唐 Tang · 诗 Poem
雨晴
Clearing After Rain
雨前初见花间蕊，雨后兼无叶里花。
蛱蝶飞来过墙去，却疑春色在邻家。
After the rain not even the flowers among the leaves remain;
A butterfly flutters and flies across the wall,
And I suspect the spring has gone next door.
Meaning
The poem catches the fleeting passage of spring: flowers bloom then vanish with the rain, and a butterfly crossing the wall leaves the poet fancying that spring has fled to the neighbor's garden.
雨前才初初看见花枝间绽出的花蕊，雨后却连叶底的花也都不见了。蝴蝶翩翩飞过墙头而去，倒让人怀疑那边的邻家还留着满院春色。
Appreciation
The first two lines set 'before the rain' against 'after the rain,' compressing spring's swift fall from bloom to bareness; the joy of first buds contrasts sharply with the loss of every flower. The last two lines shift from description to a whimsical fancy: a butterfly crossing the wall makes the poet suspect spring has moved next door. This turns loss into a tender, playful reverie rather than outright grief. The charm lies in the word 'suspect,' naive and alive with feeling. It is a late-Tang quatrain of light, lingering wit.
【白话串讲】 “雨前初见花间蕊，雨后兼无叶里花”——王驾写雨晴：雨前花刚开，雨后花全落。“蛱蝶飞来过墙去，却疑春色在邻家”——蝴蝶飞过墙去了，他疑心春色在邻家。俏皮又怅惘。 【意象与手法】以“雨前”与“雨后”对举，写花由绽到谢的骤变；“兼无”二字极尽摧残之态。后两句转以蛱蝶过墙、疑春在邻家的虚想收束，化实为虚，于白描中见痴趣。 【情感与主旨】全诗写惜春、寻春而不得的淡淡惆怅，末句以天真猜疑出之，惆怅中透出俏皮，毫无伤溺之气。 【名句点睛】“却疑春色在邻家”——一句痴想，把惜春之痴写得鲜活灵动，历来为人称道。
Background
Wang Jia, courtesy name Dayong, was a late-Tang poet who passed the jinshi exam in 890. 'Clearing After Rain' is a small leisurely scene poem, likely written in retirement among the flowers, capturing the regret for passing spring in an ordinary moment after rain.
《雨晴》为唐代王驾所作，是写雨晴春色、蛱蝶过墙的诗。王驾（851—？），字大用，河中人，唐代诗人。此诗：雨前初见花间蕊，雨后兼无叶里花。蛱蝶飞来过墙去，却疑春色在邻家。全诗写雨晴春色、蛱蝶过墙，是王驾诗的名篇。
Art
The first two lines oppose 'before' and 'after' rain in time, condensing spring's rise and fall; the joy of 'first seen' contrasts with the loss of 'not even.' The last lines avoid direct feeling and borrow a butterfly crossing the wall to voice the fancy that spring is next door, small yet expansive.
《雨晴》艺术上以雨前雨后的对照与蛱蝶过墙的妙想见长。全诗四句：首写雨前雨后——“雨前初见花间蕊，雨后兼无叶里花”写雨前初见花间蕊、雨后兼无叶里花；末写蛱蝶过墙——“蛱蝶飞来过墙去，却疑春色在邻家”写蛱蝶飞来过墙去、却疑春色在邻家。全诗以雨前雨后写蛱蝶过墙，正是王驾诗妙想的笔法。
Allusions
No specific allusion; it wins by plain, spoken description. 'Neighbor' is just the ordinary next house, with no bookish reference.
《雨晴》用典在“雨前”“花间蕊”“雨后”“叶里花”“蛱蝶”“过墙去”“春色在邻家”。“雨前”写雨前；“花间蕊”写花间蕊；“雨后”写雨后；“叶里花”写叶里花；“蛱蝶”写蛱蝶；“过墙去”写过墙去；“春色在邻家”写春色在邻家。全诗以这些意象写雨晴春色、蛱蝶过墙，用典自然而妙想自见，正是王驾诗的笔法。
Commentary
The Qing critic Liu Hongxi in 'The True Delight of Tang Poems' says the poem's wonder lies in the word 'suspect' — naive and delightful — capturing the turn at the close.
《雨晴》是王驾诗的名篇，也是唐诗中写雨后春色的代表作。此诗写雨晴春色、蛱蝶过墙，向为论者称道。论者多赏其雨前雨后的对照与蛱蝶过墙的妙想——“雨前初见花间蕊，雨后兼无叶里花”写雨前初见花间蕊、雨后兼无叶里花，妙想之极；“蛱蝶飞来过墙去，却疑春色在邻家”写蛱蝶飞来过墙去、却疑春色在邻家，更见其妙。王驾此诗以蛱蝶过墙写春色他移，正是其代表——以雨前雨后写蛱蝶过墙，正是其诗风。
Prosody
Line by line
雨前初见花间蕊，雨后兼无叶里花。
Before the rain I first saw buds among the flowers; after the rain, not a flower remains among the leaves.
雨前初见花间蕊，雨后兼无叶里花。
Before the rain I had just seen the buds among the flowers; after the rain, even the flowers hidden in the leaves are gone.
首写雨前初见花间蕊、雨后兼无叶里花，是全诗写雨前雨后的起点。“雨前初见花间蕊”写雨前初见花间蕊——“雨前初见花间蕊”写雨前初见花间的花蕊——雨前初见花间蕊；“雨后兼无叶里花”写雨后兼无叶里花——“雨后兼无叶里花”写雨后连叶里的花也没有——雨后兼无叶里花。二句写雨前初见花间蕊、雨后兼无叶里花：雨前初见花间蕊，雨后兼无叶里花。以“雨前初见花间蕊”写雨前初见、花蕊初绽，以“雨后兼无叶里花”写雨后无花、叶里已空，正是王驾诗写雨前雨后的起点——雨前花蕊，雨后叶空。
The opening two lines write before the rain and after the rain, the starting point of the poem. Before the rain I first saw buds among the flowers: the first sight of buds just opening. After the rain, even the flowers hidden in the leaves are gone: after the rain, not one flower left, even among the leaves. One line writes the pre-rain buds just opening, the other the post-rain leaves empty - Wang Jia's starting point for before and after: buds before the rain, empty leaves after. The contrast is total in two lines: the first sight of tender buds, then the total stripping; the speed of spring's loss is the poem's quiet grief, struck without a word of sorrow.
蛱蝶飞来过墙去，却疑春色在邻家。
Butterflies fly in and flit over the wall; I suspect spring's colors have moved to the neighbor's garden.
蛱蝶飞来过墙去，却疑春色在邻家。
Butterflies come flying and dart over the wall; I can't help suspecting spring's beauty has moved to the neighbor's garden.
末写蛱蝶飞来过墙去、却疑春色在邻家，是全诗写蛱蝶过墙的归结。“蛱蝶飞来过墙去”写蛱蝶飞来过墙去——“蛱蝶飞来过墙去”写蛱蝶飞来过墙而去——蛱蝶飞来过墙去；“却疑春色在邻家”写却疑春色在邻家——“却疑春色在邻家”写却疑春色在邻家——却疑春色在邻家。二句写蛱蝶飞来过墙去、却疑春色在邻家：蛱蝶飞来过墙去，却疑春色在邻家。以“蛱蝶飞来过墙去”写蛱蝶过墙、翩翩而去，以“却疑春色在邻家”写却疑春色、已在邻家，正是王驾诗写蛱蝶过墙的归结——蛱蝶过墙，春色邻家。
The closing writes butterflies darting over the wall, the resolution of the scene. Butterflies fly in and flit over the wall: the butterflies come, then cross the wall and vanish. I suspect spring's beauty has moved to the neighbor's garden: the suspicion that spring now dwells next door. One line writes the butterflies crossing the wall, the other the suspicion of spring's flight - Wang Jia's resolution of the butterflies crossing: butterflies over the wall, spring in the neighbor's garden. The fancy is the poem's delight: rather than grieve the lost garden, he imagines spring itself has moved next door - and the butterflies, heading that way, are its scouts. The longing is playful, yet the grief behind the play - the robbed, emptied garden - is all the more poignant for being turned into a jest.
Study
Word focus
Related Reading
Compare this related work with the poem above through theme, imagery, tone, and emotional movement.
叶绍翁《游园不值》写春色满园关不住、一枝红杏出墙来，与本诗同为诗写春色之思。差异在情境：雨晴写雨后花落蝶飞；游园不值写访友未见杏出。一写“蝶”之疑，一写“杏”之出。两者并读，可见诗写春色之思的两种情境。
春晓 Spring Dawn 孟浩然 · 同为诗写春景流转，一写蛱蝶过墙一写花落知多少，一疑一惜 Related readingCompare this related work with the poem above through theme, imagery, tone, and emotional movement.
孟浩然《春晓》写夜来风雨声、花落知多少，与本诗同为诗写春景流转。差异在情致：雨晴写蛱蝶过墙之疑；春晓写花落春去之惜。一写“疑”之妙，一写“惜”之情。两者并读，可见诗写春景流转的两种情致。
鸟鸣涧 The Dale of Singing Birds 王维 · 同为诗写春日静谧，一写蛱蝶过墙一写月出鸟鸣，一疑一静 Related readingCompare this related work with the poem above through theme, imagery, tone, and emotional movement.
王维《鸟鸣涧》写月出惊山鸟、时鸣春涧中，与本诗同为诗写春日静谧。差异在情境：雨晴写雨后春色之动；鸟鸣涧写春山月夜之静。一写“动”之疑，一写“静”之幽。两者并读，可见诗写春日静谧的两种情境。