All poems

先秦 Pre-Qin · 楚辞 Chu Ci

九歌·湘君

Lord Xiang (Xiang Jun)

屈原

Qu Yuan

爱情/相思love / longing 神话/祭祀mythology / ritual

君不行兮夷犹，蹇谁留兮中洲？
美要眇兮宜修，沛吾乘兮桂舟。
令沅湘兮无波，使江水兮安流。
望夫君兮未来，吹参差兮谁思？
驾飞龙兮北征，邅吾道兮洞庭。
薜荔柏兮蕙绸，荪桡兮兰旌。
望涔阳兮极浦，横大江兮扬灵。
扬灵兮未极，女婵媛兮为余太息。
横流涕兮潺湲，隐思君兮陫侧。
桂棹兮兰枻，斫冰兮积雪。
采薜荔兮水中，搴芙蓉兮木末。
心不同兮媒劳，恩不甚兮轻绝。
石濑兮浅浅，飞龙兮翩翩。
交不忠兮怨长，期不信兮告余以不闲。
朝骋骛兮江皋，夕弭节兮北渚。
鸟次兮屋上，水周兮堂下。
捐余玦兮江中，遗余佩兮醴浦。
采芳洲兮杜若，将以遗兮下女。
时不可兮再得，聊逍遥兮容与。

My lord will not come, hesitating—who keeps you on the mid-isle? I am fair and finely adorned; I sail my cassia boat in haste. I bid the Yuan and Xiang be without waves, the river flow calm. I watch for my lord who has not come; playing the flute, for whom do I long?
I ride the flying dragon north, turning my way to Dongting. With clam-vine walls and orchid curtains, calamus oars and orchid banners. I gaze to Cen-yang's far shore, crossing the great river to show my spirit. My spirit not yet spent, my maid grieves and sighs for me.
Tears stream sideways, falling without end; in secret I think of you, my heart in pain. Cassia oar and orchid paddle, cleaving ice and piling snow. I gather clam-vine in the water, pluck lotus from the tree-top. Hearts unmatched, the go-between toils; love not deep, the parting is light.
Over the stony rapids, shallow and quick; the flying dragon glides. A faithless bond breeds lasting grief; the promised tryst breaks, excusing with 'no leisure.'
At dawn I race the river's brink; at dusk I halt at the northern isle. Birds perch on the roof; water rings the hall below. I cast my jade ring into the river, leave my pendant at the Li shore. I gather Du-nuo on the fragrant isle, to give to the maid below. The time cannot come again; for now I wander, at ease.

Listen

Meaning

In the voice of the goddess Xiang Jun's consort, the poem sings of waiting for the god who does not come: she sails, calls the waters calm, roams the spirit-realm, then turns from longing to complaint and finally to a proud letting-go. Beneath the divine love story lies Qu Yuan's own grief at loving a ruler who keeps away.

你犹豫着不肯前行，究竟为谁留在沙洲？我容饰美好而合宜，乘着桂木之舟沛然前往。令沅湘之水无波，使江水安稳而流。盼望夫君你却未来，吹起排箫又思念谁？驾飞龙向北而行，迂回我的道路到洞庭。薜荔为壁，蕙草为帐，荪草为桨，兰草为旗。遥望涔阳那边远水滨，横渡大江显扬精灵。显扬精灵还未尽兴，侍女婵媛为我长叹。涕泪横流潺潺而下，暗自思念你而心中悲侧。桂木棹、兰木桨，斫开冰雪。在水中采薜荔，在树梢摘芙蓉。心意不同则媒人徒劳，恩情不深便轻易断绝。石间急流浅浅，飞龙翩翩。相交不忠则怨恨长，约期失信却说不得空闲。清晨驰骋于江皋，傍晚停鞭在北渚。鸟栖息在屋上，水环绕堂下。将我的玉玦投入江中，把玉佩遗留在醴水之浦。采芳洲上的杜若，将赠予那侍女。时机不可再得，姑且逍遥徘徊。

Appreciation

Five sections in the first person of the goddess: the first opens with the question 'my lord will not come'—the waiting, not yet come; the second rides the flying dragon and shows her spirit, the divine realm splendid; the third 'tears stream sideways' turns love to complaint, 'gathering clam-vine in the water, plucking lotus from the tree-top' figures the vain seeking; the fourth bluntly blames 'faithless bond' and 'broken tryst'; the last 'casts the ring, leaves the pendant' and parts in pride, closing with 'for now I wander, at ease.' Fragrant plants (clam-vine, orchid, Du-nuo), dragon-boats, and cassia oars weave a misty divine world; the woman's voice is tender and far, the words soaring yet the feeling deep and winding.

【白话串讲】湘夫人等湘君：你还不来，是谁把你留在洲上？她驾着桂舟去找，吹着排箫。“望夫君兮未来，吹参差兮谁思”——等不到人，曲子吹给谁听？【意象与手法】全诗五段，以湘夫人第一人称展开：首段“君不行兮夷犹”设问起笔，写盼君不至；次段驾飞龙、扬灵遨游，神境瑰丽【情感与主旨】《湘君》为屈原《九歌》十一篇之一，是楚地民间祭祀湘水之神的乐歌，经屈原改作而成【名句点睛】中高考多考：一、比兴与象征——香草龙舟的寓意；二、情感脉络——由盼、游、怨到决绝的变化

Background

'Lord Xiang' is one of Qu Yuan's 'Nine Songs,' a Chu folk hymn to the god of the Xiang River, reworked by Qu Yuan. The Chu honored shamans and lavish sacrifice; Xiang Jun and Xiang Fu-ren were said to be the forms of Shun and his two wives (E Huang, Nü Ying), ruling the Xiang waters. This piece, in the voice of the goddess-consort, sings of welcoming Xiang Jun yet he does not come—a god-entertaining song that Qu Yuan filled with his own self-expression: the loyal love of a ruler yet kept at a distance, the lonely indignation. 'I watch for my lord who has not come' is long read as a metaphor for Qu Yuan's state of 'trusted yet doubted.'

《湘君》是《九歌》十一篇中的一篇。《九歌》原是楚国民间祭祀神祇的一套乐歌，王逸《楚辞章句》以为屈原放逐沅湘之间，见当地巫觋祭神「词句鄙陋」，因作《九歌》以更定其辞，此说为后世普遍接受。湘君与湘夫人是楚地崇奉的湘水配偶神，二神究竟指何人，历代歧说纷纭：一说以湘君为帝舜、湘夫人为舜之二妃娥皇女英，因舜南巡崩于苍梧之野，二妃沉于湘江，遂为湘水之神，此说以《史记·秦始皇本纪》所记湘山祠为据，司马贞《史记索隐》、洪兴祖《楚辞补注》多主之；一说以为湘君湘夫人仅是湘水的一对配偶神，不必附会舜与二妃，王夫之《楚辞通释》即持此论。从诗文本看，《湘君》通篇以女性口吻（或说女巫所扮湘夫人）叙述，写她盛装乘桂舟往迎湘君，久候不至，由盼望、追寻而转生怨艾，终至捐玦遗佩、怅然逍遥；《湘夫人》则从男性口吻（湘君）写同样的失期与怅望，二篇对唱相生，实为一组。本篇约作于屈原放逐江南、亲见沅湘巫祭之时，但文辞之凄艳、情感之缠绵，已远非祭歌所能范围，屈原借神人相望而不得的怅惘，寄寓了自身「忠而见弃」的哀怨。篇中「沅湘」「洞庭」「涔阳」「醴浦」皆楚地实有之名，是湘水流域祭祀活动的地理坐标。此种以神人相望寄寓身世之感的写法，亦为《九歌》诸篇所共通。

Art

Five sections in the first person of the goddess: the first opens with the question 'my lord will not come'—the waiting, not yet come; the second rides the flying dragon and shows her spirit, the divine realm splendid; the third 'tears stream sideways' turns love to complaint, 'gathering clam-vine in the water, plucking lotus from the tree-top' figures the vain seeking; the fourth bluntly blames 'faithless bond' and 'broken tryst'; the last 'casts the ring, leaves the pendant' and parts in pride, closing with 'for now I wander, at ease.' Fragrant plants, dragon-boats, and cassia oars weave a misty divine world; the woman's voice is tender and far, the words soaring yet the feeling deep and winding.

《湘君》的艺术，首在借神人相恋写人神悬隔、爱而不得的怅惘，而又不露痕迹。全诗五段，脉络清晰：首段「君不行兮夷犹」以设问起笔，写迎候之人徘徊中洲、望穿秋水；次段「驾飞龙兮北征」写其驾舟溯流、扬灵遨游，香草装点的桂舟龙舟，织成一个瑰丽的神境；第三段转入怨艾，「采薜荔兮水中，搴芙蓉兮木末」以颠倒失所暗喻徒劳，是全诗情感的转折；第四段「石濑兮浅浅，飞龙兮翩翩」以景衬情，点出「交不忠」「期不信」的怨责；末段捐玦遗佩、采杜若赠下女，以决绝之姿收束，却又以「时不可兮再得，聊逍遥兮容与」作自我宽解，余韵绵长。这一「盼—游—怨—绝—宽」的情感弧线，层层推进，张弛有致。意象上，通篇以香草名物为经纬——桂舟、薜荔柏、蕙绸、荪桡、兰旌、桂棹、兰枻、杜若，几乎句句芳草，将神祇的世界装饰得清芬满目，而「斫冰兮积雪」一句，忽以冰雪的凛冽插入芳草之中，暗示爱情之不可得，冷暖对撞，极见匠心。此种以华美之辞写哀怨之情的手法，正是《九歌》「缠绵悱恻」风格的集中体现。朱熹《楚辞集注》评《九歌》诸篇「托意于神而寄情深远」，此篇尤见其妙——香草之艳与情感之哀，一表一里，相反而相成。清人王夫之《楚辞通释》亦谓湘君湘夫人二篇「写神之往来，实写情之离合」，正点出此篇借神事写人情的深衷。

Allusions

The poem uses many Chu shaman images: 'the flute' (shen chi) is said to be invented by Shun, quietly tying Xiang Jun to Shun's identity; 'cassia boat,' 'flying dragon,' 'orchid banner' carry the 'fragrant plant and beautiful woman' comparison-and-image system of the Li Sao, figuring lofty feeling by pure things. In 'casting the ring' and 'leaving the pendant,' the ring (jue, 'a break') and pendant (pei, 'virtue and trust') are typical Chu-ci objects of intent. 'Gathering clam-vine in the water, plucking lotus from the tree-top' transforms the 'climb the tree for fish' kind of vain image, figuring the seeking-yet-not-gotten. These shaman and fragrant-plant allusions form the Chu-ci's own symbolic language.

此篇用典不多，其深层的文化渊源却在巫祭传统与神话意象之中。「薜荔」「蕙」「荪」「兰」「桂」「芙蓉」「杜若」皆是楚辞香草系统的基本词汇，源出《离骚》「扈江离与辟芷兮，纫秋兰以为佩」，屈原以香草喻高洁与美善，此处则移以装饰神境、烘托湘夫人的容饰之美。「桂舟」「飞龙」二词可溯至古代水神以龙为舟的神话，龙舟迎神是南方水祭的古老仪式，篇中「驾飞龙兮北征」既写船行之疾，也暗含神人交通的巫术意味。「吹参差」之「参差」即排箫，是楚地祭祀中招神降神的乐器，《九歌》他篇亦有「鸣篪」「鼓瑟」之属，皆巫祭场景的实录。「捐玦遗佩」是古代祷神的一种仪轨，投玉于水以通神明、表信诚，本于古人的玉崇拜与沉祭之俗，篇中却将其转化为情断义绝的动作，仪式与抒情遂合而为一。湘君舜、二妃的附会亦在诗中留下痕迹，「涔阳极浦」「醴浦」等楚南地名，与舜崩苍梧的传说地理暗合。学界对《九歌》的「人神之恋」性质多有讨论，或主祭歌说、或主寄托说，然其意象之源流，则确乎植根于南楚的巫风与香草传统。「捐玦遗佩」一节，学界或释为巫祭中投玉以通神的仪轨，或释为女子决绝情断的动作，两说并存，恰见楚辞意象多义、可通神可通情的特质，亦是此篇研究中的一个持久话题，历来聚讼。

Commentary

Wang Yi (Chu Ci Zhang Ju): 'Xiang Jun, Xiang Fu-ren—Shun went far and died, the two wives followed, hence they became the Lady of the Xiang.' Zhu Xi: Qu Yuan 'used it to satirize and remonstrate.' Qing scholar Lin Yunming: '“hearts unmatched,” “tryst not trusted” plainly write a abandoned wife's mouth, yet it is Qu Yuan's self-portrait.' Modern readers mostly read it as both 'goddess love-song' and 'loyal yet kept distant,' affirming his craft of turning folk sacrifice into a personal lyric masterpiece.

《湘君》与《湘夫人》向为《九歌》中最受注目的篇章。王逸《楚辞章句》首为注释，以湘君为舜、湘夫人为二妃之说，影响深远，此后司马贞、洪兴祖皆从之而有所补正。朱熹《楚辞集注》虽沿王逸旧说，却更看重其文辞的「沉郁顿挫」，以为《九歌》诸篇「托意于神」而「寄情深远」，将注疏的重心由本事考订转向了意蕴阐发。清人蒋骥《山带阁注楚辞》对湘君、湘夫人的身份及篇中地理作了详密考辨，王夫之《楚辞通释》则力主「不必附会舜妃」，谓此乃楚俗祀湘水之神而「歌舞以娱神」者。近人郭沫若据甲骨文与民俗学，主张《九歌》为楚国民间祭歌的实录，闻一多《楚辞校补》则对文句有精审校订。在文学接受上，「望夫君兮未来」「时不可兮再得」等句被后世诗文反复化用，明人胡应麟《诗薮》论楚辞时即拈出此篇的「句句转、字字新」。现代选本与教材多将《湘君》《湘夫人》合观，其比兴象征、情感脉络与香草意象，成为讲授楚辞体与《九歌》风格的典型样本。至当代，闻一多、姜亮夫、陈子展等楚辞学者皆于此篇有专论，或考「湘君」「湘夫人」之神格，或析其香草意象的民俗渊源。一首祭歌而能兼具宗教的神秘与爱情的缠绵，又暗藏忠而见弃的身世之悲，其艺术容量之丰，正在于此，堪称《九歌》之冠冕，其地位可见一斑。

Prosody

Form Chu-ci · Nine Songs (saoti, the 'Songs of Chu' style)楚辞（九歌体）

Rhyme Lines of uneven length with 'xi' as the rhythmic pivot; shifts among you / yang / yue groups全篇以「兮」字居中斡旋，前后各为二字或三字，韵脚随段落流转，盼、怨、绝诸段各押不同韵部，声情随之起伏。

Tone pattern Not datable (Chu-ci does not follow later level-oblique rules)九歌体的节奏以「兮」为轴，前呼后应，如「君不行兮夷犹」「桂棹兮兰枻」，短句与长句交错，抑扬顿挫，最宜巫觋歌舞时合乐而歌。

Reading note Saoti style, fragrant plants and beautiful woman, a splendid divine realm《湘君》是《九歌》体的典型代表，其「兮」字置于每句正中，如「君不行兮夷犹」「驾飞龙兮北征」，前后多为三字或二字相对，读时于「兮」字作一顿，前后两个节奏单位呼应成句，形成与《离骚》「兮在句尾」迥异的音乐效果。这种「□□□兮□□□」或「□□兮□□」的句式，据今人研究，可能保留着楚地巫歌合乐而舞的原始节拍，一句之中先扬后抑或先抑后扬，最宜于载歌载舞的祭祀场面。篇中句式又有变化：写迎候与神游时多用三三对举的长句，写怨责与决绝时则短句增多，如「石濑兮浅浅，飞龙兮翩翩」以二二短句写景，节奏顿促，与情感的由舒缓而急切正相配合。其用韵亦随之转换，盼段韵脚悠扬，怨段韵脚急促，末段「浦」「女」「与」相叶，收于悠长之音，与「聊逍遥兮容与」的自我宽解浑然一体。此种以声调之疾徐传情感之张弛的手法，正是《九歌》作为祭歌而能动人于千载之下的根本所在。

Line by line

君不行兮夷犹，蹇谁留兮中洲

My lord will not come, hesitating—who keeps you on the mid-isle?

你犹豫着不肯前行，究竟为谁留在沙洲？

You linger and will not set out; for whom, pray, do you stay behind on the islet?

开篇以问句突兀而起，不写自己之盼，反写对方之迟，把相思的焦灼转为对远人的嗔怪，是《九歌》惯用的「以问起情」笔法。「夷犹」二字极妙，状犹豫不进之态，兼有音节的摇曳，仿佛可见那迟迟未至的身影。「蹇谁留兮中洲」再设一问，不是求解，而是心乱如麻的自语。一个「留」字，暗含疑心对方为他人所绊，醋意与痴情俱在其中。两句之间，期待、疑惑、微怨层层叠加，未及叙事，而相思之人的心理已纤毫毕现，为全篇的盼望与追寻定下基调。

The opening rises abruptly in a question: instead of writing one's own waiting, it writes the other's delay, turning the anxiety of longing into a chiding of the distant beloved, the Nine Songs manner of rising feeling through a question. The words linger and will not set out are exquisite, picturing hesitation, the syllables themselves swaying, as if the tardy figure could be seen. For whom do you stay on the islet? sets another question, not to be solved but spoken by a heart in turmoil. The word stay secretly suspects him of being detained by another, jealousy and devotion both lodged within it. Between the two lines, expectation, doubt, and faint reproach pile up; before any narrative, the mind of the longing one is laid bare to every thread, setting the tone of waiting and seeking to come.

望夫君兮未来，吹参差兮谁思

I watch for my lord who has not come; playing the flute, for whom do I long?

盼望夫君你却未来，吹起排箫又思念谁？

I gaze toward you, my lord, and you do not come; I play the pan-pipes: for whom, pray, do I long?

「望夫君兮未来」五字道尽等待的漫长与落空，「望」「未」「来」三字声口低回，一个「未」字横亘在盼望与实现之间，是全句的痛点。紧接着「吹参差兮谁思」转出乐声，吹箫本为招神、解忧，此刻却反成更深的寂寥——箫声袅袅，所思念的人依旧不至。「谁思」二字问得凄楚，似问他人，实是自问，吹箫之人所思者谁？不言而喻，正是那迟来的夫君。以乐声写孤寂，以问语写痴心，声情交融，正是楚辞「哀而不伤」的极致，怨悱而不怨毒，分寸尤为难得。

The five words I gaze toward you, my lord, and you do not come exhaust the length and emptiness of waiting: gaze, not, come; the cadence falls low; the word not lies across hope and fulfillment, the pain-point of the line. Then I play the pan-pipes: for whom do I long? turns to music: the pipes were blown to summon the god and ease care, yet now they deepen the solitude, the notes drift, and the longed-for one still does not arrive. The words for whom do I long? ask piteously: seeming to ask another, it is really self-addressed, whom does the piper long for? It goes without saying: the lord who is tardy. Writing loneliness through music, writing devotion through a question, sound and feeling fused, the Chu-ci height of grieving without wounding, plaintive but not venomous, a rare exactness of measure.

采薜荔兮水中，搴芙蓉兮木末

I gather clam-vine in the water, pluck lotus from the tree-top.

在水中采薜荔，在树梢摘芙蓉。

To gather climbing figs in the water, to pluck lotus flowers from the topmost bough.

两句写的是两件绝不可能之事：薜荔生于陆上，偏要入水去采；芙蓉生于水中，偏要上树去摘。颠倒失所，事与愿违，正暗喻湘夫人此番追寻的徒劳——所托非处，所求不得，恰如水中采薜荔、木末搴芙蓉，注定是一场空。这两句是比兴兼用的典范，既是写实的生活常识，又是贴切的处境自况，更由此引出「心不同兮媒劳，恩不甚兮轻绝」的怨责。以不可为之事写不可得之情，意象鲜明而意蕴沉痛，历来被视为《九歌》中的神来之笔。

The two lines name two impossible acts: figs grow on land, yet she must dive for them; lotuses grow in water, yet she must climb the tree. Reversed from their place, desire runs against outcome, a hidden figureing of the Xiang Lady's fruitless search: the sought one is entrusted to the wrong place, the sought thing unattainable, like gathering figs in the water or plucking lotus from the treetop, foredoomed to emptiness. The lines are a model of combined xing and bi: at once everyday truth and apt self-description, leading on to the reproach of when hearts differ, the matchmaker labors; where affection is shallow, ties lightly break. Writing an unattainable feeling through an impossible act, the image is vivid and the grief profound; they have always been counted one of the inspired strokes of the Nine Songs.

捐余玦兮江中，遗余佩兮醴浦

I cast my jade ring into the river; I leave my jade pendant on the Li River shore.

将我的玉玦投入江中，把玉佩遗留在醴水之浦。

I fling my jade penannular ring into the river, and leave my jade pendant on the banks of the Li.

「捐玦」「遗佩」是决绝的宣告，也是绝望的仪式。玦与佩皆是定情之物，如今却一个投入江中、一个弃在醴浦，将往昔的情意一并掷还，其决绝之态如见。但细味之下，这决绝里仍藏着不舍——玦与佩并非随手一丢，而是郑重地「捐」之江中、「遗」之醴浦，江水醴浦俱是二人相期之地，弃物于斯，实是弃情于斯，恋栈之意反在决绝之外透出。正因有此一层，下文的「采芳洲兮杜若」「聊逍遥兮容与」才不显突兀，绝望之中仍留一线温情与自遣，是古人写情最耐人寻味之处。

Cast the ring, leave the pendant is a declaration of severance, and a ritual of despair. Ring and pendant were tokens of love; now one is cast into the river, the other abandoned on the Li shore, past affection thrown back in its entirety, the resoluteness visible before one's eyes. Yet tasted closely, this resolve still hides reluctance: ring and pendant are not tossed aside carelessly, but solemnly cast into the river and left on the Li shore; river and Li are the very places where the two once made tryst, abandoning the objects there is abandoning the feeling there, and the lingering affection leaks out beyond the resolve. Because of this layer, the later lines I gather du-ru on the fragrant islet and I will wander awhile at ease do not seem abrupt: even in despair, a thread of tenderness and self-consolation remains, the most enduringly suggestive way the ancients wrote love.

Study

Word focus

夷犹 Hesitating, lingering; describes Xiang Jun's not coming, setting the disappointed tone from the start. 「夷犹」是楚辞中形容迟疑不进、徘徊犹豫的联绵词，后世亦作「夷由」。首句「君不行兮夷犹」以之状湘君之迟留，声调先平后扬，读来自有一种欲行又止的摇曳感，与所写情态浑然合一。此词在《九歌》他篇如「蹇将憺兮寿宫」之外，又见于《湘夫人》，可证其为屈原描绘神人徘徊的惯用词。一个「夷犹」，既写对方之迟疑，也写己方之煎熬——正因对方夷犹，己身才更觉等待之漫长。二字之外不必多言，一段望眼欲穿的心事已尽在其中，足见屈原炼字之功。

参差 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「参差」本指排箫之形——长短不齐的竹管依次排列，故以之代称箫。篇中「吹参差兮谁思」以乐器的形貌代其名，是修辞上的借代，更兼「参差」二字本身就有起伏错落之意，暗合箫声的抑扬与吹箫人心情的纷乱。吹箫原是招神降神之乐，此际却成了独坐江畔、对空怀人的孤凄之音。以「参差」代箫，既见乐器的实物之美，又藏情感的曲折之致，一词两用，虚实相生，是楚辞词汇双关的佳例，后世以「参差」代指箫管者，多本于此。

容与 To wander at ease; closes with self-comfort, holding both helplessness and ease. 「容与」出末句「聊逍遥兮容与」，与「逍遥」连用，写徘徊自适、宽解自遣之态。全篇由盼而怨而绝，情感已至于极处，若无收束，便成怨愤之词；「容与」二字恰在此处轻轻一放，把决绝之后的怅惘化为一种从容的徘徊。它不写大悲大恸，只写江上流连、时不可再的淡淡遗恨，正是「怨而不怒，哀而不伤」的度。二字声调舒缓，收于去声而有余韵，使全诗在高潮之后归于悠远，其妙处与《离骚》「聊逍遥以相羊」同一机杼，同归于悠远。