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唐 Tang · 诗 Poem

咏柳·白居易

Singing of the Willows

白居易

Bai Juyi

依依袅袅复青青，句引清风无限情。
白雪花繁空扑地，绿丝条弱不胜莺。

The clinging and the curling, again the green and the green,
Drawing forth the pure wind, the boundless feeling.
The white snow flowers, the full, empty, the fluttering to the ground,
The green silk strands, the weak, not bearing the oriole.
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Meaning

A poem of the willows and the spring, written by Bai Juyi. The clinging and the curling, again the green and the green — the willows of the spring, the clinging and the green. Drawing forth the pure wind, the boundless feeling — the pure wind drawn forth and the boundless feeling. The white snow flowers, the full, empty, the fluttering to the ground — the white catkins fluttering to the ground. The green silk strands, the weak, not bearing the oriole — the weak strands not bearing the oriole. The poem is the willows of the spring: the green and the clinging, the pure wind, and the close's weak strands.

依依袅袅复青青，句引清风无限情。白雪花繁空扑地，绿丝条弱不胜莺。

Appreciation

[Plain Paraphrase] The clinging and the curling, again the green and the green, drawing forth the pure wind, the boundless feeling. The white snow flowers, the full, empty, the fluttering to the ground, the green silk strands, the weak, not bearing the oriole. [Structure and Thought] The poem moves from the green willows of the spring and the pure wind, through the fluttering catkins, to the close's weak strands not bearing the oriole. [Key Technique] The poem's art is the delicacy of the willows: the green and the clinging, the white catkins fluttering to the ground, and the close's weak strands not bearing the oriole — the delicacy of the spring willows gathered in the weak strands. [Emotional Tone] Light, delicate, and vivid: the poem is the willows of the spring, the pure wind and the close's weak strands.

【白话串讲】 白居易写《咏柳》：“依依袅袅复青青，句引清风无限情”——“白雪花繁空扑地，绿丝条弱不胜莺”——他写柳——依依袅袅复青青。 【意象与手法】 “依依袅袅复青青、句引清风无限情”写柳之依依；“白雪花繁空扑地”写柳絮如雪；结以“绿丝条弱不胜莺”写柳条弱。清新咏柳。 【情感与主旨】 白居易咏柳之作，写依依袅袅复青青、绿丝条弱不胜莺的柳之姿态，是咏柳诗中的名篇。 【名句点睛】 常考“依依袅袅复青青，句引清风无限情”写柳之姿态；“白雪花繁空扑地，绿丝条弱不胜莺”写柳絮柳条。

Background

Bai Juyi (772–846), the great poet of the Tang, wrote this 'Singing of the Willows' of the spring willows — the delicacy of the catkins. The clinging and the curling of the green willows with the pure wind drawn forth, the white catkins fluttering to the ground, and the close's weak strands not bearing the oriole — the poem gathers the delicacy of the spring willows, the light scene of the spring. The poem is one of the poet's famous poems of the spring.

《咏柳·白居易》为唐代诗人白居易所作诗。白居易（772—846），字乐天，号香山居士，下邽人，唐代诗人。此诗写咏物，为咏柳之作。诗中「依依袅袅复青青，句引清风无限情」写依依袅袅复青青，句引清风无限情；「白雪花繁空扑地，绿丝条弱不胜莺」写白雪花繁空扑地，绿丝条弱不胜莺。白居易此诗以咏柳、绿丝条弱不胜莺写其咏柳之情，清新咏柳，是白居易诗中的名篇。此篇《咏柳·白居易》在历代选本中多被收录，其艺术价值与流传之广，正可见此诗在同类题材中的重要地位。诗人以匠心独运之笔写寻常之情事，遂使此作历千载而犹有生气，为后人所称赏不绝。此篇《咏柳·白居易》在历代选本中多被收录，其艺术价值与流传之广，正可见此诗在同类题材中的重要地位。诗人以匠心独运之笔写寻常之情事，遂使此作历千载而犹有生气，为后人所称赏不绝。此篇《咏柳·白居易》在历代选本中多被收录，其艺术价值与流传之广，正可见此诗在同类题材中的重要地位。诗人以匠心独运之笔写寻常之情事，遂使此作历千载而犹有生气，为后人所称赏不绝。

Art

The poem's art is the art of the delicacy. The willows open: the clinging and the curling, again the green and the green — the willows of the spring, the clinging and the curling, the green and the green; drawing forth the pure wind, the boundless feeling — the pure wind drawn forth by the willows. The catkins follow: the white snow flowers, the full, empty, the fluttering to the ground — the white catkins, like the snow, fluttering to the ground. And the close gathers the delicacy: the green silk strands, the weak, not bearing the oriole — the weak strands, not bearing the oriole — the delicacy of the spring willows, the weak strands of the close, gathered in the poem.

此诗艺术上以「清新咏柳、以条写情」见长。全诗共四句两联，由依依袅袅复青青而白雪花繁空扑地。起「依依袅袅复青青，句引清风无限情」写依依袅袅复青青：依依袅袅复青青，句引清风无限情；结「白雪花繁空扑地，绿丝条弱不胜莺」写白雪花繁空扑地：白雪花繁空扑地，绿丝条弱不胜莺。全诗以条写情，由依依袅袅复青青而绿丝条弱不胜莺，清新咏柳，是白居易诗中的名篇。通篇以少总多之法出之，章法严谨而用意深曲，意象凝练而情韵悠长，读之愈久，愈觉其构思之精与笔力之健，堪称同类诗作中不可多得之佳篇，足见诗人炉火纯青的艺术功力。通篇以少总多之法出之，章法严谨而用意深曲，意象凝练而情韵悠长，读之愈久，愈觉其构思之精与笔力之健，堪称同类诗作中不可多得之佳篇，足见诗人炉火纯青的艺术功力。通篇以少总多之法出之，章法严谨而用意深曲，意象凝练而情韵悠长，读之愈久，愈觉其构思之精与笔力之健，堪称同类诗作中不可多得之佳篇，足见诗人炉火纯青的艺术功力。

Allusions

'The clinging and the curling' (yi yi niao niao) are the clinging and the curling — the swaying of the willows; 'the pure wind' (qing feng) is the pure wind — the wind drawn forth by the willows; 'the white snow flowers' (bai xue hua) are the white snow flowers — the white catkins of the willows, like the snow; 'the green silk strands' (lv si) are the green silk strands — the green strands of the willows, the silk of the spring.

诗中「依依袅袅复青青句引清风无限情」「白雪花繁空扑地绿丝条弱不胜莺」等语，皆含典故故实。「依依袅袅复青青句引清风无限情」写依依袅袅复青青句引清风无限情；「白雪花繁空扑地绿丝条弱不胜莺」写白雪花繁空扑地绿丝条弱不胜莺。诗人以依依、袅袅等语入诗，不着痕迹，而把咏柳之情写得真切可感，是善于熔铸典故的体现。此等用典之法，熔铸古今而不着痕迹，既不炫博以示学，亦不拘泥于旧解，正见诗人学养之深与运思之巧。读者于此等处尤当细心玩味，方能领会其言外之旨与味外之味。此等用典之法，熔铸古今而不着痕迹，既不炫博以示学，亦不拘泥于旧解，正见诗人学养之深与运思之巧。读者于此等处尤当细心玩味，方能领会其言外之旨与味外之味。此等用典之法，熔铸古今而不着痕迹，既不炫博以示学，亦不拘泥于旧解，正见诗人学养之深与运思之巧。读者于此等处尤当细心玩味，方能领会其言外之旨与味外之味。

Commentary

This poem is one of the famous spring poems of Bai Juyi, quoted for the delicacy of its close. The white catkins fluttering to the ground, and the weak strands not bearing the oriole, are among the admired images of the poet's spring poems. Critics praise the poem's delicacy: the spring willows gathered in the fluttering catkins, to the close's weak strands.

这首《咏柳·白居易》，是白居易写咏物之作，写依依袅袅复青青、白雪花繁空扑地、绿丝条弱不胜莺之情，清新咏柳。起「依依袅袅复青青，句引清风无限情」——依依袅袅复青青，句引清风无限情。写依依袅袅复青青：依依袅袅复青青、句引清风无限情——复青青、无限情；结「白雪花繁空扑地，绿丝条弱不胜莺」——白雪花繁空扑地，绿丝条弱不胜莺。写白雪花繁空扑地：白雪花繁空扑地、绿丝条弱不胜莺——空扑地、不胜莺。这「白雪花繁空扑地，绿丝条弱不胜莺」，是全诗之结：以绿丝条弱不胜莺写其咏柳。全诗清新咏柳，以条写情，正是白居易诗中的名篇。综观全诗，情真、景切、理深，三者浑融无迹，故能于短短数语之中寄无限深意，令人百读不厌。其含蓄蕴藉之处，正是中国古典诗歌以少总多、言有尽而意无穷的美学精神的生动体现。综观全诗，情真、景切、理深，三者浑融无迹，故能于短短数语之中寄无限深意，令人百读不厌。其含蓄蕴藉之处，正是中国古典诗歌以少总多、言有尽而意无穷的美学精神的生动体现。

Prosody

Form A regulated seven-character poem of the spring诗（七言绝句）
Rhyme The poem rhymes on the level-tone qing, qing and ying of the group — the even, level rhyme that carries the light delicacy.此诗为七言绝句，共四句两联。押韵：「情」「莺」押庚部韵。前两句起、后两句转合，平仄相间，正与写咏柳的清新咏柳相称，也见其以七绝写咏物的凝练。
Tone pattern The cadence is that of the spring: the level opening with the green willows, the turning with the fluttering catkins, and the close's fall with the weak strands not bearing the oriole.句式上，「依依袅袅复青青，句引清风无限情」写依依袅袅复青青，音节清新；结「白雪花繁空扑地，绿丝条弱不胜莺」写白雪花繁空扑地，音节悠长。全诗音节随情起伏，由清新而悠长，正合七绝「凝练」之妙，读来如咏柳、绿丝条弱不胜莺之音，清新而动人。
Reading note The poem's sound matches its delicacy: the even, level rhymes carry the cadence of the spring, and the close — 'lv si tiao ruo bu sheng ying' — falls with the weak strands, the sound of the delicacy of the willows.此诗为七言绝句，是白居易写咏物之作，也是其诗中的名篇。全诗的艺术特色在于「清新咏柳、以条写情」：「依依袅袅复青青，句引清风无限情」写依依袅袅复青青、「白雪花繁空扑地，绿丝条弱不胜莺」写白雪花繁空扑地。全诗清新咏柳，以条写情。尤为精妙者，是「依依袅袅复青青」写尽复青青；而「绿丝条弱不胜莺」写尽不胜莺，正是白居易诗「清新咏柳」的典范，为历代选本所常收。《咏柳·白居易》一诗之所以读来声情并茂，正在于诗人以声韵配合情思、以节奏烘托意境，音节之长短、平仄之起伏，皆与诗意相为表里，此亦可见中国古典诗歌声律之美与匠心之工。

Line by line

依依袅袅复青青，句引清风无限情。

The clinging and the curling, again the green and the green, drawing forth the pure wind, the boundless feeling.

依依袅袅复青青，句引清风无限情。

Lingering, swaying, yet ever green; enticing the clear breeze with endless feeling.

起句写依依袅袅复青青，起笔即见其依依。「依依袅袅复青青」写依依袅袅复青青，「依依袅袅」写依依袅袅、「复青青」写复青青；「句引清风无限情」写句引清风无限情，「句引清风」写句引清风、「无限情」写无限情。一句写依依袅袅复青青句引清风无限情，以依依袅袅复青青写复青青、以句引清风无限情写无限情，写尽依依袅袅复青青、句引清风无限情之情。以柳起兴，清新而咏柳，是「以柳起兴」的妙笔。

The opening writes lingering, swaying, yet ever green, the lingering named at the first stroke. Lingering, swaying: the willow's bowing. Yet ever green: the perpetual green. Enticing the clear breeze with endless feeling: the breeze lured, the boundless feeling. One line writes the swaying green willow enticing the breeze - Bai Juyi's starting point for the willow: the twigs bow and beckon the wind. The line opens with the willow as bi-xing, fresh and thing-praising: the willow's every motion is charged with feeling.

白雪花繁空扑地，

White as snow, the dense blossoms beat the ground in vain,

白雪花繁空扑地，

White as snow, thick blossoms fall in vain upon the ground,

此句写白雪花繁空扑地，是全诗写雪花之态的关键。「白雪花繁」写白雪花繁，「白雪」写白雪、「花繁」写花繁；「空扑地」写空扑地，「空」写空、「扑地」写扑地。一句写白雪花繁空扑地，以白雪花繁写花繁、以空扑地写空扑地，写尽白雪花繁空扑地之情。以雪写情，清新而咏柳，是「以雪写情」的点睛之笔。此句以寥寥数语写尽深意，情韵兼胜，正是全诗点睛之笔。其于字句之间暗藏波澜，于平易之中寄寓曲折，尤当反复涵泳，方能得其三昧。

This line writes white as snow, thick blossoms fall in vain upon the ground, the key to the poem's snow-blossom state. White as snow: the white catkins. Dense blossoms: the abundant flowers. In vain upon the ground: the useless scattering. One line writes the snow-like thick blossoms beating the ground in vain - Bai Juyi's middle turn: the catkins, so like snow, blow down to earth for nothing. The line uses snow for feeling, fresh and thing-praising: the vain scattering holds an unspoken regret.

绿丝条弱不胜莺。

green-silk twigs too weak to bear the orioles.

绿丝条弱不胜莺。

green-silk twigs too slender to bear the oriole.

结句写绿丝条弱不胜莺，是全诗立意的落点。「绿丝条弱」写绿丝条弱，「绿丝」写绿丝、「条弱」写条弱；「不胜莺」写不胜莺，「不胜」写不胜、「莺」写莺。一句写绿丝条弱不胜莺，以绿丝条弱写条弱、以不胜莺写不胜莺，写尽绿丝条弱不胜莺之情。以莺写情，清新而咏柳，是全诗最动人处，也是「以莺写情」的点睛之笔。此句以寥寥数语写尽深意，情韵兼胜，正是全诗点睛之笔。其于字句之间暗藏波澜，于平易之中寄寓曲折，尤当反复涵泳，方能得其三昧。

The closing line writes green-silk twigs too slender to bear the oriole, the poem's landing. Green-silk twigs: the willow's green strands. Too weak: the slender frailty. To bear the oriole: unable to hold the bird. One line writes the green-silk twigs too weak for the oriole - Bai Juyi's resolution: the willow so tender its twigs cannot even bear a singing bird. The line uses the oriole for feeling, fresh and thing-praising, the poem's most moving point: the willow's exquisite frailty itself becomes the charm.

Study

Word focus

依依 'The clinging' — the clinging of the willows, the swaying of the spring. 「依依」写依依袅袅复青青，是写依依之态的关键。「依依袅袅复青青」着一「依依」，写依依——着一「依依」，写依依袅袅复青青，见其依之依。两字写尽依依之态，是「以词写依」的妙笔。「依依」一字之用而全篇生色，与诗中情韵相为表里，正见诗人炼字之精与匠心之独运。读者于此等处若细细体会，自能领会其于平淡之中见功力、于寻常处见神奇之妙。
袅袅 'The curling' — the curling of the willows, the fine swaying. 「袅袅」写依依袅袅复青青，是写袅袅之态的关键。「依依袅袅复青青」着一「袅袅」，写袅袅——着一「袅袅」，写依依袅袅复青青，见其袅之袅。两字写尽袅袅之态，是「以词写袅」的点睛之词。「袅袅」一字之用而全篇生色，与诗中情韵相为表里，正见诗人炼字之精与匠心之独运。读者于此等处若细细体会，自能领会其于平淡之中见功力、于寻常处见神奇之妙。
清风 'The pure wind' — the wind drawn forth by the willows, the pure wind of the spring. 「清风」写句引清风无限情，是写清风之态的关键。「句引清风无限情」着一「清风」，写清风——着一「清风」，写句引清风无限情，见其风之清。两字写尽清风之态，是「以词写风」的点睛之词。「清风」一字之用而全篇生色，与诗中情韵相为表里，正见诗人炼字之精与匠心之独运。读者于此等处若细细体会，自能领会其于平淡之中见功力、于寻常处见神奇之妙。
绿丝 'The green silk' — the green strands of the willows, the silk of the spring. 「绿丝」写绿丝条弱不胜莺，是写绿丝之态的关键。「绿丝条弱不胜莺」着一「绿丝」，写绿丝——着一「绿丝」，写绿丝条弱不胜莺，见其丝之绿。两字写尽绿丝之态，是「以词写丝」的点睛之词。「绿丝」一字之用而全篇生色，与诗中情韵相为表里，正见诗人炼字之精与匠心之独运。读者于此等处若细细体会，自能领会其于平淡之中见功力、于寻常处见神奇之妙。

Related Reading

水调歌头·明月几时有 Prelude to Water Melody: When Will the Bright Moon Appear 苏轼 · 同写咏物感怀、清新旷达，一写人有悲欢离合、一写依依袅袅复青青句引清风无限情，皆于咏物之中见清新 Both are the works of the time and the feeling — the moon of the autumn of Su Shi, the willows of the spring of Bai Juyi — the two feelings of the time.

Su Shi's 'Prelude to Water Melody' — 'the bright moon, when will it appear' — is the feeling of the autumn moon; Bai Juyi's 'Singing of the Willows' — 'the clinging and the curling, again the green' — is the feeling of the spring willows — the two feelings of the time, the one of the autumn, the other of the spring.

苏轼《水调歌头·明月几时有》「人有悲欢离合，月有阴晴圆缺，此事古难全」，写咏物感怀、清新旷达，是宋词长调的名篇；白居易《咏柳·白居易》则以「依依袅袅复青青，句引清风无限情」「绿丝条弱不胜莺」写无限情、不胜莺。两诗同写咏物感怀、清新旷达：一写人有悲欢离合、以悲欢写离合，一写依依袅袅复青青句引清风无限情、以垂柳写咏物；一为苏轼之旷达、一为白居易之清新，并读正可见诗写「咏物感怀」的两种笔法，皆于咏物之中见清新。

 八声甘州·对潇潇暮雨洒江天 Eight Beats of Ganzhou: Facing the Evening Rain That Spatters the Long River 柳永 · 同写柳下凝望、清新清丽，一写对潇潇暮雨洒江天、一写依依袅袅复青青句引清风无限情，皆于柳下之中见凝望 Both are the works of the river and the scene — the rain of the river of Liu Yong, the willows of the bank of Bai Juyi — the two scenes of the water.

Liu Yong's 'Eight Beats of Ganzhou' — 'the evening rain that spatters the long river' — is the scene of the river; Bai Juyi's 'Singing of the Willows' — 'the green silk strands, the weak' — is the scene of the willows of the bank — the two scenes of the water, the one of the rain, the other of the strands.

柳永《八声甘州·对潇潇暮雨洒江天》「对潇潇暮雨洒江天，一番洗清秋」，写柳下凝望、清新清丽，是宋词写羁旅的名篇；白居易《咏柳·白居易》则以「依依袅袅复青青，句引清风无限情」「白雪花繁空扑地」写无限情、空扑地。两诗同写柳下凝望、清新清丽：一写对潇潇暮雨洒江天、以暮雨写清秋，一写依依袅袅复青青句引清风无限情、以垂柳写咏物；一为柳永之清丽、一为白居易之清新，并读正可见诗写「柳下凝望」的两种笔法，皆于柳下之中见凝望。