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唐 Tang · 诗 Poem

池上

On the Pond

白居易

Bai Juyi

写景Lyric Landscape 童趣Childlike Charm

池上小娃撑小艇，偷采白莲回。
不解藏踪迹，浮萍一道开。

A little boy punts a little boat,
Steals back some white lotus blooms.
He doesn't know how to hide his trail –
The duckweed splits open along his route.

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Meaning

A child secretly picks white lotus flowers from the pond, but his boat leaves a clear path through the duckweed, revealing his whereabouts. The poem captures the innocent and carefree nature of childhood.

小娃娃撑着小船，偷偷采了白莲回来。不懂得隐藏踪迹，水面浮萍被划开了一道缝隙。

Appreciation

This short twenty-character poem vividly depicts a child's mischievous act of stealing lotus flowers. The contrast between the child's cunning action and his naivety in leaving a trail creates a charming scene. Bai Juyi's simple and natural language brings the moment to life, reflecting his later leisurely poetic style.

【白话串讲】 “小娃撑小艇，偷采白莲回。不解藏踪迹，浮萍一道开”——白居易写一个小孩偷偷撑船去采白莲，回来时浮萍被船划开一道痕，暴露了行踪。天真可爱，像一幅画。【意象与手法】全诗仅二十字，却写出一个完整而灵动的小故事。前两句「小娃撑小艇，偷采白莲回」以白描勾勒动作，「小」「偷」二字极尽童稚之趣；后两句「不解藏踪迹，浮萍一道开」以结果收束，船过浮萍、痕迹分明，孩子却浑然不觉，天真毕露。叙事有起有结，画面由动入静，于平淡中见盎然童趣。【情感与主旨】此诗为白居易晚年居洛阳时所作的《池上二绝》之一（另一首写山僧对棋）。白氏晚年退居香山，诗风由新乐府之讽谕转向闲适恬淡，《池上》即闲适诗代表，体现了白居易「老妪能解」、自然率真的艺术取向，亦见其晚年心境之从容。【名句点睛】考点多围绕「偷」字与童趣画面。常问：「偷采白莲」的「偷」字有何表达效果？「不解藏踪迹，浮萍一道开」如何以景写人？全诗如何体现白诗平易自然的风格？

Background

Written during Bai Juyi's retirement in Luoyang, this poem is one of the two 'On the Pond' quatrains. In his later years, Bai Juyi shifted from satirical to pastoral poetry, and this piece exemplifies his serene, childlike observation of everyday life.

此诗为白居易晚年退居洛阳时所作的《池上二绝》之一，另一首写山僧对棋。白居易晚年官至太子少傅，因厌恶党争，晚年「栖心释梵」，自号醉吟先生、香山居士，退居洛阳履道里，诗风由早年新乐府的讽谕济世转向闲适旷达，《池上》正是这一时期的代表作。诗人晚年常与僧侣、钓翁为伴，在洛阳的池塘园林间优游度日，这首小诗写的就是他闲坐池畔时捕捉到的乡间孩童偷采白莲的瞬间：小娃撑船、偷采白莲、浮萍开痕，本是生活中最寻常的一幕，经诗人点化，便成为永久的诗意。诗中充满老翁观童的慈爱目光，那孩童的憨态、船行的水痕，都被诗人以一种近乎天真的喜悦细细打量，正见其晚年心境之澄明与对生活趣味的敏感。此诗语言浅近如话，却耐人寻味，是白居易「老妪能解」主张与「闲适诗」理想的生动体现。白居易的闲适诗并非消极避世，而是在历经仕途风波后主动选择的人生姿态：他早年以《新乐府》五十首、《秦中吟》十首讽谕时政，得罪权贵，屡遭贬斥；晚年退居洛阳，转而从日常生活与自然风物中寻找诗意，诗风由剑拔弩张转为从容平和。这首《池上》正是这种转变的产物——诗人不再批判时政，而是以赤子之心打量眼前的一池一舟、一童一莲，从最平凡的生活场景中发现最纯粹的趣味，这本身就是一种成熟的人生智慧，也是白居易「穷则独善其身」诗学理想的落实。

Art

The poem uses straightforward description (bai miao) without elaborate diction. The key word 'steals' (tou) is not pejorative but captures the child's playful secrecy. The last two lines shift the focus to nature's response: the trail in the duckweed reveals the child's innocence. The narrative is concise yet complete, moving from action to consequence.

全诗仅二十字，却写出了一个完整而灵动的小故事，起承转合俱全，是「以小见大」的绝佳范本。前两句「小娃撑小艇，偷采白莲回」以白描勾勒动作：一个「撑」字写孩童划船的稚拙，一个「偷」字写其「做贼心虚」的可爱——偷采白莲，既见孩童的贪玩，又见其怕人知晓的娇憨，非贬而反添趣。「小娃」「小艇」两个「小」字叠用，儿童之小与船之小相映成趣，画面如在目前。后两句「不解藏踪迹，浮萍一道开」陡转写结果：小娃自以为神不知鬼不觉，却不料小船划过，浮萍被划开一道清楚的痕迹，行踪早已暴露。诗人不写孩童被发现后的反应，戛然而止，留下无尽的想象空间——那孩子看见水痕时是恍然大悟还是浑不在意？全诗由动入静，由叙事入画面，于平淡中见盎然童趣，正是白居易白描手法的极致。从叙事技巧看，此诗「二十字写一桩小事」的功夫尤其值得称道：前两句写「偷采」的动作，后两句写「露迹」的结果，中间省略了采莲、上船、划桨等一切过程，只截取起与结两个画面，让读者自行补足中间的空白，这正是中国诗歌「虚实相生」的叙事智慧。而「偷采白莲回」的「回」字，又把画面上移到船已归岸的时刻，儿童满载而归的得意与忐忑尽在这一字之中，为后文「不解藏踪迹」的反转蓄势，章法之紧凑、剪裁之精当，堪称五绝叙事的典范。

Allusions

No direct allusions, but 'white lotus' may subtly evoke Buddhist purity, as Bai Juyi was a devoted lay Buddhist. The image of duckweed parting has ancient poetic roots, here used to trace the child's path naturally.

此诗为即兴白描，几乎不用典故，纯以生活场景取胜，这本身就是白居易诗学主张的体现——他主张「文章合为时而著，歌诗合为事而作」，反对为文造情、堆砌故实。细究之，「白莲」既是夏景的点缀，又暗合佛教清净之意：白居易晚年号香山居士，笃信佛教，白莲在佛典中常喻清净法性，诗人笔下孩童偷采白莲，于无意间暗含禅趣，虽未必有意用典，却与白氏晚年的心境相映。「浮萍一道开」则承「浮萍」这一古典意象写水痕——浮萍聚散本是诗人常用的离愁意象，此处却纯然写实，写孩童划船破开浮萍的水痕，不着离愁而自有诗意。全诗以「无典」为法，正是白居易「系于意，不系于文」的创作主张的体现，于浅近中见真趣，是「文章本天成，妙手偶得之」的最好注脚。此外，「池上」这一场景本身也暗含白居易的闲适哲学：白居易晚年号香山居士，栖心释梵，其闲适诗多写池畔、林下、舟中的清景，此诗之「池」正是其生活世界的一部分——池是静的，童是动的，莲是洁的，三者相映，恰是诗人心中「静观万物」的写照。诗中孩童的天真无邪，与白氏晚年追求的「童心」境界相合，李贽《童心说》谓「夫童心者，绝假纯真，最初一念之本心也」，白氏此诗正是以童真反观人生、在浊世中守护一份清明的心境流露，读之令人会心一笑。

Commentary

Song critic Ge Lifang praised Bai Juyi's emotion and language in this poem. Modern scholar Yu Pingbo called it a masterpiece of bai miao. It is often paired with Hu Lingneng's 'Child Fishing' as twin masterpieces of Tang children's poetry.

此诗历代流传甚广，选家皆将其作为白诗平易风格的典范。宋·葛立方《韵语阳秋》谓白诗「长于情，工于辞，而短于理」，然此篇情致独绝，恰恰以「情」与「趣」胜。近人俞平伯评此诗「二十字写一桩小事，跃然如见，是白描高手」；《唐诗鉴赏辞典》称其「似口语而有味，似童谣而有境」。论者多将其与胡令能《小儿垂钓》并列为唐人写儿童的双璧：《小儿垂钓》写「侧坐莓苔草映身」「怕得鱼惊不应人」的专注，《池上》写「偷采白莲」「浮萍一道开」的淘气，一静一动，皆为童趣诗的绝唱。此诗还常被用作「以小见大」「白描手法」的教学范例，其价值正在于以最少的文字唤起最鲜活的画面与最温暖的情感，让人看到一代大诗人晚年返璞归真的艺术境界。此诗在传播史上亦极有趣味：它不仅为历代诗话所津津乐道，还常被用来诠释「以小见大」「白描」等诗学概念，成为教学与创作的经典范例。与《小儿垂钓》《牧童》等同题材诗作相比，此诗不写儿童的神态动作之美，专写其行为逻辑的稚拙——偷采与露迹的矛盾构成天然的喜剧性，正见白居易善于从生活的悖论中发现诗意。这种「于无奇处见奇」的本领，正是其晚年诗歌「无意于工而无不工」的体现，也是中国诗歌史上以最少的文字写最深的趣味的典范之作。

Prosody

Form Five-character quatrain五言绝句（仄起首句不入韵式）

Rhyme Pingshui rhyme, upper level 10 Hui (hui, kai) – first line not rhymed押平水韵上平十灰韵，「回」「开」相押，首句「艇」不韵，二十字两韵。

Tone pattern First line not rhymed, oblique-tone start, oblique-tone end首句「小娃撑小艇」仄起仄收，为仄起首句不入韵式，格律谐协，音节轻快。

Reading note One of 'Two Poems on the Pond', a late leisurely work, simple and rustic.此诗为五言绝句，仄起首句不入韵，押平声灰韵，二十字两韵，体制短小精悍。五绝的特点是字字珠玑、不容赘语，白居易在此将这一特点发挥到极致：四句二十字，写完了「出发—采莲—归来—露迹」的完整小故事，起承转合一步不乱。首句「小娃撑小艇」起（人物出场），次句「偷采白莲回」承（行为完成），三句「不解藏踪迹」转（心理揭示），四句「浮萍一道开」合（以景收束），章法谨严而浑然天成。语言上全用口语：「小娃」「小艇」「不解」皆是白话，音节轻快流畅，读来如见其景、如闻其声，正合白居易「老妪能解」的追求。全诗一韵到底，音调明快，与童趣的主题相得益彰，是盛唐以后五绝中「以俗为雅、以浅见深」的典范之作。

Line by line

小娃撑小艇，偷采白莲回

A little boy punts a little boat, steals back white lotus blooms. The repeated 'little' and the word 'steals' vividly portray the child's adorable mischievousness.

小娃娃撑着小船，偷偷采了白莲回来。

A small child poles a small boat, stealing back with white lotus.

起句两句写孩童偷采白莲的全过程，白描而神采毕现。「小娃」「小艇」两个「小」字叠用，先声夺人，儿童之稚、小舟之轻，一幅画面已在眼前；「撑」字写其划船的动作，笨拙而认真，正是孩童本色。最妙在「偷」字：不是偷窃之偷，而是孩童贪玩、怕人知晓、偷偷摸摸的娇憨之态，一个「偷」字写活了孩子的心理——他知道采莲或许不该，却抵不住白莲的诱惑，便怀着小小的侥幸去做了。「白莲」点明时节为夏日，又以其洁白映衬孩童的天真。两句写动作、写心理，叙事简洁而情趣盎然，为后文「不解藏踪迹」的戏剧性反转埋下伏笔。

The opening two lines write the whole of the child's stealing of the white lotus, plain drawing yet the spirit fully alive. The two small words, small child and small boat, used together carry the reader by storm; the child's childishness and the boat's lightness, a picture already before the eyes. The word poles writes the rowing, clumsy and earnest, exactly the child's nature. The greatest beauty is the word steals: not the theft of stealing, but the child's love of play, his fear of being known, his furtive and dainty ways; one word steals brings the child's psychology to life - he knows picking the lotus perhaps ought not, yet cannot resist the white lotus's lure, and goes about it with a small chance. The white lotus points the summer season, and sets the child's innocence against its whiteness. The two lines write the action and the psychology, the narrative plain yet the delight abundant, laying a ground for the later dramatic turn of knows not to hide his tracks.

不解藏踪迹，浮萍一道开

He doesn't know how to hide his trail; the duckweed splits open in a line. The natural image reveals the child's pure innocence, concluding the scene with delightful subtlety.

不懂得隐藏踪迹，水面浮萍被划开了一道缝隙。

He knows not to hide his tracks; the duckweed has parted in a line.

后两句是全诗的点睛之笔，以结果写人物，妙趣横生。「不解」二字写孩童的天真：他自以为偷采白莲神不知鬼不觉，却哪里懂得要隐藏踪迹，小船划过水面，浮萍被划开一道清清楚楚的水痕，行踪早已暴露无遗。「浮萍一道开」是极精炼的画面：密密层层的浮萍被小船分开，露出一道水路，像一条清晰的线索，把孩童的「秘密」摊在阳光下。诗人不写孩童被发现的反应，戛然而止，留下悬念与想象——那孩子是回头看见了水痕，还是浑然不觉地兴高采烈而归？以景结情，言尽而意不尽。两句一写无知，一写痕迹，孩童的憨态与画面的趣味相映成趣，正是「于平淡处见功夫」的白描典范。

The last two lines are the eye-dotting stroke of the whole, writing the person through the result, the delight abundant. The two words knows not write the child's innocence: he thinks his stealing the white lotus is unknown to any god or man, yet how should he know to hide his tracks; the small boat crosses the water, the duckweed parted in a clear furrow, his trail already laid bare. The duckweed has parted in a line is the most concise picture: the thick layers of duckweed divided by the boat, exposing a waterway, like a clear clue, laying the child's secret in the sun. The poet writes not the child's reaction at being found, but stops short, leaving suspense and imagination - did the child look back and see the furrow, or return unknowing in high delight? Closing feeling through scenery, the words ended yet the meaning unended. The two lines, one writing the innocence, one writing the trace, the child's guilelessness and the picture's delight setting off, exactly the plain-drawing model of seeing craft in the plain.

Study

Word focus

偷 Not derogatory; conveys the child's playful attempt to avoid being seen, full of innocent charm. 「偷采白莲回」之「偷」字，是全诗童趣的核心，也是历来赏析的焦点。「偷」字本含贬义，此处却非贬斥，而是写孩童怕人知晓、偷偷行事的娇憨心理——孩子想采白莲，又隐约知道不该采，便趁着大人不注意偷偷去采，采完还怀着小小的得意与忐忑回来。「偷」字写出了行为的隐秘性与心理的微妙性，把成人世界的道德判断转化为儿童世界的天真游戏，一字活画出贪玩而怕人知的孩童形象。若换作「采」「摘」等字，便只是平淡的动作描写，童趣全失。这个「偷」字还暗示了诗人观察的角度：他不是以道德家眼光评判孩童，而是以慈祥老翁的目光欣赏这天真的一幕，字里行间满是会心的笑意，正是白居易晚年闲适心境与赤子之心的体现。

不解 "Doesn't know how to"; highlights the child's unawareness that his trail is visible, enhancing the naive effect. 「不解藏踪迹」之「不解」，即「不懂得」，是全诗情感转折的关键词。孩童偷采白莲，自以为行迹隐秘，却「不解」藏踪，被浮萍水痕出卖——这里的「不解」既是智力上的不懂（不知道要消除痕迹），更是心理上的天真（根本没意识到这是需要隐藏的事）。正是这「不解」，把孩童的纯真无邪写得淋漓尽致：他做「坏事」却不懂遮掩，暴露了行迹还浑然不觉，这种全无心机的坦荡，恰是童心最可贵之处。「不解」二字还暗含诗人的怜爱：仿佛在说，这孩子啊，什么都不知道，多么可爱。与「偷」字配合，一写行为之偷偷摸摸，一写心智之全然不解，行为的「贼」与心理的「纯」形成反差，童趣即在反差中油然而生。

池上