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唐 Tang · 诗 Poem

梦李白·其一

Dreaming of Li Bai · No. 1

杜甫

Du Fu

怀人longing for a friend 友谊friendship

死别已吞声，生别常恻恻。
江南瘴疠地，逐客无消息。
故人入我梦，明我长相忆。
恐非平生魂，路远不可测。
魂来枫叶青，魂返关塞黑。
君今在罗网，何以有羽翼。
落月满屋梁，犹疑照颜色。
水深波浪阔，无使蛟龙得。

Death's parting already swallowed the voice; living parting ever pierces.
The southland is a land of miasma and plague; the banished has no news.
The old friend entered my dream, showing my long remembrance.
I fear it is not your living soul; the road is far and cannot be fathomed.
Your soul came through green maple leaves; your soul returns through black passes.
Now you are in the net; how could you have wings.
The fallen moon fills the chamber beams; I still doubt it lights your face.
The water is deep, the waves are wide; let no flood-dragon seize you.

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Meaning

The poet grieves that a living separation is more agonizing than death, for Li Bai is banished to the miasmic south with no word. He dreams of his friend, yet doubts whether the visiting soul is real, and imagines it crossing green maple and black passes. Awake, he fears Li Bai caught in a net and prays that no flood-dragon seize him on the perilous waters.

死别已自吞声，生别却常令人悲恻。江南是瘴疠之地，被放逐的人没有消息。故人来到我的梦中，表明我长久地思念你。恐怕那不是你平生的魂魄，路途遥远，难以预测。魂来时经过枫叶青青之地，魂返时穿过关塞的黑暗。你如今身在罗网之中，哪里还有翅膀可以飞翔。落月照满屋梁，我还恍惚以为照见了你的容颜。水深波浪又阔，千万不要让蛟龙得着你。

Appreciation

This is the first of Du Fu's two 'Dreaming of Li Bai' poems, the pinnacle of his friend-longing verse. It moves from the cause of the dream, to doubt within the dream, to the soul's coming and going, to the worry after waking. The famous lines 'The fallen moon fills the chamber beams; I still doubt it lights your face' and 'The water is deep, the waves are wide; let no flood-dragon seize you' convey a life-and-death devotion rare even in Chinese poetry.

【白话串讲】杜甫写《梦李白·其一》：“死别已吞声，生别常恻恻”——“故人入我梦，明我长相忆”——“恐非平生魂，路远不可测”——“君今在罗网，何以有羽翼”——“落月满屋梁，犹疑照颜色”——他梦到被流放的李白，担忧他的安危。【意象与手法】此诗是杜甫怀念流放中的李白的名篇，写因思念而梦李白、因梦而更忧的深情，是杜甫怀人诗的巅峰。前四句写梦的缘由：「死别已吞声，生别常恻恻」以死别与生别对照，写生别之痛更甚于死别；「江南瘴疠地，逐客无消息」写李白被流放的处境。中四句写梦的疑虑：「故人入我梦，明我长相忆」写梦到故人；「恐非平生魂，路远不可测」写对梦境真假的疑虑——路途遥远，恐非生魂，是「疑其死」的忧虑；「魂来枫叶青，魂返关塞黑」写梦魂往来于枫青关黑之间，是「恐其难归」的牵挂。后四句写醒后的忧思：「君今在罗网，何以有羽翼」写李白身处罗网、如鸟在笼的处境；「落月满屋梁，犹疑照颜色」写醒后幻觉犹存，恍惚以为月光照见故人容颜，是千古名句；「水深波浪阔，无使蛟龙得」以水深波阔、蛟龙伺机写对李白前途的忧惧。全诗由梦缘到梦疑到醒思，层层深入，是杜甫怀人诗中最深挚的一首。【情感与主旨】此诗作于唐肃宗乾元元年（758）或二年，时杜甫在长安或秦州，李白因卷入永王璘事件被流放夜郎（今贵州一带）。杜甫与李白于天宝三载（744）在洛阳相识，结下深厚友谊，此后虽聚少离多，但始终牵挂。李白流放后，杜甫得知消息，忧思成梦，写下《梦李白二首》（其一、其二）。诗中「死别已吞声，生别常恻恻」写生离之痛甚于死别，「江南瘴疠地，逐客无消息」写对李白处境的忧心，「恐非平生魂，路远不可测」写对李白生死的疑虑，「君今在罗网，何以有羽翼」写对李白遭难的痛惜，「水深波浪阔，无使蛟龙得」写对李白前途的深深忧惧。全诗最动人之处，在于杜甫把对李白的深情写到了「疑其死」的极致——因为太想念，故梦到；因为太担心，故疑其魂魄；因为太牵挂，故醒后犹疑。这种「生死不渝」的友情，正是「李白杜甫」千古友谊的最好见证，也是中国文学史上「怀念友人」的巅峰之作。【名句点睛】常考“故人入我梦，明我长相忆”写因思念而入梦；“落月满屋梁，犹疑照颜色”写醒后幻觉犹存、疑其尚在眼前，是怀人诗的传神之笔。

Background

This poem was written in the autumn of the first year of the Qianyuan era (758) or the second year (759) of Emperor Suzong of Tang, when Du Fu was serving as Reminder-in-Attendance in Chang'an or sojourning in Qinzhou. Li Bai, in the second year of the Zhide era (757), was implicated in the rebellion of Li Lin, Prince of Yong, convicted of 'abetting rebellion,' and long exiled to Yelang (around present-day Tongzi, Guizhou). In the first year of Qianyuan, Li Bai set out from Xunyang, sailing up the Yangtze toward his exile. When Du Fu learned of Li Bai's exile, worry turned to dreams, and he wrote the two 'Dreaming of Li Bai' poems. The friendship between Du Fu and Li Bai began with their meeting in Luoyang in the third year of the Tianbao era (744); afterward they toured Liang and Song, Qi and Lu, becoming close friends. After Li Bai's exile, Du Fu learned the news and, worried, dreamed of him, writing 'Dreaming of Li Bai' in two parts. Notably, Li Bai was pardoned on the way (third month of Qianyuan, second year) and released, never actually reaching Yelang; but Du Fu, when writing this poem, did not know this, hence the poem is full of worry over Li Bai's life or death and fear for his path. This poem, with 'Dreaming of Li Bai · No. 2,' forms the two 'Dreaming of Li Bai' poems, the pinnacle of Du Fu's friend-longing poetry and the most moving witness of the 'Li-Du friendship.'

此诗作于唐肃宗乾元元年（758）秋或乾元二年（759），时杜甫在长安任左拾遗或流寓秦州。李白于至德二载（757）因卷入永王李璘的叛乱事件，被定为「从逆」之罪，长流夜郎（今贵州桐梓一带）。乾元元年，李白自浔阳（今江西九江）启程，溯长江而上，前往流放地夜郎。杜甫得知李白被流放的消息后，忧思成梦，写下《梦李白二首》。杜甫与李白的友谊，始于天宝三载（744）洛阳之会，此后二人同游梁宋、齐鲁，结为挚友，杜甫一生写过多首怀念李白的诗（如《春日忆李白》《天末怀李白》等），而《梦李白二首》是其中最深沉、最著名的作品。此诗写杜甫因思念而梦见李白：「死别已吞声，生别常恻恻」写生离之痛，「江南瘴疠地，逐客无消息」写李白流放夜郎的处境，「恐非平生魂，路远不可测」写对李白生死的疑虑，「魂来枫叶青，魂返关塞黑」写梦魂往来，「君今在罗网，何以有羽翼」写其如鸟在笼，「落月满屋梁，犹疑照颜色」写醒后幻觉，「水深波浪阔，无使蛟龙得」写对前路的忧惧。值得注意的是，李白流放夜郎，途中遇大赦（乾元二年三月），遂得放还，并未真的到达夜郎，但杜甫写此诗时并不知道这一消息，故诗中充满了对李白生死的担忧与对前路的忧惧。此诗与《梦李白·其二》合为《梦李白二首》，是杜甫怀人诗的巅峰，也是「李杜友谊」最动人的见证。

Art

The artistic features of this poem may be analyzed on four levels. First, the conception of writing thought through dream: the whole moves from longing to dream, from dream to doubt, from doubt to worry, from worry to thought, using 'dream' as the bond. Second, the contrast of death-parting and living-parting: the opening contrasts the two — death's parting ends in one sob, living parting is long and ever piercing, writing the worry over Li Bai's exile deeper than writing death. Third, the interweaving of hallucination and reality: 'The fallen moon fills the chamber beams; I still doubt it lights your face' writes the hallucination after waking — writing longing through hallucination, an eternal famous line. Fourth, the symbolism of imagery: 'Your soul came through green maple leaves; your soul returns through black passes' uses green and black to write the two lands; 'The water is deep, the waves are wide; let no flood-dragon seize you' uses 'flood-dragon' to write the peril of the path ahead. The four techniques advancing layer by layer make this poem the pinnacle of Du Fu's friend-longing poetry.

此诗的艺术特色可从四个层面解析。其一，以梦写思的构思。全诗因思念而梦、因梦而疑、因疑而忧、因忧而思，以「梦」为纽带，把对李白的深情层层展开——「故人入我梦」是因思成梦，「恐非平生魂」是因忧疑梦，「魂来枫叶青」是因梦念人，「落月满屋梁」是醒后思人，梦与醒交织，情与景交融，正是「日有所思，夜有所梦」的艺术呈现。其二，死别与生别的对照。开头「死别已吞声，生别常恻恻」以死别与生别对照——死别虽痛，一痛而止（吞声）；生别却长，常令人悲恻（常恻恻），以生别写对李白流放的忧虑，比写死别更见其深——生离而不相见、生死未卜，正是最折磨人的牵挂。其三，幻觉与真实的交织。「落月满屋梁，犹疑照颜色」写醒后的幻觉——落月照满屋梁，诗人恍惚以为那是月光照着故人的容颜，以幻觉写思念，正是「疑是故人来」的极致表达，是千古名句。其四，意象的象征。「魂来枫叶青，魂返关塞黑」以「枫青」「关黑」写梦魂往来的两地——枫叶青是李白将去的江南（枫叶之地），关塞黑是诗人所在的北地，「青」与「黑」的对照，写尽两地相隔的遥远；「水深波浪阔，无使蛟龙得」以「蛟龙」写前路的险恶，暗含对李白遭难的忧惧。四重手法层层推进，使此诗成为杜甫怀人诗的巅峰。

Allusions

The imagery and diction of this poem are deep in the traditions of ancient poetry and the Chu Ci. 'Death's parting already swallowed the voice; living parting ever pierces' adapts the 'Nineteen Old Poems' and Jiang Yan's 'Lament for Parting' — 'swallowed voice' writes repressed grief, 'pierces' writes lingering sorrow. 'The southland is a land of miasma and plague' writes the remoteness of Li Bai's exile; 'banished' writes the exiled. 'The old friend entered my dream, showing my long remembrance' writes dreaming from thought — Li Bai entering the dream proves Du Fu's 'long remembrance,' a wonderful brush of 'proving feeling through dream.' 'I fear it is not your living soul; the road is far and cannot be fathomed' quietly uses the Chu Ci 'Summoning the Soul' tradition, also hinting doubt over Li Bai's life or death. 'Your soul came through green maple leaves; your soul returns through black passes' adapts the Chu Ci 'Summoning the Soul' 'the deep deep river, above it maple trees' — maple and pass are the two lands' scenery. 'Now you are in the net; how could you have wings' uses a bird in the net to signify being imprisoned; 'how could you have wings' reverses the 'wings' metaphor, writing utter powerlessness. 'The fallen moon fills the chamber beams; I still doubt it lights your face' recalls the Shijing 'Moon rises' and Xie Lingyun's moonlight, while writing longing through hallucination. 'The water is deep, the waves are wide; let no flood-dragon seize you' quietly uses the Chu Ci 'flood-dragon' imagery, writing fear for the peril ahead. The whole adapts Chu Ci and ancient-poem traditions, writing thought through dream, writing feeling through scene.

此诗的意象与用语深植于古诗与楚辞传统。「死别已吞声，生别常恻恻」化用《古诗十九首》「行行重行行，与君生别离」与江淹《别赋》「黯然销魂者，唯别而已矣」的别离传统，「吞声」写压抑的悲恸，「恻恻」写绵绵的悲伤。「江南瘴疠地」写李白流放地的荒远（江南多瘴气，古以为致病之地），「逐客」写被流放者，令人想到司马迁《报任安书》「迁客骚人」的传统。「故人入我梦，明我长相忆」写因思成梦，「明我长相忆」以梦写情——李白入梦，正证明杜甫「长相忆」，是「以梦证情」的妙笔。「恐非平生魂，路远不可测」暗用《楚辞·招魂》「魂兮归来」的招魂传统，也暗含对李白生死的疑虑——路途遥远，恐其魂已非生魂。「魂来枫叶青，魂返关塞黑」化用《楚辞·招魂》「湛湛江水兮上有枫」的意象，枫叶与关塞是两地风物，青与黑对照写尽两地遥远。「君今在罗网，何以有羽翼」以鸟在罗网喻身陷牢狱（李白被流放，如鸟在网），「何以有羽翼」反用「羽翼」之喻——既在罗网，何来翅膀，写尽身不由己的处境。「落月满屋梁，犹疑照颜色」令人想到《诗经·陈风·月出》「月出皎兮，佼人僚兮」的月色怀人与谢灵运「明月照积雪」的月色，而「犹疑照颜色」以幻觉写思念，更是千古名句。「水深波浪阔，无使蛟龙得」暗用《楚辞》「蛟龙」意象与李白《梦游天姥吟留别》「霓为衣兮风为马」的想象，写对前路险恶的忧惧。全诗化用楚辞、古诗的意象与传统，以梦写思、以景写情，正是杜甫「以古写情、化典于梦」的本领。

Commentary

This poem has always been praised as the pinnacle of Du Fu's friend-longing poetry, and one of the most moving pieces on 'friendship' in Chinese literary history. Critics through the ages rate it very highly: the Qing scholar Qiu Zhao'ao calls 'The fallen moon fills the chamber beams; I still doubt it lights your face' 'a brush of divine transmission through a thousand ages'; Pu Qilong calls this poem 'one character one tear, every line true feeling.' In literary history, the special value of this poem lies in: it is the most moving witness of the 'Li-Du friendship' — Du Fu's deep feeling for Li Bai lies not only in admiring his talent but in genuine care for his fate: when Li Bai was exiled to Yelang, life or death uncertain, Du Fu 'worried into dreams,' writing the doubt of 'I fear it is not your living soul,' the pity of 'now you are in the net,' the fear of 'let no flood-dragon seize you,' pushing care for his friend to the extreme of 'doubting his death.' This life-and-death friendship is one of the most precious legacies in Chinese literary history. This poem, with 'Dreaming of Li Bai · No. 2' and Du Fu's other Li-Bai-longing poems, forms the complete record of the 'Li-Du friendship.' Artistically, using dream as the bond, it writes the complex psychology of dreaming from thought, worrying from dream, and doubting after waking. For today's readers, this poem is a window into the Li-Du friendship and Du Fu's deep feeling, and the pinnacle of the Chinese literary 'longing for a friend' tradition.

此诗历来被推为杜甫怀人诗的巅峰，也是中国文学史上写「友情」最动人的篇章之一。历代论者对此诗评价极高：清人仇兆鳌《杜诗详注》评「落月满屋梁，犹疑照颜色」为「千古传神之笔」，浦起龙《读杜心解》更称此诗「一字一泪，句句真情」，皆指出此诗以梦写思、以幻觉写深情的特点。在文学史上，此诗的特殊价值在于：它是「李杜友谊」最动人的见证——杜甫对李白的深情，不仅在于欣赏其才华（「笔落惊风雨，诗成泣鬼神」），更在于对其命运的真切牵挂：当李白被流放夜郎、生死未卜时，杜甫「忧思成梦」，写出了「恐非平生魂」的疑虑、「君今在罗网」的痛惜、「无使蛟龙得」的忧惧，把对朋友的牵挂写到了「疑其死」的极致。这种生死不渝的友情，是中国文学史上最珍贵的遗产之一。此诗与《梦李白·其二》及杜甫其他怀李白的诗，共同构成了「李杜友谊」的完整记录。从艺术上看，此诗以梦为纽带，把因思成梦、因梦而忧、醒后犹疑的复杂心理层层写出，是「以梦写情」的典范。对于今日读者，此诗是理解李杜友谊与杜甫深情的窗口，也是感受中国文学「怀人」传统的巅峰之作——那落月满梁的幻觉、蛟龙伺机的忧惧，穿越千年，仍在诉说着杜甫对李白「生死不渝」的牵挂。

Prosody

Form Five-character ancient poem (wugu)五言古诗

Rhyme Rhymes with the entering-tone 'zhi' rhyme alternating with oblique tones (pierces, news, remembrance, fathomed, black, wings, face, seize); one rhyme to the end, all rhyme-words entering tone, short and heavy in sound, fitting the melancholy style of longing for an old friend.押入声职韵与仄声相间（恻、息、忆、测、黑、翼、色、得），一韵到底，韵脚皆属入声，韵音短促沉重，正合其怀念故人的沉郁风格。

Tone pattern This is a five-character ancient-form poem, sixteen lines total, not bound by near-style rules, using five-character's solid phrasing for lyric service. The whole divides by content into four layers: the first four lines write the cause of the dream; the next four write the dream's doubt; the next four write the dream's coming and going; the last four write the worry after waking. In tone, the whole uses five-character short lines for the melancholy of longing; one rhyme to the end (entering tone) makes the sound-feeling short and heavy, fitting the piercing sorrow and the fear.此诗为五言古体，共十六句，不受近体格律束缚，以五言的沉实句式为抒情服务。全诗按内容可分为四层：首四句写梦的缘由（死别吞声、生别恻恻、江南瘴疠、逐客无消息）；次四句写梦的疑虑（故人入梦、明我长相忆、恐非平生魂、路远不可测）；次四句写梦的往来（魂来枫青、魂返关黑、君今在罗网、何以有羽翼）；末四句写醒后的忧思（落月满梁、犹疑照颜色、水深浪阔、无使蛟龙得）。声调上，全诗以五言短句写抒情的沉郁，一韵到底（入声）使声情短促沉重，正合其怀人的深情与忧惧。

Reading note This is a five-character ancient-form poem, sixteen lines, with deep feeling for Li Bai as the thread; the rules are free yet the sound-feeling is melancholy. The four layers, from the dream's cause to its doubt, from its coming and going to the worry after waking, advance layer by layer, in one breath. In tone, the whole uses five-character short lines for the melancholy of longing; one rhyme to the end (entering-tone 'zhi' rhyme) makes the sound-feeling short and heavy, fitting the piercing of 'death's parting swallowed voice' and the fear of 'let no flood-dragon seize.' In reciting, read the dream's cause with a piercing tone, the dream's doubt with a doubting tone, the dream's coming and going with a heavy tone, the worry after waking with a deep tone — especially the last two couplets, which should be read with deep feeling and fear, to convey Du Fu's life-and-death care for Li Bai. Du Fu's five-character ancient poems are known for being 'settled and repressed'; this poem is exactly the highest peak of his ancient-form friend-longing poetry.此诗是五言古体，共十六句，以怀念李白的深情为线索，格律自由而声情沉郁，正是杜甫「以诗写情」的本领。全诗四层，从梦的缘由到梦的疑虑，从梦的往来到醒后的忧思，层层推进、一气呵成。声调上，全诗以五言短句写怀人的沉郁，一韵到底（入声职韵）使声情短促沉重，正合其「死别吞声」「生别恻恻」的悲恻与「无使蛟龙得」的忧惧。诵读此诗，宜以悲恻的语调读梦的缘由，以疑虑的语调读梦的疑虑，以沉重的语调读梦的往来，以深沉的语调读醒后的忧思，尤其「落月满屋梁，犹疑照颜色」「水深波浪阔，无使蛟龙得」诸句，要读得深情而忧惧，方能传达出杜甫对李白的生死牵挂。杜甫五古以「沉郁顿挫」著称，此诗正是其五古中怀人诗的最高峰，也是中国文学史上写友情最动人的篇章之一。

Line by line

落月满屋梁，犹疑照颜色。

The fallen moon fills the chamber beams; I still doubt it lights your face. — The eternal famous line writes the hallucination after waking: 'still doubt' captures the blur between dream and wake, as if the friend's face lingers in the moonlight — proving how deep the longing is, that even awake the poet cannot let go.

落月照满屋梁，我还恍惚以为照见了你的容颜。

The setting moon fills the roof beams; I still half think it shines on your face.

这两句是写醒后幻觉的千古名句，以「犹疑」写思念之深，传神至极。「落月满屋梁」写景——梦醒时分，落月的光辉照满屋梁，月光清冷而幽静，正是将晓未晓之际；「犹疑照颜色」写幻觉——诗人恍惚以为，那月光仿佛还照着故人的容颜，「犹疑」二字极妙：梦中的李白仿佛还在眼前，梦醒后那容颜似乎还留在月光里，诗人一时间分不清是梦是醒、是真是幻，「犹疑」二字写尽梦醒之际的恍惚与怅惘。这两句的深意在于：正因思念太深，故梦到李白；正因梦到太真，故醒后犹疑——那「照颜色」的幻觉，是梦的余韵，更是思念的延续。杜甫以「落月」写醒后的环境，以「犹疑」写醒后的心理，把因思成梦、梦醒犹疑的复杂过程写得淋漓尽致，正是「以幻觉写深情」的典范。这两句让无数读者感同身受——那落月满梁的屋、犹疑照颜的瞬间，正是每一个深切思念故人的人都有过的体验。

These two lines are the famous line through the ages writing the waking hallucination, through 'still half think' writing the longing's depth, most vivid. 'The setting moon fills the roof beams' writes the scene — the hour of waking from the dream, the setting moon's light fills the roof beams, the moonlight cold and still, precisely the hour before dawn; 'I still half think it shines on your face' writes the hallucination — the poet in a trance thinks that moonlight seems still shining on the old friend's face, the words 'still half think' the most wonderful: the Li Bai of the dream seems still before the eyes, after waking that face seems still left in the moonlight, the poet for a moment cannot distinguish dream from waking, real from illusion, 'still half think' writing to the full the trance and wistfulness at the waking. The depth of the lines lies in: precisely because the longing is too deep, hence dreaming of Li Bai; precisely because the dream is too real, hence after waking 'still half think' — that hallucination of 'shines on your face' is the dream's lingering charm, and the longing's continuation. Du Fu writes the waking environment through 'the setting moon', the waking psychology through 'still half think', writing to the full the complex process of the longing become dream, the dream's waking and doubt, precisely the model of 'writing deep feeling through hallucination'. These two lines let countless readers feel as in the flesh — that room of the setting moon filling the beams, that instant of half thinking the face lit, is precisely the experience of every man who deeply misses an old friend.

水深波浪阔，无使蛟龙得。

The water is deep, the waves are wide; let no flood-dragon seize you. — The emotional climax: 'deep water, wide waves' writes the peril of Li Bai's journey; 'let no flood-dragon seize' is a near-prayer of fear, begging that no evil force claim his friend — the highest point of Du Fu's anxious devotion.

水深波浪又阔，千万不要让蛟龙得着你。

The water is deep, the waves are broad; take care the flood-dragon does not seize you.

这两句是全诗情感最深沉的收束，以「蛟龙」写前路的险恶，表达对李白前途的深深忧惧。「水深波浪阔」写水势——那江水又深又阔、波浪滔天，「水深波浪阔」五字，既是写李白被流放夜郎途中的长江实景，也是写其前路的艰险——如涉深水、如行险波；「无使蛟龙得」写忧惧——千万不要让蛟龙（水中的恶物）得着你，「无使」二字，以近乎祈求的语气写对李白的牵挂，「蛟龙得」暗指被恶势力吞噬——李白身处险境，随时可能遭遇不测。这两句表面是写水，实则暗含双重意味：其一，写旅途之险——李白溯长江而上，水深浪阔，恐遭不测；其二，写命运之忧——李白被流放，身处罗网（上句「君今在罗网」），前路险恶如蛟龙伺机，杜甫以「无使蛟龙得」祈求他平安。这「无使」的祈求，是杜甫对李白最深的牵挂，也是全诗情感的最高点——他无法救李白出罗网，只能在这深沉的梦中、在想象里，祈求那蛟龙不要得着故人。两句以水写忧、以蛟龙写险，把对李白的深情与忧惧写到极致，正是杜甫怀人诗中最动人的收束。

These two lines are the whole's deepest closing, through 'the flood-dragon' writing the road ahead's danger, expressing the deep fear for Li Bai's future. 'The water is deep, the waves are broad' writes the water's force — the river deep and broad, the waves mountain-high, these five words at once write the real scene of the Yangtze on Li Bai's exile to Yelang, and write the road ahead's hardship — like crossing the deep water, like sailing the perilous waves; 'take care the flood-dragon does not seize you' writes the fear — take care the flood-dragon (the water's evil thing) does not seize you, the words 'take care' in the almost pleading tone writing the care for Li Bai, 'the flood-dragon seizes' secretly meaning the being swallowed by the evil power — Li Bai in the peril, at any moment meeting misfortune. These two lines on the surface write the water, and in fact hold a double meaning: first, the road's danger — Li Bai ascending the Yangtze, the water deep and the waves broad, fearing misfortune; second, the fate's worry — Li Bai exiled, in the net (the above line 'you are now in the net'), the road ahead perilous like the flood-dragon lying in wait, Du Fu through 'take care the flood-dragon does not seize you' praying for his safety. This 'take care' plea is Du Fu's deepest care for Li Bai, and the whole's emotional peak — he cannot rescue Li Bai from the net, only in this deep dream, in the imagination, praying that the flood-dragon not seize the old friend. Two lines, writing the worry through the water, the danger through the flood-dragon, writing the deep love and fear for Li Bai to the extreme, precisely the most moving closing of Du Fu's missing-friend verse.

Study

Word focus

恻恻 'Pierces' (ce ce), repeated, is the key word for living-parting's pain, writing lingering sorrow with a reduplicative, setting the poem's tone from the opening. It means grieving, sorrowful. Du Fu writes living-parting's pain with 'ever pierces': the word holds a double meaning — first, the longness of sorrow (death's parting is a burst that ends; living parting is a 'piercing' that never ends); second, the genuineness of feeling ('ever' shows it is constant, not momentary). The reduplicative gives sorrow a lingering rhythm. Only 'pierces' captures the long pain of living parting. 「恻恻」二字是写生别之痛的关键字，以叠字写绵绵的悲伤，开篇便定下全诗的基调。恻恻，悲伤、悲恻的样子（《诗经》「恻隐之心」本指哀痛）。杜甫以「生别常恻恻」写生别之痛，一个「恻恻」，至少有双重意味：其一，写悲伤之绵长——死别是「吞声」的爆发（一痛而止），生别却是「恻恻」的绵长（常悲不止），两个叠字「恻恻」，写那悲伤如细水长流、绵绵不绝，正因生离而不相见、生死未卜，故常悲恻；其二，写情感之真切——「常恻恻」的「常」字，写这悲伤不是一时的，而是长久的、持续的，那对李白流放的牵挂，日夜萦绕心头，故「常恻恻」。以「恻恻」写生别，叠字的运用使悲伤有了绵长的韵律，令人想到《诗经》「行道迟迟，中心有违」的叠字笔法。若换作「悲悲」「哀哀」等词，则或失其古雅，或失其绵长的意味；唯「恻恻」二字，以叠字写尽生别之痛的绵长，正是杜甫炼字的功力，也让「死别已吞声，生别常恻恻」成为写「别」的名句。

犹疑 'Still doubt' (you yi) is the finishing touch of the waking-hallucination line, writing the blur at the dream-waking border with exquisite subtlety. It means hesitation, doubt; here it writes the half-wake state of not knowing dream from reality. Du Fu writes the hallucination with 'I still doubt it lights your face': the word holds a double meaning — first, the blur of waking (the friend seemed present in the dream, and after waking his face seems still in the moonlight); second, the depth of longing (precisely because the longing is so deep, the poet 'still doubts' the friend is before him even after waking). Writing hallucination through 'still doubt' shows Du Fu's delicate grasp of psychology. 「犹疑」二字是写醒后幻觉的点睛之笔，以「犹疑」写梦醒之际的恍惚，传神入微。犹疑，本指犹豫、迟疑，此处写梦醒后分不清是梦是醒的恍惚。杜甫以「犹疑照颜色」写醒后的幻觉，一个「犹疑」，至少有双重意味：其一，写梦醒之恍惚——梦中的李白仿佛还在眼前，梦醒后那容颜似乎还留在月光里，诗人一时间分不清是真是幻，「犹疑」二字写尽梦醒之际那将醒未醒、似梦非梦的恍惚状态；其二，写思念之深切——正因为思念太深，故梦醒后仍「犹疑」故人在前，那「犹疑」正是思念的延续——不是梦醒了思念就断了，而是梦醒了思念更深，深到分不清梦与醒。以「犹疑」写幻觉，正见杜甫对心理的细腻把握：他没有直写「我思念李白」，而是写「我恍惚以为他还在」，那「犹疑」的瞬间，正是思念最深的时候。这一个「犹疑」，让「落月满屋梁，犹疑照颜色」成为千古名句，也让每一个有过深切思念的人都从中照见了自己。