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唐 Tang · 诗 Poem

夜雨寄北

Written on a Rainy Night to My Wife in the North

李商隐

Li Shangyin

羁旅Travel 思念Longing 抒情Lyrical

君问归期未有期，巴山夜雨涨秋池。
何当共剪西窗烛，却话巴山夜雨时。

You ask when I'm coming back—but no date is set.
The autumn pool swells with night rain on Ba hills.
O when shall we trim the wick together by the west window,
And talk of the night rain on Ba hills?

Listen

Meaning

You ask me when I will return, but I cannot say. Here in the Ba mountains, night rain fills the autumn pond. When will we sit together by the west window, trimming the candle, and talk of this rainy night?

你问我何时归家，我却连归期都说不准。此刻巴山深处，一夜秋雨绵绵，池水悄然涨满了池塘。什么时候，才能与你并肩坐在西窗之下，一同剪去那跳跃的烛花，再慢慢说起今夜这巴山夜雨的滋味。

Appreciation

The poem uses 'Ba Mountain night rain' twice: once as a real scene, then as an imagined future recollection. The word 'swells' (涨) simultaneously describes the rising pond water and the poet's swelling homesickness. The last two lines leap to a future reunion, turning present sorrow into a topic for future conversation—deeply moving.

【白话串讲】巴山的夜雨涨满了秋池，李商隐独自在外给妻子写信：你问我什么时候回来，我也不知道。“何当共剪西窗烛”——把思念藏进一个未来的约定里。【意象与手法】此诗构思之巧，在于以未来之乐反衬今日之孤，又以今日之苦预作他日之谈。“巴山夜雨”两见而境界不同【情感与主旨】李商隐约于唐宣宗大中五年（851）前后赴东川节度使柳仲郢幕，滞留巴蜀（今四川）期间，收到妻子王氏的家书询问归期，遂写【名句点睛】常考时空回环手法：诗前后两见“巴山夜雨”，一实一虚，以未来重逢之乐反衬今日羁旅之孤

Background

Li Shangyin wrote this poem around 851 AD while serving as a secretary in the Ba region (modern Sichuan). He received a letter from his wife asking about his return, but he could not give a date. The autumn rain and his lonely exile inspired this poem. Tragically, his wife died soon after, adding a layer of sorrow.

李商隐《夜雨寄北》的作年与寄赠对象，学界历来有歧说，是唐诗考证中的一桩公案。最通行的说法是：唐宣宗大中五年（851）至大中九年（855）间，李商隐应东川节度使柳仲郢之辟，赴梓州（今四川三台）幕，滞留巴蜀；其间（一说大中五年秋，一说大中六年）夜雨阻归，思念长安的妻子王氏，遂作此诗。「寄北」之「北」，指长安，在巴蜀之北。然此说有难以弥缝之处——王氏卒于大中五年春夏间，若诗作于其后，则「寄妻」之说不能成立。故又有学者主张此诗作于大中二年（848）李商隐自桂管幕北归、途次巴蜀之时，所寄者为妻子王氏（当时尚在世），或为长安友人。「君问归期」之「君」，或指妻，或指友，两说皆有据。今人编注李商隐诗，多从「寄妻」说而系于大中二年，然亦存「寄友」之一说。版本方面，此诗见《李义山诗集》卷五，题作《夜雨寄北》，一作《夜雨寄内》，「寄内」即寄妻子，故后世多据此定为寄妻之作；文字诸本大体一致，未见重大异文。此诗与《巴山道中除夜书怀》等，同属李商隐巴蜀羁旅之作，而《夜雨寄北》以构思之奇、情味之深，成为李商隐七绝中最脍炙人口的一篇。「巴山」泛指巴蜀之山，李商隐诗中屡见，如《巴山道中除夜书怀》「乱山残雪夜，孤烛异乡人」，皆写巴蜀羁旅的孤寂。而《夜雨寄北》独能以短短二十八字，把这种孤寂写得既深且淡，读来如在巴山夜雨中亲闻其声。

Art

The poem's brilliance lies in its temporal loop: the present rain becomes a memory in a future reunion. The phrase 'Ba Mountain night rain' appears twice, first as reality, then as recollection. The word 'swells' is a pun on water and emotion. The opening dialogue with repeated 'period' (期) creates a tone of helplessness.

此诗艺术上的核心是「以未来之乐反衬今日之孤，以今日之苦预作他日之谈」的时空回环构思。首句「君问归期未有期」以问答开篇，「君问」写对方之殷切，「未有期」写己身之无奈，一问一答之间，羁旅的怅惘已尽在不言中。次句「巴山夜雨涨秋池」宕开一笔，转写眼前之景——巴山夜雨，秋池涨满，以「夜雨」之绵密、「涨」字之饱满，写尽羁旅的孤寂与愁绪的弥漫，是全诗唯一的实景。后两句笔锋陡转，进入想象：「何当共剪西窗烛」设想他日重逢、共坐西窗、剪烛夜话之乐，「却话巴山夜雨时」则把今日之孤寂，预想为他日之谈资——到那时，两人再一起追忆「今夜」这巴山夜雨的滋味。这一构思的妙处，在于把「现在」与「未来」打通，让「未来的欢聚」反照「今日的孤寂」，又让「今日的孤寂」成为「未来的谈资」，时空两度回环，情感层层加深。「巴山夜雨」四字两见于诗，一实一虚——前为眼前之景，后为追忆之谈，同一意象，两种境界，是全诗章法的枢纽。此诗仅二十八字，却含纳了「问期—感景—设想—回环」四层转折，极尽绝句短章之能事。绝句体短，本不宜作时空的大开大阖，李商隐却偏在四句之中，完成了「现在—未来—过去（以今为昔）」的三重时空翻转，其难度与巧思，在唐人绝句中几无出其右。清人谓「作诗必此诗，定知非诗人」，此诗正以「不著于实」取胜，是其构思之奇的根本。

Allusions

'Ba Mountain' refers to the mountains in Sichuan, a remote place often associated with exile and rain. 'Trimming the candle' (剪烛) is a traditional image of intimate conversation late into the night. The phrase 'talk of the rainy night on Ba Mountain' (却话巴山夜雨时) transforms present loneliness into a shared memory.

此诗不用显性典故，纯以家常语写深情，然其「设想重逢」「以未来写今」的手法，实有深远的文学传统可溯。「君问归期」之问答，承汉乐府与《古诗十九首》以对话起兴的传统，如《古诗十九首》「行行重行行」「思君令人老」之属，皆以游子思归为母题。「共剪西窗烛」之「剪烛」，是唐人夜话的日常细节——烛芯燃久则结花，须剪去方明，故「剪烛」是夜深长谈的象征，白居易「剪烛共话」之谊，李商隐「共剪西窗烛」之愿，皆以这一细节写知己、夫妻夜话之亲。「巴山」「秋池」之景，则承「以雨写愁」的传统——《诗经·郑风·风雨》「风雨凄凄，鸡鸣喈喈」，以风雨起怀人之思；李商隐自己《夜雨寄北》之前的《巴山道中除夜书怀》，亦以雨写羁旅之愁。「何当」一词，是唐人设想未来之语的习见发端，如李白「何当共剪西窗烛」式（李白有「何当凌云霄」之句），王维「何当共剪」之属，李商隐用以设想重逢，正合此传统。学界对此诗「寄妻」「寄友」之辨，亦属其接受史上的一段歧说，见前述。此诗以无典之语，写至深之情，正合司空图「不著一字，尽得风流」之旨。「西窗」之意象，亦有其源——唐人诗中「窗」常与「夜话」「思念」相连，如王维「来日绮窗前，寒梅著花未」以窗寄思，白居易「共看明月应垂泪」以月寄怀，李商隐「西窗烛」则以烛为媒，写夫妻、知己夜话之亲。三者皆以家常物象写深情，而李商隐「剪烛」之细节尤为温存，遂成千古佳话。

Commentary

The Qing dynasty critic Hengtang Tuishi praised it as 'deep in meaning and gentle in words'. The poem does not express longing directly but uses the imaginative leap to a future 'talking about tonight' to convey deep affection.

《夜雨寄北》是李商隐七绝的绝唱，历代评家推崇备至。清何焯《义门读书记》评此诗「眼前景反作后日怀想，此意更深」，一语道破其时空回环的构思之妙。沈德潜《唐诗别裁》选此诗，谓其「作不尽语，自然深厚」。桂馥《札朴》亦注意其「巴山夜雨」两见的虚实之辨。此诗之所以传诵千载，正在于它以极家常的语言，写出了极深挚的深情与极精巧的构思——「君问归期未有期」的无奈、「巴山夜雨涨秋池」的孤寂、「何当共剪西窗烛」的期盼、「却话巴山夜雨时」的回环，四句之间，时空两度翻转，而情味愈转愈深。在传播史上，此诗的影响远超文学范畴——「巴山夜雨」已成为羁旅思归的文化符号，「共剪西窗烛」已成为夫妻、知己夜话的理想图景，被后世诗词、小说、戏曲反复化用。近世学者论此诗，多注意其「以未来写今」的独特手法——中国古典诗歌写思乡怀人，多「以今写昔」或「以今写今」，李商隐却「以未来写今」，把今日之苦预想为他日之谈，这种「时空倒错」的构思，在中国诗歌史上具有开创意义。俞陛云《诗境浅说》谓此诗「清空如话，而情味无尽」，正点出其「语浅情深」的品格。此诗之妙，还在于它几乎全用虚写——「何当」「却话」皆设想之词，唯「巴山夜雨涨秋池」一句为实，而正是这一句实景，撑起了全诗的虚境。虚实之间，情味自生，此之谓「语浅情深」的极致。

Prosody

Form 七言绝句 (seven-character quatrain)七言绝句

Rhyme Initial rhyme entering, rhymes with 期, 池, 时 (upper level four branches rhyme)平水韵上平四支韵，押「期」「时」二韵，首句入韵

Tone pattern First line: 平仄平平仄仄平, second: 平平仄仄仄平平, third: 平平仄仄平平仄, fourth: 仄仄平平仄仄平首句「君问归期未有期」平仄平平仄仄平，次句「巴山夜雨涨秋池」平平仄仄仄平平，三句「何当共剪西窗烛」平平仄仄平平仄，末句「却话巴山夜雨时」仄仄平平仄仄平，为平起平收式，格律精严，声调流转。

Reading note The phrase 'Ba Mountain night rain' echoes between reality and imagination, creating a temporal loop. This 28-character poem is a masterpiece of Li Shangyin's quatrains.此诗为七言绝句，首句入韵，押上平四支韵，韵脚「期、时」同属四支韵，开口细音，声气绵长而略带凄清，正与全诗羁旅思归、低回不尽的情调相合。四支韵部字音细长，宜于表现「剪不断」的缠绵之情。此诗格律精严，是七绝正格——四句平仄相协，流转自然，尤以首句「君问归期未有期」两个「期」字叠用，同韵复沓，读来回环往复，声情上已先声夺人，为全诗「时空回环」的构思作了声律上的暗示。末句「却话巴山夜雨时」以平声「时」字收束，余韵悠长，如夜雨之绵绵不绝。更妙的是「巴山夜雨」四字两见于第二、第四句，声律上的复沓，与意象上的回环，形成了「声」与「意」的双重回环——读音上前后呼应，意境上今昔映照，声情与内容高度契合。全诗二十八字，无一字平仄失粘，而能于严整的格律中，容纳如此回环往复的深情，是李商隐七绝「声情并茂」的典范。

Line by line

君问归期未有期

You ask the date of my return; no date is yet fixed.

你问我何时归家，我却连归期都说不准

You ask when I shall come home; I cannot name any date.

首句以问答开篇，七字之中，两见「期」字——「君问归期」之「期」是对方的殷殷期盼，「未有期」之「期」是自己的茫然无答。一问一答，一热一冷，把「你盼我归」与「我归无日」的矛盾，凝在这重复的「期」字里。「君问」是来信之问，写对方之切；「未有期」是回信之答，写己身之愧。这一句是全诗的基调——不是大悲大恸，而是一种淡淡的、却挥之不去的无奈与怅惘。李商隐以最家常的问答，写出最沉重的羁旅之愁，语浅而情深，是「以平淡语写至情」的典范，也为后文由「无奈」转入「设想」的转折埋下了情感的前提。

The opening line opens in question and answer; within seven characters, date appears twice - the date in you ask the date of my return is the other's earnest expectation; the date in no date is yet fixed is his own blank answer. One question one answer, one warm one cold; the contradiction of you hope I return and I have no day to return is condensed in this repeated date. You ask is the letter's question, writing the other's eagerness; no date is yet fixed is the letter's answer, writing his own shame. This line is the poem's keynote - not great grief, but a faint yet inescapable helplessness and wistfulness. Li Shangyin uses the most household question and answer to write the heaviest traveling sorrow, words shallow yet feeling deep, the model of writing ultimate feeling in plain speech, and plants the emotional premise for the later turn from helplessness to imagination.

巴山夜雨涨秋池

Night rain on Ba Mountains swells the autumn pond.

此刻巴山深处，一夜秋雨绵绵，池水悄然涨满了池塘

Now, in the depths of Ba Mountains, the autumn night rain has silently filled the pool.

此句是全诗唯一的实景描写，也是情感最浓的一句。「巴山」点明羁旅之地，「夜雨」点明时令与天气，「涨秋池」写雨势之绵、愁绪之满。「涨」字是句眼——秋雨一夜不止，池水悄然涨满，这个「涨」字，既写雨之连绵不断，也写愁之弥漫无已，池水涨一分，愁绪也涨一分，景与情在此一字中融为一体。「秋」字更添一层萧瑟——秋雨最是愁人，巴山秋夜，独对空庭，听雨声涨池，其孤寂可知。此句不着一「愁」字，而愁已满纸，是李商隐「以景写情」的绝技，也是全诗从「无奈」到「设想」之间最重要的情感蓄势。

This line is the poem's only real scenery, also the richest emotional line. Ba Mountains fixes the traveling place; night rain fixes the season and weather; swells the autumn pond writes the rain's length and the sorrow's fullness. Swell is the line's eye - autumn rain all night unceasing, the pond silently filling; this swell writes at once the rain's continuousness and the sorrow's diffusion: the pond rises one degree, the sorrow rises one degree, scenery and feeling fused in this one character. Autumn adds a layer of bleakness - autumn rain is most sorrowful; Ba Mountains autumn night, alone facing the empty court, listening to rain swelling the pond, the loneliness self-evident. This line not one word of sorrow, yet sorrow fills the page - Li Shangyin's supreme skill of writing feeling through scenery, and the most important emotional build between helplessness and imagination.

何当共剪西窗烛

When shall we together trim the candle by the western window,

什么时候，才能与你并肩坐在西窗之下，一同剪去那跳跃的烛花

When shall we sit together by the western window, trimming the candle wick?

此句是全诗的转折，笔锋由眼前的孤寂，一跃而入未来的欢聚。「何当」二字，以疑问的语气设想未来——什么时候，才能与你重逢？这一问，既是对重逢的殷切期盼，也透出「不知何日」的渺茫。「共剪西窗烛」五字，写的是设想中的温馨画面：两人并肩坐在西窗之下，夜深烛长，一起剪去那跳跃的烛花。「西窗」是居室中私密而温馨的一角，「剪烛」是夫妻夜话的日常细节，这两个意象的并置，勾勒出一幅亲切而温暖的图景。此句以「未来的乐」反衬「今日的孤」，愈是设想得温馨，愈见今日之孤寂，是「以乐写哀」的又一妙用。

This line is the poem's turn, the brush leaping from the present solitude into future reunion. When shall we uses the interrogative to imagine the future - when, then, shall we meet again? This question is at once the earnest hope of reunion and the uncertainty of knowing not when. Together trimming the candle by the western window writes the warm picture in imagination: two people sitting side by side by the western window, the night deep, the candle long, together trimming the leaping wick. Western window is the intimate, warm corner of the chamber; trimming the candle is the daily detail of husband and wife talking at night; the juxtaposition of these two images outlines an intimate, warm picture. This line uses future joy to set off today's solitude - the warmer the imagination, the more desolate the present; another superb use of writing grief through joy.

却话巴山夜雨时

and tell again of this night rain on Ba Mountains?

再慢慢说起今夜这巴山夜雨的滋味

and slowly tell of this night, this rain on Ba Mountains?

末句是全诗构思的顶点，也是「时空回环」的完成。「却话」是「回头再说」，写设想中的他日——到那时，两人共剪烛花，回述起「今夜」这巴山夜雨的滋味。「巴山夜雨」四字，第二次出现，与第二句的实景遥相呼应，但境界已变：前一个是「眼前实景」，是此刻正在经历的孤寂；后一个是「追忆之谈」，是未来闲话中的谈资。同一意象，由「苦」转「甜」——今日的苦，到那时竟成了可以娓娓道来的往事，苦也成了回味。这一笔，把「现在」与「未来」打通，让「未来的欢聚」与「今日的孤寂」互为映照，情味层层加深，是全诗最见匠心、也最动人的一笔，正是何焯所谓「眼前景反作后日怀想」之妙。

The closing line is the poem's conception's apex, also the completion of the space-time loop. Tell again means speak of later; writing the imagined future - then, two people trimming the wick together, recalling the taste of this very night's Ba Mountains night rain. Ba Mountains night rain appears a second time, echoing the second line's real scene, yet the realm changed: the first is present real scene, the solitude now being lived; the second is remembered talk, a topic of future chat. The same image turns from bitter to sweet - today's bitterness, by then, becomes a past event that can be told at leisure; bitterness itself becomes aftertaste. This stroke opens up the present and the future, making future reunion and today's solitude mirror each other, the feeling deepening layer upon layer; it is the poem's most craftsmanship and most moving stroke, precisely He Zhuo's saying present scenery turned into later reminiscence.

Study

Word focus

涨 swells (both pond water and emotion) 「涨」字见于「巴山夜雨涨秋池」，是次句的句眼。「涨」是水满、上升之意，写一夜秋雨，池水渐满。这个「涨」字的妙处，在于它的「过程感」——不是「满」的一步到位，而是「涨」的渐次上升，仿佛能看见池水在一夜之间一点点涨起来，正如愁绪在漫漫长夜里一点点弥漫开来。一个「涨」字，把「雨之连绵」与「愁之弥漫」揉为一体，池水涨一分，愁绪也涨一分，景与情在此字中悄然合一。同时，「涨」字音读洪亮而带下沉之势，与「秋池」的萧瑟、「夜雨」的绵密相配，声情与景情俱佳，是李商隐「以一字写尽愁绪弥漫」的炼字典范。

剪 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「剪」字见于「何当共剪西窗烛」，是设想画面的点睛之笔。「剪」是剪烛花——烛芯燃久则结花，须剪去方能复明，这是唐人夜话的日常细节。一个「剪」字，写出了三个层次：其一，写时间之长——烛花既结，则知已谈至夜深；其二，写关系之亲——「共剪」是并肩共事的动作，非至亲之人不能为之，夫妻或知己之亲，尽在一个「剪」字；其三，写画面之温馨——剪烛之姿，摇曳的烛光，构成一幅极亲切的图景。李商隐以如此细微的日常动作，写尽了对重逢夜话的向往，把抽象的「期盼」落在一个具体可感的「剪」字上，是「以小见大」的妙笔，也使「共剪西窗烛」成为千古传诵的理想画面。

却话 then talk about (turning present into future memory) 「却话」二字见于末句「却话巴山夜雨时」，是全诗时空回环构思的关键。「却」是「回头」「再」之意，「话」是「叙说」，「却话」即「回头再说」——设想他日重逢，两人再回头说起「今夜」的巴山夜雨。这两个字的分量，在于它完成了一次时空的翻转：今日之「我」，在巴山夜雨中想象未来；未来之「我」，又在西窗烛下回话今日。一个「却话」，把「现在」推向了「过去」，又把「未来」拉回了「现在」，让今日的孤寂，成为未来的谈资，让未来的欢聚，反照今日的孤寂。二字看似平淡，实是通篇构思的枢纽——没有「却话」，就没有「巴山夜雨」的第二次出现，也就没有这「以苦为乐、以今为昔」的深情回环。