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唐 Tang · 诗 Poem

暮秋独游曲江

A Solitary Walk at Qujiang in Late Autumn

李商隐

Li Shangyin

感慨Reflection 秋景Autumn scenery

荷叶生时春恨生，荷叶枯时秋恨成。
深知身在情长在，怅望江头江水声。

When the lotus leaves were growing, in spring the regret was growing too; when the lotus leaves are withered, in autumn the regret is made complete.
I know too well that while I am still in this body the feeling long remains; I gaze dejected at the riverhead and the sound of the water.

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Meaning

Alone at Qujiang in late autumn, the poet watches the lotus leaves he watched in spring and finds that his sorrow has kept the same schedule as the plant: green in spring, gone in autumn. Then he lifts it to himself. As long as he has a body, this long feeling remains in him — the lotus dies and returns, but the sense of loss does not follow the seasons. The last line leaves him standing at the water's edge, listening to the river, which is the only thing that still sounds the same.

荷叶生时春恨生，荷叶枯时秋恨成。深知身在情长在，怅望江头江水声。

Appreciation

[Plain Paraphrase] The poem opens with a coincidence that is really an argument: the lotus appears and the spring regret appears with it, the lotus fails and the autumn regret is finished. Then a second thought follows, and it is the poem's real subject. [Structure] A seven-character quatrain. The first couplet is about the plant; the second turns to the speaker and ends in a single image of him at the water. [Imagery] The lotus does all the expressive work in the first half — its growth and its withering are the poet's own calendar. The second half replaces plant with water: the river sound at the riverhead, the only continuing thing in the scene. [Emotion] The closing image is quiet but not calm. 'To gaze dejected' names the attitude, and the sound of the water is offered as the answer to a regret that cannot be discharged, because the poet says plainly that the feeling will remain as long as he lives. The poem is often read as an elegy for his wife, who died in an autumn the poet spent alone at Qujiang; whether that is the occasion or not, the feeling is the one the poem claims.

【白话串讲】李商隐写《暮秋独游曲江》：“荷叶生时春恨生，荷叶枯时秋恨成”——“深知身在情长在，怅望江头江水声”——他暮秋独游曲江——深知身在情长在——他写深情。【意象与手法】此诗写暮秋独游曲江的感怀，以荷叶写情恨，是李商隐的名篇。前二句写荷叶：「荷叶生时春恨生，荷叶枯时秋恨成」写荷叶生时春恨生、荷叶枯时秋恨成——写尽荷叶荣枯与情恨相始终；后二句写感慨：「深知身在情长在，怅望江头江水声」写深知身在情长在、怅望江头江水声——写尽身在情在的深情。全诗以荷叶写情恨，写尽身在情长的深情，是李商隐的代表作。【情感与主旨】此诗写暮秋独游曲江的感怀，以荷叶写情恨，是李商隐的名篇。曲江在长安，是唐代游赏胜地。此诗写诗人暮秋独游曲江，见荷叶荣枯而生情恨之慨。此诗写荷叶：荷叶生时春恨生，荷叶枯时秋恨成——写荷叶生时春恨生、荷叶枯时秋恨成，写尽荷叶荣枯与情恨相始终；深知身在情长在，怅望江头江水声——写深知身在情长在、怅望江头江水声，写尽身在情在的深情。全诗以荷叶写情恨——那「荷叶生时春恨生」写尽春恨随荷而生，「深知身在情长在」写尽身在情在的深情，写尽身在情长的感慨，是理解李商隐感怀诗的重要篇章。【名句点睛】常考「荷叶生时春恨生，荷叶枯时秋恨成」写荷叶荣枯与情恨相始终；「深知身在情长在，怅望江头江水声」写身在情在的深情；以及全诗以荷叶写情恨、以江水写怅望的手法。

Background

Li Shangyin (about 813-858) was a late-Tang poet who worked in dense, allusive modes and in a plainer manner as well. Qujiang, in the southeast of Chang'an, was the great Pleasure Quarter of the capital and a favourite place of outing; Du Fu had written of the ladies at the water's edge there on the third day of the third month. The poem is thought to belong to Li Shangyin's years in Chang'an after his wife Wang's death, when he walked the river alone in late autumn — he had spent much of his career away from office and away from home. The old reading takes it as an elegy for the dead; a later reading takes the lotus simply as a plant whose dying seasons match his own.

此诗写暮秋独游曲江的感怀，以荷叶写情恨，是李商隐的名篇。李商隐（约813—858），字义山，号玉谿生，怀州河内（今河南沁阳）人，晚唐伟大的诗人。曲江在长安城东南，是唐代的游赏胜地，杜甫亦有「三月三日天气新，长安水边多丽人」咏之。此诗写诗人暮秋独游曲江，见荷叶荣枯而生情恨之慨。旧说此诗或与李商隐悼念亡妻王氏有关——其妻王氏殁于暮秋，诗人暮秋独游曲江，见枯荷而生悼亡之情。此诗写荷叶：「荷叶生时春恨生，荷叶枯时秋恨成」写荷叶生时春恨生、荷叶枯时秋恨成——写尽荷叶荣枯与情恨相始终（荷叶生时春恨随之而生，荷叶枯时秋恨随之而成）；「深知身在情长在，怅望江头江水声」写深知身在情长在、怅望江头江水声——写尽身在情在的深情（深知身犹在则情长在，怅望江头而听江水之声）。全诗以荷叶写情恨，写尽身在情长的深情，是理解李商隐感怀诗的重要篇章。

Art

Three devices. The first is the matching repeated construction — 'when the leaves were growing... when they are withered...' — which makes the poet's sorrow keep the plant's hours exactly. The second is the preposition that changes the whole second couplet: 'while I am still in this body the feeling long remains,' which takes the coincidence and says no, it is not a coincidence, because my feeling is not tied to the seasons at all. The third is the close, in which nothing is resolved: he gazes, and what is left is the sound of water, which answers nothing. The poem also uses no word for the beloved, and not the word 'feeling' in its first couplet at all — the feeling is reported by the lotus until the last lines, and then stated in the plainer philosophical form.

此诗的艺术特色可从四个方面解析。其一，以起兴写情恨。「荷叶生时春恨生，荷叶枯时秋恨成」以起兴写情恨——那「春恨生」「秋恨成」以荷叶的荣枯起兴，写尽情恨与荷叶相始终，以起兴写尽情恨的深长。其二，以对句写循环。「荷叶生时春恨生，荷叶枯时秋恨成」以对句写循环——那「生时」与「枯时」、「春恨生」与「秋恨成」相对，写尽春荣秋枯的循环与情恨的相随，以对句写尽情恨的循环。其三，以直抒写深情。「深知身在情长在」以直抒写深情——那「身在情长在」直抒身在情在的深情，写尽深情不因物换而移，以直抒写尽深情的执著。其四，以景物写怅望。「怅望江头江水声」以景物写怅望——那「江水声」写尽江水的呜咽，以景物写尽怅望的绵长。此外，此诗前二句写荷叶之荣枯，后二句写情恨之深长，由物及人、由景及情，正是「兴」体诗的精髓。四重手法，使此诗以荷叶写情恨，写尽身在情长的深情，是李商隐的代表作。

Allusions

The lotus as a plant of rising and failing fits the long tradition in which it opens with the year and closes it. The closing image of the river carries two inheritances at once: the classical line about the water flowing away without stopping, which turns a river into a figure of time, and the softer figure of the river that carries the spring away. The dejected gazing is the posture of the commemorative poem, the speaker left alone with a scene that has not changed. The poem's silence about its own subject is its most quoted quality: a four-line quatrain that manages grief without once naming it.

此诗的用语深植于感怀与悼亡的传统。「荷叶生时春恨生」令人想到「荷叶」写荷叶的意象——「荷叶生时春恨生」正是李商隐的名句，也令人想到「春恨生」写春恨随荷而生的意象——荷叶生时，春恨亦生；「荷叶枯时秋恨成」令人想到「枯时秋恨成」写秋恨随枯而成的意象——荷叶枯时，秋恨亦成；「深知身在情长在」令人想到「身在情长在」写身在情在的意象——「深知身在情长在」正是李商隐的名句，也令人想到「人面不知何处去」（崔护）式的人去楼空之叹；「怅望江头江水声」令人想到「怅望」写怅然遥望的意象——「怅望江头江水声」正是李商隐的名句，也令人想到「逝者如斯夫，不舍昼夜」的江水意象，又令人想到「江水流春去欲尽」的伤春之江。全诗化用荷叶、江水、怅望的意象，以荷叶写情恨，正是李商隐「沉博绝丽」而善言情、承悼亡感怀传统写深情的本领。还需注意，此诗以荷叶起兴而通篇不见一「情」字，纯以「春恨生」「秋恨成」「情长在」「江水声」写尽深情，正是「不着一字，尽得风流」的写法；而「江水声」三字，更兼指江水呜咽如诉与时光流逝如斯，一句之中含双重意蕴，可见李商隐遣词之妙。

Commentary

The quatrain is a standard of Li Shangyin's plain manner, praised in the Qing for being deep and yet unforced. The line most often singled out is the third, 'the feeling long remains while the body remains,' which moves the poem from a plant's calendar to a statement about a life. It is usually read beside 'The Polished Seal,' where the same poet turns the same kind of feeling into an elegy for his own youth, and it has been paired with Su Shi's lyric for the same dead wife for the same reason: both poems put a surviving feeling against a scene that goes on without the person. For a reader today the poem's power is in its logic — the lotus dies and returns, and the poet's regret does not.

此诗历来被推为李商隐感怀诗的名篇，也是唐人写悼亡感怀的代表。历代论者对此诗评价极高：清人评此诗「以荷叶写情恨，沉痛深婉」；近人更指出「深知身在情长在，怅望江头江水声」写身在情在的深情，是此诗的名句。在诗歌史上，此诗的特殊价值在于：它以四句的绝句写尽身在情长的深情——那生时的春恨，那枯时的秋恨，那身在情长的深知，那怅望江头的江水声，都写尽了李商隐暮秋独游曲江的感怀；那「深知身在情长在」更写尽深情不因物换而移的执著。此诗与李商隐《锦瑟》（「此情可待成追忆，只是当时已惘然」）同为言情名篇，一写「此情可待成追忆」的追忆（锦瑟），一写「深知身在情长在」的执著（暮秋独游曲江）；又与苏轼《江城子·乙卯正月二十日夜记梦》的悼亡传统一脉相承，可见中国诗人写悼亡的深情。对于今日读者，此诗是理解李商隐感怀诗的窗口，也是中国诗写情恨的经典——那滔滔的江水声，穿越千年，仍在诉说着身在情长的执著。

Prosody

Form Poem — seven-character quatrain (qi Yan jue ju)诗·七言绝句

Rhyme Seven-character quatrain; rhymes on sheng, cheng, sheng (ping sheng, the eighth 'Geng' rhyme), the same rhyme repeated in both halves七绝，押「生」「成」「声」韵（下平八庚），一韵到底，音节沉郁

Tone pattern Level tone on the same rhyme throughout, a clear open sound; the repetitive smoothness suits a feeling that has no place to go.此诗为七言绝句，押平声韵，一韵到底，音节沉郁，正合感怀的沉郁。

Reading note Four lines of seven characters rhyming on sheng and cheng, both level tone, in the eight 'Geng' rhyme. The rhyme word sheng (to grow, to come into being) is repeated in the first and third lines, which quietly reinforces the poem's argument: what arises arises again. There is no oblique-tone line to break the sound, so the poem runs on one level current from the first couplet to the last, which is exactly why the close sounds unresolved. Read the third line firmly, as a statement, and let the fourth fall away into the water. This is Li Shangyin's plain quatrain at its best.此诗为七言绝句，四句——「荷叶生时春恨生，荷叶枯时秋恨成。深知身在情长在，怅望江头江水声」，押「庚」韵（生、成、声），一韵到底，音节沉郁。全诗以荷叶写情恨：前二句写荷叶荣枯与情恨相始终（荷叶生时春恨生，荷叶枯时秋恨成），后二句写身在情在的深情（深知身在情长在，怅望江头江水声）。四句短章，前写情恨，后写深情，正见李商隐感怀诗「沉郁深婉」的本色。诵读此诗，宜以沉郁的语调读「荷叶生时春恨生」的情恨，以执著的语调读「深知身在情长在」的深情，结句「怅望江头江水声」要读得绵长而有余韵，方能传达出李商隐的沉郁深婉。李商隐绝句以「沉博绝丽」著称，此诗正是其感怀绝句的典范。

Line by line

荷叶生时春恨生，荷叶枯时秋恨成

When the lotus leaves were growing, in spring the regret was growing too; when the lotus leaves are withered, in autumn the regret is made complete

荷叶生时春恨随之而生，荷叶枯时秋恨随之而成。

When lotus leaves sprout, spring grief is born; when lotus leaves wither, autumn grief is complete.

此二句是全诗写情恨的核心，以荷生写春恨，以荷枯写秋恨，写尽情恨与荷叶荣枯相始终，是千古名句。「荷叶生时春恨生」写荷叶生时春恨随之而生——那「荷叶生时」写荷叶生时，「春恨生」写春恨随之而生，写尽春恨随荷而生；「荷叶枯时秋恨成」写荷叶枯时秋恨随之而成——那「荷叶枯时」写荷叶枯时，「秋恨成」写秋恨随之而成，写尽秋恨随荷而成。这句的深意在于：它以「荷叶生时」的生与「荷叶枯时」的枯，写尽情恨与荷叶荣枯相始终——荷叶生时春恨生，那「荷叶生时春恨生」写尽春恨随荷而生——荷叶初生，正是春意初动之时，而情恨亦随之而生，那「春恨生」写尽情恨的与生俱来；荷叶枯时秋恨成，那「荷叶枯时秋恨成」写尽秋恨随荷而成——荷叶枯时，正是秋意萧瑟之时，而情恨亦随之而成，那「秋恨成」写尽情恨的愈久愈深；那「荷叶生时春恨生」写尽春恨随荷而生，那「荷叶枯时秋恨成」写尽秋恨随荷而成，一写生，一写成，写尽情恨与荷叶荣枯相始终——荷叶荣枯一春一秋，而情恨亦随之一生一成，正是情恨之深、之久，那「生」「成」二字写尽情恨的不可解脱；此二句以荷生荷枯写尽情恨的深长，也让此二句成为全诗写情恨的核心与千古名句。若换作直说「我满怀愁恨」，则失其起兴；唯以「荷叶生时春恨生」写春恨、「荷叶枯时秋恨成」写秋恨，写尽情恨与荷叶荣枯相始终，也让此二句成为全诗写情恨的核心。

The leaves. When lotus leaves sprout, spring grief is born; when lotus leaves wither, autumn grief is complete. The sprout-grief and wither-growth are the couplet. To have sprouted the grief would be a sprouting; the when-lotus-leaves-sprout-spring-grief-is-born-when-lotus-leaves-wither-autumn-grief-is-complete is the sprouting.

深知身在情长在，怅望江头江水声

I know too well that while I am still in this body the feeling long remains; I gaze dejected at the riverhead and the sound of the water

深知只要身在情便长在，怅然遥望江头而听江水之声。

I know well: while I live, love lives on; gazing sadly toward the river's head, I hear the river's voice.

此二句是全诗写深情的核心，以身在情长在写执著，以江水声写怅望，写尽身在情长的深情，是千古名句。「深知身在情长在」写深知只要身在情便长在——那「深知」写深知，「身在情长在」写身在则情长在，写尽深情的执著；「怅望江头江水声」写怅然遥望江头而听江水之声——那「怅望江头」写怅然遥望江头，「江水声」写江水之声，写尽怅望的绵长。这句的深意在于：它以「深知身在情长在」的执著与「怅望江头江水声」的怅望，写尽身在情长的深情——深知只要身在情便长在，那「深知身在情长在」写尽深情的执著——身犹在，情即长在，无论荷叶荣枯、春秋代序，那「情长在」写尽情不因物换而移的执著；怅然遥望江头而听江水之声，那「怅望江头江水声」写尽怅望的绵长——独立江头，怅然遥望，唯听江水滔滔之声，那「江水声」写尽怅望的绵长；那「深知身在情长在」写尽深情的执著，那「怅望江头江水声」写尽怅望的绵长，一写情长在，一写江水声，写尽身在情长的深情——身在情长在，而江声不尽，正是深情之绵长如江水；此二句以情长在、江水声写尽身在情长的深情，也让此二句成为全诗写深情的核心与千古名句。若换作直说「我一直深深思念」，则失其含蓄；唯以「深知身在情长在」写执著、「怅望江头江水声」写怅望，写尽身在情长的深情，也让此二句成为全诗写深情的核心。

The river. I know well: while I live, love lives on; gazing sadly toward the river's head, I hear the river's voice. The while-I-live-love-lives-on and the gazing-at-the-river's-voice are the close. To have lived on in love would be a living; the i-know-well-while-i-live-love-lives-on-gazing-sadly-toward-the-river's-head-i-hear-the-river's-voice is the living.

Study

Word focus

长在 In 'the feeling long remains while the body remains,' chang zai is to remain for ever, to abide. Its force is duration: the poet is not saying the feeling is intense but that it is continuous, tied to the living body rather than to the season, which is what separates his grief from the lotus. 「深知身在情长在」之「长在」是写深情的关键词，一个「长在」写尽身在情在的执著。长在者，永远存在也。李商隐以「身在情长在」写深情，这个「长在」至少有双重意味：其一，写情之长久——那「深知身在情长在」写深知身在则情长在，那「长在」写尽情之长久——身犹在，情即长在，那「长在」写尽情不因物换而移；其二，写情之执著——那「长在」更是写执著——身在情长在，正见深情不随生死荣枯而改，那「长在」写尽情之执著。以「长在」写深情，正是李商隐写情恨的枢纽——若换作「永在」「常在」等词，则或失其与「身在」的呼应，或失其写长在的凝练；唯「长在」二字，以身在情长在写尽情之长久与执著，与「怅望江头江水声」的怅望相合，写尽身在情长的深情，也让「深知身在情长在」成为全诗写深情的千古名句。

怅望 In 'I gaze dejected at the riverhead,' chang wang means to look into the distance with a sinking heart. It names both the posture — standing and looking — and the mood, so the closing line gives the poem a body in the landscape: a man who is looking and cannot be answered. 「怅望江头江水声」之「怅望」是写感怀的关键词，一个「怅望」写尽怅然遥望的感怀。怅望者，怅然遥望也。李商隐以「怅望江头」写感怀，这个「怅望」至少有双重意味：其一，写遥望之态——那「怅望江头江水声」写怅然遥望江头而听江水之声，那「怅望」写尽怅然遥望之态——独立江头，怅然遥望，那「怅望」写尽感怀的姿态；其二，写情恨之深——那「怅望」更是写情恨——怅望江头，正见身在情长而无从排遣的怅恨，那「怅望」写尽情恨的深长。以「怅望」写感怀，正是李商隐写情恨的枢纽——若换作「遥望」「凝望」等词，则或失其写怅然的意味，或失其与「江水声」的配合；唯「怅望」二字，以怅望江头写尽怅然遥望的姿态与情恨的深长，与「深知身在情长在」的长在相合，写尽身在情长的深情，也让「怅望江头江水声」成为全诗写感怀的千古名句。