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清 Qing · 词 Ci lyric

蝶恋花·阅尽天涯离别苦

Butterflies in Love with Flowers: Having Seen All the Sorrow of Parting to the End of the Earth

王国维

Wang Guowei

爱情Love 感怀Reminiscence

蝶恋花·阅尽天涯离别苦阅尽天涯离别苦，不道归来，零落花如许。
花底相看无一语，绿窗春与天俱莫。
待把相思灯下诉，一缕新欢，旧恨千千缕。
最是人间留不住，朱颜辞镜花辞树。

Having seen all the sorrow of parting to the end of the earth,
I never thought on return to find flowers withered so.
Beneath flowers we look at each other without a word;
The green window and spring are darkened with the sky.
I would tell my lovesickness under the lamp,
But a wisp of new joy brings back thousands of threads of old grief.
What is the most unbearable in the human world?
The rosy face leaves the mirror as flowers leave the tree.

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Meaning

After long separation, the poet returns to find beauty (flowers) has faded. Meeting his beloved in silence, he realizes that the brief joy of reunion only intensifies the long sorrow. The poem ends with the philosophical lament that youth and beauty are the most fleeting things in life.

看尽了天各一方的离别之苦，却没料到归来时，花儿已这般零落凋残。在花丛下两两相望，一句话也说不出，绿窗前的春光与天色一同黯淡将暮。待要把满腹相思在灯下倾诉，可那一缕新得的欢娱，牵扯出千千缕旧的愁恨。最是人间留不住的，是镜中逝去的容颜、与树上飘零的落花。全词借久别归来、花落人老，写欢短恨长与美好易逝之悲，结句由情入理，将离恨升华为对光阴与美之必逝的苍凉体认，沉挚洗炼，是《人间词》中最著名的篇章之一。

Appreciation

This poem expresses deep sorrow over parting and the transience of beauty. The contrast between expected joy and actual desolation is striking. The final couplet is widely quoted for its poignant observation on aging and loss.

【白话串讲】 “最是人间留不住，朱颜辞镜花辞树”——王国维说：人间最留不住的，是镜子里的红颜和树上的花。他写别后重逢，一见妻子老了，忍不住落泪。【意象与手法】上片「阅尽天涯离别苦」起势沉郁，以「不道归来，零落花如许」作跌宕——盼归之久与花落之速形成反差；「花底相看无一语，绿窗春与天俱莫」以静默与暮色写悲，情景交融。下片「待把相思灯下诉，一缕新欢，旧恨千千缕」以乐衬哀、反跌有力；结句「最是人间留不住，朱颜辞镜花辞树」由情入理，以「辞」字拟人，将离恨升华为对光阴与美之必逝的苍凉体认，洗炼深远。【情感与主旨】王国维（1877—1927），字静安，号观堂，浙江海宁人，近代著名学者、词人，著《人间词话》。此词收入《人间词》甲稿，约作于光绪三十一年（1905）前后，一说为悼念亡妻莫氏而作：王国维常年游学东瀛、奔走南北，与妻子聚少离多，光绪三十二年（1906）妻子病卒，词或写其久别归家而妻已病入膏肓、或写别后追忆，借久别归来、花落人老，写欢短恨长与美好易逝之悲。【名句点睛】考点：一、上片「不道归来，零落花如许」的跌宕之妙；二、「一缕新欢，旧恨千千缕」以乐衬哀的手法；三、「最是人间留不住，朱颜辞镜花辞树」由情入理的升华及其「境界说」的体现。

Background

Wang Guowei (1877–1927) was a prominent Chinese scholar and poet. This poem, written around 1907, reflects his personal experiences of separation and the impermanence of life, a theme central to his poetic theory of 'jingjie' (realm).

《蝶恋花·阅尽天涯离别苦》为近代学者、词人王国维（1877—1927）所作，收于其《人间词》甲稿，约作于光绪三十一年（1905）前后。王国维字静安，号观堂，浙江海宁人，清末民初著名学者，在文学、美学、史学、哲学、古文字学诸领域皆有开拓性贡献，著有《人间词话》《宋元戏曲史》等；其词集《人间词》存词百余首，多写身世之感与人生之思。此词的写作背景，历来有二说：一说为悼亡之作——王国维于光绪二十二年（1896）娶海宁莫氏为妻，婚后他求学、谋食、东渡日本，奔走于上海、北京、东京之间，与妻子聚少离多；光绪三十二年（1906）莫氏病卒，王国维《人间词》甲稿中多有悼亡之词，此词或写其久别归家而妻已病入膏肓时的情景，或写别后追忆。另一说以为泛写「别易会难、欢短恨长」的人生况味，不必坐实于悼亡。无论何说，词中「阅尽天涯离别苦，不道归来，零落花如许」的久别之痛、「花底相看无一语」的相见之默、「最是人间留不住，朱颜辞镜花辞树」的时光之叹，皆非泛泛的儿女之情，而是王国维「人生苦短、美好难驻」这一核心生命体验的诗化表达——他后来在《人间词话》中提出「境界说」，主张词以「真景物真感情」为宗，此词正是其「真感情」的实践：以久别的真实经历、以「朱颜辞镜花辞树」的深沉体认，写尽人生的苍凉。时值清末，国势陵夷，王国维个人亦困于生计与理想的冲突，此词之「欢短恨长」，实亦时代与个人双重失意的投影。

Art

The poem uses vivid imagery ('fallen flowers', 'green window', 'lamp', 'mirror') and contrast ('one wisp of new joy' vs 'thousands of old grief') to heighten emotional impact. The shift from personal lament to universal truth in the final couplet exemplifies Wang's stylistic depth.

此词艺术上最见功力处，在于今昔、欢恨、情理的层层对照与跌宕，全词以「离别苦」起、以「留不住」结，由实入虚、由情入理，沉挚洗炼，是《人间词》中「境界」最高的篇章之一。上片写久别归来的情景：「阅尽天涯离别苦」起势沉郁——「阅尽」写离别之多，天各一方、聚少离多，离别的苦楚已尝遍，「天涯」写相隔之远，以「阅尽」领起，如一声长叹；「不道归来，零落花如许」陡然跌宕——「不道」即不料，盼了千日的归来，却不料花已零落如许，归期之盼与花落之速形成反差，乐极而悲；「花底相看无一语」写相见之默——久别重逢，千言万语，却在花底相看无言，「无一语」三字写尽悲欣交集的哽咽，比千言万语更沉痛；「绿窗春与天俱莫」以景收上片——绿窗春色与天色一同向暮，「俱莫」（暮）写春光将尽、天色将晚，景之暮即情之暮，情景交融。下片转写灯下：「待把相思灯下诉」写欲诉衷肠，把千般思念都留到灯下；「一缕新欢，旧恨千千缕」以乐衬哀——重逢的欢娱不过「一缕」，而积年的离恨却有「千千缕」，新欢之少与旧恨之多对照，反跌有力；「最是人间留不住，朱颜辞镜花辞树」结句由情入理——「留不住」三字总括，朱颜辞镜、花辞树，两个「辞」字拟人，写美之离去决绝而哀，将个人的离恨升华为对光阴与美之必逝的永恒悲慨。全词今昔对照、欢恨相形、情理相生，层层推进，结句洗炼深远，是「以情入理、以理写情」的典范。

Allusions

'Green window' is a classic trope for the boudoir. 'Rosy face leaving the mirror' echoes Li Yu's line 'carved railings and marble steps may still be there, but the rosy faces have changed.' The poem blends personal emotion with literary tradition.

此词用典不多而皆化用无迹，熔铸唐五代北宋词境于一词，是王国维「以词证词」式的创作实践。「绿窗」本唐人诗词中闺阁之景的习见意象：温庭筠《菩萨蛮》「花落子规啼，绿窗残梦迷」以绿窗写闺中相思，韦庄「绿窗人似花」以绿窗衬人之娇美，后蜀花间词人更以「绿窗」为闺情的固定背景；王国维「绿窗春与天俱莫」，承此传统而翻出新意——绿窗仍是闺中之窗，而春光与天色一同向暮，绿窗之「绿」（春色）与俱莫之「暮」（将晚）相对，青春与迟暮的对照，全在这两句之中。「朱颜辞镜」化用李煜《虞美人》「雕栏玉砌应犹在，只是朱颜改」之意——李煜写故国朱颜之改，王国维写人间朱颜之辞，一写亡国之痛、一写时光之悲，同以「朱颜」写美之消逝；又暗承冯延巳「日日花前常病酒，不辞镜里朱颜瘦」的伤春意绪。「花辞树」承上片「零落花如许」之脉络，暗合李煜《相见欢》「林花谢了春红，太匆匆」之意——林花谢春红，正如花辞树，皆写美好之凋零。诸语皆从唐五代北宋词中化出而浑然无迹，正如其《人间词话》所谓「词以境界为最上」，取前人之意象而不袭前人之字面，自铸新境，正见王国维「熔铸百家、自成境界」的词学功力。

Commentary

Considered one of Wang Guowei's most poignant poems, the final couplet is often cited to express the inescapable passage of time. Its simplicity belies its profound sorrow.

此词为王国维《人间词》中最著名的篇章之一，历代（近世）论者多所推崇，其结句「最是人间留不住，朱颜辞镜花辞树」更成为传诵不衰的名句。王国维自撰《人间词话》，主张「词以境界为最上，有境界则自成高格」，又倡「真景物真感情」之说；其自作词正是此理论的实践，此词尤称典范——「阅尽天涯离别苦」的真情、「零落花如许」的真景、「朱颜辞镜花辞树」的哲理，情景理三者交融，正是「境界」说的完美注脚。近人论此词，多拈「最是人间留不住」一联，谓其「如话家常而悲慨无边」，以最平淡的字面写最苍凉的体认，是《人间词》中第一等沉痛语；又以为此词以「辞」字拟人，写朱颜之辞镜、花之辞树，皆决绝而去、不可挽留，正见王国维对「美之必逝、生之有限」的彻骨体认，其后来自沉昆明湖的生命选择，于此词中已露端倪。就词史意义言，此词代表了中国古典词在近代的最后一抹余晖——它以古典的词调、词境，写出了近代知识分子面对时间与生命的现代性悲慨；其「朱颜辞镜花辞树」两句，更以其「留不住」的苍凉，成为中国文学中感叹时光流逝、美好难驻的千古名句，与「无可奈何花落去」「流光容易把人抛」等一脉相承，而自有王国维式的哲理深度。

Prosody

Form ci form 'Butterflies in Love with Flowers' (die lian hua), double stanza, 60 characters词·《蝶恋花》双调六十字（上片五句四仄韵，下片五句四仄韵）

Rhyme Consistent rhyme in the original Chinese, following the fourth rhyme group of the 'Cilin Zhengyun'押仄声韵，属《词林正韵》第四部（语麌御遇部）：苦、许、语、莫（暮）、诉、缕、缕、树。

Tone pattern Classical tonal patterns are observed上下片各五句四仄韵，句式以七字、四字、五字、七字为主，仄声韵短促压抑，声情沉郁，正合离别之悲。

Reading note The poem uses internal contrast and a climactic ending, with a shift from personal to universal.《蝶恋花》为唐教坊曲，原名《鹊踏枝》，后为词调，双调六十字，上片五句四仄韵、下片五句四仄韵，是宋词最常用的曲调之一，晏殊、欧阳修、苏轼等皆有名作。此词押《词林正韵》第四部仄声韵，韵脚「苦、许、语、莫、诉、缕、缕、树」皆短促压抑，仄声韵的急切声情正合离别的沉郁，一韵到底而不换韵，把「离别苦」「零落」「旧恨」的压抑感贯穿始终。句式上，上片「阅尽天涯离别苦」七字起，开门见山，声调沉郁；「不道归来，零落花如许」以四字、五字顿挫，如一声长叹，音节跌宕；「花底相看无一语，绿窗春与天俱莫」七字、七字收束上片，一静一暗，音节由顿挫转低回。下片「待把相思灯下诉」七字再起，音节稍扬，写欲诉衷肠的急切；「一缕新欢，旧恨千千缕」以四字、六字对举，音节跳荡，写欢短恨长；结句「最是人间留不住，朱颜辞镜花辞树」七字、七字收束，以「最是」领起、以两个「辞」字回环，音节由警醒转苍凉，余韵悠长。此词在声律上的特点是「以仄韵写沉郁」：通篇仄声韵，声情短促压抑，正合离别之悲与时光之叹；而结句两个「辞」字重复，以回环的声情写决绝的离去，声与情高度统一，是王国维「以声写情」的典范，也是《蝶恋花》一调在近代词中的名篇。

Line by line

阅尽天涯离别苦，不道归来，零落花如许。

I have exhausted the bitterness of parting to the world's ends; yet who would have thought, returning home, to find the flowers fallen like this.

看尽了天各一方的离别之苦，却没料到归来时，花儿已这般零落凋残

I have known to the full the bitterness of parting at the world's ends; yet unexpectedly, on my return, the blossoms have fallen like this.

上片起拍三句，是全词情感的起点，以「阅尽」与「不道」的跌宕写久别重逢的悲凉。「阅尽天涯离别苦」起势沉郁——「阅尽」写离别之多，聚少离多、天各一方，离别的苦楚已遍尝无遗，「天涯」写相隔之远，一个「阅尽」如一声长叹，把多年的离别之苦一笔收尽；「不道归来」陡转——「不道」即不料、没想到，盼了千日的归来，却不料……；「零落花如许」补足转折——归来所见，花已零落如许，「如许」写零落之甚，花残如此。三句的妙处在于「不道」的跌宕：盼归之时，想象中应是花好月圆、欢聚一堂，却不料归来见花零落——归期之盼越久，花落之速越惊人，乐极而悲，反差强烈。而「花」之零落，又不仅是实景，更是岁月的象征：花开如许、花落如许，正是光阴的流逝，为全词「朱颜辞镜花辞树」的时光之叹预埋了伏笔，起拍即定全篇沉郁苍凉之调。

The three opening lines are the emotional starting point of the ci, writing the desolation of reunion after long parting through the turns of exhausted and who would have thought. I have exhausted the bitterness of parting to the world's ends opens somberly: exhausted writes the many partings, few gatherings, ends of the earth the distance between, the exhausted like a long sigh, gathering the years of parting grief in one stroke. Yet who would have thought, returning home turns abruptly: who would have thought means never expected; after a thousand days of hoping for return, unexpectedly. The flowers fallen like this completes the turn: what meets the returning eye is blossoms fallen in such profusion; like this writes the depth of the falling. The beauty of the three lines lies in the turn of who would have thought: when hoping to return, one imagines flowers at their brightest and a joyful homecoming, yet returns to find the blossoms fallen — the longer the hope of return, the more startling the swiftness of the falling; joy turned to grief, the contrast sharp. The fallen flowers are no mere scene but the symbol of the years: the flowers that opened, the flowers that fall, are the passing of time, planting the seed of the later time-sigh, the bright face leaves the mirror, the flower leaves the tree, and the opening fixes the somber, desolate tone of the whole.

花底相看无一语，绿窗春与天俱莫。

Beneath the flowers we look at each other and speak no word; at the green window, spring and the daylight together fade to dusk.

花丛下两两相望，一句话也说不出，绿窗前的春光与天色一同黯淡将暮

Beneath the blossoms we gaze at each other without a word; by the green window, spring and the daylight together darken into evening.

此二句写重逢情景，是全词最动人处，以静默与暮色写尽悲凉。「花底相看无一语」写相见之默——花底之下，两两相望，千言万语，却「无一语」：久别重逢，本有说不尽的话，而一旦相见，却相对无言——不是无话可说，而是话太多、情太重，不知从何说起；花底相看，花犹在而人已老，悲喜交集，哽咽难言，「无一语」三字比千言万语更沉痛，正是「此时无声胜有声」。此句承上片「零落花如许」：花底相看，花是零落之花，人是久别之人，花之零落与人之憔悴，两两相照。「绿窗春与天俱莫」以景收束——绿窗之前，春色与天色一同向暮，「俱莫」即俱暮，春光将尽、天色将晚，「俱」字写春光天色一同黯淡，景之暮即情之暮、日之暮即人之暮，情景交融。两句一写「无语」的静、一写「俱暮」的暗，静默与暮色交织，把重逢的悲凉写到极致，是王国维「以景结情、情景交融」的典范。

The two lines write the scene of reunion, the most moving passage of the ci, writing desolation through silence and dusk. Beneath the flowers we look at each other and speak no word writes the silence of meeting: beneath the blossoms, the two gaze at each other, ten thousand words, yet not one word spoken. After long parting, there should be words beyond counting, yet once met, they face each other dumb — not that there is nothing to say, but that there is too much, the feeling too heavy, not knowing where to begin; beneath the flowers, the blossoms remain and the people have aged, grief and joy together, choked and unable to speak; not one word is deeper than ten thousand words, this moment's silence surpassing sound. The line follows the flowers fallen like this of the first stanza: beneath the blossoms, the blossoms are fallen ones, the people long-parted ones, the falling flowers and the withered people set off against each other. At the green window, spring and the daylight together fade to dusk closes in scene: before the green window, spring and sky alike turn toward evening; both fade means both dusk, spring's light ending, daylight failing; the word both writes spring and sky darkening together, the dusk of scene is the dusk of feeling, the dusk of day the dusk of the man, scene and emotion fused. One line the silence of not a word, one the darkening of both dusk; silence and twilight interwoven, the desolation of reunion written to the utmost, the model of Wang Guowei's closing emotion in scene and fusing scene with feeling.

待把相思灯下诉，一缕新欢，旧恨千千缕。

I would tell all my longing beneath the lamp; but one thread of new joy drags out a thousand thousand threads of old grief.

待要把满腹相思在灯下倾诉，可那一缕新得的欢娱，牵扯出千千缕旧的愁恨

I long to pour out all my love beneath the lamp; but that one thread of new delight pulls at a thousand thousand strands of old sorrow.

过片三句转入灯下，以「一缕」与「千千缕」的悬殊对照写欢短恨长，是全词「以乐衬哀」最有力的一笔。「待把相思灯下诉」写欲诉衷肠——白天花底无言，千言万语都留到灯下再诉，「待把」二字写此愿之切、此情之蓄，相思满腹，只待灯下倾泻；「一缕新欢，旧恨千千缕」陡然反转——灯下相对，重逢的欢娱不过「一缕」，而积年的离恨却有「千千缕」，「一缕」与「千千缕」的数量悬殊，把欢之短与恨之长写得触目惊心：新欢再少，也只是一缕；旧恨千千，如何诉得完？「新欢」反衬「旧恨」，乐景写哀，愈见其哀——不是重逢不喜，而是重逢之喜，在千千缕旧恨面前，显得如此单薄。「待把相思灯下诉」的愿望与「旧恨千千缕」的现实相对照，欲诉而不能尽诉，欲喜而恨深于喜，全词的悲情在此达到顶点，为结句「最是人间留不住」的由情入理蓄足了势能。

The three lines of the second stanza turn to the lamp, writing joy short and grief long through the disproportion of one thread and a thousand thousand, the most forceful stroke of the ci's grief set against joy. I would tell all my longing beneath the lamp writes the wish to unburden: by day, beneath the flowers, no words; the ten thousand words are kept for telling beneath the lamp; the words I would write the urgency of the wish, the stored-up feeling, longing brimming, only waiting to pour out under the lamp. But one thread of new joy drags out a thousand thousand threads of old grief turns abruptly: face to face beneath the lamp, the joy of reunion is but one thread, while the accumulated parting grief has a thousand thousand threads; the numerical disproportion of one thread and a thousand thousand writes the shortness of joy and the length of grief, startling to the eye. New joy set against old grief, writing grief through joyous scene, the more poignant: reunion is not joyless, but the joy of reunion, before a thousand thousand threads of old grief, is so thin. The wish of telling longing beneath the lamp set against the reality of old grief in a thousand thousand strands: the wish to tell and unable to tell it all, the wish to rejoice and grief deeper than joy; the grief of the ci reaches its peak, storing full force for the closing most thing in this world that cannot be kept, the passage from feeling to reason.

最是人间留不住，朱颜辞镜花辞树。

Of all things in this world, the hardest to keep is this: the bright face leaves the mirror, the flower leaves the tree.

最是人间留不住的，是镜中逝去的容颜、与树上飘零的落花

The most impossible thing in the world to keep is this: the rose-red face leaves the mirror, and the flower leaves its bough.

结句是全词的点睛之笔，也是王国维词中最著名的警句，由情入理，将个人的离恨升华为对光阴与美之必逝的苍凉体认。「最是人间留不住」以「最是」领起，如断语、如感叹——人间万事，最留不住的是什么？「朱颜辞镜花辞树」作答：是镜中逝去的容颜、与树上飘零的落花。「朱颜辞镜」写美人之老——镜中的朱颜，辞镜而去，一去不返；「花辞树」写春花之落——枝头的繁花，辞树而落，零落成泥；两个「辞」字，将朱颜与花拟人化，写其「辞别」的决绝——不是悄然消逝，而是毅然辞别，如美人辞镜、如落花辞树，走得决绝而哀婉，毫无挽留的余地。此二句的深意在于由「情」入「理」：前文所写离别之苦、重逢之悲、欢短恨长，皆是「情」；结句忽然跳出个人之情，追问人间「留不住」的普遍之理——朱颜会辞镜，花会辞树，美必消逝，时必流逝，这是人间无可挽回的宿命。个人的离恨，因此升华为对生命有限性的永恒悲慨，「朱颜」「花」既是实写眼前之人与眼前之花，更是世间一切美好事物的象征，全词以这两句哲理化的警句收束，洗炼深远，余味无穷，正见王国维「以哲学入词」的独特境界。

The closing is the crowning stroke of the ci, and the most famous aphorism in Wang Guowei's verse, moving from feeling to reason, raising personal parting grief into the desolate recognition that time and beauty must pass. Of all things in this world, the hardest to keep is this: the words most of all open like a verdict, like a sigh — of all human things, what is the hardest to keep? The bright face leaves the mirror, the flower leaves the tree answers: the rosy face that leaves the mirror, and the flower that leaves the bough. The rose-red face leaves the mirror writes the aging of beauty — the bright face in the mirror takes its leave of the mirror, gone never to return; the flower leaves the tree writes the falling of spring blossoms — the laden bough drops its flowers, scattered to the mud. The two leaves personify the face and the flower, writing the resolve of their departure: not a quiet fading, but a resolute farewell, like a beauty leaving her mirror, like a blossom leaving its tree, gone decisively and plaintively, without a crack of room to hold. The deep meaning lies in the passage from feeling to reason: the parting grief, reunion sorrow, short joy and long grief written before are all feeling; the closing suddenly leaps beyond personal feeling, questioning the universal truth of what the world cannot keep — the bright face will leave the mirror, the flower will leave the tree, beauty must pass, time must flow; this is the human fate beyond recall. Personal parting grief is thus raised to the eternal sorrow over the finitude of life; the bright face and the flower are at once the real person and real blossom before the eyes, and the symbols of all beautiful things in the world. The ci closes on these two philosophic aphorisms, distilled and deep, with endless aftertaste, revealing Wang Guowei's peculiar realm of bringing philosophy into the ci.

Study

Word focus

不道 never expected 「不道归来，零落花如许」之「不道」，是全词上片跌宕之笔的枢纽，一个「不道」写出期盼与现实的巨大落差，是王国维炼字「于转折处见功力」的典范。「不道」即不料、没想到，是宋词中习见的虚词（如辛弃疾「不道流年暗中偷换」），此处以「不道」领起「归来」，写盼归之人的心理：日日夜夜盼着归来，想象中归来应是花好月圆、两情缱绻，却不料——「不道」二字一顿，把「盼」的殷切与「见」的意外隔开，读者的心也随之一沉；「零落花如许」补足意外：归来看见，花已零落如许。「不道」的妙处有三：其一，写心理的落差——期盼越殷切，意外越沉重，二字写尽从云端跌入谷底的幻灭；其二，写时间的残酷——盼归之时，不知光阴已暗中偷换，花已开落，人已老去，「不道」正是对时间流逝的懵然不觉，为「朱颜辞镜花辞树」的警醒预伏；其三，写情感的转折——由「阅尽离别苦」的直陈，到「不道」的顿挫，再到「零落如许」的悲叹，三句一波三折，全词的沉郁之调自此而起。一字（词）而兼有心理、时间、章法三层，是此词炼字最精的一笔。

辞 leave, depart from 「朱颜辞镜花辞树」之「辞」，是全词结句的诗眼，两个「辞」字以拟人写美之离去，决绝而哀，是王国维炼字「于常字中翻出新意」的典范。「辞」本义为告别、辞别，如辞行、辞官，此处写朱颜「辞」镜、花「辞」树——朱颜辞别镜中，花辞别枝头，两个「辞」字将无生命的「朱颜」与「花」拟人化，赋予它们离别的意志与情感：不是镜中人憔悴老去，而是朱颜「辞」镜，毅然离去；不是花自然凋落，而是花「辞」树，决绝飘零。「辞」字的妙处有四：其一，写离去之主动——「辞」是有意志的告别，朱颜与花仿佛主动选择了离去，比「改」「落」等字更见决绝，美之消逝因此带上了一丝悲壮的意味；其二，写离去之哀婉——「辞」是依依惜别，朱颜辞镜时的不舍、花辞树时的流连，尽在一个「辞」字，决绝与哀婉并存；其三，写不可挽留——「辞」者已去，如人之辞行，挽留无益，正合「留不住」三字，两个「辞」字与「留不住」呼应，把「人间留不住」的道理写得既形象又沉痛；其四，写对偶之工——「朱颜辞镜」对「花辞树」，两个「辞」字重复而不觉板滞，反而形成回环的声情，如叹息之再三。一字而兼有拟人、决绝、哀婉、对偶四层，是此词结句炼字的精髓所在。

俱莫 both darken 「绿窗春与天俱莫」之「俱莫」，是全词上片结句的炼字之眼，「俱」字将春光与天色一并推入暮色，倍增苍茫，是王国维「以景写情」的典范用字。「俱」为一同、全都之意；「莫」通「暮」，为日暮、将晚之意；「俱莫」即一同向暮——绿窗前的春光，与窗外的天色，一同暗淡下去，走向黄昏。「俱」字的妙处有三：其一，写景之统一——春光本是明媚的，天色本是变化的，而一个「俱」字，将「春」与「天」统一于「暮」中：春光将尽，天色将晚，二者一同沉入暮色，天地间一片苍茫，景语至此已兼情语——春之暮即人之暮，日之暮即情之暮；其二，写情之弥漫——「俱」字把暮色从窗外推到窗内，从自然推到人生，仿佛不是天要黑了，而是整个生命都在向暮，重逢的欢娱转瞬即逝，余下的只有苍茫的暮色，「俱」字写尽这种无处逃遁的迟暮之感；其三，写对照之巧——「绿窗」之「绿」（春色）与「俱莫」之「暮」（黄昏）相对，绿是青春之色，暮是迟暮之象，二字（绿/暮）的对照，正是上片「零落花如许」的延续与下片「朱颜辞镜」的预兆。一字（词）而兼有统一、弥漫、对照三层，是王国维炼字「以虚字传神」的典范。