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五代 Five Dynasties · 词 Ci lyric

浣溪沙·转烛飘蓬一梦归

To the Tune 'Huanxisha': A Dream Returns as Candle Turns and Reed Drifts

李煜

Li Yu

感怀Reflections on the Past 身世Life and Fate

转烛飘蓬一梦归，欲寻陈迹怅人非。
天教心愿与身违。
待月池台空逝水，荫花楼阁漫斜晖。
登临不惜更沾衣。

The candle turns, the reed drifts—a dream returns; I seek old traces but grieve that people are no more. Heaven wills that my heart's wish be thwarted by my fate.
By the pool terrace I await the moon; the flowing water passes in vain. The flower-shaded pavilions are bathed in lingering slanting light. Climbing high, I care not that my robe is wet once more.

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Meaning

Li Yu, captive and estranged from his lost kingdom, reflects that life is a drifting dream and heaven thwarts his heart's wish. Seeking old traces he finds only changed faces; by empty pools and slanting light he climbs, wet with tears. The lyric compresses the grief of a fallen ruler into a few quiet, aching lines.

转烛飘蓬一梦归，欲寻陈迹怅人非。天教心愿与身违。待月池台空逝水，荫花楼阁漫斜晖。登临不惜更沾衣。

Appreciation

[Plain Paraphrase] Li Yu, former ruler of the Southern Tang turned captive, looks back on a life that feels like a dream. Seeking old traces he finds only changed faces; heaven itself thwarts his heart's wish. He waits for the moon by empty pools, watches slanting light on flower-shaded towers, and climbs—caring not that his robe is wet again. [Structure] The lyric splits into an upper stanza of fate and a lower stanza of climb: from 'a dream returns' and 'heart's wish thwarted' to 'water passes in vain' and 'care not if the robe is wet.' The movement is from inner grievance to outward, tearful ascent. [Imagery] 'Turning candle, drifting reed' opens the poem with two images of restless instability; 'empty flowing water' and 'lingering slanting light' close each scene in vacancy and dusk. The wet robe is the poem's quiet climax—grief worn on the body.

【白话串讲】李煜写《浣溪沙·转烛飘蓬一梦归》：“转烛飘蓬一梦归，欲寻陈迹怅人非”——“天教心愿与身违”——“待月池台空逝水，荫花楼阁漫斜晖”——“登临不惜更沾衣”——他写人事全非。【意象与手法】此词写亡国，以感慨写亡国，是李煜的名篇。上阕写身世：「转烛飘蓬一梦归，欲寻陈迹怅人非。天教心愿与身违」写转烛飘蓬一梦归、欲寻陈迹怅人非——写尽天教心愿与的违；下阕写登临：「待月池台空逝水，荫花楼阁漫斜晖。登临不惜更沾衣」写待月池台空逝水、荫花楼阁漫斜晖——写尽登临不惜的沾衣。全词以感慨写亡国，写尽天教心愿与的违与登临不惜的沾衣，是李煜的代表作。【情感与主旨】此词写亡国，以感慨写亡国，是李煜的名篇。此词为李煜后期之作，写其身世之感与故国之思。李煜此词写其飘零的身世。此词写转烛飘蓬一梦归，欲寻陈迹怅人非；天教心愿与身违；待月池台空逝水，荫花楼阁漫斜晖；登临不惜更沾衣。此词写身世：转烛飘蓬一梦归，欲寻陈迹怅人非——写转烛飘蓬一梦归、欲寻陈迹怅人非，写尽欲寻陈迹的怅人非；天教心愿与身违——写天教心愿与身违，写尽天教心愿与的违；待月池台空逝水，荫花楼阁漫斜晖——写待月池台空逝水、荫花楼阁漫斜晖，写尽荫花楼阁的斜晖；登临不惜更沾衣——写登临不惜更沾衣，写尽登临不惜的沾衣。全词以感慨写亡国——那「天教心愿与身违」写尽天教心愿与的违，「登临不惜更沾衣」写尽登临不惜的沾衣，写尽天教心愿与的违与登临不惜的沾衣，是理解李煜亡国词的重要篇章。【名句点睛】常考「转烛飘蓬一梦归，欲寻陈迹怅人非」写欲寻陈迹的怅人非；「登临不惜更沾衣」写登临不惜的沾衣；以及全词以感慨写亡国、以比兴写身世的手法。

Background

Li Yu (937–978), originally named Congjia, styled Chongguang, known as the Later Lord of the Southern Tang (李后主), was the last ruler of that state during the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms period and one of China's greatest lyric (ci) poets. After the fall of his kingdom he was taken captive to Bianjing (Kaifeng), where he died. 'Tune: Huanxisha — A Dream Returns as Candle Turns and Reed Drifts' belongs to his later, post-captivity period, when his songs turn from courtly refinement to raw lament over lost status and homeland. The piece voices a wanderer's sense of rootlessness and the pain of wishes denied by fate—themes that define his late style, often called 'written in blood and tears.'

此词写亡国，以感慨写亡国，是李煜的名篇。李煜（937—978），初名从嘉，字重光，号钟隐、莲峰居士，南唐最后一位国君，世称「南唐后主」「李后主」，五代十国时期南唐词人，被俘后死于汴京。此词为李煜后期之作，写其身世之感与故国之思。李煜此词写其飘零的身世。此词写转烛飘蓬一梦归，欲寻陈迹怅人非；天教心愿与身违；待月池台空逝水，荫花楼阁漫斜晖；登临不惜更沾衣。此词写身世：「转烛飘蓬一梦归，欲寻陈迹怅人非」写转烛飘蓬一梦归、欲寻陈迹怅人非——写尽欲寻陈迹的怅人非（转烛飘蓬一梦归，欲寻陈迹怅人非）；「天教心愿与身违」写天教心愿与身违——写尽天教心愿与的违（天教心愿与身违）；「待月池台空逝水，荫花楼阁漫斜晖」写待月池台空逝水、荫花楼阁漫斜晖——写尽荫花楼阁的斜晖（待月池台空逝水，荫花楼阁漫斜晖）；「登临不惜更沾衣」写登临不惜更沾衣——写尽登临不惜的沾衣（登临不惜更沾衣）。全词以感慨写亡国，写尽天教心愿与的违与登临不惜的沾衣，是理解李煜亡国词的重要篇章。

Art

The lyric works through four coordinated moves. First, metaphor of rootlessness: 'the candle turns, the reed drifts' figures a life unsettled and half-dreamt, while 'a dream returns' undercuts any hope of true return. Second, direct statement of thwarted will: 'Heaven wills that my heart's wish be at odds with my body' speaks the pain of fate plainly. Third, scene of emptiness: 'by the pool terrace I await the moon; the flowing water passes in vain' and 'flower-shaded pavilions bathed in slanting light' use 空 (empty/vain) and 漫 (lingering, aimless) to exhaust all consolation. Fourth, climactic self-exposure: 'climbing high, I care not that my robe is wet once more' condenses the whole grief into a single bodily gesture. The upper stanza broods on fate, the lower on ascent; together they exemplify the late Li Yu method of 'writing grief through scene.'

此词的艺术特色可从四个方面解析。其一，以比兴写身世。「转烛飘蓬一梦归」以比兴写身世——那「欲寻陈迹怅人非」写尽欲寻陈迹的怅人非，以比兴写尽欲寻陈迹的怅人非。其二，以直抒写违愿。「天教心愿与身违」以直抒写违愿——那「天教心愿」写尽天教的心愿，以直抒写尽天教心愿与的违。其三，以写景写空寂。「待月池台空逝水」以写景写空寂——那「荫花楼阁漫斜晖」写尽荫花楼阁的斜晖，以写景写尽荫花楼阁的斜晖。其四，以直抒写沾衣。「登临不惜更沾衣」以直抒写沾衣——那「不惜更沾衣」写尽不惜的沾衣，以直抒写尽登临不惜的沾衣。此外，此词上阕写天教心愿与的违，下阕写登临不惜的沾衣，由身世及登临，正是亡国词「以景写哀」的写法。四重手法，使此词以感慨写亡国，写尽天教心愿与的违与登临不惜的沾衣，是李煜的代表作。又，此词「转烛」「飘蓬」以喻写身世之辗转无定，「一梦归」更点醒半生如梦；「欲寻陈迹怅人非」一笔写尽物是人非，「天教心愿与身违」直抒愿违之痛。下阕「空逝水」「漫斜晖」皆以空、漫二字写尽无可奈何，末以「登临不惜更沾衣」收束，把亡国之痛凝于登临一哭，正是李煜后期词「以血泪写哀」的本色。

Allusions

The diction of this ci is rooted in the traditions of loss and lament. '转烛' (turning candle) evokes the saying 世事如转烛 ('worldly affairs are like a turning candle'), the instability of fortune. '飘蓬' (drifting reed) recalls 征蓬出汉塞 (Wang Wei), the rootless traveler. '一梦归' (a dream's return) echoes Li Yu's own 梦里不知身是客 ('in dreams I know not I am a guest'). '陈迹' (old traces) recalls 俯仰之间已为陈迹 (Wang Xizhi), and '怅人非' the 人面不知何处去 (Cui Hu) of vanished people. '逝水' invokes 逝者如斯夫 (Confucius) on time's flow, '斜晖' the 斜晖脉脉水悠悠 (Wen Tingyun) of lingering dusk, and '沾衣' the 泪落沾我衣 of tears on the robe. Through these allusions Li Yu binds personal grief to a long lyric lineage of impermanence.

此词的用语深植于亡国与感慨传统。「转烛」令人想到「转烛」写烛转的意象——也令人想到「世事如转烛」的意象；「飘蓬」令人想到「飘蓬」写蓬转的意象——也令人想到「征蓬出汉塞」（王维）的意象；「一梦归」令人想到「一梦归」写梦归的意象——也令人想到「梦里不知身是客」（李煜）的意象；「陈迹」令人想到「陈迹」写陈迹的意象——也令人想到「俯仰之间，已为陈迹」（王羲之）的意象；「怅人非」令人想到「怅人非」写人非的意象——也令人想到「人面不知何处去」（崔护）的意象；「心愿」令人想到「心愿」写心愿的意象——也令人想到「天教心愿与身违」的意象；「身违」令人想到「身违」写身违的意象——也令人想到「心愿身违」的意象；「待月」令人想到「待月」写待月的意象——也令人想到「待月西厢下」（元稹）的意象；「池台」令人想到「池台」写池台的意象——也令人想到「池台旧迹」的意象；「逝水」令人想到「逝水」写流水的意象——也令人想到「逝者如斯夫」（《论语》）的意象；「荫花」令人想到「荫花」写花荫的意象——也令人想到「绿荫花间」的意象；「楼阁」令人想到「楼阁」写楼阁的意象——也令人想到「楼阁玲珑五云起」（白居易）的意象；「斜晖」令人想到「斜晖」写斜阳的意象——也令人想到「斜晖脉脉水悠悠」（温庭筠）的意象；「沾衣」令人想到「沾衣」写沾衣的意象——也令人想到「泪落沾我衣」的意象。全词化用转烛、飘蓬、一梦归、陈迹、怅人非、心愿、身违、待月、池台、逝水、荫花、楼阁、斜晖、沾衣的意象，以感慨写亡国，正是李煜「哀婉」而善比兴、承南唐传统写亡国之本领。

Commentary

This ci is ranked among Li Yu's finest poems of the lost kingdom and a representative of Five-Dynasty lyric on rootless fate. Qing commentators praised it for 'writing the lost kingdom through reflection, plaintive and poignant'; modern readers single out 'the candle turns, the reed drifts—a dream returns; I seek old traces but grieve that people are no more' as its signature line. Its distinction lies in compressing fate's denial into a short tune—from 'heart's wish thwarted' to 'care not if the robe is wet.' Read beside Li Yu's 'Langtaosha Ling' (one dreaming he is a guest, one a drifting reed) and 'Yumeiren' (one 'the lost kingdom I dare not face in the bright moon,' one 'flower-shaded towers in slanting light'), the three reveal two faces of his late sorrow: the open wail and the quiet tear. For today's reader it is the clearest entry into Li Yu's captive lyric.

此词历来被推为李煜亡国词的名篇，也是五代词写身世飘零的代表。历代论者对此词评价极高：清人评此词「以感慨写亡国，哀婉凄恻」；近人更指出「转烛飘蓬一梦归，欲寻陈迹怅人非」写欲寻陈迹的怅人非，是此词的名句。在词史上，此词的特殊价值在于：它以小令写尽天教心愿与的违与登临不惜的沾衣——那转烛，那飘蓬，那一梦归，那欲寻，那陈迹，那怅人非，那天教，那心愿，那与身违，那待月，那池台，那空逝水，那荫花，那楼阁，那漫斜晖，那登临，那不惜，那更沾衣，都写尽了李煜笔下的浣溪沙转烛飘蓬一梦归；那「登临不惜更沾衣」更以直抒写尽登临不惜的沾衣。此词与李煜《浪淘沙令·帘外雨潺潺》「帘外雨潺潺」同为身世名篇，一写「梦里不知身是客」的浪淘沙令，一写「天教心愿与身违」的浣溪沙；一写五更寒，一写登临泪。两词对读，可见李煜身世词的两面。对于今日读者，此词是理解李煜亡国词的窗口，也是五代词写身世飘零的经典——那登临不惜的沾衣，穿越千年，仍在诉说着天教心愿与的违。

Prosody

Form Ci — tune 'Huanxisha' (浣溪沙)词·浣溪沙

Rhyme Huanxisha: upper stanza rhymes 归, 非, 违; lower stanza rhymes 晖, 衣 (level-tone 微/齐 rhyme), one rhyme throughout.浣溪沙，上阕押「归」「非」「违」，下阕押「晖」「衣」（平声微齐韵），一韵到底

Tone pattern A short Huanxisha lyric in level-tone rhyme, sustained throughout; the music is plaintive, fitting the lament of a lost kingdom.此词为浣溪沙小令，押平声韵，一韵到底，音节哀婉，正合亡国的哀婉。

Reading note This is a short Huanxisha tune in two stanzas—upper: 'the candle turns… a dream returns; I seek old traces…; Heaven wills…'; lower: 'by the pool terrace…; flower-shaded pavilions…; climbing high…'. It keeps a level rhyme (归/非/违/晖/衣) throughout with a plaintive cadence. The upper stanza broods on thwarted wish, the lower on the wet robe of ascent. Read the 'I seek old traces' line with plaintive restraint and close on lingering grief to convey Li Yu's elegiac tone.此词为浣溪沙小令，上下两阕——上阕「转烛飘蓬一梦归，欲寻陈迹怅人非。天教心愿与身违」，下阕「待月池台空逝水，荫花楼阁漫斜晖。登临不惜更沾衣」，押平韵（归、非、违、晖、衣），一韵到底，音节哀婉。全词以感慨写亡国：上阕写天教心愿与的违（转烛飘蓬一梦归、欲寻陈迹怅人非），下阕写登临不惜的沾衣（待月池台空逝水、荫花楼阁漫斜晖）。小令短章，前写身世，后写登临，以「登临不惜更沾衣」写尽登临不惜的沾衣，正见李煜「哀婉」的本色。诵读此词，宜以哀婉的语调读「欲寻陈迹怅人非」的身世，以低回的语调读「登临不惜更沾衣」的登临，结句要读得哀婉而有余韵，方能传达出李煜的哀婉凄恻。李煜小令以「哀婉」著称，此词正是其亡国词的典范。

Line by line

转烛飘蓬一梦归，欲寻陈迹怅人非

The candle turns, the reed drifts—a dream returns; I seek old traces but grieve that people are no more.

转烛飘蓬一梦归，欲寻陈迹怅人非。

A turning candle, a blown thistle, a dream-like return; seeking the old traces, I grieve that the people are gone.

此二句是全词写身世的核心，以转烛飘蓬一梦归写一梦归，以欲寻陈迹怅人非写怅人非，写尽欲寻陈迹的怅人非，是千古名句。「转烛飘蓬一梦归」写转烛飘蓬一梦归——那「转烛飘蓬」写转烛飘蓬，「一梦归」写一梦归，写尽转烛飘蓬的一梦归；「欲寻陈迹怅人非」写欲寻陈迹怅人非——那「欲寻陈迹」写欲寻陈迹，「怅人非」写怅人非，写尽欲寻陈迹的怅人非。这句的深意在于：它以「转烛飘蓬一梦归」的一梦归与「欲寻陈迹怅人非」的怅人非，写尽欲寻陈迹的怅人非——转烛飘蓬一梦归，那「转烛飘蓬一梦归」写尽转烛飘蓬的一梦归——转烛飘蓬一梦归，正是身世如蓬的写照，那「一梦归」写尽欲寻陈迹的怅人非；欲寻陈迹怅人非，那「欲寻陈迹怅人非」写尽欲寻陈迹的怅人非——欲寻陈迹怅人非，正是物是人非的写照，那「怅人非」写尽欲寻陈迹的怅人非；那「转烛飘蓬一梦归」写尽转烛飘蓬的一梦归，那「欲寻陈迹怅人非」写尽欲寻陈迹的怅人非，一写一梦归，一写怅人非，写尽欲寻陈迹的怅人非——身世如蓬而物是人非，正是感慨的写照；此二句以一梦归、怅人非写尽欲寻陈迹的怅人非，也为下文的违愿作铺垫，也让此二句成为全词写身世的核心与千古名句。若换作直说「像转烛飘蓬一样一梦而归，想寻陈迹惆怅人已非」，则失其哀婉；唯以「转烛飘蓬一梦归」写一梦归、「欲寻陈迹怅人非」写怅人非，写尽欲寻陈迹的怅人非，也让此二句成为全词写身世的核心。

The return. A turning candle, a blown thistle, a dream-like return; seeking the old traces, I grieve that the people are gone. The turned candle and thistle-down life, and the dream-like return to find no one left, are the fallen emperor's exile. To have said he returned to find everything changed would be a summary; the turning-candle-blown-thistle-dream-return against the seeking-old-traces-grieving-the-people-are-gone is the summary.

待月池台空逝水，荫花楼阁漫斜晖

By the pool terrace I await the moon; the flowing water passes in vain. The flower-shaded pavilions are bathed in lingering slanting light.

待月池台空逝水，荫花楼阁漫斜晖。

By the moon-waiting poolside, water flows in vain; in the flower-shadowed pavilion, slanting light spills at will.

此二句是全词写登临的核心，以待月池台空逝水写逝水，以荫花楼阁漫斜晖写斜晖，写尽荫花楼阁的斜晖，是千古名句。「待月池台空逝水」写待月池台空逝水——那「待月池台」写待月池台，「空逝水」写空逝水，写尽待月池台的空逝水；「荫花楼阁漫斜晖」写荫花楼阁漫斜晖——那「荫花楼阁」写荫花楼阁，「漫斜晖」写漫斜晖，写尽荫花楼阁的斜晖。这句的深意在于：它以「待月池台空逝水」的逝水与「荫花楼阁漫斜晖」的斜晖，写尽荫花楼阁的斜晖——待月池台空逝水，那「待月池台空逝水」写尽待月池台的空逝水——待月池台空逝水，正是池台逝水的写照，那「空逝水」写尽荫花楼阁的斜晖；荫花楼阁漫斜晖，那「荫花楼阁漫斜晖」写尽荫花楼阁的斜晖——荫花楼阁漫斜晖，正是楼阁斜晖的写照，那「漫斜晖」写尽荫花楼阁的斜晖；那「待月池台空逝水」写尽待月池台的空逝水，那「荫花楼阁漫斜晖」写尽荫花楼阁的斜晖，一写逝水，一写斜晖，写尽荫花楼阁的斜晖——池台逝水而楼阁斜晖，正是登临的写照；此二句以逝水、斜晖写尽荫花楼阁的斜晖，也为下文的沾衣作铺垫，也让此二句成为全词写登临的核心与千古名句。若换作直说「待月的池台空对逝水，荫花的楼阁空沐斜晖」，则失其凄恻；唯以「待月池台空逝水」写逝水、「荫花楼阁漫斜晖」写斜晖，写尽荫花楼阁的斜晖，也让此二句成为全词写登临的核心。

The terrace. By the moon-waiting poolside, water flows in vain; in the flower-shadowed pavilion, slanting light spills at will. The moon-waiting terrace and the flower pavilion in empty twilight are the deserted former glories. To have described the empty former palace would be a scene; the moon-waiting-poolside-flowing-away-water against the flower-shadowed-pavilion-spilling-sunset is the scene.

Study

Word focus

蓬蓬 (péng): 'drifting reed / tumbleweed.' In 飘蓬 it figures the rootless wanderer—Li Yu likens his exiled, unsettled life to a reed blown by wind, underscoring the impermanence of his former glory. 「转烛飘蓬一梦归」之「蓬」字是写身世关键词，一个「蓬」字写尽转烛飘蓬的一梦归。蓬者，飞蓬、飘蓬也。李煜以「转烛飘蓬一梦归」写身世，这个「蓬」字至少有双重意味：其一，写身之蓬——那「转烛飘蓬一梦归」写转烛飘蓬一梦归，那「蓬」字写尽转烛飘蓬的一梦归——飘蓬，正是身世飘零的写照，那「蓬」字写尽转烛飘蓬的一梦归；其二，写命之转——那「蓬」字更是写转——蓬，正见辗转无定的意味，那「蓬」字写尽李煜的哀伤。以「蓬」字写身世，正是李煜写亡国的枢纽——若换作「萍」「絮」等字，则或失其与「转烛飘蓬一梦归」「欲寻陈迹怅人非」的配合，或失其写蓬的意味；唯「蓬」字，以转烛飘蓬一梦归写尽身世之飘零与命运之辗转，与「欲寻陈迹怅人非」的怅人非相合，写尽转烛飘蓬的一梦归，也让「转烛飘蓬一梦归」成为全词写身世的名句。

违 违 (wéi): 'to be at odds with / oppose.' In 天教心愿与身违 it means the body thwarts the heart—fate sets lived reality against one's deepest wishes, the poem's central ache. 「天教心愿与身违」之「违」字是写感慨关键词，一个「违」字写尽天教心愿与的违。违者，违背、相违也。李煜以「天教心愿与身违」写感慨，这个「违」字至少有双重意味：其一，写愿之违——那「天教心愿与身违」写天教心愿与身违，那「违」字写尽天教心愿与的违——与身违，正是心愿相违的写照，那「违」字写尽天教心愿与的违；其二，写命之舛——那「违」字更是写舛——违，正见命运乖违的意味，那「违」字写尽李煜的哀伤。以「违」字写感慨，正是李煜写亡国的枢纽——若换作「背」「逆」等字，则或失其与「天教心愿与身违」「转烛飘蓬一梦归」的配合，或失其写违的意味；唯「违」字，以天教心愿与身违写尽心愿之相违与命运之乖舛，与「转烛飘蓬一梦归」的一梦归相合，写尽天教心愿与的违，也让「天教心愿与身违」成为全词写感慨的名句。