魏晋 Wei-Jin · 诗 Poem
归园田居·其三
Return to the Garden and Fields, No. 3
种豆南山下,草盛豆苗稀。
晨兴理荒秽,带月荷锄归。
道狭草木长,夕露沾我衣。
衣沾不足惜,但使愿无违。
Weeds flourish, bean sprouts are few.
At dawn I rise to clear away the wild,
Shouldering my hoe, I return under the moon.
The path is narrow, grasses and trees grow tall,
Evening dew dampens my clothes.
It's not worth regretting that my clothes are wet,
As long as my wish is not betrayed.
Meaning
The poet describes his daily life of farming: planting beans, weeding, and returning home late. Although labor is hard and the crop is poor, he doesn't mind getting his clothes wet with dew, as long as he can stay true to his heart's desire to live in seclusion.
在南山脚下种下豆子,杂草茂盛而豆苗稀疏;清晨起身去田里锄去荒草,直到月色满天才扛着锄头归来。狭窄的小路上草木茂密,傍晚的露水打湿了我的衣裳;衣裳湿了并不值得惋惜,只求不违背我归隐的心愿。
Appreciation
This poem uses plain language and vivid imagery to depict the poet's genuine experience of farming. The line 'Shouldering my hoe, I return under the moon' beautifully transforms hard work into a poetic scene. The final couplet expresses his unwavering commitment to his ideal of retreat, showing that true freedom lies in following one's heart.
【白话串讲】 陶渊明种豆子,草长得比豆苗还高,他早上扛着锄头去,月亮出来才回家。“衣沾不足惜,但使愿无违”——辛苦,但自由。 【意象与手法】 善用白描与对仗,“晨兴”对“带月”、“理荒秽”对“荷锄归”,工稳自然 【情感与主旨】 陶渊明四十一岁出任彭泽令,八十余日便辞官归隐,此组《归园田居》即义熙二年(406)归田次年所作 【名句点睛】 高频考点为“带月荷锄归”的画面赏析、白描手法及“愿无违”之“愿”的内涵(归隐守志);亦考陶诗平淡自然风格
Background
Tao Yuanming resigned from his post as magistrate of Pengze after only about eighty days and returned to his hometown in 406 AD. This poem was written the following year, during his early days of farming. It reflects his firsthand experience of agricultural labor and his firm resolve to live a recluse's life.
陶渊明《归园田居·其三》是组诗五首中的第三首,约作于东晋义熙二年(406),即诗人辞彭泽令归隐的次年。陶渊明(365—427),字元亮,一名潜,浔阳柴桑人。义熙元年(405),他任彭泽令仅八十余日,因不肯为五斗米折腰向乡里小人,慨然解印去职,赋《归去来兮辞》归隐,从此躬耕终生。此组诗即归田初期所作,写归隐后的田园生活与耕作的甘苦。其三是其中直接写农耕劳作的一首,也是中国诗歌史上最早以平等、亲切笔调正面描写农夫式耕作的名篇之一。在文学传统上,此前诗中的农事多为背景或赋役之叹(如《诗经·七月》写农事艰辛、汉乐府写挽歌),真正以隐士而亲执耒耜、把稼穑写得有滋有味且含哲理的,陶渊明堪称第一人。他出身士族却甘落田园,以耕作自食其力,使田园诗不止于赏玩风景,而落到实处的人与土地的关系。此诗所写的南山,即柴桑附近的庐山;种豆、荷锄、沾露,皆其躬耕实况。版本上此诗文字稳定,唯带月一作戴月,带月更为后世所重,以其更具诗意。
Art
The poem excels in plain description and balanced couplets, such as 'At dawn I rise' matched with 'Shouldering my hoe, I return under the moon'. The transition from scene to feeling to aspiration is natural. The language is simple yet profound, exemplifying Tao's style of being 'plain but rich, lean but full'.
全诗八句,以一日劳作为时间线,由晨至暮、由事及心,章法自然如随笔,却意脉完整。起二句种豆南山下,草盛豆苗稀以白描直写躬耕实况:种豆南山是归隐生活的标志性行为,草盛豆苗稀则毫不掩饰农事的笨拙与收成的堪忧——诗人不讳言自己非老农,反以此见其真诚。三四句晨兴理荒秽,带月荷锄归是千古名句:晨兴对带月,理荒秽对荷锄归,工稳自然,写出从破晓劳作到月出方归的辛劳与从容,带月二字尤见诗意,将披星戴月的苦役化为宁静的画境。五六句道狭草木长,夕露沾我衣补写归途细节,以夕露点明时令与清凉。末二句衣沾不足惜,但使愿无违由事入理,以衣沾不足惜反衬愿无违之重,情绪由外在的劳苦翻转为内心的满足。艺术上,此诗最突出者为白描的鲜活与对仗的自然:全诗几无丽词,却画面宛然;晨兴带月、理荒秽荷锄归两两相对,不事雕琢而自成骈偶。更重要的是它把农事与心志打成一片——劳作的苦(草盛、夕露)与守志的乐(愿无违)相生,体现了陶诗平中见奇、淡中藏味的至高境界。
Allusions
'South Mountain' alludes to the Book of Songs and also echoes Tao's own 'picking chrysanthemums by the eastern fence, gazing at South Mountain.' It symbolizes the poet's dwelling in seclusion. The poem uses no obscure allusions but everyday farm language, reflecting Tao's philosophy of returning to simplicity.
此诗用典极淡,意象多从《诗经》农事诗与隐逸传统化出而归于日常。其一为南山,即柴桑近处的庐山,亦是《饮酒》采菊东篱下,悠然见南山的同一座山,在陶诗中成了隐居与高洁的象征;其渊源可上溯《诗经·小雅·天保》如南山之寿与《古诗》南山之意象,然渊明以实写虚,使南山成为可耕可望的家园之山。其二为荷锄,荷即肩负,锄为农具;荷锄意象承《诗经·周颂·良耜》的农夫形象与《楚辞·离骚》的愿依彭咸之遗则式的躬行,更近陶渊明以农人自居的自我定位,后世王维、孟浩然、韦应物皆袭其荷锄之姿。其三为带月,或作戴月,带月以月为饰、如披月光,化用《诗经·陈风》与汉乐府夜行意象,把劳作归来写得如行画中,比戴月更富诗意与拟人味。其四为愿无违,愿指归隐守志之初衷,无违即不违背本心;其思想根柢在《论语》道不行乘桴浮于海式的守道不阿与《庄子》全真保性,渊明以农事圆其隐志。其五为夕露,承《诗经·郑风》野有蔓草零露漙兮的露意象,以露之清写归途之静。版本上带月、戴月并存,今多从带月本。
Commentary
Su Shi praised Tao's poetry as 'plain but rich, lean but full', and this poem is a perfect example. Zhu Xi noted that Tao's poems, though seemingly plain, contain a boldness that is not easily noticed. This poem captures that spirit of quiet determination.
此诗自唐以来即为田园诗典范,尤以其写躬耕之真著称。钟嵘《诗品》称渊明为隐逸诗人之宗,已定其格。唐代王维《渭川田家》田夫荷锄至、孟浩然《田家元日》田家占气候,皆可见陶的影响;至宋,苏轼前后和陶诗逾百首,其《和陶归园田居》多致意于耕作之乐,显受此诗启发。朱熹谓陶渊明诗平淡出于自然,正合带月荷锄之境;清代沈德潜《古诗源》评陶诗高致绝俗,信笔直书而自有深远。近人梁启超称渊明是唐以前第一个纯任灵性、不受拘束的诗人,其写农事不假粉饰正是灵性之证。此诗的传播史,实即田园审美由赏景到躬行的深化历程:在它之前,诗中的田园多为背景;在它之后,耕作本身成为诗意与人格的承载。现代教育中,带月荷锄归入选教材,与愿无违同成表达坚守本心、不以物喜的常用语。其经典地位,在于以最朴素的八句,把中国文人最珍视的守志安贫、回归自然写到了极致。
Prosody
Line by line
晨兴理荒秽,带月荷锄归。
At dawn I rise to clear weeds; under the moon I shoulder my hoe home. The contrast of dawn and moon highlights a full day's work, yet the tone is serene.
清晨起身去田里锄去荒草,直到月色满天才扛着锄头归来。
At dawn I rise to clear the weeds; under the moon I carry my hoe home.
这是全诗最负盛名的对句,也是陶渊明田园诗美学的凝练表达。晨兴言破晓即起,理荒秽写锄去田间杂草,带月荷锄归则写劳作至月出方归、扛锄踏月而行——从朝至暮的一日辛劳,被浓缩为两个干净的剪影。此句之妙,一在对仗自然:晨兴对带月(时间对时间)、理荒秽对荷锄归(动作对动作),工稳而不板,如话如画;二在带月二字,它把本属苦役的披星戴月,化为静谧优美的月下归途,月光如披、人锄成画,辛劳中透出从容与诗意,比戴月更富拟人与情韵。更深层看,这两句写的是身体的劳苦,却透出心灵的自由:诗人为守本心而甘受耕作之艰,故苦亦成乐、劳亦成美。它与《归园田居·其一》的守拙归园田同一精神,却以具体的一天将此精神坐实。千载之下,带月荷锄归已成为中国文人想象归隐生活时最动人的一个画面,凝聚着对简朴、自足、与天地相往来的生存方式的全部向往。
This is the group's most famous couplet, the condensed expression of Tao's pastoral aesthetic. At-dawn-rise writes rising at first light; clear-the-weeds writes hoeing the field. Under-the-moon-carry-hoe-home writes the return after moonrise, hoe on shoulder, walking home in moonlight. A full day's labor is compressed into two clean silhouettes. The couplet's subtlety is natural parallel: dawn against moon, clear-weeds against hoe-home - refined yet not stiff, like speech like painting. The under-the-moon character converts the starlit drudgery into a quiet, beautiful moonlight return; moonlight as clothing, hoe as painting, labor showing composure. On a deeper level, the physical hardship shows spiritual freedom: Tao endures farming to keep his heart, hence labor becomes beauty. A thousand years on, under-the-moon-carry-hoe-home has become the most moving image in the Chinese scholar's imagination of reclusion, gathering the yearning for simple, self-sufficient life with heaven and earth.
种豆南山下,草盛豆苗稀。
Planting beans at the foot of South Mountain. The weeds are thick but bean sprouts sparse. Honest about the poor yield, showing no pretense.
在南山脚下种下豆子,杂草茂盛而豆苗稀疏;
I planted beans below the southern hill; the weeds are lush, the bean sprouts thin.
这是全诗的起笔,看似平淡,却极见陶渊明人格的真诚。种豆南山下点明归隐后的实在营生——他在庐山脚下真的耕种,不是士大夫的雅玩,而是自食其力的生存;南山二字与《饮酒》采菊东篱下,悠然见南山同一座山,在此由哲理之山转为劳作之山,家园感更强。草盛豆苗稀则毫不掩饰农事的笨拙与收成的堪忧:豆苗被草淹没,显见诗人并非熟手农夫。这一笔的珍贵,在于它的不粉饰——一般田园诗总把农事写得丰饶美好,渊明却老实写出草盛苗稀的尴尬,正因其不讳言拙,反见人格之真。同时,这拙也与《其一》的守拙呼应:正因为守的是拙、是本分,才不在乎收成好坏,只在乎是否亲履此生。两句起得平实,却为后文带月荷锄归的从容与愿无违的坚定铺垫了最坚实的生活地基——所有的诗意,都从这真实的草盛苗稀中生长出来。
This opening seems plain, yet shows Tao's sincerity. Planted-beans-below-the-southern-hill names the real labor after reclusion - he farmed below Mount Lu, not the official's pastoral play, but self-supporting survival. Southern hill is the same mountain as plucking-chrysanthemums-by-the-eastern-fence's southern hill, here turning from philosophical mountain to labor mountain, the home feeling stronger. Weeds-lush-bean-sprouts-thin does not hide the farming clumsiness and doubtful yield: beans drowned in weeds, showing the poet is not an expert farmer. The line's preciousness is its lack of embellishment - pastoral poems usually write rich harvest; Tao honestly writes the lush-weed-thin-sprouts embarrassment. Precisely because he does not hide his clumsiness, his personality is true. This clumsiness echoes the keep-clumsiness of poem 1: because he keeps clumsiness, keeps his simple lot, he does not care about yield, only about living it himself. The plain opening lays the life ground for the later moonlight return.
衣沾不足惜,但使愿无违。
Wet clothes are not worth regretting, as long as my wish is not betrayed. The wish is to live in seclusion; this line reveals the core theme.
衣裳湿了并不值得惋惜,只求不违背我归隐的心愿。
My clothes are wet - no matter; only let my will not be betrayed.
这是全诗的收束与诗眼,由外在的劳苦翻转为内心的满足,完成了从事到心的升华。衣沾承前句夕露沾我衣,写归途露重、衣裳尽湿的实况;不足惜三字一笔抹去这物质的不适,语气轻描淡写,却重若千钧——衣裳湿了算什么?它把身体的辛苦轻量化,为后文的重心让路。但使愿无违则点破全篇主旨:愿指归隐守志、不慕荣利的本心,无违即不违背;只要这颗心未曾动摇,则露湿衣单皆不足道。这两句的逻辑是:农事虽苦(草盛、露沾),但因这是自己选择的、合乎本性的生活,苦亦甘之。它与《归去来兮辞》的乐夫天命复奚疑、《其一》的复得返自然同一归趣,是陶渊明安贫守志哲学的浓缩。一个但使,见出取舍的决绝与清醒;愿无违三字,遂成为后世一切坚守本心者共同的箴言——纵使衣沾、纵使清贫,只要不违其志,便是圆满。
This closing is the poem's eye, turning external hardship into inner satisfaction, completing the ascent from labor to heart. Clothes-wet carries on the evening-dew-wetting-my-clothes, writing the wet return. No-matter three characters wipe away the material discomfort, light tone yet weighty: what is a wet shirt? It lightens the body's hardship, making room for the later focus. Only-let-my-will-not-be-betrayed states the theme: will is the reclusive resolve, no-betrayed means not violated. As long as this heart has not wavered, dew-wet clothes matter not. The logic: farming is hard (lush weeds, wet clothes), but because this is a self-chosen, natural life, hardship is sweet. It shares the归趣 with the return-to-field rhapsody's what-doubt and poem 1's return-to-nature. The only-let shows the decisive clarity of choice; will-not-be-betrayed becomes the shared motto of all who keep their heart.
Study
Word focus
Related Reading
Compare this related work with the poem above through theme, imagery, tone, and emotional movement.
王维《渭川田家》田夫荷锄至,相见语依依,即此羡闲逸,怅然吟式微,与陶渊明《归园田居·其三》同写到农夫荷锄、田园日暮的平和景象,皆以白描见长,语言清淡自然,是田园诗前后呼应的双璧。差异在:陶诗是躬耕者自道——他真在种豆、真在带月荷锄归,带着泥土的踏实与守志的欢欣,苦中有乐;王诗是朝官旁观——他以士大夫之身望田家而羡,终不免怅然吟式微的客位怅惘,乐中带憾。陶诗情感内倾、笃定(愿无违);王诗情感外敛、略含无奈。就意境,陶偏醇厚质朴,王偏清丽空静,已染禅气。二者正见田园诗自东晋(陶,重在躬行与守志)到盛唐(王,重在闲赏与艳羡)的演变,而陶渊明始终是那不可绕过的源头。
和陶归园田居 Matching Tao Yuanming's 'Return to Garden and Field' 苏轼 · 苏轼追和陶渊明,隔代认同其躬耕守志 Related readingCompare this related work with the poem above through theme, imagery, tone, and emotional movement.
苏轼晚年远贬惠州、儋州,先后和陶诗一百余首,其《和陶归园田居》多次致意于耕作之乐(如写亲自种菜、与农人往还),明显受陶渊明《归园田居·其三》影响,尤其带月荷锄归式的月下归途意象,在苏和诗中反复出现。差异在:陶渊明之耕是真实的弃官躬耕,质朴坚定,带着农人的平实与草盛苗稀的坦诚;苏轼之耕更多是在政治挫败中以旷达化解,带着几分潇洒与幽默,且苏诗才气纵横、议论风生,与陶之平淡内敛不同。苏曾叹陶诗质而实绮、癯而实腴,正以此篇为标本。二人合观,构成中国隐逸文学的双子星:陶是隐逸之祖、以拙取胜;苏是隐逸之友、以达取胜。若无渊明愿无违之守,便无东坡那份处变不惊的从容。
归园田居·其一 Return to the Garden and Fields, No. 1 陶渊明 · 同组互参,一写归田之志、一写躬耕之乐 Same series, same theme of retreatNo. 1 expresses the joy of returning to nature, while No. 3 shows the toil and joy of farming. Together they give a fuller picture.
《归园田居·其一》与《其三》同出一组,恰可互证互补。其一定调:少无适俗韵,性本爱丘山总揭归隐之志,守拙归园田、复得返自然写精神上的解脱;其三是这一精神在日常生活中的落实:种豆南山下、带月荷锄归把守拙坐实为真实的耕作,衣沾不足惜,但使愿无违把返自然落实为愿无违的日课。二者一虚一实、一理一事:没有其一的志,其三的劳只是苦役;没有其三的行,其一的志只是空言。合观之,方见陶渊明归隐的完整面貌——既有决然弃官的精神高度,又有亲执耒耜的生活厚度。这也正是《归园田居》组诗的结构匠心:先立其大,再写其细,使田园诗第一次同时具备哲思的深度与泥土的温度。