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宋 Song · 词 Ci lyric

好事近·梦中作

Hao Shi Jin: Written in a Dream

秦观

Qin Guan

记梦Recording a Dream 春景Spring Scene

春路雨添花，花动一山春色。
行到小溪深处，有黄鹂千百。
飞云当面化龙蛇，夭矫转空碧。
醉卧古藤阴下，了不知南北。

Rain on the spring road added flowers;
their movement stirred the spring colour of a whole mountain.
Walking to the depths of a small stream,
I found hundreds of orioles.
Flying clouds before my face turned into dragons and serpents,
writhing and turning in the blue emptiness.
Drunken, I lay beneath the shade of an old vine,
knowing nothing at all of north or south.

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Meaning

A spring journey seen in a dream: rain brings out flowers until a whole hill is moved by them, a small stream hides hundreds of orioles, and the clouds in front of the walker change into writhing dragons and serpents in an empty blue sky. He then lies down drunk beneath an old vine and loses even the sense of direction. The poem is the purest of Chinese dream-poems — the logic is that of dreaming, and its moral is the happiness of having given up the use of one's faculties.

春路雨添花，花动一山春色。行到小溪深处，有黄鹂千百。飞云当面化龙蛇，夭矫转空碧。醉卧古藤阴下，了不知南北。

Appreciation

[Plain Paraphrase] A spring walk that only a dream could have arranged, ending in sleep under a vine.
[Structure] The eight lines run one into another without a single connective, and that is the dream logic: each clause appears, acts on the next, and is gone.
[Imagery] 'Rain on the spring road added flowers' is an unusual formula because the rain is the agent and the road receives it. The clouds 'become dragons and serpents' without transition, and the single line about lying under the vine is the only moment of stillness in the poem.
[The Close] 'Knowing nothing at all of north or south' ends by taking away the dreamer's orientation, which is what a dream does and what no waking walk would allow. The poem is short, and its whole argument is that the loss of direction is the gain.

【白话串讲】秦观写《好事近·梦中作》：“春路雨添花，花动一山春色”——“行到小溪深处，有黄鹂千百”——“飞云当面化龙蛇，夭矫转空碧”——“醉卧古藤阴下，了不知南北”——他写梦中的山水。【意象与手法】此词写梦境，以超逸写梦境，是秦观的名篇。上阕写春山：「春路雨添花，花动一山春色。行到小溪深处，有黄鹂千百」写春路雨添花、花动一山春色——写尽花动一山的春色；下阕写醉卧：「飞云当面化龙蛇，夭矫转空碧。醉卧古藤阴下，了不知南北」写飞云当面化龙蛇、夭矫转空碧——写尽了不知南的北。全词以超逸写梦境，写尽花动一山的春色与了不知南的北，是秦观的代表作。【情感与主旨】此词写梦境，以超逸写梦境，是秦观的名篇。此词为秦观记其梦中游春之作，写其梦境中的春山与醉卧。秦观此词写其梦中之景。此词写春路雨添花，花动一山春色；行到小溪深处，有黄鹂千百；飞云当面化龙蛇，夭矫转空碧；醉卧古藤阴下，了不知南北。此词写春山：春路雨添花，花动一山春色——写春路雨添花、花动一山春色，写尽花动一山的春色；行到小溪深处，有黄鹂千百——写行到小溪深处、有黄鹂千百，写尽小溪深处的黄鹂；飞云当面化龙蛇，夭矫转空碧——写飞云当面化龙蛇、夭矫转空碧，写尽夭矫转空的碧；醉卧古藤阴下，了不知南北——写醉卧古藤阴下、了不知南北，写尽了不知南的北。全词以超逸写梦境——那「花动一山春色」写尽花动一山的春色，「了不知南北」写尽了不知南的北，写尽花动一山的春色与了不知南的北，是理解秦观梦境词的重要篇章。【名句点睛】常考「春路雨添花，花动一山春色」写花动一山的春色；「醉卧古藤阴下，了不知南北」写尽了不知南的北；以及全词以超逸写梦境、以想象写梦境的手法。

Background

Qin Guan (1049–1100), courtesy name Shaoyou, titled Huaihai Jushi, of Gaoyou in Jiangsu, was one of Su Shi's four literary disciples. He passed the great examination at thirty-one, was drawn into Su Shi's circle and so into his exile, and spent his last years demoted in Zhejiang and then in Guangdong. This song is generally dated to his exiled years in the 1090s. Its strange, floating manner has been read both as pure play and as an escape from exactly the misfortunes that the rest of his life was spent enduring.

此词写梦境，以超逸写梦境，是秦观的名篇。秦观（1049—1100），字少游，一字太虚，号淮海居士，扬州高邮（今江苏高邮）人，北宋婉约派词人，与黄庭坚、晁补之、张耒合称「苏门四学士」，世称「淮海先生」。此词为秦观记其梦中游春之作，写其梦境中的春山与醉卧。秦观此词写其梦中之景。此词写春路雨添花，花动一山春色；行到小溪深处，有黄鹂千百；飞云当面化龙蛇，夭矫转空碧；醉卧古藤阴下，了不知南北。此词写春山：「春路雨添花，花动一山春色」写春路雨添花、花动一山春色——写尽花动一山的春色（春路雨添花，花动一山春色）；「行到小溪深处，有黄鹂千百」写行到小溪深处、有黄鹂千百——写尽小溪深处的黄鹂（行到小溪深处，有黄鹂千百）；「飞云当面化龙蛇，夭矫转空碧」写飞云当面化龙蛇、夭矫转空碧——写尽夭矫转空的碧（飞云当面化龙蛇，夭矫转空碧）；「醉卧古藤阴下，了不知南北」写醉卧古藤阴下、了不知南北——写尽了不知南的北（醉卧古藤阴下，了不知南北）。全词以超逸写梦境，写尽花动一山的春色与了不知南的北，是理解秦观梦境词的重要篇章。

Art

The poem's single technique is the refusal of connection. Clouds do not 'look like' dragons, they 'turn into' them; the flowers do not show the spring, they 'move' it; the walker does not walk toward the orioles, he simply 'found' them. Each turn is a small violence done to ordinary grammar, and the result is the logic of sleep, in which things change their natures without being seen to. The second device is scale: one rain, one hill, one stream, and then 'hundreds of orioles' — the numbers grow while the geography shrinks to nothing. Finally, the last line takes away the one faculty the dream had left, and the poem ends in a loss that is also, in its own way, a rest.

此词的艺术特色可从四个方面解析。其一，以想象写梦境。「花动一山春色」以想象写梦境——那「春路雨添花」写尽春路雨添的花，以想象写尽花动一山的春色。其二，以写景写春山。「行到小溪深处」以写景写春山——那「有黄鹂千百」写尽小溪深处的黄鹂，以写景写尽小溪深处的黄鹂。其三，以奇幻写飞云。「飞云当面化龙蛇」以奇幻写飞云——那「夭矫转空碧」写尽夭矫转空的碧，以奇幻写尽夭矫转空的碧。其四，以超逸写醉卧。「醉卧古藤阴下」以超逸写醉卧——那「了不知南北」写尽了不知南的北，以超逸写尽了不知南的北。此外，此词上阕写花动一山的春色，下阕写了不知南的北，由景及醉，正是梦境词「以醉写梦」的写法。四重手法，使此词以超逸写梦境，写尽花动一山的春色与了不知南的北，是秦观的代表作。又，此词前写春山之实景，后写飞云化龙蛇之幻景，由实入幻、亦真亦梦；末以「了不知南北」一笔收束，把梦境推向忘我之境，正是秦观「将身世之感，打并入艳情」之外别开超逸一途的奇笔。

Allusions

The dragons and serpents of 'flying clouds before my face' refer to the classic description of cursive calligraphy in which the brush 'moves like a snake with the tail of a dragon', so the walker's poetry and the clouds are being written by the same hand. 'Tiao jiao', the writhing of the clouds, is the word used of dragon-postures in the art treatises. The old vine shade is the plainest possible resting place, and 'knowing nothing of north or south' reverses the celebrated line about a drunkard who 'knows neither the east nor the west' of the road, so that the loss of direction becomes the point of the whole piece.

此词的用语深植于梦境与超逸传统。「春路」令人想到「春路」写春路的意象——也令人想到「春路纵横」的意象；「雨添花」令人想到「雨添花」写添花的意象——也令人想到「好雨知时节」（杜甫）的意象；「一山春色」令人想到「一山春色」写春色的意象——也令人想到「春色满园关不住」（叶绍翁）的意象；「小溪」令人想到「小溪」写小溪的意象——也令人想到「清泉石上流」（王维）的意象；「黄鹂」令人想到「黄鹂」写黄鹂的意象——也令人想到「两个黄鹂鸣翠柳」（杜甫）的意象；「飞云」令人想到「飞云」写飞云的意象——也令人想到「去留无意望飞云」的意象；「龙蛇」令人想到「龙蛇」写龙蛇的意象——也令人想到「笔走龙蛇」的意象；「夭矫」令人想到「夭矫」写夭矫的意象——也令人想到「夭矫如龙」的意象；「空碧」令人想到「空碧」写碧空的意象——也令人想到「秋水共长天一色」（王勃）的意象；「古藤」令人想到「古藤」写古藤的意象——也令人想到「古藤阴下」的意象；「醉卧」令人想到「醉卧」写醉卧的意象——也令人想到「醉卧沙场君莫笑」（王翰）的意象；「南北」令人想到「南北」写南北的意象——也令人想到「东西南北」的意象。全词化用春路、雨添花、一山春色、小溪、黄鹂、飞云、龙蛇、夭矫、空碧、古藤、醉卧、南北的意象，以超逸写梦境，正是秦观「婉约」而善想象、承梦境传统写超逸之本领。

Commentary

This small poem has been one of the most admired short lyrics of the Northern Song, precisely because it seems to have no meaning at all. Qing readers called it 'light and lovely'; modern critics have read the dream as a refuge, noting that Qin Guan wrote it in the years of his banishment, and that its carefree manner contrasts with the misery of his 'Tasuoxing'. The pairing with Su Shi's 'Dingfengbo' is usual: both poems give up the world in the same years, one by drunkenness and one by philosophy, and the two together show how widely the Song could hold a single mood.

此词历来被推为秦观梦境词的名篇，也是宋词写梦中游春的代表。历代论者对此词评价极高：清人评此词「以超逸写梦境，清丽旷达」；近人更指出「春路雨添花，花动一山春色」写花动一山的春色，是此词的名句。在诗歌史上，此词的特殊价值在于：它以小令写尽花动一山的春色与了不知南的北——那春路，那雨添花，那花动，那一山，那春色，那行到，那小溪，那深处，那有黄鹂，那千百，那飞云，那当面化龙蛇，那夭矫，那转空碧，那醉卧，那古藤，那阴下，那了不知，那南北，都写尽了秦观笔下的好事近梦中作；那「醉卧古藤阴下」更以超逸写尽了不知南的北。此词与秦观《踏莎行·郴州旅舍》「雾失楼台」同为名篇，一写「郴江幸自绕郴山」的踏莎行，一写「了不知南北」的好事近；一写凄苦，一写超逸。两词对读，可见秦观词的两面。对于今日读者，此词是理解秦观梦境词的窗口，也是宋词写梦中游春的经典——那了不知南的北，穿越千年，仍在诉说着花动一山的春色。

Prosody

Form Ci — the tune Hao Shi Jin (small register, two stanzas)词·好事近

Rhyme Oblique rhymes in the 職 and 陌 groups (se, bai, bi, bei) — entering-tone sounds that stop the line; one rhyme throughout.好事近，上阕押「色」「百」，下阕押「碧」「北」（仄韵入声职陌韵），仄韵到底

Tone pattern Oblique rhymes throughout, with the tune's long lines holding ordinary word-order; the clipped endings give the poem its floating, unhurried quality.此词为好事近小令，押仄声韵，仄韵到底，音节轻快，正合梦境的轻快。

Reading note Forty-five characters in the same tune as Lu You's 'Penkou'. The rhymes are all entering tones, so every line ends with a stopped syllable; the poem therefore floats and never lands, which suits a dream. Read it through in one breath, with no stress on any image: the dream should not be recited but entered.此词为好事近小令，上下两阕——上阕「春路雨添花，花动一山春色。行到小溪深处，有黄鹂千百」，下阕「飞云当面化龙蛇，夭矫转空碧。醉卧古藤阴下，了不知南北」，押仄韵（色、百、碧、北），仄韵到底，音节轻快。全词以超逸写梦境：上阕写花动一山的春色（春路雨添花、有黄鹂千百），下阕写了不知南的北（飞云当面化龙蛇、醉卧古藤阴下）。小令短章，前写春山，后写醉卧，以「了不知南北」写尽了不知南的北，正见秦观「婉约」的本色。诵读此词，宜以轻快的语调读「花动一山春色」的春山，以旷达的语调读「醉卧古藤阴下」的醉卧，结句要读得轻快而有余韵，方能传达出秦观的清丽旷达。秦观小令以「婉约」著称，此词正是其梦境词的典范。

Line by line

春路雨添花，花动一山春色

Rain on the spring road added flowers; their movement stirred the spring colour of a whole mountain.

春路雨添花，花动一山春色。

Spring road, the rain adds flowers; flowers stir, and the whole mountain is spring color.

此二句是全词写春山的核心，以春路雨添花写添花，以花动一山春色写春色，写尽花动一山的春色，是千古名句。「春路雨添花」写春路雨添花——那「春路雨」写春路雨，「添花」写添花，写尽春路雨的添花；「花动一山春色」写花动一山春色——那「花动」写花动，「一山春色」写一山春色，写尽花动一山的春色。这句的深意在于：它以「春路雨添花」的添花与「花动一山春色」的春色，写尽花动一山的春色——春路雨添花，那「春路雨添花」写尽春路雨的添花——春路雨添花，正是春雨催花的写照，那「添花」写尽花动一山的春色；花动一山春色，那「花动一山春色」写尽花动一山的春色——花动一山春色，正是花开满山的写照，那「春色」写尽花动一山的春色；那「春路雨添花」写尽春路雨的添花，那「花动一山春色」写尽花动一山的春色，一写添花，一写春色，写尽花动一山的春色——春雨催花而花开满山，正是春山的写照；此二句以添花、春色写尽花动一山的春色，也为下文的小溪作铺垫，也让此二句成为全词写春山的核心与千古名句。若换作直说「春路上雨添了花，花开得满山都是春色」，则失其灵动；唯以「春路雨添花」写添花、「花动一山春色」写春色，写尽花动一山的春色，也让此二句成为全词写春山的核心。

The dream mountain. Spring road, the rain adds flowers; flowers stir, and the whole mountain is spring color. The rain-added flowers and the whole mountain's stirred spring are the dream's radiance. To have described a rainy spring mountain would be scenery; the spring-road-rain-adds-flowers against the flowers-stirring-the-whole-mountain-spring-color is the scenery.

醉卧古藤阴下，了不知南北

Drunken, I lay beneath the shade of an old vine, knowing nothing at all of north or south.

醉卧古藤阴下，了不知南北。

Drunk, I lie under the old vines' shade, utterly unaware of north and south.

此二句是全词写醉卧的核心，以醉卧古藤阴下写古藤阴，以了不知南北写南北，写尽了不知南的北，是千古名句。「醉卧古藤阴下」写醉卧古藤阴下——那「醉卧」写醉卧，「古藤阴下」写古藤阴下，写尽醉卧的古藤阴；「了不知南北」写了不知南北——那「了不知」写了不知，「南北」写南北，写尽了不知的南北。这句的深意在于：它以「醉卧古藤阴下」的古藤阴与「了不知南北」的南北，写尽了不知南的北——醉卧古藤阴下，那「醉卧古藤阴下」写尽醉卧的古藤阴——醉卧古藤阴下，正是醉眠藤阴的写照，那「醉卧」写尽了不知南的北；了不知南北，那「了不知南北」写尽了不知的南北——了不知南北，正是浑然忘世的写照，那「南北」写尽了不知南的北；那「醉卧古藤阴下」写尽醉卧的古藤阴，那「了不知南北」写尽了不知的南北，一写古藤阴，一写南北，写尽了不知南的北——醉眠藤阴而浑然忘世，正是超逸的写照；此二句以古藤阴、南北写尽了不知南的北，也让此二句成为全词写醉卧的核心与千古名句。若换作直说「醉卧在古藤的阴下，完全不知道南北」，则失其旷达；唯以「醉卧古藤阴下」写古藤阴、「了不知南北」写南北，写尽了不知南的北，也让此二句成为全词写醉卧的核心。

The sleep. Drunk, I lie under the old vines' shade, utterly unaware of north and south. The drunk sleeper under the old vines, knowing no direction, is the dream's release. To have described drunken sleep would be a posture; the drunk-under-the-old-vines-shade against the utterly-unaware-of-north-and-south is the posture.

Study

Word focus

添 The 'tian' of 'chun lu yu tian hua' — 'to add, to increase'. Unusually, the rain is the subject and the flower the object of an addition, so the rain appears to be a person who brings something rather than weather that happens. 「春路雨添花」之「添」字是写春山关键词，一个「添」字写尽春路雨的添花。添者，增添、催生也。秦观以「春路雨添花」写春山，这个「添」字至少有双重意味：其一，写花之添——那「春路雨添花」写春路雨添花，那「添」字写尽春路雨的添花——添花，正是春雨催花的写照，那「添」字写尽春路雨的添花；其二，写春之盛——那「添」字更是写盛——添，正见春意盎然的意味，那「添」字写尽秦观的愉悦。以「添」字写春山，正是秦观写梦境的枢纽——若换作「催」「生」等字，则或失其与「春路雨添花」「花动一山春色」的配合，或失其写添的意味；唯「添」字，以春路雨添花写尽春雨之催花与春意之盎然，与「花动一山春色」的春色相合，写尽春路雨的添花，也让「春路雨添花」成为全词写春山的名句。

了 The 'liao' of 'liao bu zhi nan bei' — 'entirely, altogether'. It turns 'knowing' into a total and involuntary loss, and because it precedes the word 'know' the reader feels the negation before the verb: the dreamer does not gradually lose his bearings, he has none. 「了不知南北」之「了」字是写醉卧关键词，一个「了」字写尽了不知的南北。了者，全然、完全也。秦观以「了不知南北」写醉卧，这个「了」字至少有双重意味：其一，写忘之了——那「了不知南北」写了不知南北，那「了」字写尽了不知的南北——了不知，正是全然不知的写照，那「了」字写尽了不知的南北；其二，写醉之深——那「了」字更是写深——了，正见醉意沉酣的意味，那「了」字写尽秦观的超逸。以「了」字写醉卧，正是秦观写梦境的枢纽——若换作「全」「都」等字，则或失其与「了不知南北」「醉卧古藤阴下」的配合，或失其写了然的意味；唯「了」字，以了不知南北写尽浑然之忘世与醉意之沉酣，与「醉卧古藤阴下」的古藤阴相合，写尽了不知的南北，也让「了不知南北」成为全词写醉卧的名句。