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元 Yuan · 散曲 Sanqu song

小桃红·江岸水灯

Little Peach Blossom · Riverbank Water Lanterns

盍西村

He Xicun

写景landscape 节令festival

万家灯火闹春桥，十里光相照，舞凤翔鸾势绝妙。
可怜宵，波间涌出蓬莱岛。
香烟乱飘，笙歌喧闹，飞上玉楼腰。

Ten thousand house-lights revel at the spring bridge; ten li of glow answering one another; dancing phoenix, soaring phoenix-lady, a marvellous sight.
What a lovely night — on the waves there wells up a Penglai isle.
Incense-smoke drifts in disorder; pipes and songs make a clamour; flying up to the waist of the jade tower.

Listen

Meaning

Ten thousand house-lights shine upon the merry spring bridge; along the river for ten li the glow answers glow, phoenix lanterns dance and phoenix-lady lanterns soar in wondrous motion. What a lovely lantern night, on the waves there wells up a painted boat like the Penglai fairy isle. Incense-smoke drifts in disorder, pipes and songs make a clamour, all flying up to the middle of the jewelled tower.

万家灯火照耀着热闹的春桥，沿江十里灯光互相辉映，凤灯飞舞、鸾灯腾翔，气势精妙绝伦。多可爱的元宵夜，波浪中涌出似蓬莱仙岛的灯彩画船。烟火香气乱飘，笙歌声喧闹，一起飞上华丽高楼的中间。

Appreciation

This aria is good at writing bustle through motion and the real through the unreal. The opening 'ten thousand house-lights revel at the spring bridge' lifts the whole with the word 'revel', and 'ten li of glow answering' writes the endless sea of lanterns; 'dancing phoenix, soaring phoenix-lady' gives the paper lanterns life, and 'a marvellous sight' is the comment. The three characters 'lovely night' pause and turn to feeling, then enter the illusion 'on the waves there wells up a Penglai isle' — the lantern boat on the water like a fairy isle rising. It closes with 'incense-smoke drifts, pipes and songs clamour, flying up to the waist of the jade tower', sound, colour and smell all in motion, ending abruptly in a dreamlike realm, with endless aftertaste.

【白话串讲】元宵夜，江岸上万家灯火，十里光相照。“波间涌出蓬莱岛”——灯光倒映在水里，像涌出一座仙岛。“香烟乱飘，笙歌喧闹”——元朝人的元宵夜，热闹得像仙境。【意象与手法】此曲善于以动写闹、以幻写真。起句「万家灯火闹春桥」以「闹」字振起全篇，「十里光相照」极写灯海连绵；「舞凤翔鸾」状纸扎灯彩之灵动，「势绝妙」作评点；「可怜宵」三字顿挫生情，转入「波间涌出蓬莱岛」的幻境；结以「香烟乱飘，笙歌喧闹，飞上玉楼腰」，声色嗅俱动。【情感与主旨】盍西村生卒不详，盱眙人，现存小令十七首。曾游江西临川，作《小桃红·临川八景》组曲，此首写临川三江交汇处正月十五元宵隔江观水灯之景，是元代节令小令中明丽灵动之作。【名句点睛】命题重点：①炼字，「闹」字如何统领元宵热闹氛围；②手法，以虚托实、以幻写真（蓬莱岛喻灯船）；③「可怜宵」的顿挫转意。

Background

He Xicun, birth and death unknown, from Xuyi, has seventeen extant xiaoling. He travelled to Linchuan in Jiangxi and wrote on the spot the group 'Little Peach Blossom · Eight Scenes of Linchuan' (east-city early spring, west-garden late autumn, riverbank water lanterns, golden-dike wind-willows, passenger-boat evening smoke, garrison-tower last rosy clouds, market-bridge moonlight, lotus-pond rain-sound). This piece writes the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth of the first month, watching water lanterns across the river where three rivers meet at Linchuan. The ancients made a custom of viewing lanterns in the first month; Linchuan, being by water, was known for its 'water lanterns', and the aria is a true record of that place and custom.

此曲为盍西村《小桃红·临川八景》组曲之一。盍西村，元代散曲家，生卒年不详，盱眙（今江苏盱眙）人，与张养浩同时，现存小令十七首、套数一套。其曾游江西临川，即景写《小桃红》八首，分咏临川八景：东城早春、西园秋暮、江岸水灯、金堤风柳、客船晚烟、戍楼残霞、市桥月色、莲塘雨声，此首即八景中的「江岸水灯」，写临川（今江西抚州）三江交汇处正月十五元宵节隔江观水灯之景。古人正月十五赏灯成俗，自唐代以来，元宵灯会极盛，都城汴梁、临安皆以灯市著称；临川因临水，故其灯会别具特色——不仅岸上张灯，更于江上放灯船、悬水灯，灯影倒映水中，与水光相映成趣。此曲即写元宵夜临川江岸灯会之盛：万家灯火、十里灯海，凤灯鸾灯飞舞，更有灯船如蓬莱仙岛涌现波间，香雾、笙歌缭绕于楼阁之间。全曲以明丽灵动的笔触写节俗盛景，是元代节令小令中写灯会的名作，亦见临川地方灯俗之风貌。

Art

This aria is good at writing bustle through motion and the real through the unreal. The opening 'ten thousand house-lights revel at the spring bridge' lifts the whole with 'revel', and 'ten li of glow answering' writes the endless lantern sea; 'dancing phoenix, soaring phoenix-lady' gives the paper lanterns life, 'a marvellous sight' the comment. The three characters 'lovely night' pause and turn to feeling, then enter the illusion 'on the waves there wells up a Penglai isle' — the lantern boat on the water like a fairy isle rising. It closes with 'incense-smoke drifts, pipes and songs clamour, flying up to the waist of the jade tower', sound, colour and smell all in motion, ending abruptly in a dreamlike realm, with endless aftertaste.

此曲艺术上最突出的特点，是善于以动写闹、以幻写真，把元宵灯会的热闹与奇幻写得淋漓尽致。起句「万家灯火闹春桥」以「闹」字振起全篇——「闹」本写人声鼎沸，移以写灯火，化静为动，灯海如沸，热闹之状扑面而来；「十里光相照」极写灯海连绵，一「照」字写灯光相接、相互辉映之景。「舞凤翔鸾势绝妙」状纸扎灯彩之灵动——凤灯如舞、鸾灯如翔，以禽鸟之动态写灯彩之生姿，「势绝妙」作点评论赞。「可怜宵」三字顿挫生情，由灯市转入赞叹——「可怜」此处作「可爱」解，一声赞叹，情致宛然；「波间涌出蓬莱岛」以幻写真：灯船映波，如海上仙山蓬莱涌现，「涌」字写灯船从波间浮出之动态，仙俗交融，奇幻绝伦。结句「香烟乱飘，笙歌喧闹，飞上玉楼腰」声色嗅俱动：烟之「飘」、歌之「闹」、楼之「飞」，以动写闹，于幻觉般的境界中戛然收束，回味无穷。全曲由实入幻、由景入情，明丽灵动。再就章法言，全曲八句由「万家灯火」的总景，到「十里光相照」的广景，到「舞凤翔鸾」的特写，再到「波间蓬莱」的幻景，最后收于「香烟笙歌飞上玉楼」的虚景，视角由面到点、由实到幻、由下到上，层层拉开，正合灯会「岸上—江中—楼头」的空间层次；而「可怜宵」三字一顿，如曲中换头，使前后虚实判然而分，章法灵动，是元曲小令中谋篇的佳构。

Allusions

The allusions are light: 'lovely' in 'lovely night' means 'lovable' (as in Bai Juyi's 'lovely, the third-night crescent'), not the modern 'pity'. 'Penglai isle' is the sea's fairy mountain, here borrowed to liken the lantern boat on the waves as a fairy isle rising, lifting the common through the immortal. 'Dancing phoenix, soaring phoenix-lady' transforms the auspicious image of phoenixes in harmony to describe the lantern shapes. The whole piles little, using traditional immortal lore to lift the festival's real scene, empty and free amid the bustle.

此曲用典轻淡而不着痕迹，唯取其意象之美。「可怜宵」之「可怜」为古义「可爱」之意——如白居易《暮江吟》「可怜九月初三夜，露似真珠月似弓」，李白「可怜飞燕倚新妆」，皆以「可怜」写可爱，此处赞元宵夜色之可爱，非今义「怜悯」。「蓬莱岛」指海上仙山——蓬莱为古代传说中的三神山之一（蓬莱、方丈、瀛洲），《史记·封禅书》载海中神山之说，后世以蓬莱喻仙境；此处借喻波上灯彩画船如仙境涌现，以仙托俗，把民间灯会升华为神仙境界，热闹中见空灵。「舞凤翔鸾」化用鸾凤和鸣的祥瑞意象——凤、鸾皆祥瑞之鸟，《山海经》有鸾凤之说，取其飞舞之姿写灯彩之形，祥瑞之气与节庆之喜相合。全曲少堆垛，借传统仙典升华节俗实景，明丽而不俗艳。又，「舞凤翔鸾」暗承《尚书》「箫韶九成，凤凰来仪」的祥瑞传统，凤鸾本为太平之兆，灯彩作龙凤之形，正合元宵祈福迎祥之意；「玉楼」语出《十洲记》「玉楼十二」之仙境，以玉写楼，暗与「蓬莱」呼应，使全曲仙境意象首尾相贯，热闹之中自有一种升平气象。

Commentary

The 'Dictionary of Yuan Aria Appreciation' says this aria 'describes the grand sight of Lantern Festival flower-lanterns... the whole xiaoling ends abruptly in a dreamlike realm, with endless aftertaste'. Its writing of river-village water lanterns in an aria, unlike the records of the Bian and Hang lantern fairs yet the same in work, has long been a bright and lively piece among Yuan festival xiaoling, showing He Xicun's no small skill at sketching life.

盍西村《临川八景》向为元曲选家所称道，此「江岸水灯」一曲尤见其写景手段。今人《元曲鉴赏辞典》评此曲：「描写元宵节闹花灯的盛况，由实景写到幻景，层次井然；整首小令在幻觉般的境界中戛然而止，回味无穷。」——正指出其由实入幻的章法之妙。元代节令小令写灯会者，有张可久《普天乐·西湖即事》等作，而盍西村以江乡水灯入曲，与汴杭灯市之记异趣而同工——江南水乡的灯会本有别于都城灯市，水灯、灯船、波间灯影是其特色，此曲正写出这份水乡灯会独有的奇幻之美，向为元代节令小令中明丽灵动之作。其以「闹」写灯、「涌」写船、「飞」写声的炼字功夫，亦足见盍西村写生手段之不凡，是元散曲中写景小令的佳作。在元代节令散曲中，此曲与盍西村其余《临川八景》诸作并观，可见其「写景如画」的总体风格；而与张可久《普天乐》诸作比较，则盍曲更重「闹」之动态、张曲更重「静」之境界，一为本色、一为清丽，正见元代散曲写景小令的两大审美取向。此曲以水灯入曲，为元曲题材增添江南水乡的独特色彩，其文献价值与审美价值并重。

Prosody

Form Sanqu aria, yue-mode 'Little Peach Blossom' (Xiao Tao Hong)散曲·越调《小桃红》

Rhyme Rhymes with qiao, zhao, miao, xiao, dao, yao (Xiao-Hao rhyme, Zhongyuan Phonology)押中原音韵萧豪韵，韵脚「桥」「照」「妙」「宵」「岛」「腰」等，一韵到底，音节响亮明快。

Tone pattern Form lines 7,5,7 / 3,7 / 4,4,7, eight lines《小桃红》句式以七五七、三七、四四七为主：「万家灯火闹春桥，十里光相照，舞凤翔鸾势绝妙」为七五七句式，「可怜宵，波间涌出蓬莱岛」为三七句式，「香烟乱飘，笙歌喧闹，飞上玉楼腰」为四四七句式，长短错落，节奏明快。

Reading note With 'lovely night' three characters turning into illusion, the structure is lively此曲为散曲小令，属越调《小桃红》，押中原音韵萧豪韵（桥、照、妙、宵、岛、腰），一韵到底，音节响亮明快，正合灯会之热闹欢腾。散曲不限平仄严律，句式自由，此曲以七五七、三七、四四七的句式错落铺叙：起以七字句总写灯海（「万家灯火闹春桥」），继以五字句写其广（「十里光相照」），再以七字句写其形（「舞凤翔鸾势绝妙」）；「可怜宵」三字短句顿挫生情，如击节而叹，转入「波间涌出蓬莱岛」的幻境；结以四四七句式（「香烟乱飘，笙歌喧闹，飞上玉楼腰」）层层上扬，戛然收束。全曲用韵疏密相间，节奏由缓入急、由实入幻，正合「以动写闹、以幻写真」的章法。诵读时宜以明快的节奏、赞叹的语气出之，方能传其灯会之欢腾与幻境之空灵。

Line by line

万家灯火闹春桥，十里光相照，舞凤翔鸾势绝妙。

Ten thousand homes of lamps make a fair on the spring bridge; ten li of light answering light; phoenixes dancing, luan-birds soaring, their grace superb.

万家灯火照耀着热闹的春桥，沿江十里灯光互相辉映，凤灯飞舞、鸾灯腾翔，气势精妙绝伦。

Ten thousand homes of lanterns make the spring bridge lively; ten li of lantern-light answering light; phoenix lanterns dancing, luan lanterns soaring, their grace superb.

起笔总写元宵灯会之盛，以「闹」字振起全篇。「万家灯火闹春桥」：「万家」写灯火之众，以「闹」字移写灯火，化静为动——灯海如沸，热闹之状扑面而来，「闹」字正是宋祁「红杏枝头春意闹」以来以「闹」写景的妙用；「十里光相照」以「十里」写灯海绵延之广，灯光相接、相互辉映，一幅灯河图宛然在目；「舞凤翔鸾势绝妙」由总写转入特写：凤灯如舞、鸾灯如翔，以禽鸟之动态写灯彩之生姿，「势绝妙」三字作评点，赞叹之情溢于言表。三句由面到点、由灯到形，把元宵灯会的繁华写得层次分明，为下文幻境之笔蓄足势。

The opening writes the splendor of the Lantern Festival in sum, the word 'lively' shaking the whole piece. 'Ten thousand homes of lamps make a fair on the spring bridge': 'ten thousand homes' the number of lamps, the word 'lively' moved to the lamps, turning still to motion — a sea of lamps as if boiling, the bustle rushing to the face, the word 'lively' the fine use, since Song Qi's 'lively on the apricot boughs'; 'ten li of light answering light' the stretch of lamps along the shore, light on light, answering each other, a lantern-river picture before the eyes; 'phoenixes dancing, luan-birds soaring, their grace superb' from sum to close-up: the phoenix lantern as if dancing, the luan lantern as if soaring, the birds' motion writing the lanterns' life, the words 'their grace superb' the verdict, admiration overflowing. Three lines, surface to point, lamps to form, writing the festival's splendor layer by layer, charging the fantasy below.

可怜宵，波间涌出蓬莱岛。

Lovely the night; from the waves rises the isle of Penglai.

多可爱的元宵夜，波浪中涌出似蓬莱仙岛的灯彩画船。

O lovely festival night — from the waves rises the fairy isle of Penglai.

两句是全曲的转折与升华，由实景转入幻境，是全曲的「眼」。「可怜宵」三字顿挫生情：「可怜」作「可爱」解，一声赞叹，把对元宵夜色的喜爱之情直抒出来，音节短促，如击节而叹，与上文的铺写形成顿挫；「波间涌出蓬莱岛」以幻写真：灯船自波间缓缓驶出，灯光与波光相映，如海上仙山蓬莱涌现——「涌」字写灯船从波间浮出之动态，兼具光与水的涌动感，奇幻绝伦。以仙山喻灯船，以幻境写实景，把民间灯会升华为神仙境界，正是「以虚托实、以幻写真」的妙笔，热闹的灯市至此添上一层空灵缥缈之美。

These two lines are the song's turning and lifting, from real scene to fantasy, the song's 'eye.' 'Lovely the night' beats with feeling: 'lovely' meaning 'lovable,' one cry of admiration, speaking the delight in the festival night outright, the cadence short, like beating time with a sigh, a turn against the spread above; 'from the waves rises the isle of Penglai' writing the real through the fantastic: the lantern boat slowly emerging from the waves, lantern-light answering wave-light, like the sea-fairy Penglai rising — the word 'risen' the motion of the lantern boat floating up from the waves, holding the surge of light and water, strange beyond words. The fairy isle for the lantern boat, the fantasy for the real scene, lifting the folk lantern fair to the immortal realm — the fine brush of 'supporting the solid through the void, writing the real through the fantastic,' the bustling lantern market now gaining an airy, ethereal beauty.

香烟乱飘，笙歌喧闹，飞上玉楼腰。

Incense-scent drifting wild; pipes and songs in an uproar — flying up the waist of the jade tower.

烟火香气乱飘，笙歌声喧闹，一起飞上华丽高楼的中间。

Incense smoke drifting wild, pipes and songs in uproar — all flying up the middle of the jade tower.

结句声色嗅俱动，于幻觉般的境界中收束全曲。「香烟乱飘」写烟火香气四散，「乱」字写香雾缭绕、氤氲弥漫之态；「笙歌喧闹」写乐声歌声鼎沸，「喧闹」二字直写灯会之欢腾；「飞上玉楼腰」以「飞」字总收——香烟、笙歌，一起飞上高楼之腰。「飞」字最妙：烟本可「飘」，歌声本可「扬」，而以一「飞」字兼摄二者，写其直上高楼、缭绕楼腰之态，化无形为有形，动态十足。三句由香到声到楼，层层上扬，把灯会的热闹推向高潮，却在「玉楼腰」处戛然收住，如乐章在高音处骤止，余韵袅袅，回味无穷，正是「以动写闹、以幻写真」的收束。

The closing moves scent, sound, and sight together, gathering the song within a visionary realm. 'Incense-scent drifting wild' the smoke and scent scattering, the word 'wild' the wreathing, steaming mist; 'pipes and songs in an uproar' the music and singing at a roar, the words writing the fair's revelry outright; 'flying up the waist of the jade tower' the word 'fly' gathering all — incense and song flying up together to the waist of the high tower. The word 'fly' is the finest: smoke may 'drift,' song may 'rise,' yet one 'fly' holds both, writing their straight-up rush, wreathing the tower's waist, the invisible made visible, the motion vivid. Three lines, from scent to sound to tower, layer on layer rising, driving the fair's bustle to its height, then stopping short at the 'waist of the jade tower,' like a piece of music cut off at its high note, the aftertone lingering, beyond tasting — the close of 'writing bustle through motion, writing the real through the fantastic.'

Study

Word focus

闹 One word writes the lantern fair's clamour; a verb that lifts the whole piece and, with the later 'pipes and songs clamour', sets off the shared joy of ten thousand homes. 「万家灯火闹春桥」之「闹」字，是全曲振起全篇的字眼，一字写尽元宵灯市之喧阗。「闹」本写人声鼎沸、市井喧腾，词人移以写灯火——「万家灯火」本是静态之景，着一「闹」字，化静为动，灯海如沸，光焰摇曳，热闹之状扑面而来。此字妙在三点：一是以「闹」写灯，打破视觉与听觉的界限，灯之繁盛仿佛有声，正是宋祁「红杏枝头春意闹」一脉相承的「通感」炼字法；二是「闹」字兼写人与灯——万家之人观灯，灯与人之喧闹交织，元宵夜之欢腾尽在其中；三是以一字领起全篇，后文十里灯海、凤舞鸾翔、笙歌喧闹，皆此「闹」字之展开。炼一字而境界全出，是此曲最见功力的用字。

涌 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「波间涌出蓬莱岛」之「涌」字，写灯船从波间浮现之动态，是「以幻写真」的关键字眼。「涌」本写水之奔涌翻腾，词人取以写灯船之出——灯船自波间缓缓驶出，灯光与水光相映，如仙山自海中涌出，「涌」字兼具光与水双重的涌动感，奇幻绝伦。此字妙在三点：一是化静为动，灯船本是静物，着一「涌」字，仿佛自水中升腾而出，动态十足；二是以实写幻，「蓬莱岛」本是虚指（仙境），以「涌」字写之，虚境如真在目前，正合「以幻写真」之法；三是「涌」字与「波间」相配，水波涌动、灯影浮沉，声色光影俱在其中，炼字精当而意境全出。

飞 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「飞上玉楼腰」之「飞」字，是结句的点睛之字，写香烟笙歌直上高楼，化无形为有形。「飞」本写鸟禽展翅、物之腾空，词人取以写烟与歌——香烟本可「飘」，歌声本可「扬」，而以一「飞」字兼摄二者，写其袅袅直上、缭绕于玉楼之腰，动态十足，且暗含灯会之欢腾如插翅飞扬之意。此字妙在三点：一是以「飞」写「闹」，烟飞歌扬，正是灯会喧闹之极致的具象化，与起句「闹」字首尾呼应；二是化无形为有形，「香」「歌」本无形无影，着一「飞」字，皆如可睹可触之物腾空而起；三是「飞上玉楼腰」之「腰」字亦妙，不写楼顶而写楼腰，香烟笙歌缭绕于楼之半腰，画面更有层次，余韵悠长。