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元 Yuan · 散曲 Sanqu song

寿阳曲·别珠帘秀

Song of Shouyang: Farewell to Zhu Lianxiu

卢挚

Lu Zhi

离别Parting 感怀Emotions

才欢悦，早间别，痛煞煞好难割舍。
画船儿载将春去也，空留下半江明月。

Just now joy, soon parting, painfully hard to part.
The painted boat carries spring away, leaving only half a river of bright moon.

Listen

Meaning

The poet laments that joy is quickly followed by separation. His beloved, likened to spring, departs in a painted boat, leaving only the empty moonlit river, which mirrors his sorrow.

才刚刚欢聚喜悦，早早地又要分别，痛彻心扉实在难以割舍。画船儿载着那春光般的人儿去了，只空空留下半江的明月。

Appreciation

Lu Zhi farewells the famed performer Zhu Lianxiu. The first three lines use colloquial language to express the raw pain of sudden parting, then the last two lines shift to a serene, empty scene of a river and moon, conveying deep, lingering sorrow through contrast.

【白话串讲】卢挚送别名妓珠帘秀：“才欢悦，早间别”——刚欢聚就要分别。“画船儿载将春去也，空留下半江明月”——人走了，只留下满江的月光。【意象与手法】起三句以口语直抒，用「才……早……」的顿挫写出聚短离速之痛，「痛煞煞」叠字俗中见真，是元曲本色的直露。后二句笔锋一转，以景结情：将人喻为春，以「画船载春」写所爱之人随舟远去，以「半江明月」写人去后的空寂，由热烈的痛转清空的境，含蓄不尽。前直后曲、前实后虚，正是元人小令「凤头、猪肚、豹尾」的典型章法。【情感与主旨】卢挚（约1242—1314后），字处道，号疏斋，元初散曲名家。此曲为送别著名女艺人珠帘秀而作：珠帘秀本名朱帘秀，是元杂剧舞台上的一代名伶，卢挚与之交厚，此曲写欢聚未久即别，「画船载春」以春代指人，暗含对其青春才艺的怜惜；「半江明月」则写人去楼空后的清寂，是元人赠别散曲中情真意切的佳作，亦可见元初文人与艺人的深厚情谊。【名句点睛】常考「画船儿载将春去也，空留下半江明月」的写法：一写「去」——画船载春，以虚写实，将别离写得轻盈又决绝；一写「留」——半江明月，以景结情，将空寂写得清冷又绵长。一「载」一「空」，去留对照，正是全曲最见功力的一笔。

Background

Lu Zhi (c.1242–1314+), styled Chudao, was a notable sanqu writer of early Yuan. This piece was written for his farewell to the famed actress Zhu Lianxiu. They were close friends, and this song captures the pain of a brief reunion followed by separation, using 'spring gone' and 'bright moon' to evoke sorrow.

卢挚（约1242—1314后），字处道，号疏斋，又号嵩翁，涿郡（今河北涿州）人，元初著名文学家。他出身于世侯之家，至元五年（1268）出仕，累官至翰林学士承旨，与姚燧并称「姚卢」，诗文散曲皆工，散曲与马致远、张可久、贯云石等并为元初大家。珠帘秀本名朱帘秀，行四，艺名珠帘秀，是元杂剧一代名伶，演旦角冠绝一时，与关汉卿、卢挚、胡祗遹等文人均有深交，关汉卿曾作《南吕·一枝花·赠珠帘秀》盛赞其艺。此曲即卢挚送别珠帘秀之作，当作于二人交游的元初大都或南方任所时期。元初废除科举近八十年，文人多沉沦下僚，与勾栏艺人交往密切，曲这种新兴文体正是在文人介入戏曲、与艺人合作的土壤中成熟起来的。卢挚以翰林高官之身与名伶赠答唱和，珠帘秀亦以《寿阳曲·答卢疏斋》回赠，一赠一答，传为曲坛佳话，可见元初文人与艺人之间平等真挚的情谊，也见散曲作为「场上之曲」与「案头之曲」兼具的文体特质。

Art

The first three lines employ colloquial speech with sharp contrasts ('just…soon') to depict abrupt pain. The last two lines shift to scenic description: the painted boat carries spring (the beloved) away, leaving only half a river of moonlight. The emotion moves from intense pain to a quiet, empty scene, achieving subtlety and depth.

此曲虽只五句，章法却极讲究，前直后曲、前实后虚，正是元人小令「凤头、猪肚、豹尾」的典型结构。起句「才欢悦，早间别」以「才……早……」的对举顿挫，写聚短离速之痛——欢悦尚在唇边，离别已到眼前，两个短句如两记闷锤，直击人心；次句「痛煞煞好难割舍」以叠字口语把痛楚推向顶点，「痛煞煞」三字俗而真，是元曲本色的直露。后二句笔锋一转，由直抒转为以景结情：「画船儿载将春去也」将人喻为春，所爱之人随画船远去，如春光之不可留，「载将」二字化静为动，把别离写得轻盈而决绝；「空留下半江明月」则写人去后的空寂——春已载去，唯余半江明月，清冷的光影洒在水面，恰似离人凝望的目光。一「载」一「空」，去留对照；前二句以痛写情，后二句以景写情，直处见真，曲处见远，虚实相生，含蓄不尽，深得离情之致。全曲声情亦随章法起伏：前三句句短韵密，急如鼓点；后二句句长韵疏，缓如流水，节奏由急促转舒缓，正与「痛定思痛、凝望空江」的心绪同步。

Allusions

Zhu Lianxiu was a renowned Yuan drama actress. Addressing her directly follows the sanqu tradition of 'gifts to courtesans.' 'Painted boat carries spring away' alludes to the 'keeping spring' motif of Ouyang Xiu and Su Shi; 'half a river of bright moon' echoes traditional parting scenes under moonlight.

此曲用典自然，以实写虚，最见元散曲熔铸传统的功力。其一为「以真人入曲」：珠帘秀为元杂剧名伶，卢挚直以其名入题，是元散曲「赠妓」传统的实写——这类作品由词中赠歌妓之作（如晏几道赠小蘋、小云）演化而来，至元曲而大盛，成为文人与艺人交往的实录。其二为「画船载春」：以春代指所爱之人，化用「留春、送春」的古典母题——欧阳修《蝶恋花》「门掩黄昏，无计留春住」写留春不得，苏轼《水龙吟·次韵章质夫杨花词》「春色三分，二分尘土，一分流水」写春之消逝，卢挚反用其意，不写留春而写「载春」，以画船将春带走，把「春去」之无奈坐实为「人去」之怅惘，比喻翻新而出。其三为「半江明月」：暗承月夜送别与江月相望的传统——白居易《琵琶行》「东船西舫悄无言，唯见江心秋月白」以江月写曲终人散之静，张若虚《春江花月夜》以江月写相思之无涯，卢挚取「半江明月」入曲，既写人去后江面的清冷，又暗含「人隔两地，共此明月」的遥思，月之圆满反衬人之离缺，「半」字尤妙，写尽残景与缺憾。全篇熔词曲、唐诗于一炉，而归于元曲的活脱，正见「以俗为雅、化雅为俗」的双向功夫。

Commentary

Zhu Lianxiu also wrote a reply to Lu Zhi; their exchange is famed in Yuan literature. The piece is noted for its sincere emotions and blend of vernacular and elegant imagery. Sui Shusen's Complete Yuan Sanqu includes it as a representative work of Lu Zhi.

此曲在元曲史上地位殊高，是「疏斋与珠帘秀」唱和佳话的核心文本。珠帘秀《寿阳曲·答卢疏斋》云「山无数，烟万缕，憔悴煞玉堂人物」，以「玉堂人物」回敬卢挚，一赠一答，堪称曲坛双璧。隋树森《全元散曲》辑录此曲，以为卢挚代表作；近人论元散曲赠妓之作「率真不讳」，此首以「痛煞煞」直写离痛，正见其真。从曲学看，卢挚为元初文人散曲的开山者之一：他上承词体之雅，下开曲体之俗，此曲前半直白如话、后半清空如画，正是「雅俗之间」的典范。文学史价值有三：其一，它是元初文人与艺人交往的直接实录，见证了元曲从勾栏走向案头的过程；其二，以「画船载春」「半江明月」两个意象写离情，将唐诗宋词的意境炼入曲体，为后世散曲送别之作（如贯云石、张可久诸作）提供了范型；其三，「才欢悦，早间别」的顿挫开篇与「空留下半江明月」的景语收束，一急一缓、一热一冷，堪称小令章法的教科书，故论者多以之与马致远《天净沙·秋思》并列为元人小令双璧。

Prosody

Form Yuan sanqu in tune of Shuangdiao · Shouyangqu (also known as Luomeifeng)元散曲·双调《寿阳曲》（即《落梅风》）小令

Rhyme Rhymes on 'bie, she, ye, yue' (che/she and yue categories in Northern Chinese)押「别、舍、也、月」四字，属北曲「车遮」韵（其中「别」「月」为入声派入平声、去声者），句句皆押，一韵到底。

Tone pattern Sanqu does not strictly follow tonal patterns; lines are short and lively.曲牌正格句式为「三三七七七」，五句五韵；前三句三字、三字、七字，句短韵密，急促跳宕，后二句七字、七字，句长韵疏，舒缓绵长；北曲不究平仄，唯「痛煞煞」的衬字顿挫与「半江明月」的去声、入声收束，使声情起伏有致。

Reading note A farewell piece by Lu Zhi to Zhu Lianxiu, blending colloquial language with evocative imagery.《寿阳曲》又名《落梅风》，是北曲双调中的小令曲牌，正格句式为「三三七七七」，五句五韵，句句押韵。此曲五句为「才欢悦」（三字）、「早间别」（三字）、「痛煞煞好难割舍」（七字，其中「煞煞」为衬字）、「画船儿载将春去也」（七字，正字为「画船载将春去也」，「儿」为衬字）、「空留下半江明月」（七字），曲谱句式与正格大体吻合，而衬字的加入正体现了曲与诗词的重要区别——曲可于正字之外添衬字，以口语的声气入律，故能雅俗兼收。用韵上，四韵字「别、舍、也、月」皆属北曲「车遮」韵（中原音韵收「车遮」部），韵腹为「e、ie、üe」，收音于舌面前部，音色清细低回，恰与离别的凄切之情相应；其中「别」「月」为入声字，北曲入声派入平、去二声，读来短促顿挫，正合「痛煞煞」的急迫与「半江明月」的凝望。声情上，前三句句短韵密、急如鼓点，后二句句长韵疏、缓如流水，由急促转舒缓，正与「由痛而空」的情感曲线同步。全曲五句五韵，一韵到底，节奏跳宕而音律流美，是元人小令中声情与辞情高度统一的典范。

Line by line

才欢悦，早间别

Just now joy, soon parting — the abrupt contrast highlights the brevity of happiness.

才刚刚欢聚喜悦，早早地就要分别。

Just now the joy; already the parting.

开篇五字写尽聚短离速之痛，是全曲情感的引爆点。「才……早……」两个时间副词对举，构成强烈的顿挫：欢悦的余温尚在唇边，离别的命令已到眼前，一「才」一「早」，把相聚之短暂与离别之仓促推到极致，中间没有一个过渡的字，仿佛命运连喘息的空隙都不给。「欢悦」与「别」又构成情感的极地对照——前者是人生至乐，后者是至悲，短短五字间从乐到悲的骤转，正是元曲「以快语写深悲」的本色笔法。句式上三字一顿，音节短促，如连发之箭，读者的心随之被紧紧攫住；而「才」「早」的虚字呼应，又赋予句子一种急迫的节奏感，为下句「痛煞煞」的直泻蓄足了势。起笔即如此决绝，正是元人小令开门见山、不事铺陈的作风。

The opening five characters write the pain of short joy and sudden parting, the spark of the song's emotion. 'Just now... already...' two time-adverbs set against each other, a sharp turn: the warmth of joy still on the lips, the order of parting already before the eyes, the 'just' and the 'already' pushing the briefness of meeting and the abruptness of parting to the extreme, not one transitional character between, as if fate grants no breath. 'Joy' and 'parting' set the poles of feeling — the greatest pleasure of life, the greatest grief; the five-character turn from joy to grief is the Yuan qu's native art of 'writing deep grief in quick words.' In form, three characters to a beat, the cadence short, like arrows loosed in succession, the reader's heart seized; the呼应 of the particles 'just' and 'already' giving the sentence an urgent rhythm, charging the outpouring of the next line's 'aching to the bone.' Opening so decisive is the Yuan short song's way of striking at once, without spread.

痛煞煞好难割舍

Painfully hard to part — colloquial speech expressing raw emotion.

痛彻心扉，实在难以割舍。

Aching to the bone — so hard to tear myself away.

「痛煞煞」三字是元曲本色的最鲜明印记，以叠字口语写痛楚之深，俗中见真、直而不俚。「煞」为程度副词，意为「极」「死」，加于「痛」后，痛感被推至顶点；叠用「煞煞」，更以声音的重复模拟内心痛楚的翻涌，读来如闻其声、如见其情。「好难割舍」四字以「好」字领起，是宋元白话中极口语化的强调方式——「好难」即「太难」，五字连读，那股攥着心不放的挣扎便呼之欲出。此句与前句「才欢悦，早间别」一气贯通，前写事件之骤，此写心绪之痛，由事入情、由表及里；而「痛」字直揭全曲主旨，为后二句以景写情埋下伏笔。元曲之所以能在诗词之外别立一宗，正在于它敢于把「痛煞煞」这样的大白话直接搬上纸面，以最俗的语言写最真的情，反而获得了雅言难以企及的冲击力。

The three characters 'aching to the bone' are the clearest mark of Yuan qu's native manner, reduplicated vernacular for the depth of the pain, the vulgar holding the true, direct without being coarse. The particle 'aching' is an intensifier, 'extremely,' 'deadly,' added to 'pain' to push it to the peak; the doubled 'aching' mimics the surging inner pain through repeated sound, the reader hearing the voice, seeing the feeling. 'So hard to tear myself away' opens with 'so,' the Song-Yuan vernacular emphasis — 'so hard' meaning 'too hard' — the five characters read together, the struggle of the clenched heart at the lips. The line flows with the preceding 'just now the joy; already the parting': the first the event's abruptness, this the heart's pain, from event to feeling, surface to depth; the word 'pain' strikes the theme outright, priming the scenery-writing-feeling of the last two lines. The reason Yuan qu stands beside shi and ci is precisely this daring to set plain words like 'aching to the bone' on the page, writing the truest feeling in the vulgarest language, gaining an impact the elegant speech cannot reach.

画船儿载将春去也

The painted boat carries spring away — 'spring' symbolizes the beloved; the boat makes departure tangible.

画船儿载着那春光般的人儿，随流水远去了。

The painted boat carries spring away, away.

此句由直抒转以景结情，是全曲由「痛」入「空」的转折，也是「以春喻人」的妙笔。所别之人是色艺双绝的名伶，卢挚不直写其名其貌，而以「春」代之——春有青春、美好、欢愉多重意蕴，画船载春，即是那人带着一段流光溢彩的岁月离去，别的不只是人，更是整个春天。「载将」二字最见功力：「将」为宋元口语中的助词，「载将春去」化静为动，画船仿佛主动把春装走、把人的心也一并带走，离别的无奈与决绝尽在其中。末字「也」是语气词，拖长声调，如一声长长的叹息，将离情化入语气的余波；「也」字一出，前句的急促骤变为舒缓，节奏为之一变。以「春」写人，以「载」写别，以「也」写叹，三字三法，可见卢挚炼句之精，亦见元曲以口语入文而韵致不减的妙处。

This line turns from direct outpouring to closing feeling in scenery, the song's turning from 'pain' to 'void,' and the fine stroke of 'likening the person to spring.' The one parted is the celebrated actress of beauty and art; Lu Zhi writes neither her name nor her face, but names her 'spring' — spring holding youth, beauty, delight; the painted boat carrying spring is that person carrying away a stretch of radiant years, parting not only from the woman but from the whole spring. The words 'carries' show the craft: the particle is Song-Yuan vernacular, 'carrying spring away' turns stillness to motion, the painted boat as if deliberately packing up the spring and carrying the heart away with it, the helplessness and resolve of parting within. The closing particle 'away' is a modal word, drawing out the tone like a long sigh, dissolving parting grief into the afterwave of cadence; once the particle appears, the urgency before turns to ease, the rhythm changing. Writing the person through 'spring,' parting through 'carries,' the sigh through the particle — three characters, three arts, showing Lu Zhi's word-craft, and the Yuan qu's way of vernacular speech unspent in resonance.

空留下半江明月

Leaving only half a river of bright moon — 'empty' and the solitary moon scene evoke lingering sorrow.

只空空留下半江清冷的明月。

Leaving behind, empty, only the moon on half the river.

末句以景结情，是全曲的「豹尾」，一「空」一「半」，写尽人去后的空寂，含蓄不尽。「空」字是句眼：春已载去，热闹已散，唯余月光，一个「空」字将满江的清冷与满心的失落一并兜住，仿佛整个世界都被掏空了。「半江明月」尤见匠心——月本圆满，却只照「半江」，既写人去后江面的残景（画船去后，月光只落在空出的半边江面），又暗含离人各在天涯、共此明月而不得团圆的缺憾，以月之「半」写情之「缺」，比「满江明月」更见分寸。「明月」本为团圆与相思的象征，此处却反衬离别的孤独，传统意象被翻出新意。全曲至此收束，不写泪、不写语，只以一片清冷的光影作结，却比千言万语的痛哭更令人低回，正合「以景结情，情余言外」的古典美学，是元散曲送别小令中当之无愧的名句。

The closing line, scenery closing feeling, the 'leopard's tail' of the song, one 'empty' and one 'half,' writing the solitude after the person is gone, reserve inexhaustible. The word 'empty' is the line's eye: spring carried off, the revelry dispersed, moonlight alone left, the 'empty' gathering all the river's chill and all the heart's loss, as if the whole world had been hollowed out. 'The moon on half the river' is especially crafted: the moon is full, yet lights only 'half the river,' writing both the river's remnant after the painted boat has gone (moonlight falling on the emptied half), and the dark grief of parted lovers under one moon, never reunited — the moon's 'half' writing feeling's 'lack,' more measured than 'moon on the whole river.' The 'bright moon,' symbol of reunion and longing, here sets off the solitude of parting, the old image turned to new meaning. The song closes, no tears written, no words, only a stretch of cold light, more moving than a thousand words of weeping — exactly the classical aesthetic of 'closing feeling in scenery, feeling beyond the words,' a rightly celebrated line among Yuan sanqu farewell songs.

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Word focus

痛煞煞 painfully (colloquial intensifier, expresses deep sorrow) 「痛煞煞」是元曲本色的标志性语汇，以叠字加程度词的方式写痛楚之深，俗中见真、直而不俚，极见真情。「煞」在宋元口语中作程度副词，犹言「极」「死」，加于形容词或动词之后，如「愁煞」「闷煞」，将抽象的情感推到顶点；叠用「煞煞」，则进一步以声韵的重复模拟痛感的翻涌，读来如中箭之呼、如断肠之叹。「痛煞煞」三字连读，音节短促而沉重，与「好难割舍」的拖沓形成声情对照——前者是痛之爆发，后者是舍之挣扎，正是「欲说还休、欲休还痛」的心绪外化。若易作「痛极了」「痛彻心扉」，或失之文雅而隔，或失之单薄而平；唯「痛煞煞」以俗语入曲，最见元人「以真为美」的审美自觉，也与下句「半江明月」的清空形成一俗一雅的反差，正是元曲「本色当行」的典范。

载将 carries away (with auxiliary 'jiang', creating a light, dynamic image) 「载将」二字是「画船儿载将春去也」的句眼，炼句轻巧，化静为动，极见元曲炼字之功。「载」字写画船装载，本为常语，妙在与「春」搭配——春本无形，何可装载？诗人偏说画船「载春」，把抽象的时间与情思坐实为可载之物，于是「春」不再只是季节，而是那人、那段欢愉、那整个春天，别离之重因而有了具体可感的形量。「将」字是宋元白话中的助词，用在动词后表趋向或完成，如「送将去」「打将来」，添一「将」字，动作便多了几分口语的活泼与轻快，仿佛画船是自个儿把春装走、把人的心也一并带走的。「载将」连用，一实一虚、一庄一谐，把离别的无可奈何写得既决绝又轻盈；末接「去也」的感叹语气，更添叹息之韵。二字虽浅，却可见卢挚熔口语入曲、以俗为雅的功力。

空 empty (adverb, conveys desolation after parting) 「空」字是末句「空留下半江明月」的句眼，以一字兜转全曲离恨，是元散曲炼虚字的妙例。「空」为副词，写「徒然」「只」之意，此处却蕴含多层意味：其一，写人去之空——春已载去，热闹散尽，满江只剩月光，一个「空」字把「人面不知何处去」的怅惘写得透彻；其二，写留而无益——月光虽在，良人已远，「空留下」即「只白白地留下」，言外之意是纵有明月为伴，终究解不了相思，以「空」写「无」，更见孤寂之深；其三，写心之落空——前句「载将春去」已带走了心，此句「空」字正是内心被掏空后的回响，情语与景语在此合而为一。若易作「唯」「只」「剩」，只写出「有」的单调；唯「空」字兼有「徒然」与「落空」二义，既写景之清寂，又写情之失落，一字而情、景双收，正是古人所谓「以虚字传神」的典范。