All poems

唐 Tang · 诗 Poem

采莲曲

Song of Picking Lotus

贺知章

He Zhizhang

写景Scenery 民歌Folk song

稽山云雾郁嵯峨，镜水无风也自波。
莫言春度芳菲尽，别有烟霞趣已多。

Ji Mountain's clouds and mists loom steep and high, Mirror Lake without wind still ripples by.
Don't say spring's gone and fragrant blooms are done, Another joy in mist and cloud is won.

Listen

Meaning

The poem depicts the majestic Ji Mountain covered in clouds and the rippling Mirror Lake even without wind. It advises not to lament the end of spring because the misty scenery offers its own delight.

会稽的山峦云雾郁结、峰岭高峻；镜湖的水面即便没有风，也自起微波。不要说春天已过、百花凋尽，这里另有一番烟霞云水之趣，早已教人留连忘返了。

Appreciation

He Zhizhang retired to his hometown Mirror Lake in his later years. This poem captures the beauty of the mountains and lake, carrying the folk song tradition of the Southern Dynasties. The first two lines present a dynamic scenery of mountain and water. The last two lines turn from the departure of spring to the pleasure of mist and clouds, showing a leisurely and unrestrained mood.

【白话串讲】 “稽山云雾郁嵯峨，镜水无风也自波”——贺知章写会稽的采莲：山云缭绕，镜湖无风也起波。“莫言春度芳菲尽，别有烟霞趣已多”——别说春天过去了，这里别有烟霞的乐趣。【意象与手法】首句“稽山云雾郁嵯峨”写山势郁勃高峻，次句“镜水无风也自波”写湖水澄静而微澜自生，一山一水，动静相映，勾勒出越地灵秀【情感与主旨】贺知章晚年自号“四明狂客”，天宝三载（744）请度为道士，归隐鉴湖（镜湖）故里。此《采莲曲》当是其回乡后所作【名句点睛】中高考赏其“江南山水描写”与“转折见趣”之法。常考

Background

He Zhizhang, calling himself 'Madman of Siming,' asked to become a Daoist priest in 744 and retired to his hometown at Mirror Lake. This poem was likely written after his return. The poem describes the beauty of the mountains and lake, showing his leisure after retirement, and carries the folk song tradition.

《采莲曲》为盛唐诗人贺知章所作。贺知章（约659—约744），字季真，越州永兴人，盛唐诗人，自号“四明狂客”，晚年归隐镜湖。此诗写镜湖之景与采莲之趣：稽山云雾郁嵯峨，镜水无风也自波；莫言春度芳菲尽，别有烟霞趣已多。全诗以稽山云雾、镜水微波写越地山水之美，以“莫言春度芳菲尽”写春去而趣存，写镜湖四季皆美、烟霞自足之趣，是贺知章写越中风光的名篇。贺知章为越州人，晚年归隐镜湖，此诗正是其家乡山水的写照。

Art

The first line describes the towering mountain with thick clouds, the second line portrays the lake rippling without wind, creating a contrast of stillness and motion. The last two lines, starting with 'Don't say,' shift from the passing of spring to the abundance of misty pleasure, leaving a lingering aftertaste. The language is clear and elegant.

《采莲曲》艺术上以山水的对照与理趣的含蓄见长。全诗四句，层层写来：“稽山云雾郁嵯峨”写山之景——稽山云雾，郁郁嵯峨，写山之苍茫；“镜水无风也自波”写水之景——镜水无风也自波，写水之灵动；“莫言春度芳菲尽”写春去之叹——“莫言”即不要说，春去芳菲尽；“别有烟霞趣已多”写趣之自足——别有烟霞之趣，已多。全诗以稽山与镜水相对，以春尽与烟霞相承，写越中山水之美：山则嵯峨，水则自波；春虽尽而烟霞自足。以“别有烟霞趣已多”收束，含蓄有理趣，正是贺知章“清俊”的风格。

Allusions

The 'Ji Mountain' and 'Mirror Lake' are real places in Kuaiji, not allusions. The title 'Lotus Picking' follows the Southern Dynasties folk song tradition. 'Mist and cloud' is a traditional motif for reclusion from Wei-Jin landscape poetry.

《采莲曲》用典在“镜水”“烟霞”。“镜水”指镜湖（今浙江绍兴鉴湖），因水清如镜得名，为贺知章家乡之水；“稽山”指会稽山，为越中名山；“烟霞”本指云霞，亦借指山水胜景、隐居之趣，出南朝诗人以“烟霞”写隐逸的传统；“芳菲”指花草。全诗以稽山、镜水、烟霞这些越中的山水意象写家乡之美，不用深典而理趣自出。贺知章晚年归隐镜湖，此诗正是其家乡山水与归隐之趣的写照，也见盛唐诗人的山水情怀。

Commentary

He Zhizhang's few surviving poems are mostly fresh and elegant. This poem about Mirror Lake is praised for its free and easy atmosphere. Ming critics said his poetry 'has an indescribable charm.' It is often compared with Li Bai's and Wang Wei's landscape poems.

《采莲曲》是贺知章写越中风光的名篇，也是盛唐山水诗中的短章佳作。此诗以四句写稽山镜水之美与烟霞自足之趣，向为论者称道。论者多赏其“镜水无风也自波”的写法——以“无风也自波”写镜水之灵动，活泼而有味；“莫言春度芳菲尽，别有烟霞趣已多”写春去而趣存，含蓄有理趣。贺知章以《咏柳》《回乡偶书》著称，其诗清俊通俗，此诗正见其风格——以平淡的语言写家乡山水之美，含蓄而隽永。

Prosody

Form 七言绝句七言绝句

Rhyme 押平水韵·下平五歌（峨、波、多）《采莲曲》为七言绝句，押平声韵。此诗用韵：峨、波、多（歌部），一韵到底，音节清俊。七绝句式整饬，宜于写山水之景。

Tone pattern 首句入韵，平起平收七言绝句以声调抑扬、音节流丽见长。此诗以“稽山云雾郁嵯峨”起，音节舒展如山之高峻；“镜水无风也自波”以“自波”承，声情灵动；“莫言春度芳菲尽”写春去之叹，音节顿挫；“别有烟霞趣已多”以“趣已多”收，声情清俊。全诗以平韵贯底，声调与山水之趣相合，是七绝中清俊的一路。

Reading note 七绝平起首句入韵，一、二、四句押歌韵，格律严整《采莲曲》为七言绝句，是贺知章写越中风光的名篇。此诗以四句写稽山镜水之美与烟霞自足之趣：稽山云雾嵯峨，镜水无风自波，写山水之灵秀；莫言春尽芳菲，别有烟霞趣多，写四时皆美之趣。贺知章为越州人，晚年归隐镜湖，此诗正是其家乡山水的写照，也见盛唐诗人对家乡山水的热爱与归隐自足的情怀。

Line by line

稽山云雾郁嵯峨，镜水无风也自波。

Clouds wrap Mount Ji, towering and dense; the waters of Mirror Lake, windless, of themselves ripple.

会稽山上云雾缭绕，郁郁苍苍、高峻巍峨；镜湖水面无风，也自有微波荡漾。

Mist curls over Mount Ji, dense and towering; the Mirror Lake waters, though windless, of themselves ripple.

首二句写稽山镜水之景。“稽山云雾郁嵯峨”写山之苍茫——“稽山”写会稽山，“云雾郁”写云雾缭绕，“嵯峨”写山势高峻，山之苍茫巍峨如在目前；“镜水无风也自波”写水之灵动——“镜水”写镜湖，“无风也自波”写无风而自有微波，水之灵动活泼。二句以稽山与镜水相对：山则云雾嵯峨，是静而苍茫；水则无风自波，是动而灵动。一山一水、一静一动，写尽越中山水之美。以“无风也自波”写水，正见贺知章观察之细——镜湖之水，无风也自有微波荡漾，是其灵动之处。

The opening two lines write the scenery of Mount Ji and Mirror Lake. Clouds wrap Mount Ji, towering and dense writes the mountain's vastness - Mount Ji, the dense mist, the towering height, the mountain's vastness as if before the eyes. The Mirror Lake waters, though windless, of themselves ripple writes the water's liveliness - the Mirror Lake, rippling of itself without wind. The two lines set Mount Ji and Mirror Lake against each other: the mountain mist-wrapped and towering, still and vast; the water rippling without wind, moving and lively. One mountain one water, one still one moving, writing to the full the beauty of the Yue mountains and waters. Writing the water through of themselves ripple without wind, exactly showing He Zhizhang's minute observation - the Mirror Lake waters, rippling of themselves even without wind, their very liveliness.

莫言春度芳菲尽，别有烟霞趣已多。

Say not that spring has passed and the blossoms are gone; here is another charm of mist and cloud, already more than enough.

不要说春天过去、花草都已凋尽，这里另有一番烟霞胜景，趣味已足够多。

Say not that spring has fled and the blossoms all fallen; here is another beauty of mist and cloud, more than enough delight.

后二句写春去而趣存，是全诗理趣所在。“莫言春度芳菲尽”写春去之叹——“莫言”即不要说，春度芳菲尽，本写春光已逝；“别有烟霞趣已多”写趣之自足——“别有”写另有，“烟霞趣”写山水云霞之趣，“已多”写其已足够。二句以“莫言”转折：不要说春去芳菲尽，镜湖另有一番烟霞之趣。以“烟霞趣已多”写山水之趣，含蓄有理趣：春光虽逝，而山水长存；芳菲虽尽，而烟霞自足。这一收束，既写镜湖四时皆美，亦寓诗人归隐自足之乐，正是贺知章“清俊”风格的体现。

The last two lines write that spring has gone yet the delight remains, the seat of the whole's rational delight. Say not that spring has fled and the blossoms all fallen writes the sigh at spring's passing - say not means do not say, spring passed and blossoms gone, originally writing the spring light's departure. Here is another beauty of mist and cloud, more than enough delight writes the self-sufficiency of delight - another writes the separate, the charm of mist and cloud writes the delight of mountains, waters, and clouds, and more than enough writes its sufficiency. The two lines turn through say not: do not say spring has passed and the blossoms gone, for Mirror Lake has another charm of mist and cloud. Writing the delight of mountains and waters through the charm of mist and cloud, reserved and rational: though the spring light has gone, the mountains and waters abide; though the blossoms are gone, the mist and cloud suffice of themselves. This close at once writes that Mirror Lake is beautiful in every season, and lodges the poet's self-sufficient joy in reclusion, exactly the showing of He Zhizhang's clear and graceful style.

Study

Word focus

嵯峨 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. “稽山云雾郁嵯峨”之“嵯峨”，写山势高峻，是全诗写山之景的关键词。“嵯峨”本写山石高峻之貌，此处写会稽山在云雾中巍峨耸立。这一词以“嵯峨”写山之形，以“云雾郁”写山之气，山势之高峻、云雾之缭绕并见。以“嵯峨”写山，正是贺知章写越中名山的笔法——山之高峻，如在目前。

自波 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. “镜水无风也自波”之“自波”，写无风而自有微波，是全诗写水之灵动的点睛之词。“自”写自然如此，“波”写微波荡漾——镜水无风，也自有微波。这一词写镜湖之水：不是因风而起波，而是无风也自波，正见其灵动；一个“自”字，写水之自然生动，不假外力。以“自波”写水，正是贺知章观察之细、笔法之活——镜湖之水，无风自波。

莫言 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. “莫言春度芳菲尽”之“莫言”，写不要说、不必叹，是全诗转折理趣的关键词。“莫言”即不要说，着一词，便把春去芳菲尽的叹息轻轻拨开——“莫言春度芳菲尽”，不要为春光逝去而叹。这一词写诗人的豁达：不以春尽为憾，而以烟霞为趣。以“莫言”转折，正是贺知章“清俊”风格的体现——不叹春之去，而赏趣之多。

烟霞趣 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. “别有烟霞趣已多”之“烟霞趣”，写山水云霞之趣，是全诗理趣的归结。“烟霞”本指云霞，借指山水胜景、隐居之趣，“趣已多”写其趣味已足够。这一词以“烟霞”写山水之趣，含蓄而有逸致：春光虽尽，而烟霞之趣自足。以“烟霞趣已多”收束，既写镜湖四时皆美，亦寓归隐自足之乐，正是贺知章“清俊”风格的体现。

采莲曲