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唐 Tang · 诗 Poem

古决绝词·其一

Ancient Song of Resolute Parting, No. 1

元稹

Yuan Zhen

乐府Music Bureau (Yuefu) 爱情Love 决绝Resolute Parting 古体诗Ancient-Style Poetry

乍可为天上牵牛织女星，不愿为庭前红槿枝。
七月七日一相见，相见故心终不移。
那能朝开暮飞去，一任东西南北吹。
分不两相守，恨不两相思。
对面且如此，背面当可知。
春风撩乱伯劳语，况是此时抛去时。
握手苦相问，竟不言后期。
君情既决绝，妾意已参差。
借如死生别，安得长苦悲。

Rather be the Cowherd and Weaver Maid above,
Than a red hibiscus branch before the court.
On the seventh of the seventh month they meet once a year—
Meeting again, their old hearts remain unchanged.
How could I be a flower that opens at dawn and flies at dusk,
Left to be blown by winds from east, west, south, and north?
We cannot stay together,
Nor can we long for each other.
Facing each other is already thus;
Turning our backs, how much more so?
In the spring wind the shrike's chatter is all at odds,
Even more at this moment of being cast away.
Hand in hand I ask bitterly—
In the end, he will not name a future date.
Your feelings have already, decisively, ended;
My heart has likewise gone its own way.
Even if this is a parting of life and death,
How could I go on grieving forever?

Listen

Meaning

The speaker declares that she would rather be the Cowherd and Weaver Maid—stars who meet only once a year across the Milky Way—than a courtyard hibiscus that blooms brilliantly only to fall by evening. Recalling the old promise of annual reunion, she rebukes her lover for his fickleness, describes the painful distance that has grown between them, and tells of his refusal to promise a reunion when they part. She accepts his decisive breakup with bitter, self-respecting resignation, reasoning that even a parting of life and death should not be mourned forever.

宁可作天上遥遥相望的牵牛织女星，也不愿做庭前朝开暮落的红槿枝。七月七日一年一度相见，相见后故旧之心终究不改。怎能像那朝开暮飞的花，任凭东西南北风吹散。既不能两相厮守，又恨不能两心相知。面对面尚且如此，背过身去更可想而知。春风中伯劳鸟语撩乱，何况正在这被抛舍的时刻。握手苦苦相问，竟不肯说一句后会的日期。你情意既已决绝，我的心思也就与你参差两异。纵然如同生死永别，又怎会长久地苦苦悲啼。

Appreciation

Written in the yuefu tradition, this poem adopts the voice of a woman who has been abandoned. It is often read as connected to Yuan Zhen's early romance with Cui Yingying. The poem opens with a striking contrast: the distant, faithful stars versus the brief, fragile hibiscus, establishing a preference for enduring faithfulness over transient glory. It then unfolds in layers—from past pledges, through reproach of the lover's changeability, to the bleakness of farewell and the final declaration of mutual divergence. The language is plain yet emotionally charged, and the sequential narrative structure gives the work a distinctive place among Tang love poems.

【白话串讲】 “乍可为天上牵牛织女星，不愿为庭前红槿枝”——元稹写决绝词：宁可做天上的牛郎织女，一年一见；也不愿做庭前的红槿，朝开暮落。“那能朝开暮飞去，一任东西南北吹”——他写感情的坚定。【意象与手法】开篇以“牵牛织女星”与“庭前红槿枝”对比，表明宁守遥远的忠贞、不取短暂的荣华；“那能朝开暮飞去”责男方薄情易变；末以“死生别”反衬，故作旷达而悲愈深。以女性视角、层递铺叙见长，语言质朴而情感跌宕。【情感与主旨】以女子口吻抒写遭爱人决绝后的悲怨，学界多认为与元稹早年与崔莺莺恋情终结相关。开女子决绝抒情之先河，直接启发了纳兰性德《木兰花·拟古决绝词柬友》。【名句点睛】常考“乍可为天上牵牛织女星，不愿为庭前红槿枝”以牵牛织女对红槿写宁守忠贞；“那能朝开暮飞去，一任东西南北吹”以红槿朝暮写薄情易变。

Background

This poem is the first of a set of three yuefu pieces composed by Yuan Zhen in the 18th year of the Zhenyuan reign (804). It is widely believed to reflect his youthful relationship with Cui Yingying, which ended when he left for the capital. Chen Yinke commented that the poem's frank self-vindication reflects the social customs of the time. The poem recounts, from a woman's perspective, the sorrow of being decisively rejected. Its vivid imagery and emotional progression have led critics to see it as a landmark in feminine lyric poetry of the Tang dynasty.

《古决绝词》是元稹于贞元十八年所作的乐府组诗，凡三首，此其一。诗以女子口吻抒写遭爱人决绝后的悲怨，学界多认为与元稹早年与崔莺莺恋情终结的经历相关，陈寅恪评其直白自辩，正见当时社会风气。贞元间，元稹少游蒲州，与崔氏相恋，后别去赴京，终别，此组诗或即其情感创伤的记录。内容上，开篇以牵牛织女星与庭前红槿枝对比，表明宁守遥远的忠贞、不取短暂的荣华；七月七日一相见写往昔信约；那能朝开暮飞去责男方薄情易变；分不两相守至背面当可知写彼此疏离；春风撩乱至竟不言后期写临别无言的苍凉；君情既决绝、妾意已参差写决裂之定；末以死生别反衬，故作旷达而悲愈深。值得注意的是，此诗虽写儿女之情，却以层递铺叙见长，在唐代爱情诗中独树一帜，亦开后世拟决绝词之先河，其以女子口吻直抒怨悱，不假雕饰而情致宛转，在元稹艳诗之外别立一格，足见中唐乐府尚俗尚真之风气。要之，读懂此诗，须将其放回具体的历史语境与诗人的身世脉络之中，方能体会字句之下的深沉寄托与时代投影。要之，读懂此诗，须将其放回具体的历史语境与诗人的身世脉络之中，方能体会字句之下的深沉寄托与时代投影。

Art

The poem is a yuefu song in mixed five- and seven-character lines, notable for its sequential, pile-up narration and plain but powerful language. The opening antithesis between the Cowherd-Weaver stars and the courtyard hibiscus immediately signals a stance of resolute integrity. The stanzas progress through memory, reproach, estrangement, voiceless farewell, and final rupture, each layer deepening the grief. The use of a female persona speaking directly makes the emotion intimate and immediate. The structure aligns with the shifting rhymes, creating an effect of a woman pouring out her heart in a single sitting. This combination of emotional richness and formal control is rarely matched in Tang love poetry.

艺术上，此诗采用乐府歌行体，以女性视角、层递铺叙见长，语言质朴而情感跌宕。开篇乍可为天上牵牛织女星，不愿为庭前红槿枝，以两个极端对比立论，表明宁守遥远的忠贞、不取短暂的荣华，一起便见决绝之志。其后依次写往昔信约、男方薄变、彼此疏离、临别无言、决裂之定，如抽丝剥茧，一层深一层，把一段情事从甜到苦的全过程铺陈殆尽。最妙在视角：全篇以妾口吻自陈，我即是她，怨悱皆从肺腑流出，毫无旁观者之隔。结构上，以牵牛织女之遥永对红槿之倏忽立意，中间以时间推进（七月七、朝开暮飞、春风撩乱、握手相问），最后以死生别反衬作结，故作旷达而悲愈深。其情致之宛转、章法之绵密，在唐代爱情诗中罕有其匹，亦见元稹驾驭乐府长调、以叙事写怨情的真本领，于白描中见波澜，在艳诗之外别开沉郁之一端，读来如闻女子当筵一一剖白。综而论之，此诗技法浑成，情景相生，于平淡中见匠心，足为后世取法。其章法之密、用笔之妙，正在不露痕迹处见真章，非熟于诗法者不能到。

Allusions

The poem draws on several allusions: the Cowherd and Weaver Maid from the 'Nineteen Old Poems' and the 'Jing Chu Sui Shi Ji' (annual meeting on the seventh day of the seventh month); the hibiscus flower with its morning-bloom-evening-fall nature, symbolizing fleeting glory; the shrike from 'The Eastern Flight of the Shrike' (Dong Fei Bo Lao Ge), a bird associated with separation; and 'death is different' from Du Fu's poem 'Dream of Li Bai', reinforcing the idea of permanent loss. The allusion to the seventh-day meeting also subtly invokes the Tang custom of Qixi and the love oath at the Palace of Eternal Life, giving the private grief a seasonal and cultural weight.

此诗用典虽不多，而意象皆有出处。牵牛织女用《古诗十九首》迢迢牵牛星与《荆楚岁时记》七月七织女渡河之典，写隔河相望、一年一会之忠贞；红槿枝用南方朱槿朝开暮落之习，以喻男子薄情、荣华易逝——木槿朝荣夕悴，古来即为须臾之象，诗人取以反衬牵牛之永。伯劳用《东飞伯劳歌》东飞伯劳西飞燕、不相见之典，写离别；伯劳鸣于春，亦指分手之时。死生别用杜甫《梦李白》死别已吞声之意，写永诀之痛。又，七月七日一相见暗合唐人乞巧之俗与长生殿之约，使私情带上节令的厚重。这些典故与物象经元稹点化，或正用、或反用，皆服务于一个主旨——宁久不远、宁贞不佻。以木槿之倏对星汉之永，是最醒目的对照，亦开后世拟决绝词以物喻情之先，足见元稹熔裁故典、以浅语写深怨的腕力，于艳情中自具风骨，落笔便有决绝之调。综上，诗中典故与意象经诗人融裁，皆服务于题旨，足见其学养与手腕。用典之妙，在化用无痕，使古事与今情浑然一体，各有其命脉所系。

Commentary

In literary history, this poem is regarded as initiating a tradition of woman-voiced resolute farewell lyrics, directly inspiring Nalan Xingde's 'Mulan Hua: Imitating Ancient Juejue Ci, Sent to a Friend.' Though not collected in the Tang Shi San Bai Shou, it has been frequently paired with Yuan Zhen's 'Dao Huai' (Mourning) to show his range in both separation from the living and mourning of the dead. Chen Yinke's Yuan Bai Shi Jian Zheng Gao discusses the poem's relationship with the Cui Yingying affair, while Ming critic Hu Yinglin praised its detailed, graceful narration. Its striking contrast and frank female voice gave it lasting influence, and it remains an essential work for understanding the yuefu tradition and female expression in Tang poetry.

此诗在文学史上影响深远，开女子决绝抒情之先河，直接启发了纳兰性德《木兰花·拟古决绝词柬友》。清人蘅塘退士《唐诗三百首》虽未收此篇，而后人论元稹，每举其《古决绝词》与《遣悲怀》并观，以为一写生离之怨、一写死别之悲，皆情真语挚。近人陈寅恪《元白诗笺证稿》详考此诗与崔莺莺之关系，以为其直白自辩，正见中唐社会风气与士人婚恋之实。明人胡应麟《诗薮》论元白乐府，称其铺叙详婉、情致宛转，此篇以女子口吻层递写怨，正其代表。更有论者指出，诗中以牵牛织女之遥永对红槿之倏忽，立意警拔，已开后世拟决绝词之先河；其以女子口吻直抒怨悱，不假雕饰而情致宛转，在元稹艳诗之外别立一格。一首乐府，能由个人情伤，化为一种可反复拟作的抒情范式，其影响直至清人纳兰，足证其感动之深、范式之稳，亦为唐代女性抒情诗增添沉郁之一端，地位不容小觑。要之，此诗在文学史上影响深远，向来为论者所重，具有不可替代的地位。故后世品题此诗，多许其得体要，以为足窥作者之性情与时代之风会。

Prosody

Form Imitation of ancient yuefu (ungoverned by regulated verse rules; mixed five- and seven-character lines)唐人拟乐府（依《古决绝词》古题，杂言歌行体，非近体格律）

Rhyme The poem changes rhyme as the narrative proceeds: the first section (lines 1-2) rhymes 枝/移; the middle section (lines 3-5) rhymes 吹/思/知; the later section (lines 6-10) rhymes 时/期/差/悲. These shifts correspond to switches in tone and theme.全诗随叙事换韵，枝、移、吹、思、知、时、期、差、悲等分押不同韵部，具乐府转韵之恣。

Tone pattern As a mixed-line ancient-style song, it does not follow the tonal patterns of regulated verse; instead, natural speech rhythms and an old-form narrative tone are maintained.杂言歌行，句度长短随意，不依平仄粘对，以气驱辞，存汉魏乐府叙事之调。

Reading note This poem should be read as a yuefu song, not as regulated verse. Its five- and seven-character lines are freely arranged, and the rhyme changes are linked to emotional turns. The plain, colloquial diction (e.g., 'zha ke') is typical of the Mid-Tang yuefu revival, which favored sincerity and vernacular force.元稹此诗为拟乐府歌行，句式五、七杂言交错，绝不可按近体律格去量。其体制本于汉魏乐府与六朝吴声，讲究的是层递铺叙、随情转韵，而非字面的平仄粘对。用韵上，它随情节段落自由换韵：写牵牛红槿用枝、移，写薄变疏离用吹、思、知，写临别无言与决裂落回时、期、差、悲，转韵处恰与情绪由甜到苦的推进相应，读来如闻女子当筵一一倾诉、由怨及决。平仄更不循常，句中平平仄仄全任自然，唯求声调质朴、出口有情。值得注意的是，此诗虽为歌行，而以女性视角、白描口吻贯穿，声情尤近婉转，与盛唐乐府之纵横稍异，正见中唐乐府尚俗尚真之貌。后世论者每叹元白铺叙详婉，其详正在声、其婉正在情，声情相得，遂成抒情范式。若强绳以律，反失其以女子口吻直抒怨悱的浑成本色，亦失拟决绝词开先河的独特风调，此诗正宜以古体声气读之。

Line by line

乍可为天上牵牛织女星，不愿为庭前红槿枝。

Rather be the stars (Cowherd and Weaver) in heaven than a red hibiscus branch before the court. This opening antithesis declares the speaker's moral choice: enduring though distant faithfulness over glorious but fleeting beauty. It also sets the resolute tone of the whole poem.

宁可作天上遥遥相望的牵牛织女星，也不愿做庭前朝开暮落的红槿枝。

I would rather be the Cowherd and Weaver Girl in the sky than the red hibiscus branch before the court.

这一联是全诗的立论，也是最有分量的一句。乍可即宁可，诗人让女子开口便做选择：宁为天上牵牛织女，不愿为庭前红槿。牵牛织女虽一年一会、遥遥相望，却忠贞不改；红槿虽近在庭前，却朝开暮落、荣华易逝。这一对比的妙处，在把价值的天平彻底倾向遥远而恒久的一边——女子要的不是眼前的热闹，而是长久的不变。以星对花，以永对倏，一起便见决绝之志，亦暗讽男方之薄。十个字写尽一种爱的立场：宁苦而贞，不甜而变。是乐府起兴最警拔处，亦为后世拟决绝词立一定调，落笔便有风骨，一联而主旨灿然。

This couplet is the poem's thesis, its weightiest line. 'I would rather' means I choose: the woman opens by choosing to be the separated stars rather than the courtyard flower. Cowherd and Weaver meet but once a year, yet are constant; the hibiscus is close at hand, yet opens in the morning and falls by evening, its glory brief. The contrast tips the scales wholly toward the distant and enduring — she wants not the near warmth but the lasting unchanging. Stars against flowers, eternity against a moment; from the first stroke, a resolute will, and a quiet rebuke to the fickle man. Ten words state a position in love: bitter and constant, not sweet and changing.

君情既决绝，妾意已参差。

Your feelings have already been decisively severed; my heart has likewise become divergent. 'Cencı' means uneven or out of alignment—here used to express that the two are no longer of one heart. It is a calm, controlled confession of the end, more sorrowful than rage.

你情意既已决绝，我的心思也就与你参差两异。

Now that your love is done and absolute, my heart has already grown divided from yours.

这是全诗的断语，也是情感的定局。君情既决绝写男方已弃，妾意已参差写女方随之而变——参差二字极耐玩味：它不说恨、不说怨，只说我的心已与你不齐，是极克制又极沉痛的回应。这一联的好处，在双方对举：你决绝，我便参差，势均力敌，不复乞怜。一个既字，写尽被动中的主动；一个已字，写尽伤心后的清醒。前面千言怨悱，到此收作十个字，平静得像一句判决，而悲愈深。元稹以女子口吻写至此，不滥情、不矫饰，只把决裂写得明明白白，是白描写怨的极致，亦见此诗虽艳而自有骨力，参差二字尤见炼字之精，落笔便成断弦之响。

This is the poem's verdict, the settlement of feeling. 'Now that your love is done and absolute' writes the man's abandonment; 'my heart has already grown divided' writes the woman's turning away in turn. The word 'divided' is the subtlest: it says not hate, not resentment, only that my heart no longer matches yours — a restrained yet cutting answer. The couplet's strength lies in pairing both sides: you are absolute, I am divided, matched force for force, no begging. One 'now that' writes the act within passivity; one 'already' writes the clarity after the wound. A thousand words of grievance gather into ten, calm as a verdict, and grief the deeper. Yuan Zhen, writing in a woman's voice, is neither sentimental nor ornate, only making the break plain.

Study

Word focus

乍可 zha ke (would rather). A colloquial northern expression meaning 'would prefer,' introducing a bold declaration of choice and giving the poem a folk-song flavor. It is more forceful and resolute than a simple 'yuan' (wish). 乍可是宁可、宁愿之意，河朔一带方言，元稹采入诗中，带出乐府的民间气息。这一词的好处，在它一开口便是选择、便是立场——女子不陈述、不哀求，而是径直说乍可如何、不愿如何，把被动的被弃，反转为主动的取舍。比起愿字，乍可更决、更硬，正合决绝之题。亦可见元稹炼语之讲究：用一方言虚词，既活化口吻，又定下全篇刚健的基调。落此二字，后面牵牛红槿的对比才立得稳，是全诗筋骨的第一颗钉。以俗语写深怨，亦见中唐乐府尚俗尚真的风气，于浅近中见力量，落笔即见女子不肯就范的决绝之态。

参差 cencı (uneven, divergent). Originally describing irregularity or misalignment, here it figuratively describes the speaker's heart as no longer in harmony with her lover's. The word is deliberately understated, turning deep sorrow into a quiet, dignified acceptance. 参差是此诗最精的炼字，用在决裂处作收。本指长短不齐、不一致，诗人移以写人心：妾意已参差，是说我的心已与你不齐、与你两异。这一词的好处，在以景语（物之参差）写情语（心之背离），含蓄而准确——不说恨，不说绝，只说不齐，便把决裂写得明明白白又余味不尽。参差对决绝，一柔一刚、一隐一显，恰成对照：你决绝在外，我参差在内，虽异而同归于尽。炼此一字，把前面所有的怨悱，最后凝成一种清醒的疏离，是白描写怨的巅峰，亦见元稹以浅语写至痛的本领，十四字遂有断弦之响，读之令人低回，而一段情事至此戛然画句号。