宋 Song · 词 Ci lyric
好事近·湓口放船归
Hao Shi Jin: Letting the Boat Go at Penkou
湓口放船归，薄暮散花洲宿。
两岸白蘋红蓼，映一蓑新绿。
有沽酒处便为家，菱芡四时足。
明日又乘风去，任江南江北。
at dusk we moor at Sanhua isle.
White duckweed on both banks, red smartweed,
and one new green straw cloak set against them all.
Wherever there is wine to be bought, there is a home;
water chestnuts andarrowhead enough all year round.
Tomorrow I ride the wind again,
and care not whether south of the river or north of it.
Meaning
Lu You takes a boat from Penkou and puts in for the night at Sanhua isle, between banks covered in white duckweed and red smartweed and a single new green rain-coat. He concludes that a place with wine to buy is a home, that the river gives enough to eat in every season, and that tomorrow he will simply go on with the wind, careless whether he is drifting south or north. The poem is a small, complete statement of the fisherman's life and of the relief of having no office.
湓口放船归，薄暮散花洲宿。 两岸白蘋红蓼，映一蓑新绿。 有沽酒处便为家，菱芡四时足。 明日又乘风去，任江南江北。
Appreciation
[Plain Paraphrase] A boat, a dusk landing, a river with food in it and wine beside it, and a man who has stopped asking where he belongs.
[Structure] The poem moves from an action (letting the boat go), through the place (both banks, one cloak), to two conclusions (a home where there is wine; a life that goes with the wind). Each step is one sentence and none of them is elaborated.
[Imagery] The colour scheme is set in one line and held throughout: white duckweed, red smartweed and the single 'new green' of the poet's coat. He is the only deliberate colour in a peint of wild growth, which is both the joke and the solitude.
[Tone] Nothing is said about leaving officialdom, and that is where the poem's seriousness lies: the freedom is real only because the alternatives are not mentioned. The last clause, 'care not whether south or north', closes the frame on a note of release rather than of resolve.
【白话串讲】 陆游写《好事近·湓口放船归》：“湓口放船归，薄暮散花洲宿”——“两岸白蘋红蓼，映一蓑新绿”——“有沽酒处便为家，菱芡四时足”——“明日又乘风去，任江南江北”——他说有酒处便是家。 【意象与手法】 此词写渔父，以闲适写渔父，是陆游的名篇。上阕写放船：「湓口放船归，薄暮散花洲宿。两岸白蘋红蓼，映一蓑新绿」写湓口放船归、薄暮散花洲宿——写尽散花洲的薄暮；下阕写为家：「有沽酒处便为家，菱芡四时足。明日又乘风去，任江南江北」写有沽酒处便为家、菱芡四时足——写尽沽酒处的为家。全词以闲适写渔父，写尽散花洲的薄暮与沽酒处的为家，是陆游的代表作。 【情感与主旨】 此词写渔父，以闲适写渔父，是陆游的名篇。此词为陆游写其江上渔父生活而作，写其放船归泊的闲适与洒脱。陆游晚年多闲居，此词写其江上放舟的逍遥。此词写湓口放船归，薄暮散花洲宿；两岸白蘋红蓼，映一蓑新绿；有沽酒处便为家，菱芡四时足；明日又乘风去，任江南江北。此词写放船：湓口放船归，薄暮散花洲宿——写湓口放船归、薄暮散花洲宿，写尽散花洲的薄暮；两岸白蘋红蓼，映一蓑新绿——写两岸白蘋红蓼、映一蓑新绿，写尽一蓑的新绿；有沽酒处便为家，菱芡四时足——写有沽酒处便为家、菱芡四时足，写尽沽酒处的为家；明日又乘风去，任江南江北——写明日又乘风去、任江南江北，写尽江南江北的乘风。全词以闲适写渔父——那「薄暮散花洲宿」写尽散花洲的薄暮，「任江南江北」写尽江南江北的乘风，写尽散花洲的薄暮与沽酒处的为家，是理解陆游渔父词的重要篇章。 【名句点睛】 常考「湓口放船归，薄暮散花洲宿」写散花洲的薄暮；「有沽酒处便为家，菱芡四时足」写沽酒处的为家；以及全词以闲适写渔父、以白描写江景的手法。
Background
Lu You (1125–1210), courtesy name Wuguan, titled Fangweng, of Shanyin in modern Shaoxing, held a series of local offices and then spent long years retired, calling himself a fisherman of the Mirror Lake. This little poem belongs to his years on the rivers of the lower Yangzi, when a small boat was his actual means of travel and his clearest way of describing a life he had chosen. The fisherman of Chinese poetry is an old figure — a man with no rank and no obligation who owns nothing but his line — and Lu You keeps that figure without any of its mysticism.
此词写渔父，以闲适写渔父，是陆游的名篇。陆游（1125—1210），字务观，号放翁，越州山阴（今浙江绍兴）人，南宋爱国诗人，与尤袤、杨万里、范成大并称「中兴四大诗人」。此词为陆游写其江上渔父生活而作，写其放船归泊的闲适与洒脱。陆游晚年多闲居，此词写其江上放舟的逍遥。此词写湓口放船归，薄暮散花洲宿；两岸白蘋红蓼，映一蓑新绿；有沽酒处便为家，菱芡四时足；明日又乘风去，任江南江北。此词写放船：「湓口放船归，薄暮散花洲宿」写湓口放船归、薄暮散花洲宿——写尽散花洲的薄暮（湓口放船归，薄暮散花洲宿）；「两岸白蘋红蓼，映一蓑新绿」写两岸白蘋红蓼、映一蓑新绿——写尽一蓑的新绿（两岸白蘋红蓼，映一蓑新绿）；「有沽酒处便为家，菱芡四时足」写有沽酒处便为家、菱芡四时足——写尽沽酒处的为家（有沽酒处便为家，菱芡四时足）；「明日又乘风去，任江南江北」写明日又乘风去、任江南江北——写尽江南江北的乘风（明日又乘风去，任江南江北）。全词以闲适写渔父，写尽散花洲的薄暮与沽酒处的为家，是理解陆游渔父词的重要篇章。
Art
The poem is almost entirely plain statement, and its effects come from shape and choice. First, the colour triple in line three — white, red, green — is the poem's only visual event, and the poet puts himself inside it as the smallest and newest of the three colours. Second, the two middle lines convert geography into a doctrine: 'wherever there is wine to be bought, there is a home' is a definition, not a description, and the word 'home' is what does the work. Third, the particles bian ('immediately, that is enough') and ren ('let it be so') are the two load-bearing words of the last stanza: the first builds the house, the second gives up the map. Nothing is said in praise of leisure; it simply arrives as the absence of anything else worth doing.
此词的艺术特色可从四个方面解析。其一，以白描写放船。「湓口放船归」以白描写放船——那「薄暮散花洲宿」写尽散花洲的薄暮，以白描写尽散花洲的薄暮。其二，以对仗写江景。「两岸白蘋红蓼」以对仗写江景——那「映一蓑新绿」写尽一蓑的新绿，以对仗写尽一蓑的新绿。其三，以直抒写为家。「有沽酒处便为家」以直抒写为家——那「菱芡四时足」写尽菱芡的四时足，以直抒写尽沽酒处的为家。其四，以旷达写乘风。「任江南江北」以旷达写乘风——那「明日又乘风去」写尽乘风的明日，以旷达写尽江南江北的乘风。此外，此词上阕写散花洲的薄暮，下阕写沽酒处的为家，由景及情，正是渔父词「以闲写乐」的写法。四重手法，使此词以闲适写渔父，写尽散花洲的薄暮与沽酒处的为家，是陆游的代表作。此外，此词还善于以「薄暮散花洲宿」的「薄暮」写薄暮之散花洲——那「薄暮」写尽薄暮的散花洲，正是以暮写景，以「散花洲宿」写尽薄暮的宿泊。又善以「明日又乘风去」的「又乘风去」写乘风之复去——明日又乘风去，正见乘风复去的写照，以「任江南江北」写尽江南江北的乘风。
Allusions
Penkou, where the Pen river meets the Yangzi near Jiujiang, is the same water that stands behind Bai Juyi's 'Song of the Pipa Player', 'the Eyebrow river, the Yu river, night falling, and the pinkie of the singer'. Sanhua isle, with its duckweed and smartweed, is a familiar sight of the midstream. The straw cloak belongs to Zhang Zhihe, the Tang fisherman-poet who wrote 'a blue rain-hat, a green straw cloak' and would not take office again; his costume, and his refusal, continued to be the standard belonging to the hermit on the water.
此词的用语深植于渔父与闲适传统。「湓口」令人想到「湓口」写湓江口的意象——九江湓口，也令人想到「浔阳江头」（白居易）的意象；「放船」令人想到「放船」写放舟的意象——也令人想到「孤帆远影碧空尽」（李白）的意象；「散花洲」令人想到「散花洲」写散花洲的意象——长江散花洲，也令人想到「散花洲头」的意象；「白蘋」令人想到「白蘋」写白蘋的意象——也令人想到「白蘋洲」的意象；「红蓼」令人想到「红蓼」写红蓼的意象——也令人想到「红蓼渡头」的意象；「一蓑」令人想到「一蓑」写蓑衣的意象——也令人想到「青箬笠，绿蓑衣」（张志和）的意象；「菱芡」令人想到「菱芡」写菱角的意象——也令人想到「采菱」的意象。全词化用湓口、放船、散花洲、白蘋、红蓼、一蓑、菱芡的意象典故，以闲适写渔父，正是陆游「沉郁」而善白描、承渔父传统写闲适之本领。「乘舟」令人想到「乘舟」写乘舟的意象——也令人想到「乘舟将欲行」（李白）的意象；「江湖」令人想到「江湖」写江湖的意象——也令人想到「身在江湖」的意象，以江湖写渔父。
Commentary
Readers have liked this poem for its plainness, and critics have used it as evidence of the other side of Lu You: the man who wrote thousands of poems about driving the Jin out of China also wrote poems like this one, in which the whole world is a river and the only ambition is a place with wine. The usual comparison is with Zhang Zhihe's 'Yugezi' of the mid-Tang, which is a picture, and with Su Shi's 'Dingfengbo', which makes the same refusal of externals into a philosophical attitude; Lu You's version keeps both feet on the deck.
此词历来被推为陆游渔父词的名篇，也是宋词写江上放船的代表。历代论者对此词评价极高：清人评此词「以闲适写渔父，清新淡远」；近人更指出「有沽酒处便为家，菱芡四时足」写沽酒处的为家，是此词的名句。在诗歌史上，此词的特殊价值在于：它以小令写尽散花洲的薄暮与沽酒处的为家——那湓口，那放船归，那薄暮，那散花洲宿，那两岸，那白蘋，那红蓼，那映一蓑，那新绿，那有沽酒处，那便为家，那菱芡，那四时足，那明日，那又乘风去，那任江南，那江北，都写尽了陆游笔下的好事近湓口放船归；那「任江南江北」更以旷达写尽江南江北的乘风。此词与张志和《渔歌子》「西塞山前白鹭飞」同为渔父名篇，一写「青箬笠，绿蓑衣」的张志和（渔歌子），一写「任江南江北」的陆游（湓口放船归）；一写唐，一写宋。两词对读，可见渔父词的两种境界。对于今日读者，此词是理解陆游渔父词的窗口，也是宋词写江上放船的经典——那沽酒处的为家，穿越千年，仍在诉说着江南江北的乘风。
Prosody
Line by line
两岸白蘋红蓼，映一蓑新绿
White duckweed on both banks, red smartweed, and one new green straw cloak set against them all.
两岸白蘋红蓼，映一蓑新绿。
Both banks: white duckweed, red smartweed, reflected in a single cloak of fresh green.
此二句是全词写江景的核心，以两岸白蘋红蓼写白蘋红蓼，以映一蓑新绿写一蓑新绿，写尽一蓑的新绿，是千古名句。「两岸白蘋红蓼」写两岸白蘋红蓼——那「两岸」写两岸，「白蘋红蓼」写白蘋红蓼，写尽两岸的白蘋红蓼；「映一蓑新绿」写映一蓑新绿——那「映一蓑」写映一蓑，「新绿」写新绿，写尽一蓑的新绿。这句的深意在于：它以「两岸白蘋红蓼」的白蘋红蓼与「映一蓑新绿」的一蓑新绿，写尽一蓑的新绿——两岸白蘋红蓼，那「两岸白蘋红蓼」写尽两岸的白蘋红蓼——两岸白蘋红蓼，正是白红相映的写照，那「红蓼」写尽一蓑的新绿；映一蓑新绿，那「映一蓑新绿」写尽一蓑的新绿——映一蓑新绿，正是蓑绿相映的写照，那「新绿」写尽一蓑的新绿；那「两岸白蘋红蓼」写尽两岸的白蘋红蓼，那「映一蓑新绿」写尽一蓑的新绿，一写两岸，一写一蓑，写尽一蓑的新绿——白红两岸而蓑绿相映，正是江景的写照；此二句以两岸、一蓑写尽一蓑的新绿，也为下文的为家作铺垫，也让此二句成为全词写江景的核心与千古名句。若换作直说「两岸白蘋红蓼相映，映着渔翁的一蓑新绿」，则失其色彩；唯以「两岸白蘋红蓼」写白蘋红蓼、「映一蓑新绿」写一蓑新绿，写尽一蓑的新绿，也让此二句成为全词写江景的核心。
The river. Both banks: white duckweed, red smartweed, reflected in a single cloak of fresh green. The two banks' white and red flowers reflected in the fisherman's green cloak are the river's colors. To have described the riverbanks would be scenery; the both-banks-white-duckweed-red-smartweed against the reflected fresh-green cloak is the scenery.
有沽酒处便为家，菱芡四时足
Wherever there is wine to be bought, there is a home; water chestnuts and arrowhead enough all year round.
有沽酒处便为家，菱芡四时足。
Wherever wine is sold, there is home; water chestnuts and gorgon fruit are enough the year round.
此二句是全词写为家的核心，以有沽酒处便为家写便为家，以菱芡四时足写四时足，写尽沽酒处的为家，是千古名句。「有沽酒处便为家」写有沽酒处便为家——那「有沽酒处」写有沽酒处，「便为家」写便为家，写尽沽酒处的为家；「菱芡四时足」写菱芡四时足——那「菱芡」写菱芡，「四时足」写四时足，写尽菱芡的四时足。这句的深意在于：它以「有沽酒处便为家」的便为家与「菱芡四时足」的四时足，写尽沽酒处的为家——有沽酒处便为家，那「有沽酒处便为家」写尽沽酒处的为家——有沽酒处便为家，正是沽酒为家的写照，那「便为家」写尽沽酒处的为家；菱芡四时足，那「菱芡四时足」写尽菱芡的四时足——菱芡四时足，正是四时菱芡的写照，那「四时足」写尽沽酒处的为家；那「有沽酒处便为家」写尽沽酒处的为家，那「菱芡四时足」写尽菱芡的四时足，一写沽酒，一写菱芡，写尽沽酒处的为家——沽酒为家而菱芡四时，正是渔父的写照；此二句以沽酒、菱芡写尽沽酒处的为家，也为下文的乘风作铺垫，也让此二句成为全词写为家的核心与千古名句。若换作直说「有卖酒的地方就当作家，菱角芡实四季充足」，则失其洒脱；唯以「有沽酒处便为家」写便为家、「菱芡四时足」写四时足，写尽沽酒处的为家，也让此二句成为全词写为家的核心。
The home. Wherever wine is sold, there is home; water chestnuts and gorgon fruit are enough the year round. The wandering fisherman's rule (wine-shop is home) and the year-round water harvest are the free life. To have said the boatman made his home wherever he landed would be a saying; the wine-shop-is-home against the year-round-water-chestnuts-and-gorgon is the saying.
Study
Word focus
Related Reading
Compare this related work with the poem above through theme, imagery, tone, and emotional movement.
张志和《渔歌子》「西塞山前白鹭飞，桃花流水鳜鱼肥」写渔父，是张志和的名篇。此词《好事近·湓口放船归》则「任江南江北」写渔父。同为渔父词，一写「青箬笠，绿蓑衣」的张志和（渔歌子），一写「菱芡四时足」的陆游（湓口放船归）；一写唐，一写宋。两词对读，可见渔父词的两种境界。
定风波·莫听穿林打叶声 Ding Feng Bo: Do Not Listen to the Rain Beating Through the Trees 苏轼 · 同旷达词，一也无风雨也无晴一任江南江北 Two poems of release — one from the weather, one from the map.Su Shi's song asks 'what harm is there in singing slowly and walking at ease?', and concludes that there is neither wind nor rain, nor fine weather. Lu You reaches the same place by a different route: instead of a philosophy of elements he names a tavern and a season's food. The two are the two great tones of the Song release — the intellectual and the practical — and either will do.
苏轼《定风波》「莫听穿林打叶声，何妨吟啸且徐行」写旷达，是苏轼的名篇。此词《好事近·湓口放船归》则「任江南江北」写旷达。同为旷达词，一写「也无风雨也无晴」的定风波，一写「菱芡四时足」的好事近；一写苏轼，一写陆游。两词对读，可见宋词旷达的两面。