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唐 Tang · 诗 Poem

夕阳楼

The, Tower, of, the, Setting, Sun

李商隐

Li Shangyin

登临Theme 感慨Theme

花明柳暗绕天愁，上尽重城更上楼。
欲问孤鸿向何处？
不知身世自悠悠。

The, flowers, bright, the, willows, dark, winding, the, sorrow, of, the, sky,
Having, climbed, the, end, of, the, layered, walls, moreover, climbing, the, tower.
About, to, ask, the, lone, wild, goose, to, what, place, it, goes,
Not, knowing, the, body, and, the, fate, of, itself, so, far, and, far.

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Meaning

A poem of the tower and the sorrow, written by Li Shangyin. The flowers bright the willows dark winding the sorrow of the sky, having climbed the end of the layered walls moreover climbing the tower — the climb of the opening. About to ask the lone wild goose to what place it goes, not knowing the body and the fate of itself so far and far — the asking of the close. The poem is the tower and the sorrow: the climb, the goose, and the close's fate.

花明柳暗绕天愁，上尽重城更上楼。欲问孤鸿向何处？不知身世自悠悠。

Appreciation

[Plain Paraphrase] The, flowers, bright, the, willows, dark, winding, the, sorrow, of, the, sky, having, climbed, the, end, of, the, layered, walls, moreover, climbing, the, tower. About, to, ask, the, lone, wild, goose, to, what, place, it, goes, not, knowing, the, body, and, the, fate, of, itself, so, far, and, far. [Structure and Thought] The poem moves from the climb of the layered walls with the sorrow of the sky, through the asking of the lone wild goose, to the close's the not knowing of the body and the fate. [Key Technique] The poem's art is the close of the not knowing: about to ask the lone wild goose to what place it goes, and the close's not knowing the body and the fate of itself so far and far — the sorrow gathered in the asking and the close's fate. [Emotional Tone] Sorrowful, lonely, and drifting: the poem is the climb, the goose and the close's fate.

【白话串讲】李商隐写《夕阳楼》：“花明柳暗绕天愁，上尽重城更上楼”——“欲问孤鸿向何处？不知身世自悠悠”——他登夕阳楼——欲问孤鸿向何处，不知身世自悠悠。【意象与手法】此诗写登楼，以登临写身世，是李商隐的名篇。前二句写登楼：「花明柳暗绕天愁，上尽重城更上楼」写花明柳暗绕天愁、上尽重城更上楼——写尽登楼的愁绪；后二句写感慨：「欲问孤鸿向何处？不知身世自悠悠」写欲问孤鸿向何处、不知身世自悠悠——写尽身世的飘零。全诗以登临写身世，写尽登楼的愁绪与身世的飘零，是李商隐的代表作。【情感与主旨】此诗写登楼，以登临写身世，是李商隐的名篇。夕阳楼在荥阳（今河南郑州）。此诗写诗人登夕阳楼之所感，为李商隐少年时所作。此诗写登楼：花明柳暗绕天愁，上尽重城更上楼——写花明柳暗绕天愁、上尽重城更上楼，写尽登楼的愁绪；欲问孤鸿向何处？不知身世自悠悠——写欲问孤鸿向何处、不知身世自悠悠，写尽身世的飘零。全诗以登临写身世——那「花明柳暗绕天愁」写尽登楼的愁绪，「不知身世自悠悠」写尽身世的飘零，写尽登楼的愁绪与身世的飘零，是理解李商隐登临诗的重要篇章。【名句点睛】常考「花明柳暗绕天愁，上尽重城更上楼」写登楼的愁绪；「欲问孤鸿向何处？不知身世自悠悠」写身世的飘零；以及全诗以登临写身世、以问鸿写身世的手法。

Background

Li Shangyin (c. 813-858), the poet of the Tang, wrote this 'The, Tower, of, the, Setting, Sun' of the tower and the sorrow — the grief of the drifting fate. The climb of the layered walls with the sorrow of the sky, and the close's the not knowing of the body and the fate — the poem gathers the sorrow of the poet, the loneliness of the life. The poem is one of the famous works of the poet's poems of the sorrow.

此诗写登楼，以登临写身世，是李商隐的名篇。李商隐（约813—约858），字义山，号玉谿生，怀州河内（今河南沁阳）人，晚唐伟大的诗人，与杜牧并称「小李杜」。夕阳楼在荥阳（今河南郑州），为唐时名胜。此诗为李商隐少年时所作，诗题下自注云「在荥阳，是所知今遂宁萧侍郎牧荥阳日作矣」。萧侍郎即萧澣，曾任李商隐的知遇之恩人，后遭贬。此诗写登楼：「花明柳暗绕天愁，上尽重城更上楼」写花明柳暗绕天愁、上尽重城更上楼——写尽登楼的愁绪（花明柳暗绕天愁，上尽重城更上楼）；「欲问孤鸿向何处？不知身世自悠悠」写欲问孤鸿向何处、不知身世自悠悠——写尽身世的飘零（欲问孤鸿飞向何处，不知自己身世亦自悠悠）。全诗以登临写身世，写尽登楼的愁绪与身世的飘零，是理解李商隐登临诗的重要篇章。还应联系萧侍郎贬谪的背景来读：李商隐诗题自注「是所知今遂宁萧侍郎牧荥阳日作矣」，萧侍郎即萧澣，为李商隐恩人，其时已遭贬。诗人登夕阳楼，正因其知遇之恩人贬谪而去，故「花明柳暗绕天愁」之愁，实含对恩人遭遇的忧念；而「欲问孤鸿向何处」，正是以孤鸿喻萧侍郎之飘零。此诗写于李商隐少年，而身世之感已深，可见其早慧，也可见其与萧澣的深厚情谊。

Art

The poem's art is the art of the not knowing. The climb opens: the, flowers, bright, the, willows, dark, winding, the, sorrow, of, the, sky — the sorrow of the flowers and the willows; having, climbed, the, end, of, the, layered, walls, moreover, climbing, the, tower — the layered walls of the climbing. The asking follows: about, to, ask, the, lone, wild, goose, to, what, place, it, goes — the lone wild goose of the asking; not, knowing, the, body, and, the, fate, of, itself, so, far, and, far — the body and the fate of the far and far — the climb, the asking and the close's sorrow, gathered in the poem.

此诗的艺术特色可从四个方面解析。其一，以写景写愁绪。「花明柳暗绕天愁」以写景写愁绪——那「花明柳暗」「绕天愁」写尽花柳与愁，以写景写尽登楼的愁绪。其二，以登高写愁深。「上尽重城更上楼」以登高写愁深——那「更上楼」写尽登高而更高，以登高写尽愁绪的深重。其三，以问鸿写身世。「欲问孤鸿向何处」以问鸿写身世——那「孤鸿」写尽孤鸿，以问鸿写尽身世的飘零。其四，以答问写悠渺。「不知身世自悠悠」以答问写悠渺——那「自悠悠」写尽身世的悠渺，以答问写尽身世的茫然。此外，此诗前二句写登楼的愁绪，后二句写问鸿的身世，由景入情，正是登临诗「即景抒情」的写法。四重手法，使此诗以登临写身世，写尽登楼的愁绪与身世的飘零，是李商隐的代表作。此诗尤可注意「更上楼」的深意：「上尽重城」已是登高，而「更上楼」更要再上一层——登高本为望远销愁，而愁不可销，故愈登愈高、愈高愈愁，正是「以登高写愁深」的手法；而末句「不知身世自悠悠」以问作结，将一己之身世与孤鸿之飘零合一，人鸿同悲，正见其愁之深广无边，正是绝句「以问收束」而情韵悠长的典范。

Allusions

'The setting sun' (xi yang) is the setting sun — the sun of the west, the tower of the opening; 'the layered walls' (chong cheng) are the layered walls — the walls of the layers, the climbing of the opening; 'the lone wild goose' (gu hong) is the lone wild goose — the goose of the lone, the asking of the close.

此诗的用语深植于登临与身世的传统。「花明柳暗」令人想到「花明柳暗」写春景的意象——「花明柳暗绕天愁」正是李商隐的名句，也令人想到「柳暗花明又一村」（陆游）的意象；「重城」令人想到「重城」写城郭的意象——「上尽重城更上楼」正是李商隐的名句，也令人想到「城阙辅三秦」的城阙意象；「孤鸿」令人想到「孤鸿」写孤雁的意象——「欲问孤鸿向何处」正是李商隐的名句，也令人想到「孤鸿海上来」的孤鸿意象，也令人想到「月孤明，风又起」的孤鸿传统；「悠悠」令人想到「悠悠」写悠远的意象——「不知身世自悠悠」正是李商隐的名句，也令人想到「念天地之悠悠」（陈子昂）的悠悠意象。全诗化用花明柳暗、孤鸿、悠悠的意象，以登临写身世，正是李商隐「深情绵邈」而善写景、承登临传统写身世的本领。又「孤鸿」意象可联系中国文学的传统：鸿雁南飞，本有迁徙之象，而「孤鸿」单飞，正是失群飘零的象征，曹植《洛神赋》有「翩若惊鸿」、苏轼「谁见幽人独往来，缥缈孤鸿影」皆以鸿写孤。李商隐以「孤鸿」自喻身世之飘零，又以「欲问」「不知」的问答写其茫然无归，正承中国文学以孤鸿写飘零的传统，可见其用意象而自出机杼。

Commentary

This poem is one of the famous works of Li Shangyin's poems of the sorrow, quoted for the height of its opening and the grief of its close. The lone wild goose of the asking, and the body and the fate of the far and far, are among the admired passages of the poet's poems. Critics praise the poem's sorrow: the tower gathered in the asking, to the close's fate.

此诗历来被推为李商隐登临诗的名篇，也是唐人写夕阳楼的代表。历代论者对此诗评价极高：清人评此诗「以登临写身世，深婉悠远」；近人更指出「欲问孤鸿向何处？不知身世自悠悠」以问鸿写身世，是此诗的名句。在诗歌史上，此诗的特殊价值在于：它以四句的绝句写尽登楼的愁绪与身世的飘零——那花明柳暗，那绕天愁，那重城，那楼，那孤鸿，那悠悠的身世，都写尽了李商隐笔下的夕阳楼；那「不知身世自悠悠」更以答问写尽身世的茫然。此诗与李商隐《登乐游原》（「夕阳无限好」）同为登临名篇，一写「只是近黄昏」的夕阳（登乐游原），一写「上尽重城更上楼」的夕阳楼（夕阳楼）；又与陈子昂《登幽州台歌》「念天地之悠悠」的登临传统一脉相承，可见中国诗以登高写身世的传统。对于今日读者，此诗是理解李商隐登临诗的窗口，也是中国诗写夕阳楼的经典——那悠悠的孤鸿，穿越千年，仍在诉说着身世的飘零。

Prosody

Form A quatrain of the sorrow (qi yan jue ju)诗·七言绝句

Rhyme The poem rhymes on the level of the group — the cadence of the quatrain that carries the drifting sorrow.七绝，押「愁」「楼」「悠」韵（下平十一尤），一韵到底，音节悠远

Tone pattern The cadence is that of the sorrow: the level opening with the climb, the turning with the asking, and the close's fall with the fate.此诗为七言绝句，押平声韵，一韵到底，音节悠远，正合身世的悠远。

Reading note The poem's sound matches its grief: the cadences of the quatrain, and the close — 'bu zhi shen shi zi you you' — falls with the far and far, the sound of the sorrow of the tower poet.此诗为七言绝句，四句——「花明柳暗绕天愁，上尽重城更上楼。欲问孤鸿向何处？不知身世自悠悠」，押「尤」韵（愁、楼、悠），一韵到底，音节悠远。全诗以登临写身世：前二句写登楼的愁绪（花明柳暗绕天愁，上尽重城更上楼），后二句写身世的飘零（欲问孤鸿向何处？不知身世自悠悠）。四句短章，前写登楼，后写身世，以「不知身世自悠悠」写尽身世的茫然，正见李商隐「深情绵邈」的本色。诵读此诗，宜以悠远的语调读「花明柳暗绕天愁」的愁绪，以深婉的语调读「不知身世自悠悠」的身世，结句要读得悠长而有余韵，方能传达出李商隐的深情绵邈。李商隐绝句以「深情绵邈」著称，此诗正是其登临绝句的典范。

Line by line

欲问孤鸿向何处？不知身世自悠悠

I would ask the lone wild goose, whither it flies; not knowing my own lot, I drift on.

欲问孤鸿飞向何处？不知自己身世亦自悠悠。

I long to ask the lone goose where it is bound; not knowing my own fate, I drift endlessly.

此二句是全诗写身世的核心，以欲问孤鸿写问鸿，以不知身世写答问，写尽身世的飘零，是千古名句。「欲问孤鸿向何处」写欲问孤鸿飞向何处——那「欲问」写想问，「孤鸿向何处」写孤鸿飞向何处，写尽对孤鸿的问讯；「不知身世自悠悠」写不知自己身世亦自悠悠——那「不知身世」写不知自己身世，「自悠悠」写亦自悠悠，写尽身世的茫然。这句的深意在于：它以「欲问孤鸿向何处」的问鸿与「不知身世自悠悠」的答问，写尽身世的飘零——欲问孤鸿飞向何处，那「欲问孤鸿向何处」写尽对孤鸿的问讯——孤鸿，正是飘零的写照，欲问其归处，那「孤鸿」写尽飘零的意象；不知自己身世亦自悠悠，那「不知身世自悠悠」写尽身世的茫然——问鸿而不知鸿之归处，亦不知己之身世，那「自悠悠」写尽身世的茫然；那「欲问孤鸿向何处」写尽对孤鸿的问讯，那「不知身世自悠悠」写尽身世的茫然，一写问鸿，一写身世，写尽身世的飘零——问鸿而不知己，正是人我同悲的飘零；此二句以问鸿、答问写尽身世的飘零，也让此二句成为全诗写身世的核心与千古名句。若换作直说「我不知自己的前途」，则失其深婉；唯以「欲问孤鸿向何处」写问鸿、「不知身世自悠悠」写答问，写尽身世的飘零，也让此二句成为全诗写身世的核心。

These lines are the lot-heart of the poem, asking the lone goose and answering in one's own drifting. 'I would ask the lone goose' projects the poet's own homelessness onto the bird; 'whither it flies' is the unanswerable question. 'Not knowing my own lot' turns the question back—the poet cannot even name his own destination, so the goose's flight and his own are one. The lone goose, symbol of the exiled, doubles the self. If stated as 'I don't know my own future,' the refinement would fade; only through the question to the goose and the drifting self does the sorrow become double.

花明柳暗绕天愁，上尽重城更上楼

Flowers bright, willows dark, a sorrow that encircles the sky; climbing past the piled walls, I climb yet another tower.

花明柳暗绕天愁，上尽重城更上楼。

Bright flowers, dark willows, a sorrow wrapping the heavens; I mount past the layered walls and climb still higher.

此二句是全诗写登楼的核心，以花明柳暗写春景，以上尽重城写登高，写尽登楼的愁绪，是千古名句。「花明柳暗绕天愁」写花明柳暗绕天愁——那「花明柳暗」写花明柳暗，「绕天愁」写绕天之愁，写尽登楼所见的愁；「上尽重城更上楼」写上尽重城更上楼——那「上尽重城」写上尽重城，「更上楼」写更上高楼，写尽登高之更高。这句的深意在于：它以「花明柳暗绕天愁」的春景与「上尽重城更上楼」的登高，写尽登楼的愁绪——花明柳暗绕天愁，那「花明柳暗绕天愁」写尽登楼所见的愁——花明柳暗，本是春景之美，而「绕天愁」写愁绪满天，那「绕天愁」写尽愁绪的弥漫；上尽重城更上楼，那「上尽重城更上楼」写尽登高之更高——上尽重城，更上高楼，正是登高而愈高的写照，那「更上楼」写尽登高的执着；那「花明柳暗绕天愁」写尽登楼所见的愁，那「上尽重城更上楼」写尽登高之更高，一写所见，一写登高，写尽登楼的愁绪——花柳绕天愁而登楼更上楼，正是愁深而登高；此二句以春景、登高写尽登楼的愁绪，也为后二句的问鸿作铺垫，也让此二句成为全诗写登楼的核心与千古名句。若换作直说「登高望远很愁」，则失其画面；唯以「花明柳暗绕天愁」写春景、「上尽重城更上楼」写登高，写尽登楼的愁绪，也让此二句成为全诗写登楼的核心。

These lines are the tower-heart of the poem, bright flowers and dark willows of spring, yet sorrow encircling the sky. 'Flowers bright, willows dark' is a fine spring scene; 'a sorrow that encircles the sky' overrides it, the beauty only sharpening the grief. 'Climbing past the piled walls, yet another tower' writes the restless ascent—the higher he climbs, the wider the sorrow spreads. The motion upward feeds the grief, preparing the question to the lone goose. If stated as 'climbing high makes me sad,' the picture would fade; only through the bright flowers and the endless climbing does the sorrow rise with the height.

Study

Word focus

绕 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「花明柳暗绕天愁」之「绕」字是写愁绪的关键词，一个「绕」字写尽愁绪的弥漫。绕者，环绕、弥漫也。李商隐以「花明柳暗绕天愁」写愁绪，这个「绕」字至少有双重意味：其一，写愁之弥漫——那「花明柳暗绕天愁」写花明柳暗绕天之愁，那「绕」字写尽愁绪的弥漫——愁绕天涯，正是愁绪无边的写照，那「绕」字写尽愁绪的弥漫；其二，写愁之缠绕——那「绕」字更是写缠绕——愁绕心头，正是愁绪难解的写照，那「绕」字写尽愁绪的缠绕。以「绕」字写愁绪，正是李商隐写愁的枢纽——若换作「满」「弥」等字，则或失其与「花明柳暗」的配合，或失其写绕的意味；唯「绕」字，以花明柳暗绕天愁写尽愁绪的弥漫与缠绕，与「上尽重城更上楼」的登高相合，写尽登楼的愁绪，也让「花明柳暗绕天愁」成为全诗写愁绪的名句。

悠悠 'The, far, and, far' — the far and far of the drifting, the fate of the close. 「不知身世自悠悠」之「悠悠」是写身世的关键词，一个「悠悠」写尽身世的悠渺。悠悠者，悠远、渺茫也。李商隐以「不知身世自悠悠」写身世，这个「悠悠」至少有双重意味：其一，写身世之渺——那「不知身世自悠悠」写不知自己身世亦自悠悠，那「悠悠」写尽身世的渺茫——身世悠悠，正是前路茫茫的写照，那「悠悠」写尽身世的悠渺；其二，写时光之远——那「悠悠」更是写远——悠悠，正含岁月悠远之意，那「悠悠」写尽时光的悠远。以「悠悠」写身世，正是李商隐写茫然的枢纽——若换作「渺渺」「茫茫」等词，则或失其与「不知身世」的配合，或失其写悠悠的意味；唯「悠悠」二字，以不知身世自悠悠写尽身世的渺茫与时光的悠远，与「欲问孤鸿向何处」的孤鸿相合，写尽身世的飘零，也让「不知身世自悠悠」成为全诗写身世的名句。

夕阳楼