唐 Tang · 诗 Poem
宫词
Palace Poem
玉楼天半起笙歌，风送宫嫔笑语和。
月殿影开闻夜漏，水精帘卷近秋河。
The wind carries the palace ladies' laughter and talk.
In the moonlit hall the shadow spreads, the night watch is heard,
She rolls up the crystal curtain, near the autumn river.
Meaning
The poem shows palace music and laughter above while a solitary watcher hears only the night watch below, hinting at the loneliness of the neglected. It uses revelry to set off hidden grief.
玉楼高耸云霄，半空中飘出阵阵笙歌；晚风把宫嫔们说笑的声音轻轻送来。月光铺洒，殿影清幽，听得见更漏声声；卷起水晶帘幕，仿佛离秋夜的银河更近了。
Appreciation
The first two lines stage music and laughter high in the jade towers, then the last two drop to a quiet hall where only the night watch ticks and a crystal curtain nears the autumn river. Sound and silence, brightness and cold, are set against each other so that revelry only measures the watcher's isolation. The poem says little of sorrow and yet leaves it everywhere, the classic move of palace-lament poetry.
【白话串讲】 “玉楼天半起笙歌，风送宫嫔笑语和”——顾况写宫中：玉楼笙歌，宫嫔笑语。“月殿影开闻夜漏，水精帘卷近秋河”——月光如水，帘卷秋河。一幅宫女夜晚的图画。 【意象与手法】以“笙歌”“笑语”的喧闹反衬“月殿”“夜漏”的孤寂，以“水精帘”“秋河”的清冷营造宫怨氛围，声寂、明暗两相照应。 【情感与主旨】表面写宫中行乐，实则以热闹反衬失宠者的凄凉，暗含对深宫女子寂寞命运的同情。 【名句点睛】“月殿影开闻夜漏，水精帘卷近秋河”——以动衬静，清冷意象中见无尽幽怨。
Background
Gu Kuang was a mid-Tang poet; this poem follows the palace-lament tradition of yuefu and Tang palace poems.
《宫词》为唐代顾况所作，是写宫中笙歌、秋夜之景的诗。顾况（约727—约815），字逋翁，苏州人，唐代诗人。此诗：玉楼天半起笙歌，风送宫嫔笑语和。月殿影开闻夜漏，水精帘卷近秋河。全诗写宫中笙歌、秋夜之景，是顾况诗的名篇。
Art
It writes grief through joy, uses sound to set off silence; revelry and solitude form a sharp contrast.
《宫词》艺术上以宫中笙歌的描摹与秋夜之景的幽深见长。全诗四句：首写玉楼笙歌——“玉楼天半起笙歌，风送宫嫔笑语和”写玉楼天半起笙歌、风送宫嫔笑语和；末写月殿秋河——“月殿影开闻夜漏，水精帘卷近秋河”写月殿影开闻夜漏、水精帘卷近秋河。全诗以宫中笙歌写秋夜之景，正是顾况诗幽深的笔法。
Allusions
No overt allusion; pure description of the palace night.
《宫词》用典在“玉楼”“天半”“宫嫔”“月殿”“夜漏”“水精帘”“秋河”。“玉楼”写玉楼（华美楼台）；“天半”写天半；“宫嫔”写宫嫔；“月殿”写月殿；“夜漏”写夜漏（更漏）；“水精帘”用水精帘之典（水精帘动微风起）；“秋河”写秋河（银河）。全诗以这些意象写宫中笙歌、秋夜之景，用典自然而幽深自见，正是顾况诗的笔法。
Commentary
Earlier critics said of it 'in the midst of revelry it writes desolation, most attaining the intent of the poet.'
《宫词》是顾况诗的名篇，也是唐诗中写宫怨幽深的代表作。此诗写宫中笙歌、秋夜之景，向为论者称道。论者多赏其宫中笙歌的描摹与秋夜之景的幽深——“玉楼天半起笙歌，风送宫嫔笑语和”写玉楼天半起笙歌、风送宫嫔笑语和，幽深之极；“月殿影开闻夜漏，水精帘卷近秋河”用水精帘之典写月殿影开闻夜漏、水精帘卷近秋河，更见其幽。顾况此诗写宫中景致而暗含幽怨，正是其代表——以宫中笙歌写秋夜之景，正是其诗风。
Prosody
Line by line
玉楼天半起笙歌，风送宫嫔笑语和。
From the jade tower at mid-heaven rise pipes and songs; the wind carries the laughter of the palace ladies in harmony.
玉楼天半起笙歌，风送宫嫔笑语和。
From the jade tower high in the sky rise pipes and singing; the wind wafts the palace ladies' laughter and gentle voices together.
首写玉楼天半起笙歌、风送宫嫔笑语和，是全诗写宫中笙歌的起点。“玉楼天半起笙歌”写玉楼天半起笙歌——“玉楼天半起笙歌”写玉楼高耸天半、笙歌响起——玉楼天半起笙歌；“风送宫嫔笑语和”写风送宫嫔笑语和——“风送宫嫔笑语和”写风送宫嫔笑语相和——风送宫嫔笑语和。二句写玉楼天半起笙歌、风送宫嫔笑语和：玉楼天半起笙歌，风送宫嫔笑语和。以“玉楼天半起笙歌”写玉楼天半、笙歌悠扬，以“风送宫嫔笑语和”写风送笑语、宫嫔相和，正是顾况诗写宫中笙歌的起点——玉楼笙歌，宫嫔笑语。
The first couplet writes pipes and songs rising from the jade tower at mid-heaven, the start of the palace music. The jade tower soaring and the wind carrying the ladies' laughter lay out the bright, musical palace scene — the opening of the poem's picture of court revelry.
月殿影开闻夜漏，水精帘卷近秋河。
In the moonlit hall, shadows part; I hear the night water-clock. The crystal curtains are rolled up, close to the autumn River of Stars.
月殿影开闻夜漏，水精帘卷近秋河。
In the moonlit hall as the shadows open, the night clock is heard; the crystal curtains are rolled up, near the autumn galaxy.
末用水精帘秋河之语写月殿影开闻夜漏、水精帘卷近秋河，是全诗写秋夜之景的归结。“月殿影开闻夜漏”写月殿影开闻夜漏——“月殿影开闻夜漏”写月殿影开、听得夜漏——月殿影开闻夜漏；“水精帘卷近秋河”用水精帘秋河之语写水精帘卷近秋河——“水精帘卷近秋河”用水精帘之典写水精帘卷、近接秋河——水精帘卷近秋河。二句写月殿影开闻夜漏、水精帘卷近秋河：月殿影开闻夜漏，水精帘卷近秋河。以“月殿影开闻夜漏”写月殿影开、夜漏声声，以“水精帘卷近秋河”用水精帘之典写水精帘卷、近接秋河，正是顾况诗写秋夜之景的归结——月殿夜漏，帘卷秋河。
The closing couplet uses the crystal curtain and autumn galaxy to write the autumn night: in the moonlit hall one hears the night clock, the crystal curtains rolled up toward the autumn stars. The night water-clock and the rolled curtain gathering the galaxy are the gathering of the autumn night scene — moonlit hall, slow clock, curtains and stars.
Study
Word focus
Related Reading
Compare this related work with the poem above through theme, imagery, tone, and emotional movement.
朱庆馀《宫中词》写含情欲说、鹦鹉不敢言，与本首同为唐诗写宫中之事。差异在情致：宫词写秋夜笙歌；宫中词写幽怨欲言。一写“景”之幽，一写“怨”之深。两者并读，可见唐诗写宫中之事的两种情致。
后宫词 The Back Palace Poem 白居易 · 同为宫词写宫中怨情，一写笙歌秋河一写泪尽罗巾，皆含蓄 Related readingCompare this related work with the poem above through theme, imagery, tone, and emotional movement.
白居易《后宫词》写泪尽罗巾、红颜未老恩先断，与本首同为宫词写宫中怨情。差异在明暗：顾况宫词写秋夜笙歌；白居易后宫词写泪尽罗巾。一写“景”之隐，一写“怨”之明。两者并读，可见宫词写宫中怨情的两种明暗。
近试上张水部 Before the Exam, Sent to Secretary Zhang 朱庆馀 · 同为唐诗写深闺婉约之思，一写宫中秋夜一写新妇妆罢，皆含蓄 Related readingCompare this related work with the poem above through theme, imagery, tone, and emotional movement.
朱庆馀《近试上张水部》写妆罢低声问夫婿、画眉深浅，与本首同为唐诗写深闺婉约之思。差异在情境：宫词写宫中秋夜；近试上张水部写新妇问妆。一写“宫”之幽，一写“闺”之巧。两者并读，可见唐诗写深闺婉约之思的两种情境。