唐 Tang · 诗 Poem
送魏二
Seeing Off Wei the Second
醉别江楼橘柚香，江风引雨入舟凉。
忆君遥在潇湘月，愁听清猿梦里长。
I recall you far off beneath the Xiao-Xiang moon, grieving to hear the clear gibbons cry on and on in your dream.
Meaning
Wang Changling parts from his friend Wei the Second at a riverside tower in autumn. The first couplet renders the real, cool scene of drunken leave-taking; the second projects the friend's lonely future under the Xiao-Xiang moon, grieving at gibbon cries—a farewell that turns from sight to imagination.
醉别江楼橘柚香，江风引雨入舟凉。忆君遥在潇湘月，愁听清猿梦里长。
Appreciation
[Plain Paraphrase] Wang Changling bids Wei the Second farewell. He opens 'drunk, we part at the riverside tower amid orange-and-pomelo scent; river wind draws rain into the boat, cool,' then imagines 'I recall you far off beneath the Xiao-Xiang moon, grieving to hear the clear gibbons cry and on in your dream.' [Structure] The first two lines are real scene; the last two are imagined aftermath—actual and virtual interwoven. [Imagery] Orange-pomelo scent sets the southern autumn; 'river wind, rain, cool' renders physical chill that mirrors parting; 'Xiao-Xiang moon' and 'gibbons' make the far, grieving dream. [Tone] Wang Changling, the 'master of the seven-character quatrain,' here excels at virtual writing—farewell felt through imagined loss.
【白话串讲】 王昌龄写《送魏二》：“醉别江楼橘柚香，江风引雨入舟凉”——“忆君遥在潇湘月，愁听清猿梦里长”——他送别魏二，想象他在潇湘月下听猿——他写别后的思念。 【意象与手法】 此诗写江楼送别，以醉别写情，以想象写思念，是王昌龄的名篇。前两句「醉别江楼橘柚香，江风引雨入舟凉」写送别之景——「醉别江楼橘柚香」写醉别于橘柚飘香的江楼，「江风引雨入舟凉」写江风引雨入舟的清凉；后两句「忆君遥在潇湘月，愁听清猿梦里长」写别后的想象——「忆君遥在潇湘月」写想象友人遥在潇湘月下，「愁听清猿梦里长」写愁听清猿在梦里长啼。全诗以江楼送别，以想象写思念，虚实结合，写尽送别的离情，正是王昌龄「七绝圣手」的本领。 【情感与主旨】 此诗写江楼送别友人魏二。魏二是王昌龄的友人，此诗写送别时的情景与别后的想象。前两句写送别之景：醉别于江楼，正值橘柚飘香之时；江风引雨，吹入舟中，带着凉意。后两句写别后的想象：想象友人远行后遥在潇湘（今湖南一带）的月下，愁听清猿在梦里长啼。诗人以「醉别江楼橘柚香」写送别的时令与氛围——橘柚飘香，江楼醉别，是送别的欢会；「江风引雨入舟凉」写江风引雨的凉意——那「凉」既是江风的清凉，也是离情的凄清；「忆君遥在潇湘月」以「忆君」写别后的思念，「遥在潇湘月」以想象写友人远行的景致；「愁听清猿梦里长」写想象中友人在潇湘月下愁听清猿长啼——清猿啼声凄厉，正写尽离情的愁绪。全诗以江楼送别写别后的想象，虚实结合，写尽送别的离情，正是王昌龄「七绝圣手」以虚写实、以想象写思念的本领。 【名句点睛】 常考「醉别江楼橘柚香」写送别的时令与氛围；「江风引雨入舟凉」以「凉」字写离情的凄清；「忆君遥在潇湘月」以想象写别后的思念；「愁听清猿梦里长」写清猿长啼的离愁；以及全诗虚实结合、以想象写思念的手法。
Background
Wang Changling (c. 698–c. 757), styled Shao Bo, was a high-Tang frontier poet called the 'Master of the Seven-Character Quatrain' and 'Poet's Mentor.' This poem sees off his friend Wei the Second at a riverside tower. The parting is drunk (the wine-farewell custom), the season marked by orange-pomelo scent (autumn in the south); the second couplet imagines the friend's later solitude by the Xiao-Xiang (Hunan's Xiang River) under the moon, grieving at gibbon cries—gibbons being traditionally mournful. Wang Changling's art here is real scene followed by imagined aftermath, blending fact and fancy to write leave-taking—a key work for understanding his farewell craft.
此诗写江楼送别友人魏二，是王昌龄的名篇。王昌龄（约698—约757），字少伯，京兆长安（今陕西西安）人，盛唐著名边塞诗人，有「七绝圣手」「诗家夫子」之称。魏二是王昌龄的友人，此诗写送别魏二时的情景与别后的想象。前两句写送别之景：醉别于江楼，正值橘柚飘香之时；江风引雨，吹入舟中，带着凉意。后两句写别后的想象：想象友人远行后遥在潇湘（今湖南一带，湘江流域）的月下，愁听清猿在梦里长啼。古人送别，常以酒饯行，故有「醉别」；橘柚飘香，正是秋令的时令景物；「江风引雨入舟凉」写江风引雨的凉意；「忆君遥在潇湘月」以「忆君」写别后的思念，「遥在潇湘月」以想象写友人远行的景致；「愁听清猿梦里长」写想象中友人在潇湘月下愁听清猿长啼——清猿啼声凄厉，古人以为哀声，正写尽离情的愁绪。王昌龄此诗以江楼送别写别后的想象，前两句写实、后两句写虚，虚实结合，写尽送别的离情，是理解王昌龄送别诗艺术的重要篇章。
Art
Four moves. First, season for atmosphere: 'drunk, we part at the riverside tower; oranges and pomelos scent the air' uses the autumn fruit to scent the leave-taking. Second, a 'cool' word for feeling: 'river wind draws the rain into the boat, cool' lets physical chill hint at parting sorrow. Third, imagination for longing: 'I recall you far off beneath the Xiao-Xiang moon' projects the friend's distant future. Fourth, sound for grief: 'grieving to hear the clear gibbons cry on and on in your dream' uses the gibbon's mournful cry to voice the parting ache. The poem moves from real scene to virtual aftermath; its word 'recall' and 'grieving' bind imagination to sorrow—Wang Changling's mastery of writing the unseen.
此诗的艺术特色可从四个方面解析。其一，以时令写氛围。首句「醉别江楼橘柚香」写醉别于江楼——那「醉别」写以酒饯行，「橘柚香」写橘柚飘香，以「橘柚香」的时令景物写送别的氛围，写尽秋日的送别。其二，以「凉」字写离情。「江风引雨入舟凉」写江风引雨入舟的凉意——那「江风引雨」写江风引着雨，「入舟凉」写凉意入舟，以「凉」字写江风的清凉，也暗写离情的凄清。其三，以想象写思念。「忆君遥在潇湘月」以「忆君」写别后的思念，「遥在潇湘月」写想象中友人远行后遥在潇湘的月下——那「遥」写相隔之远，「潇湘月」写想象中的潇湘月色，以想象写尽思念。其四，以声音写愁绪。「愁听清猿梦里长」写想象中友人在潇湘月下愁听清猿长啼——那「清猿」写清猿的啼声，「梦里长」写梦里长啼，以清猿的哀声写尽离情的愁绪，也暗写友人别后的孤寂。四重手法，使此诗以江楼送别，虚实结合，以想象写思念，正是王昌龄「七绝圣手」以虚写实的本领。
Allusions
The language belongs to farewell and travel tradition. 'Riverside tower' is the classic parting place ('I once heard of Dongting's waters, now climb Yueyang Tower'). 'Orange-pomelo scent' evokes Qu Yuan's 'Ode to the Orange' and southern autumn fruit. 'River wind draws rain' recalls 'lying late, I hear wind and rain' and 'river rain, river grass.' 'Xiao-Xiang' names Hunan's Xiang basin, tied to the weeping consorts E Huang and Nü Ying and the 'Xiao-Xiang night rain' lore. 'Clear gibbons' recall 'both shores' gibbon cries, the boat has passed ten thousand mountains' (Li Bai) and 'the ape wails, tears wet the robe' (Shui jing zhu)—the mournful ape as emblem of parting. 'Cry on in the dream' evokes the journey-dream. Wang Changling thus remakes tower, orange, Xiao-Xiang, and gibbon into a 'virtual' farewell of longing.
此诗的用语深植于送别与羁旅的传统。「江楼」令人想到「江楼」作为送别之地的意象，也令人想到「江楼月」的江楼意象，更令人想到「昔闻洞庭水，今上岳阳楼」的江楼登临传统；「橘柚香」令人想到「橘柚」作为秋令南方果物的意象，也令人想到「后皇嘉树，橘徕服兮」（屈原《橘颂》）的橘意象——橘柚飘香，正是南国秋日的景物；「江风引雨」令人想到「夜阑卧听风吹雨」的江雨意象，也令人想到「江雨霏霏江草齐」（韦庄《台城》）的江雨传统；「潇湘」令人想到「潇湘」作为湖南湘水流域的意象，也令人想到「潇湘夜雨」「潇湘妃子」（娥皇、女英泣竹）的潇湘传统，更令人想到「客心洗流水，余响入霜钟」的羁旅潇湘意象；「清猿」令人想到「两岸猿声啼不住，轻舟已过万重山」（李白《早发白帝城》）的猿声意象，也令人想到「巴东三峡巫峡长，猿鸣三声泪沾裳」（《水经注》）的猿声哀愁传统，更令人想到「猿啼客散暮江头」（司空曙）的羁旅猿声——清猿啼声凄厉，正是离愁的象征；「梦里长」令人想到「梦」的羁旅意象，也令人想到「夜阑犹剪灯花弄」的梦境离愁。全诗化用江楼、橘柚、潇湘、清猿、梦的传统意象，以江楼送别写离情，正是王昌龄承送别传统、以想象写思念的本领。
Commentary
Long ranked among Wang Changling's best and a representative Tang farewell, it won Qing praise for 'real scene first, imagination after—fact and fancy generate each other.' Moderns cite 'I recall you far off beneath the Xiao-Xiang moon, grieving to hear the clear gibbons cry on and on' as its finest stroke. Its worth is condensing leave-taking into twenty-eight characters—the scented tower, the cool boat, the distant moon, the dreaming gibbon—all present and imagined; the gibbon's cry closes the grief in sound. Paired with his 'Farewell at Furong Tower' (a parting word) it shows two faces of Wang Changling's farewell—one spoken, one imagined. For today's readers it opens his art and the high-Tang parting feeling—the dreaming gibbon still crying across a millennium.
此诗历来被推为王昌龄的名篇，也是唐人送别诗的代表。历代论者对此诗评价极高：清人评此诗「前写实景，后写想象，虚实相生」；近人更指出「忆君遥在潇湘月，愁听清猿梦里长」以想象写别后的思念，是此诗的高妙处。在诗歌史上，此诗的特殊价值在于：它以二十八字的短章写尽送别的离情——那橘柚飘香的江楼醉别，那江风引雨的舟中凉意，那遥在潇湘月下的忆君，那梦里长啼的清猿，都写尽了送别时的情景与别后的思念；那「愁听清猿梦里长」更以声音写尽离情的愁绪。此诗与王昌龄的《送魏二》同时期送别诗与《芙蓉楼送辛渐》（「一片冰心在玉壶」）同为送别名篇，一写别后的想象，一写别时的赠言；又与李白《送孟浩然之广陵》（「孤帆远影碧空尽」）同为写送别的名篇，可见唐人送别诗既写景又写情的传统。对于今日读者，此诗是理解王昌龄送别诗艺术与盛唐离情的窗口，也是中国诗写送别的经典——那梦里长啼的清猿，穿越千年，仍在诉说着江楼送别的离情。
Prosody
Line by line
醉别江楼橘柚香，江风引雨入舟凉
Drunk, we part at the riverside tower, where oranges and pomelos scent the air; river wind draws the rain into the boat, cool.
醉别于橘柚飘香的江楼，江风引雨入舟，带来凉意。
Drunken farewell at the riverside tower, where orange and pomelo scents; the river wind drives the rain into the boat, cold.
此联写送别之景，以时令写氛围，以「凉」字写离情。「醉别江楼橘柚香」写醉别于橘柚飘香的江楼——那「醉别」写以酒饯行、醉中送别，「江楼」写江边的楼阁，「橘柚香」写橘柚飘香，写尽秋日江楼送别的氛围；「江风引雨入舟凉」写江风引雨入舟的凉意——那「江风引雨」写江风引着雨，「入舟凉」写凉意入舟，写尽江风秋雨的清凉。这句的深意在于：它以「橘柚香」的时令与「入舟凉」的凉意，写尽送别的氛围与离情的凄清——醉别于橘柚飘香的江楼，本是送别的欢会，橘柚飘香，正是秋日的丰美时令；然而江风引雨，吹入舟中，带着凉意，那「凉」字既是江风的清凉，也是离情的凄清——欢会的醉别中，已透着别离的凉意；那「橘柚香」写尽送别的时令与欢会，那「入舟凉」写尽离情的凄清，一香一凉，正是送别时欢中有愁的氛围。若换作直说「在江楼送别」，则失其氛围；唯以「醉别江楼橘柚香」写时令、「江风引雨入舟凉」写凉意，写尽送别的氛围与离情的凄清，也让此联成为全诗送别之景的开篇。
This couplet writes the parting scene, using the season for the atmosphere and the word cold for the parting feeling. Drunken farewell at the riverside tower, where orange and pomelo scents writes the farewell over wine at the tower by the river, the fragrance of orange and pomelo, writing to the full the autumn riverside tower's send-off atmosphere. The river wind drives the rain into the boat, cold writes the chill of the wind and rain entering the boat. The deep meaning lies in that it uses the season of where orange and pomelo scents and the chill of into the boat, cold to write to the full the send-off atmosphere and the desolation of parting - drunken farewell at the scented tower was originally the joyous parting feast, the orange and pomelo fragrance the rich autumn season; yet the river wind drives the rain into the boat with cold, and the word cold is at once the river wind's chill and the parting feeling's desolation - within the drunken farewell, the cold of parting already shows. The fragrance writes the season and the feast, and the cold writes the desolation of parting, one scent one chill, exactly the atmosphere of joy within grief at parting. If one instead directly said I saw you off at the riverside tower, one would lose the atmosphere; only writing the season through drunken farewell at the riverside tower, where orange and pomelo scents and the chill through the river wind drives the rain into the boat, cold, writing to the full the send-off atmosphere and the desolation of parting, makes this couplet the opening of the whole's parting scene.
忆君遥在潇湘月，愁听清猿梦里长
I recall you far off beneath the Xiao-Xiang moon, grieving to hear the clear gibbons cry on and on in your dream.
忆念你遥在潇湘的月下，愁听清猿在梦里长啼。
I think of you far away beneath the Xiaoxiang moon, sadly hearing the clear gibbons cry long in your dream.
此联是全诗的点睛之笔，以想象写别后的思念，以清猿写离愁，是千古名句。「忆君遥在潇湘月」写忆念你遥在潇湘的月下——那「忆君」写别后的忆念，「遥在潇湘月」写想象中友人远行后遥在潇湘的月下，以想象写尽思念；「愁听清猿梦里长」写愁听清猿在梦里长啼——那「愁听」写忧愁地听，「清猿梦里长」写清猿在梦里长啼，以清猿的哀声写尽离愁。这句的深意在于：它以「忆君遥在潇湘月」的想象与「愁听清猿梦里长」的哀声，写尽别后的思念与离愁——诗人送别友人后，想象友人远行，遥在潇湘的月下；那「忆君」写尽别后的思念，那「遥在潇湘月」以想象写友人远行的景致，相隔千里，唯有忆念；更想象友人在潇湘月下，愁听清猿在梦里长啼——清猿啼声凄厉，古人以为哀声，那「愁听清猿梦里长」既是想象友人的愁绪，也是诗人自己的离愁；那「梦里长」写尽愁绪的绵长——连梦里都是清猿的长啼，正写尽离愁的深重；以想象写思念，以声音写愁绪，虚实结合，写尽江楼送别的离情。若换作直说「我很想念你」，则失其含蓄；唯以「忆君遥在潇湘月」的想象写思念、「愁听清猿梦里长」的哀声写离愁，虚实结合写尽离情，也让此联成为全诗的点睛之笔与千古名句。
This couplet is the poem's eye, writing the longing after parting through imagination and the parting grief through the clear gibbons, the famous line of a thousand ages. I think of you far away beneath the Xiaoxiang moon writes the post-parting remembrance, imagining the friend far away under the Xiaoxiang moon. Sadly hearing the clear gibbons cry long in your dream writes the grief of hearing, the gibbon's long cry in the dream, writing to the full the parting grief through the gibbon's sad cry. The deep meaning lies in that it uses the imagination of I think of you far away beneath the Xiaoxiang moon and the sad cry of sadly hearing the clear gibbons cry long in your dream to write to the full the longing and grief after parting - after the poet sees the friend off, he imagines the friend far on his way, beneath the Xiaoxiang moon. The I think of you writes the post-parting longing; far away beneath the Xiaoxiang moon imagines the scenery of the friend's journey, a thousand li apart, only remembrance. Further he imagines the friend beneath the Xiaoxiang moon, sadly hearing the gibbons cry long in the dream - the clear gibbon's cry is shrill, the ancients took it as a sad sound; this line is at once the imagined grief of the friend and the poet's own parting grief. The in your dream writes to the full the length of grief - even the dream is filled with the gibbon's long cry, exactly writing the depth of parting. Writing longing through imagination, grief through sound, void and solid fused, writing to the full the riverside tower's parting feeling. If one instead directly said I miss you very much, one would lose the reserve; only writing longing through the imagination of I think of you far away beneath the Xiaoxiang moon and parting grief through the sad cry of sadly hearing the clear gibbons cry long in your dream, fusing void and solid to write the parting feeling, makes this couplet the poem's eye and a famous line of a thousand ages.
Study
Word focus
Related Reading
Wang Changling's 'Farewell at Furong Tower' ('cold rain joins the river, enters Wu by night… a piece of ice heart in a jade pot') writes a riverside parting and a parting word; this poem writes 'I recall you far off beneath the Xiao-Xiang moon.' Both are Wang Changling riverside farewells—one the self-declaring word 'ice heart in a jade pot' (Furong Tower), one the imagined aftermath 'grieving to hear the gibbons' (to Wei the Second); both use river rain. Read together they show his farewell art both spoken and imagined.
王昌龄《芙蓉楼送辛渐》「寒雨连江夜入吴，平明送客楚山孤」「洛阳亲友如相问，一片冰心在玉壶」写江楼送客并赠言，是王昌龄送别诗的名篇。此诗《送魏二》则「忆君遥在潇湘月，愁听清猿梦里长」写江楼送别后的想象。同为王昌龄江楼送别，一写「一片冰心在玉壶」的赠言明志（芙蓉楼），一写「愁听清猿梦里长」的别后想象（送魏二）；一以「寒雨连江」写江雨，一以「江风引雨」写江雨。两诗对读，可见王昌龄送别诗既赠言又写想象的双重面貌。
黄鹤楼送孟浩然之广陵 Seeing Meng Haoran Off from Yellow Crane Tower to Guangling 李白 · 同写江上送别，一望帆一忆君 Both write riverside farewell—one watching the sail, one recalling the friend.Li Bai's 'Yellow Crane Tower' ('my old friend leaves west from Yellow Crane Tower… lone sail, distant shadow, the sky's edge') writes riverside parting; this poem writes 'I recall you far off beneath the Xiao-Xiang moon.' Both are riverside farewells—one the watched 'lone sail, sky's edge' (Yellow Crane), one the imagined 'grieving gibbons' (to Wei the Second); one watching, one recalling. Read together they show Tang leave-taking in its watching and remembering modes.
李白《黄鹤楼送孟浩然之广陵》「故人西辞黄鹤楼，烟花三月下扬州」「孤帆远影碧空尽，唯见长江天际流」写江上送别，是李白送别诗的名篇。此诗《送魏二》则「忆君遥在潇湘月，愁听清猿梦里长」写江楼送别后的想象。同为江上送别，一写「孤帆远影碧空尽」的目送（黄鹤楼），一写「忆君遥在潇湘月」的想象（送魏二）；一以「唯见长江天际流」写望断，一以「愁听清猿梦里长」写愁绪。两诗对读，可见唐人送别诗一望一忆的两种写法。