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唐 Tang · 诗 Poem

赠内人

To, the, Lady, of, the, Palace

张祜

Zhang Hu

禁门宫树月痕过，媚眼惟看宿鹭窠。
斜拔玉钗灯影畔，剔开红焰救飞蛾。

The, forbidden, gates, the, palace, trees, the, moon, trace, passing,
The, charming, eyes, only, looking, at, the, roosting, egret, nests.
Slanting, pulling, the, jade, hairpin, by, the, lamp, shadow,
Picking, open, the, red, flame, to, save, the, flying, moth.

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Meaning

A poem of the palace and the loneliness, written by Zhang Hu. The forbidden gates with the palace trees the moon trace passing, the charming eyes only looking at the roosting egret nests — the palace of the opening. Slanting pulling the jade hairpin by the lamp shadow, picking open the red flame to save the flying moth — the pity of the close. The poem is the palace and the loneliness: the moon, the eyes, and the close's flying moth.

禁门内的宫树间月影悄然移过，她媚眼含情，只是痴望着枝头栖宿的白鹭窝。灯影之畔，她斜斜拔下玉钗，轻轻剔开烛火的红焰，去搭救那扑灯飞旋的飞蛾。

Appreciation

[Plain Paraphrase] The, forbidden, gates, the, palace, trees, the, moon, trace, passing, the, charming, eyes, only, looking, at, the, roosting, egret, nests. Slanting, pulling, the, jade, hairpin, by, the, lamp, shadow, picking, open, the, red, flame, to, save, the, flying, moth. [Structure and Thought] The poem moves from the palace of the forbidden gates and the moon, through the eyes looking at the egret nests, to the close's the saving of the flying moth. [Key Technique] The poem's art is the close of the pity: the charming eyes only looking at the roosting egret nests, and the close's picking open the red flame to save the flying moth — the palace gathered in the eyes and the close's pity. [Emotional Tone] Lonely, pitying, and subtle: the poem is the moon, the nests and the close's moth.

【白话串讲】张祜写《赠内人》：“禁门宫树月痕过，媚眼惟看宿鹭窠”——“斜拔玉钗灯影畔，剔开红焰救飞蛾”——他写宫中女子——剔开红焰救飞蛾。【意象与手法】前两句以月痕过树、媚眼看鹭，写其百无聊赖中的痴望；后两句拔钗剔焰、救蛾扑灯，写其对弱者的怜惜，正是自怜身世的写照。以“救飞蛾”写尽宫女深宫如囚、身不由己的悲哀。语意含蓄、意境深远。【情感与主旨】张祜写宫女深夜独处的寂寞，全不着一“怨”字，而怨情自在，是唐人宫怨诗中的名篇。【名句点睛】常考“禁门宫树月痕过，媚眼惟看宿鹭窠”写宫女痴望；“斜拔玉钗灯影畔，剔开红焰救飞蛾”以救飞蛾写自怜。

Background

Zhang Hu (c. 785-852), the poet of the mid and late Tang, wrote this 'To, the, Lady, of, the, Palace' of the palace and the loneliness — the pity for the secluded palace lady. The forbidden gates with the palace trees, the eyes looking at the egret nests, and the close's the saving of the flying moth — the poem gathers the pity of the poet, the loneliness of the palace. The poem is one of the famous works of the poet's poems of the palace.

《赠内人》为唐代诗人张祜所作七言绝句。张祜（约785—约852），字承吉，清河（今属河北）人，中晚唐之际著名诗人，以宫词、咏史之作见长，尝有「故国三千里，深宫二十年」之句为世所传诵，其宫词多写宫女幽怨，笔致深婉。所谓「内人」，指宫中的女官、宫女，唐人诗中或以之称宫妓、宫女。此诗所咏，是一位深居禁门之中的宫女，于月色朦胧之夜独处无聊的情态。诗中「禁门宫树」「宿鹭窠」「灯影」「飞蛾」诸景，皆暗示其居处之深闭与生涯之寂寞。张祜一生未仕，浪迹江湖，对宫女深宫锁闭、青春虚度的境遇寄予深切同情，故能于短短四句中写出其幽微难言的心事。此诗与《宫词》诸作一样，是晚唐宫怨诗中以微细动作写深情远意的典范，历来选本多予收录，为张祜小诗中的精品。此篇《赠内人》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 pity. The palace opens: the, forbidden, gates, the, palace, trees, the, moon, trace, passing — the palace trees of the moon trace; the, charming, eyes, only, looking, at, the, roosting, egret, nests — the charming eyes of the egret nests. The pity follows: slanting, pulling, the, jade, hairpin, by, the, lamp, shadow — the jade hairpin of the lamp shadow; picking, open, the, red, flame, to, save, the, flying, moth — the flying moth of the saving — the palace, the eyes and the close's pity, gathered in the poem.

此诗艺术上以「以动作写心、含蓄不露」见长。全诗四句二十八字，分两个画面：前两句是「看」，后两句是「救」。首句「禁门宫树月痕过」起笔写景，禁门深闭、宫树森然，月痕悄然移过，点出夜色之深与时光之寂；次句「媚眼惟看宿鹭窠」写宫女之态，「媚眼」二字见其姿容之美，「惟看宿鹭窠」则写其目光所注——不看它处，只看鹭鸶归巢而宿。鹭鸶尚有巢可宿、有偶可依，而宫女深锁宫中，形单影只，其羡其悲，尽在不言中。后两句「斜拔玉钗灯影畔，剔开红焰救飞蛾」转写动作：灯影之畔，她斜斜拔下头上的玉钗，剔开烛焰，去救那扑火将死的飞蛾。救蛾一景，是全诗着力之处——飞蛾扑火，正如宫女身陷深宫之囚，她救蛾，实是怜蛾亦自怜。诗人不写宫女如何愁怨，只写她这一细小的怜惜动作，而千般心事尽在其中，含蓄蕴藉，正是以动作写心理、以小见大的妙笔。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 forbidden gates' (jin men) are the forbidden gates — the gates of the forbidden, the palace of the seclusion; 'the roosting egret nests' (su lu ke) are the roosting egret nests — the nests of the roosting egrets, the longing of the lady; 'the jade hairpin' (yu chai) is the jade hairpin — the hairpin of the jade, the pulling of the lamp shadow.

诗中「内人」一词，指宫女、宫中女官，亦为唐代宫中女伎之专称。《周礼》有「内宰」掌治王内之政令，汉代有「内人」之称，至唐代，宫中教坊习乐之女伎亦称「内人」或「前头人」。张祜以「赠内人」为题，却非真以诗相赠，而是借题写宫女的孤寂之态，题旨便带一层恻隐与怜惜。诗中「宿鹭窠」之「窠」为鸟巢，「飞蛾扑火」则是古来习见之象，《楞严经》有「飞蛾赴火」之喻，后世诗文多以飞蛾扑火喻自投罗网、身陷险境而不知。诗人以宫女救蛾，暗写其自身之困于深宫，如飞蛾之困于灯焰，怜物正是自怜，典故化用不着痕迹而含意深曲，可见诗人于寻常物象中寄寓深情的艺术功力。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 works of Zhang Hu's poems of the palace, quoted for the subtlety of its scene and the pity of its close. The eyes looking at the egret nests, and the saving of the flying moth, are among the admired passages of the poet's poems. Critics praise the poem's subtlety: the palace gathered in the eyes, to the close's pity.

这首宫怨诗之所以感人至深，在于诗人捕捉了宫女一个极微细的动作，写出了她全部的心事。前两句写她「媚眼惟看宿鹭窠」：宫禁深深，月痕移过，她那双含情的媚眼，只痴痴地望着枝头栖宿的鹭鸶。鹭鸶有巢可归、有偶可依，而她却被锁在这深宫之中，青春虚度，这痴望之中，该有多少艳羡与自怜。后两句笔锋一转，写她于灯影之畔斜拔玉钗，剔开红焰，去救那扑灯将死的飞蛾。这一动作写得极美，也极沉痛：飞蛾扑火，本是愚痴可悯，她却不忍其死，伸手去救——因为她自己，何尝不是一只被深宫之「焰」所困的飞蛾？救蛾，实是怜己。诗人自始至终没有说一个「愁」字、「怨」字，却于这「看」与「救」两个动作之间，把宫女深宫如囚、身不由己、且怜人怜己的复杂心绪，写得淋漓尽致，含蓄蕴藉，韵味无穷，正是唐人宫怨诗中「以少总多、意在言外」的典范。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 quatrain of the palace (qi yan jue ju)七言绝句（近体绝句，仄起式）

Rhyme The poem rhymes on the level of the group — the cadence of the quatrain that carries the subtle pity.全诗押平声韵「窠」「蛾」，韵脚同属歌戈类（窠、蛾），一韵到底，韵部宽舒而音调圆转。七绝以平韵谐畅为常，此诗「窠」「蛾」二韵音色柔和，正与宫女幽怨含情的情调相称；「蛾」字收束全篇，与「救飞蛾」之句相映，韵脚亦暗含诗旨，声情与辞情相凑。

Tone pattern The cadence is that of the pity: the level opening with the palace, the turning with the eyes, and the close's fall with the moth.句式上，首句「禁门宫树月痕过」仄起平收，以「过」字写月影移动，音节舒徐；二句「媚眼惟看宿鹭窠」仄起平收，「惟看」二字顿挫，暗合宫女痴望之神态；三四句「斜拔玉钗灯影畔，剔开红焰救飞蛾」仄仄平平平仄仄、平平平仄仄平平，前句以「畔」字顿住，后句以「蛾」字收束，音节错落有致，读来如见灯影下那救蛾的身影，声情婉转，含蓄深长。

Reading note The poem's sound matches its subtlety: the cadences of the quatrain, and the close — 'ti kai hong yan jiu fei e' — falls with the moth, the sound of the pity of the palace lady.此诗为七言绝句，是晚唐宫怨诗中的名篇。其艺术特色在于「以动作写心理、以小见大」：全诗不写宫女的愁容怨语，只写她「看鹭」与「救蛾」两个微细动作，而深宫如囚、身不由己的悲哀尽在其中。前两句以「禁门宫树」「月痕过」写环境的深闭幽寂，以「媚眼惟看宿鹭窠」写其百无聊赖中的痴望；后两句以「斜拔玉钗」「剔开红焰」「救飞蛾」写其对弱者的怜惜——而这一怜惜，正是她自怜身世的写照。飞蛾扑火之喻，用得不着痕迹而含意深曲，使救蛾这一寻常动作，承载了宫女全部的悲哀与善良。全诗含蓄蕴藉，不着一「怨」字而怨情满纸，正是中国古典诗歌「以少总多、意在言外」美学精神的体现，也是张祜宫词深婉一格的代表作，历来为选家所称赏。

Line by line

禁门宫树月痕过，媚眼惟看宿鹭窠。

The, forbidden, gates, the, palace, trees, the, moon, trace, passing, the, charming, eyes, only, looking, at, the, roosting, egret, nests.

禁门之内宫树森然，月影悄然移过；她那双含情的媚眼，只是痴痴地望着枝头栖宿的鹭鸶窝。

Banned gates, palace trees; the moon's shadow drifts past; her lovely eyes only watch the roosting egret's nest.

前两句写景写态，已见宫女之孤寂。「禁门宫树」点出其居处之深闭——禁门重重，宫树森森，是深宫内苑特有的景象；「月痕过」三字写月影悄然移过宫树，暗示夜色渐深、时光悄然流逝，一个「过」字，既写月移，亦写宫女独坐之久。「媚眼惟看宿鹭窠」写其神态，「媚眼」见其青春貌美，「惟看」见其目光之专注，「宿鹭窠」则点出她看的是什么——鹭鸶归巢而宿。鹭鸶尚有巢可栖、有偶可依，而她却被锁深宫、形单影只，这「惟看」二字背后，藏着多少说不出的羡慕与自怜。两句以景写情、以物衬人，含蓄之中已见怨意。

The first two lines write scenery and bearing, already showing the palace woman's loneliness. Banned gates, palace trees names the deep seclusion of her dwelling - gate after gate, tree upon tree, the deep inner palace's unique scene. The moon's shadow drifts past three characters write the moon shadow quietly passing the palace trees, hinting the night deepening, time quietly flowing; one passed writes at once the moon's movement and the woman's long sitting alone. Her lovely eyes only watch the roosting egret's nest writes her bearing - lovely eyes shows her youth and beauty; only watch shows the gaze's fixedness; the roosting egret's nest names what she watches - the egret returned to its nest to roost. The egret still has a nest to rest, a mate to rely on, yet she is locked in the deep palace, alone and shadowless; behind only watch lies how much unspoken envy and self-pity. The two lines write feeling through scenery, set off the person through things; within reserve already shows resentment.

斜拔玉钗灯影畔，剔开红焰救飞蛾。

Slanting, pulling, the, jade, hairpin, by, the, lamp, shadow, picking, open, the, red, flame, to, save, the, flying, moth.

她在灯影之畔斜斜拔下头上的玉钗，轻轻剔开烛火的红焰，去搭救那扑灯飞旋的飞蛾。

At the lamp's edge she slantingly draws her jade pin, parts the red flame, and saves a moth.

末两句是全诗着力之处，以宫女一个微细动作写尽心事。「斜拔玉钗」写动作之柔媚——斜斜拔下玉钗，灯影之畔，姿态宛然；「剔开红焰」写其小心翼翼，怕伤了灯焰，也怕误伤了蛾；「救飞蛾」则是全诗点睛之笔。飞蛾扑火，自投于焰，本是愚痴可怜之物，宫女却不忍见其死，拔钗剔焰相救。这救蛾的一念，看似平常，实则深曲：她自己何尝不是被困于深宫之「焰」的飞蛾？救蛾，正是怜己身世。诗人不写一个「愁」字「怨」字，而宫女深宫如囚、身不由己、且怜且悯的复杂心绪，尽在这「救飞蛾」的微细动作之中，含蓄蕴藉，意味无穷，正是以动作写心理的绝妙之笔。

The last two lines are the poem's deliberate place, writing the heart through one tiny action. At the lamp's edge she slantingly draws her jade pin writes the action's soft grace - slantingly drawing the jade pin, at the lamp's edge, the posture vivid. Parts the red flame writes her carefulness, fearing to harm the lamp flame, also fearing to hurt the moth. Saves a moth is the poem's finishing stroke. The moth flying into fire, self-throwing into the flame, is originally a foolish pitiable thing, yet the palace woman cannot bear to see it die, drawing the pin to part the flame and save it. This thought of saving the moth seems ordinary, yet in truth deep and winding: is she not herself a moth trapped in the deep palace's flame? Saving the moth is precisely pitying her own lot. The poet does not write one word of sorrow or resentment, yet the palace woman's deep-palace-as-prison, body not her own, pity and compassion both - is all within this saving-a-moth tiny action; reserved and pregnant, meaning endless, precisely the superb brush of writing psychology through action.

Study

Word focus

媚眼 'The, charming, eyes' — the eyes of the charming, the looking of the nests. 「媚眼」二字，写宫女之青春貌美、眼波含情，与深宫孤寂之境形成强烈反差。着一「媚」字，其美愈甚，其孤愈深——如此明眸善睐的少女，却被锁在禁门深宫，青春虚度，无人赏爱，愈见其境遇之可悲。而「媚眼惟看宿鹭窠」，一双媚眼却只能痴望鹭巢，更见其百无聊赖中无可寄托的情态，是写美而愈增其悲的妙笔。「媚眼」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。

惟看 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「惟看」即只看，写宫女目光之所注。宫禁之中，可看之物甚多，她却「惟看宿鹭窠」——鹭鸶归巢而宿，恰是她求而不得的归宿与依托。「惟」字见其专注，亦见其别无寄托；看鹭是羡慕，看鹭亦是自怜。二字看似寻常，却将宫女深宫中那份无可排遣的寂寞与艳羡，含蓄地托了出来，是写神之笔。「惟看」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。

斜拔 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「斜拔」写宫女拔钗之态，「斜」字见其姿态之闲雅慵懒，亦见其动作之从容不经意——并非刻意为之，而是心中一念所至，顺手而为。「斜」字画出灯影之下一个顾影自怜的丽人剪影，为「救飞蛾」这一动作平添了几分凄美的意味，也暗示其心绪之寥落、神情之恍惚，炼字精妙。「斜拔」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。

救飞蛾 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「救飞蛾」是全诗文眼。飞蛾扑火，自投于焰，本是微贱愚痴之物，宫女却不忍见其死，剔焰相救。这一动作，写尽她的善良与悲悯，更写尽她的自怜——深宫之于她，正如灯焰之于飞蛾，她救蛾，实是怜己身之困。诗人不着一情语，而宫女身陷深宫、身不由己的悲哀尽在这三字之中，是「以动作写深心」的绝妙之笔。「救飞蛾」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。

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