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宋 Song · 诗 Poem

数日

These Days

赵师秀

Zhao Shixiu

写景Scenery 闲适Leisure 病中Theme

数日秋风欺病夫，尽吹黄叶下庭芜。
林疏放得遥山出，又被云遮一半无。

These, days, the autumn wind, cheating, the sickly, man,
Blowing, all, the yellow leaves, down, the courtyard, the weeds.
The sparse, woods, letting, out, the distant, hills,
Again, by, the clouds, covering, the half, gone.

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Meaning

A poem of the autumn and the sickness, written by Zhao Shixiu. These days the autumn wind cheating the sickly man, blowing all the yellow leaves down the courtyard the weeds — the autumn of the opening. The sparse woods letting out the distant hills, again by the clouds covering the half gone — the scene of the close. The poem is the autumn and the sickness: the wind, the leaves, and the close's clouds covering the hills.

连日来秋风仿佛有意欺凌我这病弱之身,把庭院中的黄叶吹落殆尽,荒芜满地。林木稀疏,才放得远处的青山露出面来;可随即又被云遮住,只剩半座山影了。随即又被云遮住,只剩下一半山影,仿佛没有了。

Appreciation

[Plain Paraphrase] These, days, the autumn wind, cheating, the sickly, man, blowing, all, the yellow leaves, down, the courtyard, the weeds. The sparse, woods, letting, out, the distant, hills, again, by, the clouds, covering, the half, gone. [Structure and Thought] The poem moves from the autumn of the wind and the yellow leaves, through the sparse woods letting out the distant hills, to the close's the clouds covering the half. [Key Technique] The poem's art is the close of the scene: the sparse woods letting out the distant hills, and the close's again the clouds covering the half — the autumn gathered in the scene and the close's covering. [Emotional Tone] Quiet, sickly, and slightly bitter: the poem is the wind, the leaves and the close's clouds.

【白话串讲】赵师秀写数日：“数日秋风欺病夫，尽吹黄叶下庭芜”——秋风欺负生病的人。“林疏放得遥山出，又被云遮一半无”——树林疏了，远处的山露出来，又被云遮住一半。他写病中的寂寥。【意象与手法】二十八字写出秋景的三层变幻，因果相生如连环：有秋风故黄叶尽，叶尽故林疏，林疏故遥山出，山出又为云遮。「欺」字拟人写秋风，诙谐中见酸楚；「放」「遮」二字写山影的明灭隐现，以动写静、以细写变，于衰飒中写出灵动机趣，正是永嘉四灵苦吟白描、于寻常字眼求奇趣的典型笔法。【情感与主旨】赵师秀病中数日，见秋风欺人、黄叶满庭、疏林间远山时隐时现，遂记此小景。诗中「秋风欺病夫」的自嘲含清苦况味，却于萧瑟中不作悲秋之语，反在云山出没的变幻间觅得一段隽永之趣，哀而不伤，是四灵「清苦而不枯槁」诗风的绝佳体现。【名句点睛】「林疏放得遥山出，又被云遮一半无」着一「放」字，仿佛疏林有意让出远山；「又」字写云来遮山，山影半隐半现，把自然写得曲折灵动，于平常秋景中见出机趣，是宋诗白描见趣、以小见大的典范。

Background

Zhao Shixiu (1170-1219), one of the 'Four Masters of the Yongjia' of the Southern Song, wrote this 'These Days' of the autumn and the sickness — the small scene of the sick man. The autumn wind with the yellow leaves, and the close's the sparse woods with the clouds covering the hills — the poem gathers the quietness of the poet, the bitterness of the autumn. The poem is one of the famous works of the master's poems of the small scenes.

赵师秀字紫芝,号灵秀,永嘉人,南宋诗人,与徐照(灵晖)、徐玑(灵渊)、翁卷(灵舒)并称「永嘉四灵」。四灵不满江西诗派以学问议论为诗的风气,转而师法中晚唐贾岛、姚合,以苦吟推敲、白描清苦为尚,诗风清新瘦硬,在当时影响颇大。赵师秀在四人中才名最著,诗最工整,有《清苑斋集》传世。《数日》一诗写病中数日见秋风催落黄叶、疏林透出远山而复被云遮的景象,于寻常秋景中写出一种流转变幻的趣味,是四灵体中的小品佳作。诗人晚年仕途偃蹇,一生清苦,多病多愁,诗中「秋风欺病夫」的「欺」字,正是以病弱之身受秋风欺陵的自嘲与自怜。此诗题曰「数日」,盖记连日所见所感,语浅而味永。据方回《瀛奎律髓》等文献所载,四灵「专以晚唐为宗,以清苦为工」,此诗正是其诗学主张的典型体现,也反映了南宋中叶诗坛由江西派转向晚唐体的风气转变。赵师秀生当南宋中叶,其时江西诗派流弊已显,四灵欲以「晚唐体」救之,其说虽不免矫枉过正,然于清新白描一路实有开创之功。此诗题「数日」,不标时地,不涉人事,唯记病中数日所见的秋光变化,正是四灵「以诗为日用」主张的具体实践。又,四灵之诗多作于山水田园之间,与江湖游士往还唱和,此诗写庭芜遥山之景亦可窥见其日常生活之清寂,以及于清寂中自得其趣的审美心态。又,四灵刻意追摹姚贾,然姚贾之诗常以苦吟见清峭,而四灵之诗多带一种轻灵的机趣,此诗即其显例。诗作于病中,而笔下殊少衰飒之气,反以「放」「遮」等字写出景物的活泼,可见诗人虽困于病榻,其观物之心依然明澈,这正是四灵所谓「诗思在灞桥风雪中」的另一重注脚。

Art

The poem's art is the art of the scene. The autumn opens: these, days, the autumn wind, cheating, the sickly, man — the autumn wind of the sickly man; blowing, all, the yellow leaves, down, the courtyard, the weeds — the yellow leaves of the courtyard. The scene follows: the sparse, woods, letting, out, the distant, hills — the distant hills of the sparse woods; again, by, the clouds, covering, the half, gone — the clouds of the covering — the autumn, the scene and the close's covering, gathered in the poem.

此诗短小精悍,却于二十八字中写出秋景的三层变幻,章法极妙。首句「数日秋风欺病夫」,以「欺」字拟人,秋风仿佛有意欺凌病弱之人,既写身体之不堪秋寒,又暗含自嘲之意,语调诙谐而情味酸楚;着一「病夫」自称,全诗的抒情基调由此定下。次句「尽吹黄叶下庭芜」,顺承秋风,写其势之猛:一个「尽」字极言黄叶吹落殆尽;「庭芜」二字写庭院荒芜,落叶满阶,秋色已深。三四句「林疏放得遥山出,又被云遮一半无」是全诗的妙处所在:秋叶落尽,林木稀疏,远处的青山才得露出;然而才一露头,又被云遮去一半。一「出」一「遮」,一「放」一「拦」,写尽山色在疏林与浮云间的明灭隐现,仿佛景物也有了生命的机趣。全诗以「病夫」之眼观秋,于衰飒之中却写出灵动之趣,哀而不伤,清而能婉,正是四灵「清苦而不枯槁」风格的上佳例证,也是宋人于平常景中见理趣的典型笔法。更可注意的是,此诗四句之间逻辑环环相扣:有秋风故有黄叶,有黄叶尽故有林疏,有林疏故有遥山出,有遥山出故有云遮一半,因果相生如连环相扣,而情感则在这层层递进的景物推移中隐然起伏。首句之「欺」定其情,后三句之「出」「遮」观其趣,由情入景,复由景寓情,短短二十八字,章法之细密、观察之精微皆臻上乘,足见四灵虽主平淡,而于经营惨淡处实有过人之功。

Allusions

'The autumn wind' (qiu feng) is the autumn wind — the wind of the autumn, the cheating of the sickly man; 'the courtyard, the weeds' (ting wu) are the courtyard, the weeds — the weeds of the courtyard, the yellow leaves of the fall; 'the distant hills' (yao shan) are the distant hills — the hills of the distance, the letting out of the sparse woods.

「秋风」「黄叶」的意象组合,在唐诗中已有深厚传统。贾岛《忆江上吴处士》「秋风生渭水,落叶满长安」,以秋风落叶写相思之深;韦应物《寄全椒山中道士》「落叶满空山,何处寻行迹」,以落叶空山写独往之意;赵师秀「尽吹黄叶下庭芜」正是这一意象传统的延续,而以「尽」「下」二字强化其势,又见出自家面目。「疏林放得遥山出」之「放」,妙在一字,令人想起王安石《书湖阴先生壁》「一水护田将绿绕,两山排闼送青来」的拟人笔法,以及王维「行到水穷处,坐看云起时」的云山意象;而「又被云遮一半无」的明灭之景,更近于李商隐《乐游原》「夕阳无限好,只是近黄昏」式的怅惘,只是赵师秀写得更为轻巧淡远。四灵力学姚贾,姚合诗有「竹色净流水,秋风高白云」之句,亦以云山意象见长,赵师秀此诗正是祖述姚贾而自出机杼之作,其融化前人意象而不露痕迹的本领,可见四灵于取径上的自觉。又,「庭芜」意象可溯至陶渊明《归去来兮辞》「田园将芜胡不归」,芜者荒也,庭芜即庭院荒芜,赵师秀写病中庭院,暗含一种久病疏于洒扫的况味,亦可视为其清苦生涯的侧写。而「遥山」之「遥」写山在视觉上的距离,正是疏林半遮之后才显现的远景,与近处之「庭芜」形成近远对照,使画面具有纵深。要之,此诗虽短而意象之经营、传统之承转皆有法度可寻,是四灵「无一字无来历」主张的体现,唯其融化于白描之中,故读者但觉自然,不觉其有来历而已。又,「林疏放得遥山出」之「放」,与「又被云遮一半无」之「又」「遮」「半」「无」,连用数个动词与虚字,把云山明灭的瞬间动态写得淋漓尽致,仿佛一帧帧画面在眼前次第展开,而诗人的目光与心境亦随之流转。此种以动写静、以细写变的白描功夫,正是四灵从姚贾「推敲」一路得来的看家本领,也是此诗最耐咀嚼的地方。

Commentary

This poem is one of the famous works of Zhao Shixiu's poems of the small scenes, quoted for the quietness of its scene and the bitterness of its close. The sparse woods letting out the distant hills, and the clouds covering the half, are among the admired passages of the master's poems. Critics praise the poem's quietness: the autumn gathered in the scene, to the close's covering.

赵师秀及四灵之诗,历代评家毁誉参半,然皆不能无取于其清。方回《瀛奎律髓》评四灵之学,谓其专学姚合、贾岛,而四灵真得其瘦、不得其健,虽意在批评,却也承认其「瘦」处正是苦吟工夫所得。钱锺书《宋诗选注》论四灵,谓其诗如小家碧玉,娟秀有余,此诗「林疏放得遥山出,又被云遮一半无」二句正是娟秀之验:不写大悲大喜,只在疏林云山间捕捉一段流转的光影,趣味隽永。叶适《水心先生文集》中记「四灵」之目,称许徐照等皆清苦之士,赵师秀为四灵之冠,其诗于清苦中每见机趣,此诗可见一斑。刘克庄《后村诗话》评四灵诗刻琢精丽,此诗二十八字字字有锻炼之功而无锻炼之痕,正见其于律绝之体上下过极深的功夫。凡此诸评,虽褒贬不一,然皆承认四灵以清苦刻琢自成一家,此诗正是以小见大、以短见长的典范,也是理解南宋诗风流变的重要文本。此外,后世论四灵或以「寒俭」讥之,然以此诗观之,其清苦之中实有隽永之味,非「寒俭」二字所能尽。钱锺书《宋诗选注》又指出四灵专工近体尤其是五律,而此诗为七绝,在四灵集中较为少见,然其小巧灵秀之致恰是四灵风格的浓缩,可视为观察四灵诗艺的一扇窗户。要之,历代评家或褒或贬皆不能否认四灵在宋诗史上自成一格的贡献,此诗之价值正在于以极小的篇幅集中展示了四灵体的全部美学特征。又,若置于宋诗发展的脉络中观察,此诗的意义更不寻常:北宋诗以议论才学见长,而此诗纯以白描写景,由景见趣,正预示着南宋诗坛「晚唐体」的回归;四灵之后,江湖派踵事增华,然其写景造语,终不出四灵门径。以此言之,此诗虽只二十八字,实可视为宋代诗歌史上一个承上启下的标本。又,「又被云遮一半无」之「又」字,写景物的反复变幻,读之如见云来云去,正合「数日」之题意,可见诗人命题立意之精细,无一字虚设,堪称四灵体中的压卷之作。

Prosody

Form A quatrain of the autumn (qi yan jue ju)七言绝句

Rhyme The poem rhymes on the level of the group — the cadence of the quatrain that carries the quiet bitterness.平水韵上平七虞,韵脚为「夫、芜、无」

Tone pattern The cadence is that of the scene: the level opening with the autumn, the turning with the woods, and the close's fall with the covering.仄起首句入韵,多拗句,以拗峭为工

Reading note The poem's sound matches its quietness: the cadences of the quatrain, and the close — 'you bei yun zhe yi ban wu' — falls with the gone, the sound of the bitterness of the sickly poet.此诗为仄起首句入韵式七言绝句,押平水韵上平七虞,韵脚为「夫、芜、无」。七虞韵音色温厚,与诗中「病夫」「庭芜」的萧疏情调相谐。四灵力学姚贾,讲究苦吟拗峭,此诗平仄即多拗句:首句「数日秋风欺病夫」,为「仄仄平平平仄平」式,其中第五字「欺」以平声承「秋」字,形成三平相续,声调拗峭而不失顿挫;次句「尽吹黄叶下庭芜」,为「仄平平仄仄平平」式,首字「尽」仄起,与上句之拗相救,读来自有拗峭之致。三四句「林疏放得遥山出,又被云遮一半无」,对仗虽不工整(绝句本不须对仗),而「放得」对「云遮」、「遥山」对「一半」,上下句拗在平仄呼应之间,摇曳生姿。全诗二十八字,拗句与律句相间,音节于拗峭中见流走,恰与其写景的灵动变幻互为表里,可见四灵于声律一道自有其执拗而精审的追求,这也是四灵体区别于江西派的重要形式特征。

Line by line

数日秋风欺病夫，尽吹黄叶下庭芜。

These, days, the autumn wind, cheating, the sickly, man, blowing, all, the yellow leaves, down, the courtyard, the weeds.

连日来秋风仿佛有意欺凌我这病弱之身,把庭院中的黄叶吹落殆尽,荒芜满地。

For days the autumn wind has bullied the sick man, blowing all the yellow leaves down into the weedy yard.

首二句写病中逢秋,一个「欺」字以拟人手法写秋风,诙谐中透着酸楚,自称「病夫」,既见身体的虚弱,也见心境的苍凉。「尽吹」二句写黄叶落尽、庭芜满目,秋深之状历历在目。以病眼观萧瑟,却不作悲秋之语,只以平淡口吻道来,正是四灵诗「清而不悲」的典型格调,也为后两句蓄足了「疏」与「空」的势,是起调平实而蓄势深远的笔法。且首句以「欺」字点逗,后句以「尽」字直贯,一虚一实,秋声秋色俱现,病中的诗人与萧瑟的庭院相映,为全诗定下了清苦而不悲凉的基调。

The opening line writes for days the autumn wind has bullied the sick man, blowing all the yellow leaves down into the weedy yard, the wind's bullying. The word bullies personifies the wind, the sick man the poet's own state. The line writes to the full the feeling of the autumn wind and the fallen leaves. Rising through the wind, the desolate autumn's opening.

林疏放得遥山出，又被云遮一半无。

The sparse, woods, letting, out, the distant, hills, again, by, the clouds, covering, the half, gone.

林木稀疏,才放得远处的青山露出面来;可随即又被云遮住,只剩半座山影了。

The thinned woods let the distant hills show; yet again the clouds hide half of them.

此二句是全诗最见机趣处。「林疏」「遥山」「云遮」三层意象环环相扣:叶落林疏,山才得出;山出未久,云又来遮。着一「放」字,仿佛疏林有意放山出来;着一「被」字,又觉云气戏弄山影。自然之景被写得如此曲折灵动,正见诗人于病中观物,心闲而眼细。两句一开一合,写出秋光流转中的瞬间妙趣,哀景中别见生意,是宋人于景物中捕捉理趣的典范。

The second line writes the thinned woods let the distant hills show; yet again the clouds hide half of them, the hope and the disappointment. The words thinned woods write the trees' thinning, let the distant hills show the glimpse, yet again the clouds hide half the cloud's return. The line writes to the full the feeling of the hills showing and the clouds hiding. Writing the through clouds, the landscape's fine turn.

又被云遮一半无。

Yet half is hidden again by the clouds.

随即又被云遮住,只剩下一半山影,仿佛没有了。

Yet half is hidden again by the clouds.

结句以一「又」字承上,写出云山变幻的反复无常:山刚露出,云又来遮,遮去一半,山便似有若无。「一半无」三字把山在云中半隐半现的情态写得精确传神,既见云之流动,亦见山之吞吐,而诗人凝望的神态宛然在目。这一句以极平淡的语言写极灵动的景象,把全诗的机趣推向高潮,收束得轻巧而有余味,正是四灵以小景见大趣的妙处。

This repeated short line writes yet half is hidden again by the clouds, the eye-dotting turn. The words yet again write the recurrence, half hidden the disappointment. The line writes to the full the feeling of the half-hidden hills. Writing the disappointment through the clouds, the quatrain's eye-dotting stroke.

Study

Word focus

欺 'The cheating' — the cheating of the wind, the bitterness of the sickly man. 「秋风欺病夫」之「欺」是全诗的抒情眼目。以拟人手法把无形之秋风写得仿佛有知,专与病弱之人作对,既写出病夫不堪秋风之寒的身体感受,又暗含对命运捉弄的自嘲。着一「欺」字,萧瑟之景与自怜之情同时托出,语带诙谐而情味酸楚,为全诗定下「哀而不伤」的基调,极见四灵炼字之工,也为后文的景物观照提供了一个略带苦涩的视角。

尽 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「尽吹黄叶下庭芜」之「尽」极言秋风之烈、落叶之多。一个「尽」字写尽秋的彻底与无可挽回:黄叶不是零星飘落,而是被吹落殆尽;庭芜不是渐生荒草,而是满目枯索。此字以量的极限写秋的完成,为下句「林疏」提供依据——正因叶落已尽,林木方疏,遥山才得以露出,炼字之妙前后勾连,浑然一体,足见诗人锤炼字眼的功力。要之,「尽」字看似寻常,实为全诗由「林疏」到「山出」的逻辑枢纽,炼字之妙存焉,亦见四灵于字眼上反复推敲的苦吟精神。

放 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「林疏放得遥山出」之「放」是三四句的机趣所在。不说「林疏山现」,而说疏林「放」山出来,仿佛林木有意让出视野,将无生命的自然写得有情有致,一个「放」字境界全活。且「放」字与下句「遮」字暗中相对:林欲放而云欲遮,一放一遮之间,山影在空际明灭变幻,妙趣横生,正见诗人于病中观物的细密与灵心,是四灵于寻常字眼中见奇趣的代表。

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