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魏晋 Wei-Jin · 诗 Poem

饮酒·其四

Drinking Wine (IV)

陶渊明

Tao Yuanming

饮酒Drinking Wine 菊花Chrysanthemum 归隐Seclusion 陶渊明Tao Yuanming

秋菊有佳色，裛露掇其英。
泛此忘忧物，远我遗世情。
一觞虽独进，杯尽壶自倾。
日入群动息，归鸟趋林鸣。
啸傲东轩下，聊复得此生。

The autumn chrysanthemum has a lovely hue,
I pick its petals dripping with morning dew.
I float them in wine that banishes sorrow,
And distance myself from worldly cares I know.
Though I drink alone, one cup after another,
When the cup is empty, the pot pours another.
The sun sets, all motion ceases,
Birds return to the woods with cries.
I whistle and sing under the eastern eaves,
Content to live this life as I please.

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Meaning

The poet picks chrysanthemum petals in the morning dew, steeps them in wine, and drinks alone. As the sun sets and birds return to the woods, he feels at peace with his secluded life. The poem expresses a serene acceptance of a simple, reclusive existence.

秋天的菊花有着美好的姿色，带着晨露我采摘下它的花瓣；把这忘忧的酒斟满，便远离了弃世遁俗的孤情。虽然只是一人独饮，杯空了壶便自然倾斟。太阳落山、万物归于沉寂，归巢的鸟儿飞向林间啼鸣；我在东窗之下长啸傲然，姑且就这样安度此生。

Appreciation

The poem uses crisp natural imagery—chrysanthemum, dew, wine, returning birds—to create a tranquil scene. The act of picking dewy petals shows deep affection for the flower. The contrast between the poet's solitary drinking and the harmony of nature underscores his contentment. The final line 'whistle and sing under the eastern eaves' captures the poet's carefree spirit.

【白话串讲】秋菊沾着露水，陶渊明采来泡酒，一个人喝，喝完看着归鸟回林。“啸傲东轩下，聊复得此生”——他在最普通的日常里，找到了自由。【意象与手法】善用白描与兴寄，“秋菊有佳色，裛露掇其英”以细腻动作写爱菊之忱；“泛此忘忧物，远我遗世情”由物及心，转折自然【情感与主旨】陶渊明《饮酒》二十首约作于义熙十三年（417）前后，时值晋宋易代前夕，诗人归隐已久而世乱未已【名句点睛】常考菊、酒、归鸟意象的象征意义（孤高、忘忧、返朴），及“啸傲东轩下，聊复得此生”所体现的隐逸情怀

Background

This is the fourth of twenty poems in Tao Yuanming's 'Drinking Wine' series, written around 417 AD, on the eve of the Jin-Song transition. Tao had long retired from official life amid ongoing turmoil. The poem depicts an autumn day of solitary drinking, seeking inner peace through chrysanthemum and wine, implicitly rejecting worldly strife.

《饮酒》二十首是陶渊明晚年最重要的组诗，据组诗前小序自述，作于闲居寡欢、夜长独酌之时。王瑶、袁行霈诸家系年多定在义熙十三年（417年）前后，时值晋宋易代前夕，刘裕权势日盛而禅代在即，陶渊明辞彭泽令归隐已十余年，躬耕浔阳柴桑，于世乱未已中坚守田园。序中所谓「偶有名酒，无夕不饮」，点明这一组诗并非一时一地之作，而是长期饮酒自娱、乘醉题句的累积，其四居组诗较早位置，写秋日菊酒独酌之乐。陶渊明（365—427），字元亮，一说名潜字渊明，号五柳先生，浔阳柴桑人，曾祖陶侃为晋大司马。其集版本以宋刻递修本《陶渊明集》十卷为最早，另有《文选》所收诸篇可资校勘。此诗文字各本大体一致，仅「啸傲东轩下」句，个别选本或作「啸歌」，义近而微别。就本事而言，诗中以菊、酒、归鸟三事并陈，皆是陶诗反复咏叹的自我象征，此篇写「裛露掇英」「杯尽壶倾」的细节动作，较之其五「采菊东篱下」的静态剪影，更见爱菊之忱与独饮之态，可视为组诗中偏重纪实的一章。此诗在《陶渊明集》诸本与《文选》中的文字大体相同，唯末句「啸傲东轩下」一作「啸歌」，盖「傲」与「歌」形近而讹，然「傲」字更能见其兀傲自适之气，故今本多从之。就诗中所写时序而言，菊、露、日入、归鸟皆是秋日的物候，与组诗序中「夜已长」的秋夜氛围一致，可知其四与组诗诸篇同属一个秋日独酌的创作情境。清人邱嘉穗《东山草堂陶诗笺》尝谓此诗「写独酌之趣，不落言筌」，正点出其以纪实之笔传隐逸之神的特点。

Art

Tao excels in plain description and subtle symbolism. 'The autumn chrysanthemum has a lovely hue, I pick its petals dripping with morning dew' uses delicate action to show affection. 'I float them in wine that banishes sorrow, and distance myself from worldly cares' moves from object to feeling naturally. The closing lines describe sunset and birds returning, a scene that merges setting, wine, and emotion, achieving profound simplicity.

此诗章法以时间为序，从晨采菊、昼饮酒写到日入鸟归、东轩长啸，一日之内的起居行止构成完整的抒情时间线。首二句「秋菊有佳色，裛露掇其英」是纯白描，「佳色」二字总摄菊之姿容，「裛露」「掇英」两个连续动作写出诗人对菊的珍重，露水未干而采撷，非为服用而实为赏玩，一种近乎仪式感的爱惜跃然纸上。三四句「泛此忘忧物，远我遗世情」由物及心，「泛」字写酒之斟满流动，带出「忘忧物」的指称，又以「远」字将酒的功能升华为精神的疏离，转折自然。五六句「一觞虽独进，杯尽壶自倾」写独饮而不言孤寂，杯壶相依的自在反见其乐。七八句「日入群动息，归鸟趋林鸣」转写黄昏外景，以万物归静的秩序呼应诗人心境的安宁。末二句「啸傲东轩下，聊复得此生」以「聊复」二字收束，不作高调而存谦抑之态。全篇不用一典、不设议论，纯以白描与兴寄取胜。苏轼评陶诗「质而实绮，癯而实腴」，正可用作此篇注脚——字面朴素至极，而菊之孤高、酒之忘忧、鸟之返朴三层意脉暗相勾连，构成陶诗隐逸精神的完整投影。后世论此诗者，多与「采菊东篱下」并称，然其五以「悠然」二字见神，此篇以「啸傲」二字见骨，一静一动，一虚一实，恰成对映。通篇无一字言乐而乐自在，无一字言傲而傲自见，正是陶诗「不烦绳削而自合」的艺术境界。

Allusions

'Wine that banishes sorrow' (忘忧物) alludes to the idea that wine can dispel worries, a common saying in Jin times. 'Birds return to the woods' echoes the Chu Ci (楚辞) phrase 'the tired bird knows to return home', symbolizing a return to one's true nature. This image appears frequently in Tao's poetry as a metaphor for reclusion.

菊意象的文学源头在屈原。《离骚》有「朝饮木兰之坠露兮，夕餐秋菊之落英」，《九歌·礼魂》有「春兰兮秋菊，长无绝兮终古」，菊在屈赋中已是高洁品格的象征。陶渊明承此传统而将菊从楚辞的巫祀语境移入田园，使之成为隐士的日常伴物，其「秋菊有佳色」一句，实与《离骚》的餐菊之典遥相呼应，而「裛露掇其英」的动作又暗合屈子饮露佩芳的洁身自持。「忘忧物」指酒，其说始见曹操《短歌行》「何以解忧，唯有杜康」，而《诗经·邶风》「我姑酌彼金罍」、《小雅》宴饮诸篇早已奠定酒以忘忧、酒以和乐的传统，陶渊明以「忘忧物」三字概括，将曹公的慷慨悲凉转为田园的澹泊自适。「归鸟」是陶诗独造而又渊源有自的意象，《诗经·王风·君子于役》「鸡栖于埘，日之夕矣，羊牛下来」已写黄昏禽畜归栖的安宁，陶渊明另有《归鸟》四章专咏此意，此诗「归鸟趋林鸣」与《饮酒》其五「飞鸟相与还」同出一辙，皆以鸟归喻己之归隐。学界对「遗世情」一词素有歧说，或解作弃世遁俗之情，或以为「遗」读如遗忘之遗，指酒能使人暂忘尘世之情，二说并存，前者侧重主动高蹈，后者侧重借酒消解，细味「远我遗世情」的句法，以「遗世情」为宾语、酒为远之之具，主遗忘说似更合文理。又「群动」一词，或以为出《庄子·在宥》「万物群生」及嵇康「游心太玄」之语，陶诗用以写日入之后万物的归静，与玄学「返本归真」之义相通，亦可备一说。

Commentary

Su Shi admired Tao's drinking poems, saying they were 'hard to exhaust in praise'. Zhu Guangqian commented that Tao shows greatness in tranquility. This poem, with its depiction of picking chrysanthemum, drinking alone, and watching birds return, exemplifies Tao's ability to find spiritual peace in ordinary activities.

钟嵘《诗品》列陶渊明于中品，称其为「古今隐逸诗人之宗」，这一断语几乎成为后世论陶的定评，而《饮酒》二十首正是这一宗风的最集中体现。萧统《陶渊明集序》推许其「文章不群，辞采精拔，跌宕昭彰，独超众类」，又惜其「白璧微瑕，唯在《闲情》一赋」，足见梁代士流对陶文的重视。苏轼晚年和陶诗百余首，其评「质而实绮，癯而实腴」八字，将陶诗表面的枯淡与内在的丰腴并提，最能揭示此篇白描背后的意蕴。黄庭坚亦谓「渊明之诗，要当与一丘一壑共之」，标举其山水田园气象。就具体选本而言，宋蔡正孙《诗林广记》、明钟惺谭元春《古诗归》皆选录《饮酒》组诗并加评点，清沈德潜《古诗源》评其五「悠然见南山」为「忘世」之境，而对此篇则重其菊酒自适的纪实之笔。近人王国维《人间词话》以「无我之境」论「采菊东篱下」一联，实则「裛露掇其英」「啸傲东轩下」数句亦同属以物观物、不著主观色彩的境界。今人袁行霈《陶渊明集笺注》对《饮酒》组诗系年、字句校释最为详赡，已成为研读此篇的基本文献。此外，日本汉学家吉川幸次郎、一海知义诸家于陶诗皆有专论，一海知义《陶渊明》一书尤重《饮酒》组诗的阅读史考察，指出其四虽不如其五传诵之广，然「裛露掇英」的珍重、「啸傲东轩」的自在，实为理解陶渊明晚年心境最直接的入口，其说可补中土笺注之未逮。

Prosody

Form Five-character old-style poem (五言古诗)五言古诗

Rhyme Lines 1,2,4,6,8,10 rhyme (hue/dew, sorrow/know, another/cries, eaves/please) in English approximation; original Chinese rhymes in Geng/Qing ancient rhyme.全诗十句五韵，押平水韵下平八庚韵，韵脚为「英、情、倾、鸣、生」，一韵到底

Tone pattern Steady five-character lines, with a natural flow from picking flowers, drinking, to observing nature and concluding with contentment. The structure moves from action to reflection, blending scene, wine, and philosophy.此为五言古体，不遵近体平仄之律，字句以自然声调为主。首句「秋菊有佳色」为平仄仄平仄，次句「裛露掇其英」为仄仄仄平平，起句即显古体风致，通篇平仄随文意流转，不避仄声连用，如「杯尽壶自倾」五字中「尽」「自」相连，正是古诗本色。

Reading note This poem exemplifies Tao's 'plain and natural' style, sharing the serene mood of the fifth poem in the series ('Building a house in the human realm').此诗是标准的五言古诗，与陶集中《归园田居》《移居》诸篇同属魏晋古体传统，与近体律绝判然有别。全诗押平声庚韵，韵脚「英、情、倾、鸣、生」皆属下平八庚，一韵到底而不换韵，读来音色清亮绵长，与秋菊、晨露、归鸟的清新意象声情相谐。庚韵属开口呼，发音洪亮而不失清雅，正合陶诗冲淡中见精神的品格。古体诗不重平仄粘对，故陶渊明可任其自然，如「日入群动息」为仄仄平仄仄，「归鸟趋林鸣」为平仄平平平，均不合律句规范，然正是这种不假雕琢的声调，构成了古体诗独有的浑朴之美。后世论陶者常谓其诗「不烦绳削而自合」，声律上亦复如此——不求工而自然入古，与谢灵运精心雕琢对偶的山水诗形成鲜明对照。清赵翼《瓯北诗话》尝言陶诗「全在天然，如春蚕吐丝」，验之此篇的用韵与声调，斯言诚为不虚也。

Line by line

秋菊有佳色

The autumn chrysanthemums have a lovely hue.

秋天的菊花有着美好的姿色

The autumn chrysanthemums put on a beautiful appearance.

五字之中「佳色」二字是全句眼目，不描形状、不摹颜色，仅以「佳」字虚写其美，反觉神韵完足。菊开于秋，与春花的秾丽不同，其美在孤清，「佳」字恰好避开了艳俗的形容，与陶渊明冲淡的笔调相合。此句又是全篇的起点，以菊起兴，既点明节令，又为后文采菊、饮酒、归鸟埋下伏线。陶诗咏菊多不言色香而重其精神，此处一个「佳」字，正是不著色相而尽得风流，较之后来咏菊者堆砌「黄花」「金英」等字面，愈见其格调之高。

Within these five characters, 'lovely hue' is the key. The poet does not draw the shape or name the color; he uses the single word 'lovely' to evoke the beauty, and the suggestion is complete. Chrysanthemums bloom in autumn, and unlike the lush flowers of spring their beauty is solitary and cool; the word avoids vulgar splendor and matches Tao's restrained tone. The line is also the starting point of the whole poem, introducing the chrysanthemum that will lead into the gathering of flowers, the drinking of wine, and the returning birds. Tao's chrysanthemums are less about color and scent than about spirit, and this single word 'lovely' achieves all grace without naming any—higher than later poems that pile on 'yellow bloom' and 'golden flower.'

泛此忘忧物

I float in this sorrow-forgetting thing.

把这忘忧的酒斟满，便远离了弃世遁俗的孤情

I fill the cup with this care-banishing wine, and let the lonely longing to flee the world drift away.

「泛」字写斟酒之状，酒满而溢、浮光流动，与后文「杯尽壶自倾」相呼应，见出独酌时的从容。以「忘忧物」指酒，是陶渊明的创格，将曹操「何以解忧，唯有杜康」的悲慨化为田园闲居中的自适，酒在此不是麻醉，而是通向心灵自由的媒介。全诗由采菊过渡到饮酒，菊之清与酒之醇并举，构成隐士生活两个最鲜明的物质象征。此句又暗含一层自我宽解——既已忘忧，则尘世的得失荣辱皆可放下，为末句「聊复得此生」蓄势。

The word 'float' describes the pouring of wine, brimming and shimmering, answering the later line about the cup emptied and the pot tipping of itself, and showing the leisure of drinking alone. To call wine a 'sorrow-forgetting thing' is Tao's own coinage, transforming Cao Cao's desperate 'what can banish sorrow? only Dukang' into the ease of rural retirement: wine here is not anesthesia but a passage toward inner freedom. The poem moves from gathering chrysanthemums to drinking wine, the clarity of the flower and the richness of the brew standing together as the two most vivid emblems of the recluse's life. It also carries a quiet self-consolation: once sorrow is forgotten, the gains and losses of the world may be set down.

日入群动息

The sun sets and all movement falls still.

太阳落山、万物归于沉寂

The sun goes down, and the noise of ten thousand things settles into silence.

此句由日间独饮转入黄昏即景，「日入」点时间，「群动息」写万籁渐寂，其意脉可上溯《诗经·王风·君子于役》的日夕鸡栖之景。天地万物在日落时归于静息，这一自然的节律反衬出诗人内心的安宁，所谓「群动」既指禽鸟虫豸，也暗喻人世间奔竞扰攘的俗务，如今皆随日入而止。此句与下句「归鸟趋林鸣」连读，一静一动、一息一鸣，静中有动而不失秩序，正是陶诗写黄昏最精妙的笔法，与「山气日夕佳」同属将日常景致升华为生命领悟的典范。

This line moves from daytime solitary drinking to an evening scene. 'The sun sets' fixes the hour; 'all movement falls still' renders the gradual hush of the world, an image that reaches back to the Book of Songs' roosting chickens at dusk. All heaven and earth grows quiet with sunset, and this natural rhythm sets off the peace within the poet's mind. 'All movement' means not only birds and insects but, covertly, the restless scramble of human affairs, now ended with the day. Read together with the next line about the returning bird calling in the woods, one still, one sounding, stillness containing movement without losing order—it is Tao's finest way of writing dusk, raising an ordinary scene into an insight into living.

啸傲东轩下

I whistle and hold myself proud beneath the eastern porch.

我在东窗之下长啸傲然，姑且就这样安度此生

I whistle aloud, proudly, beneath my eastern window, and for now I let my life pass as it will.

「啸傲」二字是全篇精神的集中爆发。啸是魏晋名士抒情言志的特有方式，《世说新语》载阮籍、孙登之啸，皆有遗世独立的意味，陶渊明以「啸」自况，正承此风气而以平淡出之。「东轩」是家居之所在，于自家窗下长啸，见出隐居者的自在与尊严。「聊复得此生」的「聊复」二字尤须细味，不作高蹈之谈，只道姑且如此安度此身，谦抑之中反而见出对生命真意的把握。此句与其五「此中有真意，欲辨已忘言」一实一虚，共同完成《饮酒》组诗对人生归宿的回答。

The words 'whistle and hold myself proud' are the poem's concentrated spiritual outburst. The 'whistle' was the characteristic way Wei-Jin gentlemen gave vent to feeling—the New Tales records Ruan Ji and Sun Deng whistling with an air above the world—and Tao adopts it in his own plain manner. The 'eastern porch' is his own home, and whistling beneath his own window shows the recluse's ease and dignity. The word 'for now' in the following line deserves close attention: it offers no high-sounding claim, only that he will let his life pass as it is, and within that modesty lies the grasp of what life truly means. Together with the fifth poem's 'herein lies a true meaning, but I have forgotten the words,' it completes the series' answer to where a life should land.

Study

Word focus

裛 'yi' – to wet or soak; 'the dew-wet petals' – a refined word adding elegance. 「裛」本义为沾湿、浸润，此句作「裛露」，写菊花为露水所沾湿之态。陶渊明用此字而不用「沾」「带」等常见字，正在其古雅而含蓄，「裛」字兼含润泽与芬芳两重意味，令人想见晨露微凝、花瓣含珠的清新景象。此字源出《诗经》以来歌咏露水草木的传统，陶诗取之入五言，既见其熟稔古辞，又使全句平添一层清润之气。与「掇其英」连读，「裛露」是采撷的前提，露未干而即采，可见诗人起行之早与爱菊之切，一字之间，节令、时辰、情态俱出，正是陶诗炼字藏于平淡的典型。

掇 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「掇」义为拾取、摘取，动作幅度小而用意深。《诗经·周南·芣苢》有「采采芣苢，薄言掇之」，此字早有采撷之义的源流，陶渊明移以写摘菊，既合古义，又暗通《诗经》采撷起兴的抒情传统。「掇其英」三字尤见匠心，菊之可掇者唯其花瓣，一个「掇」字写尽诗人俯身摘取花英的轻柔动作，与「采」的笼统、「折」的粗暴截然有别，透出对菊的珍护。此句与《离骚》「夕餐秋菊之落英」遥相呼应，而屈子之餐菊是为服食求洁，陶渊明之掇英则纯为赏玩寄兴，同字而异趣，正见陶公将楚辞的高洁意象化为田园闲趣的功力。

啸 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「啸」是理解全篇精神的关键字。啸非歌非吟，乃撮口作声，其来有自，郑玄注《诗经》「其啸也歌」谓啸为「蹙口而出声」，至魏晋时啸已成为名士风度与内心郁结外化的标志，《世说新语》中阮籍之啸、孙登之啸皆传为美谈。陶渊明在田园隐居的生活中，于东轩之下长啸，所啸者不是激越的抗争，而是安贫乐道的自适，故以「傲」字相配，见其虽处穷居而不失气骨。此字将魏晋士人的放达之风与田园生活的恬淡之趣融于一处，使全诗平淡的基调中透出一股倔强，正是陶诗「金刚怒目」与「悠然自得」两面的微妙统一。