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汉 Han · 赋 Fu rhapsody

登楼赋

Rhapsody on Ascending the Tower

王粲

Wang Can

怀乡Nostalgia 登览Sightseeing & Reflection

登兹楼以四望兮，聊暇日以销忧。
览斯宇之所处兮，实显敞而寡仇。
挟清漳之通浦兮，倚曲沮之长洲。
背坟衍之广陆兮，临皋隰之沃流。
北弥陶牧，西接昭邱。
华实蔽野，黍稷盈畴。
虽信美而非吾土兮，曾何足以少留！
遭纷浊而迁逝兮，漫逾纪以迄今。

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登兹楼以四望兮，聊暇日以销忧。
览斯宇之所处兮，实显敞而寡仇。
挟清漳之通浦兮，倚曲沮之长洲。
背坟衍之广陆兮，临皋隰之沃流。
北弥陶牧，西接昭邱。
华实蔽野，黍稷盈畴。
虽信美而非吾土兮，曾何足以少留！
遭纷浊而迁逝兮，漫逾纪以迄今。
情眷眷而怀归兮，孰忧思之可任？
凭轩槛以遥望兮，向北风而开襟。
平原远而极目兮，蔽荆山之高岑。
路逶迤而修迥兮，川既漾而济深。
悲旧乡之壅隔兮，涕横坠而弗禁。
昔尼父之在陈兮，有归欤之叹音。
钟仪幽而楚奏兮，庄舄显而越吟。
人情同于怀土兮，岂穷达而异心！
惟日月之逾迈兮，俟河清其未极。
冀王道之一平兮，假高衢而骋力。
惧匏瓜之徒悬兮，畏井渫之莫食。
步栖迟以徙倚兮，白日忽其将匿。
风萧瑟而并兴兮，天惨惨而无色。
兽狂顾以求群兮，鸟相鸣而举翼，原野阒其无人兮，征夫行而未息。
心凄怆以感发兮，意忉怛而惨恻。
循阶除而下降兮，气交愤于胸臆。
夜参半而不寐兮，怅盘桓而反侧。

I ascend this tower to gaze in all directions,
Seeking to dispel my sorrows in this hour of leisure.
I observe the site where this structure stands:
Truly it is grand and open, with few peers.
It holds the clear Zhang River’s reaching reaches,
And leans against the winding Ju’s long islets.
Behind lies the broad plain of high and level land,
Before flows the fertile stream by the marshy banks.
To the north it extends to the pastures of Tao Zhu,
To the west it meets the burial mound of King Zhao.
Fruits and blossoms shroud the wilderness,
Millet and grain fill the cultivated fields.
Though truly beautiful, it is not my native soil;
How could it be worthy of even a brief stay!

I encountered turbulent times and fled as an exile,
Vaguely a decade and more has passed until today.
My heart is filled with longing, yearning for return;
Who can endure such overwhelming melancholy?
I lean against the railing to gaze into the distance,
Opening my robe to face the northern wind.
The plains are vast, stretching to the limit of my sight,
Obstructed by the high peaks of Mount Jing.
The road is winding, long, and far-reaching,
The rivers are swelling, deep to cross.
I grieve for my old home, now blocked and severed,
Tears fall crosswise, beyond my power to restrain.
In olden days, when Confucius was in Chen,
He uttered that sigh: "Shall we not return?"
Zhong Yi, though imprisoned, played the tunes of Chu;
Zhuang Xi, though prominent, sang the chants of Yue.
Human nature is universal in its love for the soil;
How could success or failure change one’s heart!

I contemplate the passing of days and months,
Waiting for the Yellow River to clear, yet the end is not in sight.
I hope for the King’s Way to be suddenly pacified,
That I might gallop my strength upon the high thoroughfare.
I fear becoming like a gourd, hanging in vain,
I dread being like a cleansed well from which no one drinks.
I pace in hesitation, lingering and leaning,
The white sun suddenly about to hide.
The wind soughs and rises all at once,
The sky is somber, losing its color.
Beasts look back wildly, seeking their herds,
Birds call to each other, lifting their wings.
The wilderness is silent, devoid of people,
The traveler marches on without rest.
My heart is sorrowful, moved to its depths,
My mind is distressed and full of grief.
I follow the stairs and descend,
Indignation mingling and knotting in my breast.
The night is half-spent, yet I cannot sleep,
Pacing in frustration, tossing and turning.

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Meaning

Wang Can, an exile in Jingzhou during the chaotic end of the Han Dynasty, ascends a tower to find solace. Despite the breathtaking beauty and prosperity of the surrounding landscape, he is overcome by an irrepressible longing for his northern homeland. He reflects on his twelve years of wandering, his unfulfilled political ambitions, and the universal human attachment to one’s roots, concluding with a somber descent in the dead of night, his heart still heavy with unresolved grief.

登上这座楼四下眺望啊，且借闲暇消解忧愁。看这楼所处的地方啊，实在开阔敞亮少有匹敌。傍着清漳水汇流的浦口啊，倚着弯曲沮水绵长的小洲。背靠高平广阔的陆地啊，临着水边低湿的沃流。北边延展到陶朱公放牧的野地，西边连接楚昭王的陵丘。花果遮蔽原野，黍稷填满田畴。虽确实美好却不是我的乡土啊，又哪里值得稍作停留！遭逢乱世浊流而流亡迁徙啊，漫漫过了十二年直到如今。情意眷眷想着归去啊，谁能承受这般忧思？凭倚栏杆远望啊，面对北风敞开衣襟。平原遥远极目千里啊，却被荆山的高峰遮断。道路逶迤又长又远啊，河水荡漾而渡口水深。悲叹故乡被阻隔啊，眼泪横流不能禁止。从前孔子困在陈国啊，有归欤的叹息之声。钟仪被囚而奏楚调啊，庄舄显达仍吟越音。人情同样眷恋故土啊，岂会因穷达而改变本心！想那日月流逝啊，等待黄河水清却遥遥无期。期望王道一旦太平啊，借大道得以驰骋才力。怕那匏瓜空自悬着啊，畏那井淘好了却无人来食。徘徊留连啊，白日忽然就要沉匿。风萧瑟一并兴起啊，天惨淡失去颜色。野兽慌张顾盼寻求同伴啊，鸟儿相鸣振翅飞起，原野寂无人声啊，征夫却仍行而不息。心凄凉因而感发啊，意悲痛而惨恻。顺着阶陛走下楼啊，愤懑之气交结胸臆。夜过半不能成眠啊，惆怅徘徊辗转反侧。

Appreciation

Wang Can’s "Rhapsody on Ascending the Tower" (Denglou Fu) is the pinnacle of the Jian’an lyrical rhapsody. Composed around 204 CE while the author was a guest of Liu Biao, it transforms a conventional sightseeing exercise into a profound meditation on displacement and existential anxiety. The structure is masterfully symmetrical, beginning with the ascent and ending with the descent. The rhapsody is famous for its "樂景写哀" (using happy scenes to write of sorrow) technique; the lush descriptions of the Zhang and Ju rivers only serve to heighten the sting of the realization that "it is not my native soil." By weaving in classical allusions to Confucius, Zhong Yi, and Zhuang Xi, Wang Can elevates his personal homesickness to a timeless statement on the scholar’s plight in a fractured world. Its somber tone and rhythmic "Chu Ci" style influenced centuries of later poets, from Du Fu’s regulated verse to the nostalgic essays of the Song Dynasty.

【白话串讲】 “登兹楼以四望兮，聊暇日以销忧”——王粲登楼远望：“虽信美而非吾土兮，曾何足以少留”——这里虽美，却不是我的故乡。“人情同于怀土兮，岂穷达而异心”——人人都思念故土。他身处乱世，怀才不遇。【意象与手法】以登楼始、下楼终，三段由景入情、由乡关之思入身世之慨。首段极陈漳沮之沃、原野之富，以“虽信美而非吾土”一转；中段引孔子在陈、钟仪楚奏、庄舄越吟三层故实证怀土不因穷达而异；末段由“匏瓜徒悬、井渫莫食”写才不得施，终以夜半不寐收束。语言清丽而情韵沉郁，以骚体写羁旅、以丽景衬哀情。【情感与主旨】作于流寓荆州依附刘表之时，写登楼远望而思归故土、怀才不遇的悲愤，将个人漂泊之痛与时代丧乱之悲融为一体。开后世登高抒怀、迁客骚人传统，被誉为魏晋抒情小赋之冠。【名句点睛】常考“虽信美而非吾土兮，曾何足以少留”以信美非吾土写去国怀乡；“人情同于怀土兮，岂穷达而异心”以怀土立论写思归之情。

Background

Wang Can (177–217), the preeminent member of the "Seven Scholars of Jian’an," was a brilliant intellectual forced to flee the capital, Chang’an, following the chaos of Dong Zhuo’s coup. He spent over a decade in Jingzhou under Liu Biao, who admired his talent but never fully trusted or employed him due to Wang’s frail appearance. This rhapsody was written when Wang ascended the tower of Dangyang (in modern-day Hubei). From there, looking north toward his ancestral home in Sanyang (modern Shandong), his view was blocked by Mount Jing—a physical barrier that mirrored the political and military divisions of the Three Kingdoms era. The work encapsulates the "Jian’an Spirit": a mixture of tragic awareness and a desperate desire to serve the state during times of ruin.

王粲（177—217），字仲宣，山阳高平人，建安七子之冠冕。幼羁长安，受蔡邕赏识；董卓之乱后，乃之荆州依刘表，以貌寝体弱不为表所重，滞留荆州十余年。此赋约作于建安九年（204），时中原战乱、王粲离乡已逾十二载（赋云漫逾纪以迄今，纪为十二年），登当阳城楼（一说麦城城楼）而作。所登之楼在湖北当阳，北望可达其故乡山阳（今山东邹县），故凭轩槛向北风而开襟、平原远而极目，荆山却蔽其高岑，正是望乡而不得见的实写。王粲身当汉室崩解、群雄割据之世，怀才不遇于刘表，归欤之叹、匏瓜之惧皆由此生。此赋因此不只是登临之什，更是乱离士子漂泊无依、欲归不得、欲仕无路的缩影。其以个人登楼写时代之悲，情景相副，宜与《七哀诗》并读，方见建安文人乱世心声之全。王粲依刘表于荆州十余年，此赋约作于建安九年，登当阳城楼而有是作。所登之楼北望可达故乡山阳，故凭轩向北风、平原极目而荆山蔽其高岑，正是望乡不得见之实写。身当汉室崩解、怀才不遇于刘表，归欤之叹、匏瓜之惧皆由此生。此赋以个人登楼写时代之悲，宜与《七哀诗》并读。

Art

The rhapsody employs the "Sao" style (derived from the Li Sao), characterized by the rhythmic particle "xi" (兮) which creates a halting, emotive cadence perfect for expressing pent-up frustration. Its primary artistic device is the sharp contrast between the "信美" (truly beautiful) external world and the "忧思" (sorrowful thoughts) of the internal self. The middle section utilizes a triad of historical allusions—one poor (Confucius), one imprisoned (Zhong Yi), and one successful (Zhuang Xi)—to prove that the longing for home is independent of one’s social status. The ending shifts from spatial distance (the north) to temporal decay (the setting sun), using the behavior of startled beasts and birds to mirror the poet’s own sense of isolation and impending doom.

此赋艺术，在以骚体短章写沉郁长情，结构极见经营。全篇三段，由登楼销忧起，以望景之美转非吾土之悲；中段由景入情，怀归、望乡之后，连用孔子在陈、钟仪楚奏、庄舄越吟三典，由己及古、由古证己，将思乡之私上升为人人同具之常情（人情同于怀土，岂穷达而异心），章法由狭转阔；末段再由乡关之思入身世之慨，俟河清、假高衢写望治之心，匏瓜徒悬、井渫莫食写不遇之惧，情景渐入苍凉，终于白日将匿、风萧瑟、夜半不寐之境，情景交融至极。其写景（挟清漳、倚曲沮、华实蔽野）丽而不浮，写情（涕横坠、气交愤）哀而不伤。以乐景写哀、以丽衬悲，与《古诗》同法；而骚体兮字贯穿，顿挫低回，最宜写郁结。篇幅短小而起伏多层，疏密相间，是抒情小赋结构之范。全篇三段，由登楼销忧起，以望景之美转非吾土之悲；中段由景入情，连用孔子在陈、钟仪楚奏、庄舄越吟三典，证怀土不因穷达而异；末段由乡关之思入身世不遇之惧，终于白日将匿、夜半不寐之境。写景丽而不浮，写情哀而不伤，以乐景写哀、以丽衬悲，骚体兮字贯穿，顿挫低回，最宜写郁结，是抒情小赋结构之范。

Allusions

Wang Can’t use of allusions is scholarly and precise. "Shall we not return?" (归欤之叹) refers to Confucius’s desire to return home while stranded in Chen. "Zhong Yi’s Chu tunes" (钟仪楚奏) and "Zhuang Xi’s Yue chants" (庄舄越吟) are classic symbols of unyielding cultural identity and homesickness. The "clearing of the Yellow River" (俟河清) is a metaphor for a peaceful and well-governed world, which seemed impossibly distant in 204 CE. The "gourd hanging in vain" (匏瓜徒悬) and the "cleansed well" (井渫莫食) are profound metaphors from the Analects and the I Ching, respectively, representing a talented man who is left unused and ignored by society.

赋中故实皆有深意，非徒炫耀。北弥陶牧指范蠡（陶朱公）放牧之地，西接昭邱指楚昭王墓，皆荆州名胜，带历史沧桑，暗衬己身之漂泊无依。孔子在陈、归欤之叹用《论语》君子在陈绝粮、子路愠见事，孔子思归，证圣人不免怀土；钟仪楚奏用《左传》钟仪为晋所囚仍操南音、鼓琴操楚调，写身囚而心在故国；庄舄越吟用《史记》庄舄仕楚显达病中犹为越吟，写显达而不忘本。三典一穷一囚一达，皆怀土如故，遂推出人情同于怀土、岂穷达异心之论断。俟河清用《左传》俟河之清，人寿几何，喻太平难期；匏瓜徒悬用《论语》吾岂匏瓜也哉，焉能系而不食，喻怀才不遇；井渫莫食用《周易》井渫不食，为我心恻，喻贤者见弃。诸典皆贴切身世，以古人之迹写己之遇，用典而情自出，最见建安赋酝藉之风。北弥陶牧指范蠡放牧地，西接昭邱指楚昭王墓，皆带历史沧桑。孔子在陈、归欤之叹用《论语》；钟仪楚奏用《左传》，庄舄越吟用《史记》，三典一穷一囚一达皆怀土如故。俟河清用《左传》喻太平难期；匏瓜徒悬用《论语》喻不遇，井渫莫食用《周易》喻见弃。诸典皆贴身世，以古人之迹写己之遇，用典而情自出，最见建安赋酝藉之风。

Commentary

Scholars have long praised this rhapsody for its "沉郁" (deep and somber) quality. While the Han rhapsody was often characterized by excessive ornamentation, Wang Can moved the genre toward personal lyricism. The Ming critic Hu Yinglin noted that this work "cleansed the lungs and marrow" of the rhapsody form. It established the "Ascending the Tower" motif as a standard for Chinese intellectuals to express the tension between their private emotions and their public responsibilities.

首段登兹楼以四望兮，聊暇日以销忧破题，销忧二字定调，已伏忧不能销。览斯宇以下铺陈楼观之美：挟清漳、倚曲沮写地势，北弥陶牧、西接昭邱写近邻，华实蔽野、黍稷盈畴写物产，极写信美；却以虽信美而非吾土兮，曾何足以少留陡转，美景虚设，归意已决。次段遭纷浊而迁逝写流亡之由，漫逾纪点明十二载；情眷眷而怀归、孰忧思之可任直抒思归。凭轩槛向北风、平原远而极目、蔽荆山之高岑，写望乡而山蔽，悲旧乡之壅隔、涕横坠而弗禁。继以孔子、钟仪、庄舄三典证怀土之常，人情同于怀土收束中段。末段惟日月之逾迈伤时逝，俟河清、假高衢写望治，惧匏瓜徒悬、畏井渫莫食写不遇之惧。步栖迟至征夫行而未息写日暮景悲、己独淹留。心凄怆、意忉怛、气交愤、夜参半不寐、怅盘桓反侧，层层写忧之不可解，由登楼始以下楼终，情景相生，沉郁不尽。首段登兹楼以四望兮，聊暇日以销忧破题，销忧定调。览斯宇以下铺陈楼观之美，却以虽信美而非吾土兮，曾何足以少留陡转。次段遭纷浊而迁逝写流亡，情眷眷而怀归直抒思归，凭轩槛向北风、蔽荆山之高岑写望乡而山蔽。末段俟河清、假高衢写望治，惧匏瓜徒悬、畏井渫莫食写不遇，终于夜半不寐、盘桓反侧，情景相生。

Prosody

Reading note The use of the 'xi' (兮) particle in the middle of lines creates a distinctive 3-3 or 4-4 rhythm that mimics a deep sigh, a hallmark of the Jian’an style.此赋为骚体抒情小赋，句式以六言带兮字为主干（登兹楼以四望兮、览斯宇之所处兮），间以四言偶句（北弥陶牧，西接昭邱；华实蔽野，黍稷盈畴）与杂言（兽狂顾以求群兮，鸟相鸣而举翼）。兮字用于句腰（前后分句之间），承《楚辞》九歌、九章之调，读来低回顿挫，最宜写郁结徘徊之情。声律上虽非近体，而骈偶暗协：挟清漳之通浦兮，倚曲沮之长洲，漳沮、浦洲相对；背坟衍之广陆兮，临皋隰之沃流，坟衍对皋隰、广陆对沃流，皆俪句也。段落以兮字蝉联，气脉不断；而四言偶句（如平原远而极目兮，蔽荆山之高岑）与骚句相间，便生疏密。平仄虽不苛求，而清漳（平平）对曲沮（仄仄）、华实（平仄）对黍稷（仄仄），暗合抑扬。全赋以骚体之回环写小赋之清丽，句式节奏与登楼—下楼、昼—夜的情节同步，是其声情相得之秘。

Line by line

虽信美而非吾土兮，曾何足以少留！

Though truly beautiful, it is not my native soil; how could it be worthy of even a brief stay! (The pivotal realization that external beauty cannot compensate for the lack of belonging.)

Though it be truly fair, it is not my land; how could I bear to linger here even a moment!

此二句为全赋诗眼，于极写楼观之美后陡然一转，奠定去国怀乡的主调。信美二字先肯认荆襄之富庶秀丽（挟清漳、倚曲沮、华实蔽野皆其注脚），非吾土三字却如冷水浇头，将一切美景化作异乡之物。曾何足以少留以反诘收束，语气决绝：再好也不是家，不值得片刻停留。这一转极见顿挫之力——前文铺陈越丽，此句否决越重，乐景与哀情相撞，羁旅之悲遂不可遏。它不惟是王粲个人的感叹，更凝为一个原型：后世登高怀土之作（如王勃、杜甫）皆循此信美非吾土的逻辑。二字（信美）之肯与三字（非吾土）之拒，构成中国羁旅文学最核心的张力。

The line that founded a genre. Though the place be truly fair, it is not my land; how could I bear to linger here even a moment? The first clause grants everything—Jingzhou is rich, lovely, fruitful; the second withdraws it all: not my home. The two-and-a-half words against three words is the structure of Chinese homesickness, repeated by every later poet climbing a tower. To have said it was beautiful but not home would be a statement; the truly fair against the not-my-land is the statement.

惧匏瓜之徒悬兮，畏井渫之莫食。

I fear becoming like a gourd, hanging in vain; I dread being like a cleansed well from which no one drinks. (Metaphors for a talented man being ignored by society.)

I fear I am like the hollow gourd, hung up unused; I fear like the cleaned well, no one draws to drink.

此二句为末段腹心，由乡关之思转入身世不遇之惧，是赋中沉郁最深之处。匏瓜徒悬用《论语》吾岂匏瓜也哉，焉能系而不食，喻人有才德而徒然闲置、不得任用；井渫莫食用《周易》井渫不食，为我心恻，喻贤者已自洁（井已淘清）却无人汲食，即见弃于世。二句对举，一畏空悬、一畏见弃，写尽才士在乱世欲仕无路、欲隐不甘的焦灼。王粲依刘表而不见重，正匏瓜之实；怀才而无所施，正井渫之悲。惧与畏二字见其忧危之深，与首段销忧遥应——忧非登楼可销，而在此处转为对前途的恐惧。二句使全赋由乡愁升华为命运之悲，格局愈阔，宜与诸葛亮《梁甫吟》、阮籍《咏怀》同观。

The private fear. I fear I am like the hollow gourd of the Analects, hung up unused—food for no one; and like the cleaned well of the Book of Changes, no one draws from it. The two allusions: Confucius's self-comparison to a gourd that cannot be hung as food, and the well that has been cleaned but nobody drinks. Wang Can, dependent on Liu Biao and unappreciated, is both. To have said I feared my talents would go to waste would be a statement; the hung gourd and the unused cleaned well are the fear.

登兹楼以四望兮，聊暇日以销忧。

I ascend this tower to gaze in all directions, seeking to dispel my sorrows in this hour of leisure. (The opening premise, which is ultimately proven impossible.)

I climb this tower and look out on all sides, to spend a holiday and dispel my grief.

此二句为全赋发端，破题即立登楼销忧之旨。登兹楼以四望兮写登高望远之举，聊暇日以销忧则以闲暇销解忧愁为说，看似寻常登览起笔。然细味之，销忧二字已伏忧不能销之隐：果能销，则不须登楼；既登楼而忧在，则此忧非闲愁，乃去国怀乡之深悲。后世登楼诸作多沿此以登楼写愁之法，此赋即其原型。以四望起、以销忧收，开阔中见低回，骚体兮字一顿，便有不能自己也之态，为下文信美非吾土之叹先布其势，是抒情小赋起手最浑成者。

The opening. I climb this tower and look out on all sides, to spend a holiday and dispel my grief. The declared purpose (dispelling grief) is already the confession: grief needs a tower to escape. The climbing and the looking around will not work, and the poem knows it. To have said I climbed the tower to cheer up would be a diary; the announced plan to dispel grief that the poem immediately proves impossible is the irony.

Study

Word focus

信美 Truly/Indeed beautiful; used here to acknowledge the richness of the foreign land. 信美犹言确实美好、诚然美丽。赋中虽信美而非吾土兮以之肯认荆襄风物之胜，是前文挟清漳、倚曲沮、华实蔽野一段铺陈的总结词。其妙在信字先予实肯，为下句非吾土之拒蓄足势——正因其美无可争议，则非吾土之憾才愈无可解脱。信美本出《楚辞·九章》并信美之今朝（或《左传》所谓信美），王粲化入骚体，雅驯而有力。二字看似平淡，却是全赋乐景写哀的枢纽：若无信美之肯，便无少留之决；肯得越实，拒得越痛。后以信美非吾土成羁旅诗成语，其肇端即在此赋。

匏瓜 Gourd; an allusion to a person with talent but no opportunity to serve. 匏瓜指葫芦之属， here 用《论语》夫子自道：吾岂匏瓜也哉，焉能系而不食，本意是圣人不能如匏瓜般空悬不食，喻人当有用世之责。王粲惧匏瓜之徒悬，反用其意：怕自己真成空悬之匏瓜，有才而无所施。此词精准写出依刘表而不见重的处境——非无才，乃不遇。匏瓜之徒悬以悬字状闲置之态，与井渫莫食之莫食对举，一空悬一不食，皆写才不得用。在抒情小赋中嵌入此一论语典，使个人不遇之悲带上周孔之道的分量，怨而不怒、悲而能雅，最见建安赋以学养济情思的特色，亦开后世不遇赋（如左思《咏史》）之先声。

销忧 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 销忧犹言消解忧愁。赋开篇聊暇日以销忧以之点出登楼之由，貌似闲适，实则反衬：正因忧深难遣，方借登楼暂解。销字写愁之可熔，与后文气交愤于胸臆之愤、夜参半不寐之辗转形成对照——开头欲销而终不可销，结构首尾呼应。此词承楚辞聊假日以偷乐、登兹楼以望愁之传统，是登楼赋表情的枢钮。销忧之轻与全文之沉成反比，愈写销而忧愈显，最见王粲以乐写哀、以浅写深的手笔，亦开后世登楼怀土之作以销忧为起式的先声。

登楼赋