唐 Tang · 诗 Poem
江上吟
Song on the River
木兰之枻沙棠舟，玉箫金管坐两头。
美酒尊中置千斛，载妓随波任去留。
仙人有待乘黄鹤，海客无心随白鸥。
屈平词赋悬日月，楚王台榭空山丘。
兴酣落笔摇五岳，诗成笑傲凌沧洲。
功名富贵若长在，汉水亦应西北流。
Jade flutes and golden pipes sit at either end.
A thousand hu of fine wine fills the vessels,
And singing girls drift with the waves, staying or going as they please.
The immortal must wait to ride the yellow crane,
While the carefree sea-dweller befriends the white gulls.
Qu Ping's verses hang like the sun and moon,
But the King of Chu's terraces are empty hills.
When inspiration flows, my brush shakes the Five Peaks;
My poem done, I laugh proudly above the blue isles.
If fame and wealth could last forever,
The Han River too would flow northwest.
Meaning
Drifting on the river in splendor, Li Bai weighs two ideals: the immortal who still 'waits' for a yellow crane against the carefree sea-dweller at home with the gulls — he prefers the latter's effortless freedom. Weighing Qu Yuan's immortal verse against the vanished palaces of the Chu kings, he concludes that literary fame outlasts power and wealth, and closes by exulting in his own poetic power. The poem is a bold manifesto of the poet's faith in the immortality of verse.
乘着木兰做的桨、沙棠木做的船，玉箫金管在船的两头吹奏。美酒斟满了一千斛，载着歌女随波漂流，任去任留。仙人要等待黄鹤才能飞升，而海客无心，却能亲近白鸥。屈原的词赋可与日月同辉，楚王的台榭却已化作空山丘。诗兴酣畅时，落笔能摇动五岳，诗成之后，笑傲江湖，凌驾沧洲。功名富贵若能长在，汉水也应倒流向西北了。
Appreciation
[Plain Paraphrase] Li Bai drifts on a splendid boat with music, wine and singing girls; then he reflects that even the immortal needs his crane while the carefree sea-dweller wins the gulls' trust; Qu Yuan's poems shine like sun and moon while the Chu king's terraces have crumbled to hills; his own inspired brush shakes the mountains, and if wealth and fame were permanent the Han River would run backwards. [Imagery] The images are gorgeous and huge: magnolia oars, sandalwood boat, a thousand hu of wine, sun-and-moon verses, empty hills, the shaking Five Peaks — every object is enlarged to match the poet's self-image. [Structure] Three movements: the pleasure of the river cruise (lines 1-4), the meditation on immortality and fame (lines 5-8), and the triumphant self-declaration (lines 9-12). Delight deepens into thought, and thought bursts into pride — the classic Li Bai arc.
【白话串讲】 李白写《江上吟》：“木兰之枻沙棠舟，玉箫金管坐两头”——“美酒尊中置千斛”——他泛舟江上。“兴酣落笔摇五岳，诗成笑傲凌沧洲”——“功名富贵若长在，汉水亦应西北流”——他说功名富贵不会长久，诗才才能永存。 【意象与手法】 此诗是李白江上泛舟时的言志之作，写其放达超脱、以诗名世的情怀，是李白最雄浑壮阔的言志诗之一。前四句写江上之乐：「木兰之枻沙棠舟，玉箫金管坐两头」写华美的舟船与船上的笙歌，木兰桨、沙棠舟、玉箫金管，极写江游的奢华与快意；「美酒尊中置千斛，载妓随波任去留」写饮酒与随波，千斛美酒、任去任留，写尽放达不羁。中四句以仙与诗对照：「仙人有待乘黄鹤，海客无心随白鸥」写仙人待鹤、海客亲鸥的两种境界，以「无心」为高；「屈平词赋悬日月，楚王台榭空山丘」以屈原与楚王对照，词赋与日月同辉，台榭化作山丘，明辨诗名与功名的轻重。末四句言志：「兴酣落笔摇五岳，诗成笑傲凌沧洲」写其诗兴之酣、笔力之雄，落笔可摇五岳、诗成笑傲沧洲；「功名富贵若长在，汉水亦应西北流」以汉水倒流的不可能，写功名富贵的不可长久。全诗由江上之乐到仙诗之辨，再到言志之豪，层层推进，雄浑壮阔。 【情感与主旨】 此诗为李白漫游时期所作，约作于开元末至天宝初年，时李白已历长安之行的失意，或正漫游于长江之上。诗写其江上泛舟时的感想与怀抱：前四句写江上饮酒泛舟的放达之乐，中四句以「仙人有待」与「海客无心」、「屈平词赋」与「楚王台榭」的对照，辨明「无心」高于「有待」、「诗名」长于「功名」，末四句直抒怀抱——「兴酣落笔摇五岳，诗成笑傲凌沧洲」，以诗名自许，笑傲江湖；「功名富贵若长在，汉水亦应西北流」，以汉水倒流的比喻，否定功名富贵的永恒。全诗的主旨，在于李白对「诗」与「名」的自信：他看淡了功名富贵（如楚王的台榭终成丘墟），而坚信诗歌文章能与日月同辉（如屈原的词赋）。这种「以诗自许、以文传名」的怀抱，正是李白「天生我材必有用」信念在文学上的体现，也是其「谪仙人」自觉的流露。诗中既有江上泛舟的放达，也有对历史兴亡的洞察，更有对自己诗才的极度自信，是李白言志诗中最雄浑、最深邃的一首。 【名句点睛】 常考“兴酣落笔摇五岳，诗成笑傲凌沧洲”写诗才之雄、豪情之壮；“功名富贵若长在，汉水亦应西北流”以反证写功名富贵之不可久，诗名之可永存。
Background
Li Bai (701-762), courtesy name Taibai, the 'Immortal of Poetry', is China's supreme romantic poet. This poem was written around 740, after his brief, frustrating stay at the Chang'an court and during his years of wandering along the Yangtze. Frustrated in his quest for office, he turned increasingly to the tradition of poetic immortality embodied by Qu Yuan, and this 'Song on the River' is his most stately declaration that the poet's verse outlasts the ruler's power.
此诗为李白的言志之作，约作于唐玄宗开元末年至天宝初年（740年前后），时李白约四十岁，正值其漫游四方、干谒求仕的后期。李白自开元十三年出蜀后，漫游十余年，虽才华横溢、声名日隆，却始终未得重用。此诗写于江上泛舟之时，诗中「木兰之枻沙棠舟」写华美的舟船，「载妓随波任去留」写放达的江游，「兴酣落笔摇五岳，诗成笑傲凌沧洲」写其以诗自许的豪情。值得注意的是，此诗的核心在「屈平词赋悬日月，楚王台榭空山丘」二句：屈原是楚国的忠臣与伟大的诗人，其《离骚》等作品流传千古、与日月同辉；而楚王（指楚怀王、顷襄王等）虽曾拥有富丽堂皇的台榭宫殿，如今却已化为废墟山丘。李白以此对照，正是要说明：帝王将相的功名富贵终将化为尘土，而诗人的文章却能与日月同辉。这种「以诗传名」的观念，是李白对自己人生价值的自觉选择——他既向往建功立业（「游说万乘」），也深知青史文章的不朽。此诗写作时，李白尚未入京（或已历长安失意），其「安能摧眉折腰事权贵」的傲岸已在此诗中隐然成形，为其日后《将进酒》《梦游天姥吟留别》等豪放诗篇作了精神上的铺垫。
Art
Four techniques stand out. First, lavish cataloguing: magnolia oars, sandalwood boat, jade flutes, golden pipes and a thousand hu of wine build a gorgeous surface of pleasure. Second, twin antitheses in the middle couplets: the immortal 'waits' for his crane (dependence) against the sea-dweller's 'no-mind' that befriends the gulls (freedom); Qu Yuan's 'sun-and-moon' verse against the Chu king's 'empty hills' — each contrast weighs the poem's theme. Third, hyperbole as self-portrait: 'my brush shakes the Five Peaks' enlarges the poet until the landscape trembles. Fourth, reductio ad absurdum: if fame and wealth were permanent, the Han River would flow backwards — an impossible event proving an impossible proposition.
此诗的艺术特色可从四个层面解析。其一，色彩与意象的铺陈。前四句写江上之乐，极尽铺陈之能事：木兰桨、沙棠舟、玉箫金管、千斛美酒、随波歌女，意象华美、色彩绚丽，把江上泛舟的快意写得淋漓尽致，正是李白「以铺陈写豪情」的笔法。其二，两两对照的结构。中四句以两组对照辨明主题：「仙人有待乘黄鹤」与「海客无心随白鸥」，是「有待」与「无心」的对照——仙人要等待黄鹤才能飞升，是有待、有求；海客无心，却能亲近白鸥，是无心、无求，李白显然欣赏后者；「屈平词赋悬日月」与「楚王台榭空山丘」，是「诗名」与「功名」的对照——屈原的词赋与日月同辉，楚王的台榭化作丘墟，诗名长存而功名易朽。其三，以夸张言志的豪情。末四句「兴酣落笔摇五岳，诗成笑傲凌沧洲」以极度夸张写其诗才之雄：落笔能摇动五岳，诗成能凌驾沧洲，这是「以诗名世」的极度自信；「功名富贵若长在，汉水亦应西北流」更以汉水倒流（汉水本自西北流向东南，不可能倒流）的不可能，写功名富贵不可长久的必然。其四，由乐入思的推进。全诗由前四句的江上之乐，到中四句的仙诗之辨，再到末四句的言志之豪，由具体到抽象、由放达到深沉，层层推进，正是李白「乐中见思、豪中见志」的笔法。四重手法相得益彰，使此诗成为李白言志诗中气象最雄浑、思致最深邃的一首。
Allusions
The magnolia oars echo the Chuci's 'cassia oars and magnolia paddles'; the sandalwood (shatang) boat comes from the Classic of Mountains and Seas, whose wood lets riders cross water safely. The 'immortal waiting for the yellow crane' recalls the legend of Fei Yi ascending on a yellow crane (echoed in Cui Hao's 'Yellow Crane Tower'); the 'sea-dweller with the white gulls' cites the Liezi parable of the man whose friendship with the gulls died when his father plotted to catch them — Zhuangzi's ideal of 'forgetting cunning'. 'Qu Ping's verses' are Qu Yuan's, the archetype of the poet whose words outlive his state; the Chu king's terraces are the vanished palaces of King Huai and King Qingxiang. The Han River flows from northwest to southeast, so its 'flowing northwest' is a deliberate impossibility.
此诗的用典密集而精当，展现了李白对经典与历史的精熟。「木兰之枻沙棠舟」用《楚辞·九歌·湘君》「桂棹兮兰枻」与《山海经》关于沙棠木的记载（沙棠木生于昆仑，人服之能御水，故以沙棠为舟以涉水），木兰、沙棠皆是名贵之木，写舟船之华美。「玉箫金管」写乐器之华贵，「美酒尊中置千斛」的「千斛」是夸张的美酒计量，写饮酒之豪。「仙人有待乘黄鹤」用仙人乘鹤的传说（费祎乘黄鹤登仙的故事，崔颢《黄鹤楼》「昔人已乘黄鹤去」即用此典），「海客无心随白鸥」则用《列子·黄帝》的典故：海上有人喜好鸥鸟，每天与鸥鸟游乐，百鸟群至；其父让他捉鸥鸟来玩，他再去海边，鸥鸟便飞舞不下——这是「有机心则鸥鸟不亲」的典故，李白以「海客无心」写无机的境界，正是庄子「忘机」思想的体现。「屈平词赋悬日月」以屈原的词赋与日月同辉，「楚王台榭空山丘」以楚王的台榭化作丘墟，两相对照，是咏史抒怀的笔法。「兴酣落笔摇五岳」暗用「笔落惊风雨，诗成泣鬼神」（杜甫评李白语）的意蕴，而「摇五岳」的夸张更是李白独创。「功名富贵若长在，汉水亦应西北流」以汉水不可能倒流写功名富贵不可长久，汉水发源于西北，流向东南，若倒流向西北则绝无可能，李白以此极言之，正是其「以不可能写必然」的雄辩。全诗用典如盐入水，化历史、传说、哲学于豪放的言志之中，正是李白「以典写志、气吞古今」的本领。
Commentary
Critics have long ranked this among Li Bai's grandest poems of aspiration. Ming critic Tang Ruxun praised its exposure of the vanity of fame beside the permanence of letters, and Qing critic Shen Deqian admired the 'pointed and far-reaching' close. The poem is the key document of Li Bai's 'philosophy of poetic fame': at a time when he had failed to win high office, he chose Qu Yuan's path — the immortality of the word. Its blend of scenic splendor, historical depth and unrestrained self-confidence makes it a perfect showcase of the heroic High Tang style.
此诗历来被推为李白言志诗中最雄浑壮阔的一首，也是理解李白「诗名观」的核心文献。历代论者对「屈平词赋悬日月，楚王台榭空山丘」二句赞赏备至：明人唐汝询《唐诗解》评此诗「功名富贵之不可恃，不如文章之可传」，清人沈德潜《唐诗别裁》更称「结语隽永，深得立言之旨」，皆指出此诗以「词赋」与「台榭」的对照，辨明诗名长于功名的道理。在文学史上，此诗的独特价值在于：它是李白对自己人生价值的自觉宣言——当许多人汲汲于功名富贵时，李白却以「屈平词赋悬日月」自期，坚信诗人的文章能与日月同辉。这种「以诗传名」的观念，贯穿了李白的一生，也是中国文人「三不朽」（立德、立功、立言）传统中「立言」一脉的极致表达。此诗也展现了李白诗歌的两大特色：铺陈的豪放（前四句的江上之乐）与思致的深邃（中四句的仙诗之辨），二者交融，正是李白「豪放」诗风的完整呈现。相较于《将进酒》的纵酒言志、《行路难》的感慨自励，此诗更多了一份对历史兴亡的洞察与对文章不朽的自信。对于今日读者，此诗是理解李白「诗名观」与盛唐文人价值取向的钥匙，也是感受中国文学「立言不朽」传统的窗口——那「兴酣落笔摇五岳」的豪情，正是中国诗人对自己才华最自信的宣言。
Prosody
Line by line
屈平词赋悬日月，楚王台榭空山丘。
Qu Ping's verses hang like the sun and moon, / But the King of Chu's terraces are empty hills.
屈原的词赋可与日月同辉，楚王的台榭却已化作空山丘。
Qu Yuan's verses hang bright as sun and moon; the Chu king's towers are but empty hills.
这两句是全诗思想的核心，以屈原与楚王的对照，辨明诗名与功名的轻重，是历来传诵的名句。「屈平词赋悬日月」写屈原——屈原的词赋如日月般悬于天空，光芒万丈，永不熄灭，一个「悬」字，写其词赋的高悬不坠、与日月同辉，是「立言不朽」的极致表达；「楚王台榭空山丘」写楚王——楚王当年富丽堂皇的台榭宫殿，如今已化作空旷的山丘，「空山丘」三字，写尽功名富贵的幻灭——再辉煌的宫殿，也经不起岁月的侵蚀，终成废墟。两句对举，形成强烈的对照：屈原已死千年，而其词赋与日月同辉；楚王曾拥四海，而其台榭化为丘墟。何者长久、何者易朽，一目了然。这两句的深意，在于李白对「何者为重」的自觉选择：他不羡慕楚王的功名富贵，而向往屈原的立言不朽。这正是李白「以诗传名」的人生观的核心，也是全诗由江上之乐上升到思想之境的关键——那随波任去留的放达，那笑傲沧洲的豪情，其根基都在这一「立言不朽」的信念上。
These two lines are the poem's thought, setting Qu Yuan against the Chu king to weigh poetry against fame, famous through the ages. 'Qu Yuan's verses hang bright as sun and moon' — his writings hang in the sky like sun and moon, blazing, never fading, the word 'hang' writing their loftiness and immortality, the ultimate 'immortality through writing'. 'The Chu king's towers are but empty hills' — his splendid pavilions and palaces have become desolate mounds, 'empty hills' writing the disillusion of rank and wealth: no palace, however bright, outlasts time. The two couplets form a sharp contrast: Qu Yuan dead a thousand years, his verses shine with the sun and moon; the Chu king once held the four seas, his towers are rubble.
功名富贵若长在，汉水亦应西北流。
If fame and wealth could last forever, / The Han River too would flow northwest.
功名富贵若能长在，汉水也应倒流向西北了。
If rank and wealth could last, the Han River would have flowed northwest.
这两句是全诗言志的收束，以汉水倒流的不可能写功名富贵不可长久的必然，雄辩而隽永。「功名富贵若长在」是假设——假若功名富贵能够长久存在；「汉水亦应西北流」是归谬——那么汉水也应倒流向西北了。汉水发源于陕西（西北），流向湖北入长江（东南），从古至今都是西北流向东南，绝无倒流之理；而「若长在」则「应西北流」，用这绝不可能的假设，反证功名富贵必然不能长在——因为既然汉水不可能倒流，那么功名富贵也不可能长久。这是「以不可能之事证必然之理」的归谬法，雄辩有力，是李白「言志」的最强音。这两句承接上文「屈平词赋悬日月，楚王台榭空山丘」的对照，进一步深化主题：功名富贵（如楚王）终将湮灭，而文章词赋（如屈平）与日月同辉。李白以此自勉，也以此自傲——他不求功名富贵的长久，而求文章词赋的不朽，这正是「兴酣落笔摇五岳」的豪情所在。两句以「若」「亦」的假设与推论，把豪情落在雄辩的哲理上，正见李白言志诗的思致之深。
These two lines close the poem's declaration, using the impossibility of the Han River reversing to prove rank and wealth cannot last, eloquent and memorable. 'If rank and wealth could last' is a hypothesis; 'the Han River would have flowed northwest' is the reduction to absurdity. The Han rises in Shaanxi (northwest) and flows southeast into the Yangzi, never reversing; yet 'if lasting', it 'should flow northwest' — by the impossible it proves the inevitable: rank and wealth cannot last. It deepens the contrast above: rank and wealth (like the Chu king) are destroyed, while writing (like Qu Yuan) shines with sun and moon. Li Bai exhorts himself and takes pride in it: he seeks not lasting rank but immortal words, the bold spirit of 'brush in hand at the height of drinking'.
Study
Word focus
Related Reading
'Bring in the Wine' ('Heaven made my talents, they must be put to use') pours its heroism into wine and carouse, mixing grief with bravado; 'Song on the River' reasons from Qu Yuan's sun-and-moon verse that poetry outlasts power. Both are Li Bai's declarations of self, but one is the frenzy of the drunkard and the other the clarity of the boatman — the same 'my talents must be used' faith in two different keys.
《将进酒》「天生我材必有用，千金散尽还复来」以饮酒写豪情，劝人纵酒行乐、及时行乐，是李白「借酒言志」的巅峰，其「与尔同销万古愁」的悲慨与豪情交织，是纵酒中的言志。《江上吟》则以「屈平词赋悬日月，楚王台榭空山丘」辨明诗名长于功名，是泛舟中的言志，其「兴酣落笔摇五岳」的自信，是清醒中的自许。同为李白以酒与江言志，一在「将进酒」的豪饮中，一在「江上吟」的泛舟中；一纵一放，一悲一豪。两诗对读，可见李白言志诗的两种境界——纵酒中的狂放与泛舟中的超然，而其「天生我材必有用」的信念是一以贯之的。
梦游天姥吟留别 Dreaming of Mount Tianmu and Leaving a Farewell Verse 李白 · 同为言志之作，一以梦游一以泛舟 Both are poems of aspiration — one through a dream-journey, one through a river cruise.'Dreaming of Mount Tianmu' ('How could I bow and scrape to serve the powerful, and never know a happy face again?') voices defiance of the mighty through a fantastical dream; 'Song on the River' voices faith in the immortality of letters through Qu Yuan and the empty hills. Read together they show Li Bai's two faces — proud refusal and confident self-dedication, two sides of the same refusal to trade dignity for office.
《梦游天姥吟留别》「安能摧眉折腰事权贵，使我不得开心颜」以梦游天姥的奇幻写对权贵的蔑视，是李白「傲岸」的宣言。《江上吟》则以「屈平词赋悬日月，楚王台榭空山丘」辨明诗名长于功名，以「功名富贵若长在，汉水亦应西北流」否定功名的长久，是李白「立言」的宣言。同为言志，一以「摧眉折腰」的傲岸写对权贵的态度，一以「词赋日月」的自信写对文章的信念；一在梦游的奇幻中，一在江上的浩渺中。两诗对读，可见李白人格的两面——傲岸不屈与自信超然，而其「不求功名、只求立言」的人生观是共同的。
旅夜书怀 Written on My Thoughts While Traveling by Night 杜甫 · 同为江上言志，一豪放一沉郁 Both are poems of aspiration on the river — one bold and free, one grave and melancholic.Du Fu's 'stars hang over the vast plain, the moon surges in the great river' and his 'could fame really come from letters?' turn the river into a scene of solitude and doubt; Li Bai's 'my brush shakes the Five Peaks' turns the same river into a stage for genius. The contrast — Li Bai's soaring confidence against Du Fu's burdened melancholy — is the classic pairing of 'free' versus 'grave' in High Tang poetry.
杜甫《旅夜书怀》「细草微风岸，危樯独夜舟。星垂平野阔，月涌大江流」写江上夜泊的孤寂，「名岂文章著，官应老病休」写其文章虽著而官途失意的感慨，是江上言志中「沉郁」的代表。《江上吟》则以「兴酣落笔摇五岳」写其诗才之雄，以「汉水亦应西北流」写功名的虚幻，是江上言志中「豪放」的代表。同为长江上的言志诗，李白以「落笔摇五岳」的自信写文章不朽，杜甫以「名岂文章著」的疑问写声名无凭；一豪放一沉郁，一自信一自伤。两诗对读，可见盛唐与盛唐末期的两种心态，也可见李白与杜甫一「飘逸」一「沉郁」的鲜明对照。