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唐 Tang · 诗 Poem

长安古意（节选）

An Ancient Theme of Chang'an (Excerpt)

卢照邻

Lu Zhaolin

都市City 歌行Ballad 盛衰Rise and Fall

长安大道连狭斜，青牛白马七香车。
玉辇纵横过主第，金鞭络绎向侯家。
龙衔宝盖承朝日，凤吐流苏带晚霞。
百尺游丝争绕树，一群娇鸟共啼花。
得成比目何辞死，愿作鸳鸯不羡仙。
节物风光不相待，桑田碧海须臾改。
昔时金阶白玉堂，即今惟见青松在。
寂寂寥寥扬子居，年年岁岁一床书。
独有南山桂花发，飞来飞去袭人裾。

Chang'an's broad road connects narrow lanes,
With green oxen and white horses, seven-scented carriages.
Jade imperial coaches cross by mansions of the great,
Golden whips go in endless streams to houses of marquises.
Dragon-headed canopies catch the morning sun,
Phoenix-spitting tassels bring the evening glow.
A hundred feet of gossamer struggle around trees,
A flock of pretty birds sing among flowers.
If I could become a sole-fish, why fear death?
I'd rather be mandarin ducks, not envy immortals.
But seasons and scenes do not wait,
In a moment, mulberry fields become blue seas.
Where once were golden steps and jade halls,
Now only green pines are seen.
In lonely silence, Yangzi's dwelling,
Year after year, a bed of books.
Only the cassia blooms on Zhongnan Mountain,
Flitting to and fro, brushing people's robes.

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Meaning

The poem begins by depicting the splendor of Chang'an: broad roads, ornate carriages, noble mansions, and lively spring scenes. It then expresses passionate love, willing to die for union. Abruptly, the tone shifts: time is relentless, seas change, former golden halls are gone, only green pines remain. The poet contrasts the fleeting luxury with the quiet life of a scholar (Yang Xiong) in his study, surrounded by books and cassia blossoms, implying the permanence of simple virtue.

长安宽阔的大道连通狭窄的巷曲，青牛白马牵引着华美的七香车。帝王的玉辇纵横驶过权贵宅第，金鞭络绎奔向王侯之家。车盖如龙衔宝承着朝阳，流苏似凤吐霞带着晚晖。游丝百尺争绕绿树，娇鸟成群啼啭繁花。若能得成比目鱼又何惧一死，愿作鸳鸯便不羡慕神仙。可节物风光不肯等待，桑田碧海转眼更改。往昔金阶玉堂的显赫，如今只见到青松寂立。唯有扬子云般寂寞的居所，年年岁岁陪伴一床书卷。独有终南山的桂花开放，飞来飞去拂人衣襟。

Appreciation

Lu Zhaolin uses lavish description of Chang'an's bustle, then contrasts it with the cold reality of transience. The poem moves from dazzling images to philosophical reflection, showing the impermanence of wealth and the value of steadfastness. The famous lines 'If I could become a sole-fish...' express love's intensity, while the final scene of a hermit's solitude offers a quiet resolution.

【白话串讲】 “得成比目何辞死，愿作鸳鸯不羡仙”——卢照邻写长安的繁华与爱情，这一句成为千古名言。长安大道、七香车、鸳鸯……盛唐的富贵，都在这首诗里。【意象与手法】全诗以汉赋铺排之法写七言歌行，开盛唐长篇之先声。开篇连用对仗铺陈车马宫阙之盛，龙衔凤吐设色秾丽；中段以比目鸳鸯直抒至情；结尾由极繁华跌入极寂寥，以扬雄自况作结，章法纵横跌宕，辞藻华美而骨力遒劲。【情感与主旨】卢照邻为初唐四杰之一，早年游宦长安，目睹京城繁华与世态炎凉；晚年染风疾，困苦不堪，终自沉颍水。诗中盛衰对照，暗含对功名富贵的幻灭与对清贫自守的肯定，反映初唐士人在盛世表象下的复杂心态。【名句点睛】考点：①铺排手法——开篇对长安繁华的赋体描写；②对比结构——豪门之盛与寒士之冷、繁华与荒凉；③「得成比目何辞死，愿作鸳鸯不羡仙」的炽热言情及其与清寂结尾的反跌。

Background

Lu Zhaolin, one of the 'Four Literary Giants of Early Tang', suffered from a debilitating disease later in life and eventually drowned himself. 'Ancient Theme of Chang'an' was written during his time seeking office in the capital, where he witnessed both the splendor and the fickleness of court life. The poem reflects his disillusionment with worldly success and his admiration for the reclusive scholar Yang Xiong.

卢照邻字升之，幽州范阳人，初唐四杰之一。其博学能文，弱冠即授邓王府典签，邓王誉之为寡人之相如；后调新都尉，因染风疾（一说麻风病）去官，隐居具茨山下，病痛缠身，足挛手废，终不堪其苦，自沉颍水而卒，年约四十。其一生在盛世初开、功名路塞的夹缝中度过，与王勃、杨炯、骆宾王并称四杰而遭遇最惨。《长安古意》约作于其长安求仕、目睹京城繁华与世态炎凉之际，是初唐歌行走向成熟的关键之作。此诗虽题为古意，实写当代长安：大道狭斜、青牛白马、玉辇金鞭，是长安通衢的实景；龙衔宝盖、凤吐流苏，是权贵车饰的写真；节物风光、桑田碧海，则是对富贵易逝的预感。诗人以繁华起笔，以清寂收束，末以扬雄自况，既见其仕途失意的孤愤，亦见其置身富贵场中的清醒。全诗反映初唐士人在盛世表象下的复杂心态，是研究四杰思想与初唐都市文学的重要文本。

Art

This poem employs the expansive style of Han dynasty rhyme-prose within a seven-character ballad, breaking from the ornate palace-style poetry. The first half uses parallel couplets and vivid imagery (dragons, phoenixes) to depict luxury; the second half shifts abruptly to a bleak contrast, creating a powerful structural tension. The language is rich yet forceful, opening a path for later Tang balladeers.

此诗以汉赋铺排之法写七言歌行，开盛唐长篇之先声。开篇连用对仗铺陈，自长安大道写至金鞭侯家，再写车饰之丽、春景之盛，层层铺叙如展开一幅都市繁华长卷。龙衔宝盖、凤吐流苏，以动物化写车饰，设色秾丽，骈俪精工；百尺游丝、一群娇鸟，动静相生，春意盎然。中段「得成比目何辞死，愿作鸳鸯不羡仙」，以比目鸳鸯的连类设喻，直抒世俗情爱之炽烈，笔势由铺陈转为抒情，是全篇情感的高潮。结尾「节物风光不相待，桑田碧海须臾改」陡作转折，由极盛跌入无常；「昔时金阶白玉堂，即今惟见青松在」以金阶玉堂与青松对照，写尽富贵如烟；末以寂寂寥寥扬子居与独有南山桂花发收束，以寒士之清寂反照豪门之喧嚣，章法纵横跌宕，辞藻华美而骨力遒劲，开张若虚、李白歌行之先河。诗由长安一城之盛写尽一代之盛，复由盛衰之变写出人情之常，铺陈而不板滞，感慨而不颓唐，故能兼得赋之铺张与诗之深婉，为初唐歌行立一典范。

Allusions

'Sole-fish' (bi mu) refers to a fish that moves only with its mate, symbolizing inseparable love. 'Mandarin ducks' are traditional symbols of marital fidelity. 'Yangzi' refers to Yang Xiong, a Han dynasty scholar who lived in poverty and authored the 'Tai Xuan Jing' and 'Fa Yan'—here a model of the contented recluse. 'Mulberry fields and blue seas' alludes to the Taoist tale of Magu, who witnessed the sea turn to mulberry fields, symbolizing vast changes.

诗用典多方而皆融化无痕。比目出《尔雅·释地》「东方有比目鱼焉，不比不行」，喻情侣形影不离；鸳鸯自古为匹鸟，象征恩爱，二典连用以写情爱之贞。桑田碧海化用葛洪《神仙传》麻姑语「接待以来，已见东海三为桑田」，喻世事巨变、富贵无常。扬子居指西汉扬雄（字子云），其贫居著《太玄》《法言》，门可罗雀而终成不朽，诗人借以自况，标举清贫守道；独有南山桂花发，飞来飞去袭人裾，化用淮南小山《招隐士》「桂树丛生兮山之幽」之意，以桂之芳洁暗喻隐者之高。诸典使诗意在繁丽中见深沉寄托，繁华语面之下实有冷眼旁观之思，是初唐歌行使事入化的范例。又以青牛白马、玉辇金鞭、金阶玉堂等宫阙器物入诗，虽不专为一典，实亦汉魏以来都市赋咏物之积习，诗人取之铺陈当代，使古典与时景交融，情思遂在繁丽之外别具沧桑。此皆以典写意，典与情合、典与景合，繁丽而不堆砌，正见初唐歌行使事之圆熟。

Commentary

Qing critic Shen Deqian commented that 'the poem reveals its meaning at the end, expressing resentment.' Modern scholar Wen Yiduo praised it as 'a great liberation of palace-style poetry,' noting that the 'Four Elites' used urban and chivalric themes to cleanse the ornate style. This poem's structure—opening with splendor and ending with solitude—influenced later masterpieces like Zhang Ruoxu's 'Moonlit Night on the Spring River' and Li Bai's ballads.

清人沈德潜《唐诗别裁》评卢照邻《长安古意》「篇终见意，可以怨矣」，以其篇末由盛转衰、以寒士自况之笔，合于诗可以怨之旨。闻一多《宫体诗的自赎》盛赞此诗「是宫体诗的一次大解放」，以为四杰以市井与侠气洗刷宫体绮靡，使长篇歌行由宫廷走向人生，并谓《长安古意》的出现是宫体诗由病态走向健康的转折点。诗中铺写都市、以结句翻出新意之法，实开张若虚《春江花月夜》、李白《将进酒》等盛唐歌行之先河；其金阶玉堂与青松桂花的对照，亦启刘禹锡《乌衣巷》、杜牧《泊秦淮》一类咏史兴亡之作。近人论初唐歌行必以卢骆为祖，而卢照邻此篇以其情思之真、章法之奇、声情之美，尤称四杰歌行之冠，在中国诗歌由齐梁绮靡走向盛唐气象的进程中，具有里程碑式的意义。要之，此诗以盛世之笔写盛世之影，复以寒士之眼观繁华之虚，一篇之中，气魄、深情、哲理兼备，足称初唐歌行压卷之作。

Prosody

Form Seven-character ballad (ancient style), free rhyme changes, parallel and prose mixed七言歌行（古体诗），转韵自由，骈散结合

Rhyme The excerpt has multiple rhyme shifts (e.g., xia, che, jia, xia, hua; then later sounds), typical of ancient ballads节选内多随意转韵，如麻韵「斜、车、家、霞、花」，后复转他韵；古体不守律诗平仄对仗，唯以铺排骈俪见长。

Tone pattern Primarily seven-character lines, with occasional parallel couplets and expansive phrasing; the tone moves from lavish to stark以七言为主，间用对仗与排比，铺陈华丽、气势开阖；音节随章法由盛转衰，前舒后促，收束处声情转幽，叠字回环，一唱三叹。

Reading note Representative of early Tang 'Four Elites' ballad style, using city splendor to contrast with impermanence and hermit ideals, paving the way for High Tang ballads此诗为初唐歌行的代表作，体制上属七言古体，不受近体格律束缚，而以转韵换气、骈散相间为骨。全篇以赋法铺陈，四句一组、两组一意，对仗处如「龙衔宝盖」对「凤吐流苏」，工丽精整；转折处如「节物风光」对「桑田碧海」，骈中见散，顿挫有力。韵脚随内容流转：繁华处用平声宽韵，声情舒展；感慨处换韵转调，声情转促，歌行之妙全在声情与辞情相凑。末段连用叠字（寂寂寥寥、年年岁岁）与「独有」「飞来飞去」等语，回环往复，一唱三叹，最见歌行神理。此体上承汉魏乐府，下启盛唐李杜歌行，闻一多谓其为宫体诗的一次大解放，正指其以自由之体写世俗之情、都市之景，脱去六朝绮靡而自成一格。

Line by line

长安大道连狭斜，青牛白马七香车。

Chang'an's wide road connects narrow lanes; green oxen and white horses pull ornate seven-scented carriages.

长安宽阔大道连通狭窄巷曲，青牛白马牵引华美七香车。

The great ways of Chang'an run into the narrow lanes; blue oxen and white horses draw the seven-scented carriages.

开篇一笔总括全城：以「连」字沟通大道与狭斜，通衢曲巷尽入画面，见出长安街衢之繁密；青牛白马与七香车并举，以牛马之盛、车乘之华写贵族出行之豪。七香车以多种香料涂饰，为贵族之车，见当日长安之富庶。两句纯用赋体铺排，不写人而人自见，为全篇都市繁华之卷首揭题，亦为后文盛衰对照预埋伏笔。起笔即见高屋建瓴之势，先声夺人，为全篇铺陈立定格局。

The opening stroke sums the whole city: the word joins links the great ways and the narrow lanes, the thoroughfares and winding alleys all entering the picture, showing the density of Chang'an's streets; the blue oxen and white horses set beside the seven-scented carriages write the lords' pomp through the rich teams and the splendid carriages. The seven-scented carriage, painted with many spices, is the noble's carriage, showing the prosperity of Chang'an. The two lines purely use the fu enumeration, not writing men yet men of themselves appear, the title page of the whole's urban splendor, and a ground for the later contrast of glory and decay. The opening at once shows the commanding posture, carrying the reader by storm, establishing the pattern for the whole's enumeration.

龙衔宝盖承朝日，凤吐流苏带晚霞。

Dragon-headed canopies catch the morning sun; phoenix-spitting tassels bring the evening glow.

车盖如龙衔宝承着朝阳，流苏似凤吐霞带着晚晖。

The dragon holds the jeweled canopy, catching the morning sun; the phoenix breathes the tassels, trailing the evening glow.

「龙衔」「凤吐」以动物化写车饰，赋物以灵性；宝盖承日、流苏带霞，色彩明丽，设色秾艳。朝日晚霞并出，暗示贵族昼夜行乐、从旦至暮不绝于途。两句对仗精工，骈俪之中见飞动之势，是初唐歌行铺排气派的典型笔法，亦暗含金玉其外的浮华之象，为后文之幻灭埋下伏线。两句由朝至暮写尽行乐无度，浮华之中已透出空虚之象，与后文清寂之景遥遥相对。

The words dragon holds and phoenix breathes give the carriage fittings a life through animalization; the jeweled canopy catching the sun and the tassels trailing the glow are brightly colored, the hues rich. The morning sun and evening glow appearing together hint that the nobles feast day and night, without cease from dawn to dusk. The two lines are a wrought parallel, showing flying motion within the parallelism, the typical early-Tang song-style enumeration, and secretly holding the outward-glitter emptiness, a ground for the later disillusion. The two lines write to the full the excess of pleasure from dawn to dusk, the emptiness already showing through the splendor, echoing from afar the later quiet scene.

得成比目何辞死，愿作鸳鸯不羡仙。

If I could become a sole-fish, why fear death? I'd rather be mandarin ducks, not envy immortals.

若能得成比目鱼又何惧一死，愿作鸳鸯便不羡慕神仙。

Could I be paired as the flounder, I would not shrink from death; I would be the mandarin duck, envying not the immortals.

以比目鸳鸯连类设喻，直抒世俗情爱之炽：死生以之、神仙可弃，写情之至者莫此为甚。两句以口语入诗而情韵饱满，与六朝宫体之含蓄侧艳异趣，是初唐士人肯定世俗人生的宣言；又与下文「寂寂扬子居」的清冷形成强烈反跌，繁华与清寂两境相形，章法顿挫有力。此种直露之爱，正是初唐士人从六朝艳情中解放出来的宣言。

Using the flounder and mandarin duck in a linked meta-phor, it directly utters the fervor of worldly love: life and death for it, the immortals to be cast aside, nothing writing love's extremity more. The two lines enter poetry in colloquial language yet the feeling is full, differing from the Six Dynasties palace-style's reserved sensuousness, the early-Tang scholar's declaration affirming worldly life; and the strong fall against the later silent Yangzi dwelling, the two realms of splendor and stillness set off, the structure's pause and force. This outright love is exactly the early-Tang scholar's declaration of liberation from the Six Dynasties erotic.

节物风光不相待，桑田碧海须臾改。

But seasons and scenes do not wait; in a moment, mulberry fields become blue seas.

可节物风光不肯等待，桑田碧海转眼更改。

The season's sights and the splendor wait for no man; the mulberry fields and the blue seas change in an instant.

两句陡作转折，是全诗由铺陈转向感慨的枢机。节物风光本无情，而云「不相待」，是加一层写时光之迫；桑田碧海化用麻姑沧海桑田之典，以「须臾」写巨变之速，富贵之脆弱、人事之无常尽在其中。前此铺写的百般繁华，至此一笔扫空，笔力千钧，为下文金阶玉堂化为青松之景张本。两句以自然之变写人事之变，笔势如奔雷骤雨，读之惊心。

The two lines turn abruptly, the hinge of the whole's moving from enumeration to the lament. The season's sights are originally passionless, yet to say they wait for no man adds a layer, writing the pressure of time; the mulberry fields and blue seas adapt the Magu allusion of seas and mulberry fields, using in an instant to write the speed of the great change, the fragility of wealth and the impermanence of human affairs all within. The hundred splendors enumerated before are swept empty in one stroke, the force of a thousand jun, laying a ground for the later scene of gilded steps and jade halls turned to green pines. The two lines write the change of human affairs through the change of nature, the brush like a rushing thunderstorm, reading it makes one start.

昔时金阶白玉堂，即今惟见青松在。

Where once were golden steps and jade halls, now only green pines are seen.

往昔金阶玉堂的显赫，如今只见到青松寂立。

The gilded steps and jade halls of old; now only the green pines remain.

金阶白玉与青松对举，以贵之极写衰之速：玉堂今已无存，唯余青松岁寒不凋，以松之常青反衬世之易改。「惟见」二字收束一切繁华，只余一株孤松、一派苍凉，兴亡之叹含蓄而沉痛。两句由盛入衰，完成全诗主题的呈现，是《长安古意》由赋体铺陈转入咏史感慨的枢纽。此联于青松见岁寒之心，亦是诗人清操自守的自我写照，为扬子居之出作过渡。

The gilded steps and jade halls set against the green pines write the speed of decay through the height of rank: the jade hall is now gone, only the pines, unchanging in the cold, remain, the pine's evergreen set off against the world's mutability. The words only remain gather in all the splendor, leaving but a lone pine and a stretch of desolation, the sigh of rise and fall reserved and painful. The two lines move from glory to decay, completing the poem's theme, the hinge of Chang'an Ancient Music moving from fu enumeration to historical lament. This couplet sees the cold-year heart in the green pines, and is the poet's own portrait of keeping his pure integrity, making the transition to Yangzi's dwelling.

寂寂寥寥扬子居，年年岁岁一床书。

In lonely silence, Yangzi's dwelling, year after year, a bed of books.

唯有扬子云般寂寞的居所，年年岁岁陪伴一床书卷。

Silent and bare, Yangzi's dwelling; year after year, only a couch of books.

以扬雄自况，于繁华对照中独标清寂：寂寂寥寥写居之冷落，年年岁岁写守之持久，一床书以书卷自足，见安贫守道之志。两句与开篇车马喧阗遥相对照，是诗人自我的落脚处，亦是全诗立意的所在——繁华易逝而著述不朽，章法收束有力，寄慨遥深。以书自守，以静为乐，正见诗人于乱世繁华中的精神归宿，卒章显志。

Comparing himself to Yang Xiong, it alone marks the clear stillness against the splendor: silent and bare writes the dwelling's coldness, year after year writes the persistence of keeping, and a couch of writes the self-sufficiency in books, showing the will of being content in poverty and keeping the way. The two lines echo from afar the opening's clamor of horses and carriages, the poet's own landing place and the seat of the whole's bent - splendor passes yet writings are immortal, the structure closing with force, the lodging far-reaching. Keeping oneself through books and taking stillness as joy, exactly showing the poet's spiritual refuge in the age's splendor, the closing reveals the will.

Study

Word focus

连 connect; implies overall layout and connection 「长安大道连狭斜」之「连」字，一笔总括京城通衢与曲巷，铺陈气魄全从此字生出。连字本是平叙之词，此处却担起全城地理之全貌：大道之阔与狭斜之窄并纳一联，一宽一窄、一显一隐，已暗藏长安社会之层次。下文玉辇金鞭、龙衔凤吐皆由这个「连」字展开，故一字而见全局，是赋体立骨之字，亦见诗人以少总多的驾驭之力。由此一字，铺陈之体、立骨之法，皆可窥其端倪。

须臾 a moment; instant; emphasizes rapid change 「桑田碧海须臾改」之「须臾」，以极短之时写极巨之变，反衬富贵之脆弱。沧海变桑田本需万古，而云「须臾」，是夸张以极言人事无常之速；与前文日复一日、年复一年的行乐形成时间节奏的对照，欢乐愈长则幻灭愈骤，兴亡之感顿生于这一瞬间的慨叹之中，是全篇转折处的点睛字眼。其力之巨，正在以极短写极变。须臾二字，遂为全诗由盛入衰之关捩。

惟见 only see; reinforces desolate contrast 「即今惟见青松在」之「惟见」，以孤景收束前之繁华，对照鲜明，苍凉无限。惟见者，不见其他之谓也：金阶玉堂、车马冠盖一切俱尽，眼中唯余一株青松。二字如镜头骤然收窄，万千繁华凝于一景，举重若轻；又与南山桂花之「独有」遥应，两个独景一收一放，写尽繁华过后天地间唯余清寂与自然的永恒。以孤景对盛景，不言盛衰而盛衰自明，笔力千钧。