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唐 Tang · 诗 Poem

西郊

The Western Suburb

杜甫

Du Fu

田园pastoral 闲适leisure

时出碧鸡坊，西郊向草堂。
市桥官柳细，江路野梅香。
傍架齐书帙，看题检药囊。
无人觉来往，疏懒意何长。

Now and then I leave the Biji Fang,
And head west to the cottage in the suburbs.
By the market bridge the official willows are slender,
On the river road wild plums are fragrant.
Beside the shelf I straighten the book rolls,
Read the labels and check the medicine pouch.
No one notices my comings and goings,
How long the mood of slack laziness.

Listen

Meaning

Walking back from the city to his western suburb cottage, Du Fu notes the spring roadside sights and his quiet home routines, ending with a contented reflection on his secluded, idle life.

偶尔从碧鸡坊出来，向西郊的草堂走去。市桥边的官柳吐着细嫩的柳丝，江边小路上飘着野梅的清香。回家后把书架上的书帙排整齐，看看标签、查检药囊。没人注意到我的来来往往，就这样疏懒度日，悠长的意味何其自在。

Appreciation

The poem writes Du Fu's walk from the city (Biji Fang) back to the western cottage and his everyday life at home. The second couplet 'official willows slender, wild plums fragrant' — the willow is official (orderly), the plum wild (free), just matching Du Fu's double identity of 'in and out of town.' The third couplet 'straighten book rolls, check medicine pouch' writes mood through action — only one truly at peace notices whether the shelf is neat or the medicine fresh. Beneath the 'slack laziness' lies a trace of bitterness — a statesman who 'would seat the sovereign by Yao and Shun' now finds his greatest work is tidying shelves.

【白话串讲】杜甫写成都西郊：“时出碧鸡坊，西郊向草堂”。“市桥官柳细，江路野梅香”——官柳细，野梅香。“傍架齐书帙，看题检药囊”——他整理书、查看药。“无人觉来往，疏懒意何长”——没人知道他的来去，这疏懒真好。【意象与手法】全诗无一字写情，而闲适之意弥漫字里行间。颔联“官柳细”“野梅香”一工一笔——柳是官家种的（整齐），梅是野外开的（随性），恰好对应了杜甫“出入城郊”的双重身份。颈联“齐书帙”“检药囊”以动作写心境——只有内心真正安定的人，才会关注书架是否整齐、药囊是否过期。【情感与主旨】此诗与《堂成》同时期，写的是杜甫在成都草堂的日常生活。与《北征》中“妻子衣百结”的惨烈相比，此诗中的杜甫是极其舒缓、安定的——他不仅有了住所，还可以整理书架、检视药囊。但这种“疏懒”背后仍有一丝苦涩——一个“致君尧舜上”的政治家，如今最大的事业就是整理书架，这份自嘲藏在极淡的笔触之下。【名句点睛】 “无人觉来往，疏懒意何长”——没人注意我到不到哪里去，这份疏懒的意味多么悠长。“疏懒”是杜甫在成都时期的自我定位——不是没有志向，是时事不允许他有志向；“意何长”的“长”字，把短暂的安宁拉成了永恒的心境。

Background

Like 'The Hall Completed,' written around the third year of Qianyuan (760), after Du Fu settled at the Chengdu cottage. Biji Fang is a ward name within Chengdu (its exact site now lost); sometimes Du Fu returned from the city to the western cottage, and what he saw on the way and did at home he put into verse. This is the most 'everyday' of Du Fu's Chengdu poems — simply an ordinary afternoon of a walk home and tidying shelves.

此诗作于上元元年（七六〇）前后，杜甫卜居成都西郊浣花溪草堂之初。乾元二年冬，杜甫弃官由华州经秦州、同谷，历尽艰险入蜀，于岁暮抵成都。次年春，赖故人严武、表弟王十五等相助，于西郊浣花溪畔筑起草堂，漂泊数年的一家人始有栖身之所。碧鸡坊是成都城内坊名，相传因汉时祭祀碧鸡神而得名，其地有集市寺观，杜甫偶尔入城，办罢琐事便沿江而行，步回西郊草堂。此诗即写一次寻常的往返：出城、行路、归家、整理书药，通篇无一奇事，却是杜甫一生中极稀有的安定时光的切片。与《堂成》《江村》《客至》诸篇同为草堂诗的开卷之作。按杜甫在草堂初期，生活尚赖故人周济，集中时见觅桤木、觅松子、觅绵竹诸诗，营居之艰可见；而此诗只写安适，不及拮据，正是诗人的自遣。碧鸡坊在当时为成都胜处，市桥、江路皆可按索其地——诗中地理既实，心境之闲愈见其真，非坐书斋想象者所能到。

Art

The whole enters poetry as a running account yet feels not the least trivial — the key is the leap in the middle two couplets: from roadside scenery (official willows, wild plums) straight to home actions (straighten books, check medicine), omitting all transition of entering, removing shoes, washing hands, keeping only the most evocative fragments. This ellipsis is a major feature of Du Fu's narrative art.

全诗以近乎流水账的叙事入诗，却毫无琐碎之感，关键在于剪裁与跳跃：从路上的景物（官柳野梅）直接跳到回家后的动作（齐书检药），中间略去进门、脱鞋、洗手等一切过渡，只保留最有意境的片段，这种省略技巧使四十个字容纳了一整日的光景。颔联「官柳细」「野梅香」一工一笔：柳是官道所植、整齐可观，梅是野外自开、随性而香，恰好对应杜甫出入城郊的双重身份；一句写形、一句写味，形味相生，画出一个成都早春的午后。颈联以两个无目的的动作写心境——只有内心真正安定的人，才会去关注书架是否整齐、药囊是否齐备。尾联「无人觉来往」以别人的不觉写自己的自得，疏懒二字遂成全篇之眼。尾联的无人觉亦值得细味：中二联所写的柳、梅、书、药，皆无人共赏之事，尾联遂以无人二字总收——不被世界注意，恰成全了一个完整自足的小世界。以否定语写满足，是此诗最深的用意，亦是闲适诗最难到的一境。

Allusions

This poem uses almost no allusion — 'official willow' is a willow planted by the road, 'medicine pouch' a bag holding herbs. Du Fu was often ill in late life; during the Chengdu cottage period he often gathered his own herbs and made his own prescriptions; 'checking the medicine pouch' is a true record of his daily life.

此诗几乎不用典，然亦有可疏者。①「碧鸡坊」为成都城内坊名，汉宣帝时方士言益州有金马碧鸡之神，可祭祀致，后世遂以名坊，此地唐时为城西胜处。②「官柳」指官道旁所植柳树，出晋陶侃令武昌植柳的故事背景，后为官柳之定名，与「野梅」相对，一官一野，不待用典而身份自见。③「药囊」是装药材的口袋。杜甫晚年多病（肺疾、消渴、耳聋诸症并见其诗），成都草堂期间常常自采草药、自制方剂，又曾以卖药补贴生计，诗中「检药囊」正是他日常生活的真实写照，非虚构之笔。另可疏者：药囊之检，非止闲事。杜甫多病，集中言病之诗数十见，右臂偏枯、耳半聋，皆成都以后语；其在草堂自种药物，卖药补生计，见于他诗。检药囊四字实兼病与闲两面——闲适之中伏着老病的阴影，读此诗者不可不察，此杜诗所以淡而未尝不深。又草堂之营，非一日之功：初止一亩之宫，其后渐增桤林、笋林、鸡棚，皆一一见诸吟咏；此诗所写虽止初成之景，而安适已足如此，则后来日涉成趣之诸作，可以隅反。

Commentary

The Qing Shen Deqian, in 'Tang Poems Selected and Edited,' said the poem 'written in leisure, holds a distant spirit.' Qiu Zhao'ao cites Huang Sheng's remark: 'this poem writes the carefree ease after settling, language extremely pale yet flavor extremely rich.'

清人沈德潜《唐诗别裁》录此诗，称其闲中着笔、自有远神。仇兆鳌《杜诗详注》引黄生评曰：此诗写定居后萧散自得之趣，语极淡而味极腻。浦起龙《读杜心解》于草堂诸诗多所发挥，谓此一段光景在杜诗中最难得，正唯其短，愈见乱离中一寸安宁之可贵。今人论杜甫草堂诗，多举此篇与《江村》对读，指出其淡语之下的深味：一个致君尧舜的诗人，此刻最大的事业不过是齐书帙、检药囊，闲适的背面藏着无可如何的自嘲。此诗篇幅小而地位重，是理解杜甫成都时期心境的必读之作。后之论草堂诗者，多以此篇与江村并读而较其疏密：江村有人事之欢，絮絮可亲；此诗有独处之适，萧然自远。两副笔墨，同一段安身。至于此种淡而有味的境界，后来惟陆游老学庵、幽居诸作偶或近之，而浑成终不及。又论者谓杜诗之闲适与陶潜异趣：陶之闲出于任真，杜之闲出于患难之余的暂息，故陶闲而淡，杜闲而腴——一片柳色梅香之后，犹有流离道路的影子在。读西郊者当于此中辨之，方不为表面的安乐所瞒，此所以闲适诗在杜集中别具分量。

Prosody

Form Five-character regulated poem五言律诗。

Rhyme Rhymes on tang, xiang, nang, chang (level tone, rhyme group 7 Yang), one rhyme throughout.押堂、香、囊、长四韵（平水韵下平七阳），首句不入韵，一韵到底。阳韵音色开朗悠扬，与此诗萧散自适的情调正相吻合，四个韵脚一路轻轻提起，如江上春云冉冉而行。

Tone pattern First couplet flows as opening (leave → head to cottage), second is a true antithesis (slender willows vs fragrant plums), third antithesis by action (straighten books vs check medicine), last loose close — four layers finely staggered. The level-oblique is neat throughout; this is Du Fu's late period, most relaxed yet most rigorous in rules.首联流水起（时出→向草堂），语气连贯如话；颔联正对（官柳细对野梅香），声律精切而不觉其拘；颈联以动作为对（齐书帙对检药囊），节奏安稳如家居步伐；尾联散收，不合对仗，如闲话收场。四层错落有致，是杜甫晚年在格律上最放松也最严谨的时期：放松在语气，严谨在平仄。

Reading note This is the 'least Du Fu' of his Chengdu poems — no war, no hunger, no tears, only an old man slowly walking, slowly tidying shelves. Precisely this extremely pale brush tells the reader how precious peace is.此诗是杜甫成都诗中「最不杜甫」的一首——没有战乱、没有饥饿、没有眼泪，只有一个老人慢慢散步、慢慢整理书架的下午。五律至此已纯熟到看不出技巧的程度：中二联对仗工稳而全似无意得之，虚字（时、向、傍、看）串起全篇如行云流水。正是这种极淡的笔触告诉读者：和平是多么珍贵。以诗史言之，此等闲适小诗在杜甫集中恰如大波涛间一片平沙，非但不是闲笔，反是衡量其前后诸作苦难深度的参照。此诗平仄无一字失粘，而对仗全似无意：颔联但取官野相对、细香互映，颈联但取两个动作相并，此种不求工而自工，是律法纯熟之极的表现，后来学五律者最宜以此入手，先求语气，后求对仗。

Line by line

时出碧鸡坊，西郊向草堂。

Now and then I leave the Biji Fang, heading west to the cottage.

偶尔从碧鸡坊出来，向西郊回到草堂。

Now and then I leave Biji Ward, heading west to the thatched hall.

「时出」见其不常出门，偶尔进城一趟，便迫不及待地走回草堂；不说「回」而说「向」，「向」有奔赴之意，草堂在他心中的分量尽在这一个趋向的动词里。起联十字，城与乡、出与归，一行的方向就是心的方向。十字之中又有时与向两个趋向字相应：时见其疏，向见其亲，疏于城而亲于乡，一行的节奏里已排出价值的次序，起联之妙全在虚处。

Now and then shows he does not often go out; a rare trip into town, and he hurries home. Not return but toward: toward carries the sense of hastening, and the thatched hall's place in his heart is all in this one directional verb. The opening's ten characters: city and country, going out and returning, the direction of his walk is the direction of his heart. Within the ten characters now and toward two directional words answer: now shows his rarity, toward his affection - rare toward the city, affectionate toward the country; in the walk's rhythm the order of values is already arranged; the opening's art lies entirely in the void.

市桥官柳细，江路野梅香。

By the market bridge the official willows are slender; on the river road wild plums are fragrant.

市桥边的官柳刚吐细嫩柳丝，江路上飘着野外梅花的幽香。

By the market bridge, the official willows are slender; along the river road, wild plum blossoms scent the air.

「细」写柳条初生的质感，「香」写梅花远飘的气息——一句写形一句写味，形味相生，两句画出一个成都早春的午后。「官」与「野」的对举尤妙：柳是官家种的、整齐可观，梅是野外开的、随性而香，恰是杜甫出入城郊双重身份的写照。细香二字又互为因果：唯柳细而风柔，唯野梅无人折取而香自远——景物的自足，正是人心的自足，两句无一字言怀而怀抱尽出。

Slender writes the texture of newly sprouted willow twigs; scent the far-drifting breath of plum blossom - one line form, one line scent, form and scent born together, the two lines painting a Chengdu early-spring afternoon. The contrast of official and wild is especially fine: the willows are official, neatly planted and sightly; the plum wild, opening at random and fragrant - precisely the portrait of Du Fu's double identity going in and out of the suburbs. Slender and scent are also cause and effect: only slender willows give soft wind; only wild plums, unpicked, let their scent drift far - the scenery's self-sufficiency is precisely the heart's; the two lines not one word of longing, yet all the longing is out.

傍架齐书帙，看题检药囊。

Beside the shelf I straighten the book rolls; read the labels and check the medicine pouch.

靠着书架把书卷排整齐，看看标签检查药囊。

I set the books straight on their shelves, and check the labels on my herb pouch.

两个动作都是无目的的——书本来就是齐的，药囊未必真需要检，但杜甫就是要做这些事，因为做这些事本身就是在享受「平安无事」。中国写安定的诗，极少有比这十个字更具体的：安定不是抽象的心境，是书架和药囊都各在其位。看题二字尤有味：药囊上标着药名，逐一看来，如数家珍；这种对自家小小世界的清点，正是安定的心才有的仪式，较之奔走道途时的触目仓皇，天壤矣。

Both actions are purposeless - the books were already straight; the herb pouch scarcely needs checking; yet Du Fu must do these things, because doing them is itself the enjoyment of peace. In Chinese poetry writing settled peace, few lines are more concrete than these ten characters: peace is not an abstract mood, but bookshelves and herb pouches each in their place. Checking the labels is especially savory: the pouch marked with herb names, examined one by one like treasures in hand; this inventory of one's small world is precisely the ritual of a settled heart - heaven and earth compared with the panicked glances of days on the road.

无人觉来往，疏懒意何长。

No one notices my comings and goings; how long the mood of slack laziness.

没人注意我的行踪，这份疏懒的意味多么绵长。

No one notices my comings and goings; how long is this careless ease.

「疏懒」二字是杜甫对成都生活的总结——不是天生的懒，是天下的乱让他只能选择「懒」；「无人觉」尤可玩味：世人不觉，正见其为世的所弃，而诗人反以此为乐，自嘲与自适交织在一声轻叹里。「意何长」的「长」字，把短暂的安宁拉成了悠长的心境。无人觉与意何长相扣而生：唯无人觉，此意方为己所独有；亦唯意长，方能自甘于无人之觉，两句互为因果，一篇之神全聚于此。

Careless ease is Du Fu's summary of the Chengdu years - not born lazy, but the world's disorder leaving him no choice but lazy. No one notices is especially savory: the world not noticing precisely shows his rejection by it, yet the poet takes joy in it, self-mockery and self-content woven in one sigh. How long of how long pulls the brief peace into a long, lingering mood. No one notices and how long grow from each other: precisely because no one notices, this mood is his alone; and precisely because the mood is long, he can rest content in being unnoticed - the two lines cause and effect, the whole poem's spirit gathered here.

Study

Word focus

细 'Official willows slender' — not 'willow threads slender' but the 'willow' itself is 'slender.' One word writes the tender new growth of early spring willow, and Du Fu's luxury of 'having time to look at a flower, a leaf' at this moment. 「官柳细」——不是「柳条细」，而是「柳」本身就「细」。一字写出早春柳条刚刚萌出的娇嫩，也写出杜甫此刻「有空去看一朵花、一片叶」的奢侈。平日奔走道途的诗人，眼中景物皆有仓皇之色；唯心境闲定者，方能觉察柳之「细」这一层微茫。一字之择，实是心境的显影。细字的观察，还暗含时间的维度：柳之细只在早春旬日之间，诗人恰好赶上并看见了这一细，物候之暂与心境之闲相值，遂成佳句。

疏懒 'Slack laziness' is a keyword of Du Fu's late life — not laziness but 'too lazy to bother.' Zhuge Liang tilling in Nanyang also called himself 'content to preserve life in troubled times, seeking no fame among lords'; Du Fu's 'slack laziness' hides the same flavor within. 「疏懒」是杜甫晚年的关键词——不是懒散，而是「懒得理会」。诸葛亮躬耕南阳时自称「苟全性命于乱世，不求闻达于诸侯」，杜甫的「疏懒」内里藏着同样的况味：非无大志，志无所施。此词在杜诗中屡见，而以此处与「意何长」相连最为从容，苦语化作闲语，闲语中仍是苦语，最耐寻味。此词又上接嵇康绝交书自陈疏懒之绪，下启陆游诸作之自嘲，循此可见疏懒一词在诗史中的谱系与流变。

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