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唐 Tang · 诗 Poem

息夫人

The, Lady, of, the, Xi

王维

Wang Wei

咏史History 宫怨Palace sorrow

莫以今时宠，难忘旧日恩。
看花满眼泪，不共楚王言。

Do, not, for, the, favor, of, the, present,
Forget, the, kindness, of, the, old, days.
Looking, at, the, flowers, the, eyes, full, of, tears,
Not, speaking, a, word, to, the, king, of, the, Chu.

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Meaning

A poem of the lady and the loyalty, written by Wang Wei. Do not for the favor of the present, forget the kindness of the old days — the admonition of the opening. Looking at the flowers the eyes full of tears, not speaking a word to the king of the Chu — the silence of the close. The poem is the lady and the loyalty: the favor, the kindness, and the close's silence.

不要以为今日得到宠爱，就可以忘记旧日的恩情。看着花，眼里满是泪水，始终不肯与楚王说一句话。

Appreciation

[Plain Paraphrase] Do, not, for, the, favor, of, the, present, forget, the, kindness, of, the, old, days. Looking, at, the, flowers, the, eyes, full, of, tears, not, speaking, a, word, to, the, king, of, the, Chu. [Structure and Thought] The poem moves from the admonition of the favor and the kindness, through the looking at the flowers with the tears, to the close's the silence of the not speaking. [Key Technique] The poem's art is the close of the silence: looking at the flowers the eyes full of tears, and the close's not speaking a word to the king of the Chu — the loyalty gathered in the tears and the close's silence. [Emotional Tone] Admonishing, loyal, and sorrowful: the poem is the favor, the tears and the close's silence.

【白话串讲】王维写《息夫人》：“莫以今时宠，难忘旧日恩”——“看花满眼泪，不共楚王言”——息夫人被掳入楚，虽得宠爱却始终不语——“看花满眼泪”——他写沉默的坚贞。【意象与手法】此诗咏息夫人的故事，以息夫人的不言写其忠贞，是王维咏史诗的名篇。前两句「莫以今时宠，难忘旧日恩」以劝诫之语开篇，写息夫人不忘旧恩——「莫以」写不要以为，「今时宠」写楚王今日的宠爱，「难忘旧日恩」写难忘与息侯的旧日恩情，以对比写其忠贞；后两句「看花满眼泪，不共楚王言」写息夫人的沉默——「看花满眼泪」写看花时满眼是泪，以花写其哀怨，「不共楚王言」写始终不与楚王说话，是千古名句。全诗以咏史写宫怨，借息夫人之不言写亡国之痛与忠贞之志，含蓄深婉。【情感与主旨】息夫人即息妫，春秋时息国国君之妻。楚文王灭息国，掠息妫为夫人，生二子，然息妫始终不言。楚文王问其故，息妫说：我一个妇人，侍奉两个丈夫，即使不能死，又能说什么呢？此诗即咏其事。王维借息夫人的故事，表面写宫怨，实则暗含对唐玄宗时期某些达官贵人妻女的讽刺——当时宁王李宪强夺饼师之妻，王维以此诗讽喻。诗中以「莫以今时宠，难忘旧日恩」写息夫人不忘旧恩，以「不共楚王言」写其沉默的抗议，含蓄而有力。全诗以二十字写尽息夫人的哀怨与忠贞，是王维咏史诗的本领。【名句点睛】常考「看花满眼泪，不共楚王言」的千古名句，其以沉默写哀怨与忠贞之妙；「莫以今时宠，难忘旧日恩」的劝诫与对比；息夫人故事的典故与咏史的深意（暗讽宁王夺妻）；以及全诗以咏史写宫怨、含蓄深婉的笔法。

Background

Wang Wei (701-761), the poet of the Tang, wrote this 'The, Lady, of, the, Xi' of the lady and the loyalty — the constancy of the lady of the Xi. The favor with the kindness, and the close's the silence of the not speaking — the poem gathers the loyalty of the poet, the sorrow of the lady. The poem is one of the famous works of the poet's poems of the ladies.

此诗为王维咏史之作，约作于唐玄宗开元年间，时王维在长安。王维（701—761，一说699—759），字摩诘，蒲州（今山西永济）人，盛唐山水田园诗派的代表诗人，兼通诗、画、音乐，被誉为「诗佛」。息夫人即息妫，春秋时期息国国君息侯之妻，容貌绝美。据《左传·庄公十四年》载，楚文王灭息国，将息妫掠为夫人，息妫为楚王生二子（堵敖、成王），却始终不与楚王说话。楚文王问其缘故，息妫回答：「吾一妇人而事二夫，纵弗能死，其又奚言？」（我一个妇人侍奉两个丈夫，即使不能死，又有什么可说的呢？）此诗即咏息妫的故事。据孟棨《本事诗》载，此诗还有现实背景：唐玄宗的弟弟宁王李宪，见街边一卖饼者的妻子容貌秀美，便重金夺为己有，宠爱有加。一年后，宁王问饼师妻是否还想念饼师，饼师妻默然不语，宁王召饼师前来，饼师妻见了，泪流满面。当时王维在座，即赋此诗，宁王听出讽喻之意，遂将饼师妻还给饼师。故此诗既是咏息妫的咏史诗，也是讽喻宁王夺妻的现实之作，咏史与讽今融为一体，是王维「以史讽今」的本领。

Art

The poem's art is the art of the silence. The admonition opens: do, not, for, the, favor, of, the, present — the favor of the present; forget, the, kindness, of, the, old, days — the kindness of the old days. The silence follows: looking, at, the, flowers, the, eyes, full, of, tears — the tears of the flowers; not, speaking, a, word, to, the, king, of, the, Chu — the not speaking of the king of the Chu — the favor, the tears and the close's silence, gathered in the poem.

全诗以咏史写宫怨，字字有着落、句句有余味。首句「莫以今时宠」以劝诫立论，看似平淡，实则以「宠」与「恩」的权衡写息夫人的价值判断——荣宠易得，恩情难忘，为全诗立骨；次句「难忘旧日恩」顺势而下，点明其所以不乐新宠之故；第三句「看花满眼泪」由议论转入白描，以看花之乐衬满眼之泪，情随景生；结句「不共楚王言」以沉默收束，把前三句积蓄的情感凝为一声无言的抗议。四句之间，由理入情、由情入景、由景入默，层层递进，结构谨严。更妙者，全诗不着一字评价息夫人之贞或楚王之贪，而褒贬自现：以「莫以」劝楚王，以「难忘」明其志，以「满眼泪」见其哀，以「不共言」见其守，二十字如一幅传神的小像，正合王维「诗中有画」的一贯追求，也使这首咏史短章成为后世宫怨诗争相效法的典范。全诗以咏史写宫怨，字字有着落、句句有余味。首句「莫以今时宠」以劝诫立论，看似平淡，实则以「宠」与「恩」的权衡写息夫人的价值判断——荣宠易得，恩情难忘，为全诗立骨；次句「难忘旧日恩」顺势而下，点明其所以不乐新宠之故；第三句「看花满眼泪」由议论转入白描，以看花之乐衬满眼之泪，情随景生；结句「不共楚王言」以沉默收束，把前三句积蓄的情感凝为一声无言的抗议。四句之间，由理入情、由情入景、由景入默，层层递进，结构谨严。更妙者，全诗不着一字评价息夫人之贞或楚王之贪，而褒贬自现：以「莫以」劝楚王，以「难忘」明其志，以「满眼泪」见其哀，以「不共言」见其守，二十字如一幅传神的小像，正合王维「诗中有画」的一贯追求，也使这首咏史短章成为后世宫怨诗争相效法的典范。

Allusions

'The lady of the Xi' (xi fu ren) is the lady of the Xi — the lady of the Xi, the loyalty of the opening; 'the favor of the present' (jin shi chong) is the favor of the present — the favor of the present, the admonition of the opening; 'the king of the Chu' (chu wang) is the king of the Chu — the king of the Chu, the not speaking of the close.

「看花满眼泪」一句，更令人想到「花」与「泪」的意象传统——《诗经》「昔我往矣，杨柳依依」以物态写别情，「花」在古诗中既是美好之象征，也是易逝之喻，息夫人看花而泪，正是以花的盛开反衬自身荣宠之下的屈辱；「不共楚王言」则令人想到《左传》所载息妫「吾一妇人而事二夫」的自白，也令人想到后世「守口如瓶」的坚忍意象，更暗合唐代宫怨诗「含情欲说宫中事，鹦鹉前头不敢言」的以不言写哀怨的传统。王维此诗以息妫本事为骨、以宫怨传统为肉，用典而不见典，正是其「羚羊挂角，无迹可求」诗境的体现。「看花满眼泪」一句，更令人想到「花」与「泪」的意象传统——《诗经》「昔我往矣，杨柳依依」以物态写别情，「花」在古诗中既是美好之象征，也是易逝之喻，息夫人看花而泪，正是以花的盛开反衬自身荣宠之下的屈辱；「不共楚王言」则令人想到《左传》所载息妫「吾一妇人而事二夫」的自白，也令人想到后世「守口如瓶」的坚忍意象，更暗合唐代宫怨诗「含情欲说宫中事，鹦鹉前头不敢言」的以不言写哀怨的传统。王维此诗以息妫本事为骨、以宫怨传统为肉，用典而不见典，正是其「羚羊挂角，无迹可求」诗境的体现。

Commentary

This poem is one of the famous works of Wang Wei's poems of the ladies, quoted for the admonition of its opening and the silence of its close. The tears of the flowers, and the not speaking to the king of the Chu, are among the admired passages of the poet's poems. Critics praise the poem's loyalty: the lady gathered in the tears, to the close's silence.

此诗历来被推为王维咏史宫怨的名篇，也是其「不着一字，尽得风流」诗风的代表。历代论者对此诗评价极高：宋人评此诗「二十字中有多少眼泪」；清人更指出「看花满眼泪，不共楚王言」以不言写哀怨，是咏史宫怨诗的典范。在诗歌史上，此诗的特殊价值在于：它以二十字写尽息夫人的哀怨与忠贞——那今时的宠，那旧日的恩，那满眼的泪，那不肯说的一句话，都写尽了这位亡国之妇的屈辱与坚守；那「不共楚王言」的沉默，既是息妫的抗议，也是王维对现实的讽喻。据《本事诗》载，王维以此诗讽喻宁王夺饼师妻之事，宁王读后感悟，遂归还饼师妻，可见此诗讽喻的力量。此诗与王维的《西施咏》同为咏史宫怨的名篇，一写息妫的不言，一写西施的际遇；又与李白《越女词》的越女形象形成对照。对于今日读者，此诗是理解王维咏史诗与宫怨传统的窗口，也是中国诗写忠贞与哀怨的经典——那看花的泪、不肯说的话，穿越千年，仍在诉说着一位妇人的屈辱与坚守。

Prosody

Form A quatrain of the lady (wu yan jue ju)诗·五言绝句

Rhyme The poem rhymes on the level of the group — the cadence of the quatrain that carries the loyal silence.押平声真韵（恩、言），两联皆押韵，平韵短促，正合宫怨的含蓄

Tone pattern The cadence is that of the silence: the level opening with the admonition, the turning with the tears, and the close's fall with the not speaking.此诗为五言绝句，四句两联，起承转合分明。全诗仄起平收，节奏短促，于平淡中见深婉。

Reading note The poem's sound matches its loyalty: the cadences of the quatrain, and the close — 'bu gong chu wang yan' — falls with the speaking, the sound of the silence of the loyal lady.此诗为五言绝句，四句：前两句议论（莫以今时宠，难忘旧日恩），后两句写景兼抒情（看花满眼泪，不共楚王言）。押平声真韵，韵脚「恩、言」皆平声，短促有力，正合宫怨的含蓄。五言绝句以短小著称，王维于此二十字中写尽息夫人的哀怨与忠贞——前两句以「莫以」「难忘」的劝诫对比，写忠贞之志；后两句以「看花满眼泪」「不共楚王言」的细节与沉默，写哀怨与坚守。全诗前两句议论、后两句写实，起承转合分明，以二十字写尽一个完整的故事与情志，正是五绝「以小见大」的本领。诵读此诗，宜以平静的语调读前两句的议论，以低回的语调读「看花满眼泪」的哀怨，结句「不共楚王言」要读得沉静而坚定，方能传达出息夫人的坚守。王维绝句以「含蓄深婉」著称，此诗正是其咏史五绝的典范。

Line by line

看花满眼泪，不共楚王言

Watching the flowers, her eyes fill with tears; she will not speak a word to the King of Chu.

看着花，眼里满是泪水，始终不肯与楚王说一句话。

Looking at the flowers, her eyes brim with tears; she never speaks a word to the King of Chu.

此联是全诗的点睛之笔，也是千古名句，以细节与沉默写尽哀怨与忠贞。「看花满眼泪」写看花时满眼是泪——那「看花」写赏花，那「满眼泪」写满眼的泪水，以赏花的美好反衬满眼的哀怨，以乐景写哀；「不共楚王言」写始终不与楚王说话——那「不共」写不肯与，那「楚王言」写与楚王说话，以「不言」写尽息夫人的态度。这句的深意在于：它以「看花满眼泪」的细节与「不共楚王言」的沉默，写尽息夫人的亡国之痛与忠贞之志——面对楚王的宠爱，她看花流泪，心中满是亡国与失节的痛楚；她始终不与楚王说话，以沉默抗议自己的屈辱；那「满眼泪」写尽心中无法言说的痛，那「不共言」写尽沉默的抗议，泪与不言，正是息夫人全部的态度。尤其「不共楚王言」以沉默写抗议，无声胜有声，是千古名句。若换作直说「她很不开心」，则失其含蓄；唯以看花的泪与不肯说的沉默，写尽哀怨与忠贞，也让此联成为写宫怨的千古名句。

This couplet is the poem's crowning stroke and a famous line, writing grievance and loyalty through detail and silence. 'Watching the flowers, eyes full of tears' sets the beauty of flowers against a face in tears—joyous scenery to write grief. 'Will not speak to the King of Chu' writes her whole attitude in a silence: favored by the conqueror, yet weeping over her lost state, refusing speech as a silent protest against her captivity. The tear and the silence together—wept, yet wordless—are the whole of the Lady of Xi. If stated as 'she is unhappy,' the reserve would vanish; only through the tears among the flowers and the unbroken silence does the grief of a conquered queen become immortal.

莫以今时宠，难忘旧日恩

Do not think today's favor can make her forget the old kindness.

不要以为今日得到宠爱，就可以忘记旧日的恩情。

Do not suppose that today's favor can make her forget the kindness of former days.

此联是全诗的开篇，以劝诫之语点出忠贞之题。「莫以今时宠」写不要以为今日的宠爱——那「莫以」写不要以为，以劝诫的口吻开篇，那「今时宠」写楚王今日的宠爱；「难忘旧日恩」写难忘旧日的恩情——那「难忘」写不能忘记，那「旧日恩」写与息侯旧日的恩情，写息夫人不忘旧恩。这句的深意在于：它以「今时宠」与「旧日恩」的对比，写尽息夫人的忠贞——楚王今日的宠爱，与息侯旧日的恩情，一宠一恩，息夫人选择了旧恩，不忘旧情；那「莫以」的劝诫，表面是劝告，实则是写息夫人心中早有决断——她不会因今日之宠而忘旧日之恩，那「难忘」写尽忠贞。若换作直说「她不忘旧情」，则失其劝诫的意味；唯以「莫以」「难忘」的对比与劝诫，写尽息夫人的忠贞，也为下联「不共楚王言」作好铺垫，让此联成为全诗立意的起点。一个「莫」字是劝诫，一个「难忘」是自誓，劝诫与自誓之间，写尽息夫人身处两难而志不改的忠贞。

This couplet opens the poem in an admonition that points the theme of loyalty. 'Do not think today's favor' takes an advising tone, naming the King of Chu's present devotion; 'cannot forget the old kindness' sets against it the love owed to the Marquis of Xi, her first husband. The contrast of present favor and old kindness is the whole: she chooses the old bond, unmoved by new splendor. The 'do not' is at once an exhortation and a witness to the lady's own resolve. If stated as 'she does not forget her old love,' the admonitory edge would fade; only through 'do not' and 'cannot forget' does her loyalty, caught between two men, become firm.

Study

Word focus

泪 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「看花满眼泪」之「泪」字是写哀怨的关键字，一个「泪」字写尽息夫人心中无法言说的痛。泪者，眼泪也。王维以「满眼泪」写息夫人看花，这个「泪」字至少有双重意味：其一，写哀怨之深——那「满眼泪」写满眼的泪水，写尽息夫人看花时心中翻涌的哀怨；其二，写忍而不发——那「泪」字更是写息夫人的克制——她满眼是泪，却始终不说一句话，那「泪」写尽将说未说的痛楚。以「泪」字写哀怨，正是王维写息夫人的枢纽——若换作「愁」「恨」等字，则或失其具体，或失其与「满眼」的配合；唯「泪」字，以一字写尽息夫人满眼的哀怨与心中的痛楚，与「看花」的美好相对、与「不共楚王言」的沉默相承，写尽亡国之痛与忠贞之志，也让「看花满眼泪」成为写宫怨的名句。

言 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「不共楚王言」之「言」字是写抗议的关键字，一个「言」字写尽息夫人的沉默与坚守。言者，说话也。王维以「不共楚王言」写息夫人，这个「言」字至少有双重意味：其一，写不言之坚——那「不共楚王言」写始终不与楚王说话，「不言」写尽息夫人的坚守——她宁可沉默，也不与夺其国、占其身的楚王说话；其二，写沉默之重——那「言」字更是写沉默的分量——不说话，本身就是态度，那「不言」写尽沉默的抗议与屈辱的坚守。以「言」字写沉默，正是王维写息夫人的枢纽——若换作「语」「谈」等字，则或失其与「不言」的对照，或失其庄重；唯「言」字，以一字写尽息夫人「不共楚王言」的坚守与沉默的抗议，与「满眼泪」的哀怨相合，写尽亡国之痛与忠贞之志，也让「不共楚王言」成为写宫怨的千古名句。

息夫人