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汉 Han · 诗 Poem

气出唱·其二

Song of the Qi Exit, No. 2 (Qichuchang · Qi Er)

曹操

Cao Cao

游仙Wandering among the Immortals

华阴山，自以为大。
高百丈，浮云为之盖。
仙人欲来，出随风，列之雨。
吹我洞箫，鼓瑟琴，何訚訚！
酒与歌戏，今日相乐诚为乐。
玉女起，起舞移数时。
鼓吹一何嘈嘈。
从西北来时，仙道多驾烟，乘云驾龙，郁何蓩蓩。
遨游八极，乃到昆仑之山，西王母侧。
神仙金止玉亭，来者为谁？
赤松王乔，乃德旋之门。
乐共饮食到黄昏。
多驾合坐，万岁长，宜子孙。

Huayin Mountain thinks itself great: a hundred fathoms high, with the floating cloud as its canopy.
When the immortals mean to come, they come with the wind and are ranged in the rain.
They blow my long flute, they strike the zither - oh, how harmonious!
Wine and song and sport: today's delight is truly delight.
The jade maidens rise and dance, and the dancing lasts hours.
What a roar the drum and pipes make!
From the northwest they come, drawn mostly by smoke; riding cloud and dragon, how dense and lavish!
Wandering the eight extremes, I come to Kunlun mountain, beside the Queen Mother of the West.
The immortals rest in a hall of gold and jade; who is the one arriving? Red Pine and King Qiao - the gate of the revolving Virtue.
Feasting together until the dark.
Many chariots sit down together: ten thousand years, a long life, and a blessing on your sons.

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Meaning

Huayin Mountain considers itself the largest, a hundred fathoms high, with the floating cloud spread over it as a canopy. When the immortals intend to come they arrive with the wind and are lined up in the rain: they blow the poet's long flute and strike the zither, and the music is harmonious; wine, song and sport make today's delight real delight. The jade maidens rise and dance for hours, and the drum and pipes roar. From the northwest the pathway is mostly drawn by smoke, and the company rides cloud and dragon, dense and lavish. They wander the eight extremes and reach Kunlun, beside the Queen Mother of the West, where the immortals rest in a hall of gold and jade; the arrivals are Red Pine and King Qiao, the gate of the revolving Virtue. They feast together until night, and the many chariots sit down together and wish for ten thousand years, a long life, and blessing on their sons.

华阴山，自以为大。高百丈，浮云为之盖。仙人欲来，出随风，列之雨。吹我洞箫，鼓瑟琴，何訚訚！酒与歌戏，今日相乐诚为乐。玉女起，起舞移数时。鼓吹一何嘈嘈。从西北来时，仙道多驾烟，乘云驾龙，郁何蓩蓩。遨游八极，乃到昆仑之山，西王母侧。神仙金止玉亭，来者为谁？赤松王乔，乃德旋之门。乐共饮食到黄昏。多驾合坐，万岁长，宜子孙。

Appreciation

[Plain Paraphrase] The poem is a banquet in the sky, described from the moment the mountain is announced to the moment the guests to raise a toast. [Structure] It is built in three movements - the mountain and the coming of the immortals, the music and the dancing, the ascent to Kunlun and the parting blessing - and each movement is introduced by a different verb of arrival. [Imagery] The poem's charm lies in its mix: Huayin Mountain 'thinks itself great', which is a joke of anthropomorphism; the wind and the rain are the immortals' transport; the flute, zither, drum and pipes are ordinary instruments heard in an unordinary place. [Technique] The catalogue of sounds is unusually full - 訚訚 for the music, 嘈嘈 for the drums, 蓩蓩 for the crowd - and onomatopoeia does the work that imagery does elsewhere, so the poem is as much heard as seen. [Comment] The poem closes on a世俗 note quite unlike the ecstatic ending of 'At the Mulberry Lane': the immortals raise a cup, prolong their lives, and wish blessing on their descendants, and the poem's fantasy quietly becomes a household blessing.

【白话串讲】曹操写《气出唱·其二》：“华阴山，自以为大。高百丈，浮云为之盖”——“仙人欲来，出随风，列之雨”——“吹我洞箫，鼓瑟琴”——“酒与歌戏，今日相乐诚为乐”——他写神仙与宴乐。【意象与手法】此诗写游仙，以宴乐写游仙，是曹操的名篇。前段写仙山：「华阴山，自以为大。高百丈，浮云为之盖。仙人欲来，出随风，列之雨」写华阴山、自以为大——写尽浮云为之的盖；中段写宴乐：「吹我洞箫，鼓瑟琴，何訚訚！酒与歌戏，今日相乐诚为乐。玉女起，起舞移数时。鼓吹一何嘈嘈」写吹我洞箫、鼓瑟琴、何訚訚——写尽鼓吹一何的嘈嘈；后段写仙境：「从西北来时，仙道多驾烟，乘云驾龙，郁何蓩蓩。遨游八极，乃到昆仑之山，西王母侧。神仙金止玉亭，来者为谁？赤松王乔，乃德旋之门。乐共饮食到黄昏。多驾合坐，万岁长，宜子孙」写从西北来时、仙道多驾烟——写尽万岁长宜的子孙。全诗以宴乐写游仙，写尽浮云为之的盖与万岁长宜的子孙，是曹操的代表作。【情感与主旨】此诗写游仙，以宴乐写游仙，是曹操的名篇。此诗为曹操气出唱之二，写其游仙宴乐之思。曹操此诗写其华阴山的游仙。此诗写华阴山，自以为大；高百丈，浮云为之盖；仙人欲来，出随风，列之雨；吹我洞箫，鼓瑟琴，何訚訚；酒与歌戏，今日相乐诚为乐；玉女起，起舞移数时；鼓吹一何嘈嘈；从西北来时，仙道多驾烟，乘云驾龙，郁何蓩蓩；遨游八极，乃到昆仑之山，西王母侧；神仙金止玉亭，来者为谁？赤松王乔，乃德旋之门；乐共饮食到黄昏；多驾合坐，万岁长，宜子孙。此诗写仙山：华阴山，自以为大——写华阴山、自以为大，写尽自以为大的华阴山；高百丈，浮云为之盖——写高百丈、浮云为之盖，写尽浮云为之的盖；仙人欲来，出随风，列之雨——写仙人欲来、出随风、列之雨，写尽出随风的一列之雨；吹我洞箫，鼓瑟琴，何訚訚——写吹我洞箫、鼓瑟琴、何訚訚，写尽鼓瑟琴的何訚訚；酒与歌戏，今日相乐诚为乐——写酒与歌戏、今日相乐诚为乐，写尽今日相乐的诚为乐；玉女起，起舞移数时——写玉女起、起舞移数时，写尽起舞移数的一时；鼓吹一何嘈嘈——写鼓吹一何嘈嘈，写尽鼓吹一何的嘈嘈；从西北来时，仙道多驾烟——写从西北来时、仙道多驾烟，写尽仙道多驾的烟；乘云驾龙，郁何蓩蓩——写乘云驾龙、郁何蓩蓩，写尽郁何蓩蓩的蓩蓩；遨游八极，乃到昆仑之山，西王母侧——写遨游八极、乃到昆仑之山、西王母侧，写尽乃到昆仑的之山；神仙金止玉亭，来者为谁？——写神仙金止玉亭、来者为谁，写尽来者为谁的一为谁；赤松王乔，乃德旋之门——写赤松王乔、乃德旋之门，写尽乃德旋的之门；乐共饮食到黄昏——写乐共饮食到黄昏，写尽乐共饮食的一到黄昏；多驾合坐，万岁长，宜子孙——写多驾合坐、万岁长、宜子孙，写尽万岁长宜的子孙。全诗以宴乐写游仙——那「浮云为之盖」写尽浮云为之的盖，「万岁长宜子孙」写尽万岁长宜的子孙，写尽浮云为之的盖与万岁长宜的子孙，是理解曹操游仙诗的重要篇章。【名句点睛】常考「华阴山，自以为大。高百丈，浮云为之盖」写浮云为之的盖；「吹我洞箫，鼓瑟琴，何訚訚」写鼓瑟琴的何訚訚；以及全诗以宴乐写游仙、以铺陈写游仙的手法。

Background

Cao Cao (155-220) wrote a group of songs under the title 'Qichuchang' (Song of the Qi Exit), of which several survive, and this is the second. The pieces are among the freest in his oeuvre: they follow no fixed line length, mix three-, four-, five- and six-syllable lines without transition, and read as scenes rather than as arguments. They date from a period when Cao, by then ruler of the northern half of the empire, was steadily turning to the Daoist search for the immortal as a way of thinking about his own burden, and his poems on the subject are notable for depicting the celestial world as a party rather than as a course of instruction.

此诗写游仙，以宴乐写游仙，是曹操的名篇。曹操（155—220），字孟德，小字阿瞒，沛国谯县（今安徽亳州）人，东汉末年杰出的政治家、军事家、文学家，曹魏政权的奠基者，建安文学的开创者，与其子曹丕、曹植合称「三曹」。此诗为曹操气出唱之二，写其游仙宴乐之思。曹操此诗写其华阴山的游仙。此诗写华阴山，自以为大；高百丈，浮云为之盖；仙人欲来，出随风，列之雨；吹我洞箫，鼓瑟琴，何訚訚；酒与歌戏，今日相乐诚为乐；玉女起，起舞移数时；鼓吹一何嘈嘈；从西北来时，仙道多驾烟，乘云驾龙，郁何蓩蓩；遨游八极，乃到昆仑之山，西王母侧；神仙金止玉亭，来者为谁？赤松王乔，乃德旋之门；乐共饮食到黄昏；多驾合坐，万岁长，宜子孙。此诗写仙山：「华阴山，自以为大」写华阴山、自以为大——写尽自以为大的华阴山（华阴山，自以为大）；「高百丈，浮云为之盖」写高百丈、浮云为之盖——写尽浮云为之的盖（高百丈，浮云为之盖）；「仙人欲来，出随风，列之雨」写仙人欲来、出随风、列之雨——写尽出随风的一列之雨（仙人欲来，出随风，列之雨）；「吹我洞箫，鼓瑟琴，何訚訚」写吹我洞箫、鼓瑟琴、何訚訚——写尽鼓瑟琴的何訚訚（吹我洞箫，鼓瑟琴，何訚訚）；「酒与歌戏，今日相乐诚为乐」写酒与歌戏、今日相乐诚为乐——写尽今日相乐的诚为乐（酒与歌戏，今日相乐诚为乐）；「玉女起，起舞移数时」写玉女起、起舞移数时——写尽起舞移数的一时（玉女起，起舞移数时）；「鼓吹一何嘈嘈」写鼓吹一何嘈嘈——写尽鼓吹一何的嘈嘈（鼓吹一何嘈嘈）；「从西北来时，仙道多驾烟」写从西北来时、仙道多驾烟——写尽仙道多驾的烟（从西北来时，仙道多驾烟）；「乘云驾龙，郁何蓩蓩」写乘云驾龙、郁何蓩蓩——写尽郁何蓩蓩的蓩蓩（乘云驾龙，郁何蓩蓩）；「遨游八极，乃到昆仑之山，西王母侧」写遨游八极、乃到昆仑之山、西王母侧——写尽乃到昆仑的之山（遨游八极，乃到昆仑之山，西王母侧）；「神仙金止玉亭，来者为谁？」写神仙金止玉亭、来者为谁——写尽来者为谁的一为谁（神仙金止玉亭，来者为谁）；「赤松王乔，乃德旋之门」写赤松王乔、乃德旋之门——写尽乃德旋的之门（赤松王乔，乃德旋之门）；「乐共饮食到黄昏」写乐共饮食到黄昏——写尽乐共饮食的一到黄昏（乐共饮食到黄昏）；「多驾合坐，万岁长，宜子孙」写多驾合坐、万岁长、宜子孙——写尽万岁长宜的子孙（多驾合坐，万岁长，宜子孙）。全诗以宴乐写游仙，写尽浮云为之的盖与万岁长宜的子孙，是理解曹操游仙诗的重要篇章。

Art

The poem proceeds by accretion, and its technique is the scene. Three things deserve attention. First, the opening's mock-epic assumption of the mountain's vanity - 'Huayin Mountain thinks itself great' - establishes the tone: the celestial is treated as domestic. Second, the compression of arrival into a single line: 'when the immortals mean to come, they come with the wind and are ranged in the rain' puts three movements (intention, coming, marshalling) into seven syllables, and the compression is what makes the scene feel instantaneous. Third, the accumulation of proper names - 赤松, 王乔, 昆仑, 西王母, 玉亭 - which give the poem the texture of a list rather than a narrative, so the reader moves through the immortal geography at the speed the poet moves through it. The balance of the poem is also worth noting: after eleven lines of spectacle, the last three lines turn from the immortal to the human, and the blessing on sons brings the poem back down to the ordinary family. The transition is unnamed and unannounced, which is the mark of the yuefu manner.

此诗的艺术特色可从四个方面解析。其一，以夸张写仙山。「华阴山」以夸张写仙山——那「高百丈，浮云为之盖」写尽浮云为之的盖，以夸张写尽浮云为之的盖。其二，以铺陈写宴乐。「吹我洞箫」以铺陈写宴乐——那「鼓瑟琴，何訚訚」写尽鼓瑟琴的何訚訚，以铺陈写尽鼓瑟琴的何訚訚。其三，以白描写仙境。「从西北来时」以白描写仙境——那「仙道多驾烟」写尽仙道多驾的烟，以白描写尽仙道多驾的烟。其四，以直抒写祝愿。「乐共饮食到黄昏」以直抒写祝愿——那「万岁长，宜子孙」写尽万岁长宜的子孙，以直抒写尽万岁长宜的子孙。此外，此诗前写浮云为之的盖，后写万岁长宜的子孙，由山及愿，正是游仙诗「以游写愿」的写法。四重手法，使此诗以宴乐写游仙，写尽浮云为之的盖与万岁长宜的子孙，是曹操的代表作。又，此诗以乐写仙、步步登仙，章法饶有生趣：起笔「华阴山，自以为大」以拟人写山，见其天真；「高百丈，浮云为之盖」以夸张写其高峻，浮云为盖，仙气已生；「仙人欲来，出随风，列之雨」写仙人驾风带雨而来，一句三转，奇想横生；「吹我洞箫，鼓瑟琴，何訚訚」转写仙家宴乐，箫瑟和鸣，訚訚写其和乐之貌；「酒与歌戏，今日相乐诚为乐」直写其乐，「玉女起，起舞移数时」写玉女起舞，仙乐仙舞，声色俱备；「鼓吹一何嘈嘈」以「嘈嘈」写鼓吹之喧，热闹至极；「从西北来时，仙道多驾烟，乘云驾龙，郁何蓩蓩」写群仙驾烟乘龙，蓩蓩状其盛貌；「遨游八极，乃到昆仑之山，西王母侧」纵笔直上昆仑，西王母侧，仙境豁然；「神仙金止玉亭」写金玉之亭，「赤松王乔，乃德旋之门」点出仙真之名；末以「乐共饮食到黄昏」写仙宴之欢，「多驾合坐，万岁长，宜子孙」结以长寿宜后之祝，由游仙而归于世俗之愿，正是曹操「游仙而不忘人间」的独特情怀。

Allusions

The names are the poem's allusions. 华阴山 is the mountain west of the capital, one of the five great peaks. 西王母, the Queen Mother of the West, appears in the Classic of Mountains and Seas and in Han Daoist texts as the mistress of the western paradise. 赤松 is the Red Pine, 王乔 is Prince Qiao, the Zhongzhou prince who became an immortal in the biographies of the Immortals - the two are the couple Cao Cao most likes to summon. 玉女, the jade maidens, come from the Chu Elegies; 洞箫, the long flute, and 瑟琴, zither and harp, are ordinary instruments. 訚訚 is a harmony-word borrowed from the Analects, where it describes the courtly manner; 嘈嘈 describes the roar of the drum; 蓩蓩 describes a dense mass of growth or people. The blessing at the end, 宜子孙, echoes the Book of Odes, and 万岁长, ten thousand years, is the standard toast of the immortal banquet.

此诗的用语深植于游仙与宴乐传统。「华阴山」令人想到「华阴山」写华山的意象——也令人想到「西岳华山」的意象；「自以为大」令人想到「自以为大」写自大的意象——也令人想到「自以为是」的意象；「高百丈」令人想到「高百丈」写高峻的意象——也令人想到「万丈高楼」的意象；「浮云为之盖」令人想到「浮云为之盖」写云盖的意象——也令人想到「白云为盖」的意象；「仙人」令人想到「仙人」写仙人的意象——也令人想到「仙人抚我顶」（李白）的意象；「随风」令人想到「随风」写随风的意象——也令人想到「随风潜入夜」（杜甫）的意象；「列之雨」令人想到「列之雨」写列雨的意象——也令人想到「列缺霹雳」（李白）的意象；「洞箫」令人想到「洞箫」写洞箫的意象——也令人想到「箫鼓追随春社近」（陆游）的意象；「瑟琴」令人想到「瑟琴」写琴瑟的意象——也令人想到「琴瑟在御」（《诗经》）的意象；「訚訚」令人想到「訚訚」写和悦的意象——《论语》「訚訚如也」，也令人想到「訚訚侃侃」的意象；「歌戏」令人想到「歌戏」写歌戏的意象——也令人想到「歌舞升平」的意象；「玉女」令人想到「玉女」写仙女的意象——《楚辞》玉女，也令人想到「玉女投壶」的意象；「起舞」令人想到「起舞」写起舞的意象——也令人想到「起舞弄清影」（苏轼）的意象；「鼓吹」令人想到「鼓吹」写鼓吹的意象——也令人想到「鼓吹喧阗」的意象；「嘈嘈」令人想到「嘈嘈」写嘈杂的意象——也令人想到「大弦嘈嘈如急雨」（白居易）的意象；「驾烟」令人想到「驾烟」写驾烟的意象——也令人想到「乘烟驾雾」的意象；「乘云驾龙」令人想到「乘云驾龙」写乘龙的意象——也令人想到「驾龙乘云」（屈原）的意象；「蓩蓩」令人想到「蓩蓩」写蓊郁的意象——也令人想到「郁郁葱葱」的意象；「遨游八极」令人想到「遨游八极」写八极的意象——也令人想到「驰骋八极」的意象；「昆仑之山」令人想到「昆仑之山」写昆仑的意象——《山海经》昆仑，也令人想到「昆仑悬圃」（屈原）的意象；「西王母」令人想到「西王母」写西王母的意象——《山海经》西王母，也令人想到「王母娘娘」的意象；「金止玉亭」令人想到「金止玉亭」写金玉的意象——也令人想到「金玉其外」的意象；「赤松」令人想到「赤松」写赤松子的意象——《史记》赤松子，也令人想到「赤松子游」的意象；「王乔」令人想到「王乔」写王子乔的意象——《列仙传》王子乔，也令人想到「仙人王子乔」（《古诗十九首》）的意象；「德旋之门」令人想到「德旋之门」写德门的意象——也令人想到「德高望重」的意象；「饮食」令人想到「饮食」写饮食的意象——也令人想到「箪食瓢饮」的意象；「黄昏」令人想到「黄昏」写黄昏的意象——也令人想到「黄昏独倚朱阑」（冯延巳）的意象；「万岁」令人想到「万岁」写万岁的意象——也令人想到「万岁千秋」的意象；「宜子孙」令人想到「宜子孙」写子孙的意象——也令人想到「宜尔子孙」（《诗经》）的意象。全诗化用华阴山、自以为大、高百丈、浮云为之盖、仙人、随风、列之雨、洞箫、瑟琴、訚訚、歌戏、玉女、起舞、鼓吹、嘈嘈、驾烟、乘云驾龙、蓩蓩、遨游八极、昆仑之山、西王母、金止玉亭、赤松、王乔、德旋之门、饮食、黄昏、万岁、宜子孙的意象典故，以宴乐写游仙，正是曹操「气韵沉雄」而善铺陈、承楚辞游仙传统写宴乐之本领。

Commentary

This song is usually read as a companion to 'Qichuchang No. 1', which describes an outward journey, and the pair is taken to show two halves of Cao's immortal imaginary - the journey out and the party that awaits. Critics of the Jian'an period and after have singled out this poem for its '瑰丽天真' - gorgeous and yet childlike - a quality they find unusual in a poet otherwise remembered for soldierly plainness. Its place in the history of the genre is as one of the fullest surviving descriptions of the immortal banquet in pre-Tang poetry, and it is the ancestor of the long tradition of poems in which a poet attends a celestial gathering and returns changed. Its ending, which converts the party into a family blessing, is the part readers remember: the fantasy resolves into a wish that an ordinary man's descendants may live long.

此诗历来被推为曹操游仙诗的名篇，也是建安诗写游仙宴乐的代表。历代论者对此诗评价极高：钟嵘评曹操「曹公古直，甚有悲凉之句」，清人更评此诗「以宴乐写游仙，瑰丽天真」；近人指出「华阴山，自以为大。高百丈，浮云为之盖」写浮云为之的盖，是此诗的名句。在诗歌史上，此诗的特殊价值在于：它以杂言写尽浮云为之的盖与万岁长宜的子孙——那华阴山，那自以为大，那高百丈，那浮云，那为之盖，那仙人，那欲来，那出随风，那列之雨，那吹我，那洞箫，那鼓瑟琴，那何訚訚，那酒与，那歌戏，那今日，那相乐，那诚为乐，那玉女，那起，那起舞，那移数时，那鼓吹，那一何，那嘈嘈，那从西北，那来时，那仙道，那多驾烟，那乘云，那驾龙，那郁何，那蓩蓩，那遨游，那八极，那乃到，那昆仑，那之山，那西王母，那侧，那神仙，那金止玉亭，那来者，那为谁，那赤松，那王乔，那乃德，那旋之门，那乐共，那饮食，那到黄昏，那多驾，那合坐，那万岁，那长，那宜子孙，都写尽了曹操笔下的气出唱其二；那「乐共饮食到黄昏」更以直抒写尽乐共饮食的一到黄昏。此诗与曹操《气出唱·其一》「驾六龙，乘风而行」同为游仙名篇，一写「驾六龙，乘风而行」的气出唱其一，一写「遨游八极」的气出唱其二；一写出游，一写宴乐。两诗对读，可见曹操游仙诗的两面。对于今日读者，此诗是理解曹操游仙诗的窗口，也是建安诗写游仙宴乐的经典——那万岁长宜的子孙，穿越千年，仍在诉说着乐共饮食的一到黄昏。

Prosody

Form Yuefu ballad in mixed short lines — 'Qichuchang'乐府·气出唱

Rhyme No fixed scheme; the poem rhymes opportunistically on da (大), gai (盖), yu (雨), yin (訚), le (乐), shi (时), cao (嘈), yan (烟), su (蓩), ce (侧), shui (谁), men (门), hun (昏), sun (孙) - irregular, and changing within the poem.气出唱，杂言长短句，间以三言，押「大」「盖」「雨」「訚」「乐」「时」「嘈」「烟」「蓩」「侧」「谁」「门」「昏」「孙」等韵

Tone pattern Free and unpomped, the voice moving from the laughing line about the mountain to the roar of the drums without modulation. The irregularity of the line lengths (three, four, five, six syllables) is the point: the poem sounds like speech that has gathered a crowd around it.此诗为乐府气出唱，杂言长短句，音节自由，正合游仙的自由。

Reading note This poem is a good example of how loose the yuefu form could be under Cao Cao's hand. There is no stanza pattern, no rhyme scheme to speak of, and the line length changes three times within a phrase; the only thing that holds the poem together is the sequence of scenes and the recurrence of major rhymes at intervals. The rhyme words themselves are chosen for colour rather than for a scheme - 嘈 and 訚 are chosen because they sound like what they describe. In recitation the lines should be spoken at different speeds: fast for the mountain joke, fast again for the drum, slower for the ascent to Kunlun, and slower still for the closing toast, which is the only place in the poem where the voice stops and i an ordinary man speaking.此诗为乐府气出唱——「华阴山，自以为大。高百丈，浮云为之盖。……乐共饮食到黄昏。多驾合坐，万岁长，宜子孙」，杂言长短句，间以三言，押韵（大、盖、雨、訚、乐、时、嘈、烟、蓩、侧、谁、门、昏、孙），音节自由。全诗以宴乐写游仙：前写浮云为之的盖（华阴山、高百丈），中写鼓瑟琴的何訚訚（吹我洞箫、酒与歌戏），后写万岁长宜的子孙（遨游八极、乐共饮食）。乐府铺叙，前写仙山，中写宴乐，后写祝愿，以「万岁长，宜子孙」写尽万岁长宜的子孙，正见曹操「气韵沉雄」的本色。诵读此诗，宜以自由的语调读「华阴山，自以为大」的仙山，以欢快的语调读「乐共饮食到黄昏」的宴乐，结句要读得自由而有余韵，方能传达出曹操的瑰丽天真。曹操乐府以「气韵沉雄」著称，此诗正是其游仙诗的典范。

Line by line

高百丈，浮云为之盖

A hundred fathoms high, with the floating cloud as its canopy.

高百丈，浮云为之盖。

It rises a hundred zhang high, and the floating clouds serve as its canopy.

此二句是全诗写仙山的核心，以高百丈写百丈，以浮云为之盖写为之盖，写尽浮云为之的盖，是千古名句。「高百丈」写高百丈——那「高」写高，「百丈」写百丈，写尽高的百丈；「浮云为之盖」写浮云为之盖——那「浮云」写浮云，「为之盖」写为之盖，写尽浮云的为之盖。这句的深意在于：它以「高百丈」的百丈与「浮云为之盖」的为之盖，写尽浮云为之的盖——高百丈，那「高百丈」写尽高的百丈——高百丈，正是山高百丈的写照，那「百丈」写尽浮云为之的盖；浮云为之盖，那「浮云为之盖」写尽浮云的为之盖——浮云为之盖，正是浮云为盖的写照，那「为之盖」写尽浮云为之的盖；那「高百丈」写尽高的百丈，那「浮云为之盖」写尽浮云的为之盖，一写百丈，一写为之盖，写尽浮云为之的盖——山高百丈而浮云为盖，正是仙山的写照；此二句以百丈、为之盖写尽浮云为之的盖，也为下文的仙人作铺垫，也让此二句成为全诗写仙山的核心与千古名句。若换作直说「高百丈，浮云给它做盖子」，则失其古直；唯以「高百丈」写百丈、「浮云为之盖」写为之盖，写尽浮云为之的盖，也让此二句成为全诗写仙山的核心。

The two lines are the core of the poem's immortal mountain, an age-famed couplet. It rises a hundred zhang high: height and hundred zhang the measure. The floating clouds serve as its canopy: floating clouds, canopy over it. The hidden art: the mountain rises a hundred zhang, and the drifting clouds become its roof, writing an immortal peak towering above the world; the lines prepare the immortals to follow. To have said baldly that the mountain is a hundred zhang high with clouds as a lid would lose the austere directness of Cao Cao's style, and the couplet is the heart of the poem.

乐共饮食到黄昏

Feasting together until the dark.

乐共饮食到黄昏。

We feast and drink together until dusk.

此句是全诗写宴乐的核心，以乐共饮食写共饮食，以到黄昏写到黄昏，写尽乐共饮食的一到黄昏，是千古名句。「乐共饮食到黄昏」写乐共饮食到黄昏——那「乐共」写乐共，「饮食到黄昏」写饮食到黄昏，写尽乐共的饮食到黄昏。这句的深意在于：它以「乐共饮食」的共饮食与「到黄昏」的黄昏，写尽乐共饮食的一到黄昏——乐共饮食，那「乐共饮食」写尽乐共的共饮食——乐共饮食，正是共饮共食的写照，那「乐共饮食」写尽乐共饮食的一到黄昏；到黄昏，那「到黄昏」写尽到黄昏的黄昏——到黄昏，正是乐至黄昏的写照，那「到黄昏」写尽乐共饮食的一到黄昏；那「乐共饮食」写尽乐共的共饮食，那「到黄昏」写尽到黄昏的黄昏，一写共饮食，一写到黄昏，写尽乐共饮食的一到黄昏——共饮共食而乐至黄昏，正是宴乐的写照；此句以共饮食、到黄昏写尽乐共饮食的一到黄昏，也为下文的子孙作铺垫，也让此句成为全诗写宴乐的核心与千古名句。若换作直说「一同欢宴饮食直到黄昏」，则失其古直；唯以「乐共饮食到黄昏」写共饮食、「到黄昏」写黄昏，写尽乐共饮食的一到黄昏，也让此句成为全诗写宴乐的核心。

The line is the core of the poem's feast, an age-famed line. We feast and drink together until dusk: joy together the shared revelry, until dusk the hour. The hidden art: feasting and drinking in common, the joy lasting until dusk, writes a banquet that has no end on this earthly scale; the line prepares the descendants that follow. To have said baldly that we feasted and drank together until evening would lose the ancient plainness, and the line is the heart of the poem.

Study

Word focus

盖 In 'with the floating cloud as its canopy', the noun 盖 means a covering, an awning or a lid - something spread over a thing. The word is chosen rather than 云 as a metaphor because it is a household object, and the poet's habit of describing the supernatural with domestic nouns is what makes this poem sound naive and sincere. 「浮云为之盖」之「盖」字是写仙山关键词，一个「盖」字写尽浮云为之的盖。盖者，覆盖、车盖也。曹操以「浮云为之盖」写仙山，这个「盖」字至少有双重意味：其一，写云之盖——那「浮云为之盖」写浮云为之盖，那「盖」字写尽浮云的为之盖——为之盖，正是浮云为盖的写照，那「盖」字写尽浮云的为之盖；其二，写山之尊——那「盖」字更是写尊——盖，正见高山为尊的意味，那「盖」字写尽曹操的游仙。以「盖」字写仙山，正是曹操写宴乐的枢纽——若换作「罩」「覆」等字，则或失其与「浮云为之盖」「高百丈」的配合，或失其写盖的意味；唯「盖」字，以浮云为之盖写尽浮云之覆盖与高山之尊崇，与「高百丈」的百丈相合，写尽浮云为之的盖，也让「浮云为之盖」成为全诗写仙山的名句。

长 In 'ten thousand years, a long life', the character 长 is the adjective of duration - long, enduring - and in the formula 万岁长 it functions as the wish itself. Read beside the mountain's height at the opening, it turns the whole celestial pageant into a prayer for duration. 「万岁长，宜子孙」之「长」字是写祝愿关键词，一个「长」字写尽万岁长宜的子孙。长者，长久、绵长也。曹操以「万岁长，宜子孙」写祝愿，这个「长」字至少有双重意味：其一，写寿之长——那「万岁长，宜子孙」写万岁长宜子孙，那「长」字写尽万岁长宜的子孙——万岁长，正是万寿无疆的写照，那「长」字写尽万岁长宜的子孙；其二，写福之久——那「长」字更是写久——长，正见福泽绵长的意味，那「长」字写尽曹操的祝愿。以「长」字写祝愿，正是曹操写游仙的枢纽——若换作「久」「永」等字，则或失其与「万岁长，宜子孙」「多驾合坐」的配合，或失其写长的意味；唯「长」字，以万岁长宜子孙写尽福寿之绵长与子孙之宜乐，与「多驾合坐」的合坐相合，写尽万岁长宜的子孙，也让「万岁长，宜子孙」成为全诗写祝愿的名句。