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唐 Tang · 诗 Poem

花下醉

Drunk Beneath the Flowers

李商隐

Li Shangyin

咏物Object-chanting 闲情Leisure feeling

寻芳不觉醉流霞，倚树沈眠日已斜。
客散酒醒深夜后，更持红烛赏残花。

Seeking blossoms, unawares I drunk the flowing rosy clouds; leaning on a tree I sank to sleep, the sun already slanted.
Guests scattered, wine sobered, deep into the night, I took up a red candle to admire the fading flowers.

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Meaning

The poet seeks out flowers and, unaware, grows drunk on the rosy clouds of wine and blossom; he leans against a tree and sleeps until the sun slants. After the guests leave and he wakes sober in the deep night, he takes up a red candle to admire the fading flowers. The poem traces a full day of flower-loving devotion, from daytime intoxication to a solitary late-night communion with the waning blooms—expressing a deep, tender attachment to beauty and a reluctance to let spring go.

寻芳不觉醉流霞，倚树沉眠日已斜。客散酒醒深夜后，更持红烛赏残花。

Appreciation

A famous quatrain in which Li Shangyin writes the devotion of admiring flowers and cherishing spring—the whole process from daylight flower-seeking to late-night admiration of fading blooms. The first two lines write daytime: seeking blossoms, drunk on the flowing rosy clouds; leaning on a tree, sunk in sleep as the sun slants. The last two write deep night: guests scattered, wine sobered; taking a red candle to admire the fading flowers—an immortal line. The poem opens with 'drunk' and closes with 'admire,' writing full devotion to the flower and cherishing of spring—a paradigm of Li's 'writing feeling through flowers.'

【白话串讲】李商隐写《花下醉》：“寻芳不觉醉流霞，倚树沈眠日已斜”——他在花下醉眠。“客散酒醒深夜后，更持红烛赏残花”——客人都散了，他深夜点着红烛看残花——他写对花的痴。【意象与手法】此诗是李商隐写赏花惜春的名篇，写从白日寻芳到深夜赏残花的全过程，是李商隐「以花写情」的绝句名篇。前两句写白日的赏花：「寻芳不觉醉流霞」写寻芳赏花、醉于流霞（既写醉于美酒，也写醉于花光）；「倚树沈眠日已斜」写倚树沉眠、日已西斜。后两句写深夜的赏花：「客散酒醒深夜后」写客散酒醒、夜深人静；「更持红烛赏残花」写持烛赏残花，是千古名句。全诗以「醉」起、以「赏」结，写尽对花的深情与对春的珍惜，是李商隐「以花写情」的典范。【情感与主旨】此诗约作于唐文宗开成元年（836）前后，时李商隐在长安，与友人宴集赏花，酒醒后深夜独赏残花，写下此诗。诗中「寻芳不觉醉流霞」写其寻芳赏花、不觉沉醉——「醉流霞」既写醉于美酒（流霞是传说中的仙酒，也借指美酒），也写醉于花光（那流霞般的花光令人沉醉）；「倚树沈眠日已斜」写其倚树沉眠、日已西斜——白日赏花，醉眠花下，直到日斜；「客散酒醒深夜后」写客散酒醒、夜深人静——宴席已散，友人已去，只有他独自在深夜醒来；「更持红烛赏残花」写其持烛赏残花——深夜醒来，意犹未尽，点起红烛，再赏那将残的花。全诗以「醉」写赏花之痴，以「赏残花」写惜春之深：那白日醉眠花下、深夜持烛赏花的诗人，对花、对春的深情，正是「流连光景」的写照。诗中「更持红烛赏残花」一句，写尽了对美的执着与对逝去的珍惜——明知花已残、春将去，却仍要点烛欣赏，那「更」字写尽不舍与痴情，是千古名句。此诗是李商隐写赏花惜春的名篇，也是理解其「深情绵邈」性格的一个侧面。【名句点睛】常考“寻芳不觉醉流霞，倚树沈眠日已斜”写花下醉眠的痴态；“客散酒醒深夜后，更持红烛赏残花”写深夜持烛赏残花，是千古名句。

Background

Written around the first year of Kaicheng (836), a famous quatrain of Li Shangyin on admiring flowers and cherishing spring. Li was sensitive and melancholy, unusually attuned to flowers, spring, and beauty. The poem writes a full process of flower-admiring: daytime seeking, drunk beneath the flowers, leaning on a tree asleep until the sun slants; guests scattered, wine sobered deep in the night, still taking a candle to admire the fading flowers. 'Flowing rosy clouds' (liu xia) is the legendary immortal wine (Lun Heng: an immortal gave a cup of flowing rosy clouds to drink); here it means both wine and the flower-light like rosy clouds. 'Leaning on a tree I sank to sleep' writes his infatuated posture. 'Guests scattered, wine sobered deep into the night' writes his solitary waking. 'I took up a red candle to admire the fading flowers'—the 'more' (geng) writes his reluctance, the 'fading flowers' the waning, the 'red candle' the lone night light, all writing his devotion to beauty and spring. Li, frustrated in officialdom and love, knew intimately that beauty passes; though writing of flowers, the poem hides a deep feeling of 'cherish the present, hold the beautiful.' It is a famous spring-cherishing poem; 'I took up a red candle to admire the fading flowers' became an immortal line.

此诗约作于唐文宗开成元年（836）前后，是李商隐写赏花惜春的绝句名篇。李商隐一生多愁善感，对花、对春、对美都有异乎寻常的敏感与深情。此诗写一次赏花的全过程：白日寻芳，醉于花下，倚树沉眠，直到日斜；客散酒醒，夜深人静，仍意犹未尽，持烛再赏残花。诗中「寻芳不觉醉流霞」的「流霞」是传说中的仙酒（《论衡》载「河东项曼都好道学仙，去家三年而反……有仙人数人，将我上天，离月数里而止……口饥欲食，仙人辄饮我以流霞一杯」），此处既写美酒，也暗写花光如流霞般令人沉醉；「倚树沈眠日已斜」写其醉眠花下的痴态——白日赏花，醉眠花树，直到日斜，写尽赏花之痴；「客散酒醒深夜后」写宴席散后、酒醒深夜的独处；「更持红烛赏残花」写其深夜持烛再赏残花——那「更」字写尽不舍，那「残花」写尽将残，那「红烛」写尽深夜的孤光，三字写尽诗人对美与春的执着。李商隐一生仕途失意（在牛李党争中沉浮）、爱情多磨，对「美好易逝」有深切的体会，此诗虽写赏花，却暗含「珍惜当下、留驻美好」的深情——那深夜持烛赏残花的痴态，正是他对一切美好事物的执念。此诗是李商隐写惜春的名篇，「更持红烛赏残花」更成为千古名句，是理解其「深情」性格的关键作品。

Art

Four levels. First, time-ordered narration: from 'seeking' to 'drunk sleep' to 'sobered' to 'admire fading flowers'—a complete, delicate day. Second, 'drunk' for infatuation: 'seeking blossoms unawares I drunk' writes devotion—'unawares' the self-forgetful drunkenness, both wine and flower-light. Third, 'more' (geng) for reluctance: after guests scatter and wine sobers, he 'more' takes a candle to admire the fading flowers—the ultimate expression of cherishing spring. Fourth, 'fading flowers' for cherishing spring: from 'flowing rosy clouds' (full bloom) to 'fading flowers' (waning), writing spring's passing and his devoted admiration of the waning—'admiring fading flowers' is 'cherishing spring.' These make it Li's deepest spring-cherishing quatrain.

此诗的艺术特色可从四个层面解析。其一，以时间为序的叙事。全诗以时间为序，写从「寻芳」到「醉眠」到「酒醒」到「赏残花」的全过程——白日寻芳、倚树沉眠、日已西斜、客散酒醒、深夜持烛，时间层层推进，把赏花的一天写得完整而细腻。其二，以「醉」写痴。首句「寻芳不觉醉流霞」以「不觉醉」写赏花之痴——「不觉」写其沉醉而忘我，「醉流霞」既写醉于美酒，也写醉于花光，那「不觉」的沉醉，写尽对花的深情。其三，以「更」写不舍。末句「更持红烛赏残花」以「更」字写不舍——客散酒醒之后，本可安寝，诗人却「更」持红烛再赏残花，那「更」字写尽对花、对春的不舍与执着，是「惜春」的极致表达。其四，以「残花」写惜春。全诗以「残花」作结——白日赏的是盛开的「流霞」，深夜赏的是将残的「残花」，从「流霞」到「残花」，写出春光的流逝与花的凋残，而那「更持红烛赏」的执着，正是对「残」的珍惜——明知将残，更要点烛细赏，以「赏残花」写「惜春」，正见李商隐对美好易逝的敏感。四重手法层层推进，使这二十八字的小诗成为李商隐惜春诗中最深情的名篇。

Allusions

'Seeking blossoms unawares I drunk the flowing rosy clouds'—'seeking blossoms' writes spring-admiring; 'flowing rosy clouds' the immortal wine, here both wine and flower-light, echoing Li Bai's 'among the flowers a pot of wine.' 'Leaning on a tree I sank to sleep' echoes Tao Yuanming's 'drunk stone' and Li Bai's 'I am drunk and wish to sleep, you may go.' 'Guests scattered, wine sobered deep into the night' echoes Bai Juyi's night drinking and Wang Wei's parting. 'I took up a red candle to admire the fading flowers' echoes Su Shi's 'I fear the flowers sleep deep in the night, so I burn a tall candle to light the red makeup' (Begonia)—Su clearly inherits Li's 'red candle admiring fading flowers,' showing this poem's influence.

此诗的意象与用语深植于赏花与惜春的传统。「寻芳不觉醉流霞」的「寻芳」写寻花赏春，「流霞」是传说中的仙酒（《论衡》「仙人辄饮我以流霞一杯」），李商隐以「流霞」既写美酒，也暗写花光如流霞——「醉流霞」写其醉于美酒与花光，令人想到李白「花间一壶酒，独酌无相亲」的花下饮酒；「倚树沈眠日已斜」写其醉眠花下——「倚树」写其倚靠花树而眠，「沈眠」写其沉睡，「日已斜」写其从白日醉到日斜，令人想到陶渊明「醉石」与李白「我醉欲眠卿且去」的醉眠传统；「客散酒醒深夜后」写客散酒醒的独处——「客散」写宴席已散，「酒醒」写醉意已消，「深夜后」写夜深人静，令人想到白居易「绿蚁新醅酒，红泥小火炉」的夜饮与王维「送君南浦」的离别；「更持红烛赏残花」写深夜持烛赏残花——「红烛」写深夜的孤光，「残花」写将残的花，「更持」写其意犹未尽、再赏残花，令人想到苏轼「只恐夜深花睡去，故烧高烛照红妆」（《海棠》）——苏轼以「烧高烛照红妆」写惜花，明显承袭李商隐「持红烛赏残花」的意境，可见此诗对后世的影响。全诗化用仙酒、醉眠、夜赏的传统，以时间写痴、以残花写惜春，正是李商隐「以花写情」的本领，也让「更持红烛赏残花」成为惜春的千古名句。

Commentary

Long hailed as Li Shangyin's deepest spring-cherishing quatrain and the source of the immortal line 'I took up a red candle to admire the fading flowers.' Qing critic He Zhuo praised it as 'writing the love of flowers, to the bone.' Its special value: in twenty-eight characters it writes a deep, tender cherishing of passing beauty—the daytime 'seeking blossoms' infatuation, the late-night 'red candle admiring fading flowers' devotion. The 'more' (geng) writes the reluctance and infatuation, becoming immortal. It influenced Su Shi's Begonia line, showing its classic status. Unlike the 'Untitled' poems' obscurity or the historical poems' profundity, it writes the sincerest feeling in the plainest language—showing Li's stylistic range. For readers it is a window into Li's 'deep feeling' character and the 'cherish spring' tradition.

此诗历来被推为李商隐惜春诗中最深情的名篇，也是「更持红烛赏残花」这一千古名句的出处。历代论者对此诗评价极高：清人何焯评此诗「写惜花之情，入骨」，近人更指出此诗以「不觉醉」写赏花之痴，以「更持红烛赏残花」写惜春之深，是李商隐「深情绵邈」性格的写照。在文学史上，此诗的特殊价值在于：它以二十八字的小诗，写出了对美好事物易逝的深情怀惜——那白日「寻芳」、醉眠花下的痴态，那客散酒醒后「更持红烛赏残花」的执着，都写尽了对花、对春、对美的深情；而「更持红烛赏残花」一句，更是「珍惜当下、留驻美好」的极致表达——明知花已残、春将去，却仍要点烛细赏，那「更」字写尽不舍与痴情，成为千古名句。此诗对后世影响深远：苏轼「只恐夜深花睡去，故烧高烛照红妆」（《海棠》）明显承袭其「持红烛赏残花」的意境，可见此诗在中国惜春诗中的经典地位。此诗与李商隐的其他诗相比，没有「无题」诗的晦涩，也没有咏史诗的深奥，而是以最平易的语言写最真切的情感，正见李商隐诗歌风格的多样。对于今日读者，此诗是理解李商隐「深情」性格的窗口，也是感受中国诗歌「惜春」传统的典范——那流霞般的花光、红烛下的残花，穿越千年，仍在诉说着对美好易逝的珍惜与不舍。

Prosody

Form Seven-character quatrain (level-register opening, first line enters rhyme)七言绝句（平起首句入韵）

Rhyme Rhymes with the lower-level ma rhyme; rhyme words 'rosy clouds' (xia), 'slanted' (xie), 'flowers' (hua). First line enters rhyme; the ma sound is long and bright, fitting the bright flower-admiring style.押下平六麻韵，韵脚为「霞」「斜」「花」。首句「霞」字平声入韵，属首句入韵之格。韵脚「霞」「斜」「花」皆属麻部，韵音悠长明丽，正合其赏花的明丽风格。

Tone pattern Standard seven-quatrain tonal pattern, fluent and bright syllables.寻芳不觉醉流霞，平平仄仄仄平平；倚树沈眠日已斜，仄仄平平仄仄平；客散酒醒深夜后，仄仄仄平平仄仄；更持红烛赏残花，仄平平仄仄平平。全诗平仄合于七绝格律，音节流畅明丽。

Reading note A level-opening, first-line-rhyming seven-quatrain in level ma rhyme, neat and fluent—a famous 'writing feeling through flowers' quatrain. Two couplets: front daytime flower-admiring, back deep-night flower-admiring, time-ordered. Read the front with bright tone, the back with deep tone, especially 'I took up a red candle' with deep devotion, to convey Li's cherishing of passing beauty. Li's quatrains are 'deep feeling and distant charm'; this is his classic of 'writing deep feeling in plain language.'此诗是平起首句入韵的七言绝句，押平声麻韵，格律简洁，音节流畅，是李商隐惜春诗中「以花写情」的名篇。全诗两联结构分明：前两句写白日的赏花（寻芳醉眠、日已西斜），后两句写深夜的赏花（客散酒醒、更持红烛赏残花），以时间为序、层层推进。声调上，全诗以平声麻韵为韵脚，韵音悠长明丽，配合「醉流霞」的明丽与「赏残花」的深情，全篇音节流畅而不失低回。诵读此诗，宜以明快的语调读前两句的赏花，以深沉的语调读后两句的惜春，尤其「更持红烛赏残花」一句，要读得深情而执着，方能传达出李商隐对美好易逝的珍惜。李商隐绝句以「深情绵邈」著称，此诗正是其惜春绝句中「以平易写深情」的经典。

Line by line

寻芳不觉醉流霞，倚树沈眠日已斜。

Seeking blossoms, unawares I drunk the flowing rosy clouds; leaning on a tree I sank to sleep, the sun already slanted. (Note: Famous lines writing the infatuation of flower-admiring—'unawares drunk' writes self-forgetful intoxication (both wine and flower-light); 'leaning on a tree I sank to sleep, the sun already slanted' writes how long he slept, hence how deep the infatuation. The poet drunk on rosy clouds (wine and blossoms) and asleep beneath the flowers is the most devoted lover of beauty and spring.)

寻芳赏花，不觉沉醉于流霞般的美酒花光，倚树沉眠，日已西斜。

Seeking flowers, unawares I am drunk on the flowing wine; leaning on a tree, I sink to sleep as the sun slopes.

这两句是写赏花之痴的名句，以「不觉醉」写沉醉忘我，以「倚树沈眠日已斜」写醉眠之久，痴态可掬。「寻芳不觉醉流霞」写沉醉忘我——寻芳赏花，不觉间已醉于流霞般的美酒花光，「寻芳」写其寻花的主动，「不觉醉」写其沉醉而忘我——不是刻意要醉，而是不知不觉间已沉醉，那「不觉」写尽赏花的入迷；「倚树沈眠日已斜」写醉眠之久——倚靠着花树沉沉睡去，一觉醒来，日已西斜，「倚树」写其醉眠花下的姿态，「沈眠」写其沉睡之深，「日已斜」写其从白日醉眠到日斜——那「日已斜」三字，写尽醉眠时间之长，也写尽赏花之痴。这两句的深意在于：它以「不觉醉」与「日已斜」写赏花之痴——因沉醉而忘时间，因忘时间而更见其痴；那醉于流霞（美酒与花光）、眠于花下的诗人，正是对美与春最深情的人。以「不觉」写沉醉、以「日已斜」写久恋，正是李商隐写痴情笔法，也让这两句成为写赏花之痴的名句。

These two lines are a famous passage on the obsession of viewing flowers, 'unawares I am drunk' writing the self-forgetfulness, 'leaning on a tree, I sink to sleep as the sun slopes' the long drunken sleep. Seeking flowers, unawares drunk on the wine and the bloom; 'unawares' writing how he slips into drunkenness without intending it; leaning on the flowering tree, he sleeps until the sun slopes west, the three words 'sun slopes' showing how long he has lain. Drunk on flowing wine and bloom, asleep beneath the tree, he is the man most devoted to beauty and spring.

客散酒醒深夜后，更持红烛赏残花。

Guests scattered, wine sobered, deep into the night, I took up a red candle to admire the fading flowers. (Note: The poem's crowning lines, an immortal line. 'Guests scattered, wine sobered' writes the sobriety of solitude after the lively gathering; 'I took up a red candle to admire the fading flowers' writes the devotion of cherishing spring—the 'more' (geng) writes his lingering reluctance, the red candle the lone night light, the fading flowers the waning bloom. The sober solitude contrasts the earlier intoxication, and that very solitude reveals his deepest devotion—knowing the flower fades and spring departs, he still lights a candle to admire it closely.)

客散酒醒，深夜之后，更点起红烛，再赏那将残的花。

When guests are gone and wine wears off, deep in the night, I still raise the red candle to view the fading flowers.

这两句是全诗的点睛之笔，也是千古名句，以「客散酒醒」写独处的清醒，以「更持红烛赏残花」写惜春的执着，深情入骨。「客散酒醒深夜后」写独处的清醒——宴席已散、友人已去、醉意已消，夜深人静，只有诗人独自一人，「客散酒醒」写热闹过后的冷清，「深夜后」写夜深人静的时刻——那「客散酒醒」的清醒，正是白日沉醉的对照；「更持红烛赏残花」写惜春的执着——夜深人静，本可安寝，诗人却「更」持红烛再赏那将残的花，「更」字写尽意犹未尽的不舍，「红烛」写深夜的孤光，「残花」写将残的花——那红烛照着残花，正是诗人对美与春的最后挽留。这两句的深意在于：它以「客散酒醒」的清醒反衬「更持红烛」的痴情——白日众人同赏，是热闹的赏；深夜独自持烛，是孤独的赏，而那孤独的赏，正见其对花的深情——明知花已残、春将去，却仍要点烛细赏，那「更」字写尽对美好易逝的珍惜与不舍。以「客散酒醒」写独处、以「更持红烛赏残花」写执着，正是李商隐「深情绵邈」的本领，也让这两句成为惜春的千古名句。

These two lines are the poem's eye and a famous pair, 'when guests are gone and wine wears off' writing the sober solitude, 'I still raise the red candle to view the fading flowers' writing the clinging to spring. The feast is over, friends gone, the wine worn off, deep night, and he alone; 'still raise' the word 'still' writing the unresolved reluctance, the red candle's lone light, the fading flowers. The day's viewing shared by the crowd, the night's viewing held alone — knowing the flowers are fading and spring departing, yet still lighting the candle to gaze; the 'still' holds the treasuring of what is beautiful and fleeting.

Study

Word focus

醉 'Drunk / enraptured.' The keyword of flower-admiring infatuation, one 'zui' writes the self-forgetful drunken state, the emotional core. It means both drunk on wine ('flowing rosy clouds' is immortal wine) and drunk on the flower ('flowing rosy clouds' also the flower-light)—he is drunk not only on wine but on the blossom and spring. 'Unawares drunk' shows the depth: not deliberate, but unconsciously intoxicated, writing his captivation. Replacing with 'mi' or 'han' would lose the 'drunk sleep' dynamism or the immortal-wine image; only 'zui' captures both the infatuation and its depth. 「醉」字是写赏花之痴的关键字，一个「醉」字写尽沉醉忘我的痴态，是全诗情感的核心。醉者，沉醉、迷醉也。李商隐以「寻芳不觉醉流霞」写赏花，一个「醉」字，至少有双重意味：其一，写醉于酒——「流霞」是仙酒之名，那「醉流霞」本义是醉于美酒，写其在花下饮酒沉醉；其二，写醉于花——「醉流霞」更是醉于花光——那流霞般灿烂的花光，令人沉醉，写其不仅醉于酒，更醉于花、醉于春，「醉」字把赏花之痴写得淋漓尽致。而「不觉醉」的「不觉」，更见其沉醉之深——不是刻意要醉，而是不知不觉间已沉醉，那「不觉」与「醉」的结合，写尽赏花的入迷与忘我。以「醉」写赏花，正是李商隐对「痴」的独特把握：那醉于流霞（酒与花）、眠于花下的诗人，正是对美最深情的人。若换作「迷」「酣」等字，则或失其「醉眠」的动态，或失其「流霞」的仙酒意象；唯「醉」字，以一字写尽赏花之痴与沉醉之深，也让「寻芳不觉醉流霞」成为写赏花之痴的名句。

更 'More / again.' The keyword of cherishing-spring devotion, one 'geng' writes the reluctance and infatuation, the poem's finishing touch. It means both 'admiring again'—he already admired by day, and after sobering 'more' takes a candle to admire the fading flower, writing his endless, repeated reluctance—and 'insisting on'—late at night, the flower fading, he could sleep, yet 'more' lights a candle to admire, the ultimate expression of cherishing spring. Replacing with 'zhong' or 'you' would lose the 'insisting' devotion or the 'again' vs 'fading' contrast; only 'geng' captures the devotion of admiring the fading flower again by candlelight. 「更」字是写惜春执着的关键字，一个「更」字写尽不舍与痴情，是全诗的点睛之笔。更者，再、又也。李商隐以「更持红烛赏残花」写深夜赏花，一个「更」字，至少有双重意味：其一，写赏花之再——白日已经赏过花（寻芳醉眠），客散酒醒之后，却又「更」持红烛再赏那残花，那「更」字写尽意犹未尽、赏了又赏的不舍；其二，写痴情之深——「更」还有「偏偏还要」的意味——夜深人静、花已将残，本可安寝，诗人却「更」要点烛再赏，那「更」字写尽明知将残、偏要再赏的执着，正是「惜春」的极致表达。以「更」写赏花，正是李商隐对「惜春」的独特把握：那「更持红烛赏残花」的「更」，写尽了对美好易逝的珍惜与不舍——不是赏一次就够，而是赏了又赏；不是趁花盛时赏，而是花残时更要赏。若换作「重」「又」等字，则或失其「偏偏还要」的执着，或失其「再」与「残」的对照；唯「更」字，以一字写尽深夜再赏残花的执着与痴情，也让「更持红烛赏残花」成为惜春的千古名句。

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