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唐 Tang · 诗 Poem

倦夜

Weary Night

杜甫

Du Fu

夜景Night Scene 乱离Age of War

竹凉侵卧内，野月满庭隅。
重露成涓滴，稀星乍有无。
暗飞萤自照，水宿鸟相呼。
万事干戈里，空悲清夜徂。

Coolness of bamboo seeps into the sleeping room;
The wild moon fills the corner of the courtyard.
Heavy dew gathers into single drops;
Sparse stars now shine, now do not.
Fireflies drift on, lighting only themselves;
Birds roosting by the water call to one another.
Everything happens amid arms and war;
In vain I grieve the passing of the clear night.

Listen

Meaning

Du Fu lies awake. In the dark of his lodging he registers the cool bamboo, the moon, the dew, the stars, wandering fireflies and calling birds, and then names the reason: all of it happens in the midst of war. The clear night slips away while he grieves, and the grief is described as useless. The poem moves from still description to a settled judgement in two lines.

竹凉侵卧内，野月满庭隅。重露成涓滴，稀星乍有无。暗飞萤自照，水宿鸟相呼。万事干戈里，空悲清夜徂。

Appreciation

[Plain Paraphrase] Unable to sleep, the poet notes what the night does to him from within: the bamboo grows cold, the moon crosses the courtyard, dew condenses, stars thin out, fireflies come and go, birds settle and call. Then the last couplet explains why any of it matters - everything is inside a war - and dismisses his own grief as empty.
[Structure] Six lines of picture, two lines of verdict. The poem withholds its theme until the very end, so that the description has been accumulating for some time before we learn what it is about.
[Imagery] Fireflies 'light themselves' and birds 'call to each other'; the poet neither lights nor answers. His solitude is stated by contrast rather than named, which is what keeps the poem from becoming a complaint.
[Tone] The word rendered 'in vain' is the poem's whole trunk: everything seen is real and nothing seen can be acted upon.

【白话串讲】杜甫写《倦夜》：“竹凉侵卧内，野月满庭隅”——“重露成涓滴，稀星乍有无”——“暗飞萤自照，水宿鸟相呼”——“万事干戈里，空悲清夜徂”——他夜不能寐——万事干戈里。【意象与手法】此诗写夜景，以乱离写夜景，是杜甫的名篇。前六句写夜景：「竹凉侵卧内，野月满庭隅。重露成涓滴，稀星乍有无。暗飞萤自照，水宿鸟相呼」写竹凉侵卧内、野月满庭隅、重露成涓滴、稀星乍有无——写尽秋夜的清冷；后二句写感慨：「万事干戈里，空悲清夜徂」写万事干戈里、空悲清夜徂——写尽乱离的感慨。全诗以乱离写夜景，写尽秋夜的清冷与乱离的感慨，是杜甫的代表作。【情感与主旨】此诗写夜景，以乱离写夜景，是杜甫的名篇。此诗写杜甫于战乱中彻夜不眠、倦于长夜的所见所感。安史之乱后，杜甫漂泊西南，忧时伤乱，长夜难寐，观竹凉月满、露重星稀、萤飞鸟宿，而生「万事干戈」之悲。此诗写夜景：竹凉侵卧内，野月满庭隅——写竹凉侵卧内、野月满庭隅，写尽秋夜的清冷；重露成涓滴，稀星乍有无——写重露成涓滴、稀星乍有无，写尽秋夜的露星；暗飞萤自照，水宿鸟相呼——写暗飞萤自照、水宿鸟相呼，写尽秋夜的萤鸟；万事干戈里，空悲清夜徂——写万事干戈里、空悲清夜徂，写尽乱离的感慨。全诗以乱离写夜景——那「竹凉侵卧内」写尽秋夜的清冷，「空悲清夜徂」写尽乱离的感慨，写尽秋夜的清冷与乱离的感慨，是理解杜甫乱离诗的重要篇章。【名句点睛】常考「竹凉侵卧内，野月满庭隅」写秋夜的清冷；「万事干戈里，空悲清夜徂」写乱离的感慨；以及全诗以乱离写夜景、以景写忧的手法。

Background

Du Fu (712-770), courtesy name Zimei and self-styled Old Poet of Shaoling, is called the Poet-Sage and his collection the History of the Times. This poem was written in the southwest during and after the An Lushan rebellion while he wandered from prefecture to prefecture, dependent on friends and on the officeless life of an unofficial recluse. A night spent sleepless in the middle of campaigns is the ordinary condition of those years, and the poem is typical of them in refusing to separate the private weather of the soul from the public disorder around it.

此诗写夜景，以乱离写夜景，是杜甫的名篇。杜甫（712—770），字子美，自号少陵野老，祖籍襄阳（今湖北襄阳），生于河南巩县，唐代现实主义诗人，被誉为「诗圣」，其诗被称为「诗史」。此诗写杜甫于战乱中彻夜不眠、倦于长夜的所见所感。安史之乱后，杜甫漂泊西南，忧时伤乱，长夜难寐，观竹凉月满、露重星稀、萤飞鸟宿，而生「万事干戈」之悲。此诗写夜景：「竹凉侵卧内，野月满庭隅」写竹凉侵卧内、野月满庭隅——写尽秋夜的清冷（竹凉侵卧内，野月满庭隅）；「重露成涓滴，稀星乍有无」写重露成涓滴、稀星乍有无——写尽秋夜的露星（重露成涓滴，稀星乍有无）；「暗飞萤自照，水宿鸟相呼」写暗飞萤自照、水宿鸟相呼——写尽秋夜的萤鸟（暗飞萤自照，水宿鸟相呼）；「万事干戈里，空悲清夜徂」写万事干戈里、空悲清夜徂——写尽乱离的感慨（万事干戈里，空悲清夜徂）。全诗以乱离写夜景，写尽秋夜的清冷与乱离的感慨，是理解杜甫乱离诗的重要篇章。

Art

The poem works by delaying interpretation. For six lines nothing is said to be sad; we simply receive bamboo, moon, dew, stars, fireflies and birds, each rendered in a plain, almost factual phrase, and the only motion is the tiny one of dew 'gathering into drops' and stars 'now shining, now not'. Then the seventh line inserts a single physical fact - everything happens amid arms and war - and the whole previous description is suddenly given an audience and a cause. The pairing of fireflies and birds is the pivot of the middle stanza: one creature makes its own light, the other answers a neighbour's call, and the poet does neither. The closing line refuses even the comfort of being busy: the night is gone, and the grief is described as kong, or empty, which leaves the reader with the poet's helplessness rather than with his sorrow.

此诗的艺术特色可从四个方面解析。其一，以白描写清冷。「竹凉侵卧内」以白描写清冷——那「竹凉」「侵卧内」写尽竹凉的侵体，以白描写尽秋夜的清冷。其二，以细节写露星。「重露成涓滴」以细节写露星——那「重露」「成涓滴」写尽重露的滴落，以细节写尽秋夜的寂静。其三，以写景写萤鸟。「暗飞萤自照」以写景写萤鸟——那「萤自照」写尽暗萤的微光，以写景写尽秋夜的生机。其四，以议论写感慨。「万事干戈里」以议论写感慨——那「万事干戈」「空悲」写尽乱离的悲慨，以议论写尽乱离的感慨。此外，此诗前六句写秋夜的清冷，后二句写乱离的感慨，由景及情，正是乱离诗「即景抒情」的写法。四重手法，使此诗以乱离写夜景，写尽秋夜的清冷与乱离的感慨，是杜甫的代表作。此诗还善于以「重露成涓滴，稀星乍有无」的细微观照写长夜之静——那「成涓滴」写露重成滴，「乍有无」写星隐星现，正是以极细的观察写长夜独醒的寂静，一句一景而皆见长夜之久。又善以「暗飞萤自照，水宿鸟相呼」写独处的对照——萤自照而鸟相呼，一自照一相呼，正反衬诗人独宿无侣的孤寂。

Allusions

The dew and moon lines belong to the common Tang vocabulary of a sleepless night, and share the language of Du Fu's own 'dew turns white from this night onward'. The stars echo his 'stars hang low over the broad plain'. 'Arms and war' is the ordinary periphrasis for conflict, and recurs throughout his war poetry, where it displaces any named campaign. Fireflies carry the old belief that rotted grass becomes firefly, and connect the poem to the later summer verse of Du Mu, who sweeps a fan at them. The birds answering each other from the water reaches back to the Book of Songs, where the waterfowl call to one another, and forward to Wang Wei's line about the startled bird at the moonrise.

此诗的用语深植于夜景与乱离传统。「竹凉」令人想到「竹凉」写竹影的意象——也令人想到「新竹高于旧竹枝」（郑燮）的意象；「野月」令人想到「野月」写野月的意象——也令人想到「月是故乡明」（杜甫）的意象；「重露」令人想到「重露」写重露的意象——也令人想到「露从今夜白」（杜甫）的意象；「稀星」令人想到「稀星」写疏星的意象——也令人想到「星垂平野阔」（杜甫）的意象；「干戈」令人想到「干戈」写战争的意象——也令人想到「烽火连三月」（杜甫）的意象；「清夜徂」令人想到「清夜徂」写夜逝的意象——也令人想到「清夜沉沉」的意象。全词化用竹凉、野月、重露、稀星、干戈、清夜的意象，以乱离写夜景，正是杜甫「沉郁」而善写夜、承乱离传统写忧思的本领。「暗飞萤自照」令人想到「腐草为萤」的物候之说，也令人想到杜牧《秋夕》「轻罗小扇扑流萤」的萤火意象，一写秋夜之闲，一写秋夜之寂。「水宿鸟相呼」令人想到《诗经·关雎》「关关雎鸠，在河之洲」的鸟鸣意象，也令人想到王维「月出惊山鸟」的动静对照。

Commentary

Among Du Fu's finest night poems and the usual citation for war-time verse that stays descriptive until the last moment. Qing commentators praised its depressed and solemn depth; modern anthologies point to 'everything happens amid arms and war' as the line that reorganises the poem. The poem is often paired with Spring View, which finds the same ruin in daylight in the same author, and with Night of the Moonlit Mountain, where the same moon becomes the occasion for thinking of his wife rather than of the state.

此诗历来被推为杜甫夜景诗的名篇，也是唐人写战乱之夜的典型。历代论者对此诗评价极高：清人评此诗「以乱离写夜景，沉郁深至」；近人更指出「万事干戈里，空悲清夜徂」写乱离的感慨，是此诗的名句。在诗歌史上，此诗的特殊价值在于：它以八句的五律写尽秋夜的清冷与乱离的感慨——那竹凉，那卧内，那野月，那庭隅，那重露，那涓滴，那稀星，那有无，那暗萤，那自照，那水宿鸟，那相呼，那干戈，那清夜，那徂，都写尽了杜甫笔下的倦夜；那「空悲清夜徂」更以议论写尽乱离的感慨。此诗与杜甫《春望》（「国破山河在」）同为乱离名篇，一写「感时花溅泪」的白日（春望），一写「空悲清夜徂」的长夜（倦夜）；又与《月夜》「香雾云鬟湿」的思亲传统一脉相承，可见杜甫写战乱的传统。对于今日读者，此诗是理解杜甫乱离诗的窗口，也是中国诗写夜景的经典——那消逝的清夜，穿越千年，仍在诉说着乱离的悲慨。

Prosody

Form Poetry - five-character regulated verse (wu-yan lu-shi)诗·五言律诗

Rhyme Rhymes on yu - yu (corner), wu (do not), hu (call), cu (pass away) - the Qi-yu (qi-yu) level-tone group, one rhyme throughout the eight lines.五律，押「隅」「无」「呼」「徂」韵（上平七虞），一韵到底，音节沉郁

Tone pattern Level rhymes are held to the end of every couplet; the sustained open vowel gives the verse its heavy, restrained cadence appropriate to grief that will not be consoled.此诗为五言律诗，押平声韵，一韵到底，音节沉郁，正合乱离的沉郁。

Reading note Eight lines of five characters, standard regulated structure. The rhyme words are 'corner', 'do not', 'call' and 'pass away', so the poem rhymes on the words that close each visible thing. Read the six descriptive lines evenly and low; let the seventh line land hard; let the final line fade on 'pass away'. Note how the regulated form's fixity contrasts with the randomness of the images the poet reports.此诗为五言律诗，八句——「竹凉侵卧内，野月满庭隅。重露成涓滴，稀星乍有无。暗飞萤自照，水宿鸟相呼。万事干戈里，空悲清夜徂」，押「虞」韵（隅、无、呼、徂），一韵到底，音节沉郁。全诗以乱离写夜景：前六句写秋夜的清冷（竹凉侵卧内、暗飞萤自照），后二句写乱离的感慨（万事干戈里、空悲清夜徂）。八句长篇，前写夜景，后写感慨，以「空悲清夜徂」写尽乱离的感慨，正见杜甫「沉郁」的本色。诵读此诗，宜以沉郁的语调读「竹凉侵卧内」的清冷，以低回的语调读「空悲清夜徂」的感慨，结句要读得沉郁而有余韵，方能传达出杜甫的沉郁深至。杜甫律诗以「沉郁顿挫」著称，此诗正是其夜景律诗的典范。

Line by line

万事干戈里，空悲清夜徂

Everything happens amid arms and war; in vain I grieve the passing of the clear night.

万事干戈里，空悲清夜徂。

All things are amid war; in vain I grieve as the clear night passes.

此二句是全诗写感慨的核心，以万事干戈里写干戈，以空悲清夜徂写清夜，写尽乱离的感慨，是千古名句。「万事干戈里」写万事干戈里——那「万事干戈」写万事干戈，「里」写里，写尽万事的不宁；「空悲清夜徂」写空悲清夜徂——那「空悲」写空悲，「清夜徂」写清夜徂，写尽清夜的消逝。这句的深意在于：它以「万事干戈里」的干戈与「空悲清夜徂」的清夜，写尽乱离的感慨——万事干戈里，那「万事干戈里」写尽万事的不宁——万事皆在干戈之中，正是战乱的写照，那「干戈」写尽乱离的感慨；空悲清夜徂，那「空悲清夜徂」写尽清夜的消逝——空悲清夜消逝，正是长夜难眠的写照，那「清夜徂」写尽乱离的感慨；那「万事干戈里」写尽万事的不宁，那「空悲清夜徂」写尽清夜的消逝，一写干戈，一写清夜，写尽乱离的感慨——万事干戈而清夜空逝，正是忧时伤乱的写照；此二句以干戈、清夜写尽乱离的感慨，也让此二句成为全诗写感慨的核心与千古名句。若换作直说「战乱让人睡不着」，则失其深至；唯以「万事干戈里」写干戈、「空悲清夜徂」写清夜，写尽乱离的感慨，也让此二句成为全诗写感慨的核心。

The war. All things are amid war; in vain I grieve as the clear night passes. The all-things-in-war and the in-vain-grief-at-the-passing-night are Du Fu's sleeplessness. To have said he grieved over the war at night would be a mood; the all-things-amid-war against the in-vain-grieving-as-the-clear-night-passes is the mood.

竹凉侵卧内，野月满庭隅

Coolness of bamboo seeps into the sleeping room; the wild moon fills the corner of the courtyard.

竹凉侵卧内，野月满庭隅。

Cool from the bamboos steals into the bedchamber; the wild moon fills every corner of the courtyard.

此二句是全诗写清冷的核心，以竹凉侵卧内写竹凉，以野月满庭隅写野月，写尽秋夜的清冷，是千古名句。「竹凉侵卧内」写竹凉侵卧内——那「竹凉」写竹凉，「侵卧内」写侵卧内，写尽竹凉的侵体；「野月满庭隅」写野月满庭隅——那「野月」写野月，「满庭隅」写满庭隅，写尽野月的满庭。这句的深意在于：它以「竹凉侵卧内」的竹凉与「野月满庭隅」的野月，写尽秋夜的清冷——竹凉侵卧内，那「竹凉侵卧内」写尽竹凉的侵体——竹凉侵卧，正是秋夜清凉的写照，那「侵」字写尽秋夜的清冷；野月满庭隅，那「野月满庭隅」写尽野月的满庭——野月满庭，正是月夜的写照，那「满庭隅」写尽秋夜的清冷；那「竹凉侵卧内」写尽竹凉的侵体，那「野月满庭隅」写尽野月的满庭，一写竹凉，一写野月，写尽秋夜的清冷——竹凉侵卧而野月满庭，正是秋夜独处的写照；此二句以竹凉、野月写尽秋夜的清冷，也为后文的露星萤鸟作铺垫，也让此二句成为全诗写清冷的核心与千古名句。若换作直说「秋夜很冷清」，则失其意境；唯以「竹凉侵卧内」写竹凉、「野月满庭隅」写野月，写尽秋夜的清冷，也让此二句成为全诗写清冷的核心。

The cool. Cool from the bamboos steals into the bedchamber; the wild moon fills every corner of the courtyard. The bamboo-coolness-stealing and the moon-filling-courtyard are the night's setting. To have described the cool room would be scenery; the bamboo-cool-stealing-into-the-bedchamber against the wild-moon-filling-the-courtyard-corners is the scenery.

Study

Word focus

侵 'Seeps into' - qin, to encroach or creep in; the coolness of the bamboo enters the room without anyone opening a door. 「竹凉侵卧内」之「侵」字是写清冷的关键词，一个「侵」字写尽竹凉的侵体。侵者，侵入、侵袭也。杜甫以「竹凉侵卧内」写清冷，这个「侵」字至少有双重意味：其一，写凉之侵——那「竹凉侵卧内」写竹凉侵卧内，那「侵」字写尽竹凉的侵体——竹凉侵卧，正是秋夜清凉的写照，那「侵」字写尽秋夜的清冷；其二，写愁之入——那「侵」字更是写入——侵，正见愁绪的侵入，那「侵」字写尽乱离的忧思。以「侵」字写清冷，正是杜甫写夜景的枢纽——若换作「透」「入」等字，则或失其与「竹凉」「卧内」的配合，或失其写侵的意味；唯「侵」字，以竹凉侵卧内写尽竹凉的侵体与愁绪的侵入，与「野月满庭隅」的满庭隅相合，写尽秋夜的清冷，也让「竹凉侵卧内」成为全诗写清冷的名句。

徂 'Passes away' - cu, to go or depart, used of time; here the clear night slipping past unawares and unspent. 「空悲清夜徂」之「徂」字是写感慨的关键词，一个「徂」字写尽清夜的消逝。徂者，消逝、过去也。杜甫以「空悲清夜徂」写感慨，这个「徂」字至少有双重意味：其一，写夜之徂——那「空悲清夜徂」写空悲清夜徂，那「徂」字写尽清夜的消逝——清夜徂，正是长夜将尽的写照，那「徂」字写尽乱离的感慨；其二，写时之逝——那「徂」字更是写逝——徂，正见时光的流逝，那「徂」字写尽忧时的深沉。以「徂」字写感慨，正是杜甫写夜景的枢纽——若换作「逝」「尽」等字，则或失其与「空悲」「清夜」的配合，或失其写徂的意味；唯「徂」字，以空悲清夜徂写尽清夜的消逝与时光的流逝，与「万事干戈里」的干戈相合，写尽乱离的感慨，也让「空悲清夜徂」成为全诗写感慨的名句。

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