All poems

元 Yuan · 散曲 Sanqu song

大德歌·秋

Big Virtue Song: Autumn

关汉卿

Guan Hanqing

闺怨boudoir lament 秋思autumn melancholy

风飘飘，雨潇潇，便做陈抟睡不着。
懊恼伤怀抱，扑簌簌泪点抛。
秋蝉儿噪罢寒蛩儿叫，淅零零细雨打芭蕉。

Wind flutters, rain drizzles,
Even Chen Tuan could not sleep.
Vexation wounds my heart,
Tears fall in showers.
Autumn cicadas cease, crickets cry,
Drizzle drips on plantain leaves.

Listen

Meaning

A woman in an autumn wind and rain night is sleepless with longing and sorrow, weeping as she hears the sounds of cicadas, crickets, and rain on plantain leaves.

风飘飘摇摇，雨淅沥潇潇，即便是善睡的陈抟也辗转难眠。满心懊恼伤透了情怀，泪珠扑簌簌滚落。秋蝉啼过寒蟋蟀又鸣叫，淅沥零落的小雨打着芭蕉，更添凄凉。

Appreciation

The poem uses reduplicated words to depict wind and rain, a historical allusion to Chen Tuan to emphasize sleeplessness, and layers of autumn sounds to convey grief.

【白话串讲】风飘飘，雨潇潇，关汉卿写秋夜的愁，连觉都睡不着。“秋蝉儿噪罢寒蛩儿叫，淅零零细雨打芭蕉”——满耳朵都是愁。【意象与手法】全曲以女子口吻直抒，语言俚俗如话。「风飘飘，雨潇潇」两组叠字摹风雨之态兼状心绪不宁；「便做陈抟睡不着」以夸张反衬愁深；「秋蝉儿噪罢寒蛩儿叫，淅零零细雨打芭蕉」以三种秋声层递，视听互通，以喧衬寂。【情感与主旨】关汉卿，号已斋叟，元杂剧奠基人，亦擅散曲。《大德歌》为元曲牌名，关氏有春夏秋冬四首，此为其「秋」。大德为元成宗年号（1297—1307），曲盖作于此时。作品以女子口吻写秋夜相思，质朴明快，体现关氏散曲「本色当行」的风格。【名句点睛】默写易错：「风飘飘，雨潇潇」之「潇」勿作「消」；「便做陈抟睡不着」之「抟」易误作「传」。赏析重点：叠字的运用、陈抟典故的反用、以声衬寂的手法。

Background

Guan Hanqing, founder of Yuan drama, also wrote sanqu. 'Big Virtue Song' is a tune title from the Dade era (1297–1307). This is one of four seasonal poems, in the voice of a woman longing for her lover, reflecting folk style and natural expression.

此曲为关汉卿散曲《大德歌》四首（春、夏、秋、冬）中的「秋」篇。关汉卿（约1230—约1300），号已斋（一作一斋）叟，大都（今北京）人，元代最伟大的杂剧作家，元杂剧的奠基人，与白朴、马致远、郑光祖并称「元曲四大家」。其杂剧《窦娥冤》《救风尘》《单刀会》等脍炙人口；散曲今存小令五十七首、套数十四套，语言本色当行，俚俗生动。「大德」为元成宗年号（1297—1307），《大德歌》即为当时流行之曲牌名，关汉卿此组曲盖作于大德年间，以四季为题，分写闺中思妇一年四季的相思之情。元代文人社会地位低下，仕途无望，多混迹市井、寄情词曲，关汉卿更是「躬践排场，面敷粉墨」的梨园领袖，其散曲多写市井男女之情，语言通俗，感情真挚。此「秋」曲以女子口吻写秋夜相思：风雨潇潇，秋声四起，思妇独守空闺，愁绪难眠，泪落纷纷，借秋景写闺怨，是元散曲中闺怨题材的代表作，体现了关氏散曲「本色当行」的本色。从元代社会背景看，元初科举废弛（元仁宗延祐二年方恢复），文人仕进无门，多沉沦市井，散曲正由此勃兴；关汉卿身为「玉京书会」领袖，其曲多写市井男女的悲欢，此曲以女子口吻写秋思，正是其「偶倡优而不辞」、深入市井生活的产物，语言之俚俗、感情之真挚，皆非居高临下的文人模拟可比。

Art

Direct expression in colloquial language. Reduplications like 'feng piaopiao, yu xiaoxiao' create sound and mood. The allusion to Chen Tuan exaggerates sleeplessness. The final three sounds (cicada, cricket, rain) layer autumn grief, ending with the striking sound of rain on plantain.

此曲艺术上最突出的特点是语言俚俗如话、叠字连绵成趣，全曲以女子口吻直抒，一气呵成。「风飘飘，雨潇潇」两组叠字摹风雨之态，音节回环，兼状心绪之飘摇不宁——风飘雨潇，正是秋夜思妇心绪不宁的外化。「便做陈抟睡不着」以夸张反衬愁深：陈抟是传说中最善睡的人，连他都睡不着，则愁之深、夜之难熬可知，以俗语写深情，妙趣横生。「懊恼伤怀抱，扑簌簌泪点抛」直写情态，「扑簌簌」以叠字摹泪落之状，声情并茂。「秋蝉儿噪罢寒蛩儿叫，淅零零细雨打芭蕉」以三种秋声层递——蝉噪、蛩鸣、雨打芭蕉，声景相生，以喧衬寂，把秋夜的凄清写到极致。全曲由风雨起、由雨蕉结，中间以泪点、秋声贯穿，层层递进，把闺中人的愁怨写得淋漓尽致，是散曲中写秋闺怨的妙品。再就章法言，全曲由「睡不着」的无眠起，到「泪点抛」的落泪，再到「打芭蕉」的秋声，情随声进、声随情转，风雨、泪雨、秋雨三者交织，闺中人的愁怨如秋雨般绵绵不绝，收束于雨声之中，余韵悠长，正是散曲小令「小中见大、以短胜长」的典型。

Allusions

Chen Tuan was a Daoist known for sleeping for a hundred days. The line 'Even Chen Tuan could not sleep' reverses the allusion to show extreme sorrow. The plantain leaf is a traditional image of separation and longing, e.g., in Li Qingzhao's poems.

此曲用典不多而皆自然贴切。「陈抟」即五代宋初道士陈抟（？—989），字图南，号扶摇子，世称陈抟老祖、希夷先生，传说其善睡，一睡可百日不醒，故有「睡仙」之称。曲中「便做陈抟睡不着」反用其典：陈抟尚且能睡，我连陈抟都不如——以最善睡之人写「睡不着」，极言愁思之重、无眠之甚，反用典故，翻出新意，正是元曲「化雅为俗」的本色。「芭蕉」在古典诗词中常象征离情愁思：杜牧《芭蕉》「芭蕉不展丁香结，同向春风各自愁」以芭蕉写愁结，李商隐「芭蕉不展丁香结」同之，李清照《添字丑奴儿》「点滴霖霪，愁损北人，不惯起来听」亦写雨打芭蕉之愁；雨打芭蕉为传统愁思意象，此曲取以作结，正承其意。「寒蛩」指蟋蟀，秋日鸣虫，古诗中以蛩鸣写秋思者甚多，皆烘托凄清之境。又，「雨打芭蕉」在诗词传统中源远流长：温庭筠「梧桐树，三更雨」以雨写愁，李煜「帘外雨潺潺」以雨写恨，李清照「梧桐更兼细雨，到黄昏、点点滴滴」以雨写孤，皆以夜雨写愁思；芭蕉叶大而承雨声重，雨打芭蕉之声尤为凄清，元曲家取此意象入曲，正是借千年雨愁传统为闺怨添一层底色。

Commentary

Sui Shusen's 'Complete Yuan Sanqu' praises these poems for their natural language and folk style. Critics note Guan Hanqing's ability to convey deep feeling through simple, unadorned words.

关汉卿散曲历来以「本色当行」著称，此曲是其闺怨小令的代表。隋树森《全元散曲》收关汉卿《大德歌》四首，评其「语言本色，有民歌风」。近人论关曲「以俗为雅，以浅得深」，此秋曲写闺怨「不假雕饰而情自切」，正见其当行本色。与杂剧相比，关汉卿的散曲虽篇幅短小，却同样写活了市井女子的心事——窦娥的冤、赵盼儿的智、此曲闺中人的愁，一脉相通，可见关汉卿对女性命运的深切关怀。在元代散曲中，此曲与马致远《天净沙·秋思》、张可久写秋诸作并称写秋名篇，而风格有别：马曲以意象组合写羁旅之悲，疏朗苍凉；关曲以叠字口语写闺中之怨，质朴生动。此曲以俚俗之语写至深之情，是元曲「本色」精神的体现，也是研究关汉卿散曲风格与元代市井文学的重要文本。从接受看，此曲与《天净沙·秋思》同为元代散曲写秋名篇，而命运有别：《天净沙》因「枯藤老树昏鸦」的意象之美入选各种选本，成为元曲名片；此曲则以叠字之妙、口语之真，为曲论家所称道，被视为「本色当行」的范本。两曲合观，可见元散曲写秋的两条路径——意象派与本色派，各有千秋，共同构成元曲审美世界的两极。

Prosody

Form sanqu xiaoling (Shuangdiao·Dadege)散曲小令（双调·大德歌）

Rhyme xiao, jue, pao, jiao (Xiaohao rhyme)押萧豪韵（中原音韵），韵脚「潇」「觉」「抛」「蕉」等（「潇」「觉」「抛」「蕉」皆萧豪韵），一韵到底。

Tone pattern short lines, many reduplicated words, suitable for lyric《大德歌》句式长短错落，以三三七、七五五、七七等句式铺叙，多用叠字、儿化，节奏明快而口语化，宜于抒情。

Reading note Full of reduplications, like weeping, expressing boudoir autumn melancholy, reflects Guan Hanqing's natural style.此曲为散曲小令，属双调《大德歌》，押中原音韵萧豪韵（潇、觉、抛、蕉），一韵到底。散曲与诗词不同，不限平仄严律，而重声情流畅、口语自然，此曲正体现了散曲「以俗为雅」的本色：句式长短错落（「风飘飘，雨潇潇」三三起，「便做陈抟睡不着」七字承，「懊恼伤怀抱，扑簌簌泪点抛」五五转，「秋蝉儿噪罢寒蛩儿叫，淅零零细雨打芭蕉」七七结），节奏明快而亲切；叠字四用（飘飘、潇潇、扑簌簌、淅零零），如珠落玉盘，回环往复；「儿」字（秋蝉儿、寒蛩儿）口语入曲，更见市井气息。全曲以萧豪韵的响亮音色写秋夜之愁，声情并不低沉而反衬哀情，正见元曲「本色当行」之妙。诵读时宜以口语的节奏、俚俗的声调出之，方能传其当行本色。

Line by line

风飘飘，雨潇潇，便做陈抟睡不着。

Wind flutters, rain drizzles; even Chen Tuan, a master of sleep, cannot sleep. The reduplications and allusion emphasize restless sorrow.

风飘飘摇摇，雨淅沥潇潇，即便是善睡的陈抟也辗转难眠。

The wind drifts and sways, the rain spatters and sighs — even Chen Tuan, the great sleeper, could not sleep.

起笔以两组叠字写秋夜风雨，以夸张反衬愁深。「风飘飘，雨潇潇」：「飘飘」「潇潇」两组叠字摹风雨之态，音节回环如雨声风声，兼状心绪之飘摇不宁——风飘雨潇，正是秋夜思妇辗转难眠的写照；「便做陈抟睡不着」以俗语夸张反衬：陈抟是传说中最善睡之人，连他都睡不着，则愁之深、夜之难熬可知。「便做」二字即「即便是」之意，口语入曲，亲切生动。三句由景到人、由外到内，风雨之声引出无眠之叹，起笔即定下秋夜闺怨的基调，是散曲以俚语写深情的典型。

The opening uses two sets of reduplicated words for the autumn night's wind and rain, hyperbole set against grief. 'The wind drifts and sways, the rain spatters and sighs': the words mimic wind and rain, looping in cadence like the sounds themselves, and mirror the unrest of the mind — drifting wind, sighing rain, the very image of the autumn-night wife turning sleepless. 'Even Chen Tuan, the great sleeper, could not sleep' is vernacular hyperbole turned against grief: Chen Tuan is the legendary man who could sleep longest; if even he lies awake, the depth of sorrow, the length of the night, are known. 'Even' means 'even if,' colloquial in the song, vivid and warm. Scene to person, outer to inner, the sounds of wind and rain summon the sigh of sleeplessness, fixing at once the boudoir grief of the autumn night — a model of sanqu's deep feeling in rough speech.

懊恼伤怀抱，扑簌簌泪点抛。

Vexation wounds my heart, tears fall in showers. The reduplication 'pususu' vividly depicts tears falling.

满心懊恼伤透了情怀，泪珠扑簌簌滚落。

Vexation wounds the heart; tear after tear patters down.

两句直写情态，是全曲情感的直抒。「懊恼伤怀抱」：懊恼之情，伤透了怀抱——「懊恼」二字直白道出思妇心烦意乱之状，「伤怀抱」写愁绪之深，直抒胸臆，不加掩饰；「扑簌簌泪点抛」以叠字摹泪落之状：「扑簌簌」三字写泪珠纷纷滚落之声与态，声情并茂，如闻其泣、如见其泪，「抛」字更见泪落之急切、之不能自持。两句由心写到泪，由内写到外，把秋夜无眠之人的愁怨推到极处。语言俚俗如话而无一丝雕琢，正是关汉卿「本色当行」的风格——不借典故、不事辞藻，而以最直白的语言写最真切的情感。

Two lines state the mood directly, the song's outpouring. 'Vexation wounds the heart': vexation that pierces the breast — the word 'vexation' plainly names the wife's distracted heart, 'wounds the heart' the depth of sorrow, spoken straight from the chest, unadorned. 'Tear after tear patters down' uses reduplication for the falling tears: the onomatopoeic word renders the sound and motion of tears coursing, voice and feeling together — one hears the sobbing, sees the tears; the word 'casting' renders the urgency, the loss of control. From heart to tears, inner to outer, the sorrow of the sleepless woman reaches its height. The language rough as speech, without a trace of carving: Guan Hanqing's native manner — no allusion, no ornament, deepest feeling in the plainest words.

秋蝉儿噪罢寒蛩儿叫，淅零零细雨打芭蕉。

Autumn cicadas cease, crickets cry; drizzle drips on plantain leaves. Layer upon layer of autumn sounds, ending with the fine sound of rain on plantain, lingering sorrow.

秋蝉啼过寒蟋蟀又鸣叫，淅沥零落的小雨打着芭蕉，更添凄凉。

The autumn cicada has done chirping, the cold cricket takes up its cry; fine thin rain drums on the banana leaves.

结句以三种秋声收束，声景相生，以喧衬寂，是「以景结情」的妙笔。「秋蝉儿噪罢寒蛩儿叫」：秋蝉鸣罢，寒蛩（蟋蟀）又叫，「儿」字口语化，亲切俚俗；蝉噪蛩鸣，此起彼伏，秋声不断——以「噪」「叫」的喧闹，反衬思妇心境的孤寂，愈喧愈寂。「淅零零细雨打芭蕉」：「淅零零」再以叠字写雨声细碎不断，雨打芭蕉，声声入耳——雨打芭蕉是传统愁思意象，杜牧、李清照皆曾取之，此曲以之收束，把秋声、雨声、愁声凝于一处。三句蝉声、蛩声、雨声层递，视听互通，以声写愁，余韵凄婉，愁怨之情尽在秋声之中。

The closing gathers three autumn sounds, sound and scene born of each other, clamor set against silence — the masterstroke of closing feeling in scenery. 'The autumn cicada has done chirping, the cold cricket takes up its cry': cicada done, cricket beginning, the colloquial suffix lending warmth; chirp and cry, rising and falling, the autumn sounds unceasing — the clamor of chirp and cry set against the wife's solitude, the noisier the lonelier. 'Fine thin rain drums on the banana leaves': another reduplicated word for the fine, endless rain, drumming on banana leaves, every beat entering the ear — rain on banana is a classic image of sorrow, used by Du Mu and Li Qingzhao; here it closes the song, fusing autumn sound, rain sound, and grief's sound. Cicada, cricket, rain, layered one by one, sight and sound interwoven, grief written through sound, the aftertone desolate — sorrow wholly within the autumn sounds.

Study

Word focus

飘飘、潇潇 Reduplications describing wind and rain, creating a bleak atmosphere and reflecting inner turmoil. 「风飘飘，雨潇潇」之「飘飘」「潇潇」两组叠字，摹风雨之态，是全曲起笔的字眼。「飘飘」写风之飘摇不定，「潇潇」写雨之淅沥不断，两组叠字音节回环、如风雨之声，既写秋夜风雨之景，又状思妇心绪之飘摇不宁——风飘雨潇，正是辗转难眠之人心情的外化。叠字之用，一则以声摹景，风声雨声如在耳畔；二则回环往复，节奏如泣如诉，与后文「扑簌簌」「淅零零」相呼应，全曲叠字连绵，如珠落玉盘。元曲尚俗尚真，叠字正是民间曲辞的本色，关汉卿以叠字起笔，一上来便抓住秋夜之氛围与人物之心绪，可谓先声夺人。

扑簌簌 Reduplication describing tears falling profusely, vivid and mournful. 「扑簌簌泪点抛」之「扑簌簌」，以叠字写泪落纷纷之状，声情并茂，是全曲最见本色的用字。「扑簌簌」本是拟声拟态之词，写泪珠接连滚落之声与态——如闻泪珠落襟之响，如见泪流满面之状，把抽象之「悲」化为可闻可见之「泪」，极言伤心之深。此三字与前句「懊恼伤怀抱」相接：懊恼是心，泪点是形，心伤至极而形之于泪，「扑簌簌」正是那「伤」的具象化。叠字之用，既摹声又传情，且带市井口语的亲切，正见关汉卿「以俗为雅」的功力——不写「涕泗滂沱」之类的雅语，而以最朴素的「扑簌簌」三字，写尽深闺少妇的悲愁。

淅零零 Reduplication describing the fine, continuous sound of rain, expressing endless sorrow. 「淅零零细雨打芭蕉」之「淅零零」，以叠字写雨声细碎不断，以声写愁，是全曲收束的妙笔。「淅零零」摹细雨之声——不是暴雨倾盆，而是秋雨淅沥，细碎连绵，打在芭蕉叶上，声声入耳，如愁如怨。此三字与前文「飘飘」「潇潇」「扑簌簌」呼应，全曲叠字四用，前后勾连，如一线穿珠；而「淅零零」置于结句，更以雨声收束全曲——蝉声已歇，蛩声亦罢，唯余细雨打蕉之声，声声敲在思妇心上。雨打芭蕉本为传统愁思意象，冠以「淅零零」之叠字，愁声更切，余韵凄婉，把秋夜闺怨写到欲说还休之境，正是「言有尽而意无穷」的收束。