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唐 Tang · 诗 Poem

留别王维

Lines Left for Wang Wei on Departing

孟浩然

Meng Haoran

离别parting 友情friendship

寂寂竟何待，朝朝空自归。
欲寻芳草去，惜与故人违。
当路谁相假，知音世所稀。
只应守寂寞，还掩故园扉。

So lonely—what am I waiting for?
Day after day, I return empty-handed.
I would go seek the fragrant grass and withdraw;
Yet I grieve to part from my old friend.
Who among the powerful would lend me aid?
A kindred spirit is rare in this world.
I should but keep to my loneliness,
And close again the gate of my old garden.

Listen

Meaning

Thus lonely, what am I waiting for? Day after day I return empty-handed. I want to go seek the fragrant grass (retire), yet I hate to part from my old friend. Among those in power, who would lend a hand? A true friend is rare in this world. I should only keep to my loneliness, and go back to close the gate of my old garden.

这样寂寞地等待，究竟还在期待什么？天天空手而归。想要去寻芳草（归隐）了，却又舍不得与老朋友分离。当权者谁肯援引提携？知己在世间实在稀少。只该守住这一份寂寞，回去掩上故园的柴门。

Appreciation

A five-character regulated poem of plain language and grave feeling, it speaks Meng Haoran's true colour. Opening on a lonely question, it lays bare the failure of his suit at Chang'an; the middle turns on the word "would" and "grieve," caught between retiring to the hills and leaving his friend; the third couplet widens to the age—patrons won't help, a true friend is rare. It ends with the resolve to close the garden gate and keep to his loneliness. The tone is clear and unadorned, yet the feeling runs deep; a faithful record of a High-Tang scholar's turn from ambition to retirement.

【白话串讲】 “寂寂竟何待，朝朝空自归”——孟浩然落第后要离开长安，和王维告别：等不到机会，日日空回。“当路谁相假，知音世所稀”——当权的人谁肯帮忙？知音太少。“只应守寂寞，还掩故园扉”——他决定回去守寂寞。【意象与手法】此诗以淡语写沉郁，是孟浩然‘清旷’本色。首联‘寂寂竟何待，朝朝空自归’以问句起，直写长安失意之孤寂【情感与主旨】《留别王维》约作于唐玄宗开元十七年（729）孟浩然入长安应进士不第之后。孟浩然四十岁赴京求仕，名动公卿，却终落第【名句点睛】中高考常取‘当路谁相假，知音世所稀’及‘欲寻芳草去，惜与故人违’设题。考点一

Background

"Lines Left for Wang Wei on Departing" was likely written in 729, after Meng Haoran went to Chang'an at forty to sit the jinshi exam and failed. Meng, famous among the great ministers, nonetheless fell short; Wang Wei was already at court, and the two were close friends. As Meng was about to return south to Xiangyang, he left this poem for Wang Wei, pouring out the loneliness of an unsuccessful suit, the reluctance to leave a kindred spirit, and the resolve to retire to his old garden. The poem is an epitome of Meng's life turn of "seek office—fail—retire," and a true record of the High-Tang scholar's mind of "serve if prosperous, keep to oneself if poor."

《留别王维》为唐代孟浩然所作，是写留别知音、归隐寂寞的诗。孟浩然（689—740），字浩然，襄阳人，唐代山水田园诗人。此诗：寂寂竟何待，朝朝空自归。欲寻芳草去，惜与故人违。当路谁相假，知音世所稀。只应守寂寞，还掩故园扉。全诗写落第留别王维、知音难遇，是孟浩然诗的名篇。

Art

This poem writes the grave in pale language, the true colour of Meng Haoran's "clear and spacious" manner. The first couplet "So lonely—what am I waiting for? Day after day, I return empty-handed" opens on a question, directly writing the loneliness of failure at Chang'an; the second couplet "I would go seek the fragrant grass and withdraw; yet I grieve to part from my old friend" uses the two words "would" and "grieve" to show the conflict between the wish to retire and the sorrow of parting, its feeling winding; the third couplet "Who among the powerful would lend me aid? A kindred spirit is rare in this world" moves from the self to the age, grave yet with backbone; the last couplet "I should but keep to my loneliness, and close again the gate of my old garden" closes on retirement, its imagery clear and far. The whole piece states feeling directly, unworked yet deep in flavour.

《留别王维》艺术上以直抒的深沉与知音难遇的感慨见长。全诗八句，层层写来：前四句写寂寂归去——“寂寂竟何待，朝朝空自归”写寂寂何待、朝朝空归，“欲寻芳草去，惜与故人违”写寻芳草去、惜与故人违；后四句写知音难遇——“当路谁相假，知音世所稀”写当路谁假、知音世稀，“只应守寂寞，还掩故园扉”写守寂寞、掩故园扉。全诗以直抒写知音难遇、归隐寂寞，正是孟浩然诗淡泊深沉的笔法。

Allusions

The allusions are implicit. "Fragrant grass" comes from the "Chu Ci·Summons for the Hermit" line "the prince roams and does not return, the spring grass grows lush" and the "Nineteen Old Poems" "cross the river to pick the lotus" tradition; since the Six Dynasties "fragrant grass" or "seek the fragrant grass" stands for retirement or a lofty will—here it writes the wish to retire to the fields. "Gate of the old garden" transforms Tao Yuanming's "wattle gate" and "daily walk the garden for delight," quietly inheriting the hermit tradition. "Kindred spirit" comes from the "Liezi·Tang Wen" tale of Bo Ya and Zhong Ziqi, meaning a rare true friend. The allusions melt into the feeling, leaving no trace of stacking—just the Meng poem's wonder of "pale yet ever richer."

《留别王维》用典在“芳草”“当路”“故园”。“芳草”写芳草（喻高洁、归隐之地）；“当路”写当权者；“故园”写故乡园门。全诗以这些意象写知音难遇、归隐寂寞，不用深典而深沉自见，正是孟浩然诗淡泊的笔法。

Commentary

The Yuan critic Fang Hui, in "The Essence of Regulated Verse," said "Meng Haoran's poems are mostly self-portraits; this one especially fits." The Ming critic Hu Yinglin said "Meng's poems are pale yet the flavour never thins"—this poem is such. Modern critics often read it against Wang Wei's "Seeing Meng Liu off to Xiangyang"; Wang sends Meng, Meng takes leave of Wang—one seeing off, one taking leave, the friendship answering. The resolve of the last line "close again the gate of my old garden" is praised as the poetic footnote to Meng Haoran's lifelong creed of "casting off the cap in youth, lying by the pine clouds in old age" (Li Bai's line).

《留别王维》是孟浩然诗的名篇，也是唐代写知音难遇的代表作。此诗写落第留别王维、知音难遇，向为论者称道。论者多赏其直抒的深沉——“寂寂竟何待，朝朝空自归”写寂寂何待、朝朝空归，落第之寂尽在其中；“当路谁相假，知音世所稀”写当路谁假、知音世稀，更见其慨。孟浩然为唐代山水田园诗人，其诗以淡泊深沉著称，此诗正是其代表——以直抒写知音难遇，正是其诗风。

Prosody

Form Five-character regulated poem (five-character lü)五言律诗

Rhyme Ping-shui rhyme, upper-level five wei group (return, part, rare, gate)《留别王维》为五言律诗，八句，押平声韵。此诗用韵：归、违、稀、扉（微部），一韵到底，对仗工整，音节淡泊。

Tone pattern First line does not enter rhyme, oblique-onset oblique-close五言律诗以音节淡泊、情致深沉见长。此诗写知音难遇、归隐寂寞，音节淡泊而深沉。全诗一韵到底，声调与知音难遇之慨的内容相合，是孟浩然诗中淡泊深沉的一路。

Reading note Eight lines in four couplets, middle two antithetical; Meng Haoran's clear, plain true colour.《留别王维》为唐代孟浩然所作，是写留别知音、归隐寂寞的诗。此诗以“寂寂竟何待，朝朝空自归”写落第之寂，以“当路谁相假，知音世所稀”写知音难遇，以“只应守寂寞，还掩故园扉”写归隐之志。以直抒写知音难遇，正是孟浩然诗的名篇。

Line by line

寂寂竟何待，朝朝空自归。欲寻芳草去，惜与故人违。

Lonely as this, what am I still waiting for? Morning after morning I return in vain. I would go, seeking fragrant grass; I grieve to part from an old friend.

寂寂无闻，究竟等待什么？朝朝空自归去。想要寻芳草而归隐，又惜与故人离别。

Lonely, unknown, what am I still waiting for? Morning after morning I return in vain. I would go, seeking fragrant grass, yet grieve to part from my old friend.

前四句写寂寂归去，是全诗落第之寂的起点。“寂寂竟何待，朝朝空自归”写寂寂空归——“寂寂竟何待”写寂寂无闻、究竟等待什么，“朝朝空自归”写朝朝空自归去——寂寂何待，朝朝空归；“欲寻芳草去，惜与故人违”写寻芳草去——“欲寻芳草去”写想要寻芳草而归隐，“惜与故人违”写又惜与故人离别——寻芳草去，惜与故人违。四句写寂寂归去：寂寂竟何待、朝朝空自归，欲寻芳草去、惜与故人违。以“寂寂竟何待，朝朝空自归”写落第之寂、空等无果，以“欲寻芳草去，惜与故人违”写欲归隐而惜别故人，正是孟浩然诗写落第之寂、归隐之念的起点——京华无成，欲归而惜别。

The first four lines write the lonely return, the start of the failed-exam solitude. 'Lonely as this, what am I still waiting for? Morning after morning I return in vain' — the lonely waiting, the empty return; 'I would go, seeking fragrant grass; I grieve to part from an old friend' — the wish to retire, the grief of parting. Four lines: what am I waiting for, return in vain, seeking fragrant grass, grieving the parting. Writing the failed-exam solitude, the empty waiting that yields nothing, and the wish to retire yet grieve the old friend — the start of Meng Haoran's solitude and retirement: nothing achieved in the capital, wishing to return, yet grieving the parting.

当路谁相假，知音世所稀。只应守寂寞，还掩故园扉。

Who among the powerful will lend me a hand? Kindred spirits are rare in the world. I ought only to keep to my solitude, go home, and shut the garden gate.

当权者谁肯相助？知音世间稀少。只应守着寂寞，回去掩上故园的柴门。

Who among the powerful will lend me a hand? Kindred spirits are rare in the world. I ought only to keep to my solitude, go home, and shut the garden gate.

后四句写知音难遇、守寂寞，是全诗知音难遇之慨的归结。“当路谁相假，知音世所稀”写知音难遇——“当路谁相假”写当权者谁肯相助，“知音世所稀”写知音世间稀少——当路谁假，知音世稀；“只应守寂寞，还掩故园扉”写守寂寞——“只应守寂寞”写只应守着寂寞，“还掩故园扉”写回去掩上故园的柴门——守寂寞，掩故园扉。四句写知音难遇、守寂寞：当路谁相假、知音世所稀，只应守寂寞、还掩故园扉。以“当路谁相假，知音世所稀”写无人相助、知音稀少，以“只应守寂寞，还掩故园扉”写归于寂寞、掩门归隐，正是孟浩然诗写知音难遇之慨的归结——知音世稀，唯有归隐。

The last four lines write the rare kindred spirit and the keeping of solitude, the close of the lament. 'Who among the powerful will lend me a hand? Kindred spirits are rare in the world' — none to help, the rare soul-mate; 'I ought only to keep to my solitude, go home, and shut the garden gate' — keeping to solitude, shutting the gate. Four lines: who will help, kindred rare, keep to solitude, shut the garden gate. Writing the rare kindred spirit and the keeping of solitude — none to help, kindred rare, returning to solitude, shutting the gate and retiring, the close of Meng Haoran's lament: kindred spirits rare, only retirement remains.

Study

Word focus

寂寂 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. “寂寂竟何待”之“寂寂”，写寂寂无闻，是全诗写落第之寂的关键词。“寂寂”写冷落寂静——寂寂无闻，究竟等待什么。这一词写其境遇：不是热闹之况，而寂寂；不是有所之待，而寂寂何待。以“寂寂竟何待”写落第后之冷落无望，正是孟浩然诗写知音难遇之慨的起点。

空自归 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. “朝朝空自归”之“空自归”，写空自归去、一无所获，是全诗写落第无成之慨的关键词。“空”写徒然，“自归”写自己归去——朝朝空自归去。这一词写其归之空：不是有获之归，而空自归；不是得意而返，而徒然空归。以“朝朝空自归”写京华无成、空手而归，正是孟浩然诗写落第之慨的笔法。

知音 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. “知音世所稀”之“知音”，写知己知心之人，是全诗写知音难遇之慨的关键词。“知音”写知心之人（用伯牙子期之典意）——知音世间稀少。这一词写知己之稀：不是泛交之人，而知音；不是可求之友，而世所稀。以“当路谁相假，知音世所稀”写无人相助、知音稀少，正是孟浩然诗写知音难遇之慨的笔法。

故园扉 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. “还掩故园扉”之“故园扉”，写故乡园门，是全诗写归隐之志的归结词。“故园”写故乡，“扉”写柴门——回去掩上故园的柴门。这一词写归隐之所：不是京华之地，而故园；不是敞启之门，而掩之扉。以“只应守寂寞，还掩故园扉”写归于寂寞、掩门归隐，正是孟浩然诗写归隐之志的归结——知音世稀，唯有掩门归园。