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宋 Song · 诗 Poem

画眉鸟

The Thrush

欧阳修

Ouyang Xiu

咏物Object-Chanting 理趣Philosophical Interest 自由Freedom

百啭千声随意移，山花红紫树高低。
始知锁向金笼听，不及林间自在啼。

With a hundred trills and a thousand notes, it freely flits,
Among red and purple blooms on hills, trees low and high.
Only then I know: locked in a golden cage and listened to,
It cannot match its free song in the woods, so free and true.

Listen

Meaning

The poem describes a thrush singing freely in the forest among colorful flowers and trees, contrasting this with being confined in a golden cage, concluding that the caged bird's song cannot compare to its natural, unrestrained singing.

千百声婉转啼鸣随心所欲地变换着地方，山花红紫、树木高低错落。这才知道把它锁在金笼里听它歌唱，远远比不上在林间自由自在地啼叫。

Appreciation

Through vivid imagery and contrast, Ouyang Xiu expresses the value of freedom. The first two lines depict the thrush's joyful existence in nature, while the last two draw a moral: even a golden cage cannot replace the beauty of natural liberty.

【白话串讲】画眉鸟在山林里随便叫，山花红紫，树有高低。欧阳修说：关在金笼里听，远不如在树林里自由地叫。他被贬时写这首诗，说的其实是自己。【意象与手法】全诗运用鲜明对比与托物言志手法。「山花红紫树高低」以色彩与空间铺陈林间生机；「金笼」与「林间」对照，以物喻人。末二句由叙入议，「始知」「不及」递进有力，将禽鸟之趣升华为人生哲理，语浅意深。【情感与主旨】欧阳修晚年因政争屡遭贬谪，对官场束缚深有体会。此诗约作于其退居或外任期间，借山林画眉鸟起兴，以笼鸟与林鸟对比，含蓄表达对自由天性的珍视与对束缚的厌弃，是其咏物小诗中理趣兼备的代表作。【名句点睛】常考对比手法与托物言志主旨，名句「不及林间自在啼」多作赏析句。

Background

Ouyang Xiu, having experienced political setbacks in his later years, wrote this poem to express his longing for freedom and distaste for official constraints. The thrush symbolizes the free spirit, and the cage represents the shackles of officialdom.

欧阳修（1007—1072），字永叔，号醉翁、六一居士，北宋诗文革新领袖，唐宋八大家之一，一生宦海浮沉：早年支持范仲淹新政遭贬夷陵，晚年因濮议之争再遭弹劾，屡起屡蹶，对官场束缚深有体会。此诗约作于其退居或外任期间，具体作年有庆历年间贬谪说与晚年退居说两解，然无论何说，皆写于诗人远离朝堂、亲近山林之时。诗人于山林间见画眉鸟百啭千声、自由飞翔，对比笼中金丝鸟的哀鸣，遂借物起兴，以笼鸟与林鸟对比，含蓄表达对自由天性的珍视与对束缚的厌弃。此诗属咏物小诗，却理趣兼备：由禽鸟之乐推及人生之理，言浅意深，是宋诗「以议论为诗」、尚理趣一路的先声，也是研究欧阳修人生哲学与诗学转向的重要文本。诗人在朝为官时深受礼法、党争之累，故能于山林禽鸟间觅得心灵慰藉，此诗正是其心迹的写照，亦其「醉翁之意不在酒」的超脱情怀在咏物诗中的延伸。

Art

The poem employs stark contrast and metaphorical language. 'Red and purple mountain flowers, high and low trees' paints a vibrant natural scene, while 'golden cage' symbolizes confinement. The final couplet shifts from description to commentary, delivering a philosophical insight in simple language.

全诗运用鲜明对比与托物言志手法，章法前叙后议、由景入理。前两句写林间画眉之乐：「百啭千声随意移」以「百」「千」极言啼声之繁，以「随意」写其自由自在——想飞就飞、想唱就唱，毫无拘束，自由之态跃然纸上；「山花红紫树高低」以色彩（红紫）与空间（高低）铺陈林间生机，繁花似锦、树木参差，正是鸟儿自由生活的乐园。后两句陡转议论：「始知锁向金笼听，不及林间自在啼」——「始知」二字写悟，由眼前之景翻出人生之理：把鸟锁进金笼里听它歌唱，远远比不上它在林间自由自在的啼叫。金笼虽华贵，却是牢笼；林间虽清苦，却是自由，对比之意不言自明。对比手法贯穿全诗：林间与金笼、自在啼与笼中听、自由与束缚，层层对照，将禽鸟之趣升华为人生哲理。「始知」「不及」递进有力，语浅意深，是宋诗理趣的典型表达，亦见欧阳修「以议论为诗而不失兴味」的功夫。前两句写景愈足，后两句议论愈有根基；理趣生于实景，故不落空谈，此正宋人咏物高于唐人之处，亦是此诗章法成功的秘诀。

Allusions

The image of the caged bird echoes Tao Yuanming's famous line 'Long trapped in a cage, I return to nature,' reflecting a long tradition of using birds to symbolize freedom in classical poetry.

诗中「金笼」化用六朝以来咏禽诗中的「笼鸟」意象，暗合陶渊明《归园田居》「久在樊笼里，复得返自然」之喻——陶渊明以「樊笼」喻官场，以「返自然」写归隐，欧阳修以「金笼」喻仕途羁绊，以「林间自在」写本性自由，一脉相承，皆借笼中之物写仕途之困与解脱之乐。此诗还承唐代咏鸟诗传统：白居易《池鹤》「临风一唳思何事，怅望青田云水遥」写鹤之思归、身在池而心在云，郑谷《鹧鸪》以禽鸟之啼写羁旅之愁，皆借鸟写志；欧阳修此诗写画眉，正是这一传统的晚响。此外，「百啭千声」写鸟鸣之繁，暗合《礼记·月令》仲夏之月「反舌无声」一类物候观察，而《庄子·秋水》「鹓鶵发于南海而飞于北海，非梧桐不止，非练实不食」的典故，以鸟之择木喻士之择主，欧阳修此诗借鸟之择林喻人之择自由，深得此脉。全诗虽无僻典，却渊源有自，承古典诗歌借物抒怀传统而自出新意，语浅而味厚。尤其「金笼」一词，兼「金」之华贵与「笼」之禁锢于一体，一褒一贬、似赞实讽，其张力正承陶渊明「樊笼」之喻而来，可谓青出于蓝。

Commentary

Liu Kezhuang praised Ouyang's poetry as 'plain and smooth,' and Qian Zhongshu noted that this poem blends argumentation with imagery without losing charm, typical of Song poetry's philosophical tendency.

刘克庄《后村诗话》称欧公诗「多平易疏畅」，此诗即其例——四句二十八字，无一生僻字，却意蕴深远，如话家常而理趣盎然。近人钱钟书评其「以议论为诗而不失兴味」，正指此诗由叙入议、借小物发大感慨的特点：咏画眉而及于人生自由之思，浅语之中见理趣，为宋诗尚理一格之先声。从咏物诗史看，唐人多咏物写貌、寄托艳情（如骆宾王《在狱咏蝉》之自况），宋人则多咏物言理、托物见志（如王安石《梅花》、苏轼《红梅》），欧阳修此诗正是唐音向宋调转变的关捩：由咏物之形进于咏物之神，由写物之态进于言物之理。论其价值，一在对比手法之鲜明，二在托物言志之含蓄，三在自由主题之普适——无论时代如何变迁，「自由胜于安逸」的命题恒能引起共鸣，这正是此诗千年传诵、今仍入选教材的原因，亦是欧阳修作为全能型文人留给后世的理趣小品典范。此诗题下另有散句之作，唯此绝句传诵最广，正见其凝练之工，二十八字胜过长篇大论。

Prosody

Form Seven-Character Quatrain七言绝句

Rhyme Rhyme words: 移, 低, 啼 (an assonant rhyme of -i sounds, from adjacent Pingshui rhyme categories 4 and 8)韵脚「移、低、啼」，属平水韵上平四支与八齐邻近通押（词韵第三部支微齐）。

Tone pattern Regular pattern of a seven-character quatrain; first two lines describe scenery, last two lines comment.七绝常格，前两句写林间之景、后两句作对比议论，由景入理，章法清晰。

Reading note Object-chanting with philosophical meaning; contrast between 'golden cage' and 'forest' creates a reversal, typical of Song philosophical poetry.此诗为七言四句的绝句体，格律工稳。用韵上，「移」属平水韵上平四支，「低」属上平八齐，「啼」亦属八齐，支齐二韵在词韵中同归第三部（支微齐），唐宋诗常通押，故读来一韵到底、声调谐婉，如鸟声之圆转。「平仄」上，全诗基本合律：「百啭千声随意移」（仄仄平平平仄平）起句、次句「山花红紫树高低」（平平平仄仄平平）对句，三句「始知锁向金笼听」（仄平仄仄平平平）转句、四句「不及林间自在啼」（仄仄平平仄仄平）合句，四句平仄相间、黏对大体合度，是标准的七绝格调。句式上，前两句以写景为主：首句「百啭千声」四字叠用数词，音节繁密，如闻鸟声乱耳、珠玉相击；次句「红紫」「高低」两两相对，色彩与空间交错，节奏明快，一密一疏、一张一弛。后两句转入议论：「始知」领起，「不及」收束，语势由平缓转决断，声情与理趣相合，如顿悟之语脱口而出。全诗二十八字，前写景、后言理，章法清晰，音节浏亮，诵读之下如闻画眉之啼、如见林间之趣，是七绝中以理趣见长的代表作。值得注意的是，此类咏物言理小诗在宋诗中渐成风气（如苏轼《题西林壁》「不识庐山真面目」之哲理、朱熹《观书有感》之讲学），欧阳修此诗正是其先声，格律虽守唐法，意境已开宋调，是唐诗向宋诗转型期的典型样本。

Line by line

百啭千声随意移，山花红紫树高低。

The thrush's myriad songs move freely, surrounded by mountain flowers of red and purple and trees of varying heights.

千百声婉转啼鸣随心所欲地变换着地方，山花红紫、树木高低错落。

A hundred trills, a thousand notes, moving where it will; among the red and purple mountain flowers, the trees now high, now low.

「百啭千声」以「百」「千」两个数词极言画眉啼声之繁复婉转——一声未落、一声又起，如珠玉落盘、如溪水淙淙，写尽鸟鸣之美；「随意移」三字写其行止之自由：想栖高枝便栖高枝，想掠低丛便掠低丛，随心所欲、毫无拘束，一个「移」字写鸟之流动，更见其自在。「随意」二字是全句的魂，既是写鸟，亦是写人——诗人于「随意」中寄托对无拘性情的向往，景中有人，物我交融。次句「山花红紫树高低」以色彩与空间铺陈林间世界：红紫的花、高低的树，视觉上繁丽参差，正是鸟儿自由飞翔的乐园；「红紫」写花之盛，「高低」写木之错，短短七字画出一幅生机盎然的春山图。此联写林间之乐，处处为后文「金笼」之囚作反衬：林间愈是自由美好，金笼之禁锢愈显可悲，对比之意已在铺垫之中。

The hundred trills, a thousand notes use the two numerals to write the oriole's song's endless turns — one note not yet fallen and another rising, like jade on a plate, like a brook's gurgle, writing the bird's song to the full; moving where it will writes the freedom of its going: the high bough when it will, the low thicket when it will, following its heart without restraint, the one word moving writing the bird's movement and showing its ease. The two words where it will are the line's soul — writing the bird, and writing the man: the poet places in the where-it-will his longing for the uncurbed temper, the man within the scene, thing and self fused. The second line, among the red and purple mountain flowers, the trees now high, now low, spreads the forest world through color and space: the red and purple flowers, the high and low trees, visually rich and varied, the playground of the bird's free flight; the red and purple the flowers' abundance, the high and low the trees' scatter, seven characters painting a spring mountain alive with life. The couplet writes the joy of the forest, everywhere setting the foil for the golden cage below: the freer and fairer the forest, the sadder the cage's bondage, the contrast already being laid.

始知锁向金笼听，不及林间自在啼。

Only then does the poet realize that listening to the bird locked in a golden cage is not as good as its natural, unrestrained singing in the woods.

这才知道把它锁在金笼里听它歌唱，远远比不上在林间自由自在地啼叫。

Now I know that, locked in a golden cage for men to hear, it cannot compare with the free singing in the forest.

「始知」二字领起，写诗人由观鸟而悟理——先前或以为金笼华贵、笼鸟金贵，此刻方知大谬，一个「始」字写出顿悟之刹那，如当头棒喝；「锁向金笼听」五个字，写尽笼中鸟的处境：被「锁」住，只能在「金」制的牢笼里供人「听」，华贵的外壳掩盖不了囚禁的本质，「锁」字力重千钧，「金」字愈显讽刺。「不及林间自在啼」以「不及」作结，对比翻案：金笼之听不及林间之啼，「自在」二字正是全诗的诗眼——啼声之妙不在悦耳，而在自由；失去了自由，再华贵的笼子、再动听的歌声都失却意义，自由是本，歌声是末。此二句由叙入议，以议论作结而情味盎然：由鸟及人，托物言理——束缚中的赏终不及天然之趣，仕途之羁縻终不及本性之自由。语浅意深，言近旨远，是宋诗理趣小品的典范结尾。

The two words now I know lead, writing the poet's awakening through the watching bird — before, perhaps thinking the golden cage splendid, the caged bird precious, and now knowing the great error, the one word now writing the instant of the awakening, like a blow on the head; the five characters locked in a golden cage for men to hear write the caged bird's plight to the full: locked, and only in the golden cage, for men to hear, the splendid shell covering the bondage's essence, the word locked weighing a thousand jun, the word golden the sharper irony. Cannot compare with the free singing in the forest closes on cannot compare, reversing: the cage's listening cannot equal the forest's singing, the two words free are the poem's eye — the song's beauty lies not in the ear's delight, but in freedom; freedom lost, however splendid the cage, however sweet the song, all meaning gone, freedom the root, the song the branch. The couplet moves from narrative to argument, closing in reasoning and yet rich in feeling: from the bird to the man, the object teaching the principle — the enjoyment within bondage never equals the natural delight, the official tether never equals the freedom of the nature. The words plain and the meaning deep, the near words and the far reach, the model close of the Song verse's rational charm.

Study

Word focus

随意 At will; describes the carefree movement of the thrush, reflecting the poet's admiration for freedom. 「百啭千声随意移」之「随意」，写画眉鸟行止啼鸣之无拘无束，是全诗写林鸟自由的关键字。「随意」本义为随心所欲、任情而动，此处写鸟：想唱便唱、想飞便飞，不待命令、不受驱策，与后文「锁向金笼」的被迫形成鲜明对照，一开一合、一放一囚，自由与束缚的张力由此立起。然此词妙在不仅写鸟，更投射诗人自己——欧阳修一生宦海浮沉、屡遭贬斥，对官场礼法束缚深有体会，故对「随意」之境格外倾慕：鸟之随意即诗人心向往之的自由，观鸟即是观己，咏物即是自况。炼字之妙在于以最寻常的口语词写最深的向往，不着斧凿而意蕴自深。「随意」与末句「自在」遥相呼应，一写行动之自由、一写本性之自由，前后勾连，构成全诗的意脉，是托物言志得以成立的关键一环。

锁 Lock; symbol of confinement, contrasting with '自在'. 「始知锁向金笼听」之「锁」字，是全诗写禁锢的力透纸背之字。「锁」本指加锁、禁锢，此处写鸟被囚于金笼——一个「锁」字，将笼中鸟的处境写得沉重而残酷：不是栖息、不是豢养，而是「锁」，剥夺了飞翔、剥夺了自由，如囚徒之在囹圄。此字与「金笼」搭配，尤见讽刺：金笼愈华贵，愈反衬「锁」之残酷——以金为牢，牢仍是牢，华贵的外表改变不了囚禁的本质，物质之富足替代不了自由之可贵。从手法看，「锁」是「自在」（林间）的绝对对立面：一锁一自在，一囚一放，对比之下，自由的珍贵与束缚的可悲昭然若揭。炼字之妙，在以单字写尽处境之本质，且为全诗的理趣（自由胜于安逸）提供了最坚实的依据——全诗议论之所以有力，正在于这个「锁」字写尽了被锁者的痛苦。

自在 Free; the essence of the poem, representing naturalness and liberty. 「不及林间自在啼」之「自在」，是全诗的诗眼，托物言志的落点所在。「自在」即自由自在、无拘无束，此处写画眉在林间的啼鸣——啼得随性、啼得尽兴，因为这啼声出自天性、发自自由，是生命本能的欢唱。诗人以「自在啼」与「金笼听」对举：笼中之啼是为取悦人而啼，林间之啼是为一己之乐而啼，同是啼声，价值迥异——失去自由的歌声只是表演，保有自由的歌声才是生命的歌唱，本质之别，判若云泥。「自在」二字由此由鸟及人：诗人所重者，非安逸荣华，而是性灵之自由，这正是其屡遭贬谪而心志不改的内在支撑，亦是此诗超越单纯咏物而成为人生格言的原因。炼字之妙，在以二字点醒全诗主旨，语浅而理深，余味隽永，「自在」遂成千古追求自由者的共同心声。

画眉鸟