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先秦 Pre-Qin · 楚辞 Chu Ci

礼魂

Honoring the Souls

屈原

Qu Yuan (Chu Ci)

楚辞Theme 九歌Theme 送神Theme 先秦Theme 祭礼Theme

成礼兮会鼓，传芭兮代舞姱女倡兮容与春兰兮秋菊，长无绝兮终古。

The rite is complete - the drums beat together;
they pass the basil and dance in turn.
Fair maidens lead the song, at ease and graceful.
Spring orchid and autumn chrysanthemum -
may it never cease, through all eternity.

Listen

Meaning

A brief closing hymn of the Nine Songs, praying the rites endure forever.

祭礼已经完成啊，众多的鼓声汇聚齐鸣。传递着香草啊，舞者们轮流接续起舞。愿这祭祀的礼敬啊，永远不断绝，直至永恒。

Appreciation

Five lines close a whole liturgy: the drums fall silent, the dancers rest, and only the prayer remains - that the rite, like the orchid and the chrysanthemum, outlast the year.

【白话串讲】屈原写《九歌·礼魂》（送神曲）：“成礼兮会鼓，传芭兮代舞”——礼成击鼓，传花起舞。“姱女倡兮容与”——“春兰兮秋菊，长无绝兮终古”——春兰秋菊，永远不断。这是祭祀的尾声。【意象与手法】以「会鼓」「传芭代舞」写仪节的热闹流转，「长无绝」收束全篇，短章而有余响。【情感与主旨】总束所祭诸神、礼送归位，写楚人祭典有始有终、诚敬不懈的信仰，巫风酣畅而肃穆。【名句点睛】「长无绝兮终古」一句祝祷，将一时歌舞升为永恒礼敬，余韵悠长。

Background

The final piece of the Nine Songs, sung as the ritual's envoi. It blesses the ceremony's continuity across the seasons.

《礼魂》为《楚辞·九歌》十一篇之末章，是整套祭歌的送神曲与收束之篇。关于《九歌》之来源，王逸《楚辞章句》以为屈原「出见俗人祭祀之礼，歌舞之乐，其词鄙陋，因为作九歌之曲」，即屈原在楚地民间巫风祭歌基础上加以文人润色而成；《礼魂》正是这番润色后、用于祭礼终了、礼送群神归位的仪典之歌。题名「礼魂」，王逸释为「以礼善终」，意谓以礼敬之道圆满送别神灵之魂；或解「魂」即百神之灵，全篇乃总束前文所祭东皇、云中君、湘君、山鬼等诸神，作一总的礼送。古人祭礼，有迎有送，迎神有《东皇太一》之肃穆，送神则有此《礼魂》之从容——成礼、传芭、代舞、长无绝，写的是祭毕之际人人尽欢、年年相继的愿景。此篇虽仅五句，却是《九歌》结构中不可或缺的总章，无此则诸神无所归、祭礼无所终。其篇幅之短与地位之重形成反差，恰见证楚辞祭歌「以少总多」的仪典功能，亦为后世祠庙乐歌「送神曲」体式之滥觞。（其为九歌送神之总章，篇幅虽短而祭礼之重系焉。）

Art

The shortest of the set: drums, the passed basil-branch, the dancing maidens, then the prayer that links spring orchid and autumn chrysanthemum into an unbroken year.

《礼魂》虽短，艺术结构却极完整，五句分作两层，由「礼成之热闹」转入「祝愿之悠远」。前四句「成礼兮会鼓，传芭兮代舞，姱女倡兮容与」写祭礼将毕的欢腾场面：鼓声会聚、鲜花传递、舞者更迭、巫女歌吟而从容，连用三个「兮」字句铺排群舞合唱的繁盛，视听交织，极尽楚地巫风之烂漫；末句「春兰兮秋菊，长无绝兮终古」陡然收束于沉静的祝愿——以春兰秋菊代指四时相继的祭献，以「长无绝兮终古」作永恒之誓。其艺术之妙，在以场面之动反衬祝愿之静，以群乐之暂反衬永续之恒，形成「热闹—悠远」的情感跌宕。句式上，前用「成礼兮」「传芭兮」「姱女倡兮」的「事—兮—态」排比，节奏渐急；末以「春兰兮秋菊」「长无绝兮终古」的「物—兮—愿」对举，节奏转缓，张弛有度，短章而具乐章般的起承转合，足见屈原裁剪祭歌的匠心。（由礼成之热闹转祝愿之悠远，短章具乐章般起承转合。）前以成礼会鼓传芭代舞写祭场之喧阗，后以春兰秋菊长无绝写祝愿之悠远，张弛有度短章具乐章起承转合之妙。

Allusions

The basil-branch is passed hand to hand in the dance; spring orchid and autumn chrysanthemum are the seasonal flowers standing for the recurring rites.

诗中名物皆楚地祭礼之实，非泛设之辞。「成礼」即祭礼完成，《礼记》屡言「成礼」以示仪轨终毕，此指九歌诸祭次第告成。「会鼓」之「会」训合、聚，状众鼓齐鸣之盛，楚祭尚鼓，王逸所谓「急疾击鼓以称神意」即此。「芭」为香草名，或以为即芭蕉、或以为灵草，祭者手执而舞，更相传递，故曰「传芭」；「代舞」谓舞者更番相继，不尽其兴。「姱女」即美好之巫女，《楚辞》「姱」常形容女子容态之美（如《招魂》「姱容修态」）；「容与」训从容闲舒，写歌吟之态。「春兰兮秋菊」化用《九歌》每篇各咏一神、各配一香草的传统：东皇太一尚桂酒椒浆，少司命沐兰，秋菊则重阳之荐，此处合春兰秋菊以概四时之祭。「终古」为楚辞恒语，训往古来今、永恒不绝（如《九歌·东君》「长太息兮将上」虽异，而《礼魂》「终古」与《九章》「终古之所居」同义）。凡此皆根植楚巫文化，读此诗须通楚地祭祀之俗，方解其「传芭代舞」之热烈与「长无绝」之虔敬。（传芭、姱女皆楚祭实俗，屈原采入而雅化，存楚声之丽。）屈原采楚俗祭舞入雅辞，使传芭代舞由民间而具经典之丽，存楚声之真。

Commentary

Read as a coda, it turns the whole Nine Songs into a single perpetual offering - the gods fed not once but forever.

历代楚辞注家于《礼魂》多注目其「总束九歌、礼送群神」的结构功能。王逸《楚辞章句》于此篇虽无逐句长注，而其《九歌序》已明言屈原「作九歌之曲」以革楚俗祭乐之鄙陋，又于篇题下释「礼魂」为「以礼善终」，定其送神终曲之性质。洪兴祖《楚辞补注》补王说，于「传芭」引《山鬼》「折芳馨兮遗所思」互证香草传递之俗，于「终古」引古训明其「久长」之义。朱熹《楚辞集注》卷二亦沿送神之说，注「成礼」为「祭礼已成」，注「容与」为「闲舒」，皆求其平实。清人蒋骥《山带阁注楚辞》更明确指出此篇「乃前十篇之乱（乐之卒章）也，故总以礼魂名之」，以「乱曰」之例说此终章，最具结构眼光。现代学者姜亮夫《楚辞通故》据楚地出土帛画与汉墓祭俑，证「传芭代舞」确为楚巫群舞之实录。诸家或重礼制、或重乐理、或重民俗，要皆承认《礼魂》为《九歌》不可或缺的收束之篇，其「长无绝」一语，正是整套祭歌精神的总誓。（王逸洪兴祖诸家虽侧重不同，要皆认其总束九歌之结构功。）清人蒋骥以乱章说此终篇，最具结构眼光，足资后世读九歌者之参证。

Prosody

Form Chu Ci line with 'xi' caesura楚辞·九歌体（骚体兮字句）

Rhyme Rhymes on 'drums' (gu), 'dance' (wu), 'graceful' (yu), 'chrysanthemum' (ju), 'eternity' (gu) - archaic Chu rhyme.鼓、舞、与（鱼部相协）；菊、古（觉/鱼旁通，古音近）

Tone pattern Free ritual chant.六言为主，间以兮字分读，长短句错落，节促而情舒

Reading note The liturgical amen of the Nine Songs; its brevity is its strength.《礼魂》为《九歌》典型的骚体短章，全篇五句，以六言为基、句中嵌「兮」为标识，形成「成礼兮—会鼓」「传芭兮—代舞」「姱女倡兮—容与」「春兰兮—秋菊」「长无绝兮—终古」的「三/二—二」或「四—二」分读节奏。其用韵前密后疏：首三句「鼓」「舞」「与」皆鱼部字，韵脚紧凑，恰配祭场鼓乐之繁会；末二句「菊」（觉部）与「古」（鱼部）古音相近可通，韵势转宽，与祝愿之悠远相称。章法上，前四句以排比「兮」字句铺排场面（成礼、传芭、姱女倡），节奏渐急如舞步；末句「春兰兮秋菊，长无绝兮终古」以对举收束，节奏转缓。楚辞「兮」字本具曼声咏叹之功，在此短章中既分隔语意、又连贯气韵，使仅五句的送神曲具备起承转合之完整乐理。其声调由喧阗归于肃穆，正与「礼成—送神—永誓」的情感曲线同构，是骚体祭歌以声达礼的精湛范例，亦开汉郊祀歌「送神」乐章之先声。

Line by line

成礼兮会鼓，

The rite is complete - the drums beat together;

祭礼已经完成啊，众多的鼓声汇聚齐鸣。

The rite is done, oh, the drums together beat;

此句为《礼魂》开篇，亦整套《九歌》由迎神、娱神转入送神的第一声宣告。「成礼」二字，标示前面东皇太一乃至山鬼诸篇的祭献次第告成，仪轨至此圆满；「兮」字一顿，如祭师高唱间的换气，引出「会鼓」的轰鸣。「会」训聚合，写众鼓齐作、声震堂宇，楚地祭礼本尚鼓乐，王逸所谓「急疾击鼓以称神意」，正此喧阗之象。此句之妙，在于以「成」字之静（礼毕）反挑「会」字之动（鼓喧），静中寓动，既交代了仪式的节点，又立即把读者拉回祭场的热烈——不是寂然收场，而是以最盛的鼓乐为诸神送行。它是全篇由「礼成之实」转向「送神之乐」的枢纽，短短六字加一兮，已括尽楚辞祭歌「礼终而乐作」的仪典逻辑，极具提纲挈领之力。

This is the opening of the 'Rite of the Spirit' and the first announcement of the whole Nine Songs' turning from welcoming and delighting the gods to escorting them off. 'The rite is done' marks that the sequence of offerings, from the Great Unity down to the Mountain Spirit, is now complete, the ritual fulfilled. The 'oh' pauses like the breather between the priest's high chants, leading to the thunder of 'drums together beat.' 'Together' means gathered, writing the many drums sounding at once, shaking the hall; Chu sacrifice by nature prized drum-music, and Wang Yi's 'beating drums swiftly to answer the god's will' is precisely this clamor. The art lies in setting the stillness of 'done' (the rite finished) against the motion of 'together beat' (the drums clamorous), stillness within motion, at once marking the ritual node and instantly pulling the reader back into the fervor of the ritual ground—not a quiet ending, but the richest drum-music to escort the gods off. It is the hinge of the piece from 'the fact of the rite' to 'the music of escorting the gods,' the six short characters plus one 'oh' already encompassing the ritual logic of Chu hymns, 'the rite ends and the music rises,' with the force of a master outline.

传芭兮代舞

they pass the basil and dance in turn;

传递着香草啊，舞者们轮流接续起舞。

They pass the fragrant plant, oh, and dance in turns;

此句写送神场中最具楚地巫风特质的群舞场景，是全篇视觉与动感的高潮。「芭」为楚祭所持香草，「传芭」即舞者手递香草、更相传递，暗含祭献不绝、人人与祭之意；「代舞」谓舞者番代相继，前者方歇、后者继起，舞阵流转而不绝。「兮」字居中，将「传芭」之景与「代舞」之态轻轻绾合，节奏如舞步之回环。其妙在写出一种「集体性的狂欢与虔敬」：不是一人独舞，而是群巫代兴、香草流转，恰见楚人祭神「人神杂糅、上下同乐」的宗教情绪。这一句与《九歌》他篇的独唱独舞（如《山鬼》「若有人兮山之阿」的孤绝）形成鲜明对照——送神之时，孤神已去，留下的是人间舞阵的绵长余韵。以「传芭代舞」四字写尽群体祭仪的生生不息，是为《礼魂》最绚烂的一笔。

This line writes the group-dance of the escort scene, most characteristic of Chu shaman practice, the visual and kinetic climax of the piece. The 'plant' is the fragrant herb held in Chu sacrifice; 'pass the plant' means the dancers hand the fragrant herb one to another, carrying the meaning of unceasing offering and all joining in. 'Dance in turns' means the dancers succeed one another, the first resting as the next rises, the dance formation flowing without end. The 'oh' sits in the middle, lightly binding the passing plant and the succeeding dance, the rhythm like the circling of the dance. The art lies in writing a 'collective carnival and devotion': not one dancer alone, but the group of shamans succeeding, the fragrant herbs passing, precisely the religious mood of Chu sacrifice where 'gods and men are intermingled, high and low share joy.' This line contrasts sharply with the solo song and dance of other Nine Songs pieces (like the solitude of 'as though a being, oh, in the curve of the hill' in the Mountain Spirit)—at the escorting, the lonely god has gone, and what remains is the long afterecho of the human dance formation. Four characters, 'pass the plant, dance in turns,' exhausting the endless life of the group rite—the most gorgeous stroke of the 'Rite of the Spirit.'

长无绝兮终古。

may it never cease, through all eternity.

愿这祭祀的礼敬啊，永远不断绝，直至永恒。

Long unbroken, oh, to the end of time.

此句为《礼魂》乃至全部《九歌》的收束之誓，由前面的热闹场面陡然升华为永恒祝愿。「长无绝」三字直白而恳切，愿祭礼之年年相继、香火之不辍；「兮」字一顿，引出「终古」——楚辞恒语，训往古来今、永恒不绝，与《九章·悲回风》「终古之所居」同源。此句之重，在于它把一首仅写祭毕场景的短歌，托举为整套《九歌》的精神总誓：诸神可送、可归，而人对神的礼敬长存不灭。艺术上，它以一句静穆的祝愿收住前文所有的鼓声、舞影、歌声，形成「动极归静、暂归于恒」的跌宕，余韵悠长。屈原于此不写悲、不写怨，只以「长无绝兮终古」作庄严的祈愿，使《九歌》在喧阗之后归于肃穆的永恒，足见其结构经营之深与宗教情怀之厚。

This is the closing vow of the 'Rite of the Spirit' and of the entire Nine Songs, rising from the foregoing bustle suddenly into an eternal wish. 'Long unbroken' three characters plain and earnest, wishing the rite to continue year after year, the incense unceasing; the 'oh' pauses, leading to 'to the end of time'—a constant Chu phrase, meaning past and present, eternal and unending, cognate with the 'where of old it dwells' of the 'Sad for the Whirlwind' in the Nine Declarations. The weight of the line lies in lifting a short song that merely writes the scene after the rite into the total spiritual vow of the Nine Songs: the gods may be escorted away, may return, yet human reverence for the gods endures undying. Artistically, it closes all the foregoing drums, dance shadows, and songs in one solemn wish, forming the turn of 'motion at its extreme returning to stillness, the temporary returning to the eternal,' the afterecho long. Qu Yuan here writes no grief, no resentment, only the solemn wish of 'long unbroken, oh, to the end of time,' making the Nine Songs, after the clamor, sink into solemn eternity, showing the depth of his structural craft and the thickness of his religious feeling.

Study

Word focus

传芭 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「传芭」二字，是《礼魂》中最具楚地巫祭辨识度的语词。「芭」为香草，王逸以来多以灵草解之，祭者执之以舞；「传」即传递更相授受。炼此一词，写出了楚祭「人人参与、香草本末相续」的群体性——香草不在一人之手停留，而于舞阵中流转递接，正象征祭献之不绝与信众之同心。它与下句「代舞」构成动作上的对仗（传—代，芭—舞），一静一动、一物一人，把群巫祭神的繁盛写得如在目前。更深层看，「传芭」承载着楚巫文化中「以香草通神」的信仰：香草是人与神之间的媒介，传递香草即传递虔敬。屈原采此楚俗入诗，不避其「鄙陋」而加以雅化，使「传芭」由民间祭舞的动作，升华为祭礼精神的象征，是《九歌》「以楚俗入雅辞」的典型炼字。

姱女 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「姱」楚辞中专用的美善之字，多形容女子容态之好，《招魂》「姱容修态」「姱女」即美女，此处特指执祭吟唱的巫女。「姱女倡兮容与」写美丽的女巫领唱而从容闲舒，「姱」字不仅状其貌美，更暗含祭者「姱而不佻」的端雅——楚巫虽舞乐喧阗，而领唱者从容有节，方显祭礼之敬。炼此一字，与《九歌》他处「美人」「佳人」的用法一脉相承（如《少司命》「满堂兮美人」），皆以女性之美托祭场之圣洁。尤为可味者，「姱」为楚辞方言雅字，中原《诗经》罕用，屈原始大量采入，使楚声的地域色彩与文雅气质并存；一个「姱」字，既标出楚巫之丽，又见文人润色之功，是小处见出《九歌》「楚调而雅辞」语言特质的炼字典范。

终古 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「终古」为楚辞中表「永恒、往古来今」的恒语，屈原屡用之（如《离骚》「怀朕情而不发兮，余焉能忍而与此终古」、《九章》「长无绝兮终古」同源异篇）。此诗末句「长无绝兮终古」，以「终古」收束，把具体的祭毕场景托举为跨越时间的永恒誓愿。「终古」之妙，在它兼具「往古」与「来今」的双向时间感——祭礼之法古已有之、亦将永传不绝，一语双关地坐实了「长无绝」的承诺。炼此一词，不须堆砌「永远」「不朽」等熟语，而以一种带楚声古调的时间词，赋予祝愿以苍茫的历史纵深。它是全诗最重的字眼，前四句的鼓乐舞影皆为此二字作注；屈原以「终古」殿后，使《礼魂》虽短，却有了与天地同久的庄重结尾，亦为《九歌》整套祭歌画下不可动摇的句点。

礼魂