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五代 Five Dynasties · 诗 Poem

小重山·春到长门春草青

Little Double Height: Spring Comes to the Long Gate

薛昭蕴

Xue Zhaoyun

婉约词Theme 宫怨Palace sorrow 五代Theme 闺情Theme 离思Theme

春到长门春草青，玉阶华露滴，月胧明。
东风吹断紫箫声，宫漏促，帘外晓啼莺。
愁极梦难成，红妆流宿泪，不胜情。
手挼裙带绕阶行，思君切，罗幌暗尘生。

Spring comes to the Long Gate, the grass is green; on the jade steps bright dew drips, the moon dim and clear.
The east wind breaks off the purple-flute song; the palace clepsydra urges; beyond the curtain a dawn oriole cries.
Grief at its height, the dream will not form; her red makeup streams with overnight tears, past bearing.
She twists her skirt-sash and paces the steps; her longing for you is acute; on the silk blinds dusk dust gathers.

Listen

Meaning

A palace lady's spring insomnia, pacing her empty rooms in longing for the emperor.

春天来到长门宫，阶前春草一片青翠；玉石阶上凝聚着华美的露珠滴落，月色朦胧而明亮。东风把紫箫的吹奏声吹断，宫中漏声急促，帘外传来拂晓啼莺。手揉着裙带在阶前绕行，思念君王情切，罗帐上已暗暗积满灰尘。

Appreciation

Spring greens the Long Gate but brings no visitor; the flute fails, the oriole cries, and the lady paces with her sash, her only company the dust on the blind. The poem is insomnia set to music.

【白话串讲】薛昭蕴写小重山：“春到长门春草青，玉阶华露滴，月胧明”。“东风吹断紫箫声，宫漏促”——“愁极梦难成，红妆流宿泪，不胜情”——“手挼裙带绕阶行，思君切”——她写深宫怨妇的思念。【意象与手法】以「长门」「春草」「宫漏啼莺」铺丽景写哀，「手挼裙带」写痴立，以景锁愁。【情感与主旨】写深宫女子思君之切、长夜不眠的孤寂，花间宫怨以丽写哀的典型。【名句点睛】「手挼裙带绕阶行」六字写尽辗转无寐，娇慵中见断肠。

Background

Xue Zhaoyun (fl. 9th c.) was one of the few women ci poets of the Five Dynasties. The 'Long Gate' is the palace of the discarded consort.

薛昭蕴，晚唐五代前蜀词人，于《花间集》中位列温庭筠、韦庄之后，其词多写闺情宫怨，风格秾丽婉约。《小重山·春到长门春草青》以「长门」这一经典宫怨符号领起，写失宠宫人春夜之孤寂。词中「春到长门春草青」暗用汉武帝陈皇后贬居长门宫、司马相如作《长门赋》之典，点明主人公的失宠身份；以下「玉阶华露滴，月胧明」「东风吹断紫箫声」「宫漏促，帘外晓啼莺」铺写春夜宫苑之景，下片「愁极梦难成」「手挼裙带绕阶行」则写思君之切、长夜不眠。全词约作于前蜀宫廷唱词盛行之时，是花间宫怨词中「以丽景写哀情」的典型，亦见薛昭蕴于闺怨一体中的婉妙笔致。薛昭蕴此词以长门为引，写失宠宫怨，在《花间集》中自成一凄婉面目。其虽为五代宫廷唱词，而所写孤寂之长夜，实已超越具体宫闱，具普遍性的人生失落之感。花间词多写闺情，薛氏此首以春景之丽反衬怨情之哀，章法典型而情致深婉。读此词，宜与温庭筠、韦庄同类之作并观，方见花间宫怨一体中薛昭蕴特有的清丽与含蓄，亦知五代宫廷词如何将政治失意化为艳情之美。

Art

Each line layers sight and sound - green grass, dripping dew, the broken flute, the crying oriole - into a portrait of sleepless, ornamented grief.

此词善以春宵丽景层层反衬宫怨之哀，景愈美而情愈孤。上片三转：起句「春到长门春草青」以青草满院长门写春来之景，温庭筠「草色入帘青」可参；「玉阶华露滴，月胧明」以露滴、月胧写春夜之静美；「东风吹断紫箫声，宫漏促，帘外晓啼莺」则于静中插入箫声、漏声、莺声，以声写寂，且「晓啼莺」暗点长夜将尽、人犹未眠。下片由景及人：「愁极梦难成」点题，「红妆流宿泪」写泪，「手挼裙带绕阶行」以动作写焦灼，「思君切，罗幌暗尘生」收以尘封之幌，见幽闭之久。全词景—声—人—情四层递进，疏密有致，是花间小令「设色秾丽而脉理清晰」的范例。上片写春宵丽景而以声衬寂，下片写思君之切而以态见哀，景情相生而脉理清晰。其于「春到长门春草青」以乐景起，「手挼裙带绕阶行」以痴态结，起结之间，由外而内、由景而人，章法暗合「先境后情」之序。花间小令最易流于堆垛，此词却能设色秾丽而脉络不乱，正见薛昭蕴于令曲结构之讲究，亦见五代宫廷词虽主艳情，而未尝废章法，非率尔应歌者可到。

Allusions

The Long Gate is the Han palace where the discarded Empress Chen lived; the purple flute and palace clepsydra mark the confines of court. The silk blind is the lady's seclusion.

「长门」典出汉武帝陈皇后失宠后居长门宫，司马相如为作《长门赋》以悟主，后世遂以「长门」为失宠宫怨的代称（如李白《长门怨》）。此词以「春到长门」开篇，即定失宠幽闭之旨。「紫箫」暗用萧史弄玉吹箫乘凤之典（《列仙传》），本为夫妻和谐之象，此处「吹断」则反写箫声零落、欢会难期。「宫漏」为宫中计时之器，漏声「促」写夜短心长。「罗幌」即罗帐，班婕妤《怨歌行》「弃捐箧笥中，恩情中道绝」之被弃意可参。数典皆宫怨传统意象，经薛昭蕴融裁，自然贴合失宠宫人之境，可见花间词「裁古入艳」之法。上述长门、紫箫、宫漏、罗幌诸典，皆宫怨传统中久经熔铸之故实。薛昭蕴信手用之，各安其所：以长门写失宠，以紫箫写欢断，以宫漏写夜长，以罗幌写久闭，无一闲笔。花间词用典每尚隐秀，此词于秾丽中暗藏典实，使艳情具历史厚度。学者读之，不妨循典以求意，自见失宠宫怨如何在千年书写中凝聚为一套稳定的意象符号，而薛词正此传统中清婉的一环。

Commentary

A fine example of the 'palace grievance' in early ci; the restraint of the imagery heightens the desolation.

薛昭蕴词见录于赵崇祚《花间集》，为花间派重要一家。近人论花间词，每以温庭筠为密丽之祖、韦庄为清疏之别，而薛昭蕴介于二者之间，以「婉丽而不失清浅」见长（参李冰若《花间集评注》对薛词之评骘）。此词「手挼裙带绕阶行」之痴态，与温庭筠「懒起画蛾眉」之慵、韦庄「不忍觑花间」之直，同写闺怨而各极其态。其「春到长门春草青」显受李白《长门怨》「秋草秋萤飞」及温词影响，可见花间宫怨一脉的承传。今人读之，当于玉阶月胧、帘外莺啼的秾丽中，体贴失宠宫人长夜不眠的孤寂，亦可见五代宫廷词将政治失意化为艳情的特殊视角。薛昭蕴词见录于《花间集》，为花间重要一家，近人论花间宫怨每及之。此词「手挼裙带绕阶行」之痴态，与温庭筠之慵、韦庄之直同写闺怨而各极其态。汤显祖辈虽未专评薛词，而后世选家多许其婉丽。今人读之，当于玉阶月胧、帘外莺啼的秾丽中，体贴失宠宫人长夜不眠之孤寂，亦可见五代宫廷词将政治失意化为艳情的特殊视角，其文献与审美价值俱未可轻。

Prosody

Form Lyric in Xiao Chong Shan (Little Double Height) tune词·小令（双调《小重山》）

Rhyme Rhymes on 'clear' (ming), 'oriole' (ying), 'bearing' (qing), 'gathers' (sheng) - level-tone groups.平韵（青、明、莺、成、情、生，词林正韵第十一部庚青）

Tone pattern Song lyric; short, song-like lines.平韵和婉，句式奇偶相生，声情清柔

Reading note An early woman's ci of courtly longing; delicate and musical.《小重山》为双调小令，五十八字，上下片各四句、各三平韵，是唐五代词中婉约抒情的常用调。薛昭蕴此词上片押「青」「明」「莺」，下片押「成」「情」「生」，皆隶词林正韵第十一部庚青韵，一韵到底，声情清柔婉转，与宫怨春思的柔美哀婉相生。句式上片「春到长门春草青」七字领起，「玉阶华露滴，月胧明」五、五递接；下片「愁极梦难成」五字、「红妆流宿泪，不胜情」五、三、「手挼裙带绕阶行」七字，奇偶错落，节奏舒徐如絮语。平韵悠扬，最宜写深宫幽怨，与「长门」「罗幌」的寂寥意境表里相成，足证花间小令选韵体情之精。《小重山》平韵和婉，最宜写深宫幽怨，此词一韵到底而不觉单调，赖上下片景情之转换与节奏之舒徐。其句式奇偶相生，上片由七字领起，下以五五递接，过片五字点题，章法从容。平韵悠扬如絮语，与长门孤月之凄婉相表里。花间小令虽主艳情，而于声情体性未尝苟且，薛昭蕴此词正可证五代令曲选韵命篇之精，亦足为说《小重山》声情者之一例。

Line by line

春到长门春草青，玉阶华露滴，月胧明。

Spring comes to the Long Gate, the grass is green; on the jade steps bright dew drips, the moon dim and clear.

春天来到长门宫，阶前春草一片青翠；玉石阶上凝聚着华美的露珠滴落，月色朦胧而明亮。

Spring has come to the Changmen palace; the spring grass is green. Rich dew drips on the jade steps; the moon shines dim and clear.

起句三叠景语，由大及细，由色及声光。「春到长门春草青」以「长门」点题、「春草青」设色，暗用陈皇后典故，于明媚中藏失宠之悲——春草年年青，而君恩不再；「玉阶华露滴」以露滴写静夜之幽，玉阶本为君所临幸之地，今唯露滴空阶；「月胧明」以月色朦胧收束，胧明之间，孤影自见。三句无一字写怨，而长门、空阶、胧月已自道尽幽闭之哀，是「以乐景写哀」的高境，亦见花间词「不著怨字而怨自深」的设色本领。

The opening layers three scenes, from broad to fine, from color to sound and light. 'Spring has come to the Changmen palace; the spring grass is green' uses 'Changmen' for the theme and 'spring grass green' for color, secretly using the allusion to Empress Chen—beneath the brightness lies the grief of disfavor: the spring grass greens every year, yet the royal favor returns no more. 'Rich dew drips on the jade steps' uses dripping dew to write the stillness of the night, the jade steps by nature the place the monarch visited, now only dew dripping on the empty stair. 'The moon shines dim and clear' closes in the misty moonlight, between dim and clear the lone figure seen of itself. Three lines not one word of resentment, yet the Changmen, the empty steps, and the misty moon already tell the grief of seclusion, the high realm of 'grief through joyous scenery,' and the Huajian skill of 'resentment without the word resentment.'

东风吹断紫箫声，宫漏促，帘外晓啼莺。

The east wind breaks off the purple-flute song; the palace clepsydra urges; beyond the curtain a dawn oriole cries.

东风把紫箫的吹奏声吹断，宫中漏声急促，帘外传来拂晓啼莺。

The east wind breaks off the purple flute's sound; the palace water clock hurries; beyond the curtain the dawn oriole calls.

此句以三声叠写长夜将尽之寂。「东风吹断紫箫声」以风断箫写欢会难续、声不成调，紫箫本喻夫妻和鸣，一「断」字见恩断；「宫漏促」以漏声之急反衬人心之缓——夜短而愁长；「帘外晓啼莺」以破晓莺啼收束上片，点出人竟彻夜未眠，而晓色已至，春宵苦短、幽怨方长。三景皆声，以声写寂，是花间词「以闹写静」的妙法。由箫断而漏促而莺晓，时间悄然推移，而主人公之孤坐如故，章法极细而情致极婉。

This line layers three sounds to write the stillness of the dying long night. 'The east wind breaks off the purple flute's sound' uses the wind breaking the flute to write the difficulty of continuing the meeting, the tune broken—of old the purple flute signaled the harmony of husband and wife, and the single word 'breaks' writes the severed favor. 'The palace water clock hurries' sets the urgency of the clepsydra against the slowness of the heart—the night short, the grief long. 'Beyond the curtain the dawn oriole calls' closes the first stanza in the dawn oriole, pointing out that the woman has sat all night unsleeping, and the dawn is already come, the spring night brief while the secret grief is long. Three scenes all sound, writing stillness through sound, the Huajian method of 'writing stillness through noise.' From the broken flute to the hurried clock to the dawn oriole, time passes imperceptibly while the protagonist sits as before, the craft most fine and the feeling most tender.

手挼裙带绕阶行，思君切，罗幌暗尘生。

She twists her skirt-sash and paces the steps; her longing for you is acute; on the silk blinds dusk dust gathers.

手揉着裙带在阶前绕行，思念君王情切，罗帐上已暗暗积满灰尘。

My hands crumple the girdle as I walk the steps; my longing for you is keen; on the silk curtain, dust has silently gathered.

结片由景及人，写失宠者的焦灼与久闭。「手挼裙带绕阶行」以一「挼」（揉搓）字写无人之处的下意识动作，状思极无措之态，与上文「愁极梦难成」呼应；「思君切」三字直点题旨，质朴有力；「罗幌暗尘生」以帐上积尘写幽闭之久、恩幸之绝，尘生则人去，最是凄凉。全词至此由外景收归内室，由春宵之美收归罗幌之暗，丽景与孤尘对照，哀感倍增。是花间宫怨「以艳笔写枯寂」的范例，结得含蓄而力重。

The closing moves from scene to person, writing the disquiet and long seclusion of the neglected woman. 'My hands crumple the girdle as I walk the steps' uses the single word 'crumple' (rubbing) for the unconscious action where no one is near, picturing the helplessness of extreme longing, echoing the foregoing 'grief at its height, dreams hard to come.' 'My longing for you is keen' three characters directly point the theme, plain and forceful. 'On the silk curtain, dust has silently gathered' uses the dust on the curtain to write the length of seclusion and the end of favor—dust gathered means the person gone, the bleakest sight. The whole now closes from outer scene to inner chamber, from the beauty of the spring night to the darkness of the silk curtain, the bright scene set against the dusty desolation, grief doubled. It is the Huajian model of 'writing bleakness in gorgeous brush,' reserved in the close yet weighty.

Study

Word focus

长门 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「长门」二字为此词诗眼与全部哀情的符号根源。自汉武帝陈皇后贬居长门宫、司马相如作《长门赋》，「长门」便成为失宠宫怨的专属代称，承载了千余年宫怨书写的文化记忆。词人特以「春到长门」开篇，不写人而先写地，使主人公的失宠身份与悲剧命运在未落笔写人之前已暗含其中。一字之取，胜过千言敷陈，是花间词「用典于不经意处立骨」的妙法，亦见古典诗歌意象符号的强大凝练力——读者一触「长门」，哀怨自生。

胧明 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「胧明」状月色朦胧而微明之貌，自李白「月胧明」、温庭筠「玉钩褰翠幕，妆浅旧眉薄」一脉的月夜设色中来。此词「月胧明」以二字写尽春夜宫苑的幽寂与迷离——月不明不暗、胧胧朣朣，恰似失宠人半明半灭的希冀。一词之炼，以视觉之柔写心境之凄，于秾丽设色中别饶一层朦胧哀感。花间词最重月色意象（温庭筠「江上柳如烟，雁飞残月天」），薛昭蕴此「胧明」正承其脉，以月写孤，简净而韵长。

挼 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「挼」（ruó）者，揉搓也。「手挼裙带绕阶行」以一「挼」字写失宠宫人思极无措的下意识小动作——手搓裙带、绕阶徘徊，百无聊赖而情不能已。此字极富生活质感与心理深度，与欧阳修「挼尽梅花无好意」之「挼」同一以动作写心绪之法。花间词善写女子情态，温庭筠「弄妆梳洗迟」之「弄」、薛词此「挼」，皆以精准动词传人物幽微心理，炼字之妙在不隔。一词见态，胜过多许直说，是小令写人之关键笔。