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五代 Five Dynasties · 词 Ci lyric

玉楼春·寂寂画堂梁上燕

Jade Tower Spring · Still the Painted Hall, Swallows on the Beam

魏承班

Wei Chengban

宫怨palace grievance 婉约gentle

寂寂画堂梁上燕，高卷翠帘横数扇。
一庭春色恼人来，满地落花红几片。
愁倚锦屏低雪面，泪滴绣罗金缕线。
好天凉月尽伤心，为是玉郎长不见。

Still the painted hall, swallows on the beam; high rolled, the green curtains spread across several panes.
A court of spring color vexes the heart; on the ground a few red fallen petals.
She leans in sorrow by the brocade screen, her snow-pale face bent low; tears fall on the embroidered silk's golden thread.
Fine weather, cool moon—all break the heart, because the jade gentleman is long unseen.

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Meaning

In the quiet painted hall, swallows rest on the beam; the tall green curtains are rolled high, opening several panes. The spring color of the whole court vexes the heart, and on the ground lie a few red fallen blossoms. She leans in sorrow by the brocade screen, her pale face bent low, tears dripping onto the golden thread of her embroidered silk. Fine weather and a cool moon all grieve the heart, for the jade gentleman has long been out of sight.

安静的画堂里，梁上燕子静静栖息；高高的翠绿帘子被卷起，露出几扇并排的门窗。满院春色却惹人心烦，只见地上散落着几片被风吹落的红花。她忧愁地倚着锦屏，低垂着苍白的脸，泪珠滴滴落下，浸透了绣罗衣上的金线。好天良夜原是良辰美景，却为玉郎久无音信而伤心感怀，好久没有见到他了啊。

Appreciation

The whole lyric is fair in mood and gentle in form. The upper stanza opens with the still scene of 'still the painted hall, swallows on the beam' and the motion of 'high rolled the green curtains', writing stillness through motion; 'a court of spring color vexes the heart; on the ground a few red fallen petals' touches scene and hurts feeling, writing grievance through happy scene. The lower stanza, 'she leans in sorrow by the brocade screen, her snow-pale face bent low; tears fall on the embroidered silk's golden thread', writes her bearing. The language is clear and natural, reaching its mood without forced carving—a typical showing of the 'patterned language' decorative trait of late Tang and Five Dynasties lyrics.

【白话串讲】 “寂寂画堂梁上燕，高卷翠帘横数扇”——魏承班写一个女子：画堂寂寞，梁上燕子成双。“一庭春色恼人来”——满院春色惹人烦。“好天凉月尽伤心，为是玉郎长不见”——天好月凉都伤心，因为心上人一直不回来。【意象与手法】全词意境优美、婉丽多姿。上片以“寂寂画堂梁上燕”的静景与“高卷翠帘”的动势起笔，以动写静【情感与主旨】魏承班，生卒年不详，约后唐明宗长兴初前后在世，前蜀人，父魏宏夫为蜀王建养子王宗弼【名句点睛】中高考若考此词，常从：一、反衬，以“一庭春色”之乐景写“恼人”之哀；二、以动写静，“梁上燕”如何表现画堂之“寂寂”

Background

Wei Chengban, dates unknown, lived around the early years of Li Siyuan's Changxing era of the Later Tang, a man of the Former Shu; his father Wei Hongfu was the adopted son Wang Zongbi of the Shu king Wang Jian. Chengban was a prince-consort and reached the post of grand marshal; he was skilled at lyrics, gorgeous like Wen Tingyun, and twenty-one survive. This 'Jade Tower Spring' is a boudoir grievance lyric, writing a woman of the deep palace in late spring longing for her 'jade gentleman' who tarries away—a typical palace-grievance subject of the Five Dynasties Hua Jian lyrics.

《玉楼春·寂寂画堂梁上燕》为五代魏承班所作，是写闺中愁怨的词。魏承班（生卒年不详），五代前蜀词人，魏弘夫之子。此词：寂寂画堂梁上燕，高卷翠帘横数扇。一庭春色恼人来，满地落花红几片。愁倚锦屏低雪面，泪滴绣罗金缕线。好天凉月尽伤心，为是玉郎长不见。全词写闺中愁怨、玉郎不见，是魏承班词的代表作。

Art

The whole lyric is fair in mood and gentle in form. The upper stanza opens with the still scene of 'still the painted hall, swallows on the beam' and the motion of 'high rolled the green curtains', writing stillness through motion; 'a court of spring color vexes the heart; on the ground a few red fallen petals' touches scene and hurts feeling, writing grievance through happy scene. The lower stanza, 'she leans in sorrow by the brocade screen, her snow-pale face bent low; tears fall on the embroidered silk's golden thread', writes her bearing. The language is clear and natural, reaching mood without forced carving, typically showing the decorative 'patterned language' trait of late Tang and Five Dynasties lyrics.

《玉楼春·寂寂画堂梁上燕》艺术上以景色的铺写与愁怨的深婉见长。全词八句，层层写来：上片写画堂春色——“寂寂画堂梁上燕，高卷翠帘横数扇”写画堂梁燕、翠帘高卷，“一庭春色恼人来，满地落花红几片”写春色恼人、落花满地；下片写愁倚锦屏——“愁倚锦屏低雪面，泪滴绣罗金缕线”写愁倚锦屏、泪滴绣罗，“好天凉月尽伤心，为是玉郎长不见”写好天凉月伤心、玉郎不见。全词以春色铺写愁怨，正是魏承班词深婉的笔法。

Allusions

The lyric uses no clear story-allusion, building the boudoir grievance purely through imagery. 'Jade gentleman' is a loving name for husband or lover since the Wei and Jin, not a particular person; 'brocade screen' and 'golden thread' are decorative images of the lady's chamber and dress. The whole piece contrasts the 'twin swallows nesting' against the person's lone dwelling, and uses 'fallen flowers' to hint that youth will not return—natural and deep in its lodging.

《玉楼春·寂寂画堂梁上燕》用典在“梁上燕”“玉郎”。“梁上燕”用燕归梁之典，写燕子双栖而人独守；“玉郎”写所爱之人（玉郎为女子对所爱的美称）；“恼人”用唐诗句“春色恼人眠不得”之意。全词以这些意象写闺中愁怨，用典自然而深婉自见，正是魏承班词的笔法。

Commentary

Yuan Haowen's Yishan Collection says of Wei Chengban's lyrics 'they are all works of feeling. Like the 'Jade Tower Spring', clear and natural, reaching mood without forced carving'. The Qing critic Chen Tingzhuo in the Bie Diao Ji calls this lyric 'desolate and stirring' and 'bright in wording'. Moderns say its imagery are typical decorative, to some extent reflecting the common trait of late Tang and Five Dynasties lyrics: 'literary language as pattern'.

《玉楼春·寂寂画堂梁上燕》是魏承班词的代表作，也是五代词中写闺怨的名篇。此词写闺中愁怨、玉郎不见，向为论者称道。论者多赏其景色的铺写与愁怨的深婉——“寂寂画堂梁上燕，高卷翠帘横数扇”写画堂梁燕，以燕之双栖衬人之独守；“一庭春色恼人来，满地落花红几片”写春色恼人、落花满地，更见其怨。魏承班为五代前蜀词人，其词以婉丽深婉著称，此词正是其代表——以景写怨，正是其词风。

Prosody

Form Lyric, 'Jade Tower Spring' (Yu Lou Chun), double-tune fifty-six characters词·玉楼春

Rhyme Oblique-onset, upper and lower stanzas each three oblique rhymes (panes, petals, face, thread, seen, etc.), held throughout《玉楼春·寂寂画堂梁上燕》为双调词，押仄声韵。此词用韵：燕、扇、片（霰部）、面、线、见（霰部），一韵到底，音节婉转。

Tone pattern Double-tune, regular clauses, the oblique rhyme fitting the grievance玉楼春为双调词，音节婉转而深婉。此词写闺中愁怨，音节婉转而含蓄。全词以仄声押韵，声调与闺怨之情的内容相合，是五代词中婉丽深婉的一路。

Reading note Also called 'Magnolia'; Wei Chengban's piece is a representative of the decorative language of Five Dynasties lyrics.《玉楼春·寂寂画堂梁上燕》为五代魏承班所作，是写闺中愁怨的词。此词以“寂寂画堂梁上燕”写梁燕双栖，以“一庭春色恼人来”写春色恼人，以“愁倚锦屏低雪面，泪滴绣罗金缕线”写愁容泪眼，以“为是玉郎长不见”写玉郎不见。以景写怨、深婉含蓄，正是魏承班词的代表作。

Line by line

寂寂画堂梁上燕，高卷翠帘横数扇。一庭春色恼人来，满地落花红几片。

Silent the painted hall, swallows on the beam; high rolled the green curtains, several screens aslant. A whole courtyard of spring comes teasing the heart; the ground is heaped with fallen blossoms, a few red petals.

寂寂的画堂，梁上有双燕；高高卷起翠帘，横着几扇。一庭春色恼人而来，满地落花，红了几片。

Silent the painted hall, swallows on the rafter; high are rolled the green blinds, a few screens set sideways. A courtyard of spring beauty comes to vex the heart; fallen blossoms litter the ground, red and few.

上片写画堂春色，是全词闺怨之情的起点。“寂寂画堂梁上燕，高卷翠帘横数扇”写画堂梁燕——“寂寂画堂梁上燕”写寂寂的画堂、梁上有双燕，“高卷翠帘横数扇”写高高卷起翠帘、横着数扇——画堂梁燕，翠帘高卷；“一庭春色恼人来，满地落花红几片”写春色恼人——“一庭春色恼人来”用“春色恼人”之意，写一庭春色恼人而来，“满地落花红几片”写满地落花、红了几片——春色恼人，落花满地。四句写画堂春色：画堂梁燕、翠帘高卷，春色恼人、落花满地。以“寂寂画堂梁上燕”写燕之双栖，以“一庭春色恼人来”写春色恼人，以“满地落花红几片”写落花之残，正是魏承班词以春色铺写闺怨的笔法——燕双栖而人独守，春色愈恼人。

The first stanza writes the spring of the painted hall, the starting point of the chamber grief. 'Silent the painted hall, swallows on the beam; high rolled the green curtains, several screens aslant' writes the hall and swallows—the silent painted hall with paired swallows on the beam, the green curtains rolled high and several screens set aslant. 'A whole courtyard of spring comes teasing the heart; the ground is heaped with fallen blossoms, a few red petals' writes the teasing spring—the whole courtyard of spring coming to vex, the ground heaped with fallen petals. Four lines write the hall spring: paired swallows, the curtains rolled, the teasing spring, the fallen petals. It is Wei Chengban's way of laying chamber grief over the spring—the swallows paired while the person keeps solitary, the spring the more vexing.

愁倚锦屏低雪面，泪滴绣罗金缕线。好天凉月尽伤心，为是玉郎长不见。

Grief-leaning on the brocade screen, she lowers her snow-white face; tears fall on the embroidered silk, the gold threads soaked. Fair sky and cool moon are all heart-break, because my jade lord has long been unseen.

愁倚锦屏，低垂雪白的脸；泪滴绣罗，沾湿金缕线。好天凉月都令人伤心，只因为玉郎长久不见。

Sorrowful, she leans on the brocade screen, her face drooping white as snow; tears drop upon the broidered silk and soak the gold-woven thread. The fair sky and cool moon all bring heartache—because my jade-like lord is long away from sight.

下片写愁倚锦屏与玉郎不见，是全词闺怨之情的归结。“愁倚锦屏低雪面，泪滴绣罗金缕线”写愁倚泪滴——“愁倚锦屏低雪面”写愁倚锦屏、低垂雪白的脸，“泪滴绣罗金缕线”写泪滴绣罗、沾湿金缕线——愁倚锦屏，泪滴绣罗；“好天凉月尽伤心，为是玉郎长不见”写伤心之由——“好天凉月尽伤心”写好天凉月都令人伤心，“为是玉郎长不见”写只因为玉郎长久不见——好天凉月伤心，为玉郎不见。四句写愁倚锦屏与玉郎不见：愁倚锦屏、泪滴绣罗，好天凉月伤心、玉郎长不见。以“愁倚锦屏低雪面，泪滴绣罗金缕线”写愁容泪眼，以“为是玉郎长不见”点出伤心之由，正是魏承班词写闺怨之情的归结——玉郎不见，好天凉月皆伤心。

The lower stanza writes the screen-leaning and the absent lord, the conclusion of the chamber grief. 'Grief-leaning on the brocade screen, she lowers her snow-white face; tears fall on the embroidered silk, the gold threads soaked' writes the grief and tears—the sorrowful lean on the brocade screen, the lowered snow face, the tears soaking the gold threads of the embroidered silk. 'Fair sky and cool moon are all heart-break, because my jade lord has long been unseen' writes the cause of grief—the fair sky and cool moon all heart-breaking, only because the jade lord is long unseen. Four lines write the screen and the absent lord—the grief-stricken face and tearful eyes, the fair sky heart-breaking, the lord unseen. It is Wei Chengban's conclusion of the chamber grief: the jade lord unseen, and fair sky and cool moon alike heart-breaking.

Study

Word focus

梁上燕 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. “寂寂画堂梁上燕”之“梁上燕”，写梁上双燕，是全词以燕衬人的关键词。“梁上燕”写梁上栖燕——寂寂画堂，梁上有双燕。这一词写燕之双栖：不是孤燕，而梁上燕；不是无情之鸟，而双栖之燕。以“梁上燕”写燕双而人独，正是魏承班词以燕衬闺怨的笔法——燕犹双栖，人独寂寂。

恼人 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. “一庭春色恼人来”之“恼人”，写恼人之意，是全词写春色撩愁的关键词。“恼”写惹恼，“人”写人——一庭春色恼人而来。这一词写春色之态：不是赏人之春，而恼人；不是可悦之景，而撩愁之色。以“一庭春色恼人来”写春色恼人，正是魏承班词写春色撩闺愁的笔法——春色愈美，愁怨愈深。

低雪面 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. “愁倚锦屏低雪面”之“低雪面”，写低垂雪白的脸，是全词写愁容的关键词。“低”写低垂，“雪面”写雪白之面——愁倚锦屏，低垂雪白的脸。这一词写愁容之态：不是昂扬之容，而低雪面；不是寻常之面，而愁低之面。以“愁倚锦屏低雪面”写愁容，正是魏承班词写闺怨愁态的笔法——愁倚锦屏，面低如雪。

玉郎 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. “为是玉郎长不见”之“玉郎”，写所爱的情郎，是全词写愁怨之由的关键词。“玉郎”为女子对所爱之美称——只因为玉郎长久不见。这一词写所爱之人：不是泛称之人，而玉郎；不是可待之人，而长不见之郎。以“为是玉郎长不见”点出伤心之由，正是魏承班词写闺怨之情的归结——玉郎不见，愁怨所由。