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唐 Tang · 诗 Poem

赠别·其一

Farewell - First

杜牧

Du Mu

离别parting 爱情love

娉娉袅袅十三余，豆蔻梢头二月初。
春风十里扬州路，卷上珠帘总不如。

Graceful and slender, a little past thirteen; like the cardamom bud at the tip of the twig in early second month.
Along the ten-li Yangzhou road in the spring breeze, the beauties who roll up their pearl screens are none her equal.

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Meaning

She is graceful and slender, a little past thirteen years; like the cardamom bud at the tip of the branch in early second month. Along the ten-li Yangzhou road in the spring breeze, the beauties who roll up their pearl screens are none her equal.

她身姿轻盈、十三岁多一些的年纪，正如二月初豆蔻枝头娇嫩的花苞。春风中十里扬州路，卷起珠帘的美人总也比不上她。

Appreciation

Du Mu's two 'Farewell' poems were written in the ninth year of Dahe (835), when Du Mu, at thirty-three, was about to leave Yangzhou for Chang'an — a gift to a courtesan. The first praises the beloved girl's loveliness; calling a girl of thirteen or fourteen 'cardamom bud' became a timeless phrase. Yangzhou was then prosperous, its singing-girls countless; Du Mu, downcast in a provincial post, roamed the gay quarters, and this poem shows both talent and a lingering reluctance to leave Yangzhou. The second poem writes the deeper parting feeling. A reader meets a gift that is at once gallant and graceful.

【白话串讲】 “娉娉袅袅十三余，豆蔻梢头二月初”——杜牧写一个十三岁的歌女，像二月初的豆蔻花。“春风十里扬州路，卷上珠帘总不如”——扬州十里春风，卷起珠帘看遍，都不如她。【意象与手法】起句'娉娉袅袅'叠韵联绵，状体态之轻盈柔美；'十三余'以数目点睛，娇憨如见【情感与主旨】《赠别》二首作于唐文宗大和九年（835），杜牧三十三岁，将离扬州赴长安，赠妓之作【名句点睛】本诗常考比喻与衬托。'豆蔻梢头二月初'以花喻人，考其如何以初春豆蔻写少女娇嫩年华，后成'豆蔻年华'熟语

Background

The two 'Farewell' poems were written in the ninth year of Dahe (835), when Du Mu, thirty-three, was about to leave Yangzhou for Chang'an — a gift to a courtesan. The first writes the loveliness of the girl he admired; using 'cardamom bud' for a girl of thirteen or fourteen became a timeless phrase. Yangzhou was then prosperous, its courtesans many; Du Mu, stuck in a low post, roamed the gay quarters, and this poem, amid the charming, shows his talent and a hidden reluctance at leaving Yangzhou. The second writes the parting feeling of 'much love seems like no love'.

《赠别·其一》为晚唐诗人杜牧所作。杜牧（803—约852），字牧之，京兆万年人，晚唐诗人，与李商隐并称“小李杜”。此诗为杜牧离扬州时赠别一位歌女之作：那女子娉娉袅袅，年方十三有余，正如二月初豆蔻梢头娇嫩的花苞；春风十里的扬州路上，卷起珠帘的美人总也比不上她。全诗以豆蔻写其青春娇美，以十里春风写其出类拔萃，是赠别诗中的名篇，也是写少女之美最传神的诗作之一。杜牧在扬州任职时与歌女交游，此诗既写其美，亦寓依依惜别之情。

Art

The opening 'graceful and slender' is a reduplicative, rhyming compound figuring the light, soft beauty of her bearing; 'a little past thirteen' dots the number, her coquettish charm vivid. The next line sets a metaphor, 'like the cardamom bud at the tip of the twig in early second month', comparing the girl to the early-spring bud not yet open — fitting in colour and fragrance, fresh and alive. The last two lines use the prosperity of 'the ten-li Yangzhou road in the spring breeze' as contrast; 'the beauties who roll up their pearl screens are none her equal' sets the many beauties' inferiority to this one woman's unique perfection — the brush is airy, not pressing, gorgeous yet not vulgar, exactly the romantic nature of young Du.

《赠别·其一》艺术上以比喻的精妙与衬托的手法见长。全诗四句，层层写来：“娉娉袅袅十三余”写其年龄与身姿——“娉娉袅袅”写其体态轻盈，“十三余”写其豆蔻年华；“豆蔻梢头二月初”写其娇嫩之美——以二月初豆蔻梢头之花苞喻其青春娇嫩，含苞待放；“春风十里扬州路”写扬州之繁华——“春风十里”写扬州路的繁华如春，“卷上珠帘总不如”写其出类拔萃——十里扬州、万千卷帘美人，总也比不上她。全诗以豆蔻喻其娇美，以十里扬州衬托其出类拔萃，比喻精妙而衬托有力，正是杜牧“小杜”诗才的体现。

Allusions

The poem brings 'cardamom' into verse; afterwards 'cardamom years' specifically means a girl of thirteen or fourteen — the poem's greatest coinage of allusion. Cardamom is a southern plant; the early-second-month bud at the twig-tip figures youth about to unfold. 'Ten-li spring breeze' is a common phrase writing the abundance of Yangzhou's singing-towers. The whole takes no old story but forges new words, comparing flower to person, wholly natural. 'Pearl screen' uses the traditional curtain image; 'rolling the screen' stands for the beauties leaning by the tower — a common device, not an obscure allusion.

《赠别·其一》用典在“豆蔻”。“豆蔻”为植物名，二月开花，花穗下垂，色浅红，比喻处女或少女年华；此处以“豆蔻梢头二月初”写少女之娇嫩，遂成千古名喻。“春风十里扬州路”写扬州之繁华——扬州为唐代繁华之地，“春风十里”写其路之繁华如春；“卷上珠帘”写美人居处——古时女子居处以珠帘为饰，卷帘见美人。全诗以豆蔻、珠帘这些传统的意象写少女之美，用喻精妙而不事雕琢，正是杜牧“俊爽”的风格。

Commentary

The Qing scholar Wang Shizhen praised the 'cardamom bud' line as 'truly able to exhaust Yangzhou's romance'. He Shang in his Wine-Garden Poetry Talks said 'young Du's couplet "ten-li spring breeze" deeply wins the intent of comparison and evocation'. This poem differs from Han Wo's Fragrant Collection — gorgeous yet with bone. Later some blamed its 'gay quarters' tone, yet admitted the 'cardamom' comparison became the settled judgment of ages. Hengtang Tuishi's Three Hundred Tang Poems also included it, to show a facet of late-Tang manner.

《赠别·其一》是杜牧赠别诗的名篇，也是唐诗中写少女之美最传神的诗作之一。此诗历代传诵，论者多赏其“娉娉袅袅十三余，豆蔻梢头二月初”的比喻——以豆蔻梢头写少女之娇嫩，遂成“豆蔻年华”这一成语的出处；“春风十里扬州路，卷上珠帘总不如”以十里扬州衬托其美，更见出类拔萃。杜牧在扬州时“十年一觉扬州梦”，此诗正是其扬州生活的写照。此诗与其二“蜡烛有心还惜别，替人垂泪到天明”同为赠别之作，一写其美，一写别情，并称名篇。

Prosody

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

Rhyme Ping-shui rhyme, upper-level six yu group (thirteen, first month, equal)《赠别·其一》为七言绝句，押平声韵。此诗用韵：余、初（鱼部）、如（鱼部），一韵到底，音节流丽。七绝句式整饬，宜于写赠别之情。

Tone pattern First line enters rhyme, level-onset level-close七言绝句以声调抑扬、音节流丽见长。此诗首二句写其美，“娉娉袅袅十三余”以叠字起，音节轻快；“豆蔻梢头二月初”以妙喻承，声情娇媚；后二句写其超群，“春风十里扬州路”音节舒展，“卷上珠帘总不如”以“总不如”收束，声情余韵。全诗以平韵贯底，声调与赠别的婉转之情相合，是杜牧七绝中的名篇。

Reading note Young Du's farewell seven-character jue; the 'cardamom' comparison became a timeless phrase, gorgeous yet with bone.《赠别·其一》为七言绝句，是杜牧赠别诗的名篇，也是唐诗中写少女之美最传神的诗作。此诗四句，以“娉娉袅袅”写其态，以“豆蔻梢头”喻其美，以“春风十里”衬其超群，比喻精妙而衬托有力。“豆蔻梢头二月初”遂成“豆蔻年华”的千古名喻。杜牧在扬州时与歌女交游，此诗既写其美，亦寓惜别之情，与其二“蜡烛有心还惜别，替人垂泪到天明”并为名篇。杜牧与李商隐并称“小李杜”，其七绝“俊爽”多情，此诗正见其风格。

Line by line

娉娉袅袅十三余，豆蔻梢头二月初。

Graceful and slender, just past thirteen; on the cardamom tip, early February.

她身姿轻盈、十三岁多一些的年纪，正如二月初豆蔻枝头娇嫩的花苞。

Lissome and graceful, barely past thirteen; like cardamom buds on the bough, early February.

首二句写少女之年龄与娇美。“娉娉袅袅十三余”写其年龄与身姿——“娉娉袅袅”写其体态轻盈婀娜，“十三余”写其豆蔻年华，一个“余”字更见其青春正好；“豆蔻梢头二月初”写其娇嫩之美——以二月初豆蔻梢头之花苞喻其青春娇嫩，含苞待放、娇艳欲滴。二句以“娉娉袅袅”的叠字写其态，以“豆蔻梢头”的妙喻写其美，把一位十三四岁的少女写得既具体又传神。以“二月初”写时节，更见其如春花初绽的鲜嫩。这一比喻精妙绝伦，遂成“豆蔻年华”的千古名喻。

The first two lines write the young girl's age and beauty. Graceful and slender, just past thirteen writes her age and bearing - graceful and slender writes her lithe, elegant form; just past thirteen writes her cardamom years, one past further showing the youth just right. On the cardamom tip, early February writes her tender beauty - using early-February cardamom-tip buds to metaphorize her youthful tenderness, buds half-opened, fresh and tempting. The two lines use graceful and slender's reduplication for her bearing, and cardamom tip's superb metaphor for her beauty, writing a girl of thirteen or fourteen both concrete and vivid. Using early February for the season further shows her freshness like spring flowers just opened. This metaphor is exquisite beyond compare, hence becoming the age-famous cardamom-years metaphor.

春风十里扬州路，卷上珠帘总不如。

Ten li of Yangzhou road in spring wind - all the beauties behind rolled pearl screens are not her.

春风中十里扬州路，卷起珠帘的美人总也比不上她。

Ten li of Yangzhou road in the spring breeze; all the beauties who roll up pearl screens fall short of her.

后二句写其出类拔萃，是全诗的衬托之笔。“春风十里扬州路”写扬州之繁华——“春风十里”写扬州路的繁华如春，美人如云；“卷上珠帘总不如”写其出类拔萃——“卷上珠帘”写美人居处，“总不如”写万千美人总也比不上她。二句以十里扬州的繁华衬托其美：春风十里、珠帘美人，何等繁华，而“总不如”三字，把她放在万千美人之上。这一衬托，把她的美写到极致——不是孤芳自赏，而是众芳难及。以“总不如”收束，既是赞美，亦是惜别：如此佳人，却将离别。这一笔含蓄不尽，为下首“蜡烛有心还惜别”的别情作了铺垫。

The last two lines write her preeminence, the poem's foil brush. Ten li of Yangzhou road in the spring breeze writes Yangzhou's prosperity - ten li of spring wind writes the Yangzhou road's prosperity like spring, beauties like clouds. All the beauties who roll up pearl screens fall short of her writes her preeminence - rolling up pearl screens writes the beauties' dwellings; all fall short writes the ten thousand beauties cannot match her. The two lines use ten-li Yangzhou's prosperity to set off her beauty: ten li spring wind, pearl-screen beauties, what prosperity, yet all fall short in three characters, placing her above ten thousand beauties. This foil writes her beauty to the extreme - not solitary self-admiration, but all flowers beyond reach. Closing in all fall short is at once praise and reluctant farewell: such a beauty, yet about to part. This brush is reserved and endless, preparing the next poem's candle has a heart and pities our parting's farewell feeling.

Study

Word focus

娉娉袅袅 A reduplicative, rhyming compound figure of the girl's light, soft grace; the syllables turn as if one sees her. “娉娉袅袅十三余”之“娉娉袅袅”，写少女体态之轻盈婀娜，是全诗写其态的点睛之词。“娉娉”写其娉婷之美，“袅袅”写其袅娜之姿，叠用二词，少女的轻盈、婀娜、娇柔便跃然纸上。这一叠字写态，比直言“美丽”更见动态之美：不是静止的美，而是娉娉袅袅、步步生姿的美。以“娉娉袅袅”写少女，正是杜牧“俊爽”诗风的体现——语言明快而形象传神。

豆蔻 Compares the girl to the early-spring bud not yet open — fresh and precise; later became the settled phrase 'cardamom years'. “豆蔻梢头二月初”之“豆蔻”，以豆蔻花苞喻少女，是全诗最著名的比喻之词。“豆蔻”二月开花，花穗下垂，色浅红，含苞时最娇嫩；此处以“豆蔻梢头”写少女之娇美，遂成“豆蔻年华”的千古名喻。这一词以花喻人，妙在“梢头二月初”的时节——二月初豆蔻含苞待放，正如十三余少女青春初绽。以“豆蔻”喻少女，比以“花”喻人更见娇嫩与青春，正是杜牧比喻之精妙。

总不如 Sets the many beauties' inferiority to this one woman's unique perfection; beyond emphasis lies devotion, the brush airy. “卷上珠帘总不如”之“总不如”，写万千美人不及其一，是全诗衬托的收束之词。“总”写全部，“不如”写不及——卷上珠帘的万千美人，总也比不上她。这一词以十里扬州的繁华作衬，把她放在万千美人之上，“总”字更写无一例外。以“总不如”收束，既是极致的赞美，亦含惜别之情——如此佳人，却将离别。这一笔含蓄不尽，正是杜牧“俊爽中含深情”的笔法。

春风十里 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. “春风十里扬州路”之“春风十里”，写扬州路的繁华如春，是全诗衬托的背景之词。“春风”写春意之浓，“十里”写街路之长——扬州路十里春风，繁华似锦。这一词写扬州之盛，为下句“总不如”作衬：十里扬州、春风拂面、珠帘美人，何等繁华，而“总不如”三字，把她放在这一切之上。以“春风十里”写背景，既是实写扬州之繁华，亦是虚写其美之超群，正是杜牧善用衬托的笔法。