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唐 Tang · 诗 Poem

赋得古原草送别

Grass on the Ancient Plain: A Farewell Poem

白居易

Bai Juyi

咏物Object-chanting 送别Farewell 哲理Philosophical

离离原上草，一岁一枯荣。
野火烧不尽，春风吹又生。
远芳侵古道，晴翠接荒城。
又送王孙去，萋萋满别情。

Lush grass grows on the plain,
Withers and thrives in yearly train.
Wildfire cannot burn it dead,
Spring wind blows and it spreads instead.
Afar its fragrance invades the ancient road,
In clear sky green links the desolate abode.
Again I send my friend away,
The dense grass is full of parting sorrow.

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Meaning

The lush grass on the plain withers and thrives year after year. Wildfire cannot burn it completely; with the spring wind, it grows again. Its fragrance spreads far over the ancient road, and its green connects to the desolate town. Now I see off a friend; the luxuriant grass is full of parting sorrow.

原野上繁茂的青草，一年一度枯萎又重生。野火再怎么猛烈也烧它不尽，春风一吹便又蓬勃滋生。远处芬芳的草色蔓延侵上古道，晴日里翠绿连接着荒凉的古城。如今又送游子出门远去，那满地萋萋碧草，盛满了离别的深情。

Appreciation

The first four lines chant the grass's vitality: 'Wildfire cannot burn it dead, spring wind blows and it spreads instead' is a philosophical ode to indomitable life. The last four lines shift to farewell, using the spreading grass to symbolize the extension of parting feelings. The poem blends object-chanting with farewell seamlessly, and the famous couplet has become an immortal epigram of resilience.

【白话串讲】十六岁的白居易，凭“野火烧不尽，春风吹又生”让长安老前辈顾况刮目相看。一首写草的诗，写尽了生命的韧劲，也写尽了离别。【意象与手法】此诗为唐白居易之作，精要赏析详见下方深度赏析。【情感与主旨】此诗为白居易十六岁时的应试习作（“赋得”即按命题作诗）。相传他携诗拜谒名士顾况，顾况先戏言“长安米贵，居大不易” 【名句点睛】常考咏物兼送别的双重意蕴，以及“野火烧不尽，春风吹又生”所寓顽强生命力与理趣

Background

This poem was a practice piece written by Bai Juyi at age sixteen for the imperial examination ('fude' means writing on an assigned theme). It is said that when he visited the renowned poet Gu Kuang with this poem, Gu first joked, 'Rice is expensive in Chang'an, it's not easy to live there.' After reading 'Wildfire cannot burn it dead, spring wind blows and it grows anew,' Gu exclaimed in admiration, 'With such lines, living is easy!' Thus the young talent became known.

白居易此诗题中「赋得」二字，标识其为唐代科举习诗与应制场合常见的试帖诗体式。唐人平日练笔或场屋应试，往往以「赋得」领起，就一指定题目作五言律诗，此诗正是白居易少年时代的习作。关于其具体作年与本事，最通行的说法出自晚唐张固《幽闲鼓吹》：白居易初到长安，携诗文拜谒名士顾况，顾况见其姓名而戏言「长安米贵，居大不易」，及读此诗至「野火烧不尽，春风吹又生」，乃改容叹曰「有才如此，居亦何难」。这则轶事流传极广，几乎成为此诗的标准注脚。然考诸史实，白居易生于唐代宗大历七年（772），十六岁为贞元三年（787）；顾况约于贞元五年（789）后贬官饶州、离开长安。若白居易确于十六岁入长安，时间上尚可与顾况相逢，故事并非全无可能；但朱金城《白居易集笺校》等考证认为，白居易首次赴京应试在贞元十五年（799）前后，其时顾况已卒，故拜谒之说恐系后人附会渲染，未必实录。版本方面，此诗见于《白氏长庆集》卷十三，题作《赋得古原草送别》；后世选本多径题《草》或《古原草》，正文无重大异文，唯「离离」二字取义，通行作草木繁盛下垂之貌解，与《诗经·王风·黍离》「彼黍离离」一脉相承。白居易写作此诗的阶段，正值其少年漂泊、随家辗转于江南之际，尚未登第，身世之感虽未深重，然其日后平易近人、关怀民生的诗风，已在此首习作中初露端倪。

Art

The poem combines immediate scene and principle, moving from object to emotion with natural transitions. The first four lines contrast withering and thriving, using cause and effect ('burn not' and 'grow again') to express the grass's tenacity. The middle couplet 'Afar its fragrance invades the ancient road, in clear sky green links the desolate abode' is neatly antithetical and expands the scene. The last line 'The dense grass is full of parting sorrow' ties the whole together, blending object-chanting and farewell. Though written in youth, it shows mature craftsmanship and is a model of Tang object-chanting farewell poems.

此诗章法以「草」为骨，四联层层翻进，由咏物而入送别，题目中的「古原草」与「送别」两义交融无痕。首联「离离原上草，一岁一枯荣」总起，以「离离」状草之繁盛，「枯荣」二字并举，先立下草木荣枯循环的自然法则。颔联「野火烧不尽，春风吹又生」是千古名句，紧承「枯荣」之「枯」字，写草经野火焚烧而不灭，春风一至便再生，以极工整的对仗写极朴素的理趣，将咏物提升为对顽强生命力的礼赞。颈联「远芳侵古道，晴翠接荒城」转写空间，以「远芳」「晴翠」从嗅觉与视觉双管齐下，一「侵」一「接」两个动词，写草色蔓延之态，既见其生机，又暗点古道荒城之寂，为送别铺设场景。尾联「又送王孙去，萋萋满别情」由物及人，化用《楚辞·招隐士》语意，将眼前萋萋春草直接坐实为离愁的化身，「又」字暗示送别之频繁，一腔别情全系于草色之中。全诗咏草而不粘滞于草，句句写草，句句关情。炼字上，「侵」「接」二字最具笔力，前人谓之着一字而境界全出；「枯荣」对举，「烧不尽」与「吹又生」的因果翻转，皆见少年白居易已具炼字功夫。后世评点，俞陛云《诗境浅说》赞其寄托深远、非徒咏物；金圣叹亦盛称颔联之奇，谓其写草之性情，他人万万想不到。要之，此诗之妙在「不隔」——写草则草之形神毕现，写情则情之深挚自出，物我之间毫无间隔。全诗不用一典、不设一奇字，纯以平常语写平常景，而理趣与情味皆臻上乘，正合司空图所谓「俯拾即是，不取诸邻」的自然之境。此外，全诗以「枯荣」「烧不尽」「吹又生」「侵」「接」「满」等词连缀成篇，字字落实于草，又字字暗扣离情，咏物与送别两线并行而不相乱，这种物我双关的章法，正是五律咏物诗的正格。

Allusions

'Each year it withers and revives' echoes the Book of Changes' idea of ceaseless generation. The tail couplet 'Again I send my friend away, the dense grass is full of parting sorrow' reverses the allusion to the Chu Ci's 'The wanderer travels and does not return, the spring grass grows luxuriantly,' which originally longed for the wanderer's return. Here it is turned to send him away, using the lush grass as an emblem of parting sorrow.

此诗用典与意象皆有所本。「王孙」二字出自《楚辞·招隐士》「王孙游兮不归，春草生兮萋萋」，是春草与离别结缘的源头。淮南小山以「春草生兮萋萋」唤起对远游王孙的思念，从此「春草—离愁」成为诗歌中的固定搭配。白居易末联「又送王孙去，萋萋满别情」几乎逐字承此而来，只将原典的「不归」翻作「送去」，以「满」字将离情灌注草色，化用而不失本味。「离离」一词可溯至《诗经·王风·黍离》「彼黍离离，彼稷之苗」，本写黍稷行列繁盛下垂之貌，后引申为草木茂盛，白居易借来形容古原草，源头甚古。至于「野火烧不尽，春风吹又生」所寓的生生不息之理，虽未必有直接典故，却与《周易》「生生之谓易」的宇宙观相通，学界有论者认为其亦暗合牧野民间对荒火过后草复生的经验观察。此外，「古道」「荒城」的意象组合，在唐诗中已成送别与羁旅的常格，如王之涣「黄河远上白云间，一片孤城万仞山」之孤城，此处「荒城」更添荒凉，与「晴翠」的生意恰成反衬。学界歧说集中于「赋得」之性质：一说此诗是应试的试帖诗，故格律严谨、扣题紧切；一说「赋得」亦可指即景分题之作，不必是科场文字。两说并存，各有所据。若从诗风的自然流转与情感的淋漓看，此诗更接近分题即兴的习作，而非拘谨的场屋文字。

Commentary

It is said that Bai Juyi presented this poem to Gu Kuang at age sixteen. Gu first mocked, 'Rice is expensive in Chang'an, it's not easy to live there.' Upon reading 'Wildfire cannot burn it dead,' he praised, 'With such lines, living is easy!' and thus promoted Bai's fame. This shows that even as a youth Bai had a mature style, no false reputation.

此诗自唐以来选本必录，是白居易存世作品中流传最广的一首，其传播之盛甚至超过《长恨歌》《琵琶行》等长篇。晚唐张固《幽闲鼓吹》载顾况激赏之事，虽真伪难辨，却为此诗赢得了「名动京师」的早期声名。宋人对此诗评价亦高，胡仔《苕溪渔隐丛话》曾引录并加以辨析。明代唐诗选本中，此诗多置于五律一类，李攀龙《唐诗选》、钟惺《唐诗归》均有收录，钟惺尤赏其浅语有致。清代沈德潜《唐诗别裁》选入此诗，评以「诗到真处，一字不可移易」，推重其自然真切。蘅塘退士《唐诗三百首》更将其置于五律开篇之位，使其成为蒙学必背之作，家喻户晓。近代以来，此诗在教科书与儿童读本中的高频出现，使其「野火烧不尽，春风吹又生」两句几乎成为汉语中坚韧不屈精神的代名词，抗战时期更常被引用以喻民族生命力之不可摧折。学者钱锺书在《谈艺录》中论及此诗，谓其得力处全在以枯荣之对举写生之无穷。日本汉学界亦推重此诗，江户时代以来诸选本皆录。可以说，此诗已从一首少年习作升华为一个文化符号，其接受史跨越千年而愈见鲜活。要之，此诗的成功，正在于它以最浅近的语言说出了最普遍的真理——生命力的顽强与离愁的绵长，都是人类共通的经验，故能雅俗共赏、老幼皆解。此种平易而隽永的品格，也为白居易日后「老妪能解」的诗风埋下了伏笔。一首十六七岁少年的习作，竟能兼具咏物之理趣与送别之深情，且在千年的接受史中愈传愈盛，这本身便是白居易诗才早熟的最有力证明，也是唐诗五律中不可多得的奇迹。

Prosody

Form Five-character regulated verse (fude style, five-character lüshi)五言律诗

Rhyme Level tone, first line does not rhyme, rhymes with the eighth rhyme group (荣, 生, 城, 情).平水韵下平八庚韵，押「荣」「生」「城」「情」四韵，首句不入韵

Tone pattern The first couplet: '离离原上草' (ping ping ping ze ze), '一岁一枯荣' (ze ze ze ping ping); the second couplet '野火—春风' is a perfect antithesis.首句「离离原上草」平平平仄仄，为平起仄收式，故首句不入韵。颔联出句「野火烧不尽」仄仄平仄仄，第四字「不」应平而仄，是为拗句，对句「春风吹又生」平平平仄平，第三字「吹」以平声相救，构成对句拗救。颈联「远芳侵古道」仄平平仄仄，首字「远」仄而可不论；「晴翠接荒城」平仄仄平平，亦合。尾联「又送王孙去」仄仄平平仄，「萋萋满别情」平平仄仄平，全合正格。

Reading note The first half chants the grass, the second half writes farewell. The philosophical couplet 'Wildfire cannot burn it dead, spring wind blows and it grows anew' transitions to 'The dense grass is full of parting sorrow,' blending object-chanting and farewell seamlessly.此诗为五言律诗平起式正格，首句不入韵，押下平八庚韵，四韵皆属庚韵，一韵到底，音色清朗明亮，与「晴翠」「春草」的明丽意象声情相合。全诗平仄大体工整，唯颔联出句「野火烧不尽」第四字当平而仄，属拗句，然对句「春风吹又生」第三字「吹」以平救之，此即律诗家所谓「三四拗救」或对句相救之法，救后声调复归流转，反添顿挫之致。清人赵执信《声调谱》、王士禛论拗体皆尝举此类为式。白居易以十六七岁之龄，已能娴熟驾驭律体声律，且于正格中见变化，可知其诗才之早熟。就声情而言，「荣」「生」「城」「情」四字皆阳声韵，收于鼻音，读来余响悠长，恰与「萋萋满别情」的绵邈别绪相表里；而「离离」「萋萋」两组叠字错落其间，又使全诗在整饬的格律中多了民歌般的回环摇曳，庄重而不板滞，自然而不粗率，正是白居易律诗雅俗兼济的早期标本。

Line by line

离离原上草，一岁一枯荣

Grass on the ancient plain grows thick and spreading, year after year it withers and flourishes anew.

原野上繁茂的青草，一年一度枯萎又重生。

The luxuriant grass on the plain withers and comes back to life once every year.

「离离」二字叠用，摹写古原草既繁且盛、行列分明的姿态，语源可上溯《诗经》「彼黍离离」，一开篇便带出古老的诗意。「一岁一枯荣」以「一岁」总摄时间，「枯荣」并举写尽草之一生的循环：荣是常态，枯是暂时，枯而后荣，生生不已。这一联看似只是交代草的习性与时令，实则为全诗立下骨——其后野火、春风、远芳、晴翠，无不由「枯荣」二字生发。诗人写草不写一时之景，而写一岁之变，视野的开阔与语气的从容，已见其少年不凡的气度，也为末联借草送别埋下伏笔。

The doubled word lilivividly renders the dense, orderly ranks of grass on the ancient plain, an echo of the Book of Songs line 'the millet spreads in ranks', opening the poem with an ancient poetic resonance. 'Year after year it withers and flourishes' gathers all time into a single year, pairing wither and flourish to show the grass's endless cycle — flourishing is the rule, withering the pause, and from withering comes renewal, life without end. The couplet seems only to state the plant's habit and the season, yet it lays the bone of the whole poem: the wildfire, the spring wind, the far-off fragrance, the clear green light all grow out of 'withering and flourishing'. Writing not a single scene but the change of a year already shows the young poet's breadth, and quietly prepares the closing farewell.

野火烧不尽，春风吹又生

Wildfire cannot burn it away; when the spring wind blows, it rises again.

野火再怎么猛烈也烧它不尽，春风一吹便又蓬勃滋生。

However fierce the wildfire, it cannot burn the grass away; let the spring wind blow, and it grows lush once more.

此联是全诗诗眼，妙在将「枯荣」具体化为一场自然界的生死搏斗。「野火」是毁灭性的外力，「烧不尽」却写出草的生命力压倒了毁灭；「春风吹又生」以最轻灵的字眼接续最顽强的生命，一「吹」字柔和，一「生」字蓬勃，刚柔相济。「不尽」与「又生」构成因果翻转：火欲灭之而不得，风一至而复苏。两句对仗工整而气脉贯通，不见斧凿之痕。其表层写草，深层则寓普遍的生命哲理，故千载之下，凡遭逢困厄而志不摧者，莫不于此联获得共鸣。

This couplet is the poem's eye, turning 'withering and flourishing' into a struggle between life and destruction in nature. The wildfire is an annihilating force, yet 'cannot burn it away' shows the grass's vitality overpowering ruin; 'the spring wind blows and it rises again' follows the toughest life with the lightest word — one 'blows' is gentle, one 'rises' is exuberant, strength softened by grace. 'Cannot finish it' and 'rises again' reverse cause and effect: fire would destroy but cannot; wind arrives and all revives. The lines are perfectly matched yet flow as one breath. On the surface they describe grass; beneath lies a universal philosophy of life, so that across the ages all who meet hardship unbroken find an echo here.

远芳侵古道，晴翠接荒城

Its far-off fragrance steals upon the old road; in the clear daylight its green joins the desolate town.

远处芬芳的草色蔓延侵上古道，晴日里翠绿连接着荒凉的古城。

From afar the fragrant grass creeps over the old road; in the clear sunlight its green reaches the ruined city walls.

颈联由时间转入空间，由写草的「性」转入写草的「态」。「远芳」从嗅觉落笔，写草香之远播；「晴翠」从视觉落笔，写草色之明丽，两相对映，草之形神俱出。「侵」「接」二字是炼字关键：「侵」写草色缓缓漫上古道，有蚕食般的动态，足见其生力之不可遏；「接」写草色绵延直至荒城，有铺天盖地之势。古道荒城本是衰颓之物，却被无边芳草所吞没，一衰一荣的对照中，暗透出时光流转、人事代谢的苍凉，也为末联送别营造了开阔而略带感伤的氛围。

The neck couplet turns from time to space, from the grass's nature to its bearing. 'Far-off fragrance' starts from the sense of smell, the scent carried far; 'clear green light' starts from sight, the bright living color; set against each other, form and spirit both appear. The verbs 'steals upon' and 'reaches' are the refined cruxes: 'steals' shows the green slowly creeping over the old road with the pressure of a slow advance, its force irresistible; 'reaches' shows it stretching on to the ruined city, overwhelming all. The old road and ruined town are emblems of decline, yet swallowed by boundless grass; in the contrast of decay and growth glimmers the pathos of time's turning and human change, and it sets a wide, slightly sorrowful mood for the final farewell.

又送王孙去，萋萋满别情

Once more I speed a wanderer on his way; the lush grass is heavy with parting feeling.

如今又送游子出门远去，那满地萋萋碧草，盛满了离别的深情。

Now I see another wanderer off; the dense green grass all around is brimming with the sorrow of parting.

末联由咏物收归送别，是全诗题旨的落点。「王孙」用《楚辞·招隐士》「王孙游兮不归，春草生兮萋萋」旧典，却不袭其盼归之意，而翻作送别之景。「又送」的「又」字分量极重，点明此番送别并非首次，古原草年年荣枯，送别亦年复一年，离愁便如这萋萋芳草般岁岁绵延。「满别情」的「满」字，将无形的离情物化为铺满古原的草色，情与景至此浑然一体，物我交融。全诗以草起，以情结，首尾圆合，咏物而不滞于物，正见大家手笔。

The final couplet returns from the object to the farewell, landing the poem's theme. 'Wanderer' alludes to the Verses of Chu summons, 'the wanderer roams and does not return, spring grass grows thick'; yet instead of longing for return, the poet turns it into a scene of parting. The word 'again' weighs heavily: this is not the first farewell, and as the ancient plain's grass flourishes and dies each year, partings repeat, sorrow stretching like the lush grass year after year. 'Brimming with parting feeling' takes the intangible grief and makes it the green covering the plain; feeling and scene become one, self and world interwoven. The poem begins with grass and ends with feeling, rounded and complete, singing the object without being trapped by it — the hand of a master.

Study

Word focus

离离 lush and spreading 「离离」为叠字，出自《诗经·王风·黍离》「彼黍离离」，本写黍稷行列繁盛、低垂摇动之貌，后固化为草木茂盛的套语。白居易以之开篇，既省去对草的繁冗描摹，又借叠字的音韵绵延，传达出草势的铺天盖地。从声韵看，「离」属开口细音，叠用之后如风过原野，绵密而摇曳，与「萋萋」的收束遥相呼应。从意脉看，「离离」所写的盛，正与后文「枯荣」之变、「烧不尽」之韧、「侵古道」之蔓延暗中贯通，一字而总领全篇之象，故为全诗之定调。

侵 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「侵」字在颈联中写草色蔓延古道的动态，极具力度。它本有侵犯、进逼之义，用在草木上，便赋予无知无识的芳草以主动的意志——草色不是静止地铺陈，而是缓缓地、执拗地吞没着人迹罕至的古道。一个「侵」字，既写出草势的广大与强韧，又暗含人事的荒废：唯有行人稀少的古道，才会任草色侵漫。它与下句「接」字一纵一横，「侵」写渐进，「接」写绵延，合而写出古原草吞天沃野的气象，也隐隐透出送别之际那种离愁如草、无处不侵的况味。

又 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「又」字置于尾联「又送王孙去」句首，看似平淡，实为全诗情感的机关。它点明此番送别不是第一次，而是年复一年、周而复始地重复，正与首联「一岁一枯荣」的循环暗中呼应——草岁岁枯荣，人也岁岁送别，自然的永恒与人事的聚散在「又」字上汇合。若删去「又」字，则只是一次具体的送别；着一「又」字，便有了时间的纵深与感慨的分量，离愁不再是即景的一时之情，而成为被岁月反复加深的常情。一字之增，全篇意蕴为之丰厚。