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唐 Tang · 诗 Poem

钱塘湖春行

A Spring Outing on Qiantang Lake

白居易

Bai Juyi

西湖Theme 春日spring 山水landscape

孤山寺北贾亭西，水面初平云脚低。
几处早莺争暖树，谁家新燕啄春泥。
乱花渐欲迷人眼，浅草才能没马蹄。
最爱湖东行不足，绿杨阴里白沙堤。

North of Gushan Temple and west of Jia Pavilion, the lake water just level with the banks, the cloud-feet hang low; here and there early orioles vie for the sun-warmed trees,
But what I love most is the east of the lake, where I never tire of walking — the white sand causeway in the shade of green willows.

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Meaning

Written while Bai Juyi served as governor of Hangzhou, the poem records a spring ramble along West Lake (then called Qiantang Lake) in early spring. From the landmarks on the western shore to the east side of the lake, the poet traces rising spring waters, low-hanging clouds, and orioles contending for sunny branches, closing on his favorite view of all — the white sand causeway shaded by green willows. Its rejoicing in the landscape expresses his contentment in retreating from public cares to the consolations of nature.

孤山寺北面、贾亭以西，湖水刚涨得与岸齐平，低垂的云脚仿佛连着水面。几处早来的黄莺争着栖息在向阳的暖树上，不知谁家新来的燕子正啄取春泥筑巢。纷繁的春花渐渐要迷住人的眼睛，浅浅的春草才刚刚没过马蹄。我最爱湖东一带怎么走也走不够，在那绿柳成荫的白沙堤上。

Appreciation

The poem is threaded on the word 'walking,' shifting scene with every step like a travel diary in verse. It opens with a panoramic view of level water and low clouds, quickens with the darting orioles' quarrel over warm branches, and closes with a direct avowal — 'what I love most' and 'never tire of walking' — settling on the pristine image of the willow-shaded white causeway. Throughout it uses pure plain-line description without a single allusion, yet the moisture, first stirring, clamor, and brightness of earliest spring are all made present, the quintessential display of Bai Juyi's gift for finding depth in plain words.

【白话串讲】 “乱花渐欲迷人眼，浅草才能没马蹄”——白居易在杭州的春天里散步，早莺、新燕、乱花、浅草，他走一路，记一路。这是西湖最美的一张“春天名片”。【意象与手法】全诗以游踪为线，移步换景。“几处早莺争暖树，谁家新燕啄春泥”以禽鸟的动态写出春之萌动【情感与主旨】此诗约作于长庆三、四年间（823—824）白居易任杭州刺史时【名句点睛】常考“几处早莺争暖树，谁家新燕啄春泥”的炼字（“争”“啄”显生机）、“乱花渐欲迷人眼，浅草才能没马蹄”中“渐”“才”

Background

In 822, sidelined by powerful rivals after speaking out at court, Bai Juyi requested a provincial post and became governor of Hangzhou, arriving that winter; the following spring, in his leisure from official duties, he toured West Lake and wrote this poem at about the age of fifty-two. After the demotion to Jiangzhou and transfer to Zhongzhou, he was shifting from 'aiding the whole world' toward 'preserving himself alone,' finding spiritual repose amid lakes and hills — the lingering delight of 'never tiring of the lake's east side' is the outward form of that frame of mind. West Lake was then called Qiantang Lake, and the white sand causeway on its east side, which Bai Juyi had repaired during his tenure, is pointedly honored in the poem's final line, carrying a touch of pride in his own works. Immensely popular ever since, the poem stands with 'Remembering Jiangnan' as his representative depiction of the southern spring, its lucid language embodying his famous ideal that even an old countrywoman could understand his verse. The 'spring outing' of the title announces the design: touring as the thread, itinerary as the structure, making it a model of Tang travel-and-scenery verse.

白居易《钱塘湖春行》约作于长庆三年（823年）或四年（824年）任杭州刺史期间。长庆二年（822年），白居易因朝中党争自请外放，出任杭州刺史；在任期间，他疏浚西湖、修筑堤防，为杭州百姓做了不少实事，也对西湖山水产生了深厚的感情，其西湖诸诗多作于此际。「钱塘湖」即杭州西湖。首句「孤山寺北贾亭西」点出游踪起点：孤山寺在西湖中的孤山上，为南朝始建的佛寺；贾亭即贾公亭，为唐代杭州刺史贾全所建，唐末已废，故后世注家多据白居易此诗补其故实。「白沙堤」即今白堤，横亘湖上，绿杨夹道，为西湖胜景之一。白居易早年作《长恨歌》、晚年作《忆江南》，对江南、杭州念念不忘，此诗正是他居杭期间爱湖、游湖心情的真实写照。全诗以「行」字为线，写初春西湖的明媚风光，是白居易写景诗中的代表作。此诗写作时白居易已五十二三岁，虽饱经宦海浮沉，而诗中洋溢的却是对自然生机的由衷欣喜，见出其旷达乐观的本性。白居易在杭州刺史任上，除疏湖筑堤外，亦多所题咏，其西湖诗如《春题湖上》《西湖晚归回望孤山寺》等，与此诗共同记录了西湖在唐代的景致，是研究西湖早期景观与人文的重要文献。此诗写景而兼记游，移步换景之间，西湖早春的风物次第展开，正是白居易以诗存景、以诗纪游的典型。

Art

The whole poem is threaded on the word 'walking,' changing scene with each step, its structure like a travelogue. The opening couplet fixes the itinerary and the wide prospect — north of Gushan Temple, west of Jia Pavilion — then sketches the great backdrop of just-risen spring water and low-hanging cloud-feet. Next comes movement upon the lake: 'here and there early orioles vie for the sun-warmed trees,' where the single word 'vie' captures the birds' rousing of spring and marks the first stirrings of the season. The closing couplet settles on the white sand causeway east of the lake: 'what I love most' declares his preference outright, 'never tire of walking' his reluctance to leave, and 'the white sand causeway in the shade of green willows' ends on the plainest, cleanest picture. The poem moves from far to near, from panorama to close-up, from scene to feeling, its layers distinct yet its breath unbroken. In method it is all plain-line description — no allusions, no carving — yet the moisture of early spring (low clouds), its first rising (water just level), its clamor (orioles vying), and its brightness (green willows, white causeway) are all vividly present: Bai Juyi's art of making the common elegant and the shallow deep. There is not one idle word — 'just,' 'low,' 'early,' 'vie,' 'love most,' 'not enough' — each an ordinary character achieving an extraordinary vividness, the ground of his plain diction and deep feeling. The structure closes on itself: it opens with walking and ends with 'never tire of walking,' sightseeing delight and springtime glory rising together, scene and feeling, object and self, fused into one — his most accomplished landscape piece in the leisurely mode.

此诗以游踪为线，移步换景，写尽钱塘湖的早春风光。首联「孤山寺北贾亭西，水面初平云脚低」点明地点与湖景——春水初涨，湖面与岸齐平，低垂的云脚仿佛连着水面，一「平」一「低」，写出春水初生、云水相接的迷蒙气象。颔联「几处早莺争暖树，谁家新燕啄春泥」写禽鸟报春：「早莺」争栖暖树，「新燕」啄泥筑巢，一个「争」字写莺之喧闹，一个「啄」字写燕之忙碌，皆春之萌动的具体写照。颈联「乱花渐欲迷人眼，浅草才能没马蹄」写花草：「乱花」渐开，几欲迷眼；「浅草」初生，才没马蹄，「渐欲」「才能」二语，写尽早春花草方兴未艾、将盛未盛的状态。尾联「最爱湖东行不足，绿杨阴里白沙堤」直抒胸臆，点出「最爱」湖东白沙堤，收束全篇。全诗由远及近、由静及动、由景及情，观察入微而情致盎然。就章法言，首联总写湖光，中二联分写莺燕、花草，尾联以「最爱」点题，层层铺展而主旨自明，是白居易「浅切而有余味」诗风的典范。此诗移步换景的写法，前承谢灵运山水诗的记游传统，后启宋代山水游记的散文化倾向，而以七律的整饬出之，既不失律诗的声韵之美，又得记游之文的流转自然，是其独到之处。此诗还善于以「初」「渐」「才」等虚字写早春的进行时态，把万物的萌动写得层次分明，是白诗炼虚字的高妙处。

Allusions

The poem uses no allusions, winning entirely by plain description, yet its place names carry their own historical depth. Gushan Temple, on West Lake's Solitary Hill, was first built in the early Tianjia era of the Chen dynasty, one of the lake's oldest famous monasteries; Jia Pavilion was built by Jia Quan, governor of Hangzhou in the Zhenyuan era, a celebrated viewing spot of the day. Opening with 'north of Gushan Temple, west of Jia Pavilion,' the poet seems merely to give directions, but in fact gathers the lake's historic sights into his lines, adding historical reach to the spring scene. The white sand causeway is traditionally credited to Bai Juyi himself during his governorship (later confused with the present Bai Causeway), so that 'the white sand causeway in the shade of green willows' is at once the scene before his eyes and the imprint of his own good works. Though the poem alludes to nothing, temple, pavilion, and causeway all have their provenance, the thickness of history interweaving with the brightness of spring — a Tang mastery different from 'no word without its source': no borrowed allusion, yet charm in plenty. That the lake was then called Qiantang, and that its fame rests on this poem of Bai's and later Su Shi's, is itself a mark of the poem's standing; to gather three famed sites into one short poem is one reason it has never ceased to be recited.

此诗不用僻典，而以杭州西湖的真实名胜入诗，皆有故实可考。「孤山寺」在西湖孤山，南朝陈天嘉年间所建，唐时已是名刹；「贾亭」即贾公亭，唐代杭州刺史贾全所筑，白居易作诗时亭尚在，故能信手拈来，唐末亭废，后人反据此诗考其旧迹。「白沙堤」是西湖上的一条长堤，绿杨成行，白居易诗屡屡提及，后世遂附会为白居易所筑，实则此堤在白居易之前已有；然白居易在杭确有筑堤之举（一说即后来的「白公堤」），故「白沙堤」与「白堤」之名遂与白居易的名字紧紧相连，成为一段诗与政绩交织的佳话。「早莺」「新燕」是古典诗歌中报春的经典意象，可上溯至《诗经·豳风·七月》「春日载阳，有鸣仓庚」以来的候鸟应春传统。「浅草」「乱花」之写，则暗承谢灵运、王维以来写春草、春花的小景传统。全诗以实景入诗、以时令见意，不用典而处处是典，正是白居易平易诗风背后的深厚学养。「孤山寺」「贾亭」「白沙堤」等西湖实景入诗，开后世以具体地名写西湖风物的先河，苏轼、林逋以下，写西湖者莫不循此路径，故白居易此诗实为西湖诗传统的重要奠基之作。「白沙堤」与白居易筑堤事，后世多所附会，遂成诗史交织的一段佳话，亦可见此诗传播之广、影响之深。「乱花」「浅草」之写，上承谢灵运「池塘生春草」的春景传统，而白居易以「渐欲」「才能」二虚词写其动态，较之前人更见精细。

Commentary

'A Spring Outing on Qiantang Lake' is an immortal classic of Tang poetry on spring and on West Lake, included in every major anthology. Since the mid-Tang, many have sung the lake, but Bai's plain-voiced early spring is the best loved of all; the 'vie' of the orioles and the 'just' and 'low' of water and clouds show that his verbal artistry lies not in the rare but in the exact. In literary history the poem represents the other wing of his style beside the New Yuefu — forgoing satire to write temperament and scenery in words any old woman could grasp, yet capturing the spring that all eyes see and no brush achieves, sweeping away Six Dynasties ornament and opening the way for late-Tang leisure verse and later landscape travel sketches. Its place in West Lake's cultural history is especially weighty: with 'Remembering Jiangnan,' Bai carried the lake's name across the empire, and Su Shi's 'Drinking on the Lake, First Clear Then Rain' carried it on, until West Lake became one of the most famous lake-and-hill images in Chinese literature. Later critics said Bai's poems read like a Shandong farmer discussing crops — word for word, plain record; seeing this poem tour by walking and confess preference outright, one believes it, and its artistic life has not faded in a thousand years.

此诗为白居易西湖诗的名篇，历代选本多所收录。清乾隆御选《唐宋诗醇》评此诗「一路行来，春色满眼」，并推其写早春景物「字字入画」。明人胡应麟、清人沈德潜皆以白居易七律「平易近人」许之，此诗即其代表——全诗不用一个僻字、不下一句议论，纯以白描写景，而早春的生气扑面而来。在传播史上，此诗与《忆江南》「日出江花红胜火，春来江水绿如蓝」、苏轼《饮湖上初晴后雨》「欲把西湖比西子」并称为写西湖的绝唱，共同塑造了西湖在中国文学中的经典形象。「几处早莺争暖树，谁家新燕啄春泥」「乱花渐欲迷人眼，浅草才能没马蹄」诸句，因其观察之细、炼字之精，成为后世描摹早春的习用语汇，中小学教材亦长期选录。此诗还折射出白居易作为杭州地方官对西湖的深情，与其筑堤疏湖的政绩相映，诗史互证，愈见其价值。此诗因写景之细、情感之真，历来被推为「以诗存景」的典范，后世考西湖沿革者，多据「贾亭」「白沙堤」诸语以证唐时湖上景物，其史料价值亦为学者所重。此诗语言浅近而韵味悠长，正是白居易「老妪能解」诗风的典范，然其炼字之精、观察之细，又非浅率者所能及。此诗与《杭州春望》《春题湖上》等白居易杭郡之作，共同构成了最早的西湖组诗，为后世西湖文学确立了以实景、时令、游踪入诗的范式。

Prosody

Form Seven-character regulated verse (qilü)七言律诗

Rhyme It rhymes on the level-tone qi rhyme group with the first line entering the rhyme: 'xi' (west), 'di' (low), and 'di' (causeway) survive in this excerpt (the full poem also rhymes 'ni' and 'ti'), all level-tone rhymes giving a bright, unhurried music.平水韵上平八齐韵，押「西」「低」「泥」「蹄」「堤」五韵，首句入韵

Tone pattern The tonal patterns observe the strict parallel and adhesion rules of the seven-character regulated verse in the standard oblique-start, level-finish form; the middle couplets are parallel, Bai's craftsmanship fluid within precision, the rhythm moving like wind and water.此诗为平起首句入韵的七律。孤山寺北贾亭西（平平仄仄仄平平），水面初平云脚低（仄仄平平平仄平），几处早莺争暖树（仄仄仄平平仄仄），谁家新燕啄春泥（平平平仄仄平平），乱花渐欲迷人眼（仄平仄仄平平仄），浅草才能没马蹄（仄仄平平仄仄平），最爱湖东行不足（仄仄平平平仄仄），绿杨阴里白沙堤（仄平平仄仄平平）。

Reading note This is a seven-character regulated poem of four couplets and eight lines, the first line entering the rhyme, rhyming throughout on the level-tone qi group. The qilü form reached full perfection in the High Tang, mastered by Du Fu and Wang Wei, and Bai Juyi made it plain and easy: unadorned yet wholly natural, with colloquial diction yet rounded music — the meaning of 'an old woman can understand it, and it loses none of its savor' lies precisely here. In this poem the tones conform and the adhesion is without error; the opening couplet sets out on the walk, the closing couplet gathers all into 'what I love most,' the scenery between shifts with every step, the structure rigorous while the vital breath flows. Bai used function words and common speech ('love most,' 'never tire of walking,' 'here and there') to free the regulated verse from stiffness, achieving movement within correctness and depth within simplicity. After the mid-Tang the regulated verse tended toward plainness, and Bai's practice of it opened that road; later students of Bai mostly begin from such spring-outing poems, proof of his influence. This excerpt preserves the first couplet, the opening line of the second, and the final couplet, with the three rhymes 'xi,' 'di,' and 'di' chiming together — enough to show the tidiness of his rhyme scheme.此诗为七言律诗，平起首句入韵，押上平八齐韵，韵脚「西」「低」「泥」「蹄」「堤」同部相押，一韵到底。「齐」韵音色细柔明亮，读来轻快流利，正合早春西湖的明丽与游兴的轻快。就平仄论，此诗通篇粘对工稳，是七律正格；中二联对仗极工——颔联「几处」对「谁家」、「早莺」对「新燕」、「争」对「啄」、「暖树」对「春泥」，禽鸟、动作、处所字字相对；颈联「乱花」对「浅草」、「渐欲」对「才能」、「迷人眼」对「没马蹄」，花草、虚词、动态两两相配。尾联「最爱湖东行不足」直抒其情，以「最爱」领起，收束全篇，是白诗「浅切」风格在律体中的体现。全诗声律精严而语言浅近，读来如随诗人游湖，移步换景、流丽自然，是白居易七律的代表作。颔联「争」「啄」二字皆平声收、动作相映，颈联「渐欲」「才能」虚词入对，声调的轻快与春景的明丽相合；全诗齐韵细柔明亮，读来如沐春风，正是白诗平易近人而声情并茂的体现。

Line by line

水面初平云脚低

The water is level for the first time, the clouds hang low.

湖水刚涨得与岸齐平，低垂的云脚仿佛连着水面

The lake has just risen level with the banks; the low-hanging clouds seem to touch the water.

「初平」二字写春水初涨，湖面才与岸齐，点出「早春」的时令特征；「云脚低」写低垂的云仿佛贴着水面，云水相接，一片迷蒙。此句写的是初春雨后湖上的典型景象——春雨初霁，水涨岸平，云气低垂，天与湖几乎连成一体。一个「初」字，见出水涨之微、春之方至；一个「低」字，见出云之低垂、气之湿润。首联以此句状湖光云色，为全篇铺开了一幅水墨氤氲的早春湖景，也为后文莺燕、花草的出场铺设了云水迷蒙的背景。此联一写禽鸟、一写花草，把西湖早春的声色动静写得层次分明，是全诗最见观察功力处。

The words 'for the first time, level' write the spring water's first rise, the lake just level with the banks, fixing the season of 'early spring'; 'the clouds hang low' the low clouds seeming to touch the water, cloud and water meeting, a haze. The line writes the typical lake scene after the first spring rain — rain just cleared, the water risen, the clouds low, sky and lake almost one. The one 'first time' shows the faintness of the rise, the spring's just coming; the one 'low' shows the clouds' hanging, the damp air. The opening couplet, in this line, paints the lake and cloud, spreading an ink-wash, hazy early-spring lake scene for the whole, and laying the misty cloud-and-water groundwork for the orioles, swallows, flowers, and grass below. This couplet, one line the birds, one the flowers and grass, writes the sounds and motions of West Lake's early spring in clear layers, the poem's most observant point.

几处早莺争暖树

A few early orioles vie for the sun-warmed trees.

几处早来的黄莺争着栖息在向阳的暖树上

Here and there, early orioles vie to roost on the sun-warmed boughs.

「争」字写早莺的喧闹，是此句的诗眼。初春尚寒，向阳的树枝先暖，早来的黄莺便争相栖于暖树之上，一个「争」字，把莺鸟的活泼与春日的生机写得热闹非凡。「几处」而非「处处」，见出莺之尚少，正是早春而非仲春；「暖树」而非「新叶」，见出春寒未褪，唯向阳枝头先有暖意。以「争」写鸟，以「几处」限其数，以「暖树」点其时，三处落笔，处处扣紧「早春」二字，是白居易观察入微、炼字精当的明证，也是全诗写禽鸟报春最传神的一句。

The word 'vie' writes the early orioles' clamor, the eye of the line. Early spring is still cold, the sun-facing branches warm first, and the early orioles vie to roost on the warmed trees; the one 'vie' writes to the full the birds' liveliness and the spring's vitality. 'A few places' and not 'everywhere' shows the orioles still few, precisely early spring and not mid-spring; 'sun-warmed trees' and not 'new leaves' shows the spring cold not yet gone, only the sun-facing boughs first warmed. Writing the birds through 'vie', limiting their number through 'a few places', fixing the season through 'sun-warmed trees', three strokes every one fastened to 'early spring' — the proof of Bai Juyi's minute observation and exact word-craft, and the liveliest line of the poem's birds heralding spring.

谁家新燕啄春泥

Whose new swallows peck at the spring mud?

不知谁家新来的燕子正啄取春泥筑巢

Whose new swallows are pecking at the spring mud to build their nests?

「谁家」一问，写燕之新至、人之惊喜。新来的燕子，诗人尚不知其筑巢于谁家，故发此问；这一问既写出了燕子初来乍到的时令，又暗含诗人循声追寻的兴致。「啄春泥」写燕子衔泥筑巢的忙碌，一个「啄」字，笔触轻快，仿佛能见其啄泥的细微动态。此句与上句「几处早莺争暖树」对举，一写莺之喧于树上，一写燕之忙于檐下，一动一静、一鸣一啄，把早春禽鸟的生机写得有声有色。「谁家」的设问，更添了一层生活的情趣与欣喜，使全诗在写景之外多了几分亲切。

The question 'whose' writes the swallows' just coming, the poet's delight. The new swallows, the poet does not yet know at whose house they nest, hence the question; the question writes both the season of the swallows' first arrival, and secretly the poet's pleasure in following the sound. 'Peck at the spring mud' the swallows' busy carrying mud to build the nest, the one word 'peck' the light brush, as if one could see the fine motion of the pecking. This line pairs with the upper 'early orioles vie for the sun-warmed trees', one the orioles clamoring in the trees, one the swallows busy under the eaves, one motion one stillness, one call one peck, writing the early-spring birds' vitality in sound and color. The question 'whose' adds a layer of life's delight and surprise, making the poem, beyond the scene, a little more warm and human.

乱花渐欲迷人眼

The tangled flowers are about to dazzle the eyes.

纷繁的春花渐渐要迷住人的眼睛

The tangled spring blossoms are gradually about to dazzle the eyes.

「渐欲」二字写花开之将盛未盛，是早春的精确笔触。花已开而未尽开，故曰「乱花」；花色渐多渐繁，几欲迷眼，故曰「渐欲迷人眼」。若写「乱花迷人眼」，是仲春盛景；着一「渐欲」，便写出了花由少而多、由含苞而竞放的进行时态，正是早春独有的动感。「迷」字写花之繁盛撩人，也暗含诗人的沉醉。此句与下句「浅草才能没马蹄」的「才能」相对，一写花之渐盛，一写草之方生，共同定格了早春万物方兴的那一瞬，是全诗点出「早春」时令的关键一联。

The words 'gradually about to' write the flowers' nearly-full bloom, the exact brush of early spring. The flowers have bloomed and not yet fully bloomed, hence 'tangled flowers'; the colors grow many and rich, almost dazzling, hence 'about to dazzle the eyes'. Were it written 'tangled flowers dazzle the eyes', it would be the mid-spring full bloom; the addition of 'gradually about to' writes the in-progress tense of flowers from few to many, from bud to opening, the motion unique to early spring. The word 'dazzle' writes the rich flowers' teasing, and secretly the poet's intoxication. This line pairs with the next line's 'shallow grass can barely cover the horses' hooves' — one the flowers' gradual fullness, one the grass's just growing — fixing together the instant when all of early spring is just stirring, the key couplet that names the season of 'early spring'.

Study

Word focus

争 The word 'zheng' (to vie) in 'early orioles vie for the sun-warmed trees' is the poem's liveliest character: by having the birds contend for the sunlit branches, one word animates the whole scene with springtime clamor, where the usual 'sing' or 'perch' would have left it still. 「争」字写早莺争栖暖树，是全诗写春意最热闹的一字。初春尚寒，向阳枝头先暖，黄莺便争相而栖，「争」字既写出了莺鸟的活泼好动，又写出了春寒料峭、暖处稀少的早春特征。这个字把静态的栖止化为动态的争夺，画面顿时有了声音与生气。白居易以「争」写莺，与下句「啄」写燕相对，一争一啄，两字皆以动词点睛，把早春禽鸟的生机写得呼之欲出。「争」字还暗含一种争先恐后的生命躁动，正是万物复苏、春意萌动的精神写照，也是全诗生机盎然氛围的核心来源。

啄 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「啄」字写新燕衔泥筑巢，笔触轻快而传神。燕啄春泥，是春日里最细微而典型的动作，白居易以一个「啄」字把它捕捉下来——既见泥之湿软（春泥），又见燕之轻捷。这个字与上句「争」字相对，一争一啄，一在树上、一在檐下，一动一静之间，早春的生机跃然纸上。「啄」字还带出一种轻盈的节奏感，读来仿佛听见燕喙啄泥的细响，与全诗明快的格调相合。以「啄」状燕，正是白居易写物善于摄其神韵的体现，与「争」字并为颔联的传神之笔。

渐 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「渐」字写花开之渐进，是颈联炼字的精髓。花之盛开，非一朝一夕，「渐欲迷人眼」的一个「渐」字，写出了花由少而多、由疏而繁的进行过程，把静止的「乱花」写成了动态的「渐开」。此字与下句「才」字（浅草「才」能没马蹄）相对，一写花之渐盛，一写草之方生，共同刻画出早春万物方兴、将盛未盛的那一临界状态。若去此「渐」字，则花已盛、春已深，早春的清新之感顿失。白居易以「渐」「才」两个时间副词入诗，写景之精确，于此可见，这也是此诗能精确写出「早春」而非「仲春」的关键。