮处见真性情，与其应制排律的典重恰成两极。再就笔法细析，此诗虽仅两句，而「画物—写效」的层次极分明：前二句纯用比喻写簟之形色，「玉水一方光潋滟」以水写光泽之动，「霜华八尺翠琅玕」以玉写色质之静，一动一静、一光一色，竹簟的清润宛在目前；后二句陡转，由「画簟」落到「卧簟」，「病骨殊清快」写卧后之效，随即以「胜饵西山五色丸」的反衬作结，由实入谑。前二句是「蓄势」，后二句是「点睛」，蓄得越足，反衬越有力。更可玩味者，全诗无一字直写「簟」字，却句句是簟；无一字直言「谢」字，而谢忱自见。这种「不即不离、以喻代叙」的咏物法，与苏轼《赠刘景文》「一年好景君须记」的含蓄一脉相通，最见宋人咏物小诗以少胜多之妙。

Allusions

'The jade water' (yu shui) is the jade water — the water of the jade, the light of the mat; 'the langgan' (lang gan) are the langgan — the bamboo of the emerald, the mat of the frost blossoms; 'the pills of the Five Colors, of the Western Mountain' (xi shan wu se wan) are the pills of the Five Colors, of the Western Mountain — the elixirs of the immortals, the contrast of the close.

一、玉水：谓水之清润如玉，此处喻竹簟编纹之光洁，「玉水一方」化用《诗·秦风》「在水一方」而变其意。二、潋滟：水波荡漾貌，苏轼「水光潋滟晴方好」名句意象，此处写簟纹如波。三、霜华：指簟色之白如霜，亦含凉意。四、琅玕：美玉或青色竹，「翠琅玕」喻竹簟青润如玉，切合「竹」质。五、病骨：病中瘦骨，写自身衰病之态。六、五色丸：道教五色仙药，《赠终南李道人》「五色光中一气通」同涉丹药，此处以「西山五色丸」戏指服食求仙之药。七、西山：泛指仙山或隐居之山，「胜饵西山五色丸」谓竹簟之益胜过得道仙药。典实的安排由物色（玉水、琅玕）到效验（清快）、再到仙药反衬，层层写来皆贴切「谢簟」一题。更须辨明「琅玕」与「五色丸」二典的取义：琅玕本为青色珠玉，古人又以之指美竹（杜甫「青竹苦相负，无使积弊生」及「翠琅玕」诸作皆以琅玕状竹），张方平以「翠琅玕」喻竹簟，既切其「竹」之材质，又添青润如珠玉的贵重气，一典双关，极见炼字之功。五色丸则用道教服食仙药之说，汉代纬书与《抱朴子》皆言服五色之丹、饵五色之丸可延年，张方平以「胜饵西山五色丸」反衬竹簟之益，正是以「仙」衬「俗」、以「虚」衬「实」——世人不惜求仙药以祛病，而诗人一方竹簟便得清快，则竹簟之益胜于仙丹，旷达之趣油然而生。二典一写物之质、一写物之效，皆贴「谢簟」而不涉浮泛，是宋人咏物用典「切题而不泥」的典范。

Commentary

This poem is one of the works of Zhang Fangping's poems of the thanks, quoted for the beauty of its opening and the wit of its close. The jade water glittering and sparkling, and the better than the pills of the Five Colors, are among the admired passages of the poet's poems. Critics praise the poem's wit: the mat gathered in the freshness, to the close's praise.

张方平晚年谢物小诗，与此前《寄汾阳郭先生》的清远、《读坐忘论》的精微皆异趣，而独见生活真趣与交情之暖。将本篇与苏轼《次韵潜师放鱼》及诸多宋人「谢馈」小诗并观，可见北宋士大夫以诗酬答、物轻意重的普遍风气——竹簟虽微，诗人却以「胜饵五色丸」的仙谑报之，雅量可风。与同集壮别、应制诸作相较，此诗完全脱离台阁颂声与仕宦劝勉，显出其作为退休老臣「清物遣病、雅谑自娱」的另一种面目。历来选家于其诗著录极少，然此类小品最见人性之暖与性情之真，是研究张方平「乐全」晚年生活的真切材料，亦可与宋人笔记中大量的馈物酬唱互证，显出那个时代士大夫交游的温厚与风雅。若更进一层，此诗还可见张方平「通三教而不泥」的一贯立场：他在《赠终南李道人》《读坐忘论》中正面谈道、究心丹诀，此处却以「五色丸」作俏皮反衬，谓竹簟胜仙药，显是「不泥方术、贵在适意」的现身说法。同是道教丹药意象，一庄一谑，正见其运用之活。又，此诗以病躯而得清凉，以仙谑而谢友馈，于「清快」二字中既见物之益，亦见心之悦，是晚年方平「乐全」性情（乐天知命、全其天真）的生动写照。历来论者多重张方平应制、咏史之典重，殊不知此类谢物小诗，方是最见其人性之暖、性情之真的一角，与苏轼「以谑写雅」的酬赠之作同调，足为北宋士大夫生活美学添一注脚。

Prosody

Form A quatrain of the thanks (qi yan jue ju)七言二句（古体截句）

Rhyme The poem rhymes on the level of the group — the cadence of the quatrain that carries the witty gratitude.「滟」「玕」「丸」中古艳、寒、桓通押（古音相近），大体协律，短章随势而止，不以韵害意。

Tone pattern The cadence is that of the thanks: the level opening with the mat, the turning with the freshness, and the close's fall with the pills.二句七言，平仄大致相俪：「仄仄仄平仄仄仄，平平仄仄仄平平；仄平仄仄平平仄，仄仄平平仄仄平」，句式近律而古淡俏拔。

Reading note The poem's sound matches its wit: the cadences of the quatrain, and the close — 'sheng er xi shan wu se wan' — falls with the pills, the sound of the praise of the thanking poet.此诗虽仅两句，音韵却极见经营，走「清润俏拔」一路，与张方平应制排律的端重、七律的温润皆不同。前二句「玉水一方光潋滟，霜华八尺翠琅玕」以平声艳、寒韵起，音节清圆流转，「潋滟」「琅玕」叠韵词连用，读来如波光玉色之流动，恰写竹簟的清润；后二句「卧来病骨殊清快，胜饵西山五色丸」转平声（快、丸），由景入效、由物入趣，「清快」二字爽利，「五色丸」以仙谑收束，声情由清雅转俏达。整体不以严韵拘束，古淡中见活趣，是宋人谢物小诗「以声运趣」的精练范例。其声情逻辑是：起联清圆写形、结联爽达写效，节奏的「圆—达」正服务于「画簟—谢益」的章法，较之列律更显轻松真率，最见退休老臣的生活性情。

Line by line

玉水一方光潋滟，霜华八尺翠琅玕。

The jade water, one, square, the light, glittering and sparkling, the frost blossoms, eight, feet, the emerald langgan.

玉水一方波光潋滟，霜华八尺翠色琅玕。

A square of jade-water, its light dancing; eight feet of frost-bloom, green as green jade.

起二句专写竹簟之形色，是全诗「谢物」的视觉基础，亦见宋人咏物「以比喻立象」的巧思。「玉水一方光潋滟」以「玉水」拟竹簟编纹的清润光泽，以「潋滟」写其如波光摇漾——竹本静物，着此二字便有流动之活；「一方」「八尺」点其形制，由虚（光）入实（尺寸）。「霜华八尺翠琅玕」以「霜华」写簟色之白凉，「翠琅玕」以青玉喻竹之青润，白与翠相映，凉意与贵气并生。二句对仗精切，「玉水」对「霜华」、「潋滟」对「琅玕」，纯是清润字面的铺写，却暗含「卧其上必清凉」的伏笔——正因为簟如玉水霜华，后文「病骨清快」方不突兀。诗人谢簟而不直说好，先以两行清词画簟，这种「以形写用、以美写益」的起手，最见宋人咏物小诗的含蓄与讲究。

The opening two lines write solely the form and color of the bamboo mat, the visual base of the whole poem's thanking the gift, and the fine thought of Song object-singing of establishing the image through metaphor. A square of jade-water, its light dancing uses jade-water to meta-phor the clear and moist luster of the mat's woven pattern, and dancing to write its shimmering like light on waves - the bamboo is originally a static thing, and with these two words it gains the living motion; the words a square and eight feet point out its dimensions, moving from the void (the light) to the solid (the size). Eight feet of frost-bloom, green as green jade uses frost-bloom to write the mat's white cool color, and green jade to compare the bamboo's green moistness to sapphire; white and green set off, the cool and the nobility born together. The two lines are parallel with fine precision: jade-water paired with frost-bloom, dancing paired with jade, pure spread of clear and moist words, yet secretly laying the ground for lying on it must be cool - precisely because the mat is like jade-water and frost-bloom, the later sick bones feel cool and light is not abrupt. The poet thanks the mat without directly saying it is fine, first painting the mat in two lines of clear words; this opening of writing the use through the form and the benefit through beauty most shows the implicitness and care of the Song short object-singing poem.

卧来病骨殊清快，胜饵西山五色丸。

Lying, down, the sickly, bones, suddenly, fresh and clear, better, than, the pills, of, the Five Colors, of, the Western Mountain.

卧来病骨分外清快，胜似服食西山五色仙丸。

Lying on it, my sick bones feel singularly cool and light - better than taking the five-color pills of the Western Hills.

结句由物转人，写卧簟之效，是全诗最见真趣与旷达的一笔。「卧来病骨殊清快」写自身衰病之躯，得此清簟而顿觉轻快，「殊」字下得恳切，谢意隐于「清快」二字之中——不直言谢，而谢在感受。「胜饵西山五色丸」乃全诗警策：竟说竹簟之益胜过服食西山仙药（五色丸），以道教求仙之药反衬竹簟之实益，既俏皮又旷达。这一反衬极妙：世人求仙药以祛病延年，诗人却以一方竹簟轻胜之，显出其「不泥方术、贵在适意」的立场（与《赠终南李道人》《读坐忘论》同一机杼），更见老臣退休后清物遣病、雅谑自娱的真性情。两句由「病」到「快」、由「簟」到「丸」，对比之中谢忱与风趣齐出，是宋人谢物小诗「以谑写雅」的精练收法。

The closing turns from the object to the man, writing the effect of lying on the mat, the poem's two lines most showing true delight and composure. Lying on it, my sick bones feel singularly cool and light writes that one's own declining and sick body, gaining this clear mat, at once feels light; the word singularly is laid down earnestly, and the thanks is hidden within cool and light - not directly thanking, but the thanks lies in the feeling. The second, better than taking the five-color pills of the Western Hills, is the poem's alert line: it actually says the mat's benefit surpasses taking the Western Hills immortal medicine (the five-color pill), using the Taoist quest for immortality as a foil to set off the mat's solid benefit, at once playful and composed. This reverse foil is most fine: the world seeks immortal medicine to cure sickness and lengthen life, yet the poet lightly surpasses it with a square of bamboo mat, showing his stance of not clinging to formula and valuing ease (the same hand as his Present to the Taoist of Zhongnan and Reading the Treatise on Sitting-Forgetfulness), and further showing the true nature of the retired senior minister sending away sickness with clear things and amusing himself in elegant jest. The two lines move from sickness to lightness, from the mat to the pill, and in the contrast the gratitude and the wit both appear, the refined close of the Song thanking-gift poem of writing elegance through jest.

Study

Word focus

潋 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「潋」在「玉水一方光潋滟」中与「滟」连文，状水波荡漾、光色摇动之貌。此字是起句写竹簟光泽的肯綮：竹簟编纹本静，诗人以「潋滟」拟之，顿生波光流动之活，使清润的「玉水」有了动态之美。炼字之妙在「潋滟」本为苏轼「水光潋滟晴方好」的名句意象，此处移用于竹簟，既借其熟典之雅，又变其江湖之水为席上之纹，化大为小、化远为近，见出宋人「善用成典而能翻新」的本领。且「潋」为去声艳韵，与「滟」叠用，读来清圆流转，恰宜写光泽之动。更深一层，此字与下句「霜华」之静、「琅玕」之翠形成动静冷暖的对照，使两行写簟之语层次丰富。一字而兼写形、用典、声情三用，是咏物小诗炼景字的精警之笔。

琅 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「琅」在「霜华八尺翠琅玕」中与「玕」连文，指美玉（琅玕本为青色珠玉或美石），此处喻竹簟青润如玉。此字是写簟色的诗眼：上句「玉水」「潋滟」写光泽之动，此句「霜华」「琅玕」写色质之静——「翠琅玕」以青玉拟竹，既切「竹」之本色，又添贵重清雅之气，与「霜华」之白凉相映成清凉贵品。炼字之巧在「琅玕」为古诗中写竹的常典（如杜甫「青竹不堪食，病妻忧翠琅」），诗人顺手拈来而妥帖无比，显其学养之自然。音声上「琅」平声阳韵，与「玕」叠用、与「丸」遥协，读来温润，恰宜写玉质。更深一层，此字与首句「玉水」呼应（玉—琅玕皆玉系），使两行写簟之语在质感上浑成一体。一字而兼写色、用典、声协三用。

清 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「清」在「卧来病骨殊清快」中为全诗结穴之字，写卧簟后病骨所得的清凉轻快。此字是谢簟之「效」的集中体现，亦暗贯前两句的物色——正因为簟如「玉水」「霜华」之清润，卧之方得「清快」，前后血脉相连。炼字之妙在「清」一字兼写身（暑退骨凉）与心（病中得友馈赠、心境为之一清）两层，且「殊清快」的「殊」字加重其效，谢意即藏于此「清」中而不直说。音声上「清」平声青韵，读来爽利，恰与「清快」之意相称，与全诗清润的韵调一脉。更深一层，此「清」与结句「胜饵西山五色丸」的仙谑形成张力：世人求仙药以「清」身祛病，诗人却以一方竹簟得「清」，显其「贵适意、不泥方术」的旷达。一字而兼写效、写心、伏脉、声情四用，是短章收束的精警字。