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近现代 近现代 · 诗 Poem

莲蓬人

The Lotus-Pod Man

鲁迅

Lu Xun

芰裳荇带处仙乡，风定犹闻碧玉香。
鹭影不来秋瑟瑟，苇花伴宿露瀼瀼。
扫除腻粉呈风骨，褪却红衣学淡妆。
好向濂溪称净植，莫随残叶堕寒塘。

In a water-chestnut coat and pondweed sash he dwells in the immortal's land;
when the wind settles, still I scent the fragrance of green jade.
No egret's shadow comes; the autumn is rustling;
reed blossoms keep him company through the night, dew dripping thick.
Sweeping away the greasy powder, he shows his spine and bone;
casting off the red robe, he learns the plain makeup.
Best to claim, before Lianxi, an upright purity;
do not follow the withered leaves and sink into the cold pond.
Listen

Meaning

A symbolic ode to the lotus pod, the poem is Lu Xun's self-portrait of moral integrity. It praises the plant's clean, unworldly beauty, then its shedding of ornamental 'powder' and 'red robe' to reveal true backbone, and closes by invoking Zhou Dunyi's 'upright purity' as a vow not to drift with the decaying world—an early statement of his refusal to compromise.

芰裳荇带处仙乡，风定犹闻碧玉香。鹭影不来秋瑟瑟，苇花伴宿露瀼瀼。扫除腻粉呈风骨，褪却红衣学淡妆。好向濂溪称净植，莫随残叶堕寒塘。

Appreciation

[Plain Paraphrase] In water-chestnut coat and pondweed sash he dwells in the immortal's land; when wind settles, the green-jade fragrance lingers. No egret comes; autumn rustles; reed blossoms keep him company at night, dew thick. Sweep away greasy powder, show the spine and bone; cast off the red robe, learn plain makeup. Best claim before Lianxi an upright purity; do not follow withered leaves into the cold pond. [Structure] An eight-line regulated octave: first couplet the plant's fairylike purity, second its lonely autumn, third its self-stripping to reveal backbone, fourth the explicit vow. [Imagery] 'Water-chestnut coat,' 'green-jade fragrance,' 'spine and bone,' 'Lianxi's upright purity' build a conspicuously chaste icon. [Tone] Clear, upright, austere.

【白话串讲】 鲁迅写《莲蓬人》：“芰裳荇带处仙乡，风定犹闻碧玉香”——“鹭影不来秋瑟瑟，苇花伴宿露瀼瀼”——“扫除腻粉呈风骨，褪却红衣学淡妆”——“好向濂溪称净植，莫随残叶堕寒塘”——他写莲蓬人——扫除腻粉呈风骨。 【意象与手法】 “芰裳荇带处仙乡，风定犹闻碧玉香”以芰裳荇带写莲蓬人高洁；“扫除腻粉呈风骨，褪却红衣学淡妆”以“扫除腻粉”“褪却红衣”写其洗尽铅华；“好向濂溪称净植，莫随残叶堕寒塘”以周敦颐《爱莲说》“净植”典写坚守。托物言志、清峻高洁。 【情感与主旨】 借咏莲蓬人写自己不随流俗、洁身自好的高洁品格，以“莫随残叶堕寒塘”自警，是鲁迅早期咏物言志的代表作。 【名句点睛】 常考“扫除腻粉呈风骨，褪却红衣学淡妆”以褪却红衣写高洁；“好向濂溪称净植，莫随残叶堕寒塘”以净植写坚守。

Background

Lu Xun (1881–1936), pen name of Zhou Shuren, was a leading modern writer and thinker of the New Culture Movement. 'The Lotus-Pod Man' (Lian Peng Ren) is an early symbolic poem in which he uses the lotus pod as a persona. Composed in the classical seven-character octave, it belongs to Lu Xun's youthful corpus of object-odes (yong wu shi) written before his full turn to vernacular polemic. The poem projects his own resolve to stay uncorrupted amid a turbid society, making it a representative early work of self-expression through nature.

《莲蓬人》为近代文学家鲁迅所作诗。鲁迅（1881—1936），原名周树人，字豫才，浙江绍兴人，中国现代文学家、思想家，新文化运动的重要人物。此诗写咏物感怀，为咏莲蓬之作。诗中「芰裳荇带处仙乡，风定犹闻碧玉香」写芰裳荇带处仙乡，风定犹闻碧玉香；「鹭影不来秋瑟瑟，苇花伴宿露瀼瀼」写鹭影不来秋瑟瑟，苇花伴宿露瀼瀼；「扫除腻粉呈风骨，褪却红衣学淡妆」写扫除腻粉呈风骨，褪却红衣学淡妆；「好向濂溪称净植，莫随残叶堕寒塘」写好向濂溪称净植，莫随残叶堕寒塘。鲁迅此诗以咏物感怀、莫随残叶堕寒塘写其感怀之情，清峻高洁，是鲁迅诗中的名篇。此篇《莲蓬人》在历代选本中多被收录，其艺术价值与流传之广，正可见此诗在同类题材中的重要地位。诗人以匠心独运之笔写寻常之情事，遂使此作历千载而犹有生气，为后人所称赏不绝。此篇《莲蓬人》在历代选本中多被收录，其艺术价值与流传之广，正可见此诗在同类题材中的重要地位。诗人以匠心独运之笔写寻常之情事，遂使此作历千载而犹有生气，为后人所称赏不绝。

Art

The poem's art is 'clear and upright, object embodying feeling.' The first couplet dresses the lotus pod in 'water-chestnut coat and pondweed sash' and places it in 'the immortal's land,' its scent a 'green jade' fragrance—an image of unworldly purity. The second couplet sets 'no egret's shadow' and 'rustling autumn' against 'reed blossoms' and 'thick dew,' a lone, chill companionship that stresses isolation without bitterness. The third couplet is the thematic pivot: 'sweep away greasy powder' and 'cast off the red robe' figure the shedding of ornamental, worldly allure to 'show the spine and bone' and 'learn plain makeup'—integrity won by subtraction. The close names Zhou Dunyi (Lianxi) and his 'upright purity' (jing zhi), then warns against following 'withered leaves' into the 'cold pond.' The whole moves from fair appearance to bare essence to explicit vow, austere and controlled.

此诗艺术上以「清峻高洁、以物写情」见长。全诗共八句，由芰裳荇带处仙乡而鹭影不来秋瑟瑟而扫除腻粉呈风骨。起「芰裳荇带处仙乡，风定犹闻碧玉香」写芰裳荇带处仙乡：芰裳荇带处仙乡，风定犹闻碧玉香；「鹭影不来秋瑟瑟，苇花伴宿露瀼瀼」写鹭影不来秋瑟瑟：鹭影不来秋瑟瑟，苇花伴宿露瀼瀼；「扫除腻粉呈风骨，褪却红衣学淡妆」写扫除腻粉呈风骨：扫除腻粉呈风骨，褪却红衣学淡妆；结「好向濂溪称净植，莫随残叶堕寒塘」写莫随残叶堕寒塘：好向濂溪称净植，莫随残叶堕寒塘。全诗以物写情，由芰裳荇带处仙乡而莫随残叶堕寒塘，清峻高洁，是鲁迅诗中的名篇。通篇以少总多之法出之，章法严谨而用意深曲，意象凝练而情韵悠长，读之愈久，愈觉其构思之精与笔力之健，堪称同类诗作中不可多得之佳篇，足见诗人炉火纯青的艺术功力。通篇以少总多之法出之，章法严谨而用意深曲，意象凝练而情韵悠长，读之愈久，愈觉其构思之精与笔力之健，堪称同类诗作中不可多得之佳篇，足见诗人炉火纯青的艺术功力。

Allusions

The chief allusion is to Zhou Dunyi (1017–1073), styled Lianxi, author of the 'On Loving the Lotus' (Ai Lian Shuo), who praised the lotus as 'rising straight and unbent, pure and upright' (jing zhi). Lu Xun's 'claim before Lianxi an upright purity' explicitly aligns his persona with that Neo-Confucian ideal. 'Water-chestnut coat and pondweed sash' echoes the Chu Ci convention of dressing in water plants as a sign of rustic, unworldly virtue (as in Qu Yuan's 'in a lotus coat and eglantine belt'). 'Spine and bone' (feng gu) is a critical term for moral and artistic vigor. The allusions are worn lightly, serving the poem's self-portrait of incorruptible integrity rather than displays of erudition.

诗中「芰裳荇带处仙乡风定犹闻碧玉香」「鹭影不来秋瑟瑟苇花伴宿露瀼瀼」「扫除腻粉呈风骨褪却红衣学淡妆」「好向濂溪称净植莫随残叶堕寒塘」等语，皆含典故故实。「芰裳荇带处仙乡风定犹闻碧玉香」用芰裳荇带之典（芰裳荇带写以芰为裳以荇为带），写芰裳荇带处仙乡风定犹闻碧玉香；「鹭影不来秋瑟瑟苇花伴宿露瀼瀼」写鹭影不来秋瑟瑟苇花伴宿露瀼瀼；「扫除腻粉呈风骨褪却红衣学淡妆」写扫除腻粉呈风骨褪却红衣学淡妆；「好向濂溪称净植莫随残叶堕寒塘」用濂溪之典（濂溪为周敦颐之号），写好向濂溪称净植莫随残叶堕寒塘。诗人以芰裳、濂溪等典入诗，不着痕迹，而把咏物感怀之情写得真切可感，是善于熔铸典故的体现。此等用典之法，熔铸古今而不着痕迹，既不炫博以示学，亦不拘泥于旧解，正见诗人学养之深与运思之巧。读者于此等处尤当细心玩味，方能领会其言外之旨与味外之味。

Commentary

Read as Lu Xun's self-portrait, the poem is strikingly programmatic. The lotus pod 'dwells in the immortal's land' yet keeps lonely autumn company—aloof but not escapist. The crucial turn is the third couplet: purity is not innate decoration but something achieved by stripping away 'greasy powder' and the 'red robe,' i.e., by refusing seductive, worldly finishes to expose 'spine and bone.' The closing vow 'do not follow the withered leaves and sink into the cold pond' is a personal warning against compromise and decay. Critics value the poem as an early, classical-form statement of the integrity that would later define Lu Xun's vernacular stance—clear, unbending, self-purifying. Its austerity and confident allusion make it a minor keystone of his regulated-verse output.

这首《莲蓬人》，是鲁迅写咏物感怀之作，写芰裳荇带处仙乡、鹭影不来秋瑟瑟、扫除腻粉呈风骨、莫随残叶堕寒塘之情，清峻高洁。起「芰裳荇带处仙乡，风定犹闻碧玉香」——芰裳荇带处仙乡（用芰裳荇带之典），风定犹闻碧玉香。写芰裳荇带处仙乡：芰裳荇带处仙乡、风定犹闻碧玉香——处仙乡、碧玉香；「鹭影不来秋瑟瑟，苇花伴宿露瀼瀼」——鹭影不来秋瑟瑟，苇花伴宿露瀼瀼。写鹭影不来秋瑟瑟：鹭影不来秋瑟瑟、苇花伴宿露瀼瀼——秋瑟瑟、露瀼瀼；「扫除腻粉呈风骨，褪却红衣学淡妆」——扫除腻粉呈风骨，褪却红衣学淡妆。写扫除腻粉呈风骨：扫除腻粉呈风骨、褪却红衣学淡妆——呈风骨、学淡妆；结「好向濂溪称净植，莫随残叶堕寒塘」——好向濂溪称净植（用濂溪之典），莫随残叶堕寒塘。写莫随残叶堕寒塘：好向濂溪称净植、莫随残叶堕寒塘——称净植、堕寒塘。这「好向濂溪称净植，莫随残叶堕寒塘」，是全诗之结：以莫随残叶堕寒塘写其感怀。全诗清峻高洁，以物写情，正是鲁迅诗中的名篇。

Prosody

Form Seven-character regulated octave (qilü)诗（七言律诗）
Rhyme An eight-line regulated octave rhyming on 'xiang' (乡), 'xiang' (香), 'rang' (瀼), 'zhuang' (妆), 'tang' (塘), all in the Yang class, a single bright, open level-tone rhyme suiting the poem's clear, upright tone.此诗为七言律诗，共八句。押韵：「乡」「香」「瀼」「妆」「塘」押阳部韵。诗体依律诗而定，句式整齐，音节随情起伏，正与写咏物感怀的清峻高洁相称，也见其以律诗写咏物的工整。
Tone pattern The first couplet is clear and lovely; the second crisp and austere; the third high and pure; the close long and sustained. The regular metre's disciplined surface carries the austere feeling, matching an ode whose form is as upright as its subject.句式上，「芰裳荇带处仙乡，风定犹闻碧玉香」写芰裳荇带处仙乡，音节清丽；「鹭影不来秋瑟瑟，苇花伴宿露瀼瀼」写鹭影不来秋瑟瑟，音节清峻；「扫除腻粉呈风骨，褪却红衣学淡妆」写扫除腻粉呈风骨，音节高洁；结「好向濂溪称净植，莫随残叶堕寒塘」写莫随残叶堕寒塘，音节悠长。全诗音节随情起伏，由清丽而清峻、由高洁而悠长，正合律诗「工整」之妙，读来如咏物感怀、莫随残叶堕寒塘之音，清峻而动人。
Reading note As a seven-character octave this is a model of 'clear and upright, object embodying feeling.' Its success is the union of fair image and bare vow: the lotus pod's 'water-chestnut coat' and 'green-jade fragrance' give beauty, while 'spine and bone' and 'Lianxi's upright purity' give moral weight. The allusion to Zhou Dunyi and the warning against the 'cold pond' make the personal resolve explicit without breaking the ode's restraint.此诗为七言律诗，是鲁迅写咏物感怀之作，也是其诗中的名篇。全诗的艺术特色在于「清峻高洁、以物写情」：「芰裳荇带处仙乡，风定犹闻碧玉香」写芰裳荇带处仙乡、「鹭影不来秋瑟瑟，苇花伴宿露瀼瀼」写鹭影不来秋瑟瑟、「扫除腻粉呈风骨，褪却红衣学淡妆」写扫除腻粉呈风骨、「好向濂溪称净植，莫随残叶堕寒塘」写莫随残叶堕寒塘。全诗清峻高洁，以物写情。尤为精妙者，是「芰裳荇带处仙乡」用芰裳荇带之典；而「好向濂溪称净植」用濂溪之典，正是鲁迅诗「清峻高洁」的典范，为历代选本所常收。《莲蓬人》一诗之所以读来声情并茂，正在于诗人以声韵配合情思、以节奏烘托意境，音节之长短、平仄之起伏，皆与诗意相为表里，此亦可见中国古典诗歌声律之美与匠心之工。

Line by line

芰裳荇带处仙乡，风定犹闻碧玉香。

In a water-chestnut coat and pondweed sash he dwells in the immortal's land; when the wind settles, still I scent the fragrance of green jade.

芰裳荇带处仙乡，风定犹闻碧玉香。

Clad in water-caltrop skirts and nenuphar ribbons, dwelling in a fairy land; when the wind stills, the jade-like fragrance is still smelled.

首句写芰裳荇带处仙乡，起笔即见其仙。「芰裳荇带处仙乡」用芰裳荇带之典写芰裳荇带处仙乡，「芰裳荇带」写芰裳荇带、「处仙乡」写处仙乡；「风定犹闻碧玉香」写风定犹闻碧玉香，「风定」写风定、「犹闻碧玉香」写犹闻碧玉香。两句一写芰裳荇带处仙乡、一写风定犹闻碧玉香，以芰裳荇带处仙乡写处仙乡、以风定犹闻碧玉香写碧玉香，写尽芰裳荇带处仙乡、风定犹闻碧玉香之情。以裳起兴，清峻而高洁，是「以裳起兴」的妙笔。

The lotus. Clad in water-caltrop skirts and nenuphar ribbons, dwelling in a fairy land; when the wind stills, the jade-like fragrance is still smelled. The aquatic plant dress and the fragrance after the wind are the lotus seed-pod's purity. To have described the lotus would be a description; the water-caltrop-skirts-nenuphar-ribbons-fairy-land against the wind-stilled-jade-fragrance-still-smelled is the description.

鹭影不来秋瑟瑟，苇花伴宿露瀼瀼。

No egret's shadow comes; the autumn is rustling; reed blossoms keep him company through the night, dew dripping thick.

鹭影不来秋瑟瑟，苇花伴宿露瀼瀼。

No egret shadow comes; the autumn is rustling. Reed flowers keep watch with the heavy dews.

此二句写鹭影不来秋瑟瑟，是全诗写鹭影之态的关键。「鹭影不来秋瑟瑟」写鹭影不来秋瑟瑟，「鹭影不来」写鹭影不来、「秋瑟瑟」写秋瑟瑟；「苇花伴宿露瀼瀼」写苇花伴宿露瀼瀼，「苇花伴宿」写苇花伴宿、「露瀼瀼」写露瀼瀼。两句一写鹭影不来秋瑟瑟、一写苇花伴宿露瀼瀼，以鹭影不来秋瑟瑟写秋瑟瑟、以苇花伴宿露瀼瀼写露瀼瀼，写尽鹭影不来秋瑟瑟、苇花伴宿露瀼瀼之情。以露写景，清峻而高洁，是「以露写景」的点睛之笔。

The autumn. No egret shadow comes; the autumn is rustling. Reed flowers keep watch with the heavy dews. The absent egret, the rustling autumn, and the reed flowers with the heavy dew are the autumn setting. To have described the autumn pond would be scenery; the no-egret-shadow-autumn-rustling against the reed-flowers-keeping-watch-with-heavy-dew is the scenery.

扫除腻粉呈风骨，褪却红衣学淡妆。

Sweeping away the greasy powder, he shows his spine and bone; casting off the red robe, he learns the plain makeup.

扫除腻粉呈风骨，褪却红衣学淡妆。

Wipe off the gaudy powder to show the true bone; discard the red robes to learn the plain dress.

此二句写扫除腻粉呈风骨，是全诗写风骨之态的关键。「扫除腻粉呈风骨」写扫除腻粉呈风骨，「扫除腻粉」写扫除腻粉、「呈风骨」写呈风骨；「褪却红衣学淡妆」写褪却红衣学淡妆，「褪却红衣」写褪却红衣、「学淡妆」写学淡妆。两句一写扫除腻粉呈风骨、一写褪却红衣学淡妆，以扫除腻粉呈风骨写呈风骨、以褪却红衣学淡妆写学淡妆，写尽扫除腻粉呈风骨、褪却红衣学淡妆之情。以骨写情，清峻而高洁，是「以骨写情」的点睛之笔。

The stripping. Wipe off the gaudy powder to show the true bone; discard the red robes to learn the plain dress. The powder-wiping and red-robe-casting are the stripping to character. To have said the lotus rejects adornment would be a personification; the wipe-off-gaudy-powder-show-the-bone against the discard-red-robe-learn-plain-dress is the personification.

好向濂溪称净植，莫随残叶堕寒塘。

Best to claim, before Lianxi, an upright purity; do not follow the withered leaves and sink into the cold pond.

好向濂溪称净植，莫随残叶堕寒塘。

Go tell Master Lianxi of the clean upright growth; do not fall with the dead leaves into the cold pond.

结句写莫随残叶堕寒塘，是全诗立意的落点。「好向濂溪称净植」用濂溪之典写好向濂溪称净植，「好向濂溪」写好向濂溪、「称净植」写称净植；「莫随残叶堕寒塘」写莫随残叶堕寒塘，「莫随残叶」写莫随残叶、「堕寒塘」写堕寒塘。两句一写好向濂溪称净植、一写莫随残叶堕寒塘，以好向濂溪称净植写称净植、以莫随残叶堕寒塘写堕寒塘，写尽好向濂溪称净植、莫随残叶堕寒塘之情。以塘写情，清峻而高洁，是全诗最动人处，也是「以塘写情」的点睛之笔。

The warning. Go tell Master Lianxi of the clean upright growth; do not fall with the dead leaves into the cold pond. The Zhou Dunyi allusion (the love of the lotus) and the do-not-fall warning are the close. To have said the lotus should remain upright would be a moral; the go-tell-Lianxi-of-the-clean-upright-growth against the do-not-fall-with-dead-leaves-into-the-cold-pond is the moral.

Study

Word focus

芰裳 Water-chestnut coat; 'ji shang' dresses the lotus pod in a water plant, echoing the Chu Ci mode of clothing oneself in aquatic herbs as a sign of rustic, unworldly virtue. 「芰裳」写芰裳荇带处仙乡，是写芰裳之态的关键。「芰裳荇带处仙乡」着一「芰裳」，写芰裳——着一「芰裳」，写芰裳荇带处仙乡，见其裳之芰。两字写尽芰裳之态，是「以词写裳」的妙笔。「芰裳」一字之用而全篇生色，与诗中情韵相为表里，正见诗人炼字之精与匠心之独运。读者于此等处若细细体会，自能领会其于平淡之中见功力、于寻常处见神奇之妙。
碧玉香 Green-jade fragrance; 'bi yu xiang' names the clean, cool scent that lingers after the wind settles, the poem's image of untarnished, fairylike purity. 「碧玉香」写风定犹闻碧玉香，是写碧玉香之态的关键。「风定犹闻碧玉香」着一「碧玉香」，写碧玉香——着一「碧玉香」，写风定犹闻碧玉香，见其香之碧玉。三字写尽碧玉香之态，是「以词写香」的点睛之词。「碧玉香」一字之用而全篇生色，与诗中情韵相为表里，正见诗人炼字之精与匠心之独运。读者于此等处若细细体会，自能领会其于平淡之中见功力、于寻常处见神奇之妙。
风骨 Spine and bone; 'feng gu' is the moral and artistic vigor revealed once ornamental 'powder' is swept away—the true integrity the poem prizes above appearance. 「风骨」写扫除腻粉呈风骨，是写风骨之态的关键。「扫除腻粉呈风骨」着一「风骨」，写风骨——着一「风骨」，写扫除腻粉呈风骨，见其骨之风。两字写尽风骨之态，是「以词写骨」的点睛之词。「风骨」一字之用而全篇生色，与诗中情韵相为表里，正见诗人炼字之精与匠心之独运。读者于此等处若细细体会，自能领会其于平淡之中见功力、于寻常处见神奇之妙。
净植 Upright purity; 'jing zhi' quotes Zhou Dunyi's praise of the lotus as 'pure and upright,' the Neo-Confucian standard before which the lotus-pod persona vows to stand. 「净植」写好向濂溪称净植，是写净植之态的关键。「好向濂溪称净植」着一「净植」，写净植——着一「净植」，写好向濂溪称净植，见其植之净。两字写尽净植之态，是「以词写植」的点睛之词。「净植」一字之用而全篇生色，与诗中情韵相为表里，正见诗人炼字之精与匠心之独运。读者于此等处若细细体会，自能领会其于平淡之中见功力、于寻常处见神奇之妙。

Related Reading

山园小梅 Small Plum by the Mountain Garden 林逋 · 同写咏物高洁、清雅超然，一写疏影横斜水清浅暗香浮动月黄昏、一写扫除腻粉呈风骨褪却红衣学淡妆，皆于咏物之中见高洁 Both are object-odes to purity—Lin Bu's plum in 'sparse shadows, clear water' versus Lu Xun's lotus pod 'showing spine and bone'—each finding nobility in a plant.

Lin Bu's 'Small Plum by the Mountain Garden' ('sparse shadows lie aslant on clear shallow water; faint fragrance drifts at dusk under the moon') is the supreme Song ode to the pure plum. Lu Xun's 'Lotus-Pod Man' writes 'sweep away greasy powder, show the spine and bone' and 'claim before Lianxi an upright purity.' Both praise nobility through a plant—Lin Bu's elegant plum, Lu Xun's bony lotus pod—showing two ways of writing purity through things.

林逋《山园小梅》「疏影横斜水清浅，暗香浮动月黄昏」，写梅之高洁、咏物清雅，是宋诗咏物的绝唱；鲁迅《莲蓬人》则以「扫除腻粉呈风骨，褪却红衣学淡妆」「好向濂溪称净植，莫随残叶堕寒塘」写呈风骨学淡妆、称净植堕寒塘。两诗同写咏物高洁、清雅超然：一写疏影横斜水清浅暗香浮动月黄昏、以梅写高洁，一写扫除腻粉呈风骨褪却红衣学淡妆、以莲写风骨；一为林逋之清逸、一为鲁迅之清峻，并读正可见诗写「咏物高洁」的两种笔法，皆于咏物之中见高洁。

 浣溪沙·一曲新词酒一杯 Tune: 'Silk-washing Stream' — 'One new song, one cup of wine' 晏殊 · 同写感怀高洁、无可奈何，一写无可奈何花落去、一写芰裳荇带处仙乡风定犹闻碧玉香，皆于感怀之中见高洁 Both voice feeling and purity amid helplessness—Yan Shu's 'flowers fall, beyond my power' versus Lu Xun's 'water-chestnut coat, green-jade fragrance'—aspiration within reflection.

Yan Shu's 'Silk-washing Stream' ('flowers fall, beyond my power to stop; swallows return, as if known before') is a famous Song lyric of reflective, helpless melancholy. Lu Xun's 'Lotus-Pod Man' writes 'in water-chestnut coat he dwells in the immortal's land' and 'do not follow withered leaves into the cold pond.' Both find purity amid helplessness: Yan Shu's is gentle acceptance of time's passing, Lu Xun's an austere vow against decay—two ways of writing aspiration within reflection.

晏殊《浣溪沙·一曲新词酒一杯》「无可奈何花落去，似曾相识燕归来」，写感怀惜时、无可奈何，是宋词小令的名篇；鲁迅《莲蓬人》则以「芰裳荇带处仙乡，风定犹闻碧玉香」「莫随残叶堕寒塘」写处仙乡碧玉香、莫随残叶堕寒塘。两诗同写感怀高洁、无可奈何：一写无可奈何花落去、以花落燕归写惜时，一写芰裳荇带处仙乡风定犹闻碧玉香、以莲蓬写风骨；一为晏殊之温润、一为鲁迅之清峻，并读正可见诗写「感怀高洁」的两种笔法，皆于感怀之中见高洁。