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唐 Tang · 诗 Poem

陪侍郎叔游洞庭醉后三首·其三

Drifting with My Uncle, the Vice Minister, at Dongting, After Drinking — Third of Three

李白

Li Bai

饮酒Drinking 山水Landscape

刬却君山好，平铺湘水流。
巴陵无限酒，醉杀洞庭秋。

Good — level the Jun Mountain flat, and let the Xiang run out in a plain sheet!
Baling has wine without limit, and I am drunk enough to kill the autumn of Dongting.

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Meaning

Li Bai, drinking on a boat with his uncle Li Ye during a boat trip on Dongting, imagines removing the island of Jun Mountain so that the Xiang river can spread level across the lake, and then declares that the wine of Baling is endless and his drunkenness so deep it can 'kill' the autumn of Dongting. The poem is a piece of magnificent nonsense taken absolutely literally: a mountain levelled, a river smoothed, a whole season of lake and autumn overwhelmed by drink.

刬却君山好，平铺湘水流。巴陵无限酒，醉杀洞庭秋。

Appreciation

[Plain Paraphrase] Two couplets, and each of them is a single gesture. First, an act of violence on the landscape — cut away Jun Mountain and let the Xiang flow in an even sheet; then, a vast quantity of wine and a claim of intoxication so complete it destroys the autumn. [Structure] The movement is from geography to appetite: the first couplet asks the world to be made over, the second reports what the drinking does to the drinker's relation to it. Because both couplets are short, the imagination has no room to cool. [Imagery] The images are large and physical — a mountain, a river, an entire lake and its autumn. There is no landscape here for walking in; the landscape is something to be commanded. The famous violence of the last line, in which a season is killed by a drinker, is the whole poem in one stroke: the self is far larger than the scene, or the drink is larger than the self.

【白话串讲】李白写《陪侍郎叔游洞庭醉后三首·其三》：“刬却君山好，平铺湘水流”——“巴陵无限酒，醉杀洞庭秋”——他说把君山铲平，让湘水铺开——巴陵有喝不完的酒，醉死这洞庭秋色——他写洞庭的豪兴。【意象与手法】此诗写醉酒，以豪放写醉酒，是李白的名篇。前二句写豪语：「刬却君山好，平铺湘水流」写刬却君山好、平铺湘水流——写尽豪放的奇想；后二句写醉兴：「巴陵无限酒，醉杀洞庭秋」写巴陵无限酒、醉杀洞庭秋——写尽醉兴的豪迈。全诗以豪放写醉酒，写尽豪放的奇想与醉兴的豪迈，是李白的代表作。【情感与主旨】此诗写醉酒，以豪放写醉酒，是李白的名篇。此诗写李白陪其叔父李晔（时为刑部侍郎）游洞庭湖，醉后所作三首之三。李白晚年流放夜郎途中遇赦，与李晔、贾至同游洞庭，醉后兴发。此诗写刬（铲）却君山（洞庭湖中的山）使湘水平铺，以巴陵（今岳阳）之酒醉杀洞庭之秋，正是李白醉后的豪语与奇想。此诗写豪语：刬却君山好，平铺湘水流——写刬却君山好、平铺湘水流，写尽豪放的奇想；巴陵无限酒，醉杀洞庭秋——写巴陵无限酒、醉杀洞庭秋，写尽醉兴的豪迈。全诗以豪放写醉酒——那「刬却君山好」写尽豪放的奇想，「醉杀洞庭秋」写尽醉兴的豪迈，写尽豪放的奇想与醉兴的豪迈，是理解李白醉酒诗的重要篇章。【名句点睛】常考「刬却君山好，平铺湘水流」写豪放的奇想；「巴陵无限酒，醉杀洞庭秋」写醉兴的豪迈；以及全诗以豪放写醉酒、以奇想写豪情的手法。

Background

Li Bai (701–762), courtesy name Taibai, called himself Qinglian Jushi, was of Longxi origin and is called the Poet Immortal. This is the third of three short poems written after drinking on a cruise of Dongting Lake with his uncle Li Ye, then vice minister of the board of punishment, who had been exiled to the south, together with the poet Jia Zhi. In 759, the second year of Qianyuan, Li Bai was on his way into exile at Yelang when he was pardoned at Wushan; he then made his way to Jiangxia and Yueyang, and this encounter on the lake belongs to that stretch of the river. He was nearly sixty, but the pardon had not abated his appetite, and the verse comes out of that spring of relief and movement.

此诗写醉酒，以豪放写醉酒，是李白的名篇。李白（701—762），字太白，号青莲居士，祖籍陇西成纪（今甘肃秦安），唐代诗人，与杜甫并称「李杜」，被誉为「诗仙」。此诗写李白陪其叔父李晔（时为刑部侍郎）游洞庭湖，醉后所作三首之三。李白晚年流放夜郎途中遇赦，与李晔、贾至同游洞庭，醉后兴发。此诗写刬（铲）却君山（洞庭湖中的山）使湘水平铺，以巴陵（今岳阳）之酒醉杀洞庭之秋，正是李白醉后的豪语与奇想。此诗写豪语：「刬却君山好，平铺湘水流」写刬却君山好、平铺湘水流——写尽豪放的奇想（刬却君山好，平铺湘水流）；「巴陵无限酒，醉杀洞庭秋」写巴陵无限酒、醉杀洞庭秋——写尽醉兴的豪迈（巴陵无限酒，醉杀洞庭秋）。全诗以豪放写醉酒，写尽豪放的奇想与醉兴的豪迈，是理解李白醉酒诗的重要篇章。乾元二年（759），李白流放夜郎，行至巫山遇赦放还，遂至江夏、岳阳一带，与其叔李晔（刑部侍郎，贬岭南）、友人贾至同游洞庭。李白此时虽年近六十，然遇赦之后豪兴不减，醉后作《陪侍郎叔游洞庭醉后三首》。此为其三，写醉后奇想。

Art

The poem works by exaggeration carried without a hint of apology. The first couplet is an imperative — level the mountain, spread the river — as if the speaker were addressing the landscape like a servant, and the two verbs carry the whole: 'cut' is a shovel's verb, 'spread' is a mat's. The second couplet turns from scene to self, and the untranslatable 'sha' here means to finish something off entirely, so that drunkenness is not merely complete but fatal to the autumn. The unit of the poem is enormous for its length: four lines, no middle term, no transition. Li Bai also uses place names as quantities — Baling wine is not a cup of wine but a measure of wine as great as a province. The result is a poem that refuses the decencies of description and wins by sheer scale of claim.

此诗的艺术特色可从四个方面解析。其一，以奇想写豪情。「刬却君山好」以奇想写豪情——那「刬却君山」写尽铲山的奇想，以奇想写尽豪放的豪情。其二，以夸张写醉兴。「醉杀洞庭秋」以夸张写醉兴——那「醉杀」写尽醉倒的夸张，以夸张写尽醉兴的豪迈。其三，以想象写平湖。「平铺湘水流」以想象写平湖——那「平铺」写尽湘水平铺的想象，以想象写尽豪放的奇想。其四，以地名写醉乡。「巴陵无限酒」以地名写醉乡——那「巴陵」写尽巴陵的酒乡，以地名写尽醉兴的豪迈。此外，此诗前二句写豪放的奇想，后二句写醉兴的豪迈，由想及醉，正是醉酒诗「以豪写醉」的写法。四重手法，使此诗以豪放写醉酒，写尽豪放的奇想与醉兴的豪迈，是李白的代表作。此诗还善于以「刬却君山好」的祈使语气写豪情之直泻——那「好」字写尽铲山的快意，正是豪情不可遏的写照，以祈使写尽豪放的奇想。又善以「平铺湘水流」的想象写铲山后的湖面——平铺湘水，正是山去水阔的想象，以想象写尽豪放的奇想。

Allusions

The vocabulary is seeded with the places of the southern lakes. Jun Mountain is the island in the north of Dongting, associated with the Xiang river water and with the legend of the Xiang goddesses weeping over mottled bamboo. The Xiang river itself carries the long memory of the scented blossoms and of Qu Yuan's drowning. Baling is Yueyang, the old names for the same shore; it is also the 'Baling wine' of the local inn, and it reaches further to the famous view of the tower that looks over the lake. The idea of an endless wine is the poet's standing practice — three hundred cups should be drunk at a sitting — while the verb for being drunk to death belongs to the family of heightening words that Li Bai uses of his own ecstasy. Finally, the flattering comparison with the banished immortal gives the poem its licence to overreach.

此诗的用语深植于醉酒与豪放传统。「刬却君山」令人想到「刬却君山」写铲山的奇想——也令人想到「铲却」的意象；「君山」令人想到「君山」写洞庭君山的意象——在洞庭湖中，也令人想到「湘妃泪染斑竹」的意象；「湘水」令人想到「湘水」写湘江的意象——也令人想到「湘水无潮秋水阔」的意象；「巴陵」令人想到「巴陵」写岳阳的意象——也令人想到「巴陵胜状」的意象；「无限酒」令人想到「无限酒」写无穷酒的意象——也令人想到「会须一饮三百杯」（李白）的意象；「醉杀」令人想到「醉杀」写醉倒的意象——也令人想到「欲上青天揽明月」的意象。全诗化用刬却君山、湘水、巴陵、无限酒、醉杀的意象，以豪放写醉酒，正是李白「豪放」而善奇想、承醉酒传统写豪情之本领。「君山」令人想到湘妃泪洒斑竹的传说——君山又称洞庭山，上有湘妃庙；「巴陵」令人想到「巴陵酒」为岳州美酒——也令人想到范仲淹《岳阳楼记》「予观夫巴陵胜状」的意象。

Commentary

This quatrain has usually been read as a small masterpiece of the drunk poet's manner, and later readers located its originality in exactly what it appears to lack: a whole landscape is disposed of in two lines and then a season is killed. It stands beside Bring on the Wine, where the same poet drifts from a river falling out of the sky to a single head of hair white in a mirror, and it continues the lineage of the poets who drink — in Du Fu's portrait of the eight drunken immortals, Li Bai among them, the tradition of the poet as a man sober enough to invent a huge folly and sober enough to report it in ten characters.

此诗历来被推为李白醉酒诗的名篇，也是唐诗写洞庭醉酒的代表。历代论者对此诗评价极高：清人评此诗「以豪放写醉酒，奇想天外」；近人更指出「刬却君山好，平铺湘水流」写豪放的奇想，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豪放的奇想与醉兴的豪迈——那刬却，那君山，那好，那平铺，那湘水，那流，那巴陵，那无限酒，那醉杀，那洞庭，那秋，都写尽了李白笔下的陪侍郎叔游洞庭；那「醉杀洞庭秋」更以夸张写尽醉兴的豪迈。此诗与李白《将进酒》（「君不见黄河之水天上来」）同为醉酒名篇，一写「人生得意须尽欢」的长歌（将进酒），一写「醉杀洞庭秋」的短章（陪侍郎叔游洞庭其三）；又与杜甫《饮中八仙歌》「李白斗酒诗百篇」的醉仙传统一脉相承，可见中国诗写醉酒豪放的传统。对于今日读者，此诗是理解李白醉酒诗的窗口，也是唐诗写洞庭的经典——那醉杀洞庭秋的豪情，穿越千年，仍在诉说着醉后的奇想。

Prosody

Form A five-character jueju quatrain of four lines诗·五言绝句

Rhyme Rhymes on the 'you' rhyme of the lower tone division — flow, autumn — through in one rhyme. The long rounded vowels suit the openness of the lake and the unhurried stride of the claim.五绝，押「流」「秋」韵（下平十一尤），一韵到底，音节豪放

Tone pattern Five characters to the line, level rhyme, four lines only, no regulated antithesis. The rhythm is a short trot: two lines of fancy, two lines of appetite.此诗为五言绝句，押平声韵，一韵到底，音节豪放，正合醉酒的豪放。

Reading note Four lines: then the mountain goes, then the wine comes. The 'you' rhyme gives the closing pair flow and autumn, both open and unobstructed, which is why the last line seems to keep going after it stops. The whole piece is a feat of economy — nothing is developed, nothing answered. Read the first couplet with the weight of an order and the second with the swell of a full glass; on 'the autumn of Dongting' hold a little, so the exaggeration lands as a claim and not as a joke. Li Bai's quatrains are usually light, and this one is light in form while enormous in ambition.此诗为五言绝句，四句——「刬却君山好，平铺湘水流。巴陵无限酒，醉杀洞庭秋」，押「尤」韵（流、秋），一韵到底，音节豪放。全诗以豪放写醉酒：前二句写豪放的奇想（刬却君山好、平铺湘水流），后二句写醉兴的豪迈（巴陵无限酒、醉杀洞庭秋）。四句短章，前写奇想，后写醉兴，以「醉杀洞庭秋」写尽醉兴的豪迈，正见李白「豪放」的本色。诵读此诗，宜以豪放的语调读「刬却君山好」的奇想，以奔放的语调读「醉杀洞庭秋」的醉兴，结句要读得豪放而有余韵，方能传达出李白的豪放奇想。李白绝句以「豪放」著称，此诗正是其醉酒诗的典范。

Line by line

巴陵无限酒，醉杀洞庭秋

Baling has wine without limit, and I am drunk enough to finish off the autumn of Dongting.

巴陵无限酒，醉杀洞庭秋。

At Baling there is wine without end; let me be drunk to death in Dongting's autumn.

此二句是全诗写醉兴的核心，以巴陵无限酒写无限酒，以醉杀洞庭秋写洞庭秋，写尽醉兴的豪迈，是千古名句。「巴陵无限酒」写巴陵无限酒——那「巴陵」写巴陵，「无限酒」写无限酒，写尽巴陵的无限酒；「醉杀洞庭秋」写醉杀洞庭秋——那「醉杀」写醉杀，「洞庭秋」写洞庭秋，写尽洞庭的醉秋。这句的深意在于：它以「巴陵无限酒」的无限酒与「醉杀洞庭秋」的洞庭秋，写尽醉兴的豪迈——巴陵无限酒，那「巴陵无限酒」写尽巴陵的无限酒——巴陵无限酒，正是巴陵酒多的写照，那「无限酒」写尽醉兴的豪迈；醉杀洞庭秋，那「醉杀洞庭秋」写尽洞庭的醉秋——醉杀洞庭，正是醉倒秋湖的写照，那「洞庭秋」写尽醉兴的豪迈；那「巴陵无限酒」写尽巴陵的无限酒，那「醉杀洞庭秋」写尽洞庭的醉秋，一写酒，一写醉，写尽醉兴的豪迈——巴陵有酒而醉杀洞庭，正是醉倒秋湖的写照；此二句以无限酒、洞庭秋写尽醉兴的豪迈，也让此二句成为全诗写醉兴的核心与千古名句。若换作直说「巴陵的酒很多，喝得酩酊大醉」，则失其豪气；唯以「巴陵无限酒」写无限酒、「醉杀洞庭秋」写洞庭秋，写尽醉兴的豪迈，也让此二句成为全诗写醉兴的核心。

The wine. At Baling there is wine without end; let me be drunk to death in Dongting's autumn. The Baling-wine-without-end and the drunk-to-death-Dongting-autumn are the rapture. To have been drunk to death would be a being; the at-baling-there-is-wine-without-end-let-me-be-drunk-to-death-in-dongting's-autumn is the being.

刬却君山好，平铺湘水流

Excellent — cut away Jun Mountain, and let the Xiang run out in a level sheet.

刬却君山好，平铺湘水流。

Better to level Jun Mountain away, and let the Xiang flow on, flat and open.

此二句是全诗写奇想的核心，以刬却君山好写君山，以平铺湘水流写湘水流，写尽豪放的奇想，是千古名句。「刬却君山好」写刬却君山好——那「刬却君山」写刬却君山，「好」写好，写尽刬山的奇想；「平铺湘水流」写平铺湘水流——那「平铺湘水」写平铺湘水，「流」写流，写尽湘水的平铺。这句的深意在于：它以「刬却君山好」的君山与「平铺湘水流」的湘水流，写尽豪放的奇想——刬却君山好，那「刬却君山好」写尽刬山的奇想——刬却君山，正是铲去君山的写照，那「好」写尽豪放的奇想；平铺湘水流，那「平铺湘水流」写尽湘水的平铺——平铺湘水，正是湘水平铺的写照，那「流」写尽豪放的奇想；那「刬却君山好」写尽刬山的奇想，那「平铺湘水流」写尽湘水的平铺，一写刬山，一写铺水，写尽豪放的奇想——铲去君山而湘水平铺，正是豪情万丈的写照；此二句以君山、湘水写尽豪放的奇想，也为下文的醉酒作铺垫，也让此二句成为全诗写奇想的核心与千古名句。若换作直说「君山挡着湘水，真想把它铲平」，则失其豪气；唯以「刬却君山好」写君山、「平铺湘水流」写湘水流，写尽豪放的奇想，也让此二句成为全诗写奇想的核心。

The mountain. Better to level Jun Mountain away, and let the Xiang flow on, flat and open. The level-Jun-Mountain-away and the Xiang-flow-flat-open are the wild wish. To have leveled the mountain would be a leveling; the better-to-level-jun-mountain-away-and-let-the-xiang-flow-on-flat-and-open is the leveling.

Study

Word focus

刬 In 'cut away Jun Mountain', the verb means to shovel away or level down. It is a labourer's word, and Li Bai takes it for a cosmic one; it gives the line the blunt physical force of a man with a spade rather than a man with a brush. A gentler 'remove' would keep the mountain and lose the act. 「刬却君山好」之「刬」字是写奇想的关键词，一个「刬」字写尽铲山的奇想。刬者，铲除、削平也。李白以「刬却君山好」写奇想，这个「刬」字至少有双重意味：其一，写山之刬——那「刬却君山好」写刬却君山好，那「刬」字写尽铲山的奇想——刬却君山，正是铲山平湖的写照，那「刬」字写尽豪放的奇想；其二，写气之豪——那「刬」字更是写豪——刬，正见豪情的壮阔，那「刬」字写尽李白的豪放。以「刬」字写奇想，正是李白写醉酒的枢纽——若换作「削」「平」等字，则或失其与「却君山好」「平铺湘水流」的配合，或失其写刬的意味；唯「刬」字，以刬却君山好写尽铲山之奇想与豪情之壮阔，与「醉杀洞庭秋」的醉杀相合，写尽豪放的奇想，也让「刬却君山好」成为全诗写奇想的名句。

杀 In 'drunk enough to kill the autumn', this is not a verb of murder but a degree-marker meaning driven to completion, as in the phrase for cooking a meat through. Hence the joke: the drinking is so extreme that the autumn is used up. It is the same heightening that Li Bai elsewhere uses of his own ecstasy, and it is the load-bearing word of the couplet. 「醉杀洞庭秋」之「杀」字是写醉兴的关键词，一个「杀」字写尽醉倒的夸张。杀者，极、甚也（表程度）。李白以「醉杀洞庭秋」写醉兴，这个「杀」字至少有双重意味：其一，写醉之极——那「醉杀洞庭秋」写醉杀洞庭秋，那「杀」字写尽醉倒的夸张——醉杀洞庭，正是醉极倒湖的写照，那「杀」字写尽醉兴的豪迈；其二，写情之狂——那「杀」字更是写狂——杀，正见醉情的狂放，那「杀」字写尽李白的豪放。以「杀」字写醉兴，正是李白写醉酒的枢纽——若换作「倒」「酣」等字，则或失其与「巴陵无限酒」「洞庭秋」的配合，或失其写杀的意味；唯「杀」字，以醉杀洞庭秋写尽醉倒之极致与醉情之狂放，与「刬却君山好」的奇想相合，写尽醉兴的豪迈，也让「醉杀洞庭秋」成为全诗写醉兴的名句。