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元 Yuan · 散曲 Sanqu song

朝天曲

Song Facing the Sky

张养浩

Zhang Yanghao

闲适leisurely 田园Pastoral life 写景scenery

柳堤，竹溪，日影筛金翠。
杖藜徐步近钓矶，看鸥鹭闲游戏。
农父渔翁，贪营活计，不知他在图画里。
对这般景致，坐的，便无酒也令人醉。

Willow embankment, bamboo stream, sunlight sifts gold and green.
With staff I slowly walk near the fishing rock, watching gulls and egrets play idly.
Farmers and fishermen, busy with their livelihoods, don't know they are in a painting.
Facing such a scene, just sitting, even without wine one gets drunk.

Listen

Meaning

The poet depicts a tranquil rural scene where he enjoys nature's beauty and reflects that the farmers, though busy, are unaware of being part of a picturesque painting. The scenery alone intoxicates him without wine.

柳树成堤，竹影映溪，日光透过枝叶筛下斑驳的金翠。拄着藜杖慢步走近垂钓的石矶，看鸥鸟白鹭悠闲地嬉戏。农夫与渔翁忙着经营生计，却不知自己正身在图画之中。面对这般景致，就这样坐着，即便没有酒也让人沉醉。

Appreciation

This poem uses juxtaposition and vivid imagery to depict a leisurely pastoral life. The word 'sift' is particularly vivid, turning static sunlight into a dynamic filter. The contrast between the busy farmers and the poet’s detached appreciation highlights the theme of reclusive joy.

【白话串讲】张养浩拄着拐杖在柳堤竹溪边散步，看鸥鹭游戏，看农夫渔翁忙活。他说：他们不知道自己在画里——“对这般景致，便无酒也令人醉”。【意象与手法】起三句「柳堤，竹溪，日影筛金翠」以鼎足对列锦，三组名词短语并置，不加动词而画面自现，「筛」字化静为动，炼字精绝；中幅「杖藜徐步近钓矶，看鸥鹭闲游戏」写人鸟相得，「闲」字一字双关；「农父渔翁，贪营活计，不知他在图画里」忽作视角翻转，以局中人之「不知」反衬局外人之「醉」；结句「便无酒也令人醉」以口语收束，自然酣畅，正是元散曲「以俗为雅」的本色当行。【情感与主旨】张养浩（1270—1329），字希孟，号云庄，济南人，元代名臣、散曲大家。此曲为其退隐济南云庄时期所作中吕《朝天曲》组曲（存十二首）之一，写云庄附近的柳堤竹溪、鸥鹭农渔，表现「辞官归隐、寄情山水」的闲适心境，是元散曲闲适派的典范之作，亦折射出中国士人「功成身退、归隐田园」的传统人生理想。【名句点睛】常考：一、「日影筛金翠」的炼字——「筛」字好在哪里，须答化静为动、光影斑驳、兼写观者心闲；二、「不知他在图画里」的视角翻转；三、结句「无酒也令人醉」的闲适主旨。

Background

Written during Zhang Yanghao’s retirement in Yunzhuang, this poem is part of a series expressing his contentment with rustic life. Zhang was a Yuan dynasty official who chose seclusion over court service.

张养浩（1270—1329），字希孟，号云庄，济南人，元代名臣兼散曲大家。他历任堂邑县尹、监察御史、礼部尚书等职，以直言敢谏著称，曾因上疏谏止元夕内庭张灯之侈而几乎获罪，仕途屡起屡蹶。晚年厌倦宦海风波，于至治元年（1321）前后辞官归隐济南云庄，日以山水自娱，寄情诗酒，前后近十年。《朝天曲》即其归隐时期所作的一组中吕宫小令，今存十二首，多写云庄附近的田园风物与闲适心境，此首为其中最脍炙人口者。曲中柳堤、竹溪、钓矶、鸥鹭、农父、渔翁，皆为云庄实景实人；诗人扶杖徐行其间，看鸥鹭忘机、看农渔营生，油然而生身在画图、无酒自醉之乐，正可见其「辞官归隐、寄情山水」的人生选择与散曲「闲适派」的典型风神。天历二年（1329）关中大旱，他应召复出赈灾，劳瘁而卒，身后百姓巷哭，更反衬此曲中田园岁月之宁静可贵——居庙堂则忧民，处江湖则自乐，此曲正是后者的写照。

Art

The opening lines use a tripod parallelism with 'willow embankment, bamboo stream, sunlight sifting gold and green'. The verb 'sift' animates the scene. The twist that the farmers are in a painting yet unaware of it underscores the poet’s aesthetic detachment. The colloquial ending adds natural charm.

此曲最见散曲本色，章法上由远及近、由景及人、由人及情，层层推进。起三句「柳堤，竹溪，日影筛金翠」以鼎足对列锦，三组名词性短语并置，不加动词而画面自现：柳堤、竹溪是空间铺展，「日影筛金翠」是光影点染，「筛」字炼得精妙，将静态的日光写成透过枝叶筛漏而下、斑斑点点如金似翠的碎影，化静为动，声色俱足。中幅「杖藜徐步近钓矶，看鸥鹭闲游戏」写人鸟相得，「闲」字一字双关，既状鸥鹭之自在，亦写诗人心中之无事；「农父渔翁，贪营活计，不知他在图画里」忽作视角翻转——局中人忙于生计，浑然不觉自己正处画境，而局外人（诗人）冷眼旁观，愈见其醉。结句「对这般景致，坐的，便无酒也令人醉」以口语收束，不事雕琢，直白酣畅，正是元散曲「以俗为雅」的本色当行。全曲景、人、情三层递进，由写景到写人再到写心境，一层深似一层，一气流转而无斧凿痕；且全篇不著一个「闲」字之外的抽象议论，闲适之情全从画面与动作中自然流出，含蓄而有味，是「不着一字，尽得风流」的散曲化呈现。

Allusions

'Staff of thorn' alludes to Du Fu and the Zhuangzi, symbolizing the hermit’s leisurely walk. 'Gulls and egrets' reference the Liezi’s story of a man who befriended seagulls, representing a carefree relationship with nature. The phrase 'in a painting' echoes a common saying.

此曲用典不着痕迹，皆融化于家常语中。「杖藜」出自杜甫《漫兴》「杖藜徐步立芳洲」，亦承《庄子》以来隐者扶杖徜徉的传统意象，一「杖」字便点出诗人闲游之态与隐者身份；「钓矶」暗含严子陵钓台一类隐逸故实，垂钓本是与世无争的象征，后世「钓矶」「渔矶」遂成隐者居处的代称，唐人「钓罢归来不系船」亦此意趣。「鸥鹭」用《列子·黄帝》海上之人与鸥鸟忘机相亲之典：人无机心，则鸥鸟不惊，后世遂以「鸥鹭忘机」喻人与自然无猜、超然物外之境，辛弃疾「凡我同盟鸥鹭，今日既盟之后，来往莫相猜」亦用此意，此处「看鸥鹭闲游戏」正是此境的写真。「图画里」则化用前人「人在画图中」的熟语，把眼前的田园实景直接认作一幅活的山水画，妙在自然而然，亦暗承苏轼评王维「诗中有画」的传统。全曲以这些隐逸语码织就，却不堆砌、不卖弄，字字家常而林泉之趣盎然，正见张养浩散曲「似浅实深，似俗实雅」的功力。

Commentary

Ming critics categorized Zhang Yanghao alongside Guan Yunshi as a 'leisurely' master of sanqu. Modern scholars note his poetry is 'seemingly shallow but deep, seemingly vulgar but elegant'. This piece, with rustic subjects and refined technique, is a representative work.

元散曲向分豪放、清丽两大派，张养浩与贯云石则被明人并视为闲适隐逸一脉的代表。近人论其曲「似浅实深，似俗实雅」，此曲正是绝佳例证：写田夫渔父而不俚俗，写闲适之乐而不空泛，以平常语写真性情，脱尽雕琢之气。隋树森《全元散曲》辑张养浩小令一百六十余首、套数二篇，此曲列于其归隐题材代表作品之中，向为选本必录。尤为值得注意的是，张养浩既能作《山坡羊·潼关怀古》「兴，百姓苦；亡，百姓苦」这般沉郁警拔的怀古之作，又能写《朝天曲》这样恬淡自适的田园小令，一热一冷、一忧一乐，恰见其人格的两面：居庙堂则忧民，处江湖则自乐。此曲在文学史上的价值，正在于以散曲这一新兴俗体，写出了陶渊明《归园田居》式的田园之乐，而语言更近口语、情味更见真率，将诗、词中的田园传统成功引入散曲，为元曲拓宽了题材疆域，亦为田园文学增添了新的体式与新的声音，其影响及于明代散曲的闲适一路。

Prosody

Form Yuan sanqu, Zhonglü mode, 'Song Facing the Sky' (also 'Facing the Son of Heaven'), a short lyric元散曲·中吕宫《朝天曲》（即《朝天子》）小令

Rhyme Rhymes on 'stream, green, rock, play, painting, drunk' (Qiwei rhyme group)押《中原音韵》齐微韵：「溪、翠、矶、戏、里、醉」通押，一韵到底

Tone pattern Sanqu does not strictly follow tonal patterns; the lines are irregular in length句短韵密，首句二字起，多三字、四字短句，衬字灵活，节奏明快

Reading note One of Zhang Yanghao's Yunzhuang leisure series, using juxtaposition and tripod parallelism.《朝天曲》又名《朝天子》，属中吕宫曲牌，句式短小错落，此曲全篇通押齐微韵，「溪、翠、矶、戏、里、醉」六字一韵到底，句句入韵而韵位密集，读来叮当作响，恰配田园风物的明快节奏。首三句「柳堤，竹溪，日影筛金翠」以二字句、二字句、五字句递进，前两句皆为短句，顿挫有力，第三句一放为五字长句，节奏由急而缓，如镜头由近推远。曲中「坐的」之「的」为衬字，正体现散曲句法灵活、可加衬字的特点——这是曲与诗词在格律上的最大不同，诗词须守字句之数，曲则于正字之外可添衬字，以就口语之便。与诗词不同，散曲不严分平仄四声，而以《中原音韵》为准，去声、上声分押亦不拘，故语言更近口语，读来酣畅流利。「杖藜徐步近钓矶，看鸥鹭闲游戏」七字句与五字句相间，「农父渔翁」四字句两两对举，句式参差错落而气脉贯通，正见散曲自由疏放、以俗为雅的音乐本色。

Line by line

柳堤，竹溪，日影筛金翠。

Willow embankment, bamboo-lined stream — sunlight sifts gold and green through the leaves.

柳树成堤，竹影映溪，日光透过枝叶筛下斑驳的金翠。

Willows line the embankment; bamboos shadow the stream; daylight filters through the branches in flecks of gold and jade.

起三句以鼎足对列锦开篇，是全曲最见功力的镜头。「柳堤」「竹溪」两个名词短语并置，只摆出物象而不加动词，仿佛电影定格：堤上垂柳、溪边修竹，一片青绿铺开；第三句「日影筛金翠」忽然以光点染，阳光穿过枝叶缝隙，筛漏而下，碎成一片片金色与翠色相间的光斑，整个画面立时活了。「筛」字是全句诗眼：日影本是静态的，一个「筛」字写出光影漏下的动态与斑驳，如金似翠，斑斓明灭。三句由面到点、由色到光，二十字画出一幅明净鲜活的春日园林图，为全曲的闲适情调定下明亮欢快的基调，亦为结句「无酒也令人醉」预伏了醉人的景致。

The opening three lines, a balanced triad of listed scenery, are the most crafted shot in the song. 'Willow embankment' and 'bamboo stream' sit as bare noun phrases, no verb, like a freeze-frame: drooping willows on the bank, tall bamboo by the water, a wash of green; then 'daylight sifts gold and green through the leaves' suddenly dyes the scene with light — sun seeping through gaps in the foliage, broken into flecks of gold and jade, and the whole picture lives. The word 'sifts' is the poem's eye: daylight is still, yet the verb renders the dappled motion of light spilling down, gold and green flickering. Surface to point, color to light, twenty characters draw a clear, vivid spring garden, setting the song's bright, carefree tone and prefiguring the closing line's 'even without wine it intoxicates.'

杖藜徐步近钓矶，看鸥鹭闲游戏

The poet leisurely strolls and observes birds at play.

拄着藜杖慢步走近垂钓的石矶，看鸥鸟白鹭悠闲地嬉戏。

Leaning on my staff of vine I stroll slowly to the fishing rock, watching gulls and egrets play at leisure.

写诗人置身画境的闲态。「杖藜」点出隐者身份，「徐步」见步履从容，「近钓矶」写行止自在——不是匆匆赶路，而是信步走到水边石矶，去「看」鸥鹭游戏。一个「看」字，写尽闲人无事、观物忘情的状态；「闲游戏」之「闲」一字双关，既写鸥鹭起落浮沉、无拘无束的自在，亦写观者心中无事、与物相忘的闲适，人鸟在此达到「忘机」的和谐。与上句的「筛」字相映，「看」是人物动作的支点，把前文的纯景物收拢到人身上来，景中有人、人即是景，为下句「不知他在图画里」的视角翻转作了铺垫。

Here the poet's own ease within the painted scene is shown. 'Leaning on my vine staff' marks the recluse; 'slow stroll' the unhurried step; 'to the fishing rock' the unplanned wandering — not hastening anywhere, but walking to the water's edge to watch the gulls and egrets. The single word 'watch' renders the idle man, with nothing to do, lost in watching things; and 'play at leisure' holds the 'leisure' double: the gulls' free rise and fall, and the watcher's heart at rest, forgetting itself among the creatures — the harmony of the unworldly. Against the earlier 'sifts,' 'watch' is the pivot of human action, gathering pure landscape back to the person: scene contains the man, who is himself the scene — paving the way for the turning of perspective to come, 'unaware he is inside the picture.'

农父渔翁，贪营活计，不知他在图画里

The working people are unaware of their picturesque surroundings.

农夫与渔翁忙着经营生计，却不知自己正身在图画之中。

Farmers and fishermen, busy at their livelihoods, never know they are living inside a painting.

全曲最妙的一笔，在于视角的陡然翻转。前文是诗人「看」景，此处忽然换作诗人「看人」：农父渔翁各忙各的营生，「贪营活计」四字写其勤苦专注，他们根本无暇也无心欣赏这满目风光，浑然不知自己正置身于一幅绝美的图画之中。局中人之「不知」，恰反衬出局外人（诗人）之「知」与「醉」——正因为他退出了营生的轨道、放下了名利的挂碍，才能以旁观者的眼光把整幅田园生活看成一幅画。这一翻转使全曲由写景升入写境：所谓闲适，不在景之美，而在心之闲；身在图画的幸运，只有置身局外的人才能体味。

The song's most brilliant stroke is the sudden turning of perspective. Until now the poet has 'watched' the scene; now he 'watches the people': farmers and fishermen each at their work, the phrase 'busy at their livelihoods' rendering their toil and single-mindedness — they have neither time nor heart to notice the view, unaware they are standing within a superb painting. The insider's unawareness sets off the outsider's (the poet's) awareness and intoxication: only by stepping off the treadmill of livelihood, by laying down fame and profit, can one look on all rural life as a painting. The turn lifts the song from scene to mood: leisure lies not in the beauty of the view but in the leisure of the heart; the luck of living inside the picture is tasted only by those outside it.

对这般景致，坐的，便无酒也令人醉

The beauty alone intoxicates the poet, even without wine.

面对这般景致，就这样坐着，即便没有酒也让人沉醉。

Before such a scene, sitting just so — even without wine, it makes one drunk.

结句以口语收束，酣畅自然，是全曲闲适主旨的点睛之笔。「对这般景致」回挽上文铺陈的柳堤竹溪、鸥鹭农渔；「坐的」是典型的元代白话，一个「坐」字写出什么都不做、只是静静坐着享受的慵懒姿态；「便无酒也令人醉」翻空出奇——酒是古人醉乡的常客，此处却说无酒亦醉，醉人的不是杯中物，而是眼前景与心中闲。「醉」字双关，既写景之美足以醉人，更写心境之乐已臻微醺。全曲至此戛然而止，不著议论而闲适之情满纸，以俗语写雅趣，以家常语写真性情，正是元散曲本色当行的最高境界。

The closing line, in colloquial speech, flows with easy fullness and pins the song's theme of leisure. 'Before such a scene' gathers back the willow embankment, bamboo stream, gulls, and farmers; 'sitting just so' is pure Yuan vernacular, one verb rendering the lazy posture of doing nothing but sitting and savoring; 'even without wine it intoxicates' is the unexpected turn — wine is the usual path to drunkenness, but here, no wine needed: what intoxicates is the view before the eyes and the leisure in the heart. 'Drunk' doubles: the beauty of the scene enough to intoxicate, and the heart's joy already tipsy. The song stops short, no argument, leisure filling the page — vernacular for refined delight, home speech for true feeling, the highest of the sanqu's native manner.

Study

Word focus

筛 sift; used to describe sunlight filtering through leaves, turning static into dynamic. 「日影筛金翠」之「筛」字，是全曲炼字眼，被历代选家津津乐道。筛本指用筛子过滤谷物，此处移用来写阳光穿过柳枝竹叶的缝隙、漏下斑斑碎影的情状，一个动词把静态的日光写出了动态的过程与质感：光不是「照」下来的，而是被枝叶「筛」漏下来的，疏疏落落、闪闪烁烁，如金似翠，斑斓可爱。「筛」字之妙，一在化静为动，使日影成为流动的碎金；二在兼写物我，既见枝叶之密、光影之碎，亦见观者之细——只有心闲眼细的人，才会留意到日光筛落这般微妙的光影变化。若易以「照」「洒」则平，易以「漏」则俗，唯「筛」字分寸恰好，故为全篇点睛之笔，历来被视为元散曲炼字的典范。

闲 idle; describes both the birds and the poet's state of mind. 「看鸥鹭闲游戏」之「闲」字，一字双关，是全曲闲适之情的凝结点。从写物说，「闲」状鸥鹭起落浮沉、悠游自在之态，白鸥沙鹭忽起忽落，全无机心，正是一片天然闲趣；从写人说，「闲」更点出观者心境——诗人能看出鸥鹭之「闲」，正因自己心中无事、与物相忘。鸥鹭之闲是景，人心之闲是情，一字而情景双到，物我交融，深得「鸥鹭忘机」之旨。尤妙的是，此「闲」与下句农父渔翁之「贪营」形成对照：农渔忙于生计，无闲赏景；诗人闲观万物，方得此乐。一「闲」一「贪」，一乐一苦，两两映照，闲适之题旨尽在这一字之中，「闲」字看似信手，实为全曲纲目。

贪营 greedily busy; depicts farmers and fishermen absorbed in work, contrasting with the poet's detachment. 「农父渔翁，贪营活计」之「贪营」，写农渔忙于生计之态，是全曲匠心独运的一笔。「贪」本含贬义，此处却无贬意，只写其专注投入、为生计奔忙的样子——农人贪于耕作，渔翁忙于捕捞，各安其业，自得其乐；「营」字见其经营谋划之勤。二字合看，把田园生活的「忙」写得生动具体，与诗人「杖藜徐步」的「闲」构成鲜明对照：忙者不知身在画中，闲者冷眼旁观而醉。这一对照正是全曲立意所在——闲适之乐不在于无生计之累，而在于有心赏景之暇；「贪营」二字愈写农渔之忙，愈见诗人旁观之闲，亦愈显「无酒也令人醉」之情的可贵。炼字之妙，在一「贪」字点活整幅田园，使全曲于静景中见出生活的热气。

朝天曲