All poems

唐 Tang · 诗 Poem

牡丹花

The Peony Flower

罗隐

Luo Yin

似共东风别有因，绛罗高卷不胜春。
若教解语应倾国，任是无情亦动人。
芍药与君为近侍，芙蓉何处避芳尘。
可怜韩令功成后，辜负秾华过此身。

It seems to share a secret bond with the east wind,
its crimson silk rolled high, more than spring can bear.
If it could speak, it would topple a kingdom;
even silent and cold, it moves the heart.
The peony would make you, peony, its closest attendant;
where could the lotus hide from your fragrant dust?
Pity Chancellor Han, once his work was done:
the lavish bloom was cast aside and lived out its days in vain.

Listen

Meaning

Luo Yin's poem praises the peony as the queen of flowers — so beautiful that if it could speak it would topple kingdoms, and even silent it captivates, with the peony as its attendant and the lotus unable to escape its perfume. But the final couplet turns: after Chancellor Han finished his great work, he cut down his peonies, and their glorious beauty was wasted. The poem is a veiled self-portrait: Luo Yin, a brilliant man who failed the examinations again and again, saw himself in the peony cut down once its patron's success was secured — talent crushed by those in power.

牡丹似与东风别有因缘，绛红的罗帏高卷，不胜春光。若教它能解语，应当倾国倾城，任是无情，也自动人。芍药与它为近侍，芙蓉何处能避开它的芳尘。可怜韩令功成之后，辜负了秾华，空过此生。

Appreciation

[Plain Paraphrase] The peony seems bound to the east wind by some secret cause; its crimson petals, like rolled-up silk, overflow the very spring. If it could speak, its beauty would topple kingdoms; even silent and cold, it moves every heart. The peony would take the peony as its closest attendant, and the lotus would find nowhere to hide from its fragrant dust. But pity Chancellor Han: once his great work was done, the lavish bloom was cut down and its glory wasted for the rest of its life. [Structure] The first six lines raise the peony to supreme height through praise and through other flowers' deference; the last two lines drop it into ruin with the story of Chancellor Han. The fall from 'toppling kingdoms' to 'cast aside' is the poem's whole design, and the greater the height, the deeper the pity. [Imagery] 'Crimson silk,' 'speaking,' 'fragrant dust,' and 'lavish bloom' build a gorgeous surface; the final 'cast aside' and 'in vain' tear it open, so that the flower's splendor becomes the measure of its waste, and through it the poet's own wasted genius is felt.

【白话串讲】罗隐写《牡丹花》：“似共东风别有因，绛罗高卷不胜春”——“若教解语应倾国，任是无情亦动人”——“芍药与君为近侍，芙蓉何处避芳尘”——“可怜韩令功成后，辜负秾华过此身”——他写牡丹——任是无情亦动人。【意象与手法】首联以“似共东风别有因，绛罗高卷不胜春”写牡丹与东风之缘、罗帏高卷的华贵；颔联以“若教解语应倾国，任是无情亦动人”写牡丹解语倾国、无情动人的风姿；颈联以“芍药与君为近侍，芙蓉何处避芳尘”写芍药为侍、芙蓉避尘的尊贵；尾联以“可怜韩令功成后，辜负秾华过此身”用韩弘斩牡丹之典，写牡丹被弃、年华空过的感慨。咏物寄慨。【情感与主旨】罗隐咏牡丹而寄身世之感，以韩弘斩牡丹之典写牡丹被弃、年华空过，正是罗隐怀才不遇的自况，是罗隐咏物诗的代表作。【名句点睛】常考“若教解语应倾国，任是无情亦动人”写牡丹风姿；“可怜韩令功成后，辜负秾华过此身”以韩令斩牡丹写身世。

Background

Luo Yin (833–909), courtesy name Zhaojian, was a late-Tang poet from Xincheng in Hangzhou. Endowed with brilliant talent, he sat the metropolitan examination some ten times without passing, and after years of disappointment he attached himself to Qian Liu, king of Wuyue, serving finally as a supervising secretary. His poetry is famous for its satire of the age and its laments for his own life, especially in poems on objects. This peony poem belongs to that tradition of 'writing objects to voice indignation': the flower's supreme beauty and its destruction at Chancellor Han's hand are a transparent allegory for a gifted man discarded by a world that had no use for him. Written at a time when the late Tang state was collapsing and talent went unrewarded, the poem's grief carries the weight of a whole class of failed scholars.

此诗为晚唐诗人罗隐的《牡丹花》之作，是咏物寄慨的名篇。罗隐（833—909），字昭谏，杭州新城（今浙江富阳）人，晚唐诗人。他才华横溢，却十上不第，考了十几次进士都没考上，一生怀才不遇，后归投吴越王钱镠，官至谏议大夫。其诗多讽刺时世、感慨身世，长于咏物。此诗咏牡丹而寄身世之感：「似共东风别有因」，写牡丹似与东风别有因缘——牡丹与东风（春风）似有特殊的因缘，暗示牡丹的与众不同；「绛罗高卷不胜春」，写绛红的罗帏高卷，不胜春光——以「绛罗」写牡丹之红艳，如绛罗高卷，「不胜春」写牡丹之盛，春色都难以承载；「若教解语应倾国」，写若教牡丹能解语，应当倾国倾城——用「解语花」之典，唐玄宗称杨贵妃为「解语花」，若牡丹解语，当倾国倾城，正是极言牡丹之美；「任是无情亦动人」，写任是无情，也自动人——罗隐《牡丹》有「若教解语应倾国，任是无情也动人」之名句，此句写牡丹纵无情也动人，正是极言牡丹之美；「芍药与君为近侍」，写芍药与牡丹为近侍——芍药与牡丹同科，形貌相似，古以「花相」配「花王」，芍药为牡丹的近侍；「芙蓉何处避芳尘」，写芙蓉何处能避开牡丹的芳尘——芙蓉（荷花）纵美，也避不开牡丹的芳尘，正是极言牡丹之尊；「可怜韩令功成后，辜负秾华过此身」，写可怜韩令功成之后，辜负了秾华，空过此生——用「韩令斩牡丹」之典，唐文宗时宰相韩弘因牡丹之盛而斩之，谓「吾岂效儿女态耶」，韩弘功成之后，斩去牡丹，辜负了秾华，正是罗隐怀才不遇的自况。全诗咏牡丹而寄身世之感，是罗隐咏物诗的代表作。

Art

The poem's art lies in raising and then destroying its subject, a technique of layered elevation followed by a single reversal. The first couplet establishes the peony's privileged bond with the east wind, its crimson petals 'more than spring can bear.' The second couplet reaches the summit of praise: able to speak, it would topple kingdoms; silent, it still moves — the most famous pairing in the poem. The third couplet elevates it above all other flowers, the peony as its attendant and the lotus fleeing its perfume. Then the last couplet abruptly introduces Chancellor Han, who destroyed his peonies after achieving success, and the gorgeous creature is 'cast aside' to 'live out its days in vain.' The height of the first six lines makes the depth of the last two; the praise is not decoration but the measure of the coming loss. The poem is a perfect example of 'writing an object to voice one's grievance' (yongwu jikai).

此诗艺术上以「咏物寄慨」与「层层烘托」为特色，在咏牡丹的华美中寄寓身世的感慨。首联「似共东风别有因，绛罗高卷不胜春」，以「别有因」写牡丹与东风之缘，以「绛罗高卷不胜春」写牡丹之华贵——「绛罗高卷」以绛红的罗帏写牡丹之红艳，「不胜春」写春色难载其盛，起笔即见牡丹之尊；颔联「若教解语应倾国，任是无情亦动人」，以「若教解语」写牡丹之美，以「任是无情亦动人」写牡丹之动人——「解语」「倾国」「无情」「动人」，四词写尽牡丹之美，是此诗最著名的对句，正是「咏物而极尽烘托」；颈联「芍药与君为近侍，芙蓉何处避芳尘」，以「近侍」写芍药之陪衬，以「避芳尘」写芙蓉之回避——芍药为近侍、芙蓉避芳尘，正是「以他花衬牡丹」的层层烘托，极言牡丹之尊贵；尾联「可怜韩令功成后，辜负秾华过此身」，以「可怜」写韩令斩牡丹之可惜，以「辜负秾华」写秾华空度——那「辜负秾华过此身」的牡丹，正是罗隐怀才不遇的自况，由咏物转入寄慨，正是「咏物寄慨」的写法。全诗由「别有因」起笔，经「倾国」「近侍」的层层烘托，而归于「辜负秾华」的感慨，咏物而寄慨，是罗隐咏物诗「咏物寄慨」的极致。

Allusions

'Crimson silk' (jiangluo) uses dyed silk as a metaphor for the flower's red splendor, following the common Tang habit of comparing flowers to brocade. 'A secret bond with the east wind' gives the peony a special fate among spring flowers, the herald of the season. 'If it could speak, it would topple a kingdom' combines two allusions: the 'speaking flower' (jieyu hua), Xuanzong's name for Yang Guifei, and Li Yannian's song of the beauty whose 'one glance topples a city, whose second glance topples a state' — so the peony is credited with Yang Guifei's charm and a kingdom-toppling beauty. 'The peony as closest attendant' invokes the old pairing of the peony as 'king of flowers' and the herbaceous peony (shaoyao) as his minister, here reimagined as a courtier. 'The lotus cannot hide from its fragrant dust' sets the 'gentleman among flowers' in retreat before the peony's overwhelming perfume, proving the peony's sovereignty. 'Chancellor Han' refers to Han Hong, chief minister under Wenzong, whose famous garden peonies he cut down with the words 'How should I imitate the manners of girls?'; 'once his work was done' carries the sting of 'when the birds are gone, the good bow is stored away' — the patron discards his treasure once he has no further use for it.

此诗用典皆围绕牡丹与身世展开。「绛罗」，写绛红的罗帏，以「绛罗」写牡丹之红艳——古人常以绫罗绸缎喻花之华美，「绛罗高卷」写牡丹如绛罗高卷，正是「以物喻花」的写法。「不胜春」，写不胜春光，暗含「花落」之典——牡丹之盛，春色难载，正是「国色天香」的极致。「解语应倾国」，用「解语花」之典——唐玄宗称杨贵妃为「解语花」，此诗若牡丹解语，当倾国倾城，正是以杨贵妃比牡丹之极美；又暗含「倾国倾城」之典——李延年歌「北方有佳人，绝世而独立。一顾倾人城，再顾倾人国」，写美人倾城倾国之貌，正是牡丹之美。「芍药与君为近侍」，以芍药为牡丹之近侍——芍药与牡丹同科，形貌相似，古以「花王」「花相」并称，牡丹为王、芍药为相，芍药正是牡丹的近侍。「芙蓉何处避芳尘」，写芙蓉避牡丹之芳尘——芙蓉（荷花）为「花中君子」，而此诗写其避牡丹之芳尘，正是极言牡丹之尊，暗含「出淤泥而不染」的芙蓉亦避让之意。「韩令功成」，用「韩弘斩牡丹」之典——唐文宗时宰相韩弘在京城有宅，宅中牡丹盛开，韩弘谓「吾岂效儿女态耶」，遂命斩去，后以「韩令斩牡丹」写对牡丹的摧折；「功成后」写韩弘功成名就之后，斩去牡丹，正是「鸟尽弓藏」之意。这些典故，或写解语花、或写倾国倾城、或写花王花相、或写韩令斩牡丹，皆围绕牡丹与身世这一核心，织成一张华美而含悲的情网，正是罗隐诗「以典寄慨」的特点。

Commentary

The poem's key lies in the contrast between 'If it could speak, it would topple a kingdom; even silent and cold, it moves the heart' and 'Pity Chancellor Han, once his work was done: the lavish bloom was cast aside and lived out its days in vain.' The first six lines raise the peony to the summit of all flowers; the last two hurl it down. The greater the praise, the keener the waste, and that waste is Luo Yin's own: a man of 'talent that could topple kingdoms,' repeatedly failed in the examinations, is the peony cut down once the patron's success was secured. Read against Liu Yuxi's 'Admiring Peonies,' with its 'When the peonies bloom, the capital is set in motion,' Luo Yin's poem shows the same flower in the late-Tang register of grief rather than High-Tang triumph. The poem is the model of his satirical, self-lamenting poems on objects, where the discarded flower and the discarded scholar become one.

读此诗，最值得注意的是「若教解语应倾国，任是无情亦动人」与「可怜韩令功成后，辜负秾华过此身」之间的对照。前六句极写牡丹之美：解语倾国、无情动人、芍药为侍、芙蓉避尘——那是牡丹的秾华，是「国色天香」的极致；而后两句忽然一转，「可怜韩令功成后，辜负秾华过此身」——如此秾华的牡丹，却因韩令的「功成」，被斩去而空度此生。这一对照，是全诗的关键：牡丹之美愈盛，其被弃之悲愈深。而这一悲慨，正是罗隐的自况——罗隐才华横溢，如「解语倾国」的牡丹，却十上不第，怀才不遇，正如那「辜负秾华」的牡丹；而「韩令功成」，正是那些不赏识他、摧折他的权贵的写照。以牡丹自况，正是罗隐咏物诗「咏物寄慨」的深意——咏的是牡丹，叹的是自己的身世；「辜负秾华过此身」的牡丹，正是「辜负凌云万丈才」的罗隐自己。罗隐十上不第，一生怀才不遇，此诗咏牡丹而寄身世之感，正是「不平则鸣」的写照：那被韩令斩去的牡丹，那被时代埋没的才子，在诗中合而为一，读来尤见其悲愤与无奈。

Prosody

Form Seven-character regulated verse (qilü), eight lines in four couplets诗（七言律诗）

Rhyme The poem rhymes on the level-tone words yin (cause), chun (spring), ren (person), chen (dust), and shen (life/body), all in the zhen rhyme group. The round, lingering rhyme matches the gorgeous surface of the poem, beneath which the grief of 'the lavish bloom cast aside' runs like an undercurrent.此诗为七言律诗，押平声「真」部韵，「因」「春」「人」「尘」「身」等字皆属上平十一真韵，韵脚绵长而圆润，正合诗情「咏物华美」的声调。首联「似共东风别有因，绛罗高卷不胜春」以「别有因」起，对仗工整；颔联「若教解语应倾国，任是无情亦动人」，以「若教」「任是」相对，工对而见烘托；颈联「芍药与君为近侍，芙蓉何处避芳尘」，以「芍药」「芙蓉」相对，流水而对。整体声调由首联的东风因缘，到尾联的辜负秾华，华美而含悲，正合咏物寄慨的诗情。

Tone pattern The opening couplet, 'It seems to share a secret bond with the east wind; its crimson silk rolled high, more than spring can bear,' opens in a full, harmonious cadence. The second couplet, 'If it could speak, it would topple a kingdom; even silent and cold, it moves the heart,' opposes hypothesis to concession in tightly wrought parallelism. The third, 'The peony would make you its closest attendant; where could the lotus hide from your fragrant dust,' moves like running water. The close, 'Pity Chancellor Han, once his work was done: the lavish bloom was cast aside and lived out its days in vain,' turns from praise to lament, gorgeous on the surface and bitter beneath, the rhythm of 'writing an object to voice one's grievance.'句式上，此诗善用对仗与假设肯定：「若教解语应倾国，任是无情亦动人」，以「若教」「任是」相对，一假设一肯定，写尽牡丹之美，对仗精工而见烘托；「芍药与君为近侍，芙蓉何处避芳尘」，以「近侍」「避芳尘」写他花衬牡丹，流水而对；「可怜韩令功成后，辜负秾华过此身」，以「可怜」领起，由咏物转入寄慨。全诗由「别有因」起笔，经「倾国」「近侍」的层层烘托，而归于「辜负秾华」的感慨，对仗整饬而句法多变，正是罗隐诗「咏物寄慨」的节奏美学。

Reading note As a late-Tang seven-character regulated verse, this poem's musical beauty lies in its round level rhymes and exact parallelism carrying a gorgeous grief. The first couplet states the peony's special bond with the east wind; the second reaches the summit of praise; the third elevates it above other flowers; the close, through Chancellor Han's cutting of the peonies, turns praise into lament. The movement from praise to grief, with sound and feeling in accord, is the mark of Luo Yin's poems on objects, and its pairing with Liu Yuxi's 'Admiring Peonies' shows the two moods of the peony in Tang poetry: High-Tang triumph and late-Tang sorrow.作为晚唐七律，《牡丹花》的声律之美，在于以圆润的平韵与精工的对仗，写出咏物寄慨的华美含悲情思。全诗首联「似共东风别有因」以东风因缘起笔，写牡丹之与众不同；颔联「若教解语应倾国，任是无情亦动人」以假设肯定写牡丹之美，是咏物的高潮；颈联「芍药与君为近侍，芙蓉何处避芳尘」以他花衬牡丹写牡丹之尊，层层烘托；尾联「可怜韩令功成后，辜负秾华过此身」以韩令斩牡丹之典写牡丹被弃的悲慨，由咏物转入寄慨。全诗由咏物而寄慨，层层递进而声情相谐，正是罗隐诗「咏物寄慨」的体现。就全诗而言，此诗咏牡丹而寄身世之感，意象华美、对仗精工，是晚唐咏物诗的名篇，与刘禹锡《赏牡丹》同为咏牡丹之作，而一写「花开时节动京城」的盛赞，一写「辜负秾华过此身」的悲慨，可见咏牡丹这一母题在唐诗中的两种情调，也可见罗隐以牡丹自况的怀才不遇之叹。

Line by line

若教解语应倾国，任是无情亦动人。

If it could speak, it would topple a kingdom; even silent and cold, it moves the heart.

若教牡丹能解语，应当倾国倾城，任是无情，也自动人。

If the peony could speak, it would surely overturn the state; even though it feels nothing, it moves men's hearts.

这一联是全诗最著名的对句，写牡丹之美，是此诗咏物的高潮。「若教解语应倾国」，写若教牡丹能解语，应当倾国倾城——用「解语花」之典，唐玄宗称杨贵妃为「解语花」，若牡丹解语，当如杨贵妃般倾国倾城，正是极言牡丹之美；「任是无情亦动人」，写任是无情，也自动人——牡丹本无情，纵无情也动人，正是极言牡丹之美不假言说。以「若教」写假设，以「任是」写无条件，一假设一肯定，写尽牡丹之美；「解语」「倾国」「无情」「动人」，四词相映，正是「花若解语还多事」的反面——牡丹不解语而倾国，无情而动人，正是其美的极致。这一联，咏牡丹而极尽烘托，意象华美而对仗精工，是唐诗咏牡丹的名句，也是此诗咏物的高潮。

This couplet is the most famous of the poem, the climax of the flower-portrait. 'If the peony could speak, it would surely overturn the state' uses the allusion to the 'speaking flower' — Emperor Xuanzong called Yang Guifei his 'speaking flower' — so that were the peony able to speak, it would be as state-overturning as the beauty of old; it writes the peony's beauty in the extreme. 'Even though it feels nothing, it moves men's hearts' — the peony has no feeling, yet even feelingless it moves the heart. Written in the hypothetical 'if' and the unconditional 'even', the beauty of the flower is complete; the words 'speak', 'overturn the state', 'feels nothing', 'moves' set off each other — the peony overturns the state without speaking, moves men without feeling, the ultimate of its beauty. The couplet lays on the foil to the utmost, the imagery splendid, the couplet craft exact, a famous Tang line on the peony, and the peak of the poem.

芍药与君为近侍，芙蓉何处避芳尘。

The peony would make you its closest attendant; where could the lotus hide from your fragrant dust?

芍药与牡丹为近侍，芙蓉何处能避开牡丹的芳尘。

The herbaceous peony serves as its closest attendant; where could the lotus flee from its fragrance?

这一联以他花衬牡丹，写牡丹之尊，是此诗层层烘托的所在。「芍药与君为近侍」，写芍药与牡丹为近侍——芍药与牡丹同科，形貌相似，古以「花王」「花相」并称，牡丹为王、芍药为相，芍药正是牡丹的近侍，一「近侍」写尽牡丹的王者之尊；「芙蓉何处避芳尘」，写芙蓉何处能避开牡丹的芳尘——芙蓉（荷花）为「花中君子」，出淤泥而不染，而此诗写其避不开牡丹的芳尘，正是极言牡丹之尊，连花中君子也避让。以「芍药为近侍」写牡丹之贵，以「芙蓉避芳尘」写牡丹之盛，一陪衬一避让，层层烘托，正是「以他花衬牡丹」的写法。这一联，以芍药、芙蓉衬牡丹，极言牡丹之尊贵，意象清雅而对仗工整，是此诗层层烘托的所在，也是咏牡丹「花王」地位的关键。

This couplet sets other flowers against the peony to write its sovereignty, the layer upon layer offoil. 'The herbaceous peony serves as its closest attendant' — the herbaceous peony and the tree peony are kin and look alike, anciently named 'king of flowers' and 'minister of flowers', so the herbaceous peony is the tree peony's 'closest attendant', the word alone writing the peony's kingly rank. 'Where could the lotus flee from its fragrance?' — the lotus, the 'gentleman among flowers', pure from the mud, yet in this poem it cannot flee the peony's fragrant dust, writing the sovereignty so absolute that even the gentleman-flower gives way. One attendant, one fleeing, layer on layer, the method of 'setting other flowers against the peony'. The couplet, through the herbaceous peony and the lotus, writes the peony's rank to the utmost, the imagery pure, the craft exact, the key to its standing as the 'king of flowers'.

可怜韩令功成后，辜负秾华过此身。

Pity Chancellor Han, once his work was done: the lavish bloom was cast aside and lived out its days in vain.

可怜韩令功成之后，辜负了秾华，空过此生。

Alas, when Lord Han's work was done, this splendid bloom was squandered, its life spent in vain.

这一联是全诗的结穴，用韩弘斩牡丹之典写牡丹被弃的悲慨，是此诗由咏物转入寄慨的枢纽。「可怜韩令功成后」，写可怜韩令功成之后——用「韩弘斩牡丹」之典，唐文宗时宰相韩弘因牡丹之盛而斩之，谓「吾岂效儿女态耶」，「功成后」写韩弘功成名就之后；「辜负秾华过此身」，写辜负了秾华，空过此生——那秾华的牡丹，被斩去而空度此生，「辜负秾华」写秾华被辜负，「过此身」写空过此生。以「可怜」写悲慨，以「辜负秾华」写被弃之痛，正是「鸟尽弓藏」之意；那被韩令斩去的牡丹，正是罗隐怀才不遇的自况。这一联，由咏物转入寄慨，把牡丹的被弃与才子的不遇合而为一，是此诗情感的所在，也是罗隐咏物诗「咏物寄慨」的最高点。

This couplet is the landing of the whole, using the allusion to Han Hong cutting down the peony to write the grief of the flower cast aside, the pivot where the poem turns fromflower-portrait to lament. 'Alas, when Lord Han's work was done' uses the story: in Wenzong's reign, the minister Han Hong, finding the peony too lavish, cut it down, saying 'would I ape the airs of girls and boys?' — 'when the work was done' after Han Hong's fame and achievement. 'This splendid bloom was squandered, its life spent in vain' — the gorgeous peony, cut down, its life spent for nothing; 'squandered' the wasted bloom, 'life spent in vain' the empty years. Written through 'alas' the grief, through 'squandered' the pain of abandonment — the meaning of 'when the birds are gone, the bow is laid aside'. The peony Han Hong cut down is Luo Yin's own self-portrait of the talent unfound. The couplet turns fromflower-portrait to lament, fusing the cast-aside flower with the unfound scholar, the emotional heart of the poem, the height of Luo Yin'sflower-portrait-with-lament style.

Study

Word focus

解语 'Able to speak' uses the allusion to the 'speaking flower,' Xuanzong's name for Yang Guifei: if the peony could talk, it would have Yang Guifei's charm. The word lends the silent flower a human wit, and with 'topple a kingdom' it raises the peony's beauty to the pitch of a kingdom-ender, the summit of the poem's praise. 「若教解语应倾国」之「解语」，用「解语花」之典，写牡丹之美，是此诗咏物烘托的关键语。「解语」即懂得说话——唐玄宗称杨贵妃为「解语花」，以「解语花」写美人之能言会意，此诗「若教解语应倾国」，写若牡丹能解语，当倾国倾城，正是以杨贵妃比牡丹之极美；「解语」二字，写牡丹之灵慧——那牡丹若解语，其美更不可言。以「解语」写牡丹，比直写「美艳」更见灵慧与想象——牡丹本无情，而「若教解语」的假设，正是「花若解语还多事」的反面，写尽牡丹之美的想象空间。这一词，是此诗咏物烘托的关键，与「倾国」相连，一解语一倾国，写尽牡丹之美，也是「任是无情亦动人」的铺垫。

秾华 'Lavish bloom' names the flower's full, rich glory: 'nong' is luxuriance, 'hua' the flower, so the phrase sums up the peony's splendor. It is also the object of 'cast aside' — the greater the glory, the keener the waste — so the phrase carries both the poem's highest praise and its deepest pity, the mirror of the poet's own wasted talent. 「辜负秾华过此身」之「秾华」，写繁盛的花朵，是此诗牡丹意象的核心语。「秾华」即繁盛的花朵——「秾」写花之繁盛，「华」即花，秾华写牡丹繁盛之美；「辜负秾华过此身」，写辜负了秾华，空过此生——那繁盛的牡丹，被韩令斩去，空度此生，「辜负秾华」写秾华被辜负，「过此身」写空过此生。以「秾华」写牡丹，比「牡丹」「花容」更见繁盛之美与惋惜之意——秾华愈盛，被辜负愈可惜；「秾华」二字，正是此诗对牡丹之美的总结，也是「辜负」的对象。这一词，是此诗牡丹意象的核心，与「可怜」相连，一盛一弃，写尽牡丹被弃的悲慨，也是罗隐怀才不遇的自况，正是「辜负凌云万丈才」的写照。

芳尘 'Fragrant dust' is the perfume-laden dust of the peony: its scent is so pervasive that even the earth it falls on is sweet. 'Where could the lotus hide from your fragrant dust' makes the peony's fragrance an inescapable sovereignty, proving its rank as king of flowers, since even the 'gentleman among flowers' must give way. 「芙蓉何处避芳尘」之「芳尘」，写牡丹的芬芳尘土，是此诗极言牡丹之尊的关键语。「芳尘」即芬芳的尘土——牡丹盛开，芳气袭人，落花委地，尘土亦香，「芳尘」写牡丹的芬芳弥漫于尘土之间；「芙蓉何处避芳尘」，写芙蓉何处能避开牡丹的芳尘——那牡丹的芳尘弥漫，连芙蓉也无处可避，正是极言牡丹之盛。以「芳尘」写牡丹，比「花香」「芳气」更见弥漫与无处不在——牡丹之芬芳，连尘土都染香，正是其盛；「何处避」三字，写芳尘之弥漫，连花中君子芙蓉也避让。这一词，是此诗极言牡丹之尊的关键，与「近侍」相连，一陪衬一避让，层层烘托牡丹的王者之尊，也是咏牡丹「花王」地位的关键。

牡丹花