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唐 Tang · 诗 Poem

子夜吴歌·冬歌

The, Songs, of, the, Midnight, the, Song, of, the, Winter

李白

Li Bai

闺情Theme 边塞Frontier

明朝驿使发，一夜絮征袍。
素手抽针冷，那堪把剪刀。
裁缝寄远道，几日到临洮。

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Meaning

A poem of the sewing and the longing, written by Li Bai. Tomorrow the dawn the post rider setting out, the whole night the sewing the padded robe of the campaign — the sewing of the opening. The white hands drawing the needle cold, the more how to bear the taking the scissors — the cold of the middle. And the close's the sewing and the tailoring sending to the far road, the how many days to arrive at the Tao the Long — the close's longing. The poem is the sewing and the longing: the robe, the cold, and the close's longing.

明朝驿使发，一夜絮征袍。素手抽针冷，那堪把剪刀。裁缝寄远道，几日到临洮。

Appreciation

[Plain Paraphrase] Tomorrow, the, dawn, the, post, rider, setting, out, the, whole, night, the, sewing, the, padded, robe, of, the, campaign. The, white, hands, drawing, the, needle, cold, the, more, how, to, bear, the, taking, the, scissors. The, sewing, and, the, tailoring, sending, to, the, far, road, the, how, many, days, to, arrive, at, the, Tao, the, Long. [Structure and Thought] The poem moves from the sewing of the padded robe with the whole night, through the cold of the needle with the scissors, to the close's the longing of the how many days. [Key Technique] The poem's art is the close of the longing: the sewing and the tailoring sending to the far road, and the close's the how many days to arrive at the Tao the Long — the sewing gathered in the cold and the close's longing. [Emotional Tone] Cold, tender, and longing: the poem is the robe, the needle and the close's longing.

【白话串讲】李白写《子夜吴歌·冬歌》：“明朝驿使发，一夜絮征袍”——“素手抽针冷，那堪把剪刀”——“裁缝寄远道，几日到临洮”——她连夜为征夫缝制冬衣——他写思妇的牵挂。【意象与手法】此诗写征妇赶制征袍，以民歌写征妇，是李白的名篇。前四句写赶制：「明朝驿使发，一夜絮征袍」写明朝驿使发、一夜絮征袍，「素手抽针冷，那堪把剪刀」写素手抽针冷、那堪把剪刀——写尽征妇连夜赶制征袍的辛苦；后二句写寄送：「裁缝寄远道，几日到临洮」写裁缝寄远道、几日到临洮——写尽征妇盼征袍早到的牵挂。全诗以民歌写征妇，写尽征妇赶制征袍的辛苦与牵挂，是李白的代表作。【情感与主旨】此诗写征妇赶制征袍，以民歌写征妇，是李白的名篇。此诗是李白《子夜吴歌》组诗（春、夏、秋、冬四歌）之一，用乐府旧题写征妇。此诗写征妇：明朝驿使发，一夜絮征袍——写明朝驿使发、一夜絮征袍，写尽征妇连夜赶制征袍；素手抽针冷，那堪把剪刀——写素手抽针冷、那堪把剪刀，写尽冬夜赶制的辛苦；裁缝寄远道，几日到临洮——写裁缝寄远道、几日到临洮，写尽征妇盼征袍早到的牵挂。全诗以民歌写征妇——那「素手抽针冷」写尽冬夜赶制的辛苦，「几日到临洮」写尽盼征袍早到的牵挂，写尽征妇赶制征袍的辛苦与牵挂，是理解李白民歌的重要篇章。【名句点睛】常考「明朝驿使发，一夜絮征袍」写征妇连夜赶制征袍；「素手抽针冷，那堪把剪刀」写冬夜赶制的辛苦；「裁缝寄远道，几日到临洮」写盼征袍早到的牵挂；以及全诗以民歌写征妇、以细节写辛苦的手法。

Background

Li Bai (701-762), the great poet of the Tang, wrote this 'The, Songs, of, the, Midnight, the, Song, of, the, Winter' of the sewing and the longing — the longing of the sewing the robe of the campaign. The sewing of the padded robe with the whole night, and the close's the longing of the how many days — the poem gathers the tenderness of the poet, the longing of the wife. The poem is one of the famous works of the poet's poems of the folk songs.

此诗写征妇赶制征袍，以民歌写征妇，是李白的名篇。李白（701—762），字太白，号青莲居士，唐代伟大的浪漫主义诗人，人称「诗仙」。此诗是李白《子夜吴歌》组诗（春、夏、秋、冬四歌）之一，用乐府旧题（《子夜歌》为南朝吴声歌曲）写征妇。《子夜吴歌·冬歌》写冬夜征妇为远征的丈夫赶制征袍：明朝驿使发，一夜絮征袍——写明朝驿使发、一夜絮征袍，写尽征妇连夜赶制征袍；素手抽针冷，那堪把剪刀——写素手抽针冷、那堪把剪刀，写尽冬夜赶制的辛苦；裁缝寄远道，几日到临洮——写裁缝寄远道、几日到临洮（临洮为西北边地），写尽征妇盼征袍早到的牵挂。全诗以民歌写征妇，写尽征妇赶制征袍的辛苦与牵挂，是理解李白民歌的重要篇章。此诗作于李白中年漫游时期，与《子夜吴歌·秋歌》（「长安一片月，万户捣衣声」）同为其写征妇的名篇。安史之乱前后，边地征战不已，征妇之苦成为时代的重要主题；李白此诗不写战争场面，只截取冬夜赶制征袍的一个瞬间，以征妇的日常劳苦写尽其对远征丈夫的牵挂，正见其以小见大、以情动人的手法。

Art

The poem's art is the art of the longing. The sewing opens: tomorrow, the, dawn, the, post, rider, setting, out — the post rider of the setting out; the, whole, night, the, sewing, the, padded, robe, of, the, campaign — the sewing of the padded robe; the, white, hands, drawing, the, needle, cold — the needle of the white hands; the, more, how, to, bear, the, taking, the, scissors — the scissors of the more how to bear. And the close gathers the longing: the, sewing, and, the, tailoring, sending, to, the, far, road — the tailoring of the sending to the far road; the, how, many, days, to, arrive, at, the, Tao, the, Long — the how many days of the Tao the Long — the sewing, the cold and the close's longing, gathered in the poem.

此诗的艺术特色可从四个方面解析。其一，以叙写起兴。「明朝驿使发，一夜絮征袍」以叙写起兴——那「驿使发」写尽驿使将发的紧迫、「一夜絮征袍」写尽连夜赶制的辛劳，以叙写起兴写尽赶制征袍的紧迫。其二，以细节写辛苦。「素手抽针冷，那堪把剪刀」以细节写辛苦——那「素手抽针冷」写尽抽针之冷、「那堪把剪刀」写尽握剪之难，以细节写尽冬夜赶制的辛苦。其三，以口语写牵挂。「裁缝寄远道，几日到临洮」以口语写牵挂——那「几日到临洮」写尽盼征袍早到的牵挂，以口语写尽征妇的心声。其四，以含蓄写深情。全诗以民歌写深情——那「几日到临洮」写尽盼征袍早到的牵挂，以含蓄写尽征妇的深情。四重手法，使此诗以民歌写征妇，写尽征妇赶制征袍的辛苦与牵挂，是李白的代表作。再从镜头上看，此诗如同一组特写：起笔写驿使将发的紧迫，继写一夜絮袍的辛劳，再写抽针把剪的寒苦，终写寄袍问程的牵挂——由紧迫而辛劳、由寒苦而牵挂，层层收束于「几日到临洮」的深情一问；六句之间不着一字写思念，而思念自见于「几日到临洮」的悬念之中，正是以细节写深情、以问句收全篇的典范。

Allusions

'The Tao the Long' (tao long) is the Tao the Long — the prefecture of the Tao, the arriving of the close — the place of the garrison of the Tang; 'the padded robe of the campaign' (zheng pao) is the padded robe of the campaign — the robe of the campaign, the sewing of the opening.

此诗的用语深植于民歌与征妇的传统。「明朝驿使发」令人想到「驿使」写驿使的意象——「驿使梅花」，也令人想到「明朝」写明日的意象；「一夜絮征袍」令人想到「絮征袍」写絮棉絮于征袍的意象——「征袍」写远征之袍，也令人想到「一夜」写一夜的意象；「素手抽针冷」令人想到「素手」写白净之手的意象——「纤纤擢素手」，也令人想到「抽针冷」写抽针之冷的意象——冬夜针冷；「那堪把剪刀」令人想到「那堪」写那堪的意象——「那堪风雨」，也令人想到「把剪刀」写握剪刀的意象；「裁缝寄远道」令人想到「裁缝」写缝制的意象——「慈母手中线，游子身上衣」（孟郊），也令人想到「寄远道」写寄往远方的意象；「几日到临洮」令人想到「临洮」写边地临洮的意象——「临洮」为西北边城，也令人想到「几日到」写几日到达的意象。全诗化用驿使、征袍、素手、临洮的意象，以民歌写征妇，正是李白「清新自然」而善用乐府旧题、承征妇传统写牵挂的本领。

Commentary

This poem is one of the famous works of Li Bai's poems of the folk songs, quoted for the tenderness of its opening and the depth of its close. The sewing of the padded robe, and the how many days of the Tao the Long, are among the admired passages of the poet's poems. Critics praise the poem's longing: the sewing gathered in the cold, to the close's distance.

此诗历来被推为李白民歌的名篇，也是唐人写征妇的代表。历代论者对此诗评价极高：清人评此诗「以民歌写征妇，含蓄深沉」；近人更指出「素手抽针冷，那堪把剪刀」写冬夜赶制的辛苦，「裁缝寄远道，几日到临洮」写盼征袍早到的牵挂，是此诗的名句。在诗歌史上，此诗的特殊价值在于：它以六句的短篇写尽征妇赶制征袍的辛苦与牵挂——那明朝的驿使，那一夜絮的征袍，那抽针冷的素手，那难堪的剪刀，那寄远道的裁缝，那几日到临洮的牵挂，都写尽了李白对征妇的同情；那「素手抽针冷，那堪把剪刀」更写尽冬夜赶制的辛苦。此诗与《子夜吴歌·秋歌》（「长安一片月，万户捣衣声」）同为征妇名篇，一写「秋风吹不尽，总是玉关情」的秋夜捣衣（秋歌），一写「素手抽针冷」的冬夜缝袍（冬歌）；又与唐代征妇诗（王昌龄「忽见陌头杨柳色」）的传统一脉相承，可见李白写征妇的深情。对于今日读者，此诗是理解李白民歌的窗口，也是中国诗写征妇的经典——那几日到临洮的征袍，穿越千年，仍在诉说着征妇的牵挂。

Prosody

Form A song of the folk (wu yan gu shi)诗·乐府（五言六句）

Rhyme The poem rhymes on the level of the group — the cadence of the song that carries the tender longing.乐府古题，押「袍」「刀」「洮」韵（下平四豪），一韵到底，音节清婉

Tone pattern The cadence is that of the longing: the level opening with the sewing, the turning with the cold, and the close's fall with the Long.此诗为五言六句乐府，押平声韵，一韵到底，音节清婉，正合民歌的清婉。

Reading note The poem's sound matches its tenderness: the cadences of the song, and the close — 'ji ri dao lin tao' — falls with the Long, the sound of the longing of the sewing poet.此诗为五言六句乐府——「明朝驿使发，一夜絮征袍。素手抽针冷，那堪把剪刀。裁缝寄远道，几日到临洮」，押「豪」韵（袍、刀、洮），一韵到底，音节清婉。全诗以民歌写征妇：前四句写连夜赶制征袍的辛苦（明朝驿使发，一夜絮征袍；素手抽针冷，那堪把剪刀），后二句写盼征袍早到的牵挂（裁缝寄远道，几日到临洮）。六句短章，前写辛苦，后写牵挂，正见李白民歌「清新自然」的本色。诵读此诗，宜以清婉的语调读「素手抽针冷」的辛苦，以牵挂的语调读「几日到临洮」的牵挂，结句「几日到临洮」要读得绵长而有余韵，方能传达出李白的含蓄深沉。李白乐府以「清新自然」著称，此诗正是其民歌短章的典范。

Line by line

素手抽针冷，那堪把剪刀

Her white hand draws the needle - the cold bites; how can she bear to hold the scissors?

白净的手抽针也觉得冷，哪里忍受得了把剪刀。

Her white hand takes up the needle, cold as it is; how can she endure the scissors?

此二句是全诗写辛苦的核心，以抽针冷写寒，以把剪刀写难，写尽冬夜赶制的辛苦，是千古名句。「素手抽针冷」写白净的手抽针也觉得冷——那「素手」写白净的手，「抽针冷」写抽针也觉得冷，写尽冬夜的寒冷；「那堪把剪刀」写哪里忍受得了把剪刀——那「那堪」写哪里忍受得了，「把剪刀」写握剪刀，写尽握剪之难。这句的深意在于：它以「素手抽针冷」的抽针冷与「那堪把剪刀」的把剪刀，写尽冬夜赶制的辛苦——白净的手抽针也觉得冷，那「素手抽针冷」写尽冬夜的寒冷——冬夜赶制，素手抽针，冷得刺骨，那「抽针冷」写尽冬夜的寒冷；哪里忍受得了把剪刀，那「那堪把剪刀」写尽握剪之难——连抽针都冷，何况握冰冷的剪刀？那「那堪」以反问写尽握剪之难；那「素手抽针冷」写尽冬夜的寒冷，那「那堪把剪刀」写尽握剪之难，一写抽针，一写把剪，写尽冬夜赶制的辛苦——为了远征的丈夫，征妇不顾冬夜的寒冷连夜赶制，那辛苦之中自有深情；此二句以抽针冷、把剪刀写尽冬夜赶制的辛苦，也让此二句成为全诗写辛苦的核心与千古名句。若换作直说「冬夜缝衣很冷」，则失其细节；唯以「素手抽针冷」写抽针冷、「那堪把剪刀」写把剪刀，写尽冬夜赶制的辛苦，也让此二句成为全诗写辛苦的核心。

These two lines are the core of the poem's toil, 'draws the needle - the cold bites' the cold, 'how can she bear to hold the scissors' the scissors, writing the toil of the night's urgent sewing, a famous line. 'Her white hand draws the needle - the cold bites' - the winter night's urgent sewing, the white hand drawing the needle in the biting cold; 'how can she bear to hold the scissors' - if even drawing the needle is cold, how much more the icy scissors? the rhetorical 'how can she bear' writing the hard grip. The needle's cold and the scissors' hardness, the toil of the winter night's sewing - for the husband on the far campaign, the consort sewing through the cold night, the toil holding a deep love within; one line the needle, one the scissors, the labor complete. If one said plainly 'sewing on a winter night is cold,' the detail would be lost; only the white hand drawing the needle in the cold and the question how she can bear the scissors hold the toil.

裁缝寄远道，几日到临洮

The robe is cut and sewn, to be sent afar; in how many days will it reach Lintao?

缝好征袍寄往远方，几日才能到临洮。

I have cut and sewn the robe to send it far; in how many days will it reach Lintao?

此二句是全诗的收束，以寄远道写寄送，以几日到写牵挂，写尽盼征袍早到的牵挂，是千古名句。「裁缝寄远道」写缝好征袍寄往远方——那「裁缝」写缝制，「寄远道」写寄往远方，写尽征袍的寄送；「几日到临洮」写几日才能到临洮——那「几日到」写几日才能到，「临洮」写边地临洮，写尽盼征袍早到的牵挂。这句的深意在于：它以「裁缝寄远道」的寄远道与「几日到临洮」的几日到，写尽盼征袍早到的牵挂——缝好征袍寄往远方，那「裁缝寄远道」写尽征袍的寄送——连夜缝好征袍，寄往远方的临洮，那「寄远道」写尽征袍的寄送；几日才能到临洮，那「几日到临洮」写尽盼征袍早到的牵挂——征袍寄出，征妇牵挂的是几日才能到临洮、到丈夫手中，那「几日到」写尽盼征袍早到的牵挂；那「裁缝寄远道」写尽征袍的寄送，那「几日到临洮」写尽盼征袍早到的牵挂，一写寄送，一写牵挂，写尽盼征袍早到的牵挂——征妇不辞辛苦赶制征袍，只为早日寄达远征的丈夫，那牵挂之中自有深情；此二句以寄远道、几日到临洮收束，写尽盼征袍早到的牵挂，也让此二句成为全诗收束的千古名句。若换作直说「希望丈夫早点收到」，则失其含蓄；唯以「裁缝寄远道」写寄送、「几日到临洮」写牵挂，写尽盼征袍早到的牵挂，也让此二句成为全诗的收束。

These two lines close the poem, 'the robe is cut and sewn, to be sent afar' the sending, 'in how many days will it reach Lintao' the longing, writing the longing for the robe's early arrival, a famous line. 'The robe is cut and sewn, to be sent afar' - the campaign robe sewn through the night, sent to distant Lintao; 'in how many days will it reach Lintao' - the robe sent, the consort longing for the day it reaches Lintao, reaches her husband's hands. The robe sent afar and the days to Lintao, the consort's unspared toil only that the robe may reach her husband soon, the longing holding a deep love; one line the sending, one the longing, the close complete. If one said plainly 'I hope my husband gets it soon,' the reserve would be lost; only the sewn robe sent afar and the question in how many days it reaches Lintao hold the longing.

Study

Word focus

冷 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「素手抽针冷」之「冷」字是写辛苦的关键字，一个「冷」字写尽冬夜的寒冷与赶制的辛苦。冷者，寒冷也。李白以「素手抽针冷」写抽针，这个「冷」字至少有双重意味：其一，写冬夜之寒——那「素手抽针冷」写白净的手抽针也觉得冷，那「冷」字写尽冬夜的寒冷——冬夜赶制，素手抽针，冷得刺骨，那「冷」字写尽冬夜的寒冷；其二，写辛苦之深——那「冷」字更是写辛苦——抽针都冷，何况把剪刀，那「冷」字写尽赶制的辛苦。以「冷」字写抽针，正是李白写辛苦的枢纽——若换作「寒」「冻」等字，则或失其写抽针之冷的贴切，或失其与「那堪把剪刀」的呼应；唯「冷」字，以一字写尽冬夜的寒冷与赶制的辛苦，与「那堪把剪刀」的那堪相合，写尽冬夜赶制的辛苦，也让「素手抽针冷」成为全诗写辛苦的名句。

那堪 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「那堪把剪刀」之「那堪」是写难忍的关键词，一个「那堪」写尽握剪之难与辛苦之深。那堪者，哪里忍受得了也。李白以「那堪把剪刀」写握剪刀，这个「那堪」至少有双重意味：其一，写握剪之难——那「那堪把剪刀」写哪里忍受得了把剪刀，那「那堪」以反问写尽握剪之难——连抽针都冷，何况握冰冷的剪刀，那「那堪」写尽握剪之难；其二，写辛苦之深——那「那堪」更是写辛苦——那堪把剪刀，正见冬夜赶制的辛苦，那「那堪」写尽辛苦的深重。以「那堪」写把剪刀，正是李白写辛苦的枢纽——若换作「难忍」「岂忍」等词，则或失其以反问写难忍的语气，或失其与「素手抽针冷」的呼应；唯「那堪」二字，以反问写尽握剪之难与冬夜赶制的辛苦，与「素手抽针冷」的抽针冷相合，写尽冬夜赶制的辛苦，也让「那堪把剪刀」成为全诗写辛苦的名句。