唐 Tang · 诗 Poem
江楼感旧
Reflections on the Past at the Riverside Tower
独上江楼思渺然，月光如水水如天。
同来望月人何处？
风景依稀似去年。
Where is the one who came with me to watch the moon? The scene is faintly like last year.
Meaning
The poem recalls a moonlit night when the poet climbed a riverside tower alone, remembering the companion who watched the moon with him a year before. The unchanged scenery against the changed company conveys a quiet, lingering loneliness.
独自登上江边小楼，思绪渺远；月光如水，水色如天。当年同来望月的人如今在哪里？眼前的风景依稀还像去年一般。
Appreciation
The first two lines write the empty, far-reaching scene of climbing the tower alone, with moonlight, water, and sky fused into one clear expanse that sets off the vast and far thought. The last two lines point to the changed reality of where is the one who watched the moon, closing with the scene is faintly like last year, dissolving loneliness and longing into the unchanging moon and wind. The phrase moonlight like water, water like the sky uses linked comparison to paint a clear, distant realm. The contrast of then and now opens time and space. Clear and reserved, its aftertaste is long.
【白话串讲】 “独上江楼思渺然，月光如水水如天”——赵嘏独自上江楼：月光如水，水如天。“同来望月人何处？风景依稀似去年”——去年一起望月的人，如今在哪里？他写物是人非。 【意象与手法】 “月光如水水如天”以连环比喻写空明之境，澄澈中见渺远；今昔对照（人何处/似去年）拓开时空。 【情感与主旨】 写对旧游伴侣的深长思念与物是人非的怅惘，清空含蓄，余韵悠长。 【名句点睛】 “月光如水水如天”“风景依稀似去年”——以不变之景衬已变之人，孤寂怀旧，淡语动人。
Background
Zhao Gu was a Late-Tang poet; this poem was likely written on an autumn night when he climbed a riverside tower alone, recalling the companion of the previous year's outing.
《江楼感旧》为唐代赵嘏所作，是写独上江楼、望月怀人、感旧伤逝之情的诗。赵嘏（约806—约852），字承佑，楚州山阳人，唐代诗人。此诗：独上江楼思渺然，月光如水水如天。同来望月人何处？风景依稀似去年。全诗写独上江楼、望月怀人、感旧伤逝之情，是赵嘏诗的名篇。
Art
A seven-character quatrain, first scene then feeling; water like the sky is a linked comparison of clarity, and like last year contrasts then and now, reserved without end.
《江楼感旧》艺术上以独上江楼的描摹与感旧伤逝之情的深婉见长。全诗四句：首写独上江楼——“独上江楼思渺然，月光如水水如天”写独上江楼思渺然、月光如水水如天；末写望月怀人——“同来望月人何处？风景依稀似去年”写同来望月人何处、风景依稀似去年。全诗以独上江楼写感旧伤逝之情，正是赵嘏诗深婉的笔法。
Allusions
The moon-watcher refers to the companion of the previous year's outing; faintly (yi xi) means as if, vaguely similar.
《江楼感旧》用典在“月光如水水如天”“同来望月人何处”。“月光如水水如天”写月光如水、水天一色；“同来望月人何处”写同来望月之人何处。全诗以这些意象写独上江楼、感旧伤逝之情，用典自然而深婉自见，正是赵嘏诗的笔法。
Commentary
The Tang Poetry Appreciation Dictionary says clear as speech, yet with a leisurely charm — an upper-grade Late-Tang quatrain. The Shi Jing Qian Shuo says only twenty-eight characters, yet the feeling of then-and-now and the depth of longing are both fulfilled.
《江楼感旧》是赵嘏诗的名篇，也是唐代感旧诗中写怀人伤逝的代表作。此诗写独上江楼、望月怀人、感旧伤逝之情，向为论者称道。论者多赏其独上江楼的描摹与感旧伤逝之情的深婉——“独上江楼思渺然，月光如水水如天”写独上江楼思渺然、月光如水水如天，深婉之极；“同来望月人何处？风景依稀似去年”写同来望月人何处、风景依稀似去年，更见其怅。赵嘏诗以工于七绝著称，此诗正是其代表——以独上江楼写感旧伤逝之情，正是其诗风。
Prosody
Line by line
独上江楼思渺然，月光如水水如天。
Alone I mount the riverside tower, my thoughts vast and far; moonlight is like water, and water like the sky.
独上江楼思渺然，月光如水水如天。
Alone I climb the riverside tower, my thoughts far and vague; moonlight like water, water like sky.
首写独上江楼思渺然、月光如水水如天，是全诗写江楼之景的起点。“独上江楼思渺然”写独上江楼思渺然——“独上江楼思渺然”写独自登上江楼思绪渺茫——独上江楼思渺然；“月光如水水如天”写月光如水水如天——“月光如水水如天”写月光如水、水色如天——月光如水水如天。二句写独上江楼思渺然、月光如水水如天：独上江楼思渺然，月光如水水如天。以“独上江楼思渺然”写独上江楼、思绪渺然，以“月光如水水如天”写月光如水、水天一色，正是赵嘏诗写江楼之景的起点——独上江楼，月色水天。
The first two lines write the tower scene, the start. 'Alone I climb the riverside tower, my thoughts far and vague' — alone climbing, thoughts drifting; 'moonlight like water, water like sky' — moonlight like water, the waters blending with the sky. It is the start of Zhao Gu's riverside-tower scene: alone on the tower, moonlight and waters one.
同来望月人何处？风景依稀似去年。
Where is the one who came with me to watch the moon? The scene is faintly like last year.
同来望月人何处？风景依稀似去年。
Where is the man who came with me to watch the moon? The scene is dimly as it was last year.
末写同来望月人何处、风景依稀似去年，是全诗写感旧伤逝之情的归结。“同来望月人何处”写同来望月人何处——“同来望月人何处”写当年同来望月之人如今何在——同来望月人何处；“风景依稀似去年”写风景依稀似去年——“风景依稀似去年”写风景依稀仿佛去年——风景依稀似去年。二句写同来望月人何处、风景依稀似去年：同来望月人何处？风景依稀似去年。以“同来望月人何处”写同来望月之人、今在何方，以“风景依稀似去年”写风景依稀、如昨之叹，正是赵嘏诗写感旧伤逝之情的归结——望月人何处，风景似去年。
The last two lines write the grief of recalling the past, the close. 'Where is the man who came with me to watch the moon?' — he who watched the moon with me, where is he now; 'the scene is dimly as it was last year' — the view faintly as last year. It is the close: the moon-watcher gone, the view still as last year.
Study
Word focus
Related Reading
Compare this related work with the poem above through theme, imagery, tone, and emotional movement.
王维《相思》“红豆生南国，春来发几枝”写红豆寄思、怀人之情，与本首同为唐诗写怀人之情。差异在情境：江楼感旧写江楼望月怀人；相思写红豆寄赠怀人。一写“楼”之怅，一写“豆”之寄。两者并读，可见唐诗写怀人的两种情境。
台城 The Terrace City 韦庄 · 同为唐诗写物是人非之感，一写江楼怀人一写台城怀古，一怅一慨 Related readingCompare this related work with the poem above through theme, imagery, tone, and emotional movement.
韦庄《台城》“江雨霏霏江草齐，六朝如梦鸟空啼”写六朝如梦、物是人非，与本首同为唐诗写物是人非。差异在主题：江楼感旧写怀人伤逝；台城写怀古伤今。一写“人”之逝，一写“国”之慨。两者并读，可见唐诗写物是人非的两种主题。
黄鹤楼 Yellow Crane Tower 崔颢 · 与本首相关联的同类或同作者作品，供对比阅读 Related readingCompare this related work with the poem above through theme, imagery, tone, and emotional movement.
此处关联崔颢《黄鹤楼》，与本首在主题、体裁或作者上相关联，可对比阅读以见其同异。