All poems

元 Yuan · 曲 Qu song

折桂令·春情

Longing in Spring · to the Tune of Zhegui Ling

徐再思

Xu Zaisi

散曲sanqu 闺情boudoir sentiment 相思lovesickness

平生不会相思，才会相思，便害相思。
身似浮云，心如飞絮，气若游丝。
空一缕余香在此，盼千金游子何之。
证候来时，正是何时？
灯半昏时，月半明时。

All my life I never knew what longing means.
Only when I learned it, I fell ill with lovesickness.
My body like drifting clouds,
My heart like flying willow catkins,
My breath like fragile spider silk.
A wisp of fragrance lingers in vain,
Yearning for the precious wanderer, where has he gone?
When does the sickness attack?
When the lamp is half dim,
When the moon is half bright.

Listen

Meaning

The poem depicts the sudden onset of lovesickness. The speaker, a young woman, describes her physical and emotional state as she falls in love for the first time: her body floats like clouds, her heart flutters like catkins, her breath is faint. She waits in vain for her beloved, and the attack comes at the ambiguous half-lit hour of lamplight and moonlight.

平生不懂得什么是相思，刚一懂得相思，便害上了相思。身子像浮云般飘荡，心如飞絮般纷乱，气息似游丝般微弱。空留一缕余香在此，盼那贵如千金的游子究竟去了哪里。这相思的症候袭来时，正当什么时分？是灯火半昏的时分，是月光半明的时分。

Appreciation

With delicate layers and vivid metaphors, the sanqu portrays the dizzying, consuming nature of first love. The triple repetition of 'not knowing, just knowing, then falling ill' captures the inevitability of love. The closing couplet with half-lit lamp and moon creates a hazy, melancholic atmosphere.

【白话串讲】 “平生不会相思，才会相思，便害相思”——徐再思把初恋的慌张写得入木三分。身似浮云，心如飞絮，连气都像游丝。原来相思病发作的样子，八百年前就被写清楚了。【意象与手法】语言娇憨甜软，比喻连环。“平生不会相思，才会相思，便害相思”以递进三句写情之骤起，俏皮真切【情感与主旨】徐再思字德可，号甜斋，元代散曲家，与贯云石（酸斋）并称“酸甜乐府”，多写闺情相思、江南景物【名句点睛】常考闺情相思与“不会—才会—便害”的递进笔法，以及连环比喻；结句“灯半昏时，月半明时”的意境为赏析重点

Background

Xu Zaisi (c. 1270–1330), courtesy name Dek, sobriquet Tianzhai, was a Yuan dynasty sanqu writer. He and Guan Yunshi (Suanzhai) were known as the 'Sweet and Sour Music Bureau'. This piece, written from a woman's perspective, exemplifies his sweet, delicate style.

徐再思，字德可，号甜斋，嘉兴（今属浙江）人，元代后期散曲家，生卒年不详，约与贯云石同时。其曲多写闺情相思、江南风物，语言娇憨甜软，与贯云石（号酸斋）并称酸甜乐府，二人作品后由任讷合辑为《酸甜乐府》。元代散曲至后期，前期豪放粗犷之风渐转为清丽婉约，闺情一题尤盛，承五代花间、北宋柳永慢词之余绪，又脱去诗词庄重，更近市井歌楼之趣。徐再思身处其间，以甜斋自号，专工情语，此曲即其闺情代表作。小令写少女初识相思、害上相思的娇痴情态，当是代闺中思妇立言，亦可见元曲由叙事抒情转向细腻心理刻画之趋势。彼时文人借闺情写心曲，既缘歌筵需要，亦暗含才士不遇、托情寄慨之习，此曲则以纯情取胜，不涉寄托，独以真切动人。其以女儿口吻写相思，娇憨处见真率，婉约中见风力，在元散曲闺情题中堪称独步，亦见元季文人借儿女情长写心曲的风尚。全曲情致婉曲，结处余韵悠长，足见元曲写情之妙，亦为后世言情之作所取法。

Art

The language is playful and tender. The opening three lines progress in a chain, showing love's sudden arrival. The three metaphors (clouds, catkins, spider silk) vividly depict the lovesick state. The final rhetorical question answered by the half-lit scene is subtle and evocative.

此曲艺术最突出处在以口语写情、以连环比喻写态。起三句平生不会相思，才会相思，便害相思，以不会、才会、便害三层递进，写情之骤起，如闻娇憨自语，俏皮真切，于短句中见波澜。继而身似浮云，心如飞絮，气若游丝三句，以浮云、飞絮、游丝三个比喻鼎足并列，状相思中人魂不守舍、心绪纷乱、气息微弱之态，意象轻盈而贴切，由形及心及息，层层深入。空一缕余香在此，盼千金游子何之由态入盼，以余香衬孤寂，以千金状游子之贵、之遥。末以证候来时，正是何时？灯半昏时，月半明时设问自答收束，以灯月半昏半明之朦胧意境写相思无时不至，含蓄有余味。全曲不用典、不使事，纯以白描与博喻取胜，节奏如诉如泣，深得小令风人之致。全曲由不懂到深陷，由形到心到气，由态到盼到景，脉络分明而情致流转，以白描博喻代使事用典，诚元曲写儿女情长之绝调，非徒以婉丽声口见称而已。全曲以闺情相思为题，写尽悱恻缠绵之致，用典精切，设色秾丽，于元曲情词中别具一种婉转深曲之风神，读之令人低回不已。

Allusions

'Zhenghou' (symptoms) is a medical term used metaphorically for lovesickness, a common trope in Yuan qu. 'Qianjin youzi' (precious wanderer) uses 'thousand gold' to honor the traveler, echoing classical poetry. The half-lit lamp and moon evoke traditional imagery of longing, as seen in Du Mu and Zhang Jiuling.

此曲虽少使事用典，然意象皆有传统渊源。浮云、飞絮、游丝皆诗词中写漂泊无定、心神涣散之习见意象：浮云本古诗行行重行行浮云蔽白日以喻游子，飞絮自谢道韫咏雪及晏殊无可奈何花落去等诗词中多为飘零之象，游丝则常见于诗词写情思袅袅，如李白《送友人》浮云游子意。千金游子之千金，本指贵重，汉乐府《羽林郎》就我求珍肴，金盘脍鲤鱼已有以金贵物之风，后世多以千金形容儿女或游子之珍重。余香用香奁诗词传统，以熏香余烬写闺阁孤寂，李商隐《无题》一寸相思一寸灰可参。证候一词本中医谓疾病之征，此处俏皮移作相思之病，将无形之情坐实为可诊之疾，既合闺情口吻，又见元曲以俗为雅之趣，足证作者点化常语之巧。以俗为雅、以常语写深慨，正是甜斋曲风之特长，亦见元曲由诗词雅言转向市井真率的审美迁变，于闺情一题尤显其活。

Commentary

Ming critic Li Kaixian praised Yuan qu as 'sour to the core, sweet to the core.' Xu Zaisi's 'sweet' style is fully displayed here, making lovesickness both painful and charming. Modern critics note his use of ordinary language set to music, resulting in a charmingly delicate piece.

此曲历来被视为元散曲闺情一体之代表作，与贯云石酸甜乐府并称，明朱权《太和正音谱》列徐再思于名家之列。近人任讷辑《酸甜乐府》、隋树森《全元散曲》均收此作。论者多以起三句为警策，谓其将相思写得如稚子初尝情味，娇痴毕现，前所未有。近世教材与选本多取此曲为例，赏其不会、才会、便害的递进笔法与连环比喻。其传播之广，尤在身似浮云三句与灯半昏时，月半明时之结，后者以朦胧意境写无尽相思，已成元曲名句。今人读之，既可见元曲由豪放转婉约、由叙事转心理刻画之轨迹，亦可见市民文学以真率朴白写儿女情长的审美取向，于古典情诗别开生面。其以口语写心、以博喻写态，于古典情诗中别出手眼，既承花间柳永之绪，又开市民文学真率之风。近世论元曲者多以甜斋此作为闺情小令之冠，与酸斋并峙，酸甜乐府遂成元曲抒情双璧，影响及于明清民歌与小曲，流风不绝如此。

Prosody

Form Double-tune · Zhegui Ling (Toad Palace Song, by Xu Zaisi)双调·折桂令（小令，元散曲）

Rhyme Xiaoling, uses double-tune rhyme; opening three lines chain (interlocking), middle three lines tripod parallelism《折桂令》句式长短参差错落，此曲依《中原音韵》押支思部，韵脚为思、丝、之、时、时等，平声韵为主，北曲通押特点明显。

Tone pattern The opening three lines progress smoothly, the middle three form a parallel triple metaphor, and the ending question-and-answer is gentle and dense折桂令为带过曲变体，句式以七言为主兼参四、五言，平仄大体依律句而散曲稍宽，鼎足对三句多用律句以示整饬。

Reading note The use of 'symptoms' to describe lovesickness is clever and novel; the language is simple yet deeply felt, making this a famous boudoir sentiment piece.此曲虽为《折桂令》常格，却以口语化、心理化见长，于北曲中别具婉约风神。其声律之妙在起三句以短促口语打破小令常有的整饬，造成娇憨口吻；继而三鼎足对以似字排比，声情流转；末以设问自答收束，灯半昏时，月半明时两句平仄相对、意境朦胧，余韵悠长。全曲用韵集中于支思部，齿音细韵，与儿女情长的娇柔口吻正相称。北曲本多豪放，此曲纯写闺情心理，以白描博喻代使事用典，体现元散曲后期由豪转婉、由叙事转抒情的发展趋势，诚为甜斋情语之冠。要之，《折桂令·春情》于格律一道，或严守或权变，皆以协畅诵读、助成意境为归，形式与内容相得益彰，乃其所以传唱不衰之一端。

Line by line

平生不会相思，才会相思，便害相思。

All my life I never knew what longing means. Only when I learned it, I fell ill with lovesickness. (Triple progression from not knowing to knowing to falling ill, capturing the suddenness of first love.)

平生不懂得什么是相思，刚一懂得相思，便害上了相思。

All my life I never knew what lovesickness was; I had just learned, and already I was sick with it.

三句以不会、才会、便害三个时间层次递进，写少女初识相思便深陷其中的娇痴情态，如闻自言自语，鲜活俏皮。平生不会反衬初懂即陷，突出情之骤起与不可自制；才会与便害紧相承接，中间不容喘息，把相思来得突兀、来得猛烈写得极真。这种以口语直陈、以重复字词叠加造成节奏顿挫的手法，脱去诗词庄重，近市井歌楼之趣，却于娇憨中见深挚。历来论者以此三句为全曲警策，谓前人写相思多含蓄，此独以稚子初尝情味之笔出之，前所未有，足见元曲以真率取胜的审美取向。

Three lines advance through three time layers — 'never knew,' 'barely learned,' 'already seized' — writing the young girl's sudden plunge into longing, as if hearing her talk to herself, vivid and playful. 'Never knew' sets off the plunge on first knowing, showing love's sudden rise beyond self-control; 'barely learned' and 'already seized' close tight, no breath between, writing how abrupt, how fierce the longing comes, most true. This way of plain speech, repeated words, and rhythmic turn, casting off the dignity of shi and ci, approaches the vernacular theater's charm, yet holds deep feeling within the fondness. Critics have long taken these three lines as the song's aphorism: earlier writers on longing were reserved; this one alone writes, in the brush of a child first tasting love, what no one before — showing Yuan qu's aesthetic of sincerity.

身似浮云，心如飞絮，气若游丝。

My body like drifting clouds, my heart like flying willow catkins, my breath like fragile spider silk. (Tripod parallel metaphors describe body, heart, and breath, vividly portraying the lovesick state.)

身子像浮云般飘荡，心如飞絮般纷乱，气息似游丝般微弱。

Her body is like a floating cloud, her heart like a whirled catkin, her breath like a gossamer thread.

三句以浮云、飞絮、游丝三个比喻鼎足并列，由身及心及气，层层深入写相思中人魂不守舍之态。浮云状其身飘荡无依，飞絮状其心纷乱难收，游丝状其气息微弱将断，意象皆轻盈飘忽，正合相思使人失重、失神、失力的体验。三喻同用似字句式，排比整饬而语势流转，于齐中见变。浮云、飞絮本古诗写游子飘零之象，此处移写思妇，物象传统与新意浑融。全以白描博喻取胜，不用一典，却把无形之情写得有形有态，是小令以景喻情、以俗为雅的佳例，亦见作者体物之细。

Three lines, three metaphors — floating cloud, drifting catkin, gossamer thread — in a balanced triplet, from body to heart to breath, layer on layer writing the distraught state of the lovesick. The floating cloud her drifting, unsupported body; the whirled catkin her restless, scattered heart; the gossamer thread her faint, failing breath — all images light and airborne, suiting the experience of longing that makes one lose weight, lose senses, lose strength. The three metaphors in the 'like' pattern, the排比 ordered yet the current flowing, change within the order. Floating cloud and whirled catkin, old images of the wanderer, here moved to the longing wife, tradition and new meaning fused. All plain description and simile, not one allusion, yet the formless feeling given form and shape — a fine example of the short song's imagery for emotion, the vernacular turned elegant, and the poet's fine observation.

灯半昏时，月半明时。

At the hour when the lamp is half dim, at the hour when the moon is half bright.

是灯火半昏的时分，是月光半明的时分。

When the lamp is half faded, when the moon is half clear.

此二句为全曲收束，以上文证候来时，正是何时设问，至此自答，以灯半昏、月半明之朦胧夜景写相思无时不至、无处不在。半昏半明既状夜色迷离，亦喻心境惚恍，情景交融，含蓄蕴藉而有余味。灯与月对举，室内室外、人造与自然之光交映，烘托出一个孤寂彻夜、相思难眠的思妇形象。作者不直说长夜相思，而借光影的暧昧写心绪的绵长，以景结情，言有尽而意无穷。此结句与马致远小桥流水人家之以景收束异曲同工，然更添一分娇柔，遂成元曲闺情名句，足见小令以淡语写深情之妙。

These two lines close the song, answering the earlier question of when the symptoms come, in the hazy night of the half-dim lamp and half-bright moon, writing longing's hourless, everywhere presence. 'Half dim, half bright' both the blurred night and the恍惚 mood, scene and feeling fused, reserved with aftertone. Lamp and moon set against each other, indoor and outdoor, man-made and natural light interplaying, framing the image of the lonely wife wakeful all night in longing. The poet does not say the long night of longing, but writes the heart's length through the ambiguous light, closing feeling in scenery, words ended, meaning endless. This close, like Ma Zhiyuan's 'small bridge, flowing water, a household,' closes in scenery, yet with an added softness, becoming a famous line of Yuan boudoir feeling, showing the short song's art of deep feeling in plain words.

Study

Word focus

相思 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 相思二字三现于起句，平生不会相思，才会相思，便害相思，以重复叠加造成口吻的娇憨与节奏的顿挫。相思本为古典情诗核心语汇，自《古诗十九首》相思日以深至王维红豆生南国，积淀极厚；此处却脱去典雅，以口语直陈初尝情味，反显真率。三现之间，不会、才会、便害构成时间递进，把这一传统情语写出从未谙到深陷的动态过程，既承袭又翻新。一词贯穿全曲命脉，下文化身似浮云之态、余香之寂、灯月之景，皆由此二字生发，可谓一线串珠，足见小令炼意之巧。

游丝 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 游丝本指春日空中飘荡的蛛丝，轻细易断，诗词中多借以写情思袅袅或命运飘零，如李白浮云游子意、晏殊春风不解禁杨花，蒙蒙乱扑行人面。此曲气若游丝以之喻相思中人气息微弱将断，由形体之态深入生命之气，极写相思之苦几令人失神殒身。游丝之轻、之细、之飘忽无依，正合少女害相思时魂不守舍的体验，与浮云、飞絮鼎足并列，意象系统浑成。以微物状至情，俗中见雅，既承诗词传统又出以元曲白描本色，是博喻写态中的精警之笔。