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明 Ming · 词 Ci lyric

点绛唇·春日风雨

Rouge Lips: Spring Wind and Rain

陈子龙

Chen Zilong

明词Ming ci poetry 陈子龙Chen Zilong 伤春lamenting spring 亡国之思grief for the fallen state

满眼韶华,东风惯是吹红去。
几番烟雾,只有花难护。
梦里相思,故国王孙路。
春无主!
杜鹃啼处,泪染胭脂雨。

Eyes full of bright spring, the east wind ever blows the reds away.
Through several veils of mist, only the flowers are hard to protect.
In dreams I long, the road of the prince of the fallen kingdom.
Spring has no master! Where the cuckoo cries, tears dye the rouge-rain.
Listen

Meaning

A lyric that seems to lament the passing of spring but secretly mourns the lost Ming state, blending a lover's sorrow with grief for a homeland without a master.

满眼春光,东风总是把红花吹落。几番烟雾迷茫,只有花朵最难护持。梦里相思,是故国公子的归路。春已无主!杜鹃啼鸣之处,泪洒如胭脂般的春雨。

Appreciation

The upper stanza writes the fading of spring: bright spring fills the eyes, yet the east wind ever blows the red blossoms away; through veils of mist only the flowers are hardest to keep. The lower stanza turns to the pain of a lost kingdom: in dreams I long for the road of the prince, then 'spring has no master' sharply pivots, binding spring-lament to the grief of a fallen state. It ends on 'where the cuckoo cries, tears dye the rouge-rain,' ending on scene, desolate and exquisite. Chen Zilong, a loyalist who resisted the Qing, hides the pain of a lost country in the language of a wronged woman, making personal feeling and national grief one.

【白话串讲】 “满眼韶华,东风惯是吹红去”——陈子龙写春日风雨:东风把花吹走。“几番烟雾,只有花难护”——“梦里相思,故国王孙路”——他梦里还想着故国。“杜鹃啼处,泪染胭脂雨”——他借风雨,写亡国之痛。 【意象与手法】“东风惯是吹红去”以“惯”字写摧花之无情;“几番烟雾,只有花难护”以无奈衬残春。下片“春无主”三字陡转,将伤春与亡国之痛绾合;结以“杜鹃啼处,泪染胭脂雨”,以景结情,凄艳欲绝。 【情感与主旨】表面伤春,实寓故国之思。陈子龙为明末抗清志士,词中“故国王孙路”“春无主”暗写明亡后山河无主之痛,将儿女之情与家国之恨融为一体,凄婉沉郁。 【名句点睛】“春无主!杜鹃啼处,泪染胭脂雨。”——“春无主”三字,既写春去无凭,更喻故国沦丧、山河无主。杜鹃啼血化为胭脂雨,凄艳至极,把身世之悲与家国之痛凝为一句。

Background

Chen Zilong (1608-1647), courtesy Wozi, was a late-Ming man of letters and anti-Qing hero, leader of the Ji Society. This lyric was written around the fall of the Ming, using lament for spring to lodge grief for the lost state; 'prince' and 'spring has no master' both hint at the pain of the fallen kingdom.

《点绛唇·春日风雨》为明代陈子龙所作,是写春日风雨、故国之思的词。陈子龙(1608—1647),字卧子,号大樽,松江华亭人,明代抗清志士、诗人。此词:满眼韶华,东风惯是吹红去。几番烟雾,只有花难护。梦里相思,故国王孙路。春无主!杜鹃啼处,泪染胭脂雨。全词写春日风雨、故国之思,是陈子龙词的名篇。

Art

The upper stanza writes the east wind destroying flowers and mist that cannot protect them, using scene to set the helplessness of fading spring. The lower stanza's 'spring has no master' sharply pivots, binding spring-lament to the grief of a lost state. It ends on scene with 'where the cuckoo cries, tears dye the rouge-rain,' desolate and exquisite — a representative deep, graceful lyric of the Yunjian school.

《点绛唇·春日风雨》艺术上以春日风雨的描摹与故国之思的深婉见长。全词分两片:上片写风雨落花——“满眼韶华,东风惯是吹红去”写满眼韶华、东风惯是吹红去,“几番烟雾,只有花难护”写几番烟雾、只有花难护;下片写故国之思——“梦里相思,故国王孙路”写梦里相思、故国王孙路,“春无主!杜鹃啼处,泪染胭脂雨”用杜鹃之典写春无主、杜鹃啼处、泪染胭脂雨。全词以春日风雨写故国之思,正是陈子龙词深婉的笔法。

Allusions

'Prince' uses 'the prince wanders and does not return' from the Chu Ci: Summons for a Recluse, hinting at the prince of the fallen kingdom. 'Spring has no master' means the land is lost and none rules it. 'Cuckoo' uses the tale of Emperor Wang who turned into the cuckoo and cried blood; here it becomes 'rouge-rain,' both desolate and doubly suggestive.

《点绛唇·春日风雨》用典在“韶华”“吹红”“几番烟雾”“故国”“王孙”“杜鹃”“胭脂雨”。“韶华”写韶华(春光);“吹红”写吹红(吹落红花);“几番烟雾”写几番烟雾;“故国”写故国;“王孙”用王孙之典(王孙游兮不归);“杜鹃”用杜鹃啼血之典;“胭脂雨”写胭脂雨(红雨)。全词以这些典故写春日风雨、故国之思,用典自然而深婉自见,正是陈子龙词的笔法。

Commentary

In the late-Ming lyric world, Chen Zilong took the ornate late-Tang and Five-Dynasty manner into depth and gravity, opening the way for the Qing lyric revival. This piece writes mourning in ornate language; Tan Xian praised it as 'graceful yet ruled,' desolate yet with backbone.

《点绛唇·春日风雨》是陈子龙词的名篇,也是明末词中写故国之思的代表作。此词写春日风雨、故国之思,向为论者称道。论者多赏其春日风雨的描摹与故国之思的深婉——“满眼韶华,东风惯是吹红去”写满眼韶华、东风惯是吹红去,深婉之极;“几番烟雾,只有花难护”写几番烟雾、只有花难护,更见其叹;“春无主!杜鹃啼处,泪染胭脂雨”用杜鹃之典写春无主、杜鹃啼处、泪染胭脂雨,尤见其悲。陈子龙为明末抗清志士,其词多寄托故国之思,此词正是其代表——以春日风雨写故国之思,正是其词风。

Prosody

Form Ci lyric: Rouge Lips词(点绛唇)
Rhyme Rhymes on qu (away), hu (protect), lu (road), yu (rain) across Yu-Mu/Gu-Su (oblique tones).《点绛唇·春日风雨》为词(点绛唇),四十一字,押仄声韵。此词用韵:去、护(遇部),路、雨(遇部),一韵到底,音节深婉。
Tone pattern Ci tune (short lyric).词(点绛唇)以音节深婉、情致低回见长。此词写春日风雨、故国之思,音节深婉而低回。全词以长短句贯底,声调与故国之思的内容相合,是陈子龙词中深婉的一路。
Reading note Rouge Lips is double-tune, 41 characters: upper stanza four lines, three oblique rhymes; lower stanza five lines, four oblique rhymes. The lower-stanza 'spring has no master' is a two-character halt followed by scene, making the structure steep and turning.《点绛唇·春日风雨》为明代陈子龙所作,是写春日风雨、故国之思的词。此词以“满眼韶华,东风惯是吹红去”写风雨落花,以“几番烟雾,只有花难护”写护花之叹,以“梦里相思,故国王孙路”写故国之思,以“春无主!杜鹃啼处,泪染胭脂雨”写故国之悲。写春日风雨、故国之思,正是陈子龙词的名篇。

Line by line

满眼韶华,东风惯是吹红去。

Eye-filling spring glory; the east wind is forever blowing the red blossoms away.

满眼韶华,东风惯是吹红去。

Everywhere the splendor of spring; the east wind is used to blowing the red blossoms away.

首写满眼韶华、东风惯是吹红去,是全词写风雨落花的起点。“满眼韶华”写满眼韶华——“满眼韶华”写满眼春光韶华——满眼韶华;“东风惯是吹红去”写东风惯是吹红去——“东风惯是吹红去”写东风惯是把红花吹落——东风惯是吹红去。二句写满眼韶华、东风惯是吹红去:满眼韶华,东风惯是吹红去。以“满眼韶华”写满眼韶华、春光满目,以“东风惯是吹红去”写东风惯吹、红花落去,正是陈子龙词写风雨落花的起点——满眼韶华,东风吹红。

The glory. Eye-filling spring glory; the east wind is forever blowing the red blossoms away. The eye-filling glory and the wind that always blows the red away are the opening. To have described the spring glory and its loss would be a contrast; the eye-filling-spring-glory against the east-wind-forever-blowing-the-red-blossoms-away is the contrast.

几番烟雾,只有花难护。

After wave on wave of mist and rain, only the flowers are hard to protect.

几番烟雾,只有花难护。

After several rounds of mist and rain, the flowers alone are hard to protect.

中写几番烟雾、只有花难护,是全词写护花之叹的深化。“几番烟雾”写几番烟雾——“几番烟雾”写几番风雨烟雾——几番烟雾;“只有花难护”写只有花难护——“只有花难护”写只有花最难护持——只有花难护。二句写几番烟雾、只有花难护:几番烟雾,只有花难护。以“几番烟雾”写几番烟雾、风雨频仍,以“只有花难护”写只有花难护、护花无计,正是陈子龙词写护花之叹的深化——几番烟雾,花难护持。

The protection. After wave on wave of mist and rain, only the flowers are hard to protect. The repeated mist and the hard-to-protect flowers are the helplessness. To have said the flowers could not be saved would be a statement; the after-wave-on-wave-of-mist-and-rain against the only-the-flowers-are-hard-to-protect is the statement.

梦里相思,故国王孙路。

In dreams I long; the road to the old kingdom, the road of the wandering prince.

梦里相思,故国王孙路。

In dreams, longing—the old kingdom, the road where the prince has not returned.

中用王孙之典写梦里相思、故国王孙路,是全词写故国之思的深化。“梦里相思”写梦里相思——“梦里相思”写梦里相思无尽——梦里相思;“故国王孙路”用王孙之典写故国王孙路——“故国王孙路”用王孙游兮不归之典写故国王孙归路——故国王孙路。二句写梦里相思、故国王孙路:梦里相思,故国王孙路。以“梦里相思”写梦里相思、情不能已,以“故国王孙路”用王孙之典写故国王孙、归路何处,正是陈子龙词写故国之思的深化——梦里相思,故国王孙。

The road. In dreams I long; the road to the old kingdom, the road of the wandering prince. The dream-longing and the Book of Songs wandering-prince road are the Ming loyalist grief. To have invoked the old kingdom in a dream would be a dream; the in-dreams-I-long against the old-kingdom-the-road-of-the-wandering-prince is the dream.

春无主!杜鹃啼处,泪染胭脂雨。

Spring has no master! Where the cuckoo cries, tears stain the rouge-red rain.

春无主!杜鹃啼处,泪染胭脂雨。

Spring has no lord! Where the cuckoo cries, tears stain the rouge-colored rain.

末用杜鹃之典写春无主、杜鹃啼处、泪染胭脂雨,是全词写故国之悲的归结。“春无主”写春无主——“春无主”写春光已无主宰——春无主;“杜鹃啼处,泪染胭脂雨”用杜鹃之典写杜鹃啼处、泪染胭脂雨——“杜鹃啼处”用杜鹃啼血之典写杜鹃啼叫之处,“泪染胭脂雨”写泪染如胭脂红雨——杜鹃啼处,泪染胭脂雨。三句写春无主、杜鹃啼处、泪染胭脂雨:春无主!杜鹃啼处,泪染胭脂雨。以“春无主”写春无主、春光无主之叹,以“杜鹃啼处”用杜鹃啼血之典写杜鹃啼处、望帝之悲,以“泪染胭脂雨”写泪染红雨、血泪交融,正是陈子龙词写故国之悲的归结——春无主,杜鹃啼血。

The cuckoo. Spring has no master! Where the cuckoo cries, tears stain the rouge-red rain. The spring-without-master and the cuckoo's tears in the rouge rain are the close. To have described the cuckoo's weeping would be a scene; the spring-has-no-lord against the where-the-cuckoo-cries-tears-stain-the-rouge-red-rain is the scene.

Study

Word focus

韶华 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. “满眼韶华”之“韶华”,写春光韶华,是全词写春光之美的关键词。“韶华”写美好的时光(韶光)——满眼春光韶华。这一词写春之美:不是寻常之春,而韶华;不是可状之景,而美好光阴。以“满眼韶华”写满眼韶华、春光满目,正是陈子龙词写风雨落花的起点。
吹红 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. “东风惯是吹红去”之“吹红”,写吹落红花,是全词写落花之叹的关键词。“吹红”写吹落红英——东风惯是把红花吹落。这一词写花之落:不是吹开之花,而吹红去;不是可状之态,而红英委地。以“满眼韶华,东风惯是吹红去”写东风惯吹、红花落去,正是陈子龙词写风雨落花的笔法。
王孙 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. “故国王孙路”之“王孙”,用王孙游兮不归之典写王孙,是全词写故国之思的典故词。“王孙”用王孙之典(王孙游兮不归)——故国王孙归路。这一词写归之望:不是他乡之人,而王孙;不是可状之人,而故国遗民。以“梦里相思,故国王孙路”用王孙之典写故国王孙、归路何处,正是陈子龙词写故国之思的深化。
杜鹃 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. “杜鹃啼处”之“杜鹃”,用杜鹃啼血之典写杜鹃,是全词写故国之悲的典故词。“杜鹃”用杜鹃啼血之典(望帝化鹃)——杜鹃啼叫之处。这一词写啼之悲:不是寻常之鸟,而杜鹃;不是可状之声,而啼血之鹃。以“春无主!杜鹃啼处,泪染胭脂雨”用杜鹃之典写杜鹃啼处、血泪红雨,正是陈子龙词写故国之悲的归结。

Related Reading

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Compare this related work with the poem above through theme, imagery, tone, and emotional movement.

陈子龙《渡易水》写易水送别、荆卿之慨,与本首同为陈子龙诗写故国之悲。差异在体裁:点绛唇为词;渡易水为诗。一写“春”之悲,一写“水”之慨。两者并读,可见陈子龙写故国之悲的两种体裁。

易水歌 Song of the Yi River 陈子龙 · 同为陈子龙诗写悲歌慷慨,一写春日风雨一写易水悲歌,皆悲壮 Related reading

Compare this related work with the poem above through theme, imagery, tone, and emotional movement.

陈子龙《易水歌》写易水悲歌、荆卿之慨,与本首同为陈子龙诗写悲歌慷慨。差异在主题:点绛唇写春日故国;易水歌写易水悲歌。一写“春”之怨,一写“歌”之慨。两者并读,可见陈子龙写悲歌慷慨的两种主题。

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Compare this related work with the poem above through theme, imagery, tone, and emotional movement.

李煜《相见欢·林花谢了春红》写林花谢红、故国之思,与本首同为词写风雨伤春、故国之思。差异在情境:陈子龙写春日风雨;李煜写林花谢红。一写“春”之怨,一写“花”之谢。两者并读,可见词写风雨伤春、故国之思的两种情境。