宋 Song · 诗 Poem
近自钟山采松花和汤甚美送汤一甖呈仲文学士 其二
Recently I Gathered Pine-Pollen from Bell Mountain and Made a Soup — Exceedingly Fine; Sending a Jar of the Soup to Academician Zhongwen, No. 2
日精月华所滋结，金匮琼笈称灵珍。
味胜仙人掌中露，色如游女衣上尘。
饵之伐邪炼神魄，久且长年登高真。
轻瑿茯菟乃沦滓，嘉赏当问清遐人。
Its flavor surpasses the dew in an immortal's palm; its color is like the dust on a wandering maid's robe.
Eating it dispels evil and refines the spirit-soul; long, it prolongs life and ascends to the High Perfected.
Light amber, poria, and dodder are but fallen dregs; such fine appreciation should be asked of those clear and far-removed.
Meaning
A poem celebrating a soup made from pine-pollen gathered at Bell Mountain and sent to a friend. It praises the soup's celestial origin, superior flavor and color, and its life-prolonging efficacy, while dismissing lesser elixirs — a gentle gift-poem reflecting the Northern Song literati's love of health-cultivation and Daoist leisure.
松花得日精月华滋育凝结，藏之金匮琼笈之中，堪称灵异珍奇。其味胜过仙人掌中之露，其色如同游女衣上之尘（轻白）。服食它能祛除邪气、炼养神魄，久服且可长年、登住高真之境。轻瑿茯菟之属不过沦为滓质，此等嘉赏当去问清远遐举之人。
Appreciation
A seven-character regulated octave ordered as treasure-flavor-efficacy-discrimination. The opening writes the source of its spiritual preciousness; the second couplet contrasts immortal and mortal to write its flavor and color with clever simile; the third writes the efficacy of eating it; the close discriminates among substances and defers to the clear-and-far person. The whole enters Daoist dietary language into poetry, clear and elegant without dryness.
【白话串讲】 张方平送松花汤其二：“日精月华所滋结，金匮琼笈称灵珍”。“味胜仙人掌中露”——“饵之伐邪炼神魄，久且长年登高真”——他写松花的灵效。 【意象与手法】 此诗咏松花汤（赠物），章法以「珍—味—效—辨」为序。起联「日精月华」「金匮琼笈」写其灵珍之所由；次联「掌中露」「衣上尘」以仙凡对写其味色之妙；三联「伐邪炼神」「长年高真」写服食之效；结联「轻瑿茯菟」「清遐人」以辨品收束，推许此汤之超。通篇以道家服食语入诗，清雅而不枯。 【情感与主旨】 主旨在于赞美钟山松花所和之汤的灵珍与服食之功，既状其味色之胜，更揭其祛邪长年之效，末以「清遐人」收，暗含对仲文学士（及己身）慕道养生之趣的推许，是宋人咏物诗中清雅一路。 【名句点睛】 「味胜仙人掌中露，色如游女衣上尘」一联最见巧譬，以仙露比味、以衣尘比色，清奇俏丽，是咏物诗中难得的灵笔。
Background
Zhang Fangping's poem, titled 'Recently I Gathered Pine-Pollen from Bell Mountain and Made a Soup — Exceedingly Fine; Sending a Jar to Academician Zhongwen, No. 2,' was written when he recently gathered pine-pollen from Bell Mountain, made it into a soup, found it delicious, and sealed a jar to send to his friend Academician Zhongwen; this is the second of the set. In mid-Northern Song, literati enjoyed health-cultivation and making soups and elixirs as a refined game — Su Shi and Huang Tingjian both have elegant experiments with tea and soup; pine-pollen as a dietary supplement is ancient, especially valued by Daoists. Zhang was deep in Daoist arts, and his collected works contain many health-cultivation pieces. The poem was likely written during his friendship and shared appreciation of fine things with Zhongwen. Terms like 'essence of sun and moon,' 'long life and High Perfected,' 'clear and far person' are all Daoist dietary language. To understand it, place it in the Song literati's background of valuing fine play, health-cultivation, and Daoism to appreciate the refined friendship of sealing soup and sending to a friend.
张方平此诗，题作「近自钟山采松花和汤甚美送汤一甖呈仲文学士 其二」，乃其近自钟山采松花、和以成汤、味甚美，遂封一甖（瓶）寄呈友人仲文学士之作，此为第二首。北宋中期，文人雅好服食养生、制汤饵之戏，苏轼、黄庭坚辈皆有试茶、制汤之雅；松花（松黄）入服食，古已有之（如《神农本草》载松脂、松黄延年），道家尤重。方平深于道术，其集中多养生、服食之作。此诗当作于其与仲文交游、共赏清玩之际。诗中「日精月华」「长年高真」「清遐人」，皆道家服食语。读懂此诗，须置之于宋人「尚清玩、重养生、慕道家」的雅趣背景中，方能体会那份封汤寄友、以清雅相尚的文人交情。宋人雅尚清玩，制汤饵、寄好友，皆成韵事，方平此诗封松花汤以寄仲文，正是其流；诗中道家服食语络绎，可见北宋文人养生慕道之风已入日常酬唱。宋人清玩之风，自茶酒汤饵皆能入诗，方平封汤寄友，正其闲雅性情与慕道之趣交相映发之一例。
Art
A seven-character regulated octave of eight lines, with the pine-pollen soup as thread, its structure clear and elegant yet tight. 'Nourished by sun and moon's essence, stored in golden caskets and jade cases, called a spirit-treasure' opens by writing the source of its preciousness. 'Flavor surpasses the dew in an immortal's palm; color like dust on a wandering maid's robe' contrasts immortal and mortal with clever, novel simile. 'Eating it dispels evil and refines the spirit-soul; long it prolongs life and ascends to the High Perfected' writes the efficacy. 'Light amber, poria, and dodder are but fallen dregs; such fine appreciation should be asked of those clear and far' closes by discriminating substances, deferring to the transcendent. The whole enters Daoist dietary language without falling into the air of mere recipe; antithesis is neat, similes fresh — a fine example of the Song object-chanting clear-elegant line, also revealing the well-bred side of Zhang's fluent style.
此诗七言律格，四联八句，以咏松花汤为线，章法清雅而缜密。「日精月华所滋结，金匮琼笈称灵珍」起联写其灵珍之所由，日精月华滋结、金匮琼笈珍藏，先立「珍」字；「味胜仙人掌中露，色如游女衣上尘」次联以仙凡对写，掌中露比味、衣上尘比色，巧譬清奇；「饵之伐邪炼神魄，久且长年登高真」三联写服食之效，伐邪炼魄、长年高真，由味色转入功用；「轻瑿茯菟乃沦滓，嘉赏当问清遐人」结联以辨品收束，轻瑿茯菟沦为滓质、此汤当问清遐之人，推许超迈。通篇以道家服食语入诗而不堕方技之气，对仗工稳、譬喻新颖，是宋人咏物「清雅一路」的佳作，亦见方平疏畅诗风中雅驯的一面。由灵珍之由、味色之妙、服食之效，终归辨品之论，层次清晰；巧譬如掌中露、衣上尘，清奇不纤，通篇以方技语写清雅，对仗工而意不枯，咏物诗中难得之雅制。其对仗如灵珍与味色、服食与辨品，工稳而不板，巧譬层出不穷而意归清雅，咏物至此乃能脱伧气而臻雅境。
Allusions
The poem's terms all come from health-cultivation and Daoist lore. 'Essence of sun and moon' means the vital essence of sun and moon; Daoists hold that all things become spirit through it, so the pine-pollen is precious. 'Golden casket and jade case' originally vessels for storing secret scriptures and immortal books; Zhang borrows it for the vessel storing the pine-pollen soup, also implying its preciousness. 'Dew in an immortal's palm' uses the allusion of the immortal catching dew, comparing the soup's clear sweetness. 'Dust on a wandering maid's robe' comes from the Nine Songs wandering maid's robe; Zhang uses 'dust on the robe' to compare the soup's light whiteness — clever and new. 'Long life and ascending the Perfected' comes from Daoist teachings of long life and becoming a perfected; 'light amber, poria, dodder' refers to light-body amber and poria and dodder, dietary items — Zhang disparages them as 'fallen dregs' inferior to the pine-pollen soup; 'clear and far person' means one clear, far-removed, who seeks the Dao. The terms weave a web of health-cultivation meaning.
诗中术语皆出服食养生与道家故实。「日精月华」谓日月之精气，道家以为万物得之而灵，松花承之故珍；「金匮琼笈」本藏秘籍仙书之器（如《黄帝内经》藏金匮），方平借谓珍藏松花汤之器，兼喻其贵。「仙人掌中露」用仙人承露之典（如汉武帝铜仙承露），以比汤味之清甘；「游女衣上尘」本《楚辞·九歌》游女之衣，方平以「衣上尘」喻汤色之轻白，巧而新。「长年登高真」本道家长年、登真之说（如《真诰》）；「轻瑿茯菟」指轻身之瑿（琥珀类）与茯苓、菟丝等服食之品，方平以「沦滓」贬其不及松花汤；「清遐人」谓清远遐举、慕道之人。诸语织成一张服食养生的意义之网。日精月华、金匮琼笈、长年登真、轻瑿茯菟，皆服食家言，方平信手取用，以之比物、以之拟人，使一首汤饵小诗兼具养生故实之趣味，亦见宋人博学入诗之习。总而观之，日精月华金匮琼笈之属皆服食家言，方平取以比物拟人，使汤饵小诗兼具养生故实之趣，亦见宋人博学入诗之一斑。
Commentary
Though it chants a single jar of pine-pollen soup, the poem well reveals the Song literati's elegance in fine play and health-cultivation. Tang poets often chanted flowers and moon; Bai Juyi's 'pine-pollen cooked cold' also touches pine food; Zhang's poem purely uses Daoist dietary language for the soup — clear and elegant without dryness, the well-bred side of his fluent style. This skill of using recipe-language as poetry without falling into recipe-air fits the Song orientation of poetry through learning, elegance as valued. The Qing 'Song Shi Chao' calls Zhang 'not given to ornament,' yet this poem's ornament is in simile not diction — the line 'flavor surpasses the dew in an immortal's palm; color like dust on a wandering maid's robe' is most ingenious. Its close 'such fine appreciation should be asked of those clear and far' defers to the friend as a connoisseur, the warmth of sealing soup and sending afar palpable. This piece can be seen as representative of Northern Song literati health-cultivation poetry.
此诗虽咏一甖松花汤，却颇可见宋人清玩养生之雅。唐人咏物多写花月，如白居易「松黄酥煮冷」亦及松食；方平此诗则纯以道家服食语写汤，清雅而不枯，是其疏畅诗风中的雅驯一面。这种「以方技语为诗而不落方技气」的功夫，正合宋人「以学为诗、以雅为尚」的取向。清人《宋诗钞》称方平「不事雕琢」，然此诗雕琢在譬不在辞——「味胜仙人掌中露，色如游女衣上尘」一联，以仙露比味、以衣尘比色，清奇俏丽，最见巧思。其结「嘉赏当问清遐人」，以知味推许友人，封汤寄远之情蔼然。此篇可视为北宋文人服食清玩诗的代表，于研究宋人养生雅趣与咏物诗风颇有价值。咏物至宋，每以学入诗，方平此篇以道家语写松花汤，雕琢在譬而不在辞，故虽涉方技而无伧气；其封汤寄远之雅，正可与东坡茶诗同观，并为宋人清玩诗之双璧。其封汤寄远之雅，可与东坡茶诗同观，并为宋人清玩诗之双璧，淡而有味，最耐涵泳。
Prosody
Line by line
日精月华所滋结，金匮琼笈称灵珍。
Nourished and condensed by the essence of sun and moon, stored in golden caskets and jade cases, it is called a spirit-treasure.
松花得日精月华滋育凝结，藏之金匮琼笈之中，堪称灵异珍奇。
Nourished and congealed by the essence of sun and moon, in the golden casket and jade scrolls it is named a magic treasure.
起联写灵珍之所由，是全诗立「珍」之处。上句「日精月华所滋结」谓松花得日月精气滋育凝结，先点其灵异之来源；下句「金匮琼笈称灵珍」以藏之金匮琼笈、称其灵珍，再点其贵。二句由「所由」到「所称」，把一物之珍写得有本有末。此联之妙，在以「日精月华」这一道家语先立其灵，再以「金匮琼笈」这一珍藏语坐实其珍，虚实相生。更可味者，「所滋结」之「结」字吃紧，松花非寻常草木，乃精气所结，暗伏后文「长年高真」之效。宋诗尚雅，此联以服食语起手而不觉方技气，是方平雅驯处。
The opening writes the source of the magic treasure, the place where the poem establishes its preciousness. The first, nourished and congealed by the essence of sun and moon, says the pine pollen is nourished and congealed by the essence of sun and moon, first pointing out its numinous source. The second, in the golden casket and jade scrolls it is named a magic treasure, says it is stored in the golden casket and jade scrolls and named a magic treasure, again pointing out its value. The two lines move from the source to the name, writing one thing's preciousness with both root and branch. The couplet's beauty lies in first establishing its numinosity through the Taoist words essence of sun and moon, then confirming its preciousness through the treasure words golden casket and jade scrolls, the void and solid feeding each other. What is more to taste is that the word congealed in nourished and congealed is weighty: pine pollen is no ordinary herb, but congealed by the essence, secretly laying the ground for the later effect of long life and the high truth. Song poetry prizes elegance; this couplet opens in words of taking an elixir without the smell of formula, the place of Fangping's elegance.
味胜仙人掌中露，色如游女衣上尘。
Its flavor surpasses the dew in an immortal's palm; its color is like the dust on a wandering maid's robe.
其味胜过仙人掌中之露，其色如同游女衣上之尘（轻白）。
Its flavor surpasses the dew on the immortal's palm; its color is like the dust on the roaming maiden's robe.
此联以巧譬写味色，是全诗最灵巧之笔。上句「味胜仙人掌中露」以仙人承露盘所接之露比汤味之清甘，且曰「胜」，见其美过仙露；下句「色如游女衣上尘」以《楚辞》游女衣上轻尘喻汤色之白而轻，新巧绝伦。二句一写味、一写色，以仙、以艳对举，巧而不纤。此联之重，在把一首服食诗写出清奇俏丽——掌中露是仙、衣上尘是艳，仙艳相映，松花汤之妙尽出。更可味者，「胜」字见推许之笃，「如」字见拟物之切，一肯定一比方，章法稳称。中二联处于由「珍」转入「效」的枢纽，以巧譬振起全篇，是宋诗以譬写物之妙。
This couplet writes flavor and color through clever metaphors, the poem's most deft brush. The first, its flavor surpasses the dew on the immortal's palm, compares the brew's clear sweetness to the dew caught on the immortal's dew-catching tray, and says surpasses, showing its beauty beyond immortal dew. The second, its color is like the dust on the roaming maiden's robe, uses the Chuci roaming maiden's light dust on her robe to meta-phor the brew's white and light color, exquisitely new. The two lines, one writing flavor one writing color, pairing the immortal and the beauty, clever yet not slender. The couplet's weight lies in writing an elixir-taking poem with clear wonder and charm - the palm-dew is immortal, the robe-dust is beauty, and the immortal and the beauty shine on each other, the wonder of the pine-pollen brew fully out. What is more to taste is that the word surpasses shows the earnestness of the praise, and the word like shows the exactness of the comparison, one affirmation one simile, the structure steady. The middle two couplets stand at the hinge from precious to effect, lifting the whole with clever metaphor, the Song way of writing a thing through simile.
轻瑿茯菟乃沦滓，嘉赏当问清遐人。
Light amber, poria, and dodder are but fallen dregs; such fine appreciation should be asked of those clear and far-removed.
轻瑿茯菟之属不过沦为滓质，此等嘉赏当去问清远遐举之人。
Light amber and China-root and dodder are but dregs; this rare thing should be praised with the clear far-roaming man.
结联以辨品收束，是全诗推许之归。上句「轻瑿茯菟乃沦滓」以轻瑿（琥珀类）、茯苓、菟丝等常服之品反衬，谓其不过沦为滓质，不及此汤；下句「嘉赏当问清遐人」以「清遐人」收束，言此等嘉赏当去问清远遐举、慕道之人（即仲文学士与己）。二句将前面所有灵珍、味色、功效的铺写，收束为一「辨」字——辨此汤之超，辨知味之人。此联之妙，在以他物之「滓」衬此汤之「珍」，再以「清遐人」点出知音，封汤寄友之情蔼然。方平借物写交，正见其以清雅相尚的文人趣味。全篇以珍起、以人合，章法圆融，是咏物诗得体之笔。
The closing gathers in discerning the quality, the归宿 of the poem's praise. The first, light amber and China-root and dodder are but dregs, uses the commonly taken things light amber (a kind of amber), poria and dodder as a foil, saying they at last sink to dreg quality, not matching this brew. The second, this rare thing should be praised with the clear far-roaming man, closes with the clear far-roaming man, saying this rare thing should be judged with the clear and far-roaming, Way-longing man (that is, the Academician Zhong and himself). The two lines gather all the preceding spread of magic treasure, flavor and color, and effect into the single word discern - discerning this brew's transcendence, discerning the man who knows the flavor. The couplet's beauty lies in using the dregs of other things to set off this brew's preciousness, then pointing out the understanding friend with the clear far-roaming man, the feeling of sealing the brew and sending to a friend warm and kind. Fangping writes friendship through the thing, exactly showing the literary taste of valuing elegance and purity. The whole poem opens in preciousness and closes in the man, the structure round, the proper brush of an object-singing poem.
Study
Word focus
Related Reading
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