宋 Song · 词 Ci lyric
黄庭坚·水调歌头·瑶草一何碧
Water Song Head · How Deeply Green the Fairy Herb
水调歌头·瑶草一何碧瑶草一何碧，春入武陵溪。
溪上桃花无数，枝上有黄鹂。
我欲穿花寻路，直入白云深处，浩气展虹霓。
只恐花深里，红露湿人衣。
坐玉石，倚玉枕，拂金徽。
谪仙何处？
无人伴我白螺杯。
我为灵芝仙草，不为朱唇丹脸，长啸亦何为？
醉舞下山去，明月逐人归。
Spring enters the Wuling stream.
By the stream countless peach blossoms;
On the branches a yellow oriole sings.
I would thread the flowers to seek the path,
Straight into the depths of white clouds,
My vast breath spreading like a rainbow.
Only I fear in the flowers' depth
The red dew will wet my robe.
I sit on jade stone, lean on a jade pillow,
Strum the golden zither.
Where is the banished immortal now?
None to share with me the white conch cup.
I am the lingzhi fairy herb,
Not the vermilion lips and carmine face—
Why should I utter a long whistle?
Drunk, I dance down the mountain,
And the bright moon follows me home.
Meaning
The fairy herb is how deeply green; spring has entered the Wuling stream. Countless peach blossoms line the stream, and a yellow oriole sings on the branches. I would thread through the flowers to seek the path, straight into the depths of the white clouds, my vast, upright breath spreading like a rainbow. I only fear that in the deep of the flowers the red dew will wet my robe. Sitting on jade stone, leaning on a jade pillow, I lightly strum the golden zither. Where is the banished immortal now? None to drink with me from the white conch cup. My will is set on the lingzhi fairy herb, not on vermilion lips and carmine face; if so, why should I utter a long whistle? Drunk, I dance down the mountain, and the bright moon follows me home.
仙草多么青碧，春光已入武陵溪。溪边桃花无数，枝头黄鹂啼鸣。我想穿过花丛寻路，直入白云深处，浩然之气如彩虹舒展。只怕花丛深处，红露会沾湿人衣。闲坐玉石上，斜倚玉枕，轻拂金徽琴。谪仙今在何处？无人陪我共饮白螺杯。我志在灵芝仙草般的清操，不为那朱唇丹脸的荣华，既如此长啸又为何？醉舞着下山去，明月一路相随送我归。
Appreciation
This lyric's special excellence lies in fusing wandering-immortal, landscape, and self-expression into one. The upper part's 'I would thread the flowers to seek the path, straight into the depths of white clouds, my vast breath spreading like a rainbow' runs in one breath, writing the vast breath in the breast with romantic exaggeration, open and magnanimous; 'only I fear in the flowers' depth the red dew will wet my robe' turns sharply, the word 'fear' showing a guard against being stained by the dusty world, implicit and reserved. The lower part sets 'sit on jade stone, lean on a jade pillow, strum the golden zither' in three-character lines, its rhythm leaping; 'I am the lingzhi fairy herb, not the vermilion lips and carmine face' states the pure intent directly, the contrast clear. It closes 'drunk I dance down the mountain, and the bright moon follows me home', transforming Li Bai's 'raising my cup I toast the bright moon', free and unworldly, its aftertaste lingering.
【白话串讲】 黄庭坚写一个仙境：瑶草碧绿，桃花无数，黄鹂在枝头。“我欲穿花寻路，直入白云深处”——他想穿过花丛，走进白云。一个被贬的人，在词里给自己造了一座桃花源。 【意象与手法】 此词最具特色处在于将游仙、山水与言志熔为一炉。上片「我欲穿花寻路，直入白云深处，浩气展虹霓」三句一气贯注，以夸张的浪漫主义笔法写胸中浩气；「只恐花深里，红露湿人衣」陡然一折，含蓄写出对沾染尘俗的警惕。下片「坐玉石，倚玉枕，拂金徽」三字句铺排，节奏跳宕；「我为灵芝仙草，不为朱唇丹脸」直抒清操，对比鲜明；结以「醉舞下山去，明月逐人归」，潇洒出尘，余韵悠然。 【情感与主旨】 黄庭坚此词以陶渊明《桃花源记》的武陵溪为境，约作于其仕途蹭蹬、屡遭贬谪之际。「瑶草」「灵芝仙草」象征高洁的隐逸情怀，「朱唇丹脸」喻指追名逐利的俗态。山谷一生服膺苏轼，被目为「苏门四学士」之首，而个性倔强，于党争倾轧中屡起屡黜，此词借山水游仙以明志，暗含不愿同流合污的孤高。 【名句点睛】 常考「浩气展虹霓」的浪漫想象与豪放气概；「只恐」的转折所见的洁身之志；「我为灵芝仙草，不为朱唇丹脸」的对比明志；以及结句「明月逐人归」化用李白的出尘之趣。
Background
Huang Tingjian sets this lyric in the Wuling stream of Tao Yuanming's 'Peach Blossom Spring', likely written when his official career stalled and he was repeatedly demoted (some say an early work, already showing a transcendent interest). In the poem the 'fairy herb' and 'lingzhi fairy herb' symbolize a lofty, reclusive heart; 'vermilion lips and carmine face' figures those who chase fame and gain. Huang, the foremost of the 'Four Scholars of Su's Gate', was stubborn by nature and repeatedly rose and fell amid factional strife. The poem borrows landscape and the wandering-immortal to declare his intent—writing both his yearning for nature and his quiet resolve not to go with the stream—a typical example of Song lyricists' 'using poetry as lyric' and bringing reasoned interest into the form.
黄庭坚（1045—1105），字鲁直，号山谷道人，洪州分宁人，北宋诗人、词人、书法家，江西诗派宗主，「苏门四学士」之首。此词约作于其仕途蹭蹬、屡遭贬谪之际，一说为早年之作，亦见超然之趣。黄庭坚一生卷入新旧党争，绍圣以后连遭贬谪，先贬涪州别驾、黔州安置，再贬戎州，最后远窜宜州，卒于贬所。他虽服膺苏轼，以「苏门」自居，而个性倔强孤高，不肯随人俯仰，在党争倾轧中屡起屡黜，却始终不悔其志。此词以陶渊明《桃花源记》中的武陵溪为境界的起点：武陵溪是避世的桃源，是乱世中的清净土，词人「春入武陵溪」，正是要在山水游仙中寻找精神的归宿。「瑶草」「灵芝仙草」象征高洁的隐逸情怀，「朱唇丹脸」喻指追名逐利的俗态，二者对比，正是山谷在仕与隐、浊与清之间的自我抉择。全词借山水游仙以明志，既写对自然的向往，更写不愿同流合污的孤高，是宋人「以诗为词」、将理趣入词的典型代表，也最能见出黄庭坚倔强磊落的人格。
Art
This lyric's art lies in fusing the wandering-immortal, landscape, and the stating of intent into one furnace. The upper part's three lines 'I would thread the flowers to seek the path, straight into the depths of white clouds, my vast breath spreading like a rainbow' run in one breath, writing the vast breath in the breast with romantic, exaggerated brush, open and magnanimous in manner; 'only I fear in the flowers' depth the red dew will wet my robe' turns sharply, the word 'fear' writing a guard against being stained by the dusty world, implicit and reserved. The lower part sets 'sit on jade stone, lean on a jade pillow, strum the golden zither' in three-character lines, its rhythm leaping and dancing; 'I am the lingzhi fairy herb, not the vermilion lips and carmine face' states the pure intent directly, the contrast sharp. It closes 'drunk I dance down the mountain, and the bright moon follows me home', transforming Li Bai's 'raising the cup I invite the bright moon', free and unworldly, the aftertaste leisurely.
此词艺术上最突出的特色，是把游仙、山水与言志熔为一炉，在飘逸的笔致中见出孤高的风骨。上片以写景起：「瑶草一何碧，春入武陵溪」以「一何」的惊叹写仙草之碧、春光之盛，桃源之境扑面而来；「溪上桃花无数，枝上有黄鹂」以桃花黄鹂点染春色，有声有色，一片生机。继而「我欲穿花寻路，直入白云深处，浩气展虹霓」三句一气贯注，是全词最见豪放之笔：穿花寻路、直入云深，是求道之志；「浩气展虹霓」以彩虹喻浩然之气，把无形的胸襟写得绚烂可见，浪漫主义的想象达到极致。然而「只恐花深里，红露湿人衣」陡然一折——「只恐」二字，于逸兴中陡生警惕：花深之处，红露沾衣，暗喻尘俗之污，含蓄写出洁身自好的戒惧。下片转写独处之境：「坐玉石，倚玉枕，拂金徽」三字句连排，节奏跳宕，玉的意象层层叠加，写尽清高；「谪仙何处？无人伴我白螺杯」以问句写知音难觅，暗怀李白；「我为灵芝仙草，不为朱唇丹脸，长啸亦何为」直抒胸臆，对比鲜明，把孤高的志趣说得斩钉截铁；结句「醉舞下山去，明月逐人归」化用李白「举杯邀明月」之意而更见潇洒，明月相随、独行不孤，余韵悠然，尽显山谷「于倔强中见飘逸」的独特词风。
Allusions
'The Wuling stream' comes from Tao Yuanming's 'Peach Blossom Spring': a Wuling fisherman followed the stream to a hidden paradise; here it borrows to mean a world apart. 'The banished immortal' refers to Li Bai, whom He Zhizhang praised as a 'banished immortal'; Huang uses him as a likeness or in longing—'where is the banished immortal' sighs both that a kindred spirit is hard to find and that he admires him. 'Lingzhi fairy herb' derives from the Chu Ci 'I gather the three blooms among the hills' and the Taoist fairy-herb image, figuring a lofty keeping; 'vermilion lips and carmine face' reverses it to figure those who flatter and chase favour. 'White conch cup' is a wine vessel, suggesting reclusive ease. The allusions melt into the landscape and the wandering-immortal, never clogging, showing the Song lyric's strength of 'casting the classics'.
此词用典绵密而融化无迹，是黄庭坚「点铁成金、夺胎换骨」诗法在词中的运用。「武陵溪」典出陶渊明《桃花源记》：武陵渔人沿溪行，偶入桃花源，见土地平旷、屋舍俨然，避秦时乱而来此不复出，武陵溪遂成为避世清境、理想乐土的代称。词人「春入武陵溪」，是想象自己进入了桃源——这既是实写想象中的春景，更是虚写精神上的归隐。「谪仙」指李白，贺知章初见李白，惊为「谪仙人」，此后遂为李白之代称；山谷「谪仙何处？无人伴我白螺杯」一问，既是怀想李白的风流，更是自伤知音难觅——能共饮者唯李白，而李白已不可见。「灵芝仙草」语本《楚辞·九歌·山鬼》「采三秀兮于山间」（三秀即灵芝），及道教仙草意象，喻高洁操守；「朱唇丹脸」反用其意，代指媚俗邀宠之辈，一正一反，对比立骨。「白螺杯」为螺壳所制酒杯，出《南史》载刘杳「白螺杯」事，为文士雅器，见隐逸闲适之趣。「明月逐人归」化用李白《下终南山过斛斯山人宿置酒》「暮从碧山下，山月随人归」及苏轼「明月几时有」之意，古语新用，尽显山谷熔铸古人的功力。
Commentary
Song critic Zeng Jili, in Ting Zhai Shi Hua, said of Huang's lyrics 'a good poem set to tune', meaning he used poetic method as lyric. The modern Long Yusheng, in Tang Song Famous Lyricists Selected, includes this piece, praising its 'strong brush writing unfettered delight, gaining Su Gong's (Su Shi's) openness yet with its own lean strength'. Tang Guizhang, in A Brief Explication, writes: 'the upper part writes the delight of seeking the secluded, the lower the pleasure of roaming alone; the last two lines have a faint air of standing apart from the world'. Xia Chengtao too noted Huang learned from Su but opened his own door; the lines of 'vast breath' and 'bright moon' best show his stubborn, open breast.
此词在黄庭坚词中地位极高，历代评家多致推崇。宋人曾季狸《艇斋诗话》称山谷词为「著腔好诗」，即谓其以诗法为词、以诗心入词，此词正是「著腔好诗」的典范——它兼有诗的高雅、词的声情与哲人的思致。近人龙榆生《唐宋名家词选》收此词，评其「健笔写逸兴，得坡公之旷而别饶瘦劲」：苏轼之旷达是「一蓑烟雨任平生」的坦然，黄庭坚之旷达则带着「不为朱唇丹脸」的倔强，同是豪放而一圆一峭。唐圭璋《唐宋词简释》云：「上片写寻幽之兴，下片写独游之趣，结二句悠然有遗世独立之概。」极赏其结句的出尘之致。夏承焘论山谷词，谓其学东坡而自开户牖，以「浩气」「明月」之句最见其倔强磊落之胸襟。就词史意义言，此词上承苏轼「以诗为词」的革新，下开南宋辛派词人借山水言志的先声；词中的「浩气展虹霓」与「醉舞下山去」两句，更成为后世文人心目中「山谷风骨」的标志，其清刚瘦劲的风格，在北宋婉约词风的主流之外，别树一帜，卓然自立。
Prosody
Line by line
瑶草一何碧，春入武陵溪
How deeply green the fairy herb! Spring enters the Wuling stream.
仙草多么青碧，春光已入武陵溪
How emerald the fairy grass; spring has entered the Wuling stream.
开篇两句，以惊赏之笔写仙境的春色，为全词立下高洁的基调。「瑶草」即仙草，传说中的玉色仙草，本非人间之物；「一何碧」以「一何」的感叹词写其碧色之惊人——「一何」犹言「何其、多么」，是惊叹的口吻，仿佛词人乍见仙草，不禁失声赞叹；「春入武陵溪」点出地点与季节，武陵溪用陶渊明《桃花源记》之典，是避世清境的代称，春天来到了武陵溪，即是春光降临了理想的乐土。「瑶草」之碧与「武陵」之境，一草一境，共同构成全词超尘脱俗的空间：词人虽身处人间，心已飞入桃源。两句以景起兴而不着一尘，为下文「我欲穿花寻路」的求道之志预作铺垫，也暗含词人「身在江湖、心慕清境」的精神姿态。
The opening two lines set the pure tone of the ci, the wonder at a fairyland spring. The fairy grass is the jade-colored herb of legend, no plant of the human world; how emerald is the exclamation of one who has come upon it unawares, as if crying out at the sight; spring has entered the Wuling stream names time and place, Wuling borrowed from Tao Yuanming's Peach Blossom Spring, the symbol of the refuge from the world. The emerald grass and the Wuling stream, herb and refuge, build together a space beyond the dust: the poet's body still in the world, his spirit already flown to the peach-blossom spring. Opening on scene without a trace of the mundane, the lines prepare the ground for the piercing the flowers below, and carry the posture of the man in the rivers and lakes whose heart still yearns for the pure refuge.
我欲穿花寻路，直入白云深处，浩气展虹霓
I would thread the flowers to seek the path, Straight into the depths of white clouds, My vast breath spreading like a rainbow.
我想穿过花丛寻路，直入白云深处，浩然之气如彩虹舒展
I would pierce the flowers to find the road, go straight into the depths of white clouds, and let my vast spirit unfurl like the rainbow.
此三句是全词最见豪放本色的一笔，也是浪漫主义想象的巅峰。「我欲穿花寻路」写求道之志的主动与执着：不是被动地随波逐流，而是主动地穿过繁花、寻觅道路；「直入白云深处」写目标之高远：白云深处是尘世之上、仙境所在，一个「直入」写出义无反顾的决心，颇有「不到黄河心不死」的倔强，正见山谷「倔强」的个性；「浩气展虹霓」是全词的警句——「浩气」即孟子所谓「浩然之气」，至大至刚；「展虹霓」以彩虹比喻浩气之舒展，把无形的精神写得绚烂如虹、横贯天际。三句一气贯注，由寻路而深入而舒展，层层递进，把求道者的胸襟写得既高远又壮丽。此三句的精神气质，上承屈原《离骚》「吾将上下而求索」的求道传统，下开稼轩「气吞万里如虎」的豪放词风，是山谷词中「豪」与「清」结合的典范。
These three lines are the boldest stroke of the ci, the summit of its romantic imagination. I would pierce the flowers to find the road writes the active, stubborn will of the seeker — not drifting with the current, but deliberately breaking through the blossoms to search for the way; go straight into the depths of white clouds writes the height of the goal, white clouds the world above the mortal, the straight-in a word of no turning back, the stubborn temper the valley master is known for; let my vast spirit unfurl like the rainbow is the ci's aphorism — the vast spirit, Mencius' flood-like qi, greatest and strongest; the unfurling of the rainbow likens the invisible spirit to the iridescent bow stretched across the sky. Three lines in one breath, from seeking the road to entering deep to unfurling, advancing layer on layer, writing the seeker's breast both lofty and magnificent. The temper of these lines inherits Qu Yuan's I will search above and below, and opens the way to Xin Qiji's spirit swallowing ten thousand li, the model of the valley ci's boldness fused with purity.
我为灵芝仙草，不为朱唇丹脸
I am the lingzhi fairy herb, Not the vermilion lips and carmine face.
我志在灵芝仙草般的清操，不为朱唇丹脸的荣华
I am a magic fungus, a fairy herb; I will not be a rouged lip, a painted cheek.
此二句直抒胸臆，是全词言志的核心，也是山谷人格的自我写照。「我为灵芝仙草」以灵芝自比——灵芝生于深山幽谷，高洁芬芳，不染尘俗，正是词人理想中的自我；「不为朱唇丹脸」以「朱唇丹脸」代指媚俗邀宠、追名逐利之辈——朱唇丹脸是美人的妆饰，此处借喻一切以容貌颜色取悦于人的行径，亦即仕途上的逢迎谄媚。两句以「为……不为……」的对举，把清与浊、高与俗的界限划得泾渭分明，语气斩钉截铁，毫无回旋余地：我宁可做深山中的一株仙草，清贫自守，也不做华堂上的一张笑脸，媚俗求荣。此二句的骨力，正是黄庭坚一生「刚直不阿」人格的写照——他身处党争漩涡而始终不肯随人俯仰，屡遭贬谪而不改其志，此词即其心志的文学宣言，其倔强孤高之气，千载之下犹凛然可感。
These two lines speak directly the heart's resolve, the core of the ci's declaration and the self-portrait of Huang Tingjian's character. I am a magic fungus, a fairy herb sets the fungus — grown in the deep valley, pure, fragrant, unstained by the world — as the ideal self; I will not be a rouged lip, a painted cheek takes the beauty's cosmetics as the metaphor for all who curry favor and chase rank. The for / not-for opposition draws the boundary between pure and vulgar, high and common, sharp as a knife's edge: rather a fairy herb in the deep mountains, poor and self-contained, than a smiling face in the hall of power, currying favor. The backbone of these lines is the portrait of Huang Tingjian's life — upright amid the party struggles, unyielding through repeated exile, the literary manifesto of his resolve, his stubborn loneliness still awe-inspiring a thousand years on.
醉舞下山去，明月逐人归
Drunk, I dance down the mountain, And the bright moon follows me home.
醉舞着下山而去，明月一路相随送我归
Drunken, I dance down the mountain; the bright moon follows me home.
结句二句，是全词的收束，也是山谷「于倔强中见飘逸」的完美呈现。「醉舞下山去」写下山之态：醉而舞、舞而下，不乘舟、不乘车，以醉舞之姿下山，写出尽情尽兴后的洒脱，亦是「我醉欲眠卿且去」式的放达；「明月逐人归」是全词最见神韵的一笔——「逐」字将明月拟人化，明月仿佛有情，一路追随，送我归去，山间独行而明月为伴，不孤不寂，反而有一种「与天地精神相往来」的悠然。此二句化用李白《下终南山过斛斯山人宿置酒》「暮从碧山下，山月随人归」之意，而更增「醉舞」的豪态与「逐人」的亲昵，古语新用、夺胎换骨，正见山谷诗法之精。结句以景结情：明月相随，既是实景，更是象征——清辉照人，正如清操随身，任凭世路崎岖，此心自有明月相伴，余韵悠长，令人回味不尽。
The closing two lines gather the ci, the perfect showing of the valley master's lightness within stubbornness. Drunken, I dance down the mountain writes the descent: drunk and dancing, dancing down, neither boat nor carriage, the ease after the fullest pleasure, the free-and-easy of I am drunk and would sleep, you may go; the bright moon follows me home is the most spirited stroke of the ci — the follows personifies the moon, as if it had feeling, accompanying him all the way home, the solitary mountain walk with the moon for company, no loneliness, rather the ease of traffic with the spirit of heaven and earth. The lines borrow Li Bai's descending the green mountain at dusk, the mountain moon follows me home, yet add the boldness of the drunken dance and the intimacy of the moon following, the old phrase made new. Closing on scene, the moon's company is at once real sight and symbol — pure light on the man, as pure conduct on the heart; however rough the world's road, this heart has the moon for company, the aftertone long and unending.
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Both write vast breath after rain and an open breast; together they prove his heroic, clear expanse.
《念奴娇·断虹霁雨》「断虹霁雨，净秋空，山染修眉新绿」与此词同出黄庭坚之手，同写山水之景与磊落之胸：一写雨后秋空的澄净，「断虹霁雨」的壮丽与「共倒金荷家万里」的豪兴，结于「老子平生，江南江北，最爱临风笛」的旷达；一写春入武陵的飘逸，「浩气展虹霓」的浪漫与「醉舞下山去」的洒脱，结于「明月逐人归」的悠然。二词一秋一春、一雨后一春深，而皆以「浩气」为骨、以「孤高」为魂，同见山谷「于贬谪中见豪放」的精神本色。合观二词，可见黄庭坚豪放词风的完整面目，亦可比较其「断虹霁雨」的雄浑与「明月逐人」的飘逸两种境界，互证其词学东坡而自开户牖的成就。
苏轼·水调歌头·明月几时有 Water Song Head · When Did the Bright Moon Appear 苏轼 · 同调名篇，一写中秋旷达一写山水言志，可见苏门一脉 SameSame tune, famous piece; Su writes mid-autumn openness, Huang writes landscape and intent—see the 'Su gate' line.
苏轼《水调歌头·明月几时有》「明月几时有，把酒问青天」与此词同用《水调歌头》词调，同以超然之姿面对人生困境，而情思不同：苏词写中秋对月，由「我欲乘风归去」的出世之想，转为「何似在人间」的入世之安，最终以「但愿人长久，千里共婵娟」的祝福化解悲欢离合，是「旷达圆融」；黄词写春山寻幽，以「我欲穿花寻路」的求道之志，归于「不为朱唇丹脸」的洁身自守，最终以「明月逐人归」的悠然自得其乐，是「清刚孤高」。一圆一峭、一温一刚，正可见「苏门四学士」之首的黄庭坚，虽学东坡而自具面目——坡公之旷是「看得破」，山谷之孤是「守得住」，同调异趣，皆为词中绝唱。
黄庭坚·雨中登岳阳楼望君山 Climbing Yueyang Tower in Rain to View Junshan 黄庭坚 · 同出山谷贬谪之作，可比较其旷达胸襟与瘦劲诗风 SameBoth from Huang's demotion-period work; compare their open breast and lean, strong style.
《雨中登岳阳楼望君山》「投荒万死鬓毛斑，生入瞿塘滟滪关。未到江南先一笑，岳阳楼上对君山」与此词同出黄庭坚贬谪时期，同写逆境中的超然：一诗写投荒万死之后「生入瞿塘」的劫后余生，以「未到江南先一笑」的豁达面对苦难，「对君山」的凝望中自有傲岸，是「诗」的瘦劲峭拔；一词写「春入武陵溪」的精神远游，以「浩气展虹霓」的浪漫超越尘俗，「明月逐人归」的悠然中自有孤高，是「词」的飘逸清刚。一诗一词，同为贬谪中的黄庭坚所作，而诗以筋骨胜、词以神韵胜，合观可见山谷「诗瘦词清」的文体自觉，亦可比较其面对同一命运在诗与词两种文体中的不同表达。