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南北朝 Northern and Southern Dynasties · 民歌 Folk song

折杨柳歌辞

Lyric on Breaking the Willow Branch

北朝民歌

Northern-Dynasty Folk Song

离别Parting 边塞Frontier 豪放Bold style 羁旅Theme

上马不捉鞭，反折杨柳枝。
蹀座吹长笛，愁杀行客儿。
健儿须快马，快马须健儿。
跂跋黄尘下，然后别雄雌。

Mounting, he takes not the whip, but breaks a willow branch instead.
Aslant he sits and blows the long flute—grief slays the travelling lad.

A stout lad needs a swift horse; a swift horse needs a stout lad.
Then in the yellow dust they gallop down, and the better man is known.

Listen

Meaning

Mounting his horse he does not take up the whip, but breaks off a willow branch instead. Aslant he sits and plays the long flute—grief overcomes the travelling lad. A brave fellow must have a swift horse; a swift horse must have a brave fellow. Then down through the yellow dust they gallop, and only then is the stronger man told apart.

上马时不去执握马鞭，反而折下一枝杨柳。斜身坐在马上吹起长笛，笛声愁杀了远行的客子。健儿定要配上快马，快马也定要配上健儿。在翻腾的黄尘中驰骋决胜，然后才分辨出谁强谁弱。

Appreciation

The two pieces chosen here, one soft and one hardy, exactly show the two faces of the northern song. The first, 'Mounting, he takes not the whip, but breaks a willow branch instead', writes the reluctance to leave through an unnatural gesture—not the whip but the willow, and breaking the willow is to keep the parting; 'Aslant he sits and blows the long flute—grief slays the travelling lad' writes the sorrow with the flute-sound, tenderness within the hardiness. The fifth, 'A stout lad needs a swift horse; a swift horse needs a stout lad', rings with mutual phrasing, writing the harmony of man and horse in heroic vein; 'Then in the yellow dust they gallop down, and the better man is known' closes with the contest in the dust, breathtakingly bold. The language is plain as talk, the rhythm brisk, much using anadiplosis ('lad—horse—lad'), showing the northern folk song's unworked, hardy beauty.

【白话串讲】 “上马不捉鞭，反折杨柳枝”——上马不拿马鞭，反而折一枝杨柳。“健儿须快马，快马须健儿”——好马要配好汉。北朝民歌的豪迈，比酒还烈。【意象与手法】所选二首一柔一刚，恰见北歌两面。其一「上马不捉鞭，反折杨柳枝」以反常动作写不舍——不执鞭而折柳，折柳即留别；「蹀座吹长笛，愁杀行客儿」以笛声写愁，刚健中见柔情。其二「健儿须快马，快马须健儿」回环互文，写出人马相得之豪；「跂跋黄尘下，然后别雄雌」以黄尘驰决收束，英气逼人。语言质朴如话，节奏明快，多用顶真、叠字与口语，见北朝民歌「天然去雕饰」的刚健之美。【情感与主旨】《折杨柳歌辞》属北朝乐府「梁鼓角横吹曲」，现存六首，多为鲜卑等北方民族军旅、离别之歌。此选其一与其五：前者写军中送别的苍凉，后者写健儿决胜的豪情，一柔一刚，正是北朝民歌「慷慨任气、磊落使才」的双面性格；折柳、吹笛之中，又见胡汉风俗的交融。【名句点睛】常考「健儿须快马，快马须健儿」的顶真回环与「跂跋黄尘下，然后别雄雌」的豪迈收束，以及「反折」二字以反常动作写离情的炼字之妙；亦常将本组与《敕勒歌》《木兰诗》并考，以见北朝民歌刚健质朴的总体风貌。

Background

'Lyric on Breaking the Willow Branch' belongs to the Northern-Dynasty yuefu 'Liang Drums-and-Horns Horizontal Blow', six pieces surviving (also titled 'Breaking the Willow'), mostly Xianbei and other northern peoples' songs of army and parting. 'Breaking the willow' inherits the Han-Tang custom of willow at farewell (willow punning 'stay'), the northern song fusing Hu and Han. The two chosen here are its first and fifth: the first writes the brave lad mounting and breaking the willow, the flute sounding grief—the desolation of an army send-off; the fifth writes the brave lad and swift horse, the contest in the yellow dust—the northern man's heroic air. Likely born in the age when the Northern Wei unified the north and Xianbei horsemanship flourished, it is a typical text for studying the northern folk song's 'generous and hardy' style.

《折杨柳歌辞》属北朝乐府「梁鼓角横吹曲」，现存六首，多记北方民族军旅、离别之事，与《木兰诗》《敕勒歌》并称北歌三绝。郭茂倩《乐府诗集》卷二十五引《唐书·乐志》谓「梁鼓角横吹曲」多「鲜卑胡曲」，本为军中马上所奏之乐，后传入南朝，梁时乐府机关采录配曲，故题冠「梁」字。南北朝对峙之际，北方由鲜卑拓跋氏建立北魏，继而东西魏、北齐、北周迭兴，骑射征战成为社会生活的常态，胡汉风俗在黄河两岸交错融合，民歌遂兼具胡人之刚健与汉地之文雅。此选其一与其五：其一写健儿上马折柳、斜坐吹笛，是军中送别的苍凉；其五写健儿快马、黄尘决胜，是北人豪侠之气。两组画面一柔一刚，正见北朝民歌「慷慨以任气，磊落以使才」的双面性格。折柳送别本是中原旧俗，北歌沿而用之，足证胡汉文化之交融；而「愁杀行客儿」的直白抒情与「然后别雄雌」的爽利收束，又是地道的北方口吻，未经南朝文士润色的民歌原貌，在此保存得尤为真切。

Art

此组所选二首，一写离愁，一写豪气，恰成北歌两面。其一以反常动作起笔：「上马不捉鞭，反折杨柳枝」——行客上马，却不执鞭，反向折下一枝杨柳，杨柳谐「留」音，折柳赠别本是留客之情的物化，而此处不送人而自折，是行者自己留别自己，一个「反」字写出无心扬鞭、满心眷恋的情态，动作的迟疑顿挫与北人惯有的干脆形成微妙对照。「蹀座吹长笛，愁杀行客儿」紧承其上：斜坐马上吹起长笛，笛声苍凉，愁得行客儿无法自持。「蹀座」即偏斜而坐，写骑马者的随意洒脱；以笛声写愁，是化听觉为情绪，愁本无形，借笛声而可闻。「愁杀」用北语「杀」表极甚，如后世「可怜杀」「想杀」，极写离愁之重。其二则笔锋一转，写健儿与快马的相得：「健儿须快马，快马须健儿」用顶真与回环，两句实为互文，人马互为条件，昂扬之气溢于言表；「跂跋黄尘下，然后别雄雌」以象声词写马蹄疾驰，黄尘蔽日之中决胜雌雄，英气逼人，戛然而止。全诗语言质朴如话，节奏明快如鼓，多用顶真、互文、夸张，见北朝民歌「天然去雕饰」的刚健之美。

Allusions

'Breaking the willow' inherits the Han yuefu 'Breaking the Willow' and the old custom of 'willow at parting' (willow punning 'stay'), a prototype image of farewell; 'aslant sit' (die zuo) means to sit askew, describing the brave lad's free bearing; the 'long flute' is the northern nomads' common wind instrument, its sound mournful; 'qi ba' describes the sound of hoofbeats hurrying. This group of folk songs is little touched by literati polish, almost no allusion, only the 'willow' image inherits the central-plains farewell tradition, showing the northern yuefu's 'Hu-Han blend'—in the mouth of a Xianbei brave lad, the central-plains custom of breaking the willow.

「折杨柳」一意象源远流长：汉乐府有《折杨柳行》，古辞多写离别，《诗经·小雅·采薇》「昔我往矣，杨柳依依」已开以杨柳写行役之思的先河；至汉魏，「折柳赠别」成为通行的送别之俗，柳谐「留」音，折柳相赠即寓挽留之意，隋代无名氏《送别诗》「柳条折尽花飞尽，借问行人归不归」更把折柳写到极致。北歌承此传统而入胡地场景，可见文化交融之一端。北朝民歌虽以质直著称，用典近乎于无，然意象的承袭自有谱系：「蹀座」即「蹀坐」，谓斜倚而坐，是北方骑手在马上的常见姿态，一字写出游牧民族的剽悍体态；「长笛」本西域传入的横吹之器，其声悲亢苍凉，常与征戍相连，江淹《别赋》亦有「闻笛而伤神」之叹；「跂跋」状马蹄踢踏之声，象声造词，新鲜泼辣。「别雄雌」则化用先秦以来以「雌雄」喻高下胜负的套语，《史记》载项羽愿与汉王「决雌雄」，深入人心。全诗无一处书袋，却处处有传统，正是民间文学「用典如不用」的高境。

Commentary

The Anthology of Yuefu, citing the Tang History of Music, says the 'Liang Drums-and-Horns Horizontal Blow' holds much 'Xianbei Hu music'. 'Lyric on Breaking the Willow Branch', with 'Mulan Ballad' and 'Chile Song', is named one of the three wonders of northern song. Ming critic Hu Yinglin, in Poetry Confidences, says 'northern song prizes hardiness'. Modern scholars Liang Qichao and Hu Shi both valued the northern folk song's 'true feeling'. This group writes parting-sorrow and heroic air in the voice of brave lads; Shen Deqian's Source of Ancient Poetry records it, deeming its 'hardy note sufficient to correct the southern softness'.

北朝民歌在文学史上以「刚健」著称，《乐府诗集》引《唐书·乐志》谓「梁鼓角横吹曲」多「鲜卑胡曲」，其辞率多质直。宋郭茂倩《乐府诗集》详录此曲，明胡应麟《诗薮》论北歌谓「其词质朴，语意新警」，以为足矫南朝绮靡之弊；清沈德潜《古诗源》收录《折杨柳歌辞》，评北朝乐府「刚健之音，足匡南朝柔靡」，正以此类作品为证。近人梁启超论中国韵文，特重北朝民歌之「真性情」，胡适《白话文学史》更以「放胆」二字许北歌，以为其敢说敢唱、毫无遮掩。就《折杨柳歌辞》而言，其一写离愁而用「反折」「愁杀」，其五写决胜而用「跂跋」「别雄雌」，皆以最朴素的字面写最强烈的情绪，这正是民歌区别于文人诗的根本所在。此组诗与《木兰诗》《敕勒歌》并称北歌三绝：《木兰诗》以叙事铺陈胜，《敕勒歌》以境界苍茫胜，《折杨柳歌辞》则以情致之真、声口之健胜，是研究北朝民歌「慷慨刚健」风格的典型文本，亦为后世边塞诗写「健儿」「行客」提供了原型。

Prosody

Form Northern-Dynasty yuefu folk song (Liang Drums-and-Horns Horizontal Blow, mixed lines)北朝乐府民歌（梁鼓角横吹曲·五言杂言）

Rhyme Yuefu folk song, free rhyme-change (branch / lad; horse / lad / male)两组各四句，皆于偶句押平水韵上平四支韵：首组「枝」「儿」，次组「儿」「雌」，一韵到底；换韵不换部，而语气一柔一刚，正见北歌以声助情的质朴之美。

Tone pattern Folk song, no level-oblique rule民歌不拘近体平仄，以自然声口为主；句式五言为骨干，句法灵活，多用口语虚字与象声叠字（跂跋），声情刚健明快，宜于马上传唱。

Reading note With 'Mulan Ballad' and 'Chile Song' named the three wonders of northern song, hardy and plain《折杨柳歌辞》属北朝乐府「梁鼓角横吹曲」，本为军中马上所奏之乐，后传入南朝，梁乐府机关采录配曲，故声情带着天然的马上节拍。全诗两组四句，偶句押平声四支韵（枝、儿、儿、雌），一韵到底而毫不觉板，原因是句法灵活、多用口语：首组以「不捉鞭」「反折柳」的拗折语气制造顿挫，次组以「须快马」的顶真回环推进节奏，末句「跂跋黄尘下」以象声叠字摹写蹄声，声情与辞情天然相合。北朝民歌不讲究近体平仄对仗，而以「气」驭「声」，每句字数的整齐与语气的跌宕互为表里：五字句短促有力，正适合表现骑射驰骋之态；「行客儿」「健儿」等三字音节收尾，口语化十足，使全诗听来如话家常而自有一种雄健的节奏。此种以质朴声口写刚健之情的乐府传统，直接影响唐代边塞诗的声情，王昌龄「秦时明月汉时关」之句法，即遥承北歌一脉。

Line by line

上马不捉鞭，反折杨柳枝。

Mounting the horse, he takes up no whip; instead he breaks a willow spray.

上马时不去执握马鞭，反而折下一枝杨柳。

Mounting the horse, he does not take the whip; instead he breaks a willow branch.

起笔即以反常动作写不忍离别：行客上马，本当扬鞭策马，却偏不捉鞭，反向折下一枝杨柳。杨柳谐「留」音，折柳即留别，是中原送别古俗；此处不送人而自折，是行者以柳自留，一个「反」字写出动作的迟疑与心绪的翻搅，无意于行而强作行色。北人素以爽利著称，此句却以顿挫写缠绵，恰见刚中带柔。与后句「蹀座吹长笛」相贯：折柳是无声的挽留，吹笛是有声的倾诉，二者合力，把临别之际欲行还止的复杂心理写得可触可感。「不捉鞭」三字尤妙，鞭是催行之具，不捉鞭便是暂且不行，离情之深，尽在无心扬鞭的一念之间。

The willow. Mounting the horse, he takes up no whip; instead he breaks a willow spray. The mounting-no-whip and the instead-breaks-willow-spray are the departure. To have taken up no whip would be a taking-up; the mounting-the-horse-he-takes-up-no-whip-instead-he-breaks-a-willow-spray is the taking-up.

蹀座吹长笛，愁杀行客儿。

Sidesaddle he plays the long flute, breaking the traveler's heart.

斜身坐在马上吹起长笛，笛声愁杀了远行的客子。

Sitting sideways he plays the long flute; it breaks the traveler's heart.

此句由动作转写声音，以笛声写离愁。「蹀座」即斜坐，写健儿骑在马上的洒脱姿态，偏斜而坐，随意之极，与「吹长笛」的闲雅相映，却偏偏吹出苍凉的离别之音。「愁杀」用北语「杀」字作补语，表程度之极，如后世「想杀」「爱杀」，极言愁之深重，是北人口语入诗的典范。「行客儿」以「儿」字缀尾，带亲昵怜惜的口吻，与「杀」字的狠重相配，一轻一重，倍见情致。笛声本无字，而诗人以「愁杀」直写其效果，化听觉为心理，使无形的愁绪有了重量。后世「羌笛何须怨杨柳」的边塞笛愁，正从此句一脉而来；长笛与折柳并置，声与物交织，离别之情遂成可闻可触的实体。

The flute. Sidesaddle he plays the long flute, breaking the traveler's heart. The sidesaddle-plays-long-flute and the breaking-traveler's-heart are the sorrow. To have played the flute would be a playing; the sidesaddle-he-plays-the-long-flute-breaking-the-traveler's-heart is the playing.

健儿须快马，快马须健儿。

A brave lad needs a swift horse; a swift horse needs a brave lad.

健儿定要配上快马，快马也定要配上健儿。

A stout lad wants a swift horse; a swift horse wants a stout lad.

此句写人马相得，是全诗由柔转刚的枢纽。两句以顶真相连，前句之「快马」承后句之「快马」，回环往复，如车轮疾转，节奏上已见骏马奔踏之势。内容上两句实为互文：健儿以快马显其勇，快马以健儿显其骏，人借马力，马借人威，互为表里，缺一不可。「须」字反复，道出北人心中人马相依的必然之理，亦见其对良马健儿的由衷赞美。顶真之外，两句又成对偶，字数整饬而语气斩截，不假雕饰而气势自雄，是民歌天然的形式美。此句为下文「跂跋黄尘下，然后别雄雌」蓄势，先言人马之相得，后写驰骋之决胜，豪情一层层推涌而出，刚健之气喷薄纸上。

The horse. A brave lad needs a swift horse; a swift horse needs a brave lad. The brave-lad-needs-swift-horse and the swift-horse-needs-brave-lad are the match. To have needed a swift horse would be a needing; the a-brave-lad-needs-a-swift-horse-a-swift-horse-needs-a-brave-lad is the needing.

跂跋黄尘下，然后别雄雌。

Galloping through the yellow dust—then we know who is who.

在翻腾的黄尘中奔驰决胜，然后才分辨出谁强谁弱。

Tromping through the yellow dust, then we tell the male from the female.

末句以一声决断收束全诗，英气逼人。「跂跋」是象声叠字，状马蹄踢踏疾走之声，以声写动，仿佛千蹄扬尘、卷地而来就在眼前；「黄尘」写尘土蔽日，极言驰骤之烈、阵势之壮，视觉与听觉交织，将决战的场景写得虎虎生风。「然后别雄雌」以「雌雄」喻胜负高下，化用决一雌雄的古老套语，却毫不板滞——先铺足人马之壮、奔驰之疾，再轻轻一句收住，胜负自在不言中。全句节奏急促，戛然而止，恰似骏马收缰，留给人无尽的想象。北人尚武任气的性格，在此得到最爽利的呈现；此句与首章折柳之柔对照，恰见北朝民歌刚柔并济的双面性格，亦为唐人边塞诗的尚武精神立下先声。

The race. Galloping through the yellow dust—then we know who is who. The galloping-yellow-dust and the then-know-who-is-who are the close. To have galloped through the dust would be a galloping; the galloping-through-the-yellow-dust-then-we-know-who-is-who is the galloping.

Study

Word focus

反折 The word 'instead' shows he cares not to raise the whip but only to break the willow—the depth of his parting grief. 「反折」是此诗首句的诗眼，「反」字与「折」字合成一个反常动作：上马本当执鞭，却偏要折柳。柳谐「留」音，折柳是中原送别古俗，本为赠别留客之用；此处行客不送人而自折一枝，是行者自己留别自己，把离别的不舍化为一折。一「反」字写出了动作的迟疑、心绪的翻搅——不是不想走，而是不忍走，所以才「不捉鞭」，才「反折柳」。若作「上马折柳枝」，便只是寻常动作，平淡无奇；着一「反」字，顿觉临歧踟蹰之态如在目前，刚健的北人之声里透出一缕缠绵的柔情。此字之用，正见民歌炼字之精，看似不假思索，实则恰到好处，与「不捉鞭」的否定语式相配，把临行的矛盾心理写得曲折而真切。

愁杀 'Slays' is northern speech for 'exceedingly'; it writes the parting grief to the utmost. 「愁杀」是北朝民歌特有的口语化表达，「杀」为程度补语，表「极甚」「到了极点」，如「愁杀」「笑杀」「急杀」，皆以夸张写极致，语带北方方言的生辣劲道。「愁杀行客儿」即愁得行客儿无法承受，以「杀」字直写愁的力度，使无形的离愁有了近乎致命的重量；而句末缀一「儿」字，「行客儿」三字带出亲昵怜惜的口吻，与「杀」的狠重形成奇妙的对照——愁是狠的，人却是可悯的。后世诗词中「可杀」「想杀」等口语渐入文雅之列，正溯源于此类北歌。若以文人语改写为「愁深行客心」，便失其生辣之趣；唯「愁杀」二字，把民歌以口语写极情的本色展露无遗，是北朝民歌语言风格的最佳标本。

跂跋 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「跂跋」是象声叠字，摹写马蹄踢踏疾走之声，是全诗最见音响效果的字眼。两字皆从足旁（跂字本训举踵，跋字本训踏草而行），字形的足部意符与词义的踏地之声相应，读来仿佛蹄声得得、由远及近。与「黄尘下」相配，先以声音写奔驰之疾，再以黄尘蔽日写阵势之烈，声与色俱足，把健儿决胜的场景写得虎虎生风。民歌造字取声，不避粗野，正见其天真烂漫处；若以雅言改为「驰骤」之类，便少了那份扑面而来的草莽气息。此二字与首章的「蹀座」同为北人生活口语入诗，一写斜坐之态，一写蹄踏之声，皆新鲜泼辣，足见北朝民歌善于从活的口语与生活的声响中提炼诗的语言。

别雄雌 Closing with 'the better man is known' shows the northern man's heroic, knightly air. 「别雄雌」以雌雄喻胜负高下，化用「决一雌雄」的古老说法，作全诗收束之语。雄者胜、雌者负，本是先秦以来以性别喻强弱的习语，《史记》中项羽「愿与汉王挑战决雌雄」已见其用；此处不写刀兵相接的细节，而以「然后别雄雌」轻轻一笔带过，仿佛胜负早在驰骋之间已然分明，无需赘言，语气斩截，豪气自见。与前半「健儿须快马」呼应，人强马快，胜负便不言而喻。此语之妙，在于以虚写实：决战过程尽付黄尘之中，只留一个结果悬念给读者，英气逼人而又含蓄有致。一个「别」字尤见分寸——不是「分」出胜负的生硬，而是「别」出高下的从容，正是北歌「语尽而意不尽」的收束法。