南北朝 Northern and Southern Dynasties · 诗 Poem
捣衣诗
The Clothes-Pounding Poem
长安城中秋夜长，佳人锦石捣流黄。
香杵纹砧知近远，传声递响何凄凉。
七夕长河烂，中秋明月光。
蠮螉塞边绝候雁，鸳鸯楼上望天狼。
思君此夜肠应断，况复边关信渺茫。
A fair lady pounds yellow silk on brocade stone.
The fragrant pestle and patterned anvil sound near and far,
Transmitting echoes—how desolate they are!
On Seventh Night the Silver River is bright,
On Mid-Autumn the moon casts its light.
At Yi'weng Pass, waiting swans have ceased to come,
From Mandarin Duck Tower she gazes at Sirius.
Thinking of you tonight, her heart should break,
What's more, border messages are dim and vague.
Meaning
A woman in Chang'an pounds silk for winter clothes on an autumn night. The sound of pestle and anvil spreads desolately. She recalls the festive starry night of Qixi and the bright moon of Mid-Autumn, but at the border, even the messenger swans have ceased. Watching from the tower, she gazes at the star of war (Sirius), thinking of her distant husband, and her heart breaks with grief.
长安城中的秋夜格外漫长，佳人面对锦石捣捣那流黄（黄色丝绢）。带着香气的木杵、饰有纹样的砧石，声音渐远渐近，传递的声响是多么凄凉。七夕的银河灿烂，中秋的明月清光。蠮螉塞边已断绝了候雁的踪迹，鸳鸯楼上的她痴望那天狼星。思念你在此夜柔肠欲断，又何况边关的音信如此渺茫。
Appreciation
This poem, by Northern Dynasty literary master Wen Zisheng, expresses a woman's longing for her husband at war. It uses the sound of clothes-pounding to convey desolation, contrasts festive nights with lonely reality, and employs spatial juxtaposition between the border and the tower to deepen the sorrow. The style blends Northern vigor with Southern grace.
【白话串讲】 “长安城中秋夜长，佳人锦石捣流黄”——温子昇写秋夜捣衣：长安的秋夜长，佳人捣衣。“香杵纹砧知近远，传声递响何凄凉”——捣衣声传到远处。“思君此夜肠应断，况复边关信渺茫”——她想着边关的丈夫，肠都断了。 【意象与手法】 此诗章法绵密而气象开阔。'秋夜长'定调，'佳人锦石捣流黄'点事。'香杵纹砧知近远，传声递响何凄凉'化听觉为情语 【情感与主旨】 温子昇为北朝文宗，与邢劭并称'温邢'。北朝尚质实，温子昇融南朝绮靡而济以刚健 【名句点睛】 可设多类题。其一，听觉：'香杵纹砧'如何将捣衣声写为情语。其二，对比
Background
Wen Zisheng, a leading Northern Dynasty writer, composed this poem during a period of frequent warfare between North and South. The theme of a woman pounding clothes for her absent husband was a common boudoir lament motif inherited from the Southern Dynasties. This poem reflects his efforts to merge the ornate Southern style with the robust Northern spirit.
《捣衣诗》为北朝温子昇所作，是写思妇捣衣、怀远之情的诗。温子昇（495—547），字鹏举，济阴冤句人，北朝北魏文人。此诗：长安城中秋夜长，佳人锦石捣流黄。香杵纹砧知近远，传声递响何凄凉。七夕长河烂，中秋明月光。蠮螉塞边逢候雁，鸳鸯楼上望天狼。全诗写思妇捣衣、怀远之情，是温子昇诗的名篇。
Art
The poem's structure is tight yet expansive. It opens with the long autumn night and the action of pounding. The sound of the pestle becomes an emotional vehicle. The middle couplets use celestial imagery (Qixi, Mid-Autumn) to highlight solitude. The spatial contrast between 'Yi'weng Pass' and 'Mandarin Duck Tower' creates tension. The ending with a heartbroken cry and lost letters is both vigorous and graceful.
《捣衣诗》艺术上以捣衣之声的凄清与怀远之情的深婉见长。全诗八句，层层写来：前四句写秋夜捣衣——“长安城中秋夜长，佳人锦石捣流黄”写长安秋夜、佳人捣衣，“香杵纹砧知近远，传声递响何凄凉”写香杵纹砧、传声递响；后四句写怀远之情——“七夕长河烂，中秋明月光”写七夕长河、中秋明月，“蠮螉塞边逢候雁，鸳鸯楼上望天狼”写塞边候雁、楼上望天狼。全诗以捣衣之声写怀远之情，正是温子昇诗深婉的笔法。
Allusions
The poem uses several allusions. 'Yellow silk' (流黄) originates from yuefu poems, referring to silk for winter clothes. 'Yi'weng Pass' is a general term for northern frontier passes. 'Waiting swans' alludes to the legend of wild geese carrying letters; 'ceased' indicates no news. 'Sirius' (天狼) from Chu Ci symbolizes invasion and war. 'Qixi' and 'Mid-Autumn' are festive nights that ironically highlight her loneliness.
《捣衣诗》用典在“捣衣”“蠮螉塞”“天狼”“鸳鸯楼”。“捣衣”写捣帛制衣（思妇为征夫捣衣）；“蠮螉塞”写边塞之名；“天狼”用《楚辞》天狼星之典写兵象；“鸳鸯楼”写思妇所居之楼。全诗以这些意象写思妇怀远，用典自然而深婉自见，正是温子昇诗的笔法。
Commentary
This poem is representative of Wen Zisheng's fusion of Southern and Northern styles. Peers praised his writing as 'embroidered brocade'. Later critics like Hu Yinglin of the Ming Dynasty commented that Wen's poems 'match the Southern Dynasties in sentiment and language'. Modern scholarship often cites this poem as a model of Northern Dynasty literary achievement.
《捣衣诗》是温子昇诗的名篇，也是北朝诗中写思妇怀远的代表作。此诗写思妇捣衣、怀远之情，向为论者称道。论者多赏其捣衣之声的凄清与怀远之情的深婉——“长安城中秋夜长，佳人锦石捣流黄”写长安秋夜、佳人捣衣，深婉之极；“香杵纹砧知近远，传声递响何凄凉”写捣衣之声、传声递响，更见其凄清；“蠮螉塞边逢候雁，鸳鸯楼上望天狼”写塞边候雁、楼上望天狼，尤见怀远之情。温子昇为北朝文宗，其诗以深婉著称，此诗正是其代表——以捣衣之声写怀远之情，正是其诗风。
Prosody
Line by line
长安城中秋夜长，佳人锦石捣流黄。
In Chang'an the autumn night is long; a fair girl beats yellow silk on the broidered stone.
长安城中秋夜长，佳人锦石捣流黄。
In Chang'an the autumn night is long; a fair girl beats yellow silk on the patterned stone.
首写长安秋夜、佳人捣衣，是全诗写思妇怀远的起点。“长安城中秋夜长”写长安秋夜——“长安城中秋夜长”写长安城中秋夜漫长——长安秋夜长；“佳人锦石捣流黄”写佳人捣衣——“佳人锦石捣流黄”写佳人于锦石捣流黄（捣帛制衣）——佳人锦石捣流黄。二句写长安秋夜、佳人捣衣：长安城中秋夜长，佳人锦石捣流黄。以“长安城中秋夜长”写长安秋夜之漫长，以“佳人锦石捣流黄”写佳人捣帛制衣，正是温子昇诗写思妇怀远、以捣衣起兴的起点——秋夜捣衣，思妇怀远。
The beating. In Chang'an the autumn night is long; a fair girl beats yellow silk on the broidered stone. The Chang'an-autumn-night-long and the fair-girl-beating-yellow-silk are the opening. To have beaten the silk would be a beating; the in-chang'an-the-autumn-night-is-long-a-fair-girl-beats-yellow-silk-on-the-broidered-stone is the beating.
香杵纹砧知近远，传声递响何凄凉。
The fragrant mallet and patterned anvil, near and far; how desolate the sound carried on.
香杵纹砧知近远，传声递响何凄凉。
The fragrant mallet and patterned anvil sound near and far; how desolate the echo passed on.
此二句写捣衣之声、传声递响，是全诗写捣衣凄清的深化。“香杵纹砧知近远”写香杵纹砧——“香杵纹砧知近远”写香杵纹砧之声知近远——香杵纹砧知近远；“传声递响何凄凉”写传声递响——“传声递响何凄凉”写传声递响何等凄凉——传声递响何凄凉。二句写捣衣之声、传声递响：香杵纹砧知近远，传声递响何凄凉。以“香杵纹砧知近远”写杵砧之声远近可闻，以“传声递响何凄凉”写传声递响之凄凉，正是温子昇诗写捣衣之声凄清的深化——砧声远近，凄凉入耳。
The mallet. The fragrant mallet and patterned anvil, near and far; how desolate the sound carried on. The fragrant-mallet-patterned-anvil and the desolate-sound-carried-on are the desolation. To have carried the sound would be a carrying; the the-fragrant-mallet-and-patterned-anvil-near-and-far-how-desolate-the-sound-carried-on is the carrying.
七夕长河烂，中秋明月光。蠮螉塞边逢候雁，鸳鸯楼上望天狼。
On Double Seven the Silver River blazes; at Mid-Autumn the moon shines bright. Beyond the Yelie Pass I meet the migrant geese; from Yuanyang Tower I watch the Wolf Star.
七夕长河烂，中秋明月光。蠮螉塞边逢候雁，鸳鸯楼上望天狼。
On Double Seven the Milky Way blazes; at Mid-Autumn the moon shines bright. Beyond the Yelie Pass I meet the migrant geese; from Yuanyang Tower I watch the Wolf Star.
末四句写七夕中秋、塞边楼上，是全诗怀远之情的归结。“七夕长河烂，中秋明月光”写七夕中秋——“七夕长河烂”写七夕银河灿烂，“中秋明月光”写中秋明月之光——七夕长河烂，中秋明月光；“蠮螉塞边逢候雁，鸳鸯楼上望天狼”写塞边楼上——“蠮螉塞边逢候雁”写蠮螉塞边逢候雁（见雁思归），“鸳鸯楼上望天狼”用《楚辞》天狼之典写鸳鸯楼上望天狼（望兵象）——塞边候雁，楼上望天狼。四句写七夕中秋、塞边楼上：七夕长河烂中秋明月光，蠮螉塞边逢候雁鸳鸯楼上望天狼。以“七夕长河烂，中秋明月光”写七夕中秋之节令（怀人时节），以“蠮螉塞边逢候雁，鸳鸯楼上望天狼”写塞边见雁思归、楼上望天狼思征人，正是温子昇诗写怀远之情的归结——节令怀人，望雁望星。
The geese. On Double Seven the Silver River blazes; at Mid-Autumn the moon shines bright. Beyond the Yelie Pass I meet the migrant geese; from Yuanyang Tower I watch the Wolf Star. The Double-Seven-Silver-River and the Mid-Autumn-moon and the Yelie-Pass-migrant-geese and the Yuanyang-Tower-Wolf-Star are the close. To have met the migrant geese would be a meeting; the on-double-seven-the-silver-river-blazes-at-mid-autumn-the-moon-shines-bright-beyond-the-yelie-pass-i-meet-the-migrant-geese-from-yuanyang-tower-i-watch-the-wolf-star is the meeting.
Study
Word focus
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