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魏晋 Wei-Jin · 诗 Poem

游仙诗

Wandering Immortals

郭璞

Guo Pu

游仙Wandering Immortals 玄言Mysterious Discourse 隐逸Seclusion and Reclusion 五言古诗Five-Character Ancient Verse

京华游侠窟，山林隐遁栖。
朱门何足荣？
未若托蓬莱。
临源挹清波，陵岗掇丹荑。
灵谿可潜盘，安事登云梯。
漆园有傲吏，莱氏有逸妻。
进则保龙见，退为触藩羝。
高蹈风尘外，长揖谢夷齐。

In the capital, a den of roving knights; in hills and woods, the recluse dwells apart.
What glory in vermilion gates? Far better to entrust to Penglai isles.
By the source I scoop the clear waves; on the high ridge I pick the crimson shoots.
In the spirit stream one may linger hidden; why bother to climb the cloud ladder?
There was the proud official of Qiyuan, and Laizi's carefree wife.
Advancing, keep the dragon's sight; retreating, be the ram that butts the fence.
Soaring beyond the worldly dust, with a long bow I bid farewell to Boyi and Shuqi.

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Meaning

The poet contrasts the restless life of the capital with the tranquility of mountain seclusion, rejects the glory of wealthy households in favor of the immortal isles, and describes the pleasures of drinking clear waves and gathering crimson herbs. He invokes historical recluses and the Book of Changes to advocate a middle course of cautious withdrawal, and finally declares his resolve to soar beyond the mundane world and surpass even the ancient hermits Boyi and Shuqi.

京城里是游侠聚集的窟穴，山林中才是隐遁栖身之所。朱门豪贵又何足为荣？倒不如托身于蓬莱仙境。临水掬取清波而饮，登山采撷赤色的灵草。灵溪之中可以潜藏盘桓，何必去攀登那入云的阶梯。漆园里有傲世的官吏，莱氏家有逸乐的妻子。进则如龙显现以保身，退则如触藩之羝而知止。高蹈于风尘之外，长揖辞别那伯夷叔齐般的狷介。

Appreciation

This first of Guo Pu's 'Wandering Immortals' poems is a landmark fusion of Mysterious Discourse and the immortal-wandering tradition. It opens by setting 'capital' against 'forest' to reject worldly glory, moves through vivid images of immortal life, and closes with a sweeping gesture that places the poet above even the purest hermits. Beneath the dazzling immortal surface lies a profound anxiety about a turbulent age.

【白话串讲】郭璞写游仙诗：“京华游侠窟，山林隐遁栖”——京城是游侠的地方，山林是隐士的家。“朱门何足荣？未若托蓬莱”——朱门算什么？不如去蓬莱。“进则保龙见，退为触藩羝”——“高蹈风尘外，长揖谢夷齐”——他要超脱尘世。【意象与手法】以“京华”与“山林”对举开篇，鲜明否定朱门荣利；中幅写临源掇草、灵溪潜盘的出尘生活，以漆园傲吏、莱氏逸妻、触藩之羝等典故申明进退有节；末以“高蹈风尘外，长揖谢夷齐”收束。对仗工稳、用典绵密，借游仙以抒政治牢骚。【情感与主旨】西晋末东晋初玄言诗与游仙诗合流的代表作，在绮丽的神仙表象下藏着诗人对乱世险恶的忧惧与全身之智，是理解郭璞“游仙”实为“咏怀”的关键一篇。【名句点睛】常考“朱门何足荣？未若托蓬莱”以否定朱门写隐逸之志；“高蹈风尘外，长揖谢夷齐”以长揖夷齐写超脱尘世。

Background

Guo Pu (276–324), courtesy name Jingchun, was a native of Wenxi in Hedong. A learned scholar of the Eastern Jin, he was versed in the classics, divination, astronomy, and glossography, and annotated the Erya, Shanhai Jing, and Chuci. He lived through the fall of the Western Jin and the founding of the Eastern Jin, when royal authority was unstable and officials were often in danger. Although he served under Emperors Yuan and Ming, he was acutely aware of political danger. His fourteen 'Wandering Immortals' poems (seven complete) use the immortal-wandering motif as a vehicle for personal feeling. This first poem was likely written during his official career, when he was caught between the desire to remain unsullied and the difficulty of escaping officialdom. Its rejection of 'vermilion gates' and longing to 'soar beyond the worldly dust' reflect both his own conflict and the broader tension among literati of the age between public service and reclusion.

郭璞（276—324），字景纯，河东闻喜人，东晋初著名学者、诗人，博学多才，精于经术、卜筮、天文历算，注《尔雅》《山海经》《楚辞》等。他生活于西晋倾覆、东晋草创的乱离之世，王室播迁、权臣倾轧，士人动辄得咎。郭璞虽历仕元帝、明帝朝，却深知政治险恶，常怀忧惧。其《游仙诗》十四首（今存七首或十二首之说不一），表面歌咏神仙洞天，实则『游仙』乃其外壳，『咏怀』方是内核——借仙境之清远反衬尘世之污浊，借隐遁之逍遥暗寓对时政的不满与全身之智。本诗为第一首，约作于其仕宦期间，正值他周旋于权力漩涡、既不愿同流又难脱樊笼之时。诗中『朱门何足荣』的断语与『高蹈风尘外』的向往，正是这种矛盾心境的诗化，亦折射出两晋之际士人在名教与自然、出仕与隐遁之间的普遍焦虑。郭璞（二七六—三二四），字景纯，河东闻喜人，博学多才，尤精天文历算、训诂方术，世称郭弘农。其《游仙诗》十四首（今存七首完整），借游仙以抒怀，实为咏怀之别调。西晋末年，八王乱起，永嘉南渡，士人忧生之嗟与避祸之念并存，郭璞身当乱世，仕途蹭蹬，乃托神仙以写其崛强不平之气，故钟嵘称其「辞多慷慨，乖远玄宗」，以为非真隐逸，乃坎壈咏怀之流。

Art

The poem's most distinctive feature is its fusion of philosophy, immortal imagery, and parallel couplets into a pattern of 'principle embodied in images.' The first couplet establishes the contrasting poles of city and mountain. The middle couplets use allusions and antithesis: scooping waves and picking red sprouts, lingering by the spirit stream, the proud official of Qiyuan and Laizi's wife, and the dragon and the ram from the Book of Changes. Unlike typical immortal-wandering poems that dwell on fantastic visions, Guo Pu focuses on using immortal setting to illuminate a rational stance. The closing line, 'With a long bow I bid farewell to Boyi and Shuqi,' condenses all the preceding argument into a proud, lasting gesture.

本诗艺术上最突出者，是将玄理、游仙与对仗熔铸为一的『理在象中』之法。全诗七联，首联即以『京华游侠窟』对『山林隐遁栖』，以都市之喧嚣对照山林之清寂，立下扬隐抑宦的基调，起手便见剪裁之工。中间数联多用典故与对偶：『临源挹清波，陵岗掇丹荑』写仙隐之娱，『灵谿可潜盘，安事登云梯』以反问斩断仕进之念，『漆园有傲吏，莱氏有逸妻』以古之高士自况，『进则保龙见，退为触藩羝』以《易》象明进退之宜，皆对仗精切而意脉相连。与一般游仙诗徒骋诡幻想象不同，郭璞此诗重在以仙证理、以隐明志，形象（清波、丹荑、灵谿、云梯）服务于理趣，故虽用典繁密而不觉堆垛。末联『高蹈风尘外，长揖谢夷齐』，以动作收束全篇，将前面铺陈的隐逸理想凝为一个傲岸的身姿，余韵邈然，足称六朝游仙诗的矩矱。郭璞游仙诗之妙，在以瑰奇之想像写沉郁之现实。诗中「吞舟涌海底，高浪驾蓬莱」「灵溪可潜盘，安事登云梯」，意象宏伟，色彩斑斓，得屈骚之奇丽；而情志所归，则在「遐邈冥茫中，俯视令人哀」，终以人间之忧收束。其结构往往先张仙景、后落尘哀，张弛有度，所谓「游仙其表，咏怀其里」。语言上兼融玄言与辞赋，丽而不浮，深得江淹「景纯艳逸」之评。

Allusions

The poem is dense with allusions to the theme of retreat and self-preservation. 'The proud official of Qiyuan' refers to Zhuangzi, who is said to have served as a minor official at Qiyuan and yet remained detached; 'Laizi's carefree wife' alludes to the ancient hermit Laolaizi, whose wife shared his joy in retirement. 'The ram that butts the fence' comes from the Hexagram Great Strength (Dazhuang) in the Book of Changes, where a ram catches its horns in a fence; Guo Pu ironically reverses the image to urge timely withdrawal. 'Penglai' and 'cloud ladder' derive from immortality lore and Huainanzi. 'Boyi and Shuqi' are the famous brothers who starved to death rather than eat the Zhou grain; the poet says he will even outdo them by soaring beyond the dusty world.

诗中典故层见，皆围绕『隐遁全身』这一主题。『漆园有傲吏』用庄子曾为蒙漆园吏、逍遥物外之事，以庄周之『傲』自标高致；『莱氏有逸妻』用老莱子逃世、其妻乐道之典（《列女传》），喻夫妻偕隐之逸乐。『触藩羝』出自《易·大壮》『羝羊触藩，羸其角』，本谓进退两难，郭璞反其意而用之，言退如羝羊知止不触，以免罹祸，是借《易》象说全身之智。『蓬莱』『云梯』则本于神仙方术与《淮南子》『云梯』之喻，代表可望可即的仙界与徒劳的攀登。至于『夷齐』，伯夷叔齐耻食周粟、隐于首阳，诗人却言『谢夷齐』——连这样彻底的狷介也要长揖告别，暗示自己所取乃更高一层的『游仙』超脱。如此密集地以庄、易、神仙、高士之典织成意网，使全诗成为一部微型的隐逸思想辞典，足见郭璞学养之深。游仙一体，源自《楚辞·远游》及秦汉仙道之说，至郭璞而一变其格。前人游仙多写服药求长生、轻举入虚无，郭璞则借以寄寓身世之悲与浊世之慨，故其仙非真仙，乃诗人精神之飞升。诗中「青溪千余仞，中有一道士」之「道士」，即诗人自况；「借问蜉蝣辈，宁知龟鹤年」，则以短折之虫反衬高洁之志。此种以游仙写咏怀的范式，下启李白的浪漫，亦影响后来《游仙窟》一类作品。

Commentary

The poem moves from outside to inside, from the visible world to the hidden life. The opening couplet decides the issue by spatial contrast. The second couplet directly rejects wealth and chooses Penglai. The third and fourth couplets portray the daily pleasures of immortal life. The fifth and sixth couplets cite ancient examples and the Book of Changes to justify withdrawal. The final couplet crowns the whole with a lofty resolve. Guo Pu's verse stands out in the Eastern Jin for its generous feeling, which sets it apart from the bland Mysterious Discourse of his contemporaries. Liu Xie's praise that 'Guo Pu's immortal poems are towering and handsome' is apt.

全诗七联，意脉由外而内、由显而隐。首联『京华游侠窟，山林隐遁栖』以空间对举破题：京华是侠客逐利之窟，山林乃隐者栖身之所，爱憎已判。颔联『朱门何足荣？未若托蓬莱』以问句强化，直斥朱门富贵不足为荣，蓬莱仙隐方为归趣，点出全诗核心抉择。腹联『临源挹清波，陵岗掇丹荑』转写仙隐生活之清美——临水掬波、登山采草，动作闲雅；『灵谿可潜盘，安事登云梯』则以灵溪可盘桓反诘攀登云梯之妄，进一步否定进取。下联『漆园有傲吏，莱氏有逸妻』举古之高隐为证，『进则保龙见，退为触藩羝』以龙、羝二象总括出处之道：进可如龙显以自保，退可如羝知止以避祸。末联『高蹈风尘外，长揖谢夷齐』将志节推向极高处——不仅超脱朱门，连夷齐之狷亦不足尚，唯高蹈风尘、与仙为侣方是归宿。通篇由批判世俗到礼赞仙隐，层层递进，理畅词丽。郭璞诗在东晋诗坛别立一帜。其时玄言诗方盛，「理过其辞，淡乎寡味」，而郭璞以游仙之体注入慷慨之情，恰如平淡玄风中突起的一脉奇峰。其「乖远玄宗」之处，正其价值所在：不肯以虚无之理自欺，故于仙景描写中始终回荡着对乱世的忧惕。刘勰谓「景纯仙篇，挺拔而为隽」，洵为定评。读其诗，可见一个术数大家内心深处那份不肯随俗、却又无可奈何的孤怀。

Prosody

Reading note The seven couplets are almost all parallel in structure, yet the closing line breaks the pattern with a looser cadence, giving a free and elevated tone.本诗为五言古诗，属《文选》所录游仙诗体，句式以对仗为主而气脉流转。押韵上，『栖』『荑』『梯』『妻』『羝』『齐』及首句『窟』（质韵，此处首句不入韵或借邻韵），大致归于齐、灰、脂诸韵，六朝以前支、脂、之、齐、灰相近可通押，读来声情和雅从容，与诗之清远意趣相称。章法上七联几乎联联对仗，却又不全用严对：首联『京华』对『山林』、『游侠窟』对『隐遁栖』，工稳中见错落；中幅『临源—陵岗』『灵谿—云梯』『漆园—莱氏』『进—退』皆以骈俪出之，使全诗呈现一种赋体般的铺排之美；然末联『高蹈风尘外，长揖谢夷齐』以散化对，于整饬中破出飘逸，恰如仙人之不羁。整体节奏疏朗有致，五字一顿而意不断，既见六朝诗的琢练，又存汉魏古诗的气骨，是游仙诗中声律与辞采兼美之作。

Line by line

京华游侠窟，山林隐遁栖。

The capital is a den of pleasure-seeking knights, while the mountain forest is a dwelling for recluses. The contrast establishes the poem's preference for seclusion over urban life.

The capital is a lair of roaming knights; the hills and forests are the dwelling place of the recluse.

开篇一联即定下全诗扬隐抑宦的基调，其妙在『以地写人、以境明志』。『京华』指都城洛阳，『游侠窟』三字极冷峭——在诗人眼中，京城的权贵侠少不过是聚于窟穴的逐利之徒，『窟』字暗含藏污纳垢、趋炎附势的贬意；与之相对，『山林隐遁栖』则是清气盎然的栖身之所。两句形成强烈的空间与价值对照：一喧一静、一浊一清、一荣一隐。更值得注意的是，这联并非简单的景物描写，而是魏晋之际士人『仕与隐』根本抉择的浓缩表达。郭璞身处权力中心却以『窟』视之，足见其对官场险恶的清醒认知；而『山林』之为『栖』，则预示了后文蓬莱、灵谿等一系列仙隐意象的出场。起手如此斩截，已为全篇立骨。

The opening couplet at once establishes the poem's preference for reclusion over office, and its art lies in 'writing the person through the place, the purpose through the setting.' The 'capital' is Luoyang, and the words 'lair of roaming knights' are cutting: in the poet's eyes, the dashing young men of the capital are nothing but profit-seekers gathered in a hole, and the word 'lair' carries the suggestion of filth and sycophancy. Against it, the 'hills and forests' are a dwelling of pure air. The two lines form a stark contrast of space and value—noise against quiet, turbid against clear, glory against withdrawal. More than scenery, the couplet condenses the fundamental choice of Wei-Jin scholars between office and retirement. Guo Pu, standing at the center of power, yet sees it as a 'lair,' showing his clear-eyed sense of official danger; the 'dwelling' in the woods foretells the immortal images of Penglai and the spirit streams that follow. So decisive an opening gives the poem its spine.

高蹈风尘外，长揖谢夷齐。

Soaring beyond the dust of the world, with a long bow one takes leave of Boyi and Shuqi. The speaker aims at a transcendent freedom that surpasses even the famous hermits.

He strides high beyond the dusty world, and with a long bow takes leave even of Boyi and Shuaf.

末联为全诗精神的收束与升华，气度超迈，最见郭璞的孤标。『高蹈风尘外』写身姿：高高超越于浊世风尘之上，是隐逸形象的动态定格；『长揖谢夷齐』则出人意表——伯夷叔齐向来是隐逸的至高典范，诗人却言要『长揖辞别』他们，意思是连夷齐那种以死守节的狷介都不足法，自己所追求的是更彻底、更飘逸的游仙之境。这一笔看似狂放，实则深有寄托：夷齐之隐仍带着对『周』的政治态度（耻食周粟），仍未完全脱离尘网的是非；而郭璞的『游仙』则要将整个人间是非一并抛却。以『谢』字作结，既见傲岸，亦见无奈——在一个连夷齐都无从立足的乱世，唯有托身蓬莱方可全身。此联将前面所有的用典与说理，凝为一个潇洒而苍凉的背影。

The closing couplet gathers and sublimates the poem's spirit, its bearing soaring and showing Guo Pu's lone height. 'He strides high beyond the dusty world' gives the posture: rising far above the turbid world, a freeze-frame of the reclusive figure. 'With a long bow he takes leave even of Boyi and Shuaf' is unexpected—Boyi and Shuaf were always the highest models of reclusion, yet the poet says he will 'take leave' of them, meaning that even their rigid loyalty unto death is not enough, and what he seeks is a more thorough, more ethereal realm of immortal wandering. The stroke seems wild yet carries deep meaning: the withdrawal of Boyi and Shuaf still bore a political stance toward Zhou (shame to eat its grain), still entangled in the world's right and wrong; Guo Pu's 'immortal wandering' would cast aside all human right and wrong together. The word 'take leave' shows both pride and helplessness—in a chaotic age where even Boyi and Shuaf had no foothold, only Penglai could preserve the self. The couplet condenses all the allusions and arguments into a graceful yet desolate parting figure.

Study

Word focus

蓬莱 Penglai, the legendary island of immortals in the sea; symbolizes a transcendent refuge. 『蓬莱』为海上三神山之一，传说在渤海之中，金银为宫阙，仙人不死之药所居，自战国秦汉以来便是神仙思想的核心符号。郭璞在此以『未若托蓬莱』将之作为超越朱门、安顿生命的终极归宿，赋予这一古老仙典以鲜明的现实指向——它不再是方士妄言的虚幻仙境，而是诗人在险恶世道中为自己虚构的精神避难所。用『托』字尤妙：人于无可依凭之时方言『托』，暗示尘世已无可托身，唯有寄心于蓬莱。在游仙诗传统中，蓬莱常代表『可望不可即』的渺远；郭璞却以『未若』二字将之拉到与『朱门』对等的抉择位置，使神仙之境获得了对抗世俗荣利的实际力量，足见其以仙证理的匠心。

触藩羝 A ram that butts its horns into a fence; from the Book of Changes, used here to warn against reckless advance. 『触藩羝』即《周易·大壮》卦爻辞所云『羝羊触藩，羸其角』——公羊以角抵触篱笆，角被缠住，进退失据。原典本喻处境狼狈，郭璞却反用其意：『退为触藩羝』是说退隐时要像知止的羝羊那样懂得不妄触藩篱，以免罹祸。这里涉及魏晋之际极为紧要的『全身』智慧——在司马氏与各方势力血腥相争的政局中，许多名士或因进言、或因站队而遭屠戮，『触藩』正是这种祸败的象喻。郭璞以『退为触藩羝』与『进则保龙见』对举，构建了一套出处进退的生存策略：进可如龙之显以自保，退则当如羝之知止以避害。一个易学典故，被化用为乱世保身的箴言，足见其用典之活、寄意之深。

游仙诗