宋 Song · 词 Ci lyric
陈与义·临江仙·高咏楚词酬午日
Immortal at the River: Reciting Chu Poems to Pass the Dragon Boat Festival
临江仙·高咏楚词酬午日高咏楚词酬午日，天涯节序匆匆。
榴花不似舞裙红。
无人知此意，歌罢满帘风。
万事一身伤老矣，戎葵凝笑墙东。
酒杯深浅去年同。
试浇桥下水，今夕到湘中。
In this far corner of the world, seasons come and go in haste.
The pomegranate flowers are not as red as dancers' skirts of yore.
No one knows my feelings;
After the song, the curtains are filled with wind.
All the world's cares upon this aging body weigh,
The hollyhock by the eastern wall seems to smile in a fixed way.
The wine cup, deep or shallow, is the same as last year's.
I try to pour it into the water under the bridge,
Hoping tonight it will reach the Xiang River's midst.
Meaning
The poet chants Chu poems to pass the Dragon Boat Festival, feeling time flies in exile. The pomegranate blooms pale compared to past dancers' skirts. No one understands his solitude. He laments aging, and the hollyhock's smile deepens his sorrow. Pouring wine into the river, he wishes it could reach Qu Yuan's resting place.
高声吟诵《楚辞》来度过端午，身在天涯，节令匆匆又至。石榴花再红，也不似旧时京师舞裙那般艳红。无人理解我此刻的心意，一曲歌罢，只有满帘清风。万事集于一身，伤叹自己衰老了；墙东的蜀葵含笑凝立。酒杯里深浅，与去年并无不同。试着把酒浇向桥下流水，愿它今夜流到湘江之中。
Appreciation
Written during Chen Yuyi's exile after the fall of the Northern Song, this ci uses the Dragon Boat Festival to mourn Qu Yuan and the poet's own fate. The contrast between past splendor (dancers' skirts) and present desolation (pomegranate flowers) is vivid. The wind-filled curtain and the wine libation to the Xiang River express deep solitude and loyalty.
【白话串讲】 端午日，陈与义高咏楚词：“榴花不似舞裙红”——石榴花没有当年舞裙红。“万事一身伤老矣”——万般事，一身伤，人已老。他借屈原，写自己的流离。 【意象与手法】 此词沉郁顿挫而吐言天拔。起句「高咏楚词酬午日」即见挺拔，以吊屈起兴，暗含与屈原同悲之志；「天涯节序匆匆」七字写尽飘零之速与佳节之哀。「榴花不似舞裙红」以眼前榴花反比往昔京师舞裙，今昔对照，盛衰立见。下片「万事一身伤老矣」直抒胸臆，「戎葵凝笑墙东」以无情物反衬有恨之人；结句「试浇桥下水，今夕到湘中」，将杯酒付与流水，愿达湘中慰屈子，融身世家国之恨于悠远景语。 【情感与主旨】 此词作于南宋高宗建炎三年（1129），时汴京已陷、高宗南渡，词人避乱流寓荆湖，恰逢端午。端午为屈原投江纪念日，词人在屈原行吟沉江的湘水一带漂泊，感家国之恨、伤身世流落，借吊屈以抒怀，遂成此篇。 【名句点睛】 命题核心：「榴花不似舞裙红」的今昔对比手法与情感；「无人知此意，歌罢满帘风」的孤怀；「试浇桥下水，今夕到湘中」的流水寄哀与吊屈深意。
Background
Chen Yuyi (1090–1138), styled Qufei, was a prominent poet of the Northern-Southern Song transition. This ci was written in 1129, when he was fleeing the Jurchen invasion and wandering in the Hunan-Hubei area. On the Dragon Boat Festival, which commemorates Qu Yuan's death, he composed this piece to express his grief over the fallen state and his own wandering life.
陈与义（1090—1138），字去非，号简斋，洛阳人，南北宋之际杰出的诗人、词人，其诗上承苏轼、黄庭坚而自成一家，为江西诗派后期代表，词亦工。此词作于南宋高宗建炎三年（1129），时汴京已陷、高宗仓皇南渡，金兵南侵，国势危殆，词人避乱流寓荆湖（今湖南、湖北一带），恰逢端午。端午为纪念屈原投江之节，而词人正漂泊于屈原行吟沉江的湘水流域，故感家国之恨、伤身世流落，借吊屈以抒怀，遂成此篇。陈与义早年仕于北宋，靖康之难后仓皇南奔，经历国破家亡之变，其词风亦由早年《墨梅》的清婉一变而为沉郁悲壮。此词正是这种转变的结晶，将个人飘零与家国兴亡融为一炉，是南渡词坛悼念故国、感时伤乱的名篇。陈与义为洛阳人，北宋政和三年进士，仕于徽宗朝，靖康之难起，自陈留避乱南奔，辗转流寓湖湘、岭南、闽浙，至绍兴元年始达临安，其间六年，饱经丧乱。此词作于建炎三年，时词人正流寓湖南，端午佳节，漂泊无依，乃以高咏楚词度过，其吊屈之意，实为伤时之怀——屈原放逐而自沉，词人飘零而苟全，同悲而异遇，故「试浇桥下水，今夕到湘中」，不独慰屈子，亦自慰也。全词于家国之恨中见身世之悲，是南渡词坛悼念故国的先声，亦为简斋词风转变的标志。
Art
The ci is somber and forceful yet natural. The opening line 'Loudly reciting Chu poems' establishes a lofty tone. The contrast between pomegranate flowers and dancing skirts highlights the fall from grace. The line 'after the song, the curtains are filled with wind' uses scenery to convey emotion. The final couplet, pouring wine into the river, blends personal and national sorrow into a distant image.
此词沉郁顿挫而吐言天拔。起句「高咏楚词酬午日」即见挺拔：以高声吟诵《楚辞》度过端午，「高咏」二字见出悲壮之气，「酬」字见出打发节日的无可奈何，以吊屈起兴，暗含与屈原同悲之志；「天涯节序匆匆」七字，写尽飘零之速与佳节之哀。次韵「榴花不似舞裙红」以眼前榴花反比往昔京师舞裙——靖康前汴京繁华，歌舞升平，舞裙之红艳胜于榴花；今则榴花独红，京师已陷，今昔对照，盛衰立见。下片「万事一身伤老矣」直抒胸臆，万般愁绪集于一身，兼伤衰老；「戎葵凝笑墙东」以无情之物反衬有恨之人，戎葵向日而笑，人则百忧交集，静中见恨。结「试浇桥下水，今夕到湘中」，将一杯酒浇入桥下流水，愿其今夜流达湘江，以慰屈子之魂，身世家国之恨尽融于悠远景语，余韵不尽。又此词之妙在以我观物、物皆著我之色彩：榴花之红、戎葵之笑，皆以我之情衡之——榴花虽红而不似昔日舞裙，非花之变，乃时之变、心之变；戎葵凝笑，本无知之物，而在我眼中似带嘲意。写物即是写心，物之荣枯皆随我之悲喜，正是词人「情中见景、景中见情」的浑融之境。且全词由高咏而榴花、而无人知、而万事一身、而浇酒湘中，一气流注，沉郁顿挫，正是简斋晚年词风的典型，亦是南渡词坛「以悲为词」的代表。
Allusions
'Chu ci' refers to the poetry of Qu Yuan. The Dragon Boat Festival commemorates Qu Yuan's suicide in the Miluo River. 'Rong kui' (hollyhock) turns toward the sun, symbolizing loyalty; here it personifies a mocking smile. Pouring wine into the river is a ritual to honor the dead, hoping the wine reaches Qu Yuan in the Xiang River.
此词用典与本事紧扣屈原与楚辞。「楚词」即《楚辞》，屈原所创，词人以「高咏」相和，自况流落同悲——屈原放逐沅湘，陈与义漂泊荆湖，境遇相似，故以吟诵《楚辞》为精神上的同调。「午日」即端午，本为纪念屈原投汨罗江（湘水支流）之节，《续齐谐记》载五月五日楚人投粽江中吊屈原，此词「高咏楚词酬午日」正承此悼屈之俗。「戎葵」即蜀葵，夏日开花、向阳而开，此处以「凝笑墙东」拟人之态，反衬人之凄凉。「试浇桥下水，今夕到湘中」化用端午投粽（或投酒）祭屈遗俗，以流水通幽冥，愿酒随湘水达屈子沉江之处。全词用事皆围绕「吊屈伤时」一线，贴切深沉，是即事用典、借古伤今的典范。又「榴花」本为端午时令之花，唐人诗有「五月榴花照眼明」之句，而「舞裙红」暗指靖康前汴京之歌舞繁华，一今一昔，一花一裙，以物之红艳写时之盛衰，正是以乐景写哀的典范。又「湘中」指湘江流域，屈原《离骚》「济沅湘以南征兮，就重华而陈词」，其沉江之汨罗即湘水支流，故浇酒湘中，即慰屈子之魂；「桥下水」又暗含「逝者如斯」之意，流水无情而人心有恨，愿酒随流水达湘中，正是以有情之酒付无情之水，痴情与无奈并见。
Commentary
This ci is included in 'Three Hundred Song Ci Poems' and praised by modern critics. Tang Guizhang commented that the wind-filled curtain highlights the poet's agitation. Chen Tingzhuo noted Chen Yuyi's style is close to Su Shi's. It is a masterpiece of patriotic ci during the Southern Song transition.
此词为南渡词坛吊屈伤时之名篇，历代选家皆收。近人唐圭璋《唐宋词简释》评「无人知此意，歌罢满帘风」二句：「满帘风一笔，更显情绪之激荡。」陈廷焯《白雨斋词话》谓简斋词「笔意超旷，逼近东坡」，此阕沉郁处兼得东坡、稼轩之概。宋人胡仔《苕溪渔隐丛话》载陈与义晚年语人：「吾诗早学陈后山，晚学简斋。」其词亦然：早岁清婉，晚岁沉郁。此词写于国破流离之际，将吊屈、伤时、自伤三者融为一体，沉郁顿挫，吐言天拔，正是其晚年词风的代表。与《登岳阳楼》诗「白头吊古风霜里，老木苍波无限悲」同一襟抱，诗与词互证，可见陈与义南渡后作品一以贯之的孤忠沉痛，为研究南渡词坛的重要作品。清人陈廷焯《白雨斋词话》谓简斋词「笔意超旷，逼近东坡」，此词于「超旷」之中又见「沉郁」，正合东坡「回首向来萧瑟处」之襟怀而异其悲慨。近人论此词，多赏其「榴花不似舞裙红」之今昔对照，谓语淡而情深。又此词与岳飞《满江红》、张元幹《贺新郎》等南渡爱国词并读，可见南渡词坛从「婉约」向「悲壮」的转变，而简斋以文人雅士之笔写家国之痛，自成一家，为南宋爱国词之先导，其「以吊屈写伤时」的构思，尤为后人所祖，影响及于辛弃疾诸家。
Prosody
Line by line
高咏楚词酬午日，天涯节序匆匆
The poet chants Chu poems to pass the Dragon Boat Festival, feeling the swift passage of seasons in faraway lands. The opening sets a tone of grief for the lost state.
高声吟诵《楚辞》来度过端午，身在天涯，节令匆匆又至。
I chant the Chu verses aloud to pass the Dragon Boat Festival; at the edge of the world, the seasons hurry on.
起笔挺拔，吊屈起兴，暗含同悲之志。「高咏楚词」写高声吟诵《楚辞》，「高」字见出悲壮激昂之气——屈子放逐而赋骚，词人飘零而高咏，异代同悲，故以吟诵《楚辞》为精神同调；「酬午日」写以此度过端午，「酬」谓应酬、打发，佳节而需「酬」，已含无可奈何之意，与杜牧「但将酩酊酬佳节」同一机杼。「天涯节序匆匆」写身在天涯、节令匆匆又至，「天涯」写漂泊之远，「匆匆」写时光之速，飘零之悲与佳节之哀交织。七字写尽飘零之速与佳节之哀，起笔即定全词沉郁顿挫之调，为下文今昔对照张本。
The opening is spirited, rising on the mourning of Qu Yuan, secretly carrying the same grief. I chant the Chu verses aloud to pass the Dragon Boat Festival writes the loud chanting of the Chuci, the word loud showing the solemn, stirring air — Qu Yuan exiled and composing the Li Sao, the lyricist drifting and chanting aloud, the same grief in different ages, hence the chanting as the spiritual tone; to pass the festival writes the passing of the Duanwu, the word pass means to deal with, to while away, the festival yet needing the passing already carrying the helplessness, of a piece with Du Mu's but let me while away the festival in drunkenness. At the edge of the world, the seasons hurry on writes the far drifting and the hurrying seasons, the edge of the world for the distance, the hurrying for the speed, the drifting grief and the festival sorrow woven. Seven words exhausting the speed of the drifting and the grief of the festival, fixing at the opening the ci's somber, restrained tone, preparing the present-past contrast below.
榴花不似舞裙红
The pomegranate flowers are not as red as the dancing skirts of the capital's past splendor. A sharp contrast between past glory and present desolation.
石榴花再红，也不似旧时京师舞裙那般艳红。
The pomegranate blooms, however red, are not like the red of the dance skirts of old.
此句以眼前榴花反比往昔京师舞裙，今昔对照，盛衰之慨凝于一比。「榴花」为端午时令之花，五月榴花照眼明，红艳如火，是眼前实景；「舞裙红」追忆往昔京师歌姬舞女之红裙——靖康前汴京繁华，歌舞升平，舞裙之红艳无与伦比。今昔相较，榴花虽红而不似舞裙，非榴花不红，实为心境之异：昔日歌舞升平，故觉舞裙之红胜于榴花；今日国破流离，榴花再红也唤不回旧日繁华。此句不直写国破之痛，而盛衰之慨尽在一比之中，含蓄深婉，是「以乐景写哀」的典范，亦是全词今昔对照的核心句。
The line uses the present pomegranate blooms against the old capital's dance skirts, the present-past contrast, the sigh over rise and fall gathered in one comparison. The pomegranate blooms are the Duanwu season flower, the May pomegranates brightening the eyes, red as fire, the present real scene; the dance skirts red recalls the old capital's songstresses' red skirts — before Jingkang, the Bianfeng prosperity, the singing and dancing, the dance skirts' red beyond compare. Present against past, the pomegranates red and yet not like the dance skirts — not that the pomegranates are not red, but that the mind differs: in the old days of song and dance, the dance skirts' red seemed brighter than the pomegranates; today the country broken, the people drifting, the pomegranates red as they may cannot call back the old prosperity. The line not directly writing the pain of the broken country, and the sigh over rise and fall all within the comparison, restrained and tactful, the model of writing grief through the joyous scene, and the core line of the ci's present-past contrast.
无人知此意，歌罢满帘风
No one understands my feelings; after the song, the wind fills the curtain. A solitary scene that conveys inner agitation.
无人理解我此刻的心意，一曲歌罢，只有满帘清风。
No one knows this feeling; when the song ends, the wind fills the curtain.
此二句以景衬孤怀，情绪激荡而含蓄。「无人知此意」写词人心事无人理解——吊屈之悲、亡国之痛、身世之慨，皆非旁人所能知，孤独之感直抵心底；「歌罢满帘风」写一曲吟罢，唯有满帘清风，以风之空寂衬人之孤独。此句妙在以景结情：「满帘风」既是实景——歌罢临风，帘动风来；又是虚象——满帘之风，正如满心之悲，无可名状，扑面而来。唐圭璋谓此二句「满帘风一笔，更显情绪之激荡」，正见其以淡景写浓情的功力。歌罢而无人知，唯风满帘，孤独与激荡尽在其中，为下片「万事一身」的直抒蓄势。
The two lines set the lonely heart against the scene, the emotion stirred and yet restrained. No one knows this feeling writes the lyricist's heart understood by none — the mourning of Qu Yuan, the pain of the lost country, the sigh over the lot, none within others' knowing, the loneliness straight to the heart's bottom; when the song ends, the wind fills the curtain writes the chant done, only the wind filling the curtain, the wind's emptiness setting off the man's loneliness. The beauty lies in closing emotion in scene: the wind filling the curtain at once the real scene — the song ended, the wind at the curtain, the curtain stirring; and the virtual image — the wind over the curtain, like the grief in the breast, beyond words, beating the face. Tang Guizhang said of these two lines that the wind-over-the-curtain stroke shows the stirring of the emotion, precisely the craft of writing the thick feeling through the thin scene. The song ended and no one knows, only the wind filling the curtain, the loneliness and the stirring within, preparing the second stanza's everything and one's self direct statement.
试浇桥下水，今夕到湘中
I pour wine into the river, hoping it will reach the Xiang River tonight. A libation to Qu Yuan, blending personal and national sorrow.
试着把酒浇向桥下流水，愿它今夜流到湘江之中。
I try pouring wine into the waters below the bridge; tonight, may it reach the Xiang River.
结句将杯酒付与流水，寄哀于悠远，是全词情感的归宿。「试浇桥下水」写将酒浇入桥下流水，「试」字含郑重而微茫之意——明知酒不能达，仍欲一试，痴情与无奈并见；「今夕到湘中」写愿此酒今夜随水流达湘中，「湘中」为屈原行吟沉江之地（湘水流域），浇酒入水，正是希望酒随湘水以慰屈子之魂。此句化用端午投粽祭屈之俗，而更为空灵：以流水通幽冥，以杯酒寄孤忠，身世家国之恨尽融于悠远的想象之中，不言悲而悲自深，不言志而志自见。结句以景语收束，余韵不尽，与苏轼「大江东去」之豪、屈原「沅湘流不尽」之怨，异代同悲，是南渡词坛吊屈伤时的绝唱。
The closing commits the cup of wine to the flowing water, entrusting the grief to the far distance, the home of the ci's feeling. I try pouring wine into the waters below the bridge writes the wine poured into the water under the bridge, the word try carrying the solemn and the faint — knowing the wine cannot reach, and yet wanting to try, the doting and the helplessness together; tonight, may it reach the Xiang River writes the wish that this wine tonight flow with the water to the Xiang, the Xiang being the land of Qu Yuan's wandering and drowning (the Xiang basin), the wine poured into the water precisely the hope that the wine follow the Xiang to console Qu Yuan's spirit. The line transforms the Duanwu custom of throwing zongzi to mourn Qu Yuan, and yet the more ethereal: using the flowing water to reach the dark, using the cup of wine to entrust the lone loyalty, the grief of lot and country all melted into the far imagination, not speaking grief and the grief deep of itself, not speaking will and the will visible of itself. Closing in the scenic words, the aftertone unending, of a piece in grief across the ages with Su Shi's the great river flows east and Qu Yuan's the Yuan and Xiang flow on and on, the immortal lay of the southern-exile lyric's mourning of Qu Yuan and grief over the age.
Study
Word focus
Related Reading
Both deal with exile in the Southern Song and sorrow for the times; poem and ci complement each other in expressing loyalty.
陈与义《登岳阳楼》诗「洞庭之东江水西，帘旌不动夕阳迟」，写登楼所见与「白头吊古风霜里，老木苍波无限悲」的吊古伤时之慨；《临江仙·高咏楚词酬午日》词写端午吊屈与「试浇桥下水，今夕到湘中」的寄哀湘水之思。二作同写南渡后漂泊荆湘的所见所感，同以「吊古伤时」为情感主轴，一为七律而雄浑沉郁，一为小令而顿挫激昂，诗与词互证，可见陈与义南渡后「沉郁悲壮」风格的一贯性，亦见其诗词兼善的才情。
陈与义·襄邑道中 Chen Yuyi's 'On the Road to Xiangyi' 陈与义 · 同出简斋，一清畅一悲壮，可见诗风两面 Same authorBoth are by Chen Yuyi, but one is tragic and the other serene, showing his two styles.
陈与义《襄邑道中》「飞花两岸照船红，百里榆堤半日风」，写汴河行舟所见，明丽清畅，是北宋末年的闲适之作；《临江仙·高咏楚词酬午日》写端午吊屈、身世家国之恨，沉郁悲壮，是南渡后的感怀之作。二作同出陈与义之手，而风貌迥异：前者写太平年月的行旅之乐，笔致轻快；后者写国破流离的吊古之悲，笔致沉郁。合观可见靖康之变对陈与义创作的深刻影响——同一诗人，由清婉而沉郁，正是时代剧变在文学上的投影，也是研究陈与义诗风转变的关键对照。