All poems

清 Qing · 词 Ci lyric

木兰花慢·武林归舟中作

Mu Lan Hua Man: Written on the Homeward Boat at Wulin

朱彝尊

Zhu Yizun

羁旅sojourn 归舟homeward boat 浙西词派Zhexi lyric school

看漫天风雪，正万里、促归舟。
望渺渺沧波，茫茫衰草，隐隐危楼。
回头。
旧游如梦，记前番、载酒过西州。
试问梅花开未，一春忘了笺讴。
淹留。
白发盈头。
叹老去、更何求。
但醉倚孤篷，闲看远岫，倦听清讴。
人间。
几番今古，算英雄、终古付东流。
惟有五湖烟水，年年长绕汀洲。

See the skyful of wind and snow, urging the homeward boat ten thousand li.
Gaze on the vast blue waves, the boundless withered grass, the faint tall tower.
Turn back the head. Old wanderings like a dream—I recall the former time, wine aboard, past the Western Prefecture.
I ask if the plum blossoms have opened; this whole spring I forgot to write my songs.
Lingering. White hair fills my head.
I sigh, grown old—what more to seek?
Only drunk I lean on the lone awning, idly watch the far hills, wearily hear the clear song.
The human world. How many times now and old—count the heroes, forever sent down the east-flowing stream.
Only the misty water of the Five Lakes, year after year still winds the islets.

Listen

Meaning

On the homeward boat to Wulin through wind and snow, the poet faces his old haunts, his white hair, and the futility of heroes, and turns at last to the eternal misty water of the Five Lakes as a refuge of leisure.

看漫天风雪，正催动万里归舟。望浩渺沧波、茫茫衰草、隐隐危楼。回头看，旧游如梦，记得前番载酒经过西州。试问梅花开了没有，这一春竟忘了题写歌讴。逗留间，白发已满头。叹老去更能求什么。只醉倚孤篷，闲看远山，倦听清唱。人间，几度今古，算那英雄终古都付与东流。唯有五湖的烟水，年年长绕汀洲。

Appreciation

The first part writes what the homeward boat sees: skyful of wind and snow urging the boat, blue waves and withered grass and faint tower; looking back, old wanderings like a dream, wine aboard past the Western Prefecture, asking if plums have bloomed, this spring forgetting to write songs. The second part sighs at lingering white hair, old and what to seek, only drunk leaning on the lone awning, idly watching far hills, wearily hearing clear song; the human world, times now and old, heroes forever sent down the east-flowing stream, only the Five Lakes' misty water year after year winds the islets. The poem opens and closes with scene, embedding feeling within. The wind-snow, withered grass, and faint tower write the bleak homeward way; the Five Lakes' misty water closes, contrasting nature's eternity with the hero's brevity. The lines are loose and flowing; Zhu Yizun's Zhexi lyric is clear and upright, and this piece gains Jiang Kui's plainness.

【白话串讲】朱彝尊在归舟上写：“看漫天风雪，正万里、促归舟”——漫天风雪，催他回家。“旧游如梦，记前番、载酒过西州”——“试问梅花开未”——他问梅花开了没有。“淹留。白发盈头。叹老去、更何求”——他老了。【意象与手法】以景起以景结，中嵌情语。漫天风雪、衰草危楼写归途苍茫；五湖烟水收束，以自然之永恒对照英雄之短暂。句式疏宕，朱彝尊浙西词清空雅正，此作得姜夔之淡泊。【情感与主旨】抒发归舟途中的迟暮之叹与历史虚无之感，于英雄付东流的苍凉中，归向五湖烟水的闲远。朱彝尊身经易代，词多清空，此篇闲适里藏沧桑。【名句点睛】惟有五湖烟水，年年长绕汀洲——以永恒自然收煞人世沧桑，清空而余味不尽。

Background

Zhu Yizun founded the early-Qing Zhexi lyric school, honoring Jiang Kui and Zhang Yan, prizing clarity and uprightness. This lyric was written on the homeward boat to Wulin (Hangzhou); having lived through the Ming-Qing change, amid the wind-snow homeward oar he lodges the sigh of late years and vicissitude.

朱彝尊字锡鬯，号竹垞，清初杰出学者与词人，浙西词派之开创者。其词宗法南宋姜夔、张炎，标举清空雅正、醇雅含蓄，力矫明词俚率之弊。此词题作武林归舟中作，武林为杭州别称，写其乘舟归返途中所见所感。朱彝尊生于明崇祯年间，亲历明清易代之变，入清后曾游走四方、潜心著述，晚年心境渐趋淡泊。木兰花慢武林归舟中作即于归舟风雪中，抒发迟暮之叹与历史虚无之感：英雄终付东流，唯有五湖烟水长绕汀洲。清初士人于故国沦胥之后，多将身世之悲化为对宇宙人事的旷达观照，朱彝尊此词以清空之笔写沧桑之怀，正是易代文人于无奈中求得精神退守的典型之作，亦最见浙西词派以淡远蕴沉郁的宗旨。朱彝尊生于明崇祯年间，亲历明清易代，入清后心境渐趋淡泊，此词以清空之笔写沧桑之怀，正是易代文人于无奈中求得精神退守的典型之作。

Art

Scene above, feeling below; the turn words 'lingering' and 'the human world' lift the sections. It uses leading characters and questions (I ask, count, only) well; in the sparse and pale a backbone shows—gaining the clear emptiness of Baishi.

此词上片写归舟中所见与旧游之忆，下片写淹留之叹与古今之慨，以景起、以景结，中嵌情语，章法疏宕而意脉流转。上片起笔看漫天风雪、正万里、促归舟，以风雪归舟领起苍茫之境；望渺渺沧波、茫茫衰草、隐隐危楼三句鼎足，以渺渺、茫茫、隐隐三叠字写空间之辽阔迷茫；回头一顿，转入旧游如梦、载酒过西州的往昔追忆，试问梅花开未、一春忘了笺讴则以问收束，于疏淡中见余情。下片淹留、白发盈头直写迟暮；叹老去更何求后，但醉倚孤篷、闲看远岫、倦听清讴以三个动作写闲适之态；人间、几番今古，算英雄终古付东流陡然振起，将个人身世推入历史长河；末以惟有五湖烟水、年年长绕汀洲收煞，以自然之永恒反衬英雄之短暂。全词清空雅正，于疏朗中藏沧桑。全词以景起、以景结，中嵌情语，下片由老叹及史叹、再由史叹归于烟水，情潮几经跌宕而终归平静，最见朱词以淡语写沉郁的本领。

Allusions

Western Prefecture: stands for old wanderings, also using Yang Tan weeping at the Western Prefecture gate. Five Lakes' misty water: Fan Li boating the Five Lakes, meaning retirement. Write songs (jian'ou): to compose lyric lines.

武林为杭州古称，自汉书地理志武林水之名而来，此处点明归舟之地，暗含江南文人故园之思。西州本指东晋都城建康之西州城，此处借指旧游之地，暗用羊昙哭西州之典，寓遗民故国之恸于不经意间。梅花开未化用李清照、陆游问梅之意，以梅写高洁与岁时之逝，一春忘了笺讴则写词人疏于吟咏的慵倦，暗含易代后无意著述功名的心绪。五湖烟水用范蠡助越后乘扁舟泛五湖之典，古人以五湖喻隐遁之所，此处以年年长绕汀洲写自然永恒、隐逸可托。英雄终古付东流则承苏轼大江东去、辛弃疾千古江山之浩叹，将个体与一代英雄的功业都归于流逝，是易代之际士人常见的历史虚无之思。西州暗用羊昙哭西州之典寓故国之恸，五湖烟水用范蠡泛湖之典喻隐遁，英雄终古付东流承苏轼大江东去之浩叹，写易代士人的历史虚无。武林为杭州古称，西州暗用羊昙哭西州之典寓故国之恸，梅花开未化用问梅之传统，五湖烟水用范蠡泛湖之典喻隐遁，英雄终古付东流承苏轼大江东去之浩叹，写易代士人的历史虚无。

Commentary

Zhuchu's lyric honors Baishi; this piece in its dry pallor holds a vast moistness, standing with Nalan's grief and Chen's bold as the tripod of early-Qing lyric.

此词为朱彝尊浙西词风的代表作之一，向来以清空雅正、余味不尽见称。浙西词派主张醇雅，忌粗豪、忌俚俗，朱彝尊此篇以姜夔之淡泊为宗，于风雪归舟中写迟暮与沧桑，却不作激切之语，而归于五湖烟水的闲远，正合其派清空要旨。前人谓其词句琢字炼、归于醇雅，此篇漫天风雪、渺渺沧波诸句，疏淡中见骨力。近人论清词，多以朱彝尊与陈维崧并峙，陈尚豪放、朱主清空，而此词于清空里藏易代沧桑，最见遗民词含蓄之妙。今人读之，每于英雄付东流的苍凉中，从五湖烟水处觅得一份超越得失的宁静，足见其词境之耐咀。近人论清词，多以朱彝尊与陈维崧并峙，陈尚豪放、朱主清空，而此词于清空里藏易代沧桑，最见遗民词含蓄之妙，读之令人荡气回肠。近人论清词多以朱彝尊与陈维崧并峙，陈尚豪放、朱主清空，而此词于清空里藏易代沧桑，最见遗民词含蓄之妙，漫天风雪、五湖烟水诸句疏淡中见骨力，读之令人低回不已。

Prosody

Form The long tune Mu Lan Hua Man词·木兰花慢（双调，慢词）

Rhyme Rhyme category not specified in the source; follows the tune's convention.全词通押平水韵下平十一尤部（舟、楼、州、讴、头、求、讴、流、洲），一韵到底，清悠绵长。

Tone pattern Lines vary in length, with loose, clear, and empty voice.木兰花慢为平韵慢词，句式以四、五、六、七字句为主，间以领字与短逗（如正万里、记前番、算英雄），平仄谐婉，节奏疏宕舒缓，宜写清空闲远之怀。

Reading note The upper part writes the vagueness seen from the homeward boat; the lower writes the easeness of growing old, closing on the Five Lakes' misty water—clear, elegant, pale, the true color of Zhuchu's slow lyric.木兰花慢为唐教坊曲衍化之慢词，双调百余字，以平韵一气舒卷，最宜写登览、怀古、归舟一类从容淡泊之情。朱彝尊此词上片以看字领起，漫天风雪、促归舟数句以领字带出长句，仄起而入平韵，声情开阔；中三叠字渺渺茫茫隐隐鼎足铺排，平声尤韵绵长，恰写空间之迷茫。下片淹留、人间等短逗与长句相间，算英雄终古付东流以领字振起，由闲适跌入浩叹，旋即收以惟有五湖烟水之平远，声情亦由扬转抑而归于澄静。十一尤韵音色清悠，与浙西词派清空雅正之旨相生，故通篇读来如舟行烟水、余韵悠长，最见慢词以韵调济意境、以平声写闲远的中和之美。

Line by line

看漫天风雪，正万里、促归舟。望渺渺沧波，茫茫衰草，隐隐危楼。回头。旧游如梦，记前番、载酒过西州。试问梅花开未，一春忘了笺讴。

See skyful wind and snow urging the homeward boat ten thousand li; gaze on vast blue waves, boundless withered grass, faint tall tower; turn back—old wanderings like a dream, recall wine aboard past Western Prefecture; I ask if plums have bloomed, this spring forgot to write songs.

看漫天风雪，正催动万里归舟。望浩渺沧波、茫茫衰草、隐隐危楼。回头看，旧游如梦，记得前番载酒经过西州。试问梅花开了没有，这一春竟忘了题写歌讴。

I watch the wind and snow fill the sky, even now urging the homeward boat on its ten-thousand-li road. I gaze on the wide gray waves, the vast withered grass, and a lofty tower dimly seen. Looking back, the old wanderings are like a dream; I remember that time I carried wine past the western city. I would ask if the plum blossoms have opened, but all spring I have forgotten to write my verses.

上片为归舟览景与忆旧之笔，起手看漫天风雪、正万里、促归舟，以壮阔苍茫之景定调，风雪与万里对举，既写天时之厉，又写归程之遥，促字更添舟行紧迫。望渺渺沧波、茫茫衰草、隐隐危楼三句以三叠字写三种远景，空间由水及草及楼层层推远，渺渺、茫茫、隐隐皆带迷茫之意，恰是归人恍惚心境的外化。回头一顿，由景入忆，旧游如梦、载酒过西州以梦喻往昔交游，暗藏故国旧游之恸；试问梅花开未、一春忘了笺讴则以疏懒问梅作结，于不经意间露出易代后无意歌舞功名的慵倦。这一片景、忆、情交织，疏淡中伏沧桑，为下片的古今之慨铺开辽阔而低徊的底色。

The first stanza is the writing of scenery on the homeward boat and of remembrance: opening on I watch the wind and snow fill the sky, even now urging the homeward boat, setting the tone with a vast, desolate scene; wind and snow set against ten thousand li, writing at once the rigor of the weather and the length of the homeward road, the word urging adding the pressure of the boat's course. The three lines, I gaze on the wide gray waves, the vast withered grass, and a lofty tower dimly seen, use three reduplicated words for three distant prospects, the space pushed far from water to grass to tower, the vast, the boundless, the dim all carrying the sense of vagueness, precisely the outward shape of the returning man's trance. Looking back, a pause, moves from scene to remembrance: the old wanderings are like a dream, I remember that time I carried wine past the western city, figures old friendships as a dream, secretly holding the grief over the lost country; I would ask if the plum blossoms have opened, but all spring I have forgotten to write my verses closes on the lazy questioning of the blossoms, inadvertently revealing the lassitude after the dynastic change, when song and fame mean nothing. The stanza interweaves scene, remembrance, and feeling, hiding the vicissitudes within the plainness, spreading the vast and low ground tone for the sigh over antiquity in the second stanza.

淹留。白发盈头。叹老去、更何求。但醉倚孤篷，闲看远岫，倦听清讴。人间。几番今古，算英雄、终古付东流。惟有五湖烟水，年年长绕汀洲。

Lingering, white hair fills my head; sigh grown old, what more to seek? Only drunk lean on lone awning, idly watch far hills, wearily hear clear song; the human world, times now and old, count heroes forever sent down east-flowing stream; only Five Lakes' misty water year after year winds the islets.

逗留间，白发已满头。叹老去更能求什么。只醉倚孤篷，闲看远山，倦听清唱。人间，几度今古，算那英雄终古都付与东流。唯有五湖的烟水，年年长绕汀洲。

Lingering on, white hairs fill my head. I sigh that, grown old, what more can I seek? I lean drunkenly on the solitary awning, idle to watch the distant peaks, weary of listening to the clear songs. The human world — how many times now, ancient and modern; I reckon that heroes, through all ages, are committed to the eastward flowing. Only the misty waters of the Five Lakes, year after year, encircle the sandbars.

下片由归舟之景转入人生之慨，是词心所在。淹留、白发盈头直写迟暮之态，叹老去更何求以反问写尽无可追求的空落；但醉倚孤篷、闲看远岫、倦听清讴三句以三个动作写退守之闲，醉、闲、倦三字递进展现由外放而内收的心境，孤篷、远岫、清讴皆淡远意象，恰是浙西词清空本色。人间、几番今古，算英雄终古付东流陡然将个人迟暮提升至历史尺度，英雄功业终付东流，既是易代士人对一代兴亡的虚无体认，也是对个体挣扎的悲悯解构。末以惟有五湖烟水、年年长绕汀洲收煞，以自然之永恒、隐逸之可托反衬人世之须臾，归于清空闲远。这一片由老叹及史叹，再由史叹归于烟水，情潮几经跌宕而终归平静，最见朱词以淡语写沉郁的本领。

The second stanza turns from the homeward boat's scene to the sigh over life, where the heart of the ci lies. Lingering on, white hairs fill my head states directly the state of decline; I sigh that, grown old, what more can I seek? writes in a question the emptiness of having nothing left to seek. The three lines, I lean drunkenly on the solitary awning, idle to watch the distant peaks, weary of listening to the clear songs, write the leisure of withdrawal through three actions; the words drunk, idle, weary advance step by step, showing the heart turning from the outward to the inward; the solitary awning, the distant peaks, the clear songs are all plain, distant images, precisely the clear, empty manner of the Zhexi ci. The human world — how many times now, ancient and modern; I reckon that heroes, through all ages, are committed to the eastward flowing suddenly raises personal decline to the scale of history: the achievements of heroes all committed to the eastern flood, at once the nihilistic recognition of the loyalist scholar after the dynastic change over a generation's rise and fall, and the compassionate deconstruction of individual struggle. The close on only the misty waters of the Five Lakes, year after year, encircle the sandbars, sets the eternity of nature and the trustworthiness of the recluse against the briefness of human life, ending in the clear and the far. The stanza moves from the sigh of age to the sigh of history, and from the sigh of history back to the misty waters; the tides of feeling rise and fall, then settle at last, showing to the utmost Zhu's craft of writing somberness in plain words.

Study

Word focus

渺渺、茫茫、隐隐 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 上片望渺渺沧波、茫茫衰草、隐隐危楼三句，连用渺渺、茫茫、隐隐三组叠字，是全词炼字最见清空风神处。三词皆状远景之模糊迷茫，渺渺写水之浩渺无涯，茫茫写草之延展无际，隐隐写楼之若隐若现，由低及高、由近及远，将归舟所见的苍茫空间一层层推开。更重要的是，这三组叠字并非纯写物象，而是归人恍惚怅惘心境的外化——风雪归途，旧游如梦，眼前万物皆笼罩在一种似真似幻的迷离之中。朱彝尊以姜夔式的水墨笔法，用叠字营造出疏淡迷蒙的意境，既合浙西词派清空雅正之旨，又于无形中透出易代飘零的苍凉，炼字之妙在情景交融而不着痕迹。

付东流 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 算英雄终古付东流中，付东流三字是全词由个人迟暮升华为历史虚无的关键。付字写尽功业之不可把持、一切终将交出归还的无力感；东流则承苏轼大江东去、孔子逝者如斯之传统，以江河一去不返喻英雄事业、朝代更迭的必然消逝。朱彝尊身为易代遗民，于故国沦胥之后，眼见一代英雄壮志尽付流水，此三字既是史实之叹，也是自我身世之解——既然英雄终古皆然，则一己之淹留白发、老去何求便也获得了某种超越性的抚慰。炼字之重在于以最寻常的流水意象，承载最沉厚的历史虚无，不言悲而悲已滔滔，正合浙西词以淡语写沉郁的至境。