唐 Tang · 诗 Poem
拜新月
Worshipping the New Moon
开帘见新月，便即下堦拜。
细语人不闻，北风吹裙带。
Her whispered words none can hear;
The north wind blows her skirt's sash.
Meaning
A five-character quatrain in which Li Duan catches a young girl at her moon-worship. She opens the curtain, sees the new moon, and at once steps down to pray; her whispered wish none can hear, and only the north wind stirs her skirt's sash. Fresh and concealed, it speaks a girl's heart through detail alone.
开帘见新月，便即下堦拜。细语人不闻，北风吹裙带。
Appreciation
[Plain Paraphrase] Opening the curtain she sees the new moon and at once steps down the stairs to worship; her whispered words none can hear; the north wind blows her skirt's sash. [Structure] The first line acts, the last two reveal feeling through outward detail—motion then stillness of heart. [Imagery] 'The north wind blows her skirt's sash' ends on a stirred sash, not a stated wish. [Tone] Fresh, concealed, gently playful.
【白话串讲】 李端写《拜新月》：“开帘见新月，便即下堦拜”——“细语人不闻，北风吹裙带”——少女开帘见新月，急忙下阶礼拜，细语无人听见，只有北风吹动裙带——他写少女心事。 【意象与手法】 “开帘见新月，便即下堦拜”写少女拜月；“细语人不闻，北风吹裙带”以细语无人闻、北风吹裙带写少女心事。以细节写情、清新含蓄。 【情感与主旨】 李端写闺情之作，写少女开帘见新月便下阶礼拜、细语无人闻的情态，含蓄写出少女心事，是写少女情怀的名篇。 【名句点睛】 常考“开帘见新月，便即下堦拜”写少女拜月；“细语人不闻，北风吹裙带”以北风吹裙带写心事。
Background
Li Duan (c. 743–c. 782), styled Zhengji of Zhao commandery, was one of the 'Ten Talents of the Dali Reign' of Mid-Tang. 'Worshipping the New Moon' belongs to the boudoir (guiqing) mode: young women would pray to the new moon for a secret wish, and the poem captures that custom without naming the wish.
《拜新月》为唐代诗人李端所作诗。李端（约743—约782），字正己，赵郡（今河北赵县）人，中唐诗人，大历十才子之一。此诗写抒情闺情，为拜新月之作。诗中「开帘见新月，便即下堦拜」写开帘见新月，便即下堦拜；「细语人不闻，北风吹裙带」写细语人不闻，北风吹裙带。李端此诗以抒情闺情、北风吹裙带写其闺情之情，清新含蓄，是李端诗中的名篇。此篇《拜新月》在历代选本中多被收录，其艺术价值与流传之广，正可见此诗在同类题材中的重要地位。诗人以匠心独运之笔写寻常之情事，遂使此作历千载而犹有生气，为后人所称赏不绝。此篇《拜新月》在历代选本中多被收录，其艺术价值与流传之广，正可见此诗在同类题材中的重要地位。诗人以匠心独运之笔写寻常之情事，遂使此作历千载而犹有生气，为后人所称赏不绝。此篇《拜新月》在历代选本中多被收录，其艺术价值与流传之广，正可见此诗在同类题材中的重要地位。诗人以匠心独运之笔写寻常之情事，遂使此作历千载而犹有生气，为后人所称赏不绝。
Art
The art is 'fresh and concealed, the act for the heart.' Four lines move from opening the curtain and seeing the new moon, to stepping down at once to worship, to whispered words none can hear, to the north wind blowing her skirt's sash. The custom is shown, not explained; the unheard whisper and the stirred sash stand in for the girl's hidden feeling, so the poem ends on outward detail alone. Compact and indirect, it is a model Mid-Tang boudoir piece.
此诗艺术上以「清新含蓄、以拜写情」见长。全诗共四句两联，由开帘见新月而细语人不闻。起「开帘见新月，便即下堦拜」写开帘见新月：开帘见新月，便即下堦拜；结「细语人不闻，北风吹裙带」写细语人不闻：细语人不闻，北风吹裙带。全诗以拜写情，由开帘见新月而北风吹裙带，清新含蓄，是李端诗中的名篇。通篇以少总多之法出之，章法严谨而用意深曲，意象凝练而情韵悠长，读之愈久，愈觉其构思之精与笔力之健，堪称同类诗作中不可多得之佳篇，足见诗人炉火纯青的艺术功力。通篇以少总多之法出之，章法严谨而用意深曲，意象凝练而情韵悠长，读之愈久，愈觉其构思之精与笔力之健，堪称同类诗作中不可多得之佳篇，足见诗人炉火纯青的艺术功力。通篇以少总多之法出之，章法严谨而用意深曲，意象凝练而情韵悠长，读之愈久，愈觉其构思之精与笔力之健，堪称同类诗作中不可多得之佳篇，足见诗人炉火纯青的艺术功力。
Allusions
The key allusion is the custom of 'worshipping the new moon' (baixinyue), a girls' rite of praying to the new moon, here evoked by 'opening the curtain' and 'stepping down the stairs to worship.' 'Skirt's sash' (qundai) names the girdle stirred by wind. Li Duan keeps the wish unspoken, letting the rite and the detail carry the feeling.
诗中「开帘见新月便即下堦拜」「细语人不闻北风吹裙带」等语，皆含典故故实。「开帘见新月便即下堦拜」用拜新月之典（拜新月为闺中乞巧之俗），写开帘见新月便即下堦拜；「细语人不闻北风吹裙带」写细语人不闻北风吹裙带。诗人以拜新月之典入诗，不着痕迹，而把抒情闺情之情写得真切可感，是善于熔铸典故的体现。此等用典之法，熔铸古今而不着痕迹，既不炫博以示学，亦不拘泥于旧解，正见诗人学养之深与运思之巧。读者于此等处尤当细心玩味，方能领会其言外之旨与味外之味。此等用典之法，熔铸古今而不着痕迹，既不炫博以示学，亦不拘泥于旧解，正见诗人学养之深与运思之巧。读者于此等处尤当细心玩味，方能领会其言外之旨与味外之味。此等用典之法，熔铸古今而不着痕迹，既不炫博以示学，亦不拘泥于旧解，正见诗人学养之深与运思之巧。读者于此等处尤当细心玩味，方能领会其言外之旨与味外之味。
Commentary
A Mid-Tang boudoir quatrain, 'Worshipping the New Moon' opens with the girl seeing the new moon and stepping down to worship, then her unheard whisper, and closes on the north wind blowing her skirt's sash. Fresh and concealed, it speaks a girl's heart through detail alone—a fine example of the 'show, do not state' boudoir manner.
这首《拜新月》，是李端写抒情闺情之作，写开帘见新月、细语人不闻、北风吹裙带之情，清新含蓄。起「开帘见新月，便即下堦拜」——开帘见新月，便即下堦拜。写开帘见新月：开帘见新月、便即下堦拜——见新月、下堦拜；结「细语人不闻，北风吹裙带」——细语人不闻，北风吹裙带。写细语人不闻：细语人不闻、北风吹裙带——人不闻、吹裙带。这「细语人不闻，北风吹裙带」，是全诗之结：以北风吹裙带写其闺情。全诗清新含蓄，以拜写情，正是李端诗中的名篇。综观全诗，情真、景切、理深，三者浑融无迹，故能于短短数语之中寄无限深意，令人百读不厌。其含蓄蕴藉之处，正是中国古典诗歌以少总多、言有尽而意无穷的美学精神的生动体现。综观全诗，情真、景切、理深，三者浑融无迹，故能于短短数语之中寄无限深意，令人百读不厌。其含蓄蕴藉之处，正是中国古典诗歌以少总多、言有尽而意无穷的美学精神的生动体现。
Prosody
Line by line
开帘见新月，便即下堦拜。
Opening the curtain she sees the new moon, and at once steps down the stairs to worship.
开帘见新月，便即下堦拜。
I part the curtain and see the new moon, and at once descend the steps to bow.
起句写开帘见新月，起笔即见其月。「开帘见新月」用拜新月之典写开帘见新月，「开帘」写开帘、「见新月」写见新月；「便即下堦拜」写便即下堦拜，「便即」写便即、「下堦拜」写下堦拜。一句写开帘见新月便即下堦拜，以开帘见新月写见新月、以便即下堦拜写下堦拜，写尽开帘见新月、便即下堦拜之情。以月起兴，清新而含蓄，是「以月起兴」的妙笔。
The opening line writes that I part the curtain and see the new moon, the moon at once. The words part the curtain write the drawing of the curtain; see the new moon writes the first crescent. And at once descend the steps to bow writes the instant descent and obeisance, the custom of worshipping the new moon. The line writes to the full the feeling of parting the curtain, seeing the crescent, and at once descending to bow. Rising through the moon, fresh and reserved, the fine brush of rising through the moon.
细语人不闻，
Her whispered words none can hear;
细语人不闻，
My soft words, no one hears,
此句写细语人不闻，是全诗写细语之态的关键。「细语人不闻」写细语人不闻，「细语」写细语、「人不闻」写人不闻。一句写细语人不闻，以细语写细语、以人不闻写不闻，写尽细语人不闻之情。以语写情，清新而含蓄，是「以语写情」的点睛之笔。此句以寥寥数语写尽深意，情韵兼胜，正是全诗点睛之笔。其于字句之间暗藏波澜，于平易之中寄寓曲折，尤当反复涵泳，方能得其三昧。
This line writes my soft words, no one hears, the key of the whole's writing the soft whisper. The words soft words write the low murmuring prayer, and no one hears write that none can hear. The line writes to the full the feeling of the whisper unheard. Writing feeling through words, fresh and reserved, the eye-dotting brush of writing feeling through words. This line writes deep meaning in a few words, feeling and rhyme both excellent, exactly the eye of the whole; within the words it hides the undercurrents, lodging the winding within the plain, the more to be savored again and again.
北风吹裙带。
The north wind blows her skirt's sash.
北风吹裙带。
the north wind stirs my skirt's ribbons.
结句写北风吹裙带，是全诗立意的落点。「北风吹」写北风吹，「北风」写北风、「吹」写吹；「裙带」写裙带，「裙」写裙、「带」写带。一句写北风吹裙带，以北风吹写吹、以裙带写裙带，写尽北风吹裙带之情。以风写情，清新而含蓄，是全诗最动人处，也是「以风写情」的点睛之笔。此句以寥寥数语写尽深意，情韵兼胜，正是全诗点睛之笔。其于字句之间暗藏波澜，于平易之中寄寓曲折，尤当反复涵泳，方能得其三昧。
The closing line writes the north wind stirs my skirt's ribbons, the landing of the whole's bent. The words north wind write the northern blast, and stir writes the wind's movement; skirt's ribbons write the ribbons of the skirt. The line writes to the full the feeling of the north wind stirring the ribbons. Writing feeling through the wind, fresh and reserved, the most moving place of the whole and the eye-dotting brush of writing feeling through the wind. This line writes deep meaning in a few words, feeling and rhyme both excellent, exactly the eye of the whole; within the words it hides the undercurrents, lodging the winding within the plain, the more to be savored again and again.
Study
Word focus
Related Reading
Su Shi's 'Water Song' ('when did the moon appear? I raise my cup and ask the blue sky') is bold and open; this poem worships the new moon with fresh concealment. Together they show moon-poems in two keys.
苏轼《水调歌头·明月几时有》「明月几时有？把酒问青天」，写拜月感怀、清新旷达，是宋词长调的名篇；李端《拜新月》则以「开帘见新月，便即下堦拜」「细语人不闻，北风吹裙带」写见新月、吹裙带。两诗同写拜月感怀、清新旷达：一写把酒问青天、以把酒写旷达，一写开帘见新月便即下堦拜、以拜月写闺情；一为苏轼之旷达、一为李端之清新，并读正可见诗写「拜月感怀」的两种笔法，皆于拜月之中见清新。
八声甘州·对潇潇暮雨洒江天 Tune: Eight Beats of Ganzhou — On the Misty Evening Rain 柳永 · 同写帘前凝望、清新清丽，一写对潇潇暮雨洒江天、一写开帘见新月便即下堦拜，皆于帘前之中见凝望 Both gaze from the curtain: one grand, one small.Liu Yong's 'Eight Beats of Ganzhou' ('on the misty evening rain washing the river sky') gazes with clear grandeur; this poem opens the curtain on the new moon with fresh smallness. Together they show curtain-gazing in two manners.
柳永《八声甘州·对潇潇暮雨洒江天》「对潇潇暮雨洒江天，一番洗清秋」，写帘前凝望、清新清丽，是宋词写羁旅的名篇；李端《拜新月》则以「开帘见新月，便即下堦拜」「细语人不闻」写见新月、人不闻。两诗同写帘前凝望、清新清丽：一写对潇潇暮雨洒江天、以暮雨写清秋，一写开帘见新月便即下堦拜、以新月写闺情；一为柳永之清丽、一为李端之清新，并读正可见诗写「帘前凝望」的两种笔法，皆于帘前之中见凝望。