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元 Yuan · 词 Ci lyric

鹧鸪天·候馆灯昏

Partridge Sky, Lamplight Dim at the Wayside Inn

元好问

Yuan Haowen

离别parting 婉约gentle grace

候馆灯昏雨送凉，小楼人静月侵床。
多情却被无情恼，今夜还如昨夜长。
金屋暖，玉炉香。
春风都属富家郎。
西园何限相思树，辛苦梅花候海棠。

At the wayside inn the lamp is dim, the rain sends its cool;
In the small tower one is still, the moon creeps over the bed.
The passionate heart is vexed by the heartless things; tonight is as long as last night was.
Warm the golden chamber, the jade censer's incense;
The spring wind belongs to the rich young man.
In the west garden how many lovesick trees—the plum blossom toils to await the crab-apple.

Listen

Meaning

In the traveller's lodge the lamplight is faint and the rain outside sends in waves of cool; she whom I love also sits alone in her tower, moonlight falling on her empty bed. The passionate one is vexed by the heartless things; worn by longing, I feel tonight is still as long as last night. In the rich man's house the golden chamber is warm and the jade censer gives off scent; the gentle spring belongs only to the rich youth. In my literary garden how many lovesick trees—the plum blossom toils through the cold winter only to welcome the crab-apple's spring.

旅舍中烛光昏暗，室外微雨透进阵阵寒凉；我所挂念的她也独坐闺楼，月光映照空床。多情的人却被无情的事物所烦扰，受着相思煎熬，只觉今夜仍如昨夜一样漫长。那富贵人家金屋温暖，玉炉飘香，温和可亲的春意只属于富家子弟。我那文士雅集的庭院中有多少相思树，其中的梅花辛苦熬过寒冬，只为迎来海棠开放的春天。

Appreciation

The whole lyric blends scene and feeling; its language is both meaningful and implicit yet plain as talk, its style clear and pure. The upper part sets 'wayside inn' and 'small tower' in parallel, forming the typical lyric backdrop of parting and longing; 'The passionate heart is vexed by the heartless things' and 'tonight is as long as last night was' borrow lines from Su Shi's Butterfly Loves Flower and He Zhu's Song of Picking Mulberries, cleverly made into an antithesis. The close lodges feeling in scene, using the plum blossom toiling through winter to await spring as a figure for myself, hope and sorrow intertwined.

【白话串讲】元好问写相思：“候馆灯昏雨送凉，小楼人静月侵床”。“多情却被无情恼”——多情的人总被无情的人恼。“春风都属富家郎”——春天都属于有钱人。“西园何限相思树，辛苦梅花候海棠”——梅花等海棠，等得好辛苦。【意象与手法】全词情景交融，语言既隽永含蓄又明白如话，风格清纯质朴。上片“候馆”“小楼”对举，构成伤别怀人的典型抒情背景【情感与主旨】此词为元好问以《鹧鸪天》词调所写“宫体八首”的第一首，约作于金末元初之际【名句点睛】中高考常考：一、对仗句“多情却被无情恼，今夜还如昨夜长”的化用与情感内涵

Background

This lyric is the first of Yuan Haowen's eight 'palace-style' lyrics written to the Partridge Sky tune, likely composed around the transition from Jin to Yuan. Yuan Haowen seems to have meant to gather all forms in his lyric writing; these eight palace-style pieces do not cling to jade and perfume, carving red and cutting green, but rather write the love between man and woman. This piece, through the parting longing of two places after separation, reflects the common mood of scholars drifting and lonely in the troubled age, and also shows that though Yuan's lyrics are called 'gathering all forms,' they still keep one side of natural depth and gentleness.

《鹧鸪天·候馆灯昏》为金末元初元好问所作，是写羁旅相思的词。元好问（1190—1257），字裕之，号遗山，太原秀容人，金末元初文学家。此词：候馆灯昏雨送凉，小楼人静月侵床。多情却被无情恼，今夜还如昨夜长。金屋暖，玉炉香。春风都属富家郎。西园何限相思树，辛苦梅花候海棠。全词写客馆相思、贫寒之叹，是元好问词的代表作。

Art

The whole lyric blends scene and feeling; its language is both meaningful and implicit yet plain as talk, its style clear and pure. The upper part sets 'wayside inn' and 'small tower' in parallel, forming the typical lyric backdrop of parting and longing; 'The passionate heart is vexed by the heartless things' and 'tonight is as long as last night was' borrow lines from Su Shi and He Zhu, cleverly made into an antithesis. The close lodges feeling in scene, using the plum blossom toiling through winter to await spring as a figure for myself, hope and sorrow intertwined—a quiet, lingering close.

《鹧鸪天·候馆灯昏》艺术上以今昔对比与比兴的含蓄见长。全词九句，层层写来：上片写客馆之夜——“候馆灯昏雨送凉，小楼人静月侵床”写客馆灯昏月侵，“多情却被无情恼，今夜还如昨夜长”写多情被恼、夜长如昨；下片写贫富之叹——“金屋暖，玉炉香”写金屋玉炉之暖，“春风都属富家郎”写春风属富家，“西园何限相思树，辛苦梅花候海棠”写梅花候海棠。全词以客馆相思写贫寒之叹，正是元好问词比兴含蓄的笔法。

Allusions

Two allusions are used: one, 'golden chamber,' transforms the tale 'if I get A Jiao for a wife, I will build a golden chamber to lodge her' (Emperor Wu of Han as a child), writing both the rich man's furnishings and darkly hinting at man-and-woman's staying together; two, 'lovesick tree,' from Gan Bao's Search for the Supernatural, a symbol of faithful love. Also 'west garden' originally refers to Cao Zhi's Bronze Sparrow garden, here borrowed for a literati gathering garden—all have a source yet melt without trace.

《鹧鸪天·候馆灯昏》用典在“多情却被无情恼”“梅花候海棠”。“多情却被无情恼”用苏轼《蝶恋花》“多情却被无情恼”之句；“金屋暖”用汉武帝金屋藏娇之典，写富家之宠；“西园何限相思树，辛苦梅花候海棠”用梅花等候海棠之比兴，写其苦等。全词以这些典故与比兴写贫寒之叹，用典自然而含蓄自深，正是元好问词的笔法。

Commentary

Modern critics say Yuan Haowen's lyrics 'embrace all forms, with grand force'; yet these eight palace-style pieces are 'clear and natural.' Critics say they 'break the three-stage now-past-now of Liu Yong's parting lyrics, the eye fixed on the present,' excelling in 'pale language, deep feeling, ending feeling in scene,' holding in Yuan Haowen's lyrics a uniquely clear and pure strain, standing beside his vast and gloomy 'poems of turmoil and ruin' as a double beauty.

《鹧鸪天·候馆灯昏》是元好问词的代表作，也是金元词中写羁旅相思的名篇。此词写客馆相思、贫寒之叹，向为论者称道。论者多赏其今昔对比的写法——“多情却被无情恼，今夜还如昨夜长”写多情被恼、夜长如昨，相思之深尽在其中；“春风都属富家郎”写春风属富家，更见贫寒之叹。元好问以诗名世，兼工词，其词以清壮深婉著称，此词正是其代表——以比兴含蓄写贫寒之叹，正是其词风。

Prosody

Form Lyric, Partridge Sky tune, double-tune fifty-five characters词·鹧鸪天

Rhyme Level-tone rhyme; upper 'cool, bed, long' and lower 'incense, man, crab-apple' rhyme in the yang-tang group, one rhyme throughout《鹧鸪天·候馆灯昏》为双调词，押平声韵。此词用韵：凉、床、长（阳部）、香、郎、棠（阳部），一韵到底，音节流丽。

Tone pattern Double-tune; front four lines three level rhymes, back five lines three level rhymes, strict form鹧鸪天为七言句为主的词调，音节流丽而深婉。此词写客馆相思，音节流丽而含蓄。全词一韵到底，声调与相思之情的内容相合，是金元词中清壮深婉的一路。

Reading note Also called Longing Guest or Yue Man; Yuan Haowen wrote eight palace-style pieces to this tune, this is one.《鹧鸪天·候馆灯昏》为金末元初元好问所作，是写羁旅相思的词。此词以“候馆灯昏雨送凉，小楼人静月侵床”写客馆夜景，以“多情却被无情恼，今夜还如昨夜长”写相思之深，以“春风都属富家郎”“辛苦梅花候海棠”写贫寒之叹与苦等。以比兴含蓄写羁旅相思，正是元好问词的代表作。

Line by line

候馆灯昏雨送凉，小楼人静月侵床。多情却被无情恼，今夜还如昨夜长。

In the inn, the lamp is dim; the rain brings chill; in the small house, all is still; moonlight creeps over the bed. The loving heart is vexed by the loveless; tonight, like last night, is long.

客馆灯昏，秋雨送凉；小楼人静，月光侵入床帷。多情的人却被无情所恼，今夜还像昨夜一样漫长。

The inn lamp burns dim, autumn rain brings cool; the small house is hushed, moonlight steals upon the bed. The loving one is vexed by the unfeeling; tonight is long, as last night was long.

上片写客馆之夜，是全词羁旅相思的起点。“候馆灯昏雨送凉，小楼人静月侵床”写客馆夜景——“候馆灯昏雨送凉”写客馆灯昏、秋雨送凉，“小楼人静月侵床”写小楼人静、月光侵床——客馆灯昏，小楼人静；“多情却被无情恼，今夜还如昨夜长”写多情被恼——“多情却被无情恼”用苏轼“多情却被无情恼”写多情的人反被无情所恼，“今夜还如昨夜长”写今夜还像昨夜一样漫长——多情被恼，夜长如昨。四句写客馆之夜：候馆灯昏、小楼人静，多情被恼、今夜还如昨夜长。以“候馆灯昏雨送凉”写客馆之景，以“多情却被无情恼，今夜还如昨夜长”写相思之深，正是元好问词写羁旅相思的起点——客馆夜长，多情难耐。

The first stanza writes the inn night, the ci's starting point of traveler's longing. 'In the inn, the lamp is dim; the rain brings chill; in the small house, all is still; moonlight creeps over the bed' — the inn night scene; 'the loving heart is vexed by the loveless; tonight, like last night, is long' — adapting Su Shi's 'the loving heart is vexed by the unfeeling,' the night's length. Yuan Haowen's starting point: the inn night long, the loving heart hard to bear.

金屋暖，玉炉香。春风都属富家郎。西园何限相思树，辛苦梅花候海棠。

The golden house is warm, the jade burner fragrant; the spring wind belongs to the rich young lord. In the west garden, how many trees of longing; the hard-worked plum blossom waits for the crabapple.

金屋里温暖，玉炉中香袅。春风都属富家郎所有。西园里何限相思之树，辛苦的梅花等候海棠开放。

Warm the golden house, fragrant the jade burner; the spring wind belongs to the rich young gallant. In the west garden, how many trees of longing; the toiling plum blossom waits on the crabapple.

下片写贫富之叹与苦等，是全词比兴含蓄的归结。“金屋暖，玉炉香”写金屋玉炉之暖——“金屋暖”用金屋藏娇写富家之暖，“玉炉香”写玉炉之香——金屋玉炉，暖香如春；“春风都属富家郎”写春风属富家——“春风都属富家郎”写春风都属富家郎所有——春风属富家；“西园何限相思树，辛苦梅花候海棠”写梅花候海棠——“西园何限相思树”写西园里何限相思之树，“辛苦梅花候海棠”写辛苦的梅花等候海棠——梅花候海棠。五句写贫富之叹与苦等：金屋暖、玉炉香，春风都属富家郎，西园相思树、梅花候海棠。以“金屋暖，玉炉香”写富家之暖，以“春风都属富家郎”写春风属富家，以“辛苦梅花候海棠”写梅花苦等海棠之比兴，正是元好问词写贫寒之叹的归结——如梅花候海棠，苦等而难期。

The second stanza writes the sigh of rich and poor, the bitter waiting, the reserved resolution of the ci's metaphor. 'The golden house is warm, the jade burner fragrant' — the golden house hiding the fair, the warm incense; 'the spring wind belongs to the rich young lord' — spring's warmth for the rich; 'in the west garden, how many trees of longing; the hard-worked plum blossom waits for the crabapple' — the plum waiting for the crabapple. Yuan Haowen's resolution of the poor man's sigh: like the plum waiting for the crabapple, the waiting bitter, the hope far.

Study

Word focus

候馆 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. “候馆灯昏”之“候馆”，写客舍、驿馆，是全词写羁旅之地的关键词。“候馆”写迎候宾客之馆舍——客馆灯昏，秋雨送凉。这一词写羁旅之地：不是家中小楼，而候馆；不是安稳之所，而客居之馆。以“候馆灯昏”写羁旅，正是元好问词写客馆相思的笔法——候馆之夜，倍觉凄凉。

月侵床 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. “小楼人静月侵床”之“月侵床”，写月光侵入床帷，是全词写孤寂之景的关键词。“侵”写侵入，“床”写床帷——小楼人静，月光侵入床帷。这一词写月光之态：不是照人之月，而侵床；不是可避之光，而侵逼之影。以“月侵床”写孤寂，正是元好问词写客馆之夜、人静月侵的笔法——月侵空床，倍觉孤清。

多情却被无情恼 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. “多情却被无情恼”之“多情却被无情恼”，用苏轼之句，写多情反被无情所恼，是全词写相思之叹的关键词。“多情”写多情之人，“无情恼”写被无情所恼——多情的人反被无情所恼。这一句写相思之叹：不是两情相悦，而多情被恼；不是可解之情，而无情相恼。以“多情却被无情恼”写相思，正是元好问词借苏轼之句写己之情深的笔法——多情成恼，无可奈何。

梅花候海棠 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. “辛苦梅花候海棠”之“辛苦梅花候海棠”，写辛苦的梅花等候海棠开放，是全词比兴含蓄的归结词。“梅花”写早春之梅，“候海棠”写等候海棠——梅花辛苦，等候海棠。这一句以“梅花候海棠”比兴写苦等：不是同时之花，而梅候海棠；不是可得之候，而辛苦难期。以“梅花候海棠”写贫寒之叹、苦等无期，正是元好问词比兴含蓄的归结——如梅候海棠，其志可哀。