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唐 Tang · 诗 Poem

酬乐天扬州初逢席上见赠

To Bai Juyi, On Our First Meeting at a Feast in Yangzhou

刘禹锡

Liu Yuxi

酬赠Reply 哲理Philosophical 言志Expression of Ambition

巴山楚水凄凉地，二十三年弃置身。
怀旧空吟闻笛赋，到乡翻似烂柯人。
沉舟侧畔千帆过，病树前头万木春。
今日听君歌一曲，暂凭杯酒长精神。

Among the bleak mountains of Ba and waters of Chu,
I have been abandoned for twenty-three years.
Thinking of the past, I vainly chant the poem on hearing a flute;
On returning home, I feel like the woodcutter whose ax handle has rotted.
By the side of the sunken boat, a thousand sails pass;
In front of the withered tree, ten thousand trees bloom in spring.
Today I hear you sing a song for me;
Let me use this cup of wine to lift my spirits.

Listen

Meaning

The poet describes his long exile in desolate regions, laments the loss of friends and the passage of time, but then finds inspiration in natural renewal, and ends by thanking his friend for the poem and the wine which lift his spirits.

巴山楚水那样凄凉的地方，我遭贬谪其中虚度了二十三年。怀念故旧只能空自吟诵向秀的《思旧赋》，回到故乡反倒像那观棋烂柯、人事全非的樵夫。沉船的旁边千帆竞相驶过，病树的前头万木正逢阳春。今日听你吟赠这一曲，暂且借这杯酒振作起精神。

Appreciation

This poem is famous for its philosophical couplet 'By the side of the sunken boat, a thousand sails pass; in front of the withered tree, ten thousand trees bloom in spring,' which conveys the poet's optimism in the face of adversity. The use of allusions and vivid imagery turns personal sorrow into universal wisdom.

【白话串讲】被贬二十三年，刘禹锡回来时连自己都像“烂柯人”。可他在酒席上对白居易说：“沉舟侧畔千帆过，病树前头万木春”——二十三年，没把他磨成怨妇，反而磨出了豁达。【意象与手法】沉郁中见昂扬，议论与写景交融无痕。首联直叙贬所之荒与岁月之长，颔联用典密丽，颈联陡然翻出新意，以自然意象作哲理升华，对仗精工而气象开阔；尾联以「歌一曲」「长精神」收束，刚健有力，章法上呈「抑—扬—扬」的起伏【情感与主旨】刘禹锡因参与王叔文永贞革新失败，远贬朗州、连州等地，辗转巴山楚水二十三年。唐敬宗宝历二年（826）与白居易在扬州相逢，席间以此诗酬答，写尽贬谪之痛与不屈之志，哀而不伤【名句点睛】常考「闻笛赋」「烂柯人」二典与「沉舟侧畔千帆过，病树前头万木春」所寓新事物必然取代旧事物之理，以及「暂凭杯酒长精神」所见的豁达襟怀

Background

Liu Yuxi was exiled for 23 years due to his involvement in the Yongzhen Reform. In 826, he met Bai Juyi in Yangzhou, and Bai wrote a poem sympathizing with his misfortune. Liu Yuxi wrote this poem in reply, expressing both pain and resilience.

刘禹锡（772—842），字梦得，洛阳人，中唐杰出诗人。贞元九年（793）进士及第，与柳宗元同榜，旋入王叔文集团，参与永贞革新。革新失败后，王叔文赐死，刘禹锡贬连州刺史，再贬朗州司马，从此辗转巴山楚水之间，前后达二十三年。唐敬宗宝历二年（826）冬，刘禹锡罢和州刺史北归，途经扬州，与自苏州北返的白居易（乐天）相遇。两人同岁，久历宦海浮沉，白居易在席间作《醉赠刘二十八使君》为之鸣不平，诗中有「亦知合被才名折，二十三年折太多」之叹；刘禹锡即席赋此诗相酬，回望二十三年贬谪岁月，既有物是人非之悲，更见历劫不磨的倔强。诗题中「酬」字点明应答性质，「初逢席上见赠」记扬州初晤、席间赠答之缘，是二人订交的见证。永贞革新历时仅一百四十六日即告失败，宪宗即位后旧党反攻，参与革新者八人皆遭贬逐，史称「二王八司马」事件。刘禹锡先贬连州，途中再贬朗州司马，居朗州近十年，后又转徙夔州、和州等地，二十三年间足迹遍及巴山楚水。此诗作于北归途中，贬谪生涯行将结束，诗人借席间酬答回望平生，感慨尤深。此诗一出，成为酬赠诗中的千古名篇，也奠定刘禹锡「诗豪」之称。

Art

The poem combines melancholy and vigor. The first two couplets are somber with allusions, the third couplet suddenly turns to a bright, philosophical vista, and the last couplet responds to his friend in a spirited tone. The structure moves from depression to elevation.

全诗八句四联，章法跌宕，呈「悲—痛—达—奋」四层推进。首联「巴山楚水凄凉地，二十三年弃置身」直起，以地理之荒与岁月之长双管齐下，将贬谪之痛写足；颔联用「闻笛赋」「烂柯人」二典，悼亡友、叹沧桑，情感由个人之痛推至世事之变；颈联「沉舟侧畔千帆过，病树前头万木春」陡然翻出，以自然意象对举新生与衰朽，将悲慨升华为哲理，是全篇文眼；尾联落到席间酬答，「今日听君歌一曲，暂凭杯酒长精神」以眼前之事收束全篇，情调复归昂扬。对仗上，颔联以典对典，颈联以景对景，皆工稳天成；「沉舟」对「病树」、「千帆」对「万木」、「侧畔」对「前头」，字字精严而气脉流动，故有「流水对」之誉。全诗融叙事、写景、议论、抒情于一炉，由抑入扬、哀而不伤，是「沉郁中见昂扬」的典范。语言上亦见锤炼之功：前四句多用实词直叙，沉实有力；后四句以「千帆」「万木」等清新生动的意象翻空出奇，虚实相生。全诗不事雕琢而气象自开，是刘禹锡晚年诗艺纯熟的标志。

Allusions

The 'Flute Song' refers to Xiang Xiu's 'Rhapsody on Remembering Old Friends' written on hearing a flute, mourning his dead friends Xi Kang and Lü An. 'The woodcutter whose ax handle has rotted' is Wang Zhi from 'Anecdotes of the Strange', who watched a game of chess in the mountains and returned to find his ax handle rotted and centuries had passed. These allusions emphasize the poet's sense of loss and the long duration of his exile.

首联「巴山楚水」为实写贬所，朗州属楚、夔州近巴，概括二十三年流徙之地；「弃置身」暗含自伤。颔联两典最具分量：「闻笛赋」用向秀事，嵇康、吕安被司马氏杀害后，向秀经其旧居，闻邻人笛声，追思亡友，作《思旧赋》，刘禹锡借此悼念永贞革新中遭贬而死的王叔文、柳宗元等故人，一个「空」字写悼念之无益、故人之难返；「烂柯人」用《述异记》王质入山伐薪观仙人对弈，一局未终而斧柄已烂，归乡已过百年，刘禹锡以之比自己久谪归来，恍如隔世，旧友零落、人事全非。颈联「沉舟」「病树」为自喻之辞，兼含新陈代谢之理，据《唐诗纪事》，刘禹锡此联本为宽慰白居易而作，故后人目为豁达之语。尾联「歌一曲」即指白居易赠诗。四典三喻，或悼亡、或叹逝、或自宽，皆融化于白描之中，无一处生硬。「烂柯人」之典出自晋人任昉《述异记》：王质入山伐木，见童子数人弈棋而歌，因置斧观之，棋未终而斧柯已烂，归家方知人间已历数百年。此典与「闻笛赋」一悼亡、一叹逝，合观正见诗人故人零落、岁月空逝的双重感慨。

Commentary

Bai Juyi's original poem lamented that Liu had 'wasted a full twenty-three years.' Liu's reply shows an extraordinary magnanimity. The Qing critic Ji Yun commented: 'Liu Yuxi’s poem shows resentment without anger, capturing the essence of the Book of Songs.' It reflects the poet's unyielding spirit.

此诗历代推为酬赠诗之冠。白居易原诗叹刘禹锡「二十三年折太多」，刘以「千帆过」「万木春」答之，胸襟之阔远过原唱，故宋人洪迈《容斋随笔》称其「英气勃然，虽厄穷而不改」。清代纪昀评曰「梦得此诗，虽怨而不怒，得风人之旨」，点出其哀而不伤的分寸。今人评赏多聚焦颈联：其一，以「沉舟」「病树」自喻而不自弃，见出坚忍的人格力量；其二，「千帆过」「万木春」揭示新事物必然取代旧事物的客观规律，已超出个人得失，成为激励后世的名句。此诗与《乌衣巷》《石头城》等同为刘禹锡晚年名作，而独以此联流传最广，正因它把个人的苦难转化为对时代与自然的通脱认识。就文学史而言，中唐诗人多沉溺于个人感伤，刘禹锡能以哲思破愁，别开生面，启杜牧、李商隐议论入诗之先声。宋代以来，此诗入选多种诗歌选本，明清诗话评论不绝；「沉舟侧畔千帆过，病树前头万木春」一联更被后世广为引用，成为表达新生力量蓬勃发展的经典比喻。今人读此诗，既可见中唐党争中士人的不幸遭际，亦可见士大夫身处逆境而不屈的典型人格。

Prosody

Form Seven-character regulated verse (oblique-tone start, first line unrhymed)七言律诗（仄起首句不入韵）

Rhyme Rhymes on 'shen, ren, chun, shen' in the eleventh rhyme category of the level tone.押上平十一真韵：身、人、春、神

Tone pattern Oblique-tone start, first line unrhymed; the third couplet is a flowing parallelism, exquisitely crafted and fluid.首句「巴山楚水凄凉地」为仄起仄收（仄平仄仄平平仄），不入韵；以下「身」「人」「春」「神」皆平声押韵。颔联「闻笛赋—烂柯人」、颈联「千帆过—万木春」对仗精工，尤以颈联为流水对。

Reading note The first two couplets are somber with allusions, the last two couplets turn to philosophical brightness with the sunken boat line, moving from sorrow to optimism, a classic example of a reply poem that consoles both friend and self.此诗为七言律诗，仄起首句不入韵式。首句「巴山楚水凄凉地」以仄声「地」字收尾，不入韵而增顿挫；二、四、六、八句押上平十一真韵，「身」「人」「春」「神」四字皆平声，韵脚疏朗明亮，与全诗由悲转达的情调相合——真韵字音响亮而有余韵，宜于抒发感慨。对仗上，颔联以「闻笛赋」对「烂柯人」，事典相对、工稳天然；颈联「沉舟侧畔千帆过，病树前头万木春」尤为精彩，「沉舟—病树」为名词相对、「侧畔—前头」为方位相对、「千帆—万木」为数量相对、「过—春」以动词对名词而皆含动势，属对精严却毫无斧凿之痕，故称流水对——上下句一气贯注，如流水而下，理趣自现。全诗八句，前四句沉郁，后四句昂扬，声情亦随之起伏：仄起首句的顿挫正宜起调之悲，真韵平声的舒展正宜收束之达。此诗格律工稳而气韵流动，是中唐七律中的典范之作。

Line by line

巴山楚水凄凉地，二十三年弃置身。

In the bleak mountains of Ba and waters of Chu, I have been abandoned for twenty-three years.

巴山楚水那样凄凉的地方，我遭贬谪虚度了二十三年。

The desolate lands of Ba hills and Chu waters; for twenty-three years I have lain cast aside.

首联起笔即写尽贬谪之痛。「巴山楚水」以地理代贬所，点出流徙之广——朗州在楚、夔州近巴，概括二十三年漂泊之地；「凄凉地」直写荒远之状，「二十三年」以确数极言岁月之长，「弃置身」三字尤重，一个「弃」字写尽被朝廷抛弃、身不由己的孤愤。四句互文见义：地以凄凉显，身以弃置悲，时空双写，沉痛至极而不失节制，为全篇定下悲慨的基调，也与尾联「长精神」形成先抑后扬的照应。

The opening couplet at once writes to the full the pain of exile. The Ba hills and Chu waters use geography for the place of banishment, pointing the breadth of the wandering - Langzhou in Chu, Kuizhou near Ba, summing the lands of twenty-three years of drift. The desolate lands directly write the wild remoteness; twenty-three years uses the exact number to write to the utmost the years' length; the three words cast aside are the heaviest, the single word cast writing to the full the孤愤 of being abandoned by the court and of self beyond one's control. The four lines interweave in meaning: the place shown in desolation, the self shown in abandonment, time and space both written, the grief extreme yet without loss of restraint, fixing the whole's key of mournful indignation, and echoing the tail couplet's revive my spirit in a first suppression then rise.

怀旧空吟闻笛赋，到乡翻似烂柯人。

Thinking of the past, I vainly chant the poem on hearing a flute; on returning home, I feel like the woodcutter whose ax handle has rotted.

怀念故旧只能空自吟诵向秀的《思旧赋》，回到故乡反倒像观棋烂柯、人事全非的樵夫。

Missing old friends, I chant in vain the Flute-Lament; returned home, I am like the woodcutter whose axe-handle rotted away.

颔联连用二典，写尽物是人非。「闻笛赋」用向秀悼嵇康、吕安之典，悼念贬谪中死去的同人，一个「空」字见故人已逝、吟赋无益的落寞；「烂柯人」用王质观棋之典，写自己久谪归来如隔世之人。上句怀人，下句自况，一悼亡友、一叹自身，把二十三年贬谪造成的双重失落写得含蓄深婉。用典而不隔，语意流转如话，是刘禹锡「以故为新」的典型笔法。

The jaw couplet uses two allusions together, writing to the full that things remain while men are gone. The Flute-Lament uses the allusion to Xiang Xiu mourning Ji Kang and Lü An, mourning the comrades who died in exile; the single word in vain shows the loneliness of the friends' passing and the futility of chanting. The woodcutter whose axe-handle rotted uses the allusion to Wang Zhi watching a chess game, writing himself, long exiled and returned, like a man from another age. The upper line mourns friends, the lower portraits himself, one mourning the dead, one sighing over the self, writing the double loss of twenty-three years' exile reserved and deep-tender. Using allusion without obstruction, the meaning flowing like speech, exactly Liu Yuxi's typical brush of making the old new.

沉舟侧畔千帆过，病树前头万木春。

By the side of the sunken boat, a thousand sails pass; in front of the withered tree, ten thousand trees bloom in spring.

沉船的旁边千帆竞相驶过，病树的前头万木正逢阳春。

Beside the sunken ship, a thousand sails pass; before the sick tree, ten thousand trees put forth spring.

颈联是全诗文眼，千古名联。诗人以「沉舟」「病树」自喻贬谪之身，以「千帆」「万木」喻后来居上者与新生的力量，本含自伤之意，却因「侧畔」「前头」的方位对置与「过」「春」的动势，翻出新陈代谢、生生不息之理：沉舟之侧千帆竞渡，病树之前万木争春，衰朽与新生并置而新胜于旧。表面是宽慰友人，实则是自我开解，悲中见达、困中见豪，将个人不幸提升为对客观规律的达观体认，故能超越一时得失而成为千古励志名句。

The neck couplet is the poem's eye, a famous couplet through the ages. The poet uses the sunken ship and the sick tree to meta-phor his exiled self, and the thousand sails and ten thousand trees to meta-phor those who come after and the rising forces; originally holding self-pity, yet through the positional setting of beside and before and the motion of pass and spring, it turns out the principle of renewal and unceasing life: beside the sunken ship a thousand sails race, before the sick tree ten thousand trees strive in spring, decay and new life set side by side, the new prevailing over the old. On the surface comforting the friend, in truth self-unburdening, seeing equanimity in grief and the heroic in hardship, raising personal misfortune to the equable recognition of objective law, hence able to surpass the moment's gain and loss and become a famous encouraging line of the ages.

今日听君歌一曲，暂凭杯酒长精神。

Today I hear you sing a song for me; let me use this cup of wine to lift my spirits.

今日听你吟赠一曲，暂且借这杯酒振作起精神。

Today I hear you sing one song; for the moment, let this cup of wine revive my spirit.

尾联扣题收束，点明「酬赠」本旨。白居易席间赠诗相慰，诗人以「歌一曲」应之，以「杯酒」为媒，将满腹沧桑尽付一饮，「长精神」三字振起全篇：历经二十三年贬谪而志气不衰，借酒为名，实为自励，也回应了白居易「二十三年折太多」的叹惋。此联由沉郁陡转昂扬，与首联「凄凉」「弃置」遥相呼应，形成「抑—扬」的完整回路，使全诗在悲慨的底色上终成豪宕之音，正是「诗豪」本色。

The tail couplet closes on the title, pointing the reciprocal gift's purpose. Bai Juyi at the feast sent a poem in comfort; the poet answers with one song, using the cup of wine as the medium, pouring all the vicissitudes into one drink; the three words revive my spirit raise the whole: after twenty-three years of exile the will undimmed, using the wine as the name, in truth self-encouragement, also answering Bai's sigh that twenty-three years have been broken in half. This couplet turns abruptly from the brooding to the soaring, echoing from afar the opening's desolate and cast aside, forming the complete circuit of suppression and rise, making the whole on its mournful ground end in a heroic strain, exactly the poetry-hero's nature.

Study

Word focus

弃置身 abandoned person; the character 'qi' (abandon) encapsulates the poet's isolation and the coldness of the rulers, bitter yet restrained, the root of the poem's sorrow. 「二十三年弃置身」之「弃」是全篇悲慨之根。「弃」写被朝廷抛弃，「置」写任其流落，「身」以己身当之，三字连读，一个被时代搁置、遭执政者冷落的逐臣形象跃然纸上。此字不动声色而力重千钧：不写自己如何悲愤，只写自己被「弃」的处境，情感克制而更见沉痛；与「凄凉地」的地域之悲互相生发，使首联成为全诗情感的蓄势之源。后世咏迁谪者多用「弃」字，而刘禹锡此「弃」兼具自怜与自振双重意味——被弃而不自弃，正是下文「长精神」的伏笔。

空 vainly; futilely; the word conveys the futility of mourning the dead and the loneliness of recollection, a single word capturing the vicissitudes of life. 「怀旧空吟闻笛赋」之「空」字，写悼念之无着。故人已逝，吟赋何益？「空」字点破徒然，将向秀闻笛的旧典化作自己徒劳追念的怅惘：想效向秀一赋悼友，而斯人已不可复见，唯有空吟而已。一字之间，从「有为」落到「无着」，写尽沉痛的无力感，与下句「翻似」的错愕相映，共同托出二十三年带来的双重失落。此字看似虚词，实是颔联情感的关键枢纽，刘禹锡炼虚字之精，于此可见。

长 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「暂凭杯酒长精神」之「长」（振奋、增长）字，是尾联的诗眼。诗人不写「借酒浇愁」，而写「长精神」，把杯酒由消愁之物转为提神之具，一字扭转全篇情调：愁可借酒暂消，精神却要靠自己「长」起来——一个「长」字，既是自勉，也是酬答白居易的豪语，将二十三年贬谪的阴霾尽扫。此字与首联「弃」字遥遥相对：「弃」是被动的遭际，「长」是主动的振作，一沉一扬，全诗章法之妙正系于这一对字眼。

侧畔 / 前头 by the side / in front of; these positional words contrast the poet (sunken boat, withered tree) with the abundant new growth, highlighting the philosophical insight. 「沉舟侧畔」「病树前头」以「侧畔」「前头」两个方位词，把「沉舟」「病树」与「千帆」「万木」精准对置。方位词本极平常，此处却产生奇效：沉舟之侧不是空无，而是千帆竞发；病树前头不是荒芜，而是万木逢春——衰朽者恰被繁盛者环绕，对照之强烈使新陈代谢之理不待言说而自明。若去此二字，仅言「沉舟千帆过，病树万木春」，则上下句各说各话，无此一「侧」一「前」的贴身映衬，哲理便落空。刘禹锡善用虚字方位词盘活意象，此联是最佳例证。