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唐 Tang · 诗 Poem

忆梅

Remembering the Plum

李商隐

Li Shangyin

咏梅Theme 思乡Homesickness 感慨Theme

定定住天涯，依依向物华。
寒梅最堪恨，常作去年花。

Firmly, firmly I dwell at the end of the world,
Clinging, clinging I face the beauty of the things.
The cold plum is the most to be resented —
It always blooms as the flower of the last year.

Listen

Meaning

A short poem of the remembered plum, written by Li Shangyin. Firmly, firmly he dwells at the end of the world — clinging, clinging he faces the beauty of the things — the fixed dwelling at the end of the world, and the clinging to the beauty of the spring. The cold plum is the most to be resented — it always blooms as the flower of the last year — the plum of the early spring, blooming before the new year, the flower of the last year — the plum that reminds him of the years. The poem is the quiet resentment of the plum: the end of the world, the clinging to the beauty, and the plum that always blooms as the flower of the last year.

长久地滞留在天涯，依依地面对着美好的春光。那寒梅最令人遗憾，总是开在去年，不能与今年的春天相伴。

Appreciation

[Plain Paraphrase] Firmly, firmly I dwell at the end of the world, clinging, clinging I face the beauty of the things. The cold plum is the most to be resented — it always blooms as the flower of the last year. [Structure and Thought] The poem moves from the fixed dwelling at the end of the world and the clinging to the beauty, through the cold plum, to the close's resentment: it always blooms as the flower of the last year. [Key Technique] The poem's art is the resentment of the plum: the cold plum blooming before the new year — the flower of the last year — the bloom that marks the fleeing of the years, resented from the end of the world. [Emotional Tone] Clinging, resenting, and melancholy: the poem is the quiet resentment of the plum, the end of the world and the flower of the last year.

【白话串讲】李商隐写《忆梅》：“定定住天涯，依依向物华”——“寒梅最堪恨，常作去年花”——寒梅最让人遗憾，总是开在去年——他写流落天涯的怅惘。【意象与手法】此诗是李商隐咏梅诗的名篇，借咏寒梅写身世之感，是李商隐托物言志的名篇。首句「定定住天涯」写滞留天涯——那「定定」写久滞不动（叠字写滞留之久），那「住天涯」写滞留天涯（漂泊他乡）；次句「依依向物华」写面对春光——那「依依」写依恋（面对美好春光的依恋），那「向物华」写面对春天的美好景物；三句「寒梅最堪恨」写寒梅可恨——那「寒梅」写寒冬开放的梅花，「最堪恨」写最令人遗憾（「堪恨」写可恨、可憾）；末句「常作去年花」写寒梅总开在去年——那「长作」写总是成为、总是作，那「去年花」写去年开的花（寒梅开于冬春之交，早于百花，故春花盛开时，它已成「去年花」），是千古名句。全诗以「定定住天涯」写滞留天涯的孤寂，以「依依向物华」写面对春光的依恋，以「寒梅最堪恨，常作去年花」写寒梅的遗憾——那寒梅开得太早，等到百花盛开的春天，它已凋谢，成为「去年花」；那寒梅的遗憾，正是诗人的身世之感——如寒梅般开得太早、被春所弃，是李商隐托物言志的名篇。【情感与主旨】此诗作于唐宣宗大中五年（851）前后，时李商隐在东川节度使柳仲郢幕府任职（梓州），滞留天涯。李商隐一生仕途坎坷，早年才华早露却卷入牛李党争，一生襟抱未开。此诗借咏寒梅写身世之感——那「定定住天涯」写滞留天涯的孤寂，那「依依向物华」写面对春光的依恋，那「寒梅最堪恨，常作去年花」写寒梅的遗憾——寒梅开于寒冬，早于百花，待到春天百花盛开时，它已凋谢成为「去年花」；那寒梅的「早开早谢」，正是李商隐的写照——早年才华早露（如寒梅早开），却未能赶上属于自己的春天（如被春所弃的去年花），一生襟抱未开；那「常作去年花」的遗憾，正是李商隐身世之感的写照，是李商隐咏物诗与身世诗的名篇。【名句点睛】常考“定定住天涯，依依向物华”以叠字写滞留天涯、依恋春光；“寒梅最堪恨，常作去年花”以寒梅总开在去年写身世之憾。

Background

Li Shangyin (c. 813–858) wrote this short poem of the remembered plum — one of the quiet, resenting works of his later years. The plum of the early spring blooms before the new year — the flower of the last year — and the poet, dwelling firmly at the end of the world, resents the bloom that marks the fleeing of the years. The poem is the model of the quiet resentment: the clinging to the beauty of the things, and the plum that always blooms as the flower of the last year.

此诗是李商隐咏梅诗的名篇，作于唐宣宗大中五年（851）前后，时李商隐在东川节度使柳仲郢幕府任职（梓州，今四川三台），滞留天涯。李商隐（约813—858），字义山，号玉谿生，怀州河内（今河南沁阳）人，晚唐著名诗人。他早年才华早露（受知于令狐楚，又入王茂元幕并娶其女），却因陷入牛李党争的漩涡而仕途坎坷，一生辗转幕府，襟抱未开。大中五年，李商隐丧妻（王氏卒），后应柳仲郢之辟入东川幕府。此诗写于梓州，借咏寒梅写身世之感。诗中「定定住天涯」写长久滞留在天涯——「定定」写久滞不动（叠字写滞留之久），「住天涯」写滞留天涯（漂泊他乡）；「依依向物华」写依依面对美好的春光——「依依」写依恋，「物华」写春天美好的景物；「寒梅最堪恨」写寒梅最令人遗憾——「堪恨」写可恨、可憾；「常作去年花」写寒梅总是作去年开的花——寒梅开于冬春之交，早于百花，待到百花盛开的春天，它已凋谢，成为「去年花」。全诗借咏寒梅写身世之感，是李商隐托物言志的名篇。

Art

The poem's art is the art of the quiet resentment. The dwelling opens in the doubling: firmly, firmly he dwells at the end of the world — clinging, clinging he faces the beauty of the things — the fixed dwelling and the clinging face, the end of the world and the beauty of the spring. The plum follows: the cold plum is the most to be resented — the plum of the resentment. And the close gives the reason: it always blooms as the flower of the last year — the plum blooming before the new year, the flower of the last year — the bloom that marks the fleeing of the years. The end of the world, the clinging to the beauty, and the flower of the last year — the quiet resentment gathered in the close.

此诗的艺术特色可从四个层面解析。其一，以叠字写滞留。首句「定定住天涯」以「定定」写滞留之久——那「定定」写久滞不动（叠字写滞留的执着与无奈），那「住天涯」写滞留天涯，叠字写尽漂泊的久滞。其二，以「依依」写依恋。次句「依依向物华」以「依依」写面对春光的依恋——那「依依」写依恋不舍（面对美好春光的依恋），与首句的「定定」相对，一写久滞、一写依恋。其三，以「堪恨」写遗憾。三句「寒梅最堪恨」以「堪恨」写寒梅的遗憾——那「寒梅」写寒冬开放的梅花，「最堪恨」写最令人遗憾（「堪恨」可恨而可叹）。其四，以「去年花」写身世。末句「常作去年花」以「去年花」写寒梅的早开早谢——那寒梅开于冬春之交，待到春天百花盛开时，它已凋谢成为「去年花」，那「常作去年花」写尽寒梅的遗憾，也暗写诗人的身世，是千古名句。四重手法层层递进，使这首五绝借咏寒梅写身世之感，正是李商隐托物言志的本领。

Allusions

The poem carries no learned allusion; its art is the plain resentment. 'Firmly, firmly' (dingding) is the fixed, rooted dwelling; 'clinging, clinging' (yiyi) is the clinging of the face to the beauty; 'the cold plum' (hanmei) is the plum of the early spring, blooming in the cold; 'the flower of the last year' (qu nian hua) is the flower of the past year — the plum blooming before the new year, the flower that belongs to the last year.

此诗的用语深植于咏梅与羁旅传统。「定定住天涯」写滞留天涯——那「天涯」令人想到「同是天涯沦落人，相逢何必曾相识」（白居易《琵琶行》）的「天涯」意象，也令人想到「海内存知己，天涯若比邻」（王勃《送杜少府之任蜀州》）的「天涯」意象，「住天涯」写尽漂泊的久滞；那「定定」令人想到「定定住天涯」的叠字传统，也令人想到「行行重行行」（《古诗十九首》）的叠字意象（「行行」写漂泊，李商隐以「定定」写滞留，正是一动一静的对应）；「依依向物华」写面对春光——那「依依」令人想到「昔我往矣，杨柳依依」（《诗经·小雅·采薇》）的「依依」意象，「物华」令人想到「物华天宝，龙光射牛斗之墟」（王勃《滕王阁序》）的「物华」意象，也令人想到「离离原上草，一岁一枯荣」（白居易《赋得古原草送别》）的春草意象；「寒梅最堪恨」写寒梅可恨——那「寒梅」令人想到「墙角数枝梅，凌寒独自开」（王安石《梅花》）的寒梅意象，也令人想到「疏影横斜水清浅，暗香浮动月黄昏」（林逋《山园小梅》）的梅意象；「常作去年花」写寒梅作去年花——那「去年花」令人想到「年年岁岁花相似，岁岁年年人不同」（刘希夷《代悲白头翁》）的花意象，也令人想到「人面不知何处去，桃花依旧笑春风」（崔护《题都城南庄》）的去年花意象。全诗化用《诗经》、白居易、刘希夷、崔护等咏梅与羁旅的意象，借咏寒梅写身世之感，正是李商隐「托物言志」的本领。

Commentary

This short poem is one of the quiet, resenting works of Li Shangyin, quoted for the exactness of its close. The doubling of the dwelling and the flower of the last year are among the admired passages of his brief works. Critics praise the poem's resentment: the end of the world and the flower of the last year, the quiet resentment of the years.

此诗历来被推为李商隐咏物诗与身世诗的名篇，也是中国咏梅诗写身世之感的经典。历代论者对此诗评价极高：清人评此诗「借梅写己，凄婉入骨」；近人更指出「寒梅最堪恨，常作去年花」以寒梅的早开早谢写身世之感，是咏物诗托物言志的典范。在文学史上，此诗的特殊价值在于：它以咏寒梅写出了李商隐的身世之感——那「定定住天涯」写滞留天涯的孤寂（漂泊梓州、远离家乡），那「依依向物华」写面对春光的依恋（身在天涯而心向春华），那「寒梅最堪恨，常作去年花」写寒梅的遗憾——寒梅开于冬春之交，早于百花，待到百花盛开的春天，它已凋谢成为「去年花」；那寒梅的「早开早谢」，正是李商隐的写照——早年才华早露（如寒梅早开），却卷入牛李党争、一生襟抱未开（如被春所弃的「去年花」），那「常作去年花」的「长」字，更写尽一生如此、年年如此的遗憾。诗中「寒梅最堪恨，常作去年花」是千古名句。此诗与《锦瑟》（「此情可待成追忆」）同为李商隐写身世之感的名篇，一以锦瑟写惘然，一以寒梅写遗憾；又与《端居》（「远书归梦两悠悠」）同为李商隐滞留天涯时写孤寂的诗。对于今日读者，此诗是理解李商隐身世之感的窗口，也是中国咏梅诗写身世的经典——那天涯的定定、春光的依依、去年的寒梅，穿越千年，仍在诉说着早开早谢的遗憾与襟抱未开的怅惘。

Prosody

Form Pentasyllabic quatrain (wuyan jueju)五言绝句（仄起平收，首句入韵）

Rhyme The poem rhymes on the level-tone hua of the single rhyme — the even, level rhyme that carries the quiet resentment.全诗押平声麻韵（涯、华、花），一韵到底，韵音悠长，正合身世之感的怅惘。

Tone pattern The cadence is that of the quiet resentment: the level opening with the dwelling and the clinging, the turning with the plum, and the close's even fall with the flower of the last year.此诗为五言绝句，四句二十字，押平声韵。全诗按内容可分为两联：前联写滞留天涯与面对春光（定定住天涯、依依向物华）；后联写寒梅的遗憾（寒梅最堪恨、常作去年花）。声调上，前联以「定定」「依依」写滞留与依恋，节奏低回；后联以「堪恨」「去年花」写遗憾，节奏转深，正合身世之感的怅惘。

Reading note The poem's sound matches its quietness: the level rhyme carries the even cadence of the resentment, and the close — 'hanmei zui kan hen, chang zuo qu nian hua' — falls with the flower of the last year, the sound of the quiet bitterness.此诗是五言绝句咏梅写身世的名篇，以「定定」「依依」写天涯客的心境、以「寒梅最堪恨，常作去年花」写身世之感，正是李商隐托物言志的本领。全诗四句：前联写滞留与依恋（定定住天涯、依依向物华），后联写寒梅的遗憾（寒梅最堪恨、常作去年花）。声调上，前联节奏低回，写天涯客的心境；后联以「堪恨」写遗憾，节奏转深，那「定定住天涯」的孤寂、「常作去年花」的怅惘，正是李商隐写身世的深意。诵读此诗，宜以低回的语调读前联的滞留依恋，以怅惘的语调读后联的寒梅遗憾，尤其「寒梅最堪恨，常作去年花」两句，要读得低沉而凄婉，方能传达出李商隐借梅写己的怅惘。李商隐诗以凄婉著称，此诗正是其咏物诗与身世诗的经典。

Line by line

定定住天涯，依依向物华。

Firmly, firmly I dwell at the end of the world, clinging, clinging I face the beauty of the things.

长久地滞留在天涯，依依地面对着美好的春光。

Stolidly I dwell at the world's edge, lingering toward the year's fair colors.

这句是写滞留天涯与心向春光的名句，以「定定」写久滞、以「依依」写依恋，写尽天涯客的孤寂与向往。「定定住天涯」写长久滞留在天涯——那「定定」写久滞不动（叠字写滞留之久），那「住天涯」写滞留天涯（漂泊他乡）；「依依向物华」写依依面对美好的春光——那「依依」写依恋不舍，那「向物华」写面对春天的美好景物。这句的深意在于：它以「定定住天涯」写滞留天涯的孤寂——那「定定」写久滞不动的执着与无奈（不是暂住，而是「定定」地久滞天涯），那「住天涯」写尽漂泊的久滞——身在天涯，归期无望；以「依依向物华」写面对春光的依恋——那「依依」写依恋不舍（面对美好春光的依恋），那「向物华」写面向春天的美好景物；那「定定」与「依依」的对举，写尽天涯客的矛盾心境——久滞天涯的孤寂与心向春华的依恋，那「住」与「向」的对照，一写身之滞留、一写心之向往。以「定定」写久滞、以「依依」写依恋，正是李商隐写天涯客心境的本领，也让这句成为写羁旅孤寂的名句。

This is a famous line on dwelling at the world's edge and heart turned toward spring, using stolidly for long lodging and lingering for attachment, exhausting the frontier wanderer's loneliness and longing. Stolidly I dwell at the world's edge writes long lodging at the edge of the world - stolidly writes the immovable long stay (reduplication for duration); dwell at the edge of the world writes the drifting in a far land. Lingering toward the year's fair colors writes lingering before the spring's beauty - lingering writes the unwillingness to turn away; toward the year's colors writes facing the spring's fair scenes. The line's depth lies in: stolidly I dwell at the world's edge writes the loneliness of far-edge lodging - stolidly writes the stubborn helplessness of long immobility (not a temporary stay, but stolidly at the world's edge); dwell at the edge exhausts the long drifting - at the edge, no hope of return. Lingering toward the year's fair colors writes the attachment facing spring - lingering the unwillingness; toward the year's colors the facing of beauty. Stolidly against lingering set against, exhausting the wanderer's contradictory mind: the loneliness of long lodging and the attachment to spring bloom; dwell against toward, one the body's lodging, one the heart's longing. Using stolidly for long stay and lingering for attachment is precisely Li Shangyin's skill at writing the frontier wanderer's mind, making this line a famous one for drifting loneliness.

寒梅最堪恨，常作去年花。

The cold plum is the most to be resented — it always blooms as the flower of the last year.

那寒梅最令人遗憾，总是开在去年，不能与今年的春天相伴。

The winter plum is most to be regretted; it is always last year's flower.

这句是全诗的点睛之笔，也是千古名句，以寒梅的早开早谢写身世之感，托物言志，凄婉动人。「寒梅最堪恨」写寒梅最令人遗憾——那「寒梅」写寒冬开放的梅花，那「最堪恨」写最令人遗憾（「堪恨」写可恨而可叹）；「常作去年花」写寒梅总是作去年开的花——那「长作」写总是成为（年年如此），那「去年花」写去年开的花（寒梅开于冬春之交，待到春天百花盛开时，它已凋谢成为「去年花」）。这句的深意在于：它以「寒梅最堪恨」写寒梅的遗憾——那寒梅凌寒早开，本是高洁的象征，却「最堪恨」——正因它开得太早，无法与百花同赏春光；以「常作去年花」写寒梅的早开早谢——那「长作」写尽年年如此（年年早开，年年凋谢，年年成为「去年花」），那「去年花」写尽寒梅的遗憾——待到春天，它已成「去年花」，无人再赏；而那寒梅的遗憾，正是李商隐的身世之感——早年才华早露（如寒梅早开），却卷入党争、襟抱未开（如被春所弃的「去年花」），那「常作去年花」的「长」字，写尽一生如此、年年如此的遗憾。以「堪恨」写遗憾、以「去年花」写身世，正是李商隐托物言志的本领，也让这句成为咏梅写身世的千古名句。

This line is the poem's eye, also an age-famous line, using the winter plum's early blooming and early falling to write the life-fate, entrusting the thing with the will, mournful and moving. The winter plum is most to be regretted writes the cold plum most to be pitied - winter plum means the plum blooming in the cold; most to be regretted means most lamentable (to be regretted means hateful yet sigh-worthy). It is always last year's flower writes the winter plum always becoming last year's bloom - always means year after year; last year's flower means the bloom of a year ago (the winter plum opens at winter's turn; when spring's hundred flowers open, it has already faded, becoming last year's flower). The line's depth lies in: the winter plum is most to be regretted writes the cold plum's pity - the plum braves the cold and opens early, a symbol of purity, yet most to be regretted - precisely because it opens too early, it cannot share the spring with the hundred flowers. It is always last year's flower writes the early bloom and early fall - always exhausts year after year (yearly early bloom, yearly fall, yearly becoming last year's flower); last year's flower exhausts the cold plum's pity - by spring, it is last year's flower, no one viewing it again. And the cold plum's pity is precisely Li Shangyin's life-fate: early talent shown early (like the plum's early bloom), yet caught in the factional strife, his heart's ambition unopened (like last year's flower rejected by spring); the always in it is always last year's flower exhausts the life-long, year-after-year regret. Using to be regretted for pity and last year's flower for life-fate is precisely Li Shangyin's skill of entrusting the thing with the will, making this line an age-famous one for writing the plum and the fate.

Study

Word focus

定 'Firmly' — the firm, rooted dwelling at the end of the world, the fixed exile. 「定」字是写滞留天涯的关键字，叠用「定定」写尽滞留之久，是「定定住天涯」的词眼。定者，停留、滞止也。李商隐以「定定住天涯」写滞留，叠用「定」字，至少有双重意味：其一，写滞留之久——那「定定」写久滞不动（叠字写滞留的执着），那「住天涯」写滞留天涯，「定定」写尽漂泊的久滞——不是暂住，而是长年累月地滞留天涯；其二，写滞留之无奈——那「定定」写尽滞留的无奈（身不由己，定定地困在天涯），「定」字写尽天涯客的困顿。以「定定」写滞留，正是李商隐写羁旅的关键——若换作「久」「长」等字，则或失其叠字的强调（叠字「定定」写尽滞留的执着），或失其与「住天涯」的搭配；唯「定定」，以叠字写尽滞留天涯的久与无奈，与「依依向物华」相对，写尽天涯客的孤寂与依恋，也让「定定住天涯，依依向物华」成为写羁旅孤寂的名句。

恨 'To resent' — the resentment of the cold plum, the quiet bitterness of the years. 「恨」字是写遗憾的关键字，一个「恨」字写尽寒梅早谢的遗憾，是「寒梅最堪恨」的词眼。恨者，遗憾、憾恨也。李商隐以「寒梅最堪恨」写寒梅，一个「恨」字，至少有双重意味：其一，写寒梅之遗憾——那「寒梅最堪恨」写寒梅最令人遗憾，「恨」字写尽寒梅的遗憾——凌寒早开，却早谢成为「去年花」，那「恨」字写尽对寒梅（也是对自己）命运的憾恨；其二，写身世之怅惘——那「恨」字不仅是寒梅的遗憾，更是李商隐身世之感的写照——早年才华早露（如寒梅早开），却襟抱未开（如被春所弃），那「恨」字写尽对身世的怅惘；那「最堪恨」的「最」字，更写尽憾恨之深（万般景物中，独寒梅最堪恨）。以「恨」字写遗憾，正是李商隐托物言志的关键——若换作「惜」「叹」等字，则或失其「憾恨」的力度，或失其与「去年花」的搭配；唯「恨」字，以一字写尽寒梅早谢的遗憾与身世的怅惘，与「常作去年花」相合，写尽早开早谢的憾恨，也让「寒梅最堪恨，常作去年花」成为咏梅写身世的千古名句。

忆梅