All poems

唐 Tang · 诗 Poem

寄左省杜拾遗

Sent to Reminder Du of the Left Department

岑参

Cen Shen

联步趋丹陛，分曹限紫微。
晓随天仗入，暮惹御香归。
白发悲花落，青云羡鸟飞。
圣朝无阙事，自觉谏书稀。

Side by side we hasten up the crimson palace steps,
Then part, our offices divided by the Purple Tenuity court.
At dawn we follow the imperial escort in,
At dusk we come home fragrant with royal incense.
White-haired, I grieve that the flowers have fallen;
Among the blue clouds, I envy the birds in flight.
Our sage dynasty has no flaws in its rule,
So naturally my memorials of remonstrance have grown rare.

Listen

Meaning

Cen Shen sends this poem to Du Fu, his fellow courtier, sketching the daily round of a court official: ascending the crimson steps at dawn, returning at dusk fragrant with palace incense. Beneath this polished surface lurk two private griefs: grief at white hair and fallen flowers, and envy of the free-flying birds. The closing couplet turns to gentle satire: if the sage dynasty truly has no flaws, then the remonstrance official's memorials naturally grow rare, which quietly suggests that the road of remonstrance is blocked and his post is an empty sinecure.

我们联步并肩走上丹陛，又因分属不同官署而隔着紫微省。清晨随着天子的仪仗入朝，傍晚带着御香回府。白发渐生，见花落而悲叹；青云可望，见鸟飞而生羡。圣明之朝本无缺失之事，自己便也觉得进谏的奏疏渐渐稀少了。

Appreciation

[Plain Paraphrase] Cen Shen writes to his colleague Du Fu: we walk side by side up the red steps to court, though our offices lie in different departments. Dawn follows the imperial escort into the palace; dusk brings us home still carrying the scent of royal incense. White-haired, I grieve at the falling flowers; standing among the blue clouds of high office, I envy the birds that fly where they please. Our sage dynasty has no defects to report, so naturally my memorials of remonstrance have grown rare. [Structure] The poem splits into two halves of four lines. The first half describes the outward routine of court life; the second half turns inward to feeling and satire. The transition at 'White-haired, I grieve' marks the pivot from scene to sentiment. [Imagery] Brilliant details carry the irony: the heavenly escort and royal incense paint the glamour of office, yet the repetition of dawn-in, dusk-out reveals a life of mechanical idleness. Grieving at fallen flowers mourns aging and wasted talent; envying flying birds confesses that high office feels like a cage. The final couplet praises the dynasty in words that indict it, praise used as blame, the classic Tang technique of satire through eulogy.

【白话串讲】岑参写《寄左省杜拾遗》：“联步趋丹陛，分曹限紫微”——“晓随天仗入，暮惹御香归”——“白发悲花落，青云羡鸟飞”——“圣朝无阙事，自觉谏书稀”——他寄杜甫——白发悲花落。【意象与手法】 “联步趋丹陛，分曹限紫微”写同朝为官；“晓随天仗入，暮惹御香归”写朝官日常；“白发悲花落，青云羡鸟飞”以花落悲老、鸟飞羡闲写苦闷；结以“圣朝无阙事，自觉谏书稀”于无奈中寓讽谏。含蓄深婉。【情感与主旨】岑参寄杜甫之作，表面写朝官清贵的日常，实则暗含闲曹无所作为的自伤与对“圣朝无阙事”的微讽，是岑参五律中的名篇。【名句点睛】常考“白发悲花落，青云羡鸟飞”写志不得展；“圣朝无阙事，自觉谏书稀”于无奈中寓讽谏。

Background

Cen Shen (c. 715-770), a native of Jiangling, passed the jinshi examination in the Tianbao era and rose to be prefect of Jiazhou, hence his name Cen Jiazhou. Famous as a frontier poet alongside Gao Shi, he is celebrated for vast, rugged descriptions of the western regions. This poem dates from the Qianyuan era (758-760) of Emperor Suzong's reign, when Cen Shen served as a Right Suppletor and Du Fu as a Left Reminder, posts in the separate Secretariat and Chancellery whose duty was to remonstrate with the throne. Written just after the An Lushan Rebellion, when the court was sinking into neglect and censors had little to do, the poem voices the frustration of a sinecure and the polite irony of two friends bound by their shared uselessness.

《寄左省杜拾遗》为盛唐诗人岑参所作五言律诗。岑参（约715—770），江陵人，天宝进士，官至嘉州刺史，世称岑嘉州，以边塞诗著称，与高适并称「高岑」。此诗作于唐肃宗乾元年间，岑参任右补阙、杜甫任左拾遗之时。唐代门下省有左拾遗、左补阙，中书省有右拾遗、右补阙，皆以讽谏为职。岑参与杜甫同朝为官，分属不同官署，故诗题曰「寄左省杜拾遗」。诗中「联步趋丹陛，分曹限紫微」，写二人联步上朝、分属两省；「晓随天仗入，暮惹御香归」写朝官早朝晚归的日常；「白发悲花落，青云羡鸟飞」写自伤年老、羡慕闲适；「圣朝无阙事，自觉谏书稀」写闲曹无事、谏书稀少。当时安史之乱初平，肃宗朝政渐趋荒怠，谏官多无所作为。岑参此诗表面写朝官生活的清贵闲适，实则暗含对仕途无成、谏职虚设的感慨与微讽，是唐人酬赠诗中含蓄深婉的一格，与杜甫《奉答岑参补阙见赠》等唱和之作相映成趣。

Art

The poem's craft lies in writing court life openly while lodging lament and satire covertly. The first four lines depict the officials' round: hasten up the crimson steps with its solemn urgency, divided by the Purple Tenuity court with its hint of separation; dawn follows the escort in, dusk returns fragrant with incense contrasts morning and evening in balanced parallelism, the glamour of imperial incense masking a monotonous emptiness. The fifth and sixth lines are the poem's heart: white-haired, I grieve at falling flowers mourns aging and unrealized ambition; among the blue clouds, I envy flying birds reverses the conventional image of the blue clouds of high office, for the poet stands in high office yet envies a bird's freedom. The closing couplet sharpens further: the sage dynasty has no flaws is praise on the surface, irony underneath, for if there were truly no flaws, why keep censors at all? The whole poem is reserved and deep, a model of the Tang art of satire through praise.

此诗艺术上以「明写朝官生活、暗寓感慨讽刺」见长。全诗八句，前四句写朝官生活之状，后四句写感慨讽喻之意。首联「联步趋丹陛，分曹限紫微」写二人上朝之状：联步并肩走上丹陛，又因分属两省而隔着官署，一「趋」字见朝参之谨肃，一「限」字见同僚而隔曹之怅。颔联「晓随天仗入，暮惹御香归」写朝官早朝晚归的日常：「晓随天仗入」写清晨随天子仪仗入朝，「暮惹御香归」写傍晚带着御香回府，两句以晓暮相对、以天仗御香写朝官清贵，而日复一日、无所事事的单调已暗含其中。颈联「白发悲花落，青云羡鸟飞」是全诗关键：「白发悲花落」写年岁渐老、见花落而悲，自伤蹉跎；「青云羡鸟飞」写身在青云（朝列）却羡慕飞鸟之自由，暗含身居官场而不得自在之意。尾联「圣朝无阙事，自觉谏书稀」更进一层：圣明之朝本无缺失，故谏书稀少——这话表面是颂圣，实则反语，讽谏之职虚设、无所事事之意尽在其中。全诗明写朝官之闲适，暗写志不得展之牢骚，含蓄深婉，正是唐人「以颂为讽」的笔法。

Allusions

Crimson steps (danbi) are the red-painted stairs of the palace, a metonym for court audiences since early medieval literature. Purple Tenuity (ziwei) names the Purple Tenuity Enclosure, the asterism of the imperial seat; in Tang usage it stood for the Secretariat, so our offices divided by the Purple Tenuity court records that Cen and Du served in different departments. Blue clouds (qingyun) conventionally means high office, as in the Shiji tale of climbing above the blue clouds, but Cen Shen reverses the allusion: high in the blue clouds, he envies the flying bird. Heavenly escort and royal incense refer to the imperial procession and palace incense, the apparatus of dawn audiences. By weaving these official facts into the verse without strain, Cen Shen turns ceremonial detail into an indictment of his gilded idleness.

诗中「丹陛」「紫微」「青云」皆含典故与故实。「丹陛」指宫殿前涂以红色的台阶，为朝官上朝所经之地，《文选》以来诗文中多以丹陛写朝堂；「紫微」本为星名，代指帝居，唐代以紫微省称中书省，诗人「分曹限紫微」即写自己与杜甫分属不同官署；「青云」一喻高官显位，《史记·范雎蔡泽列传》有「不意君之望臣深也……贾不意君能自致于青云之上」之语，后世以「青云直上」喻仕途得意。岑参此用「青云羡鸟飞」，着一「羡」字，反用青云之意——身在青云（朝列）而心羡飞鸟之自由，正是官场束缚、不得自在的写照。「天仗」「御香」亦写朝参之仪仗与宫中熏香，皆以朝官生活之故实写其清贵而单调的日常。诗人将这些典制故实融入诗中，不着痕迹，而以「羡鸟飞」「谏书稀」暗写其志不得展的苦闷，正是善于用典而意在言外的体现。此等用典之法，熔铸古今而不着痕迹，既不炫博以示学，亦不拘泥于旧解，正见诗人学养之深与运思之巧。读者于此等处尤当细心玩味，方能领会其言外之旨与味外之味。

Commentary

Though it looks like a casual note to a colleague, the poem hides real pain. The first couplet's hasten and divided catch the mixture of intimacy and estrangement in shared office. The second couplet's dawn-in, dusk-out routine seems glorious but is empty. The fifth and sixth lines are the deepest: white hair and falling flowers mourn wasted years, and the word envy, envying the free bird while standing in high office, writes out the sense of life as a caged bird. The final couplet is the poem's cutting edge: the sage dynasty has no flaws is ostensibly praise, actually a barbed paradox, for a court without flaws needs no censors, so the rarity of remonstrances proves not purity but blocked roads and empty posts. This roundabout reproach, praise masking blame, reserve concealing indignation, is Cen Shen's finest stroke in an occasional poem and a classic example of the Tang art of endless meaning beyond words.

这首《寄左省杜拾遗》，看似是一封写给同僚的闲适诗简，实则藏着深刻的感慨与微讽。首联写二人联步上朝、分属两省，一「趋」一「限」，写出朝官生活谨肃而隔阂之状；颔联「晓随天仗入，暮惹御香归」，写清晨随仪仗入朝、傍晚带御香归府，日复一日，看似清贵，实则单调。颈联「白发悲花落，青云羡鸟飞」是全诗最见深意处：白发渐生，见花落而悲，自伤年岁蹉跎、功业无成；身居青云朝列，却羡慕飞鸟之自在——这「羡」字写得尤其沉痛，身在官场，如鸟在笼，纵得高位，何曾自由。尾联「圣朝无阙事，自觉谏书稀」，更是全诗的机锋所在：圣明之朝本无缺失，所以谏书稀少——表面是颂扬圣朝，实则暗讽：朝廷若真无阙事，又何须设谏官？谏书稀少，不是朝廷清明，而是谏路壅塞、谏官形同虚设。这反语说得委婉，却含着一份谏官有志难伸的无奈与愤懑。全诗以颂为讽、以闲写怨，含蓄深婉，正是岑参于酬赠诗中寄寓身世感慨的妙笔，也是唐人五律「含不尽之意见于言外」的典范。

Prosody

Form Five-character regulated verse (wulu), eight lines, in the level-tone opening pattern.五言律诗（近体，平起式）

Rhyme The poem rhymes on the level-tone wei group: wei, gui, fei, xi, a single rhyme throughout, broad and bright, matching the dignified air of court life; the final rare closes the poem on a note that quietly echoes the satire.全诗押平声韵「微」「归」「飞」「稀」，韵脚同属微齐类（微、归、飞、稀），一韵到底，韵部宽舒而音调清圆。五律以平韵谐畅为常，此诗「微」「归」「飞」「稀」四韵音色清亮，正与朝官生活的雍容气度相称；「稀」字收束全篇，与「谏书稀」之句相映，韵脚亦暗含讽意，声情与辞情相凑。

Tone pattern The first couplet opens with a measured, dignified pace; the second contrasts dawn with dusk, enter with return, in level, unhurried cadence; the third couplet, strictly parallel, gathers obliques in grieve and envy, quickening the rhythm for the emotional turn; the final couplet relaxes again on the level-tone rare, so the sound itself sinks from complaint into resignation.句式上，首联「联步趋丹陛，分曹限紫微」平起，音节雍容，写上朝之状；颔联「晓随天仗入，暮惹御香归」以「入」「归」收句，写朝参晚归，音节平缓；颈联「白发悲花落，青云羡鸟飞」对仗工整，「悲」「羡」二字仄收，写感慨之情，音节顿挫；尾联「圣朝无阙事，自觉谏书稀」以「稀」字平收，音节转舒，情调由感慨归于含蓄。全诗平仄相间、音节随情起伏，读来如朝官于省中之低语，雍容而含微意。

Reading note This is one of Cen Shen's finest occasional poems and a classic example of the Tang art of satire through praise. Its special feature is writing court life openly while lodging lament and satire covertly: the first four lines sketch the officials' round with hasten, divide, follow, catch, caution and helplessness both; the last four voice frustration, with white-haired and falling flowers and blue clouds and flying birds reversing the blue-clouds allusion, and the sage dynasty has no flaws praising in order to blame. Dignified on the surface, the poem is full of complaint underneath, meaning lying beyond the words.此诗为五言律诗，是岑参酬赠诗中的名篇，也是唐人「以颂为讽」笔法的典型体现。全诗的艺术特色在于「明写朝官生活、暗寓感慨讽刺」：前四句写二人联步上朝、早朝晚归的朝官日常，以「趋」「限」「随」「惹」等字写其谨肃而身不由己之状；后四句写感慨讽喻之意，「白发悲花落，青云羡鸟飞」以悲老羡闲写志不得展之苦闷，「圣朝无阙事，自觉谏书稀」以颂为讽，暗讽谏路壅塞、谏官形同虚设。全诗表面雍容闲适，骨子里却藏着深刻的牢骚与无奈，含蓄深婉、意在言外。尤为精妙者，是「青云羡鸟飞」与「自觉谏书稀」两处，一反用青云之意、一以颂为讽，皆于平淡处翻出新意，正见岑参善于在酬赠诗中寄寓身世感慨的艺术功力，为历代选家所称赏。

Line by line

联步趋丹陛，分曹限紫微。

Side by side we hasten up the crimson steps, then part, our offices divided by the Purple Tenuity court.

我们联步并肩走上丹陛，又因分属不同官署而隔着紫微省。

Side by side we walk up the red steps; separate offices, divided by the Purple Forbidden bureau.

首联写二人同朝为官之状。「联步趋丹陛」写二人联步并肩走上朝堂丹陛，「联步」见其交谊之厚、同朝之谊，「趋」字见朝参之谨肃端方；「分曹限紫微」写二人虽同朝，却分属不同官署，「限」字见其同为谏官而隔曹相望，同僚而不得常常相见，暗含一丝怅惘。两句一写同行之亲、一写分曹之隔，朝官生活的谨肃与同僚间的距离尽在其中，也为全诗定下了雍容而含微意的基调，是写朝官生活起笔的典范。

The opening couplet writes the two serving at court. 'Side by side we walk up the red steps' the two friends together up the palace steps, 'side by side' the close friendship and the shared court, 'walk' the punctilious dignity of court audience; 'separate offices, divided by the Purple Forbidden bureau' the two, though at court together, belong to different offices, 'divided' the two remonstrance-officers facing each other across their bureaus, colleagues yet seldom meeting, a hidden thread of wistfulness. One line the closeness of walking together, one the division of separate offices, the dignity of court life and the distance between colleagues both within, tuning the poem's urbane yet understated tone, the model opening for court-official verse.

晓随天仗入，暮惹御香归。

At dawn we follow the imperial escort in; at dusk we return home fragrant with royal incense.

清晨随着天子的仪仗入朝，傍晚带着御香回到府中。

At dawn we enter with the imperial retinue; at dusk we return, stained by the palace incense.

颔联写朝官早朝晚归的日常，看似清贵，实则暗含单调。「晓随天仗入」写清晨随天子仪仗入朝，一个「随」字，见其身为朝列、随班进退的从属之状；「暮惹御香归」写傍晚带着御香回府，「惹」字写御香沾衣、带香而归，看似风雅，实则以「惹」写身不由己地沾染朝堂之气。两句以「晓」「暮」相对、以「入」「归」相对，写日复一日的朝参晚归，那份身为闲曹、无所事事的单调与身不由己，已在不言之中，为后文的感慨与讽刺作了铺垫。

This couplet writes the daily routine of dawn audience and dusk return, seeming honorable, yet secretly monotonous. 'At dawn we enter with the imperial retinue' the morning entry with the Emperor's guard, the word 'with' the dependent posture of a courtier following the ranks; 'at dusk we return, stained by the palace incense' the evening homecoming carrying the palace scent, 'stained' the incense clinging to the robes, seeming elegant, yet writing the involuntary soiling with the court's air. The two lines pair 'dawn' and 'dusk', 'enter' and 'return', writing the day-after-day audience and homecoming, the monotony and helplessness of an idle post within the words, preparing the later lament and satire.

白发悲花落，青云羡鸟飞。

White-haired, I grieve that the flowers have fallen; among the blue clouds, I envy the birds in flight.

白发渐生，见花落而悲叹年岁；身居青云朝列，却羡慕飞鸟的自在翱翔。

White-haired, I grieve the falling flowers; among the blue clouds, I envy the birds in flight.

颈联是全诗最见深意处，也是千古名联。「白发悲花落」写年岁渐老：白发渐生，见春花零落而悲叹，既是悲花之落，亦是悲己之老、悲功业之无成，「悲」字直写其怀才不遇的苦闷；「青云羡鸟飞」写身在朝列而心慕闲适：青云本喻高官显位，诗人却着一「羡」字，身在青云而羡慕飞鸟之自由，暗含官场如笼、身不由己之意，「羡」字写尽其对自由自在的向往与对官场束缚的厌倦。两句一悲一羡，对仗工整而情致深沉，把身居朝列而志不得展、身不得闲的复杂心绪，写得含蓄而真切，是五律中以工对写深情的典范。

The neck couplet is the poem's deepest place and a famous pair. 'White-haired, I grieve the falling flowers' the aging: white hairs growing, grieving at the fallen spring blossoms, grieving both the flowers' fall and his own age, the achievement still unwon, the word 'grieve' writing straight the frustration of his unrecognized gifts. 'Among the blue clouds, I envy the birds in flight' the court rank yet heart longing for ease: 'blue clouds' properly the high station, yet the poet adds 'envy', high office yet envying the birds' free flight, secretly the cage of office and the body's helplessness, 'envy' writing to the full the longing for freedom and the weariness of office's bonds. One line grief, one envy, well paired and deep in feeling, writing the complex mood of holding court rank yet unfulfilled in ambition and unfree in body, restrained and true, the model of regulated verse writing deep feeling through a crafted couplet.

圣朝无阙事，自觉谏书稀。

Our sage dynasty has no flaws in its rule, so naturally my memorials of remonstrance have grown rare.

圣明之朝本无缺失之事，自己便也觉得进谏的奏疏渐渐稀少了。

In a sage reign there are no faults; of late, I find my memorials grow few.

尾联是全诗的机锋所在，以颂为讽。「圣朝无阙事」说圣明之朝本无缺失，表面是颂扬朝政清明；「自觉谏书稀」说自己身为谏官，进谏的奏疏渐渐稀少，「自觉」二字见其并非真有阙事可谏，而是谏路壅塞、无事可谏。两句连读，便见反讽之意：朝廷若真无阙事，何须设谏官？谏书稀少，不是朝政清明，而是谏官形同虚设、有志难伸。这反语说得委婉含蓄，既自嘲闲曹之无聊，亦暗讽朝政之荒怠，是唐人「以颂为讽」的典型笔法，读来余味深长。

The closing couplet is the poem's point, praise turned to satire. 'In a sage reign there are no faults' says the wise court has no defects, on the surface praising its clarity; 'of late, I find my memorials grow few' says that he, a remonstrance officer, finds his own memorials growing few, 'I find' showing not that there are truly no faults to arraign, but that the road of remonstrance is blocked and there is nothing to arraign. Read together, the irony appears: if the court truly had no faults, why have remonstrance officers at all? Few memorials are not the court's clarity, but the officer's place as an empty form, his will frustrated. The inverted praise is delicate and restrained, both self-mocking the boredom of his idle post and secretly satirizing the court's neglect, the typical Tang method of 'praise as satire', the aftertaste long.

Study

Word focus

趋 To hasten, walking with quick, respectful steps, the solemn gait of an official entering court. One character captures both the ceremony of the audience and the posture of a man bound by protocol. 「趋」写朝官上朝时谨肃端方的步履，见朝参之礼的庄重。「联步趋丹陛」着一「趋」字，既是写二人并肩趋走的实景，也暗含身为朝列、谨守朝仪的从属之状。一字写尽朝官生活的谨肃端方，为全诗朝官题材定了基调，也与后文「白发悲花落」的自伤形成对照。「趋」一字之用而全篇生色，与诗中情韵相为表里，正见诗人炼字之精与匠心之独运。读者于此等处若细细体会，自能领会其于平淡之中见功力、于寻常处见神奇之妙。

惹 To attract, to catch, as the royal incense clings to the robes unasked for. The word suggests the courtier is permeated by palace atmosphere without willing it, hinting at a life not his own. 「惹」字写御香沾衣、带香而归，看似风雅，实则妙含深意。「暮惹御香归」着一「惹」字，写御香并非有意沾染，而是身不由己地沾上——正暗喻诗人身为朝官，身不由己地周旋于朝堂之气，与「青云羡鸟飞」的向往自由相为呼应。「惹」字于不经意间写尽朝官身不由己之态，是炼字传神之笔。「惹」一字之用而全篇生色，与诗中情韵相为表里，正见诗人炼字之精与匠心之独运。读者于此等处若细细体会，自能领会其于平淡之中见功力、于寻常处见神奇之妙。

羡 To envy. The pivot of the poem: standing in the blue clouds of high office, the poet envies a bird's freedom, so that office feels like a cage and one character turns praise of high position into a cry for release. 「羡」字是颈联乃至全诗的文眼。青云本喻高官显位，诗人却「羡鸟飞」——身在青云朝列，而羡慕飞鸟的自在翱翔，着一「羡」字，把身居官场如鸟在笼、不得自在的苦闷与对自由闲适的向往，写得含蓄而真切。此「羡」字反用青云之意，是唐人诗中以一字翻出新境的妙笔，也是诗人自伤自嘲的关键。「羡」一字之用而全篇生色，与诗中情韵相为表里，正见诗人炼字之精与匠心之独运。读者于此等处若细细体会，自能领会其于平淡之中见功力、于寻常处见神奇之妙。

自觉 One naturally feels, self-conscious understatement. The poet realizes his memorials are rare, ostensibly because the dynasty is flawless; actually the road of remonstrance is blocked, and the mild self-mockery hides sharp satire. 「自觉」二字是尾联反讽的关键。表面说自己「自觉谏书稀」，即自知进谏稀少；实则暗含其并非真有阙事可谏，而是谏路壅塞、无所事事。「自觉」二字，既写谏官有志难伸的无奈，又以自我宽解的口气掩盖对朝政的微讽，含而不露，是「以颂为讽」的点睛之笔，读之令人回味。「自觉」一字之用而全篇生色，与诗中情韵相为表里，正见诗人炼字之精与匠心之独运。读者于此等处若细细体会，自能领会其于平淡之中见功力、于寻常处见神奇之妙。