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汉 Han · 辞 Ci verse

秋风辞

Song of the Autumn Wind

刘彻

Liu Che (Emperor Wu of Han)

时序Theme 感怀memory

秋风起兮白云飞，草木黄落兮雁南归。
兰有秀兮菊有芳，怀佳人兮不能忘。
泛楼船兮济汾河，横中流兮扬素波。
箫鼓鸣兮发棹歌，欢乐极兮哀情多。
少壮几时兮奈老何！

The autumn wind rises, white clouds fly; grass and trees turn yellow and fall, the wild geese go south.
Orchids show their grace, chrysanthemums their fragrance; I think of my fair one and cannot forget.
Tower-boats float to cross the Fen; mid-stream we raise white waves.
Flutes and drums sound, we sing the oar-song; joy at its height, yet sorrow grows.
How brief the prime of youth—what can I do against old age!

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Meaning

By Liu Che, Emperor Wu of Han. Around 113 BCE, on a eastern tour to Hedong, he sacrificed to the earth god at Fenyin and feasted with his ministers on tower-boats on the Fen, and wrote this song moved by autumn. In his prime and triumphant, yet touched by the 'fair one' and the fear of age, it is a imperial poem where feeling and form both excel.

秋风刮起啊白云飞扬，草木枯黄飘落啊大雁向南归去。兰草吐秀啊菊花含芳，思念那佳人啊不能相忘。泛起楼船啊渡过汾河，横截中流啊扬起白色波涛。箫鼓齐鸣啊唱起棹歌，欢乐到了极点啊哀情却多。少壮能有几时啊，奈何面对衰老！

Appreciation

The whole uses the Chu-ci 'xi' form, three- and seven-character lines mixed, the rhythm free and controlled. The first two lines 'the autumn wind rises—white clouds fly—grass and trees turn yellow—wild geese go south' lay autumn scenery, grand yet with desolation; 'orchids show grace—chrysanthemums fragrance' use fragrant herbs to set off the lone heart. The third and fourth lines write the feast's tower-boats and music, then 'joy at its height, yet sorrow grows' turns sharply, joy setting off sorrow, abundance urging grief; the last 'how brief the prime of youth—what can I do against old age' speaks the fear of age directly, weighty as a thousand catties.

【白话串讲】汉武帝泛舟汾河，秋风吹起白云，“兰有秀兮菊有芳，怀佳人兮不能忘”。歌舞正欢，他却说：“欢乐极兮哀情多。少壮几时兮奈老何”——一代帝王，也被时光刺痛。【意象与手法】全辞用楚辞「兮」字体，三、七言交错，节奏舒卷有致。首二句以秋景铺陈，雄阔中带萧瑟；「兰有秀」「菊有芳」以芳草反衬孤怀。第三、四句写泛河奏乐之盛，至「欢乐极兮哀情多」陡然逆转，以乐衬哀、以盛催悲；末句「少壮几时兮奈老何」直抒迟暮之恐，力重千钧。【情感与主旨】此诗为汉武帝刘彻所作。据《汉武故事》与《乐府诗集》题解，元鼎四年（公元前113年）武帝东幸河东、祠后土于汾阴脽上，与群臣泛楼船于汾河、宴饮作乐，感秋景而赋此辞。时武帝壮年功成、巡幸天下，然触景生「佳人」之思与迟暮之叹，遂有此作，是帝王诗中情辞兼胜之名篇。【名句点睛】中考高考可取「欢乐极兮哀情多」考查以乐衬哀（反衬）手法，或分析「兮」字句式对抒情的作用；「少壮几时兮奈老何」为咏时序生命之名句，可与曹操《龟虽寿》比较对「老」的不同态度。

Background

'Song of the Autumn Wind' is by Liu Che, Emperor Wu of Han. By the 'Han Wu Story' and the 'Yue Fu Collection' note, in the fourth year of Yuan Ding (113 BCE) the emperor toured east to Hedong, sacrificed to the earth god at Fenyin's hill, feasted with ministers on tower-boats on the Fen, and wrote this song moved by autumn. Then in his prime and triumphant, touring the world, yet touched by the 'fair one' and the sigh of age, he made this—a imperial poem where feeling and form both excel.

《秋风辞》为汉武帝刘彻所作。据《汉武故事》与《乐府诗集》题解，汉武帝元鼎四年（公元前113年）东幸河东，祠后土于汾阴脽上，与群臣泛楼船于汾河之上，宴饮作乐，时值秋日，感秋风起而白云飞、草木黄落而雁南归，遂赋此辞。武帝即位之初即罢黜百家、独尊儒术，北逐匈奴、南平百越，开疆拓土，武功赫赫，至此时正值壮年功成之际，巡幸天下，意气风发。然此辞于盛大的巡幸宴乐中忽生「佳人」之思与迟暮之叹，可见这位雄主面对秋景时，亦有人生易老、欢乐难久的深沉感慨。辞为楚歌体，杂用三言与七言，句句用兮字，承楚辞《九歌》之遗韵，是汉代帝王乐歌中情辞兼胜的名篇，与刘邦《大风歌》并为两汉帝王诗的双璧。此辞虽为帝王之作，然其情感之真挚、文辞之流丽，与一般庙堂之作迥异；汉武帝一生雄才大略，然于此辞中流露出的人生易老之叹，正见其作为普通人的一面。辞成之后，被采入乐府，配乐歌唱，流传甚广，后世帝王如唐太宗、清乾隆等皆有仿作，足见其影响之深远。

Art

The whole uses the Chu-ci 'xi' form, three- and seven-character lines mixed, the rhythm free and controlled. The first two lines lay autumn scenery, grand yet with desolation; 'orchids show grace—chrysanthemums fragrance' use fragrant herbs to set off the lone heart. The third and fourth lines write the feast's tower-boats and music, then 'joy at its height, yet sorrow grows' turns sharply, joy setting off sorrow; the last 'how brief the prime of youth' speaks the fear of age directly, weighty.

全辞用楚辞「兮」字体，三、七言交错，节奏舒卷有致。首二句「秋风起兮白云飞，草木黄落兮雁南归」以秋景铺陈，秋风、白云、黄叶、归雁四组意象一气排出，雄阔中带萧瑟，起兴高远；「兰有秀兮菊有芳，怀佳人兮不能忘」由秋景转入人事，以兰菊之芳反衬孤怀之深，承楚辞香草美人之传统。第三、四句「泛楼船兮济汾河，横中流兮扬素波。箫鼓鸣兮发棹歌」写泛河宴乐之盛，声光并作；至「欢乐极兮哀情多」陡然逆转，以乐衬哀、以盛催悲，是全文的枢机；末句「少壮几时兮奈老何」直抒迟暮之恐，一问而力重千钧。全辞由景入情、由乐转哀，章法跌宕，气势雄浑而情韵深婉，是汉初楚歌体的绝唱。尤其值得注意的是，全辞由眼前秋景直写到人生大悲，中间以怀人、宴乐两层过渡，由外而内、由乐而哀，层次分明而一气呵成；「欢乐极兮哀情多」一句，既是个人之慨，亦是普遍之理，将帝王的宴乐升华为人类共通的悲感，遂使此辞超越了应制之作而成为抒情诗的杰作。

Allusions

'Fair one' is a common Chu-ci term (like 'gazing at the beauty who comes not'), here writing both the longed-for and the ideal, not necessarily one consort; 'orchid' and 'chrysanthemum' carry Qu Yuan's 'Li Sao' fragrant-herb tradition of 'spring orchid, autumn chrysanthemum,' figuring high purity. 'Fen River' and 'tower-boats' are the emperor's real boating fact. The allusions are not many yet all grounded, prized for natural blending into the moment.

「佳人」本楚辞常语，如《九歌·湘夫人》「望美人兮未来」、《离骚》「惟草木之零落兮，恐美人之迟暮」，此处兼写所思之人与理想之寄托，不必实指某后妃——武帝所思，或为已逝的宠妃李夫人，或为求仙问道的怅惘，论者多歧，而香草美人的比兴传统则一脉相承。「兰」「菊」承屈原《离骚》「春兰兮秋菊，长无绝兮终古」之香草传统，喻高洁芬芳，以秋日兰菊之芳写怀念之深。「汾河」「楼船」为武帝泛舟之实事，汾阴后土祠为祭祀圣地，武帝亲祠，故泛舟汾河有巡幸祭天之意。用典不繁而皆有所本，贵在自然融入当下情境，是汉人诗赋使事简质的特征。此外，「泛楼船兮济汾河」以下写泛舟之实景，与《楚辞·湘夫人》「袅袅兮秋风，洞庭波兮木叶下」的秋景有神似之处，可见武帝深得楚辞之神；香草美人之思、秋日迟暮之叹，皆楚辞的母题，武帝以一帝之尊而承此传统，正见楚辞在两汉之际的深远影响。

Commentary

The 'Yue Fu Collection' vol. 84 records it with the story. Shen Deqian: 'an echo of the Li Sao… the Autumn Wind song is nearly the successor to the Nine Songs.' Lu Xun called Emperor Wu 'lingering and flowing, beautiful'; this song is paired with Liu Bang's 'Song of the Great Wind'—one grand, one grieving, each showing an emperor's breast.

《乐府诗集》卷八十四录此辞并载本事，列为「杂曲歌辞」；《文选》亦收录，题为《秋风辞》。清人沈德潜《古诗源》评：「《离骚》遗响……《秋风》一辞，几于《九歌》嗣音」，极赏其楚辞之遗韵。鲁迅评汉武「缠绵流丽」，正指此类作品。此辞向与刘邦《大风歌》并提：大风歌「大风起兮云飞扬，威加海内兮归故乡」，雄浑豪壮，写功成之志；秋风辞「秋风起兮白云飞……少壮几时兮奈老何」，慷慨悲凉，写盛极之悲——两首帝王之歌，一壮一悲，各见汉代帝王的胸襟与心曲。辞中「欢乐极兮哀情多」的乐极生悲之理，与「少壮几时兮奈老何」的生命之叹，更超越了帝王身份，道出人类共通的悲感，故能传诵两千年而不衰。历代评者多以「情辞兼胜」许此辞；与《大风歌》之壮、与项羽《垓下歌》之悲并观，可见楚歌体在秦汉之际的三种面貌：壮者写功业，悲者写末路，哀者写迟暮，皆以楚歌之体写帝王之怀，而《秋风辞》情韵之深婉，尤为楚歌体之冠。

Prosody

Form Chu-ci form (Emperor Wu's song, into Han yuefu)楚辞体（汉武帝辞·入汉乐府）

Rhyme Fei, gui, wang, he, bo, ge, duo, he; wei, ge groups mixed; follows the music, not strict飞、归、忘、河、波、歌、多、何，微、歌等部交押，依乐歌不苛

Tone pattern Three- and seven-character with 'xi'; level-oblique not fixed三、七言间以「兮」字，平仄未拘，音节舒卷有致

Reading note By an emperor, Chu-ci echo yet feeling and form flowing and beautiful《秋风辞》为楚歌体乐歌，句式以三言与七言交错为特色，句句用「兮」字：三言如「秋风起兮」「白云飞兮」，七言如「草木黄落兮雁南归」「少壮几时兮奈老何」，长短相间，形成楚辞特有的回环跌宕之美。全辞九句，押韵宽泛，微、歌等部交押，依乐歌之便而不苛求一韵到底，正见汉初乐歌由楚辞向汉代乐府过渡的痕迹。兮字的使用是此体最显著的声律特征：三言处以兮字顿挫，声促而气舒；七言处以兮字摇曳，声长而情荡，全辞因此获得「一唱三叹」的音乐效果。汉武帝精通乐律（尝立乐府、采诗夜诵），此辞即其亲自度曲之作，音节之美自不待言。其体上承《九歌》，下开汉乐府歌诗，在诗体演进史上具有承上启下的意义，沈德潜谓其「几于《九歌》嗣音」，正从声情体貌上立论。

Line by line

秋风起兮白云飞，草木黄落兮雁南归。

The autumn wind rises, the white clouds fly; plants and trees yellow and fall, the wild geese fly south.

秋风刮起啊白云飞扬，草木枯黄飘落啊大雁向南归去。

The autumn wind rises and white clouds fly; grass and trees yellow and fall; the wild geese head south.

以秋景起兴，雄阔中藏萧瑟，定下悲凉底色：秋风起、白云飞，写天地之高远与风起之动势；草木黄落、雁南归，写时序之代谢与物候之变迁。四组意象一气排出，天上地下、动植飞走，尽收眼底，境界阔大；而黄落、南归的意象中，已暗藏光阴流逝、盛时难再的预感。起句气象万千而不失楚辞的萧瑟韵味，为后文「欢乐极兮哀情多」「奈老何」的感慨埋下伏笔，是「兴」的典范运用。

The autumn. The autumn wind rises, the white clouds fly; plants yellow and fall, the wild geese head south. The Chuci-like exclamation marks the imperial wanderer's autumn: vast sky, falling season, migrating birds. The falling and returning prefigure the emperor's own end. To have described an autumn scene would be scenery; the rising wind and flying clouds, the falling plants and south-bound geese are the scenery.

兰有秀兮菊有芳，怀佳人兮不能忘。

The orchids bloom, the chrysanthemums fragrant; I long for the beautiful one, and cannot forget.

兰草吐秀啊菊花含芳，思念那佳人啊不能相忘。

The orchid shows its bloom, the chrysanthemum its fragrance; I think of the beautiful one and cannot forget.

由秋景转入人事，承楚辞香草美人之传统：兰菊吐秀含芳，是秋日之盛景，亦是高洁之象征；面对芳华，忽起「怀佳人兮不能忘」之思——兰菊愈芳，佳人愈远，以物之芳反衬思之深。佳人既指所思之人，亦暗含理想之寄托，如《离骚》「恐美人之迟暮」之例。两句将眼前之景与心中之情交织，由自然转入人事，是全辞由写景到抒情的过渡，情感由淡转浓。

The longing. The orchids bloom, the chrysanthemums fragrant; I long for the beautiful one, and cannot forget. The fragrant flowers against the absent beloved continue the Chuci beauty-parlance. The more fragrant the autumn flowers, the more the longing. To have said he missed a beloved would be a longing; the blooming orchids and fragrant chrysanthemums against the unforgettable beautiful one are the longing.

欢乐极兮哀情多。

When joy reaches its height, sorrow is many.

欢乐到了极点，哀情却多。

When joy has reached its utmost, sorrow arises in plenty.

陡转以乐衬哀，反差极强，是全篇眼目：楼船泛河、箫鼓棹歌，宴乐之盛至于极点，而「哀情多」三字忽如冷水浇头，欢乐愈盛，哀感愈深。此句道出乐极生悲的普遍人生经验：盛极必衰、乐极而哀，武帝于功成巡幸的巅峰时刻，已窥见繁华背后的虚空与时光的无情。一句之中，由极乐跌入极哀，章法陡峭，力重千钧，是汉代诗歌中罕见的哲理警句，也是全辞情感的转折枢纽。

The turn. When joy reaches its height, sorrow is many. The emperor at the summit of his reign feels the sorrow behind the splendor. The line is the poem's philosophical pivot. To have said joy turns to sorrow would be a saying; the joy at its utmost and the sorrow in plenty are the saying.

少壮几时兮奈老何！

How long is youth? What can be done against old age!

少壮能有几时啊，奈何面对衰老！

How long does youth last? What is to be done about growing old!

直呼收束，帝王亦惧迟暮，人情真实：「少壮几时」一问，将前文欢乐、哀情一并收拢到时间的命题上——少壮无多，老之将至，纵是九五之尊、武功赫赫，亦奈此老何！「奈老何」三字是无可如何之辞，把盛年难驻的怅惘直吐而出，力重而情真。全辞由秋景起兴，经怀人、宴乐、乐极生哀，终归于迟暮之叹，首尾呼应，一气贯通；末句以问作结，余音苍凉，道尽人类面对时间流逝的共同悲感。

The cry. How long is youth? What can be done against old age? The emperor is as mortal as any man. The exclamation of helplessness is the poem's naked truth. To have said he feared aging would be a fear; the how-long-is-youth and the what-to-do-about-old-age are the fear.

Study

Word focus

极 In 'joy at its height,' 'ji' writes pleasure at its peak, storing energy for the next line's 'sorrow grows'—the one-word turn is key. 「欢乐极兮哀情多」之「极」字，写欢娱到顶点，为下句「哀情多」蓄满势能，一字转折关键。极者，顶点、尽头之谓，欢乐至于极点，则物极必反，哀情随之而生——这一个字是乐与哀之间的枢纽，把宴乐之盛推到顶峰，随即让它跌落谷底，造成全辞最大的情感落差。用字之准，使七字警句成为千古名言，是汉诗中炼字以制章的范例。

奈 In 'what can I do against old age,' 'nai' is a 'what can be done' word, speaking the helplessness of passing prime directly, weighty and true. 「少壮几时兮奈老何」之「奈」字，是无可如何之辞，把盛年难驻的怅惘直吐而出，力重而情真。奈何者，能怎么样呢——面对衰老，纵有天下，亦无可施为，一个「奈」字写尽人力之穷与天命之限。此字以最平易的口语入最庄严的帝王之歌，反见其情之真、痛之切，与「欢乐极兮哀情多」的警句相承，使全辞的感慨由宴乐之哀升华为生命之悲，是结尾画龙点睛的字眼。

兮 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「兮」字是楚辞体的标志性虚字，此辞句句用之，凡九见，构成全辞的音节骨架。兮字在句中起舒缓语气、延宕声情的作用：三言处（秋风起兮、白云飞兮）使节奏急促处得一顿挫，七言处（欢乐极兮、少壮几时兮）使声情跌宕处得一摇曳，全辞因此舒卷有致、一唱三叹。此字看似虚设，实为楚歌体抒情节奏的命脉，也是《秋风辞》承《九歌》遗韵、得楚辞神理的关键所在。

秋风辞