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明 Ming · 诗 Poem

墨萱图

Ink Daylily

王冕

Wang Mian

亲情family love 咏物object-chant

灿灿萱草花，罗生北堂下。
南风吹其心，摇摇为谁吐？
慈母倚门情，游子行路苦。
甘旨日以疏，音问日以阻。
举头望云林，愧听慧鸟语。

Brilliant, the daylily flowers,
Clustered, they grow beneath the north hall.
The south wind blows their hearts;
Swaying, for whom do they breathe forth?
The tender mother leans at the gate in love;
The wandering son toils upon the road.
Sweet fare grows daily distant;
Letters daily are blocked.
I lift my head toward the clouded woods,
And in shame I hear the wise bird's cry.

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Meaning

Brilliant daylily flowers cluster beneath the north hall. The south wind stirs their hearts; swaying, for whom do they breathe forth their fragrance? The loving mother leans at the gate, longing for her son; the wandering son suffers the hardship of the road. The sweet care he owes her grows daily more distant; word from her is daily more blocked. He lifts his head toward the clouded woods, and in shame hears the wise bird's call.

灿烂的萱草花，丛生在北堂之下。南风吹动它的心，轻轻摇曳是在为谁吐露芬芳？慈爱的母亲倚门盼子的深情，远行游子旅途的辛苦。对母亲的甘美奉养日渐疏远，母亲的音信也一天天被阻隔。抬头望向那片云林，惭愧地听着慧鸟的鸣叫。

Appreciation

Wang Mian's poem takes the daylily as its opening image. 'Brilliant' and 'clustered' write the flower's abundance; 'the south wind blows their hearts; swaying, for whom do they breathe forth' personifies the flower, darkly figuring the mother's gentle, selfless love. The middle couplets set the two sides face to face - 'the tender mother leans at the gate; the wandering son toils upon the road' - and 'sweet fare grows daily distant; letters daily blocked' deepen, by progression, the barrier between them. It closes on 'lifting the head toward the clouded woods, in shame hearing the wise bird' - a scenic line that gathers the feeling - binding flower, mother and self in three layers. Plain yet deeply tender, it keeps the true flavor of yuefu folk song, natural in structure yet not without rule.

【白话串讲】王冕画萱草图，想起母亲：“灿灿萱草花，罗生北堂下”。“慈母倚门情，游子行路苦”——母亲倚门等他。“举头望云林，愧听慧鸟语”——他抬头望云，听见鸟叫都觉得惭愧——自己多久没回家了。【意象与手法】诗以萱草起兴，“灿灿”“罗生”写花之繁丽，“南风吹其心，摇摇为谁吐”以拟人之笔将花人格化，暗喻母爱的温柔吐露【情感与主旨】王冕（1310—1359，诗系元代而本题依所配元数据作明代题咏），字元章，号煮石山农，诸暨人，元代著名画家、诗人，尤【名句点睛】常考：一、“南风吹其心，摇摇为谁吐”的妙处——拟人写萱草，暗喻母爱温柔无私，设问添情韵

Background

Wang Mian (1310-1359; the poem belongs to the Yuan yet here catalogued by its attached Ming metadata), courtesy Yuanzhang, style Zhushishannong, of Zhuji, was a famous Yuan painter and poet, especially skilled at ink plum and ink daylily. 'Ink Daylily' is inscribed on his self-painted daylily. The daylily was anciently called 'forget-sorrow' and also figures the mother (planting daylily in the north hall), so the poet uses the painting to voice a wanderer's guilt at being far off and unable to care for his parent - a work of utmost feeling among his family poems, plain in language yet sincere, with a warmth and depth rare among painting-poems.

《墨萱图》为元代王冕所作，是题画诗。王冕（1287—1359），字元章，号煮石山农，诸暨人，元代画家、诗人。此诗：灿灿萱草花，罗生北堂下。南风吹其心，摇摇为谁吐？慈母倚门情，游子行路苦。甘旨日以疏，音问日以阻。举头望云林，愧听慧鸟语。全诗写慈母倚门、游子行路之思，是王冕题画诗的名篇。

Art

The poem takes the daylily as its opening image. 'Brilliant' and 'clustered' write the flower's luxuriance; 'the south wind blows their hearts; swaying, for whom do they breathe forth' personifies it, darkly figuring the mother's gentle love. The middle couplets 'the tender mother leans at the gate in love; the wandering son toils upon the road' set the two sides face to face, and 'sweet fare grows daily distant; letters daily blocked' by progression write the depth of separation. It closes with 'lifting the head toward the clouded woods, in shame hearing the wise bird' - a scenic line gathering feeling; flower, person and self are bound in three layers, plain yet deeply tender, keeping the true interest of the yuefu ballad, natural in structure yet not without rule.

《墨萱图》艺术上以起兴的笔法与慈孝之情的深婉见长。全诗十句，层层写来：前四句写萱草起兴——“灿灿萱草花，罗生北堂下”写萱草罗生北堂，“南风吹其心，摇摇为谁吐”写南风吹心、为谁而吐；中四句写慈母游子——“慈母倚门情，游子行路苦”写慈母倚门、游子行路，“甘旨日以疏，音问日以阻”写甘旨日疏、音问日阻；末二句写愧听鸟语——“举头望云林，愧听慧鸟语”写望云林、愧听鸟语。全诗以萱草起兴写慈母游子，正是王冕题画诗深婉的笔法。

Allusions

The 'north hall' anciently meant the mother's dwelling (the Book of Ceremonies: 'the wife washes in the north hall'), later 'north-hall daylily' stood for the mother. The daylily's 'forget-sorrow' and 'good for sons' figures come from the Shijing 'Airs of Wei - A Beneful Husband' ('where to get the xu grass, plant it on the back' - xu is the daylily, back is the north hall). The 'wise bird' may take the meaning of feeding-back (filial birds), using the bird's filial piety to counterpoint man's failure. The allusions all melt into the feeling, unworked yet self-complete, keeping the legacy of yuefu metaphor - showing the native color of his 'lofty, pure conduct'.

《墨萱图》用典在“萱草”“北堂”。“萱草”用《诗经·卫风·伯兮》“焉得谖草，言树之背”之典，古人以萱草植北堂，为忘忧之草、亦为慈母之代称；“北堂”为母之所居；“甘旨”写美味的供养（《礼记》有“甘旨”之语）。全诗以这些典故写慈母游子，用典自然而深婉自见，正是王冕题的笔法。

Commentary

The Si Ku summary says of Wang Mian 'his poems are mostly plain, yet his conduct is lofty and pure'. This poem stands with Meng Jiao's 'Song of the Wandering Son' as a masterpiece on the mother; a modern critic calls it 'like a yuefu, clumsy in words yet true in feeling'. Gu Sili's Anthology of Yuan Poetry includes his verse, saying 'Yuanzhang's poems are like a beauty's song, grace leaping out'. In short, this five-character ancient writes the mother through the daylily, sincere and natural, worthy to stand with the famous poems of remembrance through the ages; it crowns the painting-poems of family love, and reading it brings tears.

《墨萱图》是王冕题画诗的名篇，也是中国诗歌中写慈母之爱的代表作。此诗写慈母倚门、游子行路之思，向为论者称道。论者多赏其起兴的笔法——“灿灿萱草花，罗生北堂下”以萱草起兴，写慈母之所居；“慈母倚门情，游子行路苦”写慈母倚门、游子行路，更见母子之情。王冕以画梅名世，兼工诗，其诗以质朴深婉著称，此诗正是其代表——以萱草起兴写慈母游子，正是其诗风。

Prosody

Form Five-character ancient poem (five-character gu)五言古诗

Rhyme Ping-shui rhyme, rising-tone yu group (below, breathe, bitter, blocked, cry), ancient-form broad assonance《墨萱图》为五言古诗，十句，押仄声韵。此诗用韵：下、吐（上声）、苦、阻（上声）、语（上声），一韵到底，音节质朴。

Tone pattern Ancient-form poem, not bound by level-oblique五言古诗以音节质朴、情致深婉见长。此诗写慈母游子，音节质朴而深婉。全诗以五言贯底，声调与慈孝之情的内容相合，是元代诗中质朴深婉的一路。

Reading note Yuefu legacy, plain words true feeling, from object to person.《墨萱图》为元代王冕所作，是题画诗。此诗以“灿灿萱草花，罗生北堂下”以萱草起兴，以“慈母倚门情，游子行路苦”写母子之情，以“甘旨日以疏，音问日以阻”写供养音问渐疏，以“愧听慧鸟语”写游子之愧。以萱草起兴写慈母游子，正是王冕题画诗的名篇。

Line by line

灿灿萱草花，罗生北堂下。南风吹其心，摇摇为谁吐？

Glorious the daylilies, spread beneath the northern hall. The south wind stirs their hearts; trembling, for whom do they bloom?

灿灿的萱草花，罗列生长在北堂之下。南风吹拂它的心，摇摇摆摆为谁吐露？

Bright yellow daylilies grow in rows beneath the northern hall; the south wind stirs their hearts, trembling, for whom do they open?

前四句写萱草起兴，是全诗慈母之情的起点。“灿灿萱草花，罗生北堂下”写萱草北堂——“灿灿萱草花”写灿灿的萱草花，“罗生北堂下”写罗列生长在北堂之下——萱草灿灿，罗生北堂；“南风吹其心，摇摇为谁吐”写南风吹心——“南风吹其心”写南风吹拂它的心，“摇摇为谁吐”写摇摇摆摆为谁吐露——南风吹心，摇摇为谁。四句写萱草起兴：灿灿萱草花、罗生北堂下，南风吹其心、摇摇为谁吐。以“灿灿萱草花，罗生北堂下”以萱草（忘忧草、慈母之代称）起兴写北堂（母之所居），以“南风吹其心，摇摇为谁吐”写其摇摇为谁而吐，正是王冕题画诗以萱草起兴写慈母之情的笔法——萱草摇摇，正如慈母之心。

The daylilies. Glorious the daylilies, spread beneath the northern hall. The south wind stirs their hearts; trembling, for whom do they bloom? The daylilies (the forget-sorrow flower, mother's emblem) beneath the northern hall are the opening image. To have invoked the daylily would be an allusion; the glorious-daylilies-spread-beneath-the-northern-hall-the-south-wind-stirs-their-hearts-trembling-for-whom-do-they-bloom is the allusion.

慈母倚门情，游子行路苦。甘旨日以疏，音问日以阻。

A loving mother leans on the gate; the wanderer's road is bitter. Daily the fine fare grows sparse; daily the letters are blocked.

慈母倚门盼望的情意，游子行路的辛苦。甘美的供养日渐疏远，音信问讯日渐阻隔。

The loving mother's leaning-on-the-gate feeling; the wanderer's road-worn toil. Daily the dainty fare grows scarce; daily news grows harder to send.

中四句写慈母游子，是全诗慈母之情的核心。“慈母倚门情，游子行路苦”写慈母倚门——“慈母倚门情”写慈母倚门盼望之情，“游子行路苦”写游子行路之辛苦——慈母倚门，游子行路；“甘旨日以疏，音问日以阻”写甘旨音问——“甘旨日以疏”写甘美的供养日渐疏远，“音问日以阻”写音信问讯日渐阻隔——甘旨日疏，音问日阻。四句写慈母游子：慈母倚门情、游子行路苦，甘旨日以疏、音问日以阻。以“慈母倚门情，游子行路苦”写母子两处之念，以“甘旨日以疏，音问日以阻”写供养日疏、音问日阻，正是王冕题画诗写慈母游子之情的核心——慈母倚门而望，游子行路而苦，音问渐疏。

The gate. A loving mother leans on the gate; the wanderer's road is bitter. Daily the fine fare grows sparse; daily the letters are blocked. The mother leaning on the gate and the sparse fare and blocked letters are the core. To have set the mother against the wanderer would be a contrast; the loving-mother-leans-on-the-gate-the-wanderer's-road-is-bitter-daily-the-fine-fare-grows-sparse-daily-the-letters-are-blocked is the contrast.

举头望云林，愧听慧鸟语。

I lift my head to the clouded grove; ashamed, I listen to the wise birds' cries.

举头望向云林，惭愧地听着慧鸟的啼语。

I raise my eyes to the cloud-wreathed woods, ashamed to hear the wise birds' song.

末二句写愧听鸟语，是全诗游子之愧的归结。“举头望云林”写望云林——“举头望云林”写举头望向云林（游子所望之远山）——举头望云林；“愧听慧鸟语”写愧听鸟语——“愧听”写惭愧地听，“慧鸟语”用“慈乌反哺”之意，写慧鸟（乌鸦反哺为孝）的啼语——愧听慧鸟语。二句写愧听鸟语：举头望云林，愧听慧鸟语。以“举头望云林”写游子望乡，以“愧听慧鸟语”用慈乌反哺之典，写见鸟反哺而愧己不能奉养，正是王冕题画诗写游子之愧的归结——鸟犹反哺，而己不能养母，闻鸟语而愈愧。

The birds. I lift my head to the clouded grove; ashamed, I listen to the wise birds' cries. The crow-returning-to-feed-its-parents allusion and the shame are the close. To have heard the crows with shame would be a shame; the I-lift-my-head-to-the-clouded-groves-ashamed-I-listen-to-the-wise-birds'-cries is the shame.

Study

Word focus

萱草 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. “灿灿萱草花”之“萱草”，用《诗经·伯兮》“焉得谖草”之典，写忘忧草、慈母之代称，是全诗起兴的关键词。“萱草”写萱草花——灿灿的萱草花，罗生北堂下。这一词以“萱草”起兴：不是寻常之花，而萱草；不是无义之草，而忘忧、慈母之代称。以“灿灿萱草花，罗生北堂下”起兴，正是王冕题画诗以萱草写慈母之情的笔法。

北堂 Anciently the mother's dwelling; here stands for the mother, naming the daylily-as-mother intent. “罗生北堂下”之“北堂”，写北边的堂屋（母之所居），是全诗写慈母居处的关键词。“北堂”用古以北堂为母居之典——萱草罗列生长在北堂之下。这一词写母之所居：不是寻常之堂，而北堂；不是泛指之处，而母居之地。以“罗生北堂下”写萱草生于北堂，正是王冕题画诗以萱草北堂写慈母的笔法。

倚门 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. “慈母倚门情”之“倚门”，写倚门盼望，是全诗写慈母盼子的关键词。“倚门”写倚着门——慈母倚门盼望的情意。这一词写慈母之态：不是安坐之母，而倚门；不是无事之盼，而倚门望子。以“慈母倚门情，游子行路苦”写母子两处之念，正是王冕题画诗写慈母之情的核心——倚门而望，望子归家。

慧鸟语 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. “愧听慧鸟语”之“慧鸟语”，写慧鸟（慈乌）的啼语，是全诗写游子之愧的归结词。“慧鸟”用慈乌反哺之典，“语”写啼语——惭愧地听慈乌的啼语。这一词以“慧鸟语”写反哺之鸟：不是寻常之鸟，而慧鸟（乌有反哺之孝）；不是无义之啼，而反哺之语。以“愧听慧鸟语”写见乌反哺而愧己不能养母，正是王冕题画诗写游子之愧的归结——鸟犹反哺，人何不孝。

墨萱图