明 Ming · 诗 Poem
发淮安
Departing Huai'an
岸蓼疏红水荇青，茨菰花白小如萍。
双鬟短袖惭人见，背立船头自采菱。
Twin loops and short sleeves, she is shy to be seen; she turns her back at the bow and gathers water-chestnut alone.
Meaning
On the bank the smartweed is a sparse red; in the water the water-caltrop is green; the arrowhead bears a white flower small as duckweed. The girl with twin loops and short sleeves is shy to be seen; she turns her back at the bow and gathers water-chestnut by herself.
岸边的蓼草开着淡红的花，水中的荇菜一片青绿；慈姑开着白色的花，小小的，像浮萍一样。梳着双环发髻、穿着短袖衣裳的少女怕被人看见，背转身子立在船头，自顾自地采着菱角。
Appreciation
Yang Shiqi's quatrain comes from one of the 'Three Yang' who served five reigns, a cabinet poet who mostly sang of peace in a plain, easy, calm manner. This poem writes a small scene of water-town life as the boat departs Huai'an, catching a natural charm within calm and peace — a representative work. The first two lines pick the water-town's own smartweed, caltrop, and arrowhead, and with 'sparse red,' 'green,' 'white flower' sketch in plain colour, opening in a few strokes a lively yet quiet water-town picture with clear visual contrast. 'Small as duckweed' neatly figures the arrowhead's smallness. The last two lines turn from still to moving: the boat and the 'twin loops, short sleeves' girl; not painting her face but 'she turns her back at the bow,' the words 'shy' and 'alone' breed a flavour, so the unconnected viewer and the gatherer seem to have a wish to meet yet avoid — the figure stands on the page.
【白话串讲】 “岸蓼疏红水荇青，茨菰花白小如萍”——杨士奇乘船过淮安：岸上蓼花疏红，水里荇菜青翠。“双鬟短袖惭人见，背立船头自采菱”——一个采菱的少女，见人害羞，背过身去。 【意象与手法】 前两句以白描设色铺开水乡基调：蓼之疏红、荇之青、茨菰花之白，红青白三色点染，视觉鲜明而格调清雅；「小如萍」以比喻状茨菰花之娇小，见观察之细。后两句由静转动，不写少女容貌，只写「双鬟短袖」的装束与「背立船头」的背影，以「惭」「自」二字传神，使观者与采菱女之间似有欲见而避之的微妙情味，人物立于纸上。 【情感与主旨】 杨士奇历仕五朝，为「三杨」之首，诗风简淡和易。此诗作于宦游舟行途中，写发舟淮安时所见水乡生活小景，于宁静和平中见天趣，是其台阁重臣身份下难得的清新之作，也折射出明初水乡的安定富庶与诗人平和愉悦的心境。 【名句点睛】 常考要点：一、前两句「疏红」「青」「花白」的色彩点染与白描手法；二、「小如萍」比喻之巧；三、「惭」「背立」二词对少女心理的传神刻画；四、全诗由景及人、以人点景的章法。
Background
Yang Shiqi (1366-1444), named Yu, courtesy Shiqi, style Dongli, was a native of Taihe who served from Jianwen to the Yingzong reigns, over forty years as a cabinet minister and twenty-one as senior grand secretary, with Yang Rong and Yang Pu known as the 'Three Yang,' called 'Western Yang.' His poetry mostly sings of peace, in a plain, easy, calm, and placid style. Huai'an was a Ming transport hub on the canal. This poem writes the small water-town scene seen as the boat sets off from Huai'an, likely written on an official river journey, finding natural charm in calm and peace — one of his representative pieces.
杨士奇（1366—1444），名寓，字士奇，号东里，江西泰和人。他由布衣入仕，历仕建文、永乐、洪熙、宣德、正统五朝，在内阁为辅臣四十余年，任首辅二十一年，与杨荣、杨溥并称「三杨」，时人以「西杨」称之，是明初台阁体诗文的核心人物。其诗多颂太平、咏景物，风格简淡和易、平正安闲，不以奇崛取胜而自有雍容之度。淮安地处运河与淮河交汇之处，为明代漕运要冲、南北交通孔道，舟楫往来不绝，水乡风物繁富，舟行其间，岸蓼、水荇、茨菰、菱歌扑面而来，皆北地行旅所罕见，遂一一收入诗中。此诗题曰《发淮安》，当是诗人舟行离淮安时即景之作，写船发之际所见岸边蓼荇、水中茨菰与采菱少女，本为行旅中一瞥之景，却被他写成一篇清新明丽的水乡小品。于台阁重臣的应制酬唱之外，这类即景小诗最能见其性情中真率的一面，故后世论者每以《发淮安》为杨士奇小诗的代表。他晚年自号「东里」，诗文集即名《东里集》，集中此类即景小诗颇多，皆以白描写眼前景，与台阁应制之作判然有别。
Art
The first two lines pick the water-town's own smartweed, caltrop, and arrowhead, and with 'sparse red,' 'green,' 'white flower' sketch in plain colour, opening in few strokes a lively yet quiet water-town picture with bright visual contrast. 'Small as duckweed' neatly figures the arrowhead's smallness, a clever touch. The last two lines turn from still to moving, writing the boat and the 'twin loops, short sleeves' girl; not her face but 'she turns her back at the bow,' the words 'shy' and 'alone' breed feeling, so the unconnected viewer and the gatherer seem to wish to meet yet avoid — the figure stands on the page.
此诗艺术之妙，在以白描设色写活水乡小景。前两句铺景：「岸蓼疏红水荇青，茨菰花白小如萍」，选取蓼、荇、茨菰三种水乡习见植物，以「疏红」「青」「花白」三色点染，红、青、白相间，视觉对比鲜明而不浓艳，寥寥数笔便铺开一幅宁静明丽的水乡秋色图。其中「疏」字写蓼花之淡远疏落，「小如萍」以比喻状茨菰花之娇小，皆见体物之细、用字之精。后两句写人：「双鬟短袖惭人见，背立船头自采菱」，不写少女容貌之美，只写其发髻装束与「背立」的动态，一个「惭」字写出少女怕人看见的羞怯心理，一个「自」字写出其专注劳作之态，观者与采菱女之间似有欲见而避的微妙情味，人物形象便在这一背一采之间立于纸上。全诗四句，前两句写景是宾，后两句写人是主，而宾主相生：景因人之采菱而活，人因景之明丽而美，二十八字间自成一幅完整的画面。全诗由静转动、由景入人，前两句之景为后两句之人设色铺垫，后两句之人又使前两句之景顿生活气，章法浑然，正是绝句以少胜多的典范。
Allusions
The poem uses no deep allusion, pure plain sketch and common things. 'Smartweed' and 'caltrop' are riverside plants known since the Shi Jing (e.g., 'now here, now there the water caltrop'); 'arrowhead' is the ci gu (sagittate), which blooms small white in autumn. 'Twin loops' means a girl's double-looped hair, used in old yuefu for lotus- and chestnut-gathering girls (e.g., the 'Western Isle Song'). 'Gathering water-chestnut' carries on the Chu Ci's 'crossing the river to gather chestnut' and the southern-dynasty yuefu 'Water-Chestnut Song' tradition of writing river-girls at work; the allusion melts into folk things, no piling.
此诗无深僻用典，纯以白描与常物取胜，然所用意象皆承诗家传统。「蓼」「荇」皆《诗经》以来水边习见植物，《诗·周南·关雎》「参差荇菜，左右流之」即以荇菜起兴，写水边采物之情，杨士奇写「水荇青」，暗含这一古老的水乡记忆；「茨菰」即慈姑，多年生水生植物，秋季开小白花，是江南水乡常见风物，以其入诗，正见诗人取材之真。「双鬟」指少女梳成的双环形发髻，古乐府写采莲女、采菱女多用之，如《西洲曲》「双鬓鸦雏色」即以鬓发写少女娇美，此处「双鬟短袖」亦承此传统而更简净；「采菱」则承《楚辞·招魂》「涉江采菱」与南朝乐府《采菱曲》的采菱传统，写水乡女儿劳作之美。南朝梁武帝制《江南弄》七曲，其一即《采菱曲》，与《采莲曲》并为江南水乡乐歌，后世诗词写采菱者不绝，如王维「采菱渡头风急」；杨士奇此诗写少女采菱，正是这一乐府传统的隔代回响。故实融入民间风物，不见堆垛，正合杨士奇「简淡和易」的诗风，亦可见明代诗人对六朝乐府民歌的遥接。
Commentary
Wang Shizhen, in his 'Yi Yuan Zhi Yan,' rated Yang Shiqi's poetry 'like level water under a bridge, roughly a small effect' — a slight jibe yet granting it clear shallowness. The modern Qian Zhonglian, in his 'Dictionary of Yuan-Ming-Qing Poetry,' calls this poem 'a genre-painting on the lake' and 'one word back saves how many strokes,' holding that amid the Three Yang's cabinet manner it alone keeps a natural true charm — a small poem not to be slighted.
明代诗坛对杨士奇评价不一。王世贞《艺苑卮言》评其诗「如流水平桥，粗成小致」，虽微含讥薄，以为少深致，然亦不得不许其「清浅有致」；清人沈德潜《明诗别裁》则谓「东里诗平正通达」，肯定其雍容和平的台阁气象。就《发淮安》而言，近人钱仲联主编《元明清诗鉴赏辞典》称此诗为「一幅湖上风俗画」，特赏「一个背字节省多少笔墨」，以为在三杨台阁体中独存天然真趣，足见其小诗之不可轻。平心而论，杨士奇诗虽不如高启之雄放、李东阳之典重，然其即景小诗清丽省净、含情不露，自有台阁体之外的另一种价值，与明初宋濂的朴厚、刘基的奇崛恰成对照，为明诗由元入明后的平淡一格留下了标本。今人论明代台阁体，每讥其颂圣应制、缺乏性情，然此诗正可证明：即便台阁重臣，一旦放下应制之笔、面对水乡真景，亦能写出清新自然之作；可见题材与心境对诗风的影响，往往大于流派的标签。诗歌史上，杨士奇这类小诗虽不居要津，却以持久的生活气息赢得了历代读者的喜爱。
Prosody
Line by line
岸蓼疏红水荇青
On the bank, the smartweed's sparse red; in the water, the water-caltrop's green
岸边的蓼草开着淡红的花，水中的荇菜一片青绿。
On the bank, smartweed blooms in scattered red; in the water, the floating hearts are green.
首句以白描设色，一句写出两种水乡植物。「岸蓼疏红」写岸上蓼花：蓼花本细碎繁密，着一「疏」字，便写出花开之淡远、分布之疏落，不密不艳，正合水乡秋日的清旷之气；「水荇青」写水中荇菜，荇叶浮于水面，青翠可掬，与岸上之红遥相呼应。红对青、岸对水、疏对密，上下对举，色彩明丽而格调清雅，寥寥七字便铺开水乡的基调。此句纯用名词与形容词，不着动词，却静中蕴动，仿佛一幅静物写生，为后两句写人预作色彩的铺垫，可见诗人取材之真、下笔之省。
The banks. On the bank, smartweed blooms in scattered red; in the water, the floating hearts are green. The scattered red smartweed and the green water plants are the waterside. To have described the river plants would be scenery; the bank-smartweed-scattered-red against the water-floating-hearts-green is the scenery.
茨菰花白小如萍
The arrowhead's white flower is small as duckweed
慈姑开着白色的花，小小的，像浮萍一样。
The arrowhead blossoms white, tiny as duckweed.
此句续写水景，专取茨菰一物：「花白」写其色，与上句「疏红」「青」构成第三色，红、青、白三色点染，画面愈显明净；「小如萍」以浮萍作比，写茨菰花之娇小，花本已小，更小如萍，体物之细令人叹服。值得注意的是，诗人不写茨菰叶之肥大，只拈出花之「小」来写，正是以小见大、以细传神；且「如萍」之喻取眼前水乡习见之物，不事僻典，天然入妙。三句连写蓼、荇、茨菰三种植物，却不嫌堆砌，反成水乡风物志般的清丽画面，为下文少女出场布下明净的背景，诗笔之从容可见。
The arrowhead. The arrowhead blossoms white, tiny as duckweed. The white tiny flowers compared to duckweed are the third color. To have described the small white flower would be a detail; the arrowhead-blossoms-white-tiny-as-duckweed is the detail.
双鬟短袖惭人见
Twin loops and short sleeves, she is shy to be seen
梳着双环发髻、穿着短袖衣裳的少女怕被人看见。
With double buns and short sleeves, she is shy of being seen.
此句由景入人，人物登场。「双鬟短袖」先写装束：双鬟是少女发式，短袖是水乡劳作之服，四字点出人物身份，不是深闺仕女，而是船头劳作的乡村少女。「惭人见」三字写其心理：怕被人看见，一个「惭」字，将少女的羞怯、矜持写得入木三分。妙在诗人与少女同处舟中，少女「惭人见」者，正见诗人也；于是观者与采菱女之间，似有欲见而避之的微妙情味，无形中拉近了诗与画的距离。全句不写容貌而写神态，以「惭」字立骨，人物形象便在这一念羞怯间活了起来，比直写「貌美如花」高明得多，可见炼字传神之力。
The girl. With double buns and short sleeves, she is shy of being seen. The double-bunned short-sleeved girl shy of being seen is the figure. To have described the shy girl would be a portrait; the double-buns-and-short-sleeves-shy-of-being-seen is the portrait.
背立船头自采菱
She turns her back at the bow and gathers water-chestnut alone
背转身子立在船头，自顾自地采着菱角。
She stands with her back at the bow, gathering water chestnuts on her own.
结句写少女的动作，是全诗最见匠心的笔墨。不写正面采菱，偏写「背立」，因羞怕见人而转身背立，动作与上句心理一一照应；「船头」点明位置，少女立于船头，背景是前两句的蓼荇茨菰，画面完整而富层次。「自采菱」的「自」字尤妙：自顾自地采，不理睬外界的目光，专注而自在，羞涩与勤勉兼而有之。一个「背」字，既避开了正面描写的俗套，又留下想象的空间，诗人所见的只是背影，读者所想的却是少女的整个神情，留白之妙，含蓄不尽。四句诗至此完成「景—人—态」的递进，以人点景，以态传神，全篇韵味全在这一背一采之间。
The back. She stands with her back at the bow, gathering water chestnuts on her own. The back-turned bow and the self-absorbed chestnut gathering are the close. To have described the back-turned girl would be a detail; the she-stands-with-her-back-at-the-bow-gathering-water-chestnuts-on-her-own is the detail.
Study
Word focus
Related Reading
Both write bright Jiangnan small scenes; one tower-mist-rain, one water-town chestnut-gathering — compare Tang spaciousness with Ming clear grace.
杜牧《江南春》「千里莺啼绿映红，水村山郭酒旗风」与《发淮安》同写江南明丽风光，而一唐一明，笔法迥异。杜诗以「千里」起笔，鸟啼、花色、酒旗、楼台、烟雨诸象层叠，时空宏阔，气象疏宕，末句「多少楼台烟雨中」更含历史兴亡之慨；杨诗则只取岸边蓼荇、舟中少女一隅小景，白描设色，不加议论，含蓄清婉。同是写景，杜诗如大幅泼墨，杨诗如工笔小品；杜以气胜，杨以韵胜。比较二诗，可见唐诗之疏宕与明诗之清婉两种审美理想的差异，亦可体会绝句写景由宏到微的演进轨迹。
夜泊钱塘 Mooring at Qiantang by Night 茅坤 · 同写明代水乡行旅，一乐一悲 Same: Ming water-town travel, fresh small sceneYang Shiqi writes the beauty seen at departure, Mao Kun the sorrow felt at night mooring — compare same water-town, one joy one grief.
茅坤《夜泊钱塘》与《发淮安》同出明人笔下的水乡行旅，而情调相反。杨士奇写舟发淮安，岸蓼水荇、少女采菱，色彩明丽，心境平和，是一幅宁静欢悦的水乡风俗画；茅坤写夜泊钱塘，孤舟寒江、离愁别绪，色调黯淡，情绪低回。同一水乡，一以昼景写乐，一以夜景写悲，可见景物本身无情，而情随境生。比较二诗，既可理解明代行旅诗的两极风貌，亦可体会「以我观物，故物皆著我之色彩」的诗学原理，对把握古典诗歌情景关系的处理方式很有启发。