魏晋 Wei-Jin · 诗 Poem
北使洛
Northern Mission to Luo
改服饬徒旅，首路跼险难。
振楫发吴洲，秣马陵楚山。
涂出梁宋郊，道由周郑间。
前登阳城路，日夕望三川。
在昔辍期运，经始阔圣贤。
伊谷绝津济，台馆无尺椽。
宫陛多巢穴，城市尽荒阡。
游役去芳时，归来屡徂諐。
蓬心既已矣，飞薄殊亦然。
The journey begins, beset by perils and hard.
Rowing oars, we depart from Wu's isle,
Feeding horses, we climb the Chu mountains.
Our path goes through the fields of Liang and Song,
The road passes between Zhou and Zheng.
Ahead we ascend the road to Yangcheng,
At dusk we gaze toward the Three Rivers.
In the past, when fortune ceased its cycle,
The founding began with the aid of sages and worthies.
The Yi and Gu rivers have no ferries,
The terraces and halls lack even a single rafter.
Palace steps are full of nests,
City streets are all wild fields.
On this journey I have wasted the fair season,
Returning, I have often met with blame and delay.
My heart, like a tumbleweed, is already thus,
Drifting and fluttering, just the same.
Meaning
The poet records his journey from Wu to Luoyang on a diplomatic mission, vividly depicting the desolation of the former capital after war and expressing his own sense of drift and disappointment.
换下常服整饬随行队伍，启程上路、困于险隘艰难。水行振楫自吴洲出发，陆行秣马登上楚山。路途走出梁宋的郊野，大道经由周郑之间。前行登上阳城古道，日暮遥望三川形胜。想那往古终止厄运之时，经营初创全赖圣君贤臣。如今伊水谷水断绝渡口，台馆宫室不留一尺椽。宫殿阶陛多生鸟巢，城市街巷尽是荒田。行役虚度了大好年华，归来屡遭过失谪迁。我这蓬草般的心思已然如此，飘泊无依也恰恰一般。
Appreciation
Yan Yanzhi wrote this poem during his mission to Luoyang after Liu Yu's Northern Expedition. He contrasts the glorious past with the ruined present, using precise couplets to convey both historical lament and personal sorrow.
【白话串讲】 颜延之奉命出使洛阳，看到的是：“宫陛多巢穴，城市尽荒阡”——宫殿成了鸟窝，城市全是荒路。东晋人眼里的故都洛阳，已经残破不堪。 【意象与手法】 此诗以行程为经、以今昔对照为纬。前四联叙出使路线，脉络清晰如游记；中二联陡入感慨，「在昔辍期运，经始阔圣贤」追慕古圣创制，「伊谷绝津济……城市尽荒阡」以四句排比写今日残破；末以「蓬心」「飞薄」自况，将行役之艰与身世之飘绾合。典重密丽，对仗精严，具颜诗「镂金错彩」之貌。 【情感与主旨】 颜延之（384—456），东晋末至刘宋文坛「元嘉三大家」之一。此诗约作于东晋义熙十二年（416）随刘裕北伐、途经洛阳时。时晋军收复洛阳，延之奉使慰劳，目睹这座昔日都城残破荒凉、宫阙成墟，遂作此以记行兼寄慨，暗含对晋室衰微、盛世不再的悲慨。 【名句点睛】 命题方向：①概括诗人笔下洛阳的破败景象（抓「绝津济」「无尺椽」「多巢穴」「尽荒阡」等句）；②「经始阔圣贤」的追慕之意；③「蓬心」用《庄子》典的自况深意；④纪行与怀古结合的章法。
Background
Yan Yanzhi (384–456) was one of the 'Three Masters of the Yuanjia Period' in the Liu Song dynasty. This poem was composed around 416 CE when he accompanied Liu Yu on a northern expedition and was sent to Luoyang. Witnessing the war-torn capital overrun by nests and weeds, he wrote this travel poem infused with historical reflection.
颜延之（384—456），字延年，琅琊临沂人，东晋末至刘宋文坛「元嘉三大家」之一，与谢灵运、鲍照并称，其诗典雅密丽，号称「镂金错彩」。此诗约作于东晋义熙十二年（416），时刘裕率晋军北伐后秦，攻克洛阳，颜延之奉使慰劳，途经洛阳。永嘉之乱后，西晋覆灭，洛阳先陷刘曜、石勒，历经战乱，残破不堪；刘裕北伐虽收复洛阳，然故都宫阙已成丘墟。颜延之目睹昔日帝都的荒凉景象，抚今追昔，遂作此诗记行兼寄慨。诗中「伊谷绝津济，台馆无尺椽」「宫陛多巢穴，城市尽荒阡」直写战乱后洛阳的衰败，暗含对晋室衰微、盛世不再的悲慨；末以「蓬心」「飞薄」自况，又把自己的行役之艰与飘零身世融入其中。此诗纪行与怀古结合，是元嘉纪行诗的名篇，也是研究东晋末洛阳残破状况的珍贵史料。又此诗写于刘裕北伐成功、东晋威权复振之际，然诗人目睹洛阳荒废，感慨的却是「在昔辍期运，经始阔圣贤」的盛世难再，可见其目光不在当前的军事胜利，而在历史的长远兴废；这种「以史为鉴」的沉潜心态，正是元嘉士人由玄言转向实证、由放达转向忧患的标志，此诗可为见证，也是研究东晋末年至刘宋初年社会心理的珍贵史料。
Art
The poem uses the journey as a thread and juxtaposes past and present. The first four couplets narrate the route like a travelogue. The middle two shift to lament the loss of ancient sage rulers, then describe Luoyang's desolation with four parallel lines. The final two compare himself to a tumbleweed, blending travel hardship with personal fate. The diction is dense and ornate, with strict parallelism, characteristic of Yan's 'carved and embroidered' style.
此诗以行程为经、以今昔对照为纬，章法井然。前四联叙出使路线：首联「改服饬徒旅，首路跼险难」写整装启程、路途艰险，点出使命之重；颔联「振楫发吴洲，秣马陵楚山」写水陆兼程，自吴洲振楫、登楚山秣马；颈联「涂出梁宋郊，道由周郑间」写途经梁宋、周郑，地名迭出，如游记之线路图；「前登阳城路，日夕望三川」写登阳城而望三川，抵达洛阳，脉络清晰。中二联陡入感慨：「在昔辍期运，经始阔圣贤」追慕往古圣贤创制之盛，「伊谷绝津济，台馆无尺椽」「宫陛多巢穴，城市尽荒阡」以四句排比写今日残破，荒凉满纸，今昔对照，如两幅画并置。末联「蓬心既已矣，飞薄殊亦然」以《庄子》「蓬之心」自况，将行役之艰与身世之飘绾合，收束沉郁。全诗典重密丽，对仗精严，具颜诗「镂金错彩」之貌，而无谢灵运的繁芜，是元嘉诗风的典型代表。全诗纪行以实写路线，怀古以铺陈荒凉，自伤以典自况，三段各尽其妙而气脉贯通，正见颜延之「铺锦列绣」而不失骨力之长；且地名、典故密集而不觉堆砌，对仗精严而气势沉雄，是元嘉诗「尚巧似、善用事」而能出以情感的典范。
Allusions
Yangcheng and Three Rivers are ancient names for Luoyang's geography. 'Fortune ceased its cycle' alludes to the Mandate of Heaven. 'Like a tumbleweed' from Zhuangzi expresses rootlessness. These allusions from classics and histories match the poet's scholarly status.
此诗用典雅正，多取经史，正合颜延之「经纶文雅」的士大夫身份。「阳城」「三川」皆洛阳古地名：阳城为夏禹所都之邑，三川指河、洛、伊三水，故以「登阳城」「望三川」标识故都形胜，暗含「天下之中」的历史纵深。「期运」用《尚书》「历数在躬」之意，指王朝的气运命数，「在昔辍期运」写往古时运之盛；「经始阔圣贤」之「经始」出《诗经·大雅·灵台》「经始灵台，经之营之」，本指营建之始，此处以圣贤经营创建写洛阳昔日的开创之盛。「蓬心」出《庄子·逍遥游》「今子有五石之瓠，何不虑以为大樽而浮乎江湖……则夫子犹有蓬之心也夫」，蓬之心喻见识浅陋、如蓬草之心不实，颜延之自谦而兼自伤，以蓬草飘转喻己之行役飘零。「飞薄」状飘泊无依，与「蓬心」呼应。诸典或明用经书、或暗含庄骚，皆贴切沉郁，为全诗增添历史纵深感。又「宫陛多巢穴」之「巢穴」，暗用《诗经·王风·黍离》「彼黍离离，彼稷之苗」的黍离之悲传统，以宫阙为鸟巢写故都之荒，与《黍离》以禾黍写宗庙之墟异曲同工，皆为「亡国之痛」的经典意象；「台馆无尺椽」则以「尺椽」之微写台馆之毁，以少总多，笔法冷峻，正见颜诗用典之外，亦长于白描的功力。
Commentary
Shen Yue in the Book of Song praised Yan Yanzhi's literary excellence. Zhong Rong in the Shipin ranked him in the middle grade, noting his style originates from Lu Ji, favoring clever similarity and ornate construction. Qing critic Shen Deqian admired the couplet 'The founding began with the aid of sages and worthies' for its depth. Modern critics compare Yan, Xie, and Bao, noting Yan's 'brocade and embroidery' style; this poem shows his dignified and refined character.
此诗历来为选家与评论家所重。沈约《宋书·颜延之传》称其「文章之美，冠绝当时」，又以「铺锦列绣，雕缋满眼」评其文风，移评此诗亦甚恰当。钟嵘《诗品》列颜延之于中品，谓「其源出于陆机，尚巧似，体裁绮密」，此诗正见其「绮密」之貌：地名、典故密集铺排，对仗精严，然气脉贯通，无堆砌之病。清人沈德潜《古诗源》录此诗，赏其「经始阔圣贤」一联之沉郁，谓其于绮丽中见骨力。近人论元嘉诗，多以颜、谢、鲍并称，而三人面目各别：谢灵运以山水清发胜，鲍照以俊逸遒上胜，颜延之以典重密丽胜，此诗正是颜诗风格的代表。王夫之《古诗评选》亦谓其「密而能畅」，于严整的格律中见情感的流动，是元嘉纪行诗中难得的气骨兼胜之作。又此诗在后世评价中亦有争议：或赏其典重，或嫌其繁缛，然纪行、怀古、自伤三者并包于一诗，在元嘉诗中实属少见，故萧统《文选》特录此诗，可见其在六朝文学中的代表地位；近人论元嘉诗，每以此诗与谢灵运《登池上楼》、鲍照《芜城赋》并观，以为南朝文学由绮靡转向沉郁的先声，其意义不可轻忽，亦是研究颜延之诗风演变的重要篇目。
Prosody
Line by line
改服饬徒旅，首路跼险难。
Changing clothes and ordering the traveling company, the journey begins in difficulty and danger.
换下常服整饬随行队伍，启程上路、困于险隘艰难。
I change clothes and order my traveling party; the road begins in hardship and danger.
首联写启程，点出使役之始与路途艰险。「改服饬徒旅」写换下常服、整饬随从队伍——「改服」二字见出奉命出使的郑重，非寻常出行，而是有使命在身的行役；「饬」为整饬之义，写整队之严整，见出使前的郑重其事。「首路跼险难」写刚启程便困于险难——「跼」为屈曲不伸之义，写山路险隘、行步维艰，如人屈身于狭径；「险难」点明路途之艰。两句一写整装之郑重，一写行路之艰难，出使的使命之重与路途之险已然并置，为全诗纪行的展开定下基调，也暗伏后文「游役去芳时」的辛劳之叹。
The opening couplet writes the departure, naming the beginning of the embassy and the road's danger. I change clothes and order my traveling party writes the official change of dress and the orderly party - the solemnity of a diplomatic mission, not ordinary travel. The road begins in hardship and danger writes the cramped, difficult path from the start. The two lines set the mission's weight and the road's hazard side by side, establishing the tone for the journey's record.
振楫发吴洲，秣马陵楚山。
I ply my oars from Wu isles; I feed my horses and cross Chu hills.
水行振楫自吴洲出发，陆行秣马登上楚山。
I ply my oars from the Wu isles; I feed my horses and cross the Chu hills.
颔联写水陆兼程，以对仗铺叙行程之远。「振楫发吴洲」写水路：振起船桨，自吴洲出发——「振楫」写奋桨行舟之态，见行色之壮；「秣马陵楚山」写陆路：喂饱战马，登上楚山——「秣马」写喂马备行之细，「陵」为登、越之义，写翻山越岭之艰。两句一水一陆、一舟一马，对仗工稳，地名「吴洲」「楚山」标示行程由东南向中原推进，空间跨度极大。以两组动作（振楫、秣马）写水陆兼程的劳顿，以两个地名（吴洲、楚山）写行程之辽远，炼字精严而气象开阔，是典型的元嘉「尚巧似」笔法，也为下文「涂出梁宋郊」的继续前行蓄势。
This couplet writes the combined water-and-land journey. I ply my oars from the Wu isles writes the water route; I feed my horses and cross the Chu hills writes the land route. One water, one land; one boat, one horse; the place names Wu isles and Chu hills mark the journey from the southeast toward the central plain. The two action pairs - ply oars, feed horses - give the journey's fatigue; the two place names give its vastness. This is the Yuanjia period's skillful realism, preparing the road ahead.
前登阳城路，日夕望三川。
Forward I climb the Yangcheng road; at sunset I gaze toward the Three Rivers.
前行登上阳城古道，日暮遥望三川形胜。
I climb forward onto the Yangcheng road; at sunset I gaze toward the Three Rivers.
此二句写抵达洛阳之前，登高遥望故都，是全诗由纪行转入怀古的枢纽。「前登阳城路」写继续前行，登上阳城古道——阳城为夏禹所都之邑，历来为中原形胜之地，着一「阳城」便见历史纵深；「日夕望三川」写日暮时分遥望三川——三川指河、洛、伊三水，即洛阳所在，故「望三川」即望洛阳。日夕登高，遥望故都，暮色苍茫之中，历史与现实的感慨已油然而生：这曾是圣贤经始、繁华冠绝的帝都，如今将呈现怎样的面目？两句以行程之末点出洛阳在望，既是纪行的收束，又是怀古的起兴，起承转合之际，全诗由纪行转入感慨，章法极见经营。
These two lines write the approach to Luoyang, the turning point from journey-record to nostalgia. I climb forward onto the Yangcheng road: Yangcheng is the ancient capital of Yu the Great, carrying historical depth. At sunset I gaze toward the Three Rivers: the Three Rivers are the Yi, Luo, and He, the region of Luoyang. The sunset gaze toward the old capital - in the dusk, history and present meet. This couplet closes the journey narrative and opens the reflection, marking the poem's structural turn.
伊谷绝津济，台馆无尺椽。
The Yi and Gu rivers have ferries no more; towers and pavilions lack a single rafter.
如今伊水谷水断绝渡口，台馆宫室不留一尺椽。
The Yi and Gu rivers have no ferries; terraces and halls lack even a foot of rafter.
此二句写洛阳残破之状，是全诗今昔对照的「今」。「伊谷绝津济」写伊水、谷水渡口断绝——「绝」字写津渡荒废，舟楫不通，昔日通衢如今断绝，水路的荒废即人烟的凋零；「台馆无尺椽」写台榭馆舍不留一椽——「无尺椽」以夸张写宫殿尽毁，连一尺屋椽都不曾留下，当年雕梁画栋的台馆，如今荡然无存。两句一水一陆、一渡一馆，以「绝」「无」两个否定词写尽荒凉，与颔联「振楫发吴洲」的水陆兼程形成对照：来时水陆通途，到时津渡断绝，行役之艰与都城之荒交织，触目惊心，把战乱后洛阳的残破写得如在目前。
These two lines write Luoyang's ruin, the present in the poem's contrast. The Yi and Gu rivers have no ferries: cut-off writes the abandoned crossings, water routes dead. Terraces and halls lack even a foot of rafter: not-a-single-rafter hyperbolizes the total destruction. The two negative verbs - cut and lack - exhaust the desolation. Compared with the earlier water-and-land journey, the roads that were passable are now cut off; the ruin is visible, shocking.
宫陛多巢穴，城市尽荒阡。
Palace steps are full of bird nests; the city streets are all wild fields.
宫殿阶陛多生鸟巢，城市街巷尽是荒田。
Palace steps are full of bird nests; city streets are all wild footpaths.
此二句续写洛阳残破，以「宫陛」「城市」的今昔对照深化悲慨。「宫陛多巢穴」写宫殿的阶陛上多生鸟巢——「宫陛」本为天子临朝之地，如今竟成鸟雀筑巢之所，「多巢穴」三字以鸟巢写宫殿之荒废，昔日之威仪与今日之荒凉对照，触目惊心；「城市尽荒阡」写城市街巷尽成荒田——「尽」字极写荒芜之广，当年车马喧阗的市井，如今满目荒阡，人烟绝迹。两句以「宫陛」与「城市」对举，以「巢穴」与「荒阡」对写，把帝王之居与市井之地的双重荒废写尽，是「黍离麦秀」之悲的元嘉版。四句排比至此收束，洛阳之残破毕现，为末联「蓬心」「飞薄」的自伤提供了最沉重的背景。
These two lines continue the ruin, deepening the grief through palace and city contrast. Palace steps are full of bird nests: palace steps were the emperor's audience place, now birds nest there. City streets are all wild footpaths: exhausted writes the wasteland's breadth - the former market is now wild fields. The couplet sets palace against city, nests against wild paths, exhausting the double ruin of the imperial dwelling and the marketplace. This is the Yuanjia version of the millet-on-the-capital grief.
蓬心既已矣，飞薄殊亦然。
My tufted heart is what it is; my drifting, too, is no different.
我这蓬草般的心思已然如此，飘泊无依也恰恰一般。
My thistledown heart is already so; my drifting flight is just the same.
结联以《庄子》之典自况，将行役之艰与身世之飘绾合收束。「蓬心」出《庄子·逍遥游》「夫子犹有蓬之心也夫」，蓬之心喻见识浅陋、如蓬草之心般蓬松不实，颜延之自谦其才识，而「既已矣」三字更含无奈：蓬心既已如此，夫复何言——是自谦，更是自伤；「飞薄殊亦然」写飘泊无依之状亦复如此——「飞薄」状如飞蓬之飘转无定，「殊亦然」写这飘泊正如蓬草之飞，与「蓬心」呼应成文。以蓬草自况，既写行役之飘零，又暗喻身世之浮沉：目睹帝都之荒废，遂觉一己之飘零亦与之一同，家国之悲与身世之感在此合一，收束全诗，沉郁苍凉，余味不尽。
The closing couplet uses the Zhuangzi allusion for self-comparison, tying the journey's hardship to the poet's drifting. My thistledown heart is already so uses the Zhuangzi allusion of the tufted heart - shallow, puffed, as thistledown - as self-deprecation, with an added resignation: what can be said? My drifting flight is just the same: flying thistledown drifting, just like the tufted heart. The thistledown image ties the journey's wandering to the poet's life's drift. Witnessing the capital's ruin, the poet feels his own drifting is of a piece with it; the national grief and personal fate merge here, closing the poem in desolation.
Study
Word focus
Related Reading
Both from the Wei-Jin period, one expresses official mission sorrow over the capital, the other celebrates pastoral reclusion. They show the diversity of poetic themes.
陶渊明《归园田居》与颜延之《北使洛》同出魏晋诗坛，而取向迥异：《归园田居》「久在樊笼里，复得返自然」写弃官归田的喜悦，「暧暧远人村，依依墟里烟」以白描写田园之静美，语言平淡自然，如出水芙蓉；《北使洛》则写奉命出使、途经洛阳，「伊谷绝津济，台馆无尺椽」以对仗铺陈写都城之荒废，语言典重密丽，如错彩镂金。一归隐田园、一奉命行役；一平淡、一绮密。二诗并观，正可见魏晋诗坛的两大风格——陶之自然与颜之雕琢，钟嵘《诗品》即以「文体省净」许陶、以「体裁绮密」评颜，此二诗正是两种诗风的最佳注脚。
拟行路难·其一 Imitating 'Hard Is the Way of the World' (I) 鲍照 · 同为元嘉诗人，风格对照 Different (same dynasty/style: Yan is ornate and dense, Bao is vigorous and rugged)Both are among the 'Three Masters of Yuanjia'. Comparing them highlights Yan's 'carved and embroidered' style versus Bao's 'sharp and upward' style.
鲍照《拟行路难·其一》与颜延之《北使洛》同出元嘉诗坛，为「元嘉三大家」中颜、鲍风格对照的样本：颜诗「改服饬徒旅，首路跼险难」以严整的对仗、典重的语言写纪行，密丽而庄重；鲍诗「奉君金卮之美酒，玳瑁玉匣之雕琴」以参差的句式、奔放的语言写不平之鸣，「人生亦有命，安能行叹复坐愁」直抒胸臆，遒劲而激越。一以「错彩镂金」胜，一以「凌厉遒上」胜；一纪行怀古、一抒怀言志。二诗并观，可见元嘉诗坛颜、鲍两大风格的对立与互补，亦可体会南朝诗歌由典重走向俊逸的演变轨迹。