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近现代近现代 · 词 Ci lyric

蝶恋花·答李淑一

Butterflies Lingering over Flowers — Reply to Li Shuyi

毛泽东

Mao Zedong

名篇masterpiece 悼亡elegy 革命浪漫主义revolutionary romanticism 神话想象mythic imagination

我失骄杨君失柳，杨柳轻飏直上重霄九。
问讯吴刚何所有，吴刚捧出桂花酒。
寂寞嫦娥舒广袖，万里长空且为忠魂舞。
忽报人间曾伏虎，泪飞顿作倾盆雨。

I have lost my proud Yang and you have lost your Willow; the poplar and willow catkins drift lightly, soaring straight to the ninth heaven. I ask Wu Gang what he has to offer, and Wu Gang brings forth his cassia wine. The lonely Chang'e spreads her broad sleeves and dances for the loyal souls across the endless sky. Suddenly comes word that on earth the tiger has been subdued; tears take flight and turn at once into a pouring rain.

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Meaning

I have lost my proud Yang (Yang Kaihui), and you have lost your Willow (Liu Zhixun); the poplar and willow—their catkins—drift up lightly, soaring to the ninth heaven. Inquiring of Wu Gang in the moon palace what he has, Wu Gang offers his cassia wine. The lonely Chang'e spreads her broad sleeves and dances for the loyal souls across the boundless sky. Suddenly word arrives that on earth the tiger has been subdued (revolutionary victory); the loyal souls and the immortals, moved, shed tears that fly like rain, turning at once into a torrential downpour.

我失去了骄杨（杨开慧），你失去了柳（柳直荀），杨柳（杨花柳絮）轻盈飞扬，直上九重云霄。问讯月宫的吴刚有什么，（吴刚）捧出桂花酒来款待。寂寞的嫦娥舒展宽大的衣袖，在万里长空为忠魂起舞。忽然传来人间已经降伏猛虎（革命胜利）的捷报，忠魂与仙人都激动得泪飞如雨，顿时化作倾盆大雨。

Appreciation

Plain Paraphrase: The upper stanza writes the pain of losing a mate and the loyal souls' ascent: I lost proud Yang, you lost Willow—the names of martyrs Yang Kaihui and Liu Zhixun punned in 'poplar and willow,' become poplar and willow catkins drifting lightly to the ninth heaven; the loyal souls reach the moon palace, inquire of Wu Gang, who brings cassia wine. The lower stanza writes the moon-palace dance and the victory tears: the lonely Chang'e spreads her broad sleeves and dances for the loyal souls across the endless sky; suddenly comes word of revolution's victory (the subdued tiger), and the loyal souls and immortals, moved, shed tears that turn at once into a pouring rain. Artistic Features: Reality and myth interweave, lifting elegy into a magnificent revolutionary hymn—'poplar and willow' is a pun (martyrs' names and poplar-willow catkins), the loyal souls soar to the ninth heaven, Wu Gang offers wine, Chang'e dances, turning grief into ascent; 'tears take flight and turn at once into a pouring rain' writes with extreme hyperbole the mingled sorrow and joy at the moment of victory; upper and lower stanzas move from earth to heaven and back to earth, a circular composition, a model of revolutionary realism joined with revolutionary romanticism. Emotional Theme: Mourning the lost wife Yang Kaihui and lost friend Liu Zhixun, yet transcending personal sorrow: the martyrs' loyal souls ascend to the moon palace, honored by immortals; suddenly word of the subdued tiger (revolutionary victory), tears falling as pouring rain—raising remembrance of kin into tribute to revolutionary sacrifice, sorrow and pride, elegy and triumph interwoven. Famous Lines: 'I have lost my proud Yang and you have lost your Willow' opens with a pun, tearful yet upright; 'suddenly comes word that on earth the tiger has been subdued, tears take flight and turn at once into a pouring rain' writes with mountain-toppling force the loyal souls' tears at the news, becoming the most stirring line in revolutionary elegiac poetry.

【白话串讲】毛泽东写《蝶恋花·答李淑一》：“我失骄杨君失柳，杨柳轻飏直上重霄九”——他悼念亡妻杨开慧和李淑一的丈夫柳直荀。“问讯吴刚何所有，吴刚捧出桂花酒”——“寂寞嫦娥舒广袖”——“忽报人间曾伏虎，泪飞顿作倾盆雨”——他想象忠魂飞上月宫。【意象与手法】现实与神话交织：把悼亡升华为壮丽的革命颂歌——「杨柳」一语双关（烈士姓名与杨花柳絮），忠魂直上九霄、吴刚捧酒、嫦娥起舞，化悲痛为飞升；「泪飞顿作倾盆雨」以极度夸张写胜利时刻的悲欣交集；上下片由人间到天上再落回人间，章法回环，是革命现实主义与革命浪漫主义结合的典范【情感与主旨】悼念亡妻杨开慧、亡友柳直荀，而超越了个人哀伤：烈士忠魂升入月宫、受仙人礼遇，忽报人间伏虎（革命胜利），泪飞化作倾盆雨——把对亲人的追思升华为对革命牺牲者的礼赞，悲痛与豪情、悼亡与凯歌交织一体【名句点睛】「我失骄杨君失柳」以双关起笔，含泪而挺拔；「忽报人间曾伏虎，泪飞顿作倾盆雨」以排山倒海之笔写忠魂闻捷之泪，成为革命悼亡词中最动人心魄的名句

Background

'Butterflies Lingering over Flowers — Reply to Li Shuyi' was written on May 11, 1957, as Mao Zedong's reply to Li Shuyi, wife of the fallen friend Liu Zhixun, and is the only elegiac lyric among Mao's poems, the peak of his 'revolutionary romanticism.' Li Shuyi was the close friend of Yang Kaihui (Mao's first wife, executed at Zhishiling, Changsha, in November 1930); her husband Liu Zhixun (1898–1932) was Mao's early revolutionary comrade, once director of political department of the Second Red Army Corps, wrongly killed in a purge in September 1932. In January 1957 Li Shuyi wrote to Mao, enclosing her 1933 lyric mourning Liu Zhixun, 'Buddhist Dancers — Startled Dream,' and asked Mao to copy his early poem to Yang Kaihui, 'Yu Mei Ren.' On May 11 Mao replied, sending this 'Butterflies Lingering over Flowers,' originally titled 'Butterflies Lingering over Flowers — A Visit to Immortals (Given to Li Shuyi),' renamed 'Reply to Li Shuyi' when published in 'Poetry' in 1958. By then twenty-seven years had passed since Yang's death, twenty-five since Liu's, New China was eight years old and socialist transformation basically complete—the poet, looking back, wrote his deep mourning for wife and friend against the background of revolutionary victory, turning personal grief into revolutionary grandeur. Once published the poem spread nationwide; Li Shuyi read it and 'tears took flight and turned into a pouring rain'; later Zhang Shizhao, Guo Moruo and others wrote matching poems and commentaries, Guo with a special essay on its 'visit-to-immortals' technique. As a famous piece uniting 'elegy' and 'tribute to martyrs,' the poem bears not only deep personal feeling but the collective memory and lofty tribute of that generation of revolutionaries to the sacrificed.

《蝶恋花·答李淑一》作于1957年5月11日，是毛泽东为答谢亡友柳直荀之妻李淑一而作，是毛泽东诗词中唯一的悼亡词，也是其「革命浪漫主义」风格的巅峰之作。李淑一是杨开慧（毛泽东第一任妻子，1930年11月在长沙识字岭就义）的挚友，其夫柳直荀（1898—1932）是毛泽东早年革命战友，曾任红二军团政治部主任等职，1932年9月在肃反中被错杀。1957年1月，李淑一写信给毛泽东，随信附上自己1933年悼念柳直荀的词《菩萨蛮·惊梦》，并请求毛泽东抄录其早年赠杨开慧的《虞美人》。毛泽东5月11日复信，随信寄去这首《蝶恋花》，原题《蝶恋花·游仙（赠李淑一）》，1958年《诗刊》发表时改为《蝶恋花·答李淑一》。其时距杨开慧牺牲已二十七年，距柳直荀牺牲已二十五年，新中国已成立八年，社会主义改造基本完成——诗人抚今追昔，把对亡妻亡友的深切悼念，放在革命胜利的时代背景上抒写，遂化个人之悲为革命之壮。此词一出，传诵全国，李淑一读后「泪飞顿作倾盆雨」；其后章士钊、郭沫若等皆有唱和与评论，郭沫若有专文解析其「游仙」笔法。作为毛泽东诗词中「悼亡」与「颂烈」合一的名篇，此词不仅具有深挚的个人情感，更承载着那一代革命者对牺牲者的集体记忆与崇高礼赞。

Art

The artistic core lies in 'writing reality through myth, turning ascent into grief,' the extreme of revolutionary romanticism. First, a pun as backbone, names entering the lyric: 'I have lost my proud Yang and you have lost your Willow' hides the surnames Yang Kaihui and Liu Zhixun in 'proud Yang' and 'Willow,' while 'poplar and willow' literally means the catkins—one name one object,虚实 double pun, mourning's pain and soaring posture together; 'the poplar and willow catkins drift lightly, soaring straight to the ninth heaven' naturally turns from pun to ascent—poplar and willow catkins drift on the wind, and the martyrs' loyal souls soar with them to the ninth heaven, mourning turned into magnificent ascent. Second, myth entering the lyric, writing intent through visit-to-immortals: the poet unfolds an imagined sky through moon-palace myth—Wu Gang brings cassia wine (the moon-felling immortal receives the guest with immortal brew), Chang'e spreads her broad sleeves (the moon-fleeing immortal dances for the loyal souls); the loyal souls receive the highest honor in the immortal realm: this is both the supreme tribute to the martyrs (devoted in life, ascended and honored in death) and the poet's device of turning grief into pride through the 'visit-to-immortals' form—the real sacrifice sublimated by mythic consolation. Third, 虚实 circling, returning from heaven to earth: the upper stanza moves from earth (I lost proud Yang and you lost Willow) to heaven (soaring to the ninth heaven, Wu Gang's wine), the lower first writes the heavenly dance (Chang'e's sleeves, endless sky), then with 'suddenly comes word that on earth the tiger has been subdued' pulls back to earth like a clap of thunder—the contrast of immortal realm and earthly battlefield makes the martyrs' loyal souls and the news of victory resonate between the two worlds; 'tears take flight and turn at once into a pouring rain' writes with extreme hyperbole the loyal souls' tears at the news: tears of mingled sorrow and joy, tears consoling the dead, tears of revolution's victory, the word 'at once' writing their sudden arrival like a river bursting its banks. The whole moves from real to unreal, from unreal to real, writing a personal elegy as a magnificent revolutionary anthem.

此词的艺术核心在「以神话写现实、以飞升化悲痛」，是革命浪漫主义的极致。其一，双关立骨、以名入词：「我失骄杨君失柳」以「骄杨」「柳」暗嵌杨开慧、柳直荀之姓氏，又以「杨柳」实指杨花柳絮，一人名一物名，虚实双关，悼亡之痛与飞扬之姿并现；「杨柳轻飏直上重霄九」由双关自然过渡到飞升——杨花柳絮本随风飘荡，烈士忠魂亦随之直上九霄，悼亡化为壮丽的升天。其二，神话入词、游仙写志：词人借月宫神话铺开想象的天空——吴刚捧出桂花酒（月宫伐桂之仙以仙酿待客），嫦娥舒展广袖（奔月之仙为忠魂起舞），忠魂在仙界受到最尊贵的礼遇：这既是对烈士的至高褒奖（生时献身，死后升仙受礼），也是诗人以「游仙」之体化悲痛为豪情的章法——现实的牺牲在神话的慰藉中得到升华。其三，虚实回环、由天返地：上片由人间（我失骄杨君失柳）到天上（直上重霄九、吴刚捧酒），下片先写天上之舞（嫦娥舒广袖、万里长空），忽以「忽报人间曾伏虎」一记惊雷拉回人间——天上仙界与人间战场的对照，使烈士的忠魂与革命胜利的消息在两界之间激荡；「泪飞顿作倾盆雨」以极度夸张写忠魂闻捷之泪：是悲欣交集的泪、是告慰九泉的泪、是革命胜利的泪，一「顿」字写其骤然而至，如江河决堤。全词由实入虚、由虚返实，把一场个人的悼亡，写成了一曲壮丽的革命凯歌。

Allusions

The poem's allusion and transformation are deeply meaningful, mythic and real feeling blended like milk and water. First, the cultural lineage of the 'poplar and willow' pun: 'poplar and willow' is both the surname-stand-in for Yang Kaihui and Liu Zhixun and the object-name of the catkins, while 'poplar and willow drifting lightly' also暗 uses the traditional image of 'poplar catkins like snow' and 'willow catkins on the wind' (Xie Daoyun's 'better the willow catkins on the wind'), making the martyrs' ascent like poplar catkins flying, graceful yet solemn; the 'proud' in 'proud Yang' has deeper meaning—praising Yang Kaihui's steadfastness (facing the blade, refusing to write a recantation, composed before execution), the word 'proud' Mao's most concise tribute to his lost wife, Zhang Shizhao sighed it 'a stroke of genius.' Second, 'ninth heaven' i.e. 'ninefold heaven,' from 'Heaven Questions' of the 'Chu Ci' ('it is round, ninefold') and 'Li Sao' ('I point to the nine heavens as my witness'), using the ninefold heaven to mark how high the loyal souls reach, hinting the martyrs' spirit is lofty. Third, 'Wu Gang brings forth cassia wine' uses the moon-palace myth: Wu Gang erred in learning immortality, banished to fell the moon's cassia (in 'Youyang Zazu'), the tree healing as he fells, so he fells forever—the punished one (Wu Gang) paired with immortal brew (cassia wine), receiving the loyal souls with immortal courtesy; 'Chang'e' uses the 'Huainanzi' tale of Yi's wife stealing the elixir to flee to the moon, 'lonely Chang'e' also暗 blending Li Shangyin's 'Chang'e should regret stealing the elixir, blue sea and green sky night after night' of lonely image—but Mao renews it: the lonely Chang'e no longer keeps the cold alone, but 'spreads her broad sleeves' dancing for the loyal souls, from lonely to warm, turning the ancients' sorrow into the moderns' grandeur. Fourth, 'subdued tiger' is Buddhist usage ('taming the poison dragon' in the 'Shurangama Sutra' figures taming the mind's demons; Chan's 'subduing the tiger' figures subduing delusion), here 'on earth the tiger has been subdued' figures revolutionary victory, the reactionaries overthrown, turning Buddhist language into revolutionary language; 'tears take flight and turn at once into a pouring rain'暗 uses the 'heaven weeps' imagination of 'In Search of the Supernatural' and the folk hyperbole 'tears like rain,' writing the loyal souls' tears as a heaven-pouring rain. Six groups of allusion—myth, Buddhist canon, traditional image—melt in one furnace, all serving 'praise the loyal souls, sing victory,' the peak of Mao's poetic allusion art.

此词用典化典极富深意，神话典故与现实情感水乳交融。其一，「杨柳」双关的文化谱系：「杨柳」既是杨开慧、柳直荀的姓氏代称，又是杨花柳絮的物名，而「杨柳轻飏」又暗用「杨花似雪」「柳絮因风」的传统意象（谢道韫咏雪「未若柳絮因风起」），使烈士升天如杨花飞舞，飘逸中含悲壮；「骄杨」之「骄」更有深意——赞杨开慧之坚贞不屈（面对屠刀，拒写悔过书，就义前从容），「骄」字是毛泽东对亡妻最凝练的礼赞，章士钊曾叹「骄」字「神来之笔」。其二，「重霄九」即「九重霄」，语出《楚辞·天问》「圜则九重」、《离骚》「指九天以为正兮」，以九重天极言忠魂所至之高，暗寓烈士精神之高迈。其三，「吴刚捧出桂花酒」用月宫神话：吴刚学仙有过，谪令伐月中桂树（见《酉阳杂俎》），桂树随伐随合，故吴刚永伐不休——神话中的受罚者（吴刚）与仙酿（桂花酒）相配，以仙界之礼待忠魂；「嫦娥」用《淮南子·览冥训》后羿之妻窃不死之药奔月的故事，「寂寞嫦娥」四字又暗融李商隐《嫦娥》「嫦娥应悔偷灵药，碧海青天夜夜心」的孤寂意象——但毛泽东翻新其意：寂寞嫦娥不再独守清冷，而是「舒广袖」为忠魂起舞，由孤寂转为热情，化古人之哀为今人之壮。其四，「伏虎」为佛典用语（《楞严经》以「调伏毒龙」喻降服心魔，禅宗「伏虎」喻降服妄念），此处以「人间曾伏虎」喻革命胜利、反动派被推翻，化佛语为革命语；「泪飞顿作倾盆雨」则暗用《搜神记》「天哭」之想象与民间「泪如雨下」的夸张，把忠魂之泪写为倾天之雨。六组典故，神话、佛典、传统意象熔于一炉，全为「颂忠魂、歌胜利」服务，是毛泽东诗词用典艺术的巅峰。

Commentary

Since its 1958 publication, 'Butterflies Lingering over Flowers — Reply to Li Shuyi' has been among the most recited and highest-praised of Mao's poems, and a unique masterpiece in modern Chinese elegiac literature. At the literary level, the poem writes elegy in the 'visit-to-immortals' form, breaking the plaintive tone of traditional elegiac lyrics: Su Shi's 'Riverside Town — Dream on the night of the twentieth of the first month' writes sorrow through dream, Nalan Xingde's elegies write sorrow through tears, while Mao writes ascent through myth and tears-rain through victory bulletin, lifting the 'I' of small self into the grandeur of the greater self, raising the elegy from the realm of 'crying' to the realm of 'singing,' praised by critics as 'a variation unseen in a thousand years of elegiac lyrics.' At the ideological level, the two lines 'suddenly comes word that on earth the tiger has been subdued, tears take flight and turn at once into a pouring rain' fuse remembrance of wife and friend with the cheer of revolutionary victory: the martyrs' blood was not shed in vain, victory is the best consolation—this view of 'sacrificing to martyrs with victory' became the spiritual paradigm of countless later revolutionary elegies; the word 'proud' in 'I lost proud Yang' also set a lofty measure for later appraisal of revolutionary martyrs. At the level of dissemination, the poem was set to music (multiple versions of pingtan and song), entered textbooks at all levels, and 'proud Yang' and 'tears take flight and turn into a pouring rain' became part of national memory; the figures of Yang Kaihui and Liu Zhixun thus live in people's hearts. In literary history, with 'The People's Liberation Army Captures Nanjing' and 'Snow — Qin Garden Spring' it forms the majestic weather of Mao's poetry, yet uniquely excels in 'tenderness and pride together, elegy and triumph in one key,' a peak hard to surpass in the history of modern Chinese lyric.

《蝶恋花·答李淑一》自1958年发表以来，一直是毛泽东诗词中传诵最广、评价最高的名篇之一，也是中国现代悼亡文学中独一无二的杰作。在文学层面，此词以「游仙」之体写悼亡，突破了传统悼亡词哀婉悱恻的格调：苏轼《江城子·乙卯正月二十日夜记梦》「十年生死两茫茫」以梦写悲，纳兰性德悼亡词以泪写愁，而毛泽东以神话写升天、以捷报写泪雨，化小我之悲为大我之壮，把悼亡词从「哭」的境界提升到「歌」的境界，被诗评家推为「悼亡词千年未有之变格」。在思想层面，「忽报人间曾伏虎，泪飞顿作倾盆雨」两句，把对亡妻亡友的追思与革命胜利的欢呼融为一体：烈士的血没有白流，胜利是最好的告慰——这种「以胜利祭英烈」的悼亡观，成为此后无数革命悼亡文学的精神范式；「我失骄杨君失柳」的「骄」字，也为后世确立了革命烈士评价的崇高尺度。在传播层面，此词被谱曲传唱（评弹、歌曲多种版本），入选各级教材，「骄杨」「泪飞顿作倾盆雨」等语已成为民族记忆的一部分；杨开慧、柳直荀的形象亦因之长存人心。文学史上，此词与《七律·人民解放军占领南京》《沁园春·雪》等共同构成毛泽东诗词的雄浑气象，而独以此词以「柔情与豪情并重、悼亡与凯歌同奏」见长，是中国现代词史上一座难以企及的高峰。

Prosody

Form Lyric (Butterflies Lingering over Flowers; double-tune short form, sixty characters; upper and lower stanzas each five lines, four oblique rhymes)词（蝶恋花，双调小令，六十字，上下片各五句四仄韵）

Rhyme Both stanzas rhyme in oblique tones, dense rhyme and stirring voice: upper 'Willow, heaven, has, wine,' lower 'sleeves, dance, tiger, rain,' all closing in rising or departing oblique sounds; the oblique rhyme is short and forceful, exactly fitting the stirring voice of elegy and triumph together; 'ninth heaven' is a leaf-rhyme inversion of 'ninefold heaven,' fitting the lyric's rule yet showing strangeness.上下片皆押仄声韵，韵脚密集而声情激越：上片「柳、九、有、酒」，下片「袖、舞、虎、雨」，皆收于上声或去声的仄音，仄韵短促有力，正合悼亡与凯歌并奏的激越声情；「重霄九」为叶韵而将「九重霄」倒装，既合词律又见奇崛。

Tone pattern Long and short lines alternate, upper and lower symmetrical: the opening 'I have lost my proud Yang and you have lost your Willow' two seven-character lines, like a tearful low confession; 'the poplar and willow catkins drift lightly, soaring straight to the ninth heaven' eight characters, turning from low to soaring; 'I ask Wu Gang what he has, Wu Gang brings forth cassia wine' question and answer in succession, composed and intimate; 'the lonely Chang'e spreads her broad sleeves' seven characters slow, 'and dances for the loyal souls across the endless sky' nine characters unfolding; the closing 'suddenly comes word that on earth the tiger has been subdued, tears take flight and turn at once into a pouring rain' four then six characters, checked and stirring—the whole moves from low to soaring, from composed to stirring, from slow to bursting, voice advancing with the loyal souls' journey.句式长短错落、上下片对称：起拍「我失骄杨君失柳」两句七言，如含泪低诉；「杨柳轻飏直上重霄九」八字，由低回转飞升；「问讯吴刚何所有，吴刚捧出桂花酒」问答相承，从容亲切；「寂寞嫦娥舒广袖」七字舒缓，「万里长空且为忠魂舞」九字铺开；末拍「忽报人间曾伏虎，泪飞顿作倾盆雨」四字六字、顿挫激昂——全词语调由低回而飞升、由从容而激越、由舒缓而迸发，声情随忠魂之旅层层推进。

Reading note 'Butterflies Lingering over Flowers — Reply to Li Shuyi' strictly follows the lyric's meter: double tune sixty characters, upper and lower stanzas each five lines four oblique rhymes, the line pattern seven, four, five, seven, seven (the opening 'I have lost my proud Yang and you have lost your Willow' seven characters, 'the poplar and willow catkins drift lightly, soaring straight to the ninth heaven' eight with a leading character, 'I ask Wu Gang what he has' five, 'Wu Gang brings forth cassia wine' and 'the lonely Chang'e spreads her broad sleeves' seven, 'and dances for the loyal souls across the endless sky' nine), the long and short lines varied, the music strict. In rhyme, both stanzas use oblique rhyme, the rhyme-feet (Willow, heaven, has, wine; sleeves, dance, tiger, rain) all oblique, short and stirring, exactly fitting the poem's voice of 'elegiac yet not mournful, solemn yet not decadent'—had it used level rhyme, the feeling would be slow and long, losing its grandeur; Mao chose this oblique-rhyme short form for loyal souls ascending and tears pouring, the lyric's voice matching the content's stir. In syntax, 'ninth heaven' is a leaf-rhyme inversion (originally 'ninefold heaven'), fitting the rhyme-foot (heaven) yet adding strangeness; 'I ask Wu Gang what he has, Wu Gang brings forth cassia wine' uses 'Wu Gang' as anadiplosis, question and answer in one breath, voice from question to answer, from slow to respectful; 'the poplar and willow catkins drift lightly, soaring straight to the ninth heaven' with 'drift lightly' and 'soaring straight' alternating level and oblique, read like catkins flying to the sky's edge; the closing 'suddenly comes word that on earth the tiger has been subdued, tears take flight and turn at once into a pouring rain' rises abruptly with 'suddenly' and turns sharply with 'at once,' oblique sounds in succession like rain suddenly falling, voice and feeling meeting at the highest point. The whole bears the most splendid imagination on strict meter, a model of 'writing new content in old-form lyric,' and another proof of Mao 'dancing in the fetters of meter.'《蝶恋花·答李淑一》严守《蝶恋花》词牌格律：双调六十字，上下片各五句四仄韵，句式为七、四、五、七、七（上片「我失骄杨君失柳」七字起，「杨柳轻飏直上重霄九」八字中含一字领，「问讯吴刚何所有」五字，「吴刚捧出桂花酒」「寂寞嫦娥舒广袖」七字，「万里长空且为忠魂舞」九字），长短句错落，音律严整。用韵上，上下片皆押仄韵，韵脚（柳、九、有、酒；袖、舞、虎、雨）皆属仄声，仄韵短促、激越、铿锵，正合此词「悼亡而不哀、悲壮而不靡」的声情基调——若用平韵，则情调舒缓绵长，便失其壮；毛泽东选此仄韵小令写忠魂升天、泪雨倾盆，词牌之声情与内容之激昂高度吻合。句法上，「重霄九」为叶韵倒装（本为「九重霄」），既合韵脚（九）又添奇崛；「问讯吴刚何所有，吴刚捧出桂花酒」以「吴刚」顶真，问答相承、一气流转，声调由问而答、由缓而恭；「杨柳轻飏直上重霄九」以「轻飏」「直上」连用平声仄声相间，读来如絮飞天际；末拍「忽报人间曾伏虎，泪飞顿作倾盆雨」以「忽报」陡起、「顿作」急转，仄声连响如雨点骤落，声情与词情在最高点合流。全词以严格的词律承载最瑰丽的想象，是「旧体词写新内容」的典范，也是毛泽东「戴着格律的镣铐起舞」的又一证明。

Line by line

我失骄杨君失柳，杨柳轻飏直上重霄九。

The opening two lines set the poem's tone and show the extreme of 'pun' art. 'I have lost my proud Yang and you have lost your Willow' speaks a double bereavement in seven characters, tearful: 'I' and 'you' juxtaposed, I lost Yang (Kaihui), you lost Willow (Zhixun), two 'lost' words exhaust the pain of forever parting, yet not one word of sorrow—the sorrow lies deep in the calm statement; the 'proud' in 'proud Yang' is especially the eye: Yang Kaihui faced the blade steadfast, Mao honors her with 'proud' not 'tender,' one word showing her fierce character and the poet's proud deep love; the single 'Willow' also refers to Liu Zhixun. 'The poplar and willow catkins drift lightly, soaring straight to the ninth heaven' turns from name to object, a wonderful brush: 'poplar and willow' shifts to mean the catkins, the martyrs' spirits become the lightly drifting poplar catkins, soaring to the ninth heaven—'drift lightly' writes their grace, like an immortal's bearing; 'soaring straight' writes their resolve, like an arrow leaving the string; 'ninth heaven' marks the height. Two names, two dead, two sorrows, in the pun of 'poplar and willow drifting lightly' become one magnificent flight: grief did not crush the poet but rose into tribute to the martyrs. This beat, seven characters real seven characters unreal, from earth to heaven, lays the flying road for the whole 'visit-to-immortals,' among the most powerful opening lines of Mao's lyrics.

我失去了骄杨（杨开慧），你失去了柳（柳直荀），杨柳（杨花柳絮）轻盈飞扬，直上九重云霄。

I have lost the proud Poplar, you the Willow; poplar and willow drift lightly upward to the ninth heaven.

起拍两句是全词的定调之笔，也是「双关」艺术的极致。「我失骄杨君失柳」七个字，含泪道出双重的丧亲之痛：「我」「君」对举，我失杨（开慧）、君失柳（直荀），两个「失」字写尽永诀之痛，却无一字言悲——悲已深藏于平静的陈述之中；「骄杨」之「骄」尤为点睛：杨开慧面对屠刀坚贞不屈，毛泽东以「骄」字礼赞，不是「娇杨」而是「骄杨」，一字见其人格之刚烈、诗人引以为傲的深情；「柳」字单用，兼指柳直荀其人。「杨柳轻飏直上重霄九」由人名过渡到物名，妙笔生花：「杨柳」转指杨花柳絮，烈士的英灵化作轻飏的杨花，直上九重霄——「轻飏」写其飘逸，如仙人之姿；「直上」写其决绝，如箭离弦；「重霄九」即九重霄，极言其高。两个名字、两个亡者、两重哀思，在「杨柳轻飏」的双关中化作一次壮丽的飞升：悲痛没有压垮诗人，反而升华为对烈士的礼赞。此拍七字写实、七字写虚，由地到天，为全词的「游仙」展开铺就了飞天之路，是毛泽东词中起拍最见功力的名句。

The poplar. I have lost the proud Poplar, you the Willow; poplar and willow drift lightly upward to the ninth heaven. The lost proud Poplar and the drifting upward to the ninth heaven are the opening. To have lost the proud poplar would be a loss; the i-have-lost-the-proud-poplar-you-the-willow-poplar-and-willow-drift-lightly-upward-to-the-ninth-heaven is the loss.

问讯吴刚何所有，吴刚捧出桂花酒。

These two lines turn from ascent to the moon palace, the formal unfolding of the 'visit-to-immortals' plot, writing the loyal souls' reception in the immortal realm. 'I ask Wu Gang what he has' leads with 'ask': the loyal souls newly arrived at the moon palace inquire of Wu Gang—'what he has' asks with naïve intimacy, like a distant guest asking the host at the door what he offers; the martyrs' spirits in the poet's hand are not austere statues but dear, respectable guests; 'Wu Gang brings forth cassia wine' answers with 'brings forth': Wu Gang, the moon-palace immortal punished to fell the cassia, 'brings forth' cassia wine to welcome—'brings forth' shows utmost respect, not 'holds' not 'offers' but hands held in reverence, the immortal's courtesy to the loyal souls within; 'cassia wine' is the immortal brew brewed from the moon's cassia, receiving the loyal souls with immortal treasure, showing the grandeur of reception. The deep meaning: Wu Gang was a punished immortal, Chang'e a lonely immortal, the moon palace a cold realm, yet once the loyal souls arrive, Wu Gang offers wine and Chang'e dances (next line), the cold immortal realm filled with warmth by their coming—the poet writes the martyrs' loftiness with mythic courtesy: devoted to revolution in life, honored by immortals in death, the highest spiritual reward for the sacrificed. The two lines question and answer, between them the loyal souls' composure, Wu Gang's respect, the immortal realm's warmth, vivid as painting, the most humane stroke of the 'visit-to-immortals' method.

问讯月宫的吴刚有什么（来招待），吴刚捧出桂花酒（来款待忠魂）。

They ask Wu Gang what he has; Wu Gang offers wine of cassia blossoms.

这两句由飞升转入月宫，是「游仙」情节的正式展开，写忠魂在仙界受到的礼遇。「问讯吴刚何所有」以「问讯」领起：忠魂初到月宫，向吴刚问讯——「何所有」问得天真而亲切，仿佛远客登门问主人有何款待，烈士的英灵在诗人笔下不是威严肃穆的神像，而是可亲可敬的来客；「吴刚捧出桂花酒」以「捧」字作答：吴刚是月宫中受罚伐桂的仙人，竟「捧出」桂花酒相迎——「捧」字极见恭敬，不是「端」不是「献」，而是双手恭捧，仙人对忠魂的礼敬尽在其中；「桂花酒」是月中桂树酿成的仙酿，以仙家珍品待忠魂，更见礼遇之隆。这两句的深意在于：吴刚本是被罚之仙、嫦娥本是孤寂之仙，月宫本是清冷之境，而忠魂一到，吴刚捧酒、嫦娥起舞（见下句），清冷的仙界因忠魂的到来而充满温情——诗人以神话的礼遇写烈士的崇高：生前为革命献身，死后受仙人礼遇，这是对牺牲者最高的精神奖赏。两句一问一答，问答之间，忠魂的从容、吴刚的恭敬、仙界的温情，历历如画，是「游仙」笔法中最富人情味的一笔。

The wine. They ask Wu Gang what he has; Wu Gang offers wine of cassia blossoms. The Wu Gang offering the cassia wine is the celestial reception. To have offered the cassia wine would be an offering; the they-ask-wu-gang-what-he-has-wu-gang-offers-wine-of-cassia-blossoms is the offering.

寂寞嫦娥舒广袖，万里长空且为忠魂舞。

These two lines are the climax of the moon-palace scene, writing Chang'e dancing for the loyal souls, the poem's most splendid imagination. 'The lonely Chang'e'暗 blends Li Shangyin's 'Chang'e should regret stealing the elixir, blue sea and green sky night after night' of lonely image: Chang'e alone in the moon palace, blue sea green sky, lonely night after night—'lonely' writes both Chang'e's state and暗 the loyal souls' loneliness, the poet's pain of losing a mate; but Mao renews it: 'spreads her broad sleeves' writes Chang'e spreading her broad sleeves, from still to moving, from lonely to warm—'spreads' shows her composed, unfolding grace, broad sleeves fluttering, dancing graceful, the lonely Chang'e dancing at the loyal souls' coming. 'And dances for the loyal souls across the endless sky' pushes the dance's stage to the extreme: 'endless sky' is an unprecedentedly vast stage—not a corner of the moon palace, but the whole sky; 'and dances for the loyal souls' names the dance's object—not for the poet, not for immortals, but 'for the loyal souls': the revolutionary martyrs' loyal souls deserve the endless sky to dance for them. The word 'and' (qie) carries a trace of wistfulness—the loyal souls are after all gone, the dance can only be 'for now,' cheer with hard grief beneath. These two lines write earthly sacrifice through immortal dance, pushing tribute to the martyrs to a sacred height: Chang'e spreads sleeves, the long sky dances, heaven and earth mourn yet revere together, the poem's most splendid and fullest emotional passage.

寂寞的嫦娥舒展宽大的衣袖，在万里长空为忠魂起舞。

The lonely Chang'e spreads her wide sleeves and dances for the loyal souls across the vast sky.

这两句是月宫场景的高潮，写嫦娥为忠魂起舞，是全词最瑰丽的想象。「寂寞嫦娥」暗融李商隐《嫦娥》「嫦娥应悔偷灵药，碧海青天夜夜心」的孤寂意象：嫦娥独居月宫、碧海青天、夜夜孤寂——「寂寞」二字，既写嫦娥之境，亦暗写忠魂之孤、诗人失侣之痛；但毛泽东翻新其意：「舒广袖」三字写嫦娥舒展宽大的衣袖，由静转动，由寂寞转为热情——「舒」字见其从容舒展之态，广袖翩翩，舞姿翩跹，孤寂的嫦娥因忠魂的到来而翩翩起舞。「万里长空且为忠魂舞」把舞的舞台推向极致：「万里长空」是空前阔大的舞台——不在月宫一隅，而在整个长空；「且为忠魂舞」点明舞的对象——不是为诗人而舞，不是为仙人而舞，而是「为忠魂舞」：革命烈士的忠魂，值得万里长空为之起舞。一个「且」字，有「姑且」「暂且」之意，含着一缕怅然——忠魂毕竟已逝，舞只能「且为」，欢愉之中难掩哀思。这两句以仙界之舞写人间之祭，把对烈士的礼赞推向神圣的高度：嫦娥舒袖、长空起舞，天地同悲亦同敬，是全词想象力最瑰丽、情感最饱满的篇章。

The dance. The lonely Chang'e spreads her wide sleeves and dances for the loyal souls across the vast sky. The lonely Chang'e spreading wide sleeves and dancing for the loyal souls is the climax. To have danced for the loyal souls would be a dance; the lonely-chang'e-spreads-her-wide-sleeves-and-dances-for-the-loyal-souls-across-the-vast-sky is the dance.

忽报人间曾伏虎，泪飞顿作倾盆雨。

The closing two lines are the poem's thematic point and climax, with a clap of thunder pulling heaven back to earth, ending the whole with a pouring rain. 'Suddenly comes word that on earth the tiger has been subdued' leads with 'suddenly,' like thunder on flat ground: 'sudden' writes the bulletin's abrupt arrival—just as the loyal souls receive courtesy in the moon palace, suddenly comes word from earth; 'subdued tiger' uses the Buddhist taming of the tiger to figure revolutionary victory, the reactionaries overthrown—revolution has won! The victory Yang Kaihui and Liu Zhixun bought with their lives has come! The word 'once' (ceng) holds looking-back: this victory is what the martyrs strove and died for. 'Tears take flight and turn at once into a pouring rain' writes with mountain-toppling force the loyal souls' tears at the news: the loyal souls and immortals (or the loyal souls and the poet, Li Shuyi) together shed hot tears, tears 'take flight'—not 'flow' not 'fall' but 'fly,' writing the tears' spurt, their shooting; 'turn at once' writes the sudden change, like a river bursting its banks; 'pouring rain' writes the tears' abundance with heaven-and-earth's greatness—the loyal souls' tears become a pouring rain, sprinkling the earthly land. This tear is of mingled sorrow and joy: the martyrs beneath hear the victory, smiling through tears; it is a consoling tear: victory has come at last, sacrifice at last repaid; it is a victory tear: the blood-tears of millions condensed into revolution's success. The two lines move from heaven to earth, from still to moving, from sorrow to grandeur, raising personal elegy into revolutionary anthem, the highest peak of the poem's thought and art, 'tears take flight and turn at once into a pouring rain' becoming a line for the ages.

忽然传来人间已经降伏猛虎（革命胜利）的捷报，忠魂与仙人都激动得泪飞如雨，顿时化作倾盆大雨。

Suddenly word comes that on earth the tiger has been subdued; tears fly, turning at once to a pouring rain.

结尾两句是全词的点题与高潮，以一声惊雷把天上拉回人间，以倾盆之雨收束全篇。「忽报人间曾伏虎」以「忽报」领起，如平地惊雷：「忽」字写捷报之骤然而至——正当忠魂在月宫接受礼遇之际，忽然传来人间的捷报；「伏虎」以佛典降伏猛虎喻革命胜利、反动派被推翻——革命胜利了！杨开慧、柳直荀用生命换来的胜利到来了！「曾」字含回顾之意：这胜利是烈士们曾为之奋斗、为之牺牲的胜利。「泪飞顿作倾盆雨」以排山倒海之笔写忠魂闻捷之泪：忠魂与仙人（或云忠魂与诗人、李淑一）同掬热泪，泪「飞」——不是「流」不是「落」，而是「飞」，写泪之迸溅、之激射；「顿作」写其骤变，如江河决堤；「倾盆雨」以天地之大写泪之多——忠魂的泪化作倾盆大雨，洒向人间大地。这泪是悲欣交集之泪：烈士九泉闻捷，含泪而笑；是告慰之泪：胜利终于到来，牺牲终获报偿；是胜利之泪：亿万人的血泪凝结成革命的成功。两句由天到地、由静到动、由哀到壮，把个人的悼亡升华为革命的凯歌，是全词思想与艺术的最高峰，「泪飞顿作倾盆雨」遂成千古名句。

The tears. Suddenly word comes that on earth the tiger has been subdued; tears fly, turning at once to a pouring rain. The sudden tiger-subdued news and the flying tears turned to pouring rain are the close. To have turned the tears to rain would be a turning; the suddenly-word-comes-that-on-earth-the-tiger-has-been-subdued-tears-fly-turning-at-once-to-a-pouring-rain is the turning.

Study

Word focus

骄杨 'Proud Yang' in 'I have lost my proud Yang and you have lost your Willow' is Mao's most concise tribute to his lost wife Yang Kaihui, worth a thousand gold. 'Proud' originally means arrogant, haughty, here turns to 'proud, steadfast'—Yang Kaihui was born to a scholarly Hunan family, married Mao in 1920, arrested in October 1930; the enemy tempted her with 'release if you divorce Mao,' she stood steadfast, and was executed composed at Zhishiling, Changsha, on November 14, aged twenty-nine. Mao calls her 'proud' not 'tender' not 'loved' but takes 'proud': praising her fierce character—facing the blade unbowed, a proud partner; praising her lofty spirit—devoted to revolution, a proud martyr; also holding the poet's deep pride and pity—what I lost was such a 'proud' one. 'Proud Yang' two characters fuse conjugal love, revolutionary righteousness, and martyr loftiness; Zhang Shizhao saw it and sighed 'a stroke of genius'; later 'proud Yang' became Yang Kaihui's byname, her steadfast image living through these two characters. One 'proud' word surpasses a thousand words of elegy, the example in Mao's poetry of diction carrying the highest emotional and personal content. 「我失骄杨君失柳」之「骄杨」，是毛泽东对亡妻杨开慧最凝练的礼赞，一字千金。「骄」本义为高傲、骄纵，此处转义为骄傲、刚烈——杨开慧生于湖南书香门第，1920年与毛泽东结婚，1930年10月被捕，敌人以「只要与毛泽东离婚即可获释」相诱，她坚贞不屈，11月14日从容就义于长沙识字岭，年仅二十九岁。毛泽东以「骄」字称之，非「娇」非「爱」而独取「骄」：赞其人格之刚烈——面对屠刀而不屈，是值得骄傲的伴侣；赞其精神之崇高——为革命献身，是值得骄傲的烈士；亦含诗人深藏的骄傲与痛惜——我失掉的是那样一个「骄」人。「骄杨」二字，把夫妻之情、革命之义、烈士之崇融为一体，章士钊见之叹为「神来之笔」；后世「骄杨」遂成杨开慧的代称，其坚贞形象因这两字而长存。一个「骄」字，胜过千言悼文，是毛泽东诗词炼字艺术中情感与人格含量最高的一例。

轻飏 'Drift lightly' in 'the poplar and willow catkins drift lightly, soaring straight to the ninth heaven' is the key verb of the pun, writing both the poplar-willow catkins' manner and the loyal souls' ascending posture. 'Light' is light, 'drift' (yang) is to fly on the wind ('Shuowen': 'yang, blown by the wind'), the two together describe poplar and willow catkins floating lightly on the wind—willow catkins rise on the wind (Xie Daoyun 'better the willow catkins on the wind'), light by nature, drifting with the wind, floating straight to the sky; and the martyrs' loyal souls 'drift lightly' ascend with them: not heavily falling, but lightly rising—'drift lightly' writes death as graceful, sacrifice as grand, sorrow yet not grieving, able to rise in sorrow. And 'yang' has sound, read like wind through poplar branches, catkins dancing the long sky, sound and picture joined. The word's deep meaning: writing the loyal souls' ascent with 'drift lightly' hints the martyrs though dead yet their spirit immortal—the body heavy as Mount Tai, the spirit drifting light to the ninth heaven; the pain of elegy is sublimated in this 'drift lightly,' paving the way for the 'visit-to-immortals' below. One word writes three layers—object manner (catkins), human soul (loyal soul), emotional tone (grandeur)—a superb example of pun art. 「杨柳轻飏直上重霄九」之「轻飏」，是双关妙笔的关键动词，写尽杨花柳絮之态与忠魂升天之姿。「轻」为轻盈，「飏」为飞扬（《说文》「飏，风所飞扬也」），二字连用，状杨花柳絮在风中轻盈飘飞之态——柳絮因风起（谢道韫「未若柳絮因风起」），其性本轻，随风而飏，飘飘然直上云霄；而烈士之忠魂亦随之「轻飏」升天：不是沉重地坠落，而是轻盈地飞升——「轻飏」二字，把死亡写得飘逸，把牺牲写得壮美，哀而不伤、悲而能扬。且「飏」字有声，读来如风过杨枝、絮舞长空，音韵与画面相合。此词的深意在于：以「轻飏」写忠魂升天，暗寓烈士虽死而精神不朽——肉体重如泰山，精神轻飏九霄；悼亡之痛在这一「轻飏」中被升华，为下文的「游仙」铺平了路。一个词，写尽物态（杨花）、人魂（忠魂）、情调（壮美）三层，是双关艺术的绝佳范例。

伏虎 'Subdued tiger' in 'suddenly comes word that on earth the tiger has been subdued' is the hinge word pulling heaven back to earth, Buddhist language newly used, terse and clear. 'Subdue tiger' is originally Buddhist-Chan usage: Buddhism uses 'taming dragon and subduing tiger' to figure the monk subduing the mind's demons, with great power ('Continued Biographies of Eminent Monks' records a monk 'able to subdue the tiger'), Chan often uses 'subdue tiger' to figure subduing delusion; Mao borrows it to figure 'revolutionary victory, the reactionaries overthrown'—the tiger, a fierce thing, figures the Kuomintang reactionaries and all reactionary forces; 'subdue' means to overthrow them utterly. 'On earth the tiger has been subdued' five characters write the victorious outcome of twenty-odd years of revolutionary war: from the spark on Jinggangshan, to the long march's rivers and mountains, to the bloody anti-Japanese war, to the three great campaigns and the crossing-the-river campaign, finally 'subduing the tiger' succeeded—the word 'once' holds looking-back, back to the victory the martyrs never saw in life. The word's wonder lies in writing revolution through Buddhist language, turning religious demon-taming into historical victory: the reactionary forces fierce as tiger, yet the revolutionaries finally subdue them; the loyal souls in the moon palace hearing this bulletin, tears fly like rain—the subduing-tiger victory is the greatest reason for the loyal souls' tears. 'Subdue tiger' two characters are the key to understanding the whole poem's theme of 'elegy and triumph united.' 「忽报人间曾伏虎」之「伏虎」，是全词由天上拉回人间的枢纽词，佛语新用、言简意赅。「伏虎」本为佛禅用语：佛教以「降龙伏虎」喻高僧降服心魔、具大神通（《续高僧传》载高僧「能伏虎」），禅宗常以「伏虎」喻制伏妄念；毛泽东借之以喻「革命胜利、反动派被推翻」——虎者，凶暴之物也，喻国民党反动派及一切反动势力；「伏」者，降伏也，谓将其彻底打倒。「人间曾伏虎」五字，写尽二十余年革命战争的胜利结局：从井冈山的星星之火，到长征的万水千山，到抗战的浴血奋战，到三大战役与渡江战役，终于「伏虎」成功——「曾」字含回顾，回顾的是烈士们未曾亲见的胜利。此词之妙在于以佛语写革命，化宗教的降魔为历史的胜利：反动势力如虎之凶，而革命者终能伏之；忠魂在月宫闻此捷报，泪飞如雨——伏虎之捷，正是忠魂之泪的最大理由。「伏虎」二字，是理解全词「悼亡与凯歌合一」主题的钥匙。

泪飞 'Tears fly' in 'tears take flight and turn at once into a pouring rain' is the most stunning verb combination of the poem, the word 'fly' writing the loyal souls' tears' bursting. 'Tears' should 'flow' 'fall' 'hang,' yet Mao uses 'fly'—'fly' means to spurt, to shoot, like sparks flying, like bullets crossing: the loyal souls' tears at the news are not a trickle, not welling, but suddenly spurting, like a spring gushing, like rain pouring. The wonder of 'fly' has three: first, writing tears' speed—only 'fly' can bear the sudden change of 'turn at once into a pouring rain'; second, writing tears' grandeur—the martyrs' tears are not weak tears but grand tears of mingled sorrow and joy, like hot blood flying, hence 'fly' not 'flow'; third, writing tears' breadth—tears fly like rain, sprinkling the endless sky, the earthly land, the individual's tears and heaven-and-earth's rain one. And 'tears fly' paired with 'pouring rain' writes the abstract 'mingled sorrow and joy' with soul-shaking force: the loyal souls in the moon palace hear the victory, weep with joy, tears like rain—'at once' writes the instant, like a river bursting its banks; 'pouring' writes the abundance, like heaven weeping. Two characters write feeling through motion, grandeur through sorrow, typical of Mao's diction 'heavy as a thousand jun,' and the total outburst of the poem's emotion. 「泪飞顿作倾盆雨」之「泪飞」，是全词最震撼的动词组合，一个「飞」字写尽烈士之泪的迸发。「泪」本应「流」「落」「垂」，而毛泽东偏用「飞」——「飞」者，迸溅也、激射也，如火星飞迸、如弹雨横飞：忠魂闻捷之泪，不是涓涓细流，不是泫然欲泣，而是骤然迸飞，如泉喷涌、如雨倾泻。「飞」字之妙有三：其一，写泪之疾——「顿作倾盆雨」的骤变，唯「飞」方能承接；其二，写泪之壮——烈士之泪不是软弱之泪，而是悲欣交集的壮泪，如热血飞溅，故用「飞」不用「流」；其三，写泪之广——泪飞如雨，洒向万里长空、洒向人间大地，个人的泪与天地的雨合一。且「泪飞」与「倾盆雨」相配，把抽象的「悲欣交集」写得惊心动魄：忠魂在月宫闻捷，喜极而泣，泪如雨下——「顿作」写其转瞬之间，如江河决堤；「倾盆」写其量之巨，如天公垂泪。二字以动写情、以壮写悲，是毛泽东诗词炼字「力重千钧」的典型，也是全词情感的总爆发。