All poems

宋 Song · 诗 Poem

惠州一绝

Delight of Huizhou

苏轼

Su Shi

山水Landscape 抒情Emotion

罗浮山下四时春,卢橘杨梅次第新。
日啖荔枝三百颗,不辞长作岭南人。

At the foot of Mount Luofu, spring lasts all year.
Loquats and bayberries ripen in fresh array.
If I could eat three hundred lychees each day,
I would gladly be a man of Lingnan here.
Listen

Meaning

The poet describes the pleasant climate and abundant fruits of Huizhou, expressing his willingness to live there forever if he can eat fresh lychees every day. Despite being exiled, he finds joy in local delicacies.

罗浮山脚下四季都如春天般温暖,卢橘和杨梅等佳果接连不断地新鲜上市。若每天能吃上三百颗荔枝,我情愿长久地做个岭南人。诗人遭贬惠州,却以品尝荔枝的欢愉化解迁谪之愁,尽显随遇而安的旷达胸襟。

Appreciation

**Vernacular retelling**: The first two lines depict the scenery of Huizhou: spring lasts all year at Mount Luofu, with loquats and bayberries ripening successively. The last two lines shift from scenery to emotion: if he can eat three hundred lychees daily, he is willing to become a permanent resident of Lingnan. **Imagery and technique**: 'Spring lasts all year' summarizes the warm climate and rich produce; 'in fresh array' describes the continuous fruiting. The exaggeration ('three hundred') and decisive tone ('gladly') express his feeling directly. **Emotion and theme**: On the surface, it is about the love of lychees and praise of Lingnan scenery, but actually it resolves the bitterness of exile with broad-mindedness, showing his optimistic and adaptable heart. **Famous lines**: The last two lines, with hyperbole and humor, convey the joy of living in exile, a timeless expression of open-mindedness.

【白话串讲】 被贬到惠州,苏轼却爱上了这里:“日啖荔枝三百颗,不辞长作岭南人”。别人被贬是苦,他硬是把流放地过成了度假村。 【意象与手法】 前两句铺垫:以『四时春』写地暖、『次第新』写果鲜,渲染岭南物产丰美;后两句陡转抒情,『日啖荔枝三百颗』以夸张极写嗜荔之笃,『不辞长作岭南人』以反说正、以乐写适。语似平淡而幽默自嘲,将贬谪之愁化为赏味之欢。 【情感与主旨】 此诗约作于宋哲宗绍圣三年(1096)苏轼贬居惠州(今广东)期间。新党执政,轼连遭贬谪至岭南荒远之地,然诗人随遇而安,爱惠州风物与荔枝,遂作此绝,以幽默旷达之笔化解迁客之悲,见其『此心安处是吾乡』的胸襟。 【名句点睛】 默写易错:罗浮易误罗扶;卢橘易误芦橘;啖易误淡、谈;辞易误词。高频考点:『日啖荔枝三百颗』的夸张手法与旷达情感。

Background

This poem was written around 1096 during Su Shi's exile to Huizhou (Guangdong) under Emperor Zhezong of Song. The New Party was in power, and Su was repeatedly demoted to remote Lingnan. However, he adapted to circumstances, loved the local scenery and lychees, and wrote this quatrain. With humor and magnanimity, he transformed the sorrow of a demoted official into pleasure, embodying his philosophy of 'where my heart is at peace, there is my hometown'.

此诗约作于宋哲宗绍圣三年(1096),时苏轼贬居惠州(今广东惠州)。绍圣元年(1094),哲宗亲政,新党重新执政,对元祐党人展开清算,苏轼连遭贬谪,由定州而英州,再贬惠州,远放岭南荒远之地。其时苏轼已年近六旬,惠州瘴疠之乡,在时人眼中无异于绝域。然苏轼一生历尽宦海风波,早在乌台诗案、黄州贬谪中已锤炼出超然物外的胸襟,至惠州后随遇而安,筑室白鹤峰,与当地百姓往来,遍赏岭南风物。罗浮山为岭南名山,道教第七洞天,葛洪曾炼丹于此,苏轼对此山心向往之;惠州又盛产荔枝,苏轼嗜之成癖,尝有『日啖荔枝三百颗』之语。诗人身处贬所,不写谪居之苦,反写食荔之乐,正是以幽默旷达之笔化解迁客之悲,其『此心安处是吾乡』的豁达,于此诗可见一斑。此诗与《食荔支二首》等互为表里,共同构成东坡晚年岭南生活的诗意档案,也是研究其贬谪心态与生存智慧的重要文本。

Art

The first two lines set the stage: 'spring lasts all year' describes the warmth, 'in fresh array' the abundance of fruits, highlighting the richness of Lingnan produce. The last two lines make a sharp turn to emotion: 'three hundred lychees' exaggerates his fondness, and 'gladly be a man of Lingnan' expresses his decision in a roundabout way. The language seems plain but is humorous and self-deprecating, turning the pain of exile into the joy of tasting, deeply achieving the spirit of broad-mindedness.

此诗艺术上以浅语写深情的四句结构取胜。前两句铺垫:『罗浮山下四时春』以『四时春』三字极写岭南气候温暖宜人,四季如春,与中原的苦寒形成对照;『卢橘杨梅次第新』以『次第』二字写果品轮番成熟、接连上市的动态,渲染物产丰美、生机不绝。两句一写气候、一写物产,为后两句的抒情打下物质与情感的双重基础。后两句陡转抒情:『日啖荔枝三百颗』以夸张数字极写嗜荔之笃,三百颗本是常人难以想象的食量,正是这荒诞的夸张见出诗人对荔枝的痴迷与谪居生活的自得其乐;『不辞长作岭南人』以反说正,把人人避之不及的贬所说成心甘情愿久居之地,于自嘲中见旷达。全诗语似平淡而幽默自嘲,将贬谪之愁化为赏味之欢,深得『怨而不怒』之旨。全诗于平淡之中见奇趣,于自嘲之中见旷达,正是东坡以幽默化解苦难、以日常安顿心灵的一贯作风,也是其晚年诗风返璞归真的体现。

Allusions

Mount Luofu is a famous mountain in Lingnan, a Taoist paradise where Ge Hong once practiced alchemy. 'Loquat' (luju) derived from Sima Xiangru's 'Rhapsody on the Shanglin Park' where 'loquats ripen in summer'. Su Shi annotated it as a kind of loquat. Lychee alludes to Du Mu's line 'one ride, the concubine smiles', but Su uses it in the opposite sense: not as a symbol of extravagance, but as personal delight. Lingnan was traditionally a place of exile.

诗中地名物名皆有来历。『罗浮山』为岭南名山,在惠州博罗境内,相传为道教第七洞天、第三十四福地,晋代葛洪曾在此炼丹,山间多仙踪道迹,苏轼以此山入诗,既写地望,亦暗含对仙山道境的向往。『卢橘』出自司马相如《上林赋》『卢橘夏熟』,苏轼自注谓即枇杷一类,此处泛指岭南佳果;『杨梅』亦为江南名果,与卢橘并举,见果品之盛。『荔枝』典出杜牧『一骑红尘妃子笑,无人知是荔枝来』,本为劳民伤财之象征,苏轼却反其意而用之,不以荔枝为历史悲剧的见证,而化为个人的赏味之欢,正是东坡善于翻新典故、点铁成金之处。『岭南』古为贬谪之地,韩愈『好收吾骨瘴江边』即写岭南之险,苏轼偏说『不辞长作岭南人』,以乐语翻悲题,旷达之怀跃然纸上。全诗活用地理、物产与典故,而以荔枝之乐贯穿始终,把贬谪的苦难消解于日常的欢愉之中,正是东坡善用故实而能翻新出奇的功力所在。

Commentary

Song dynasty Zhou Zizhi's 'Bamboo Dock Poetry Talks' records: 'When Dongpo was in Huizhou, he ate lychees daily and wrote this poem, showing his contentment.' Qing dynasty Ji Yun commented: 'He expresses resentment without chaos, capturing the subtlety of the Book of Songs, revealing his magnanimity.'

此诗为苏轼贬谪诗中流传最广的篇什之一,历代评家多着眼于其旷达幽默的风神。宋人周紫芝《竹坡诗话》载东坡在惠州日啖荔枝作诗云云,谓『其适如此』,可见当时人即以其随遇而安为乐。清人纪昀评东坡贬谪之作『怨诽而不乱,得风人之旨』,此诗正是代表:身在贬所而不见怨怼之辞,反以幽默自嘲出之,正是『怨诽而不乱』的典范。诗中『日啖荔枝三百颗,不辞长作岭南人』两句,后世传诵不衰,几乎成为东坡旷达精神的代名词;今人论苏轼的乐观性格与生存智慧,亦多以本诗为证。此诗与《定风波·莫听穿林打叶声》《六月二十日夜渡海》等同为苏轼晚年贬谪文学的代表,共同塑造了中国文化史上那位『一蓑烟雨任平生』的东坡形象。此诗的影响早已超越文学,『日啖荔枝三百颗,不辞长作岭南人』更成为岭南文化的名片与东坡精神的象征,其乐观豁达的人格魅力至今感染着无数读者。

Prosody

Form Seven-character quatrain (qijue)七言绝句
Rhyme Lines 1, 2, and 4 rhyme on 'chun', 'xin', 'ren' (Level tone, Upper level 11 Zhen rhyme)春、新、人押韵,属平水韵上平十一真部,首句入韵。
Tone pattern Level-tone start with first line rhyming.平起首句入韵式:首句『平平仄仄仄平平』,二句『平平平仄仄平平』,三句『仄仄平平平仄仄』,四句『仄平平仄仄平平』,平仄大体合律。
Reading note Written during Su Shi's exile in Huizhou, expressing his broad-mindedness through the pleasure of eating lychees, demonstrating his optimistic and adaptable character.此诗为七言绝句,四句二十八字,属平起首句入韵的格式。韵脚『春、新、人』属平水韵上平十一真部,真韵字音清亮悠扬,正与全诗温暖明快的基调相合,诵读时琅琅上口,如春日暖风扑面。平仄上首句『罗浮山下四时春』为平平仄仄仄平平,属平起平收;第二句『卢橘杨梅次第新』为平平平仄仄平平,与首句相对;第三句『日啖荔枝三百颗』为仄仄平平平仄仄,以仄收而不入韵;第四句『不辞长作岭南人』为仄平平仄仄平平,与第三句相粘相对,大体合律。全诗四句,前两句写景,后两句抒情,由地而物、由物而人,层次分明;语言平易流畅,几近口语,与东坡『以文为诗』、平淡自然的诗风相合。此诗作于贬谪之中而音节欢快,正是『声情与辞情相谐』的体现——欢快的韵律与旷达的情怀互相生发,共同构成东坡晚年诗特有的从容气象。

Line by line

罗浮山下四时春

At the foot of Mount Luofu, spring lasts all year — a general depiction of the warm climate in Lingnan, setting a relaxed tone.

罗浮山脚下四季都如春天般温暖。

Beneath the Luofu Mountain, the four seasons are spring.

首句总写岭南气候,为全诗定下温暖宜人的基调。『罗浮山下』点明地点,以道教名山入诗,为岭南风物笼上一层仙逸之气;『四时春』三字极言四季皆春,岭南地处北回归线附近,气候温暖,草木常青,诗人以『四时春』一笔写尽此地与中原苦寒之地的巨大差异。此句的妙处,在看似客观写景而实含情感色彩:对贬谪之人而言,荒远的贬所本应愁苦,诗人却首先看到的是它的温暖与生机,笔端已暗含随遇而安的倾向。同时,『四时春』也为下文『卢橘杨梅次第新』提供了气候的依据——正因为四时皆春,果品才能接连成熟。首句立足点由虚到实,为全诗营造了一个温暖丰饶的岭南世界。

The first line writes the Lingnan climate as a whole, setting the poem's warm, agreeable tone. Beneath the Luofu Mountain names the place, the Daoist famous peak lending the Lingnan scenery an immortal air; the four seasons are spring says in four words that all seasons are spring, Lingnan near the Tropic of Cancer, warm and evergreen, the poet writing in one stroke the vast difference from the central plain's bitter cold. The line's beauty lies in the seeming objective description charged with feeling: for the exiled man, the remote posting should by rights be grief, and yet what the poet first sees is its warmth and life, the temper of taking things as they come already in the brush. At the same time, the four seasons are spring gives the medlars and bayberries below its climatic reason — precisely because all is spring, the fruits ripen one after another. The opening moves from the imagined to the real, building a warm, rich Lingnan world for the poem.

卢橘杨梅次第新

Loquats and bayberries ripen in fresh array — the word '次第' (successively) shows fruits maturing one after another, full of life's interest.

卢橘和杨梅等佳果接连不断地新鲜上市。

Medlars and bayberries ripen, fresh, one after another.

此句以果品写岭南物产之丰,是全诗生活情趣的集中体现。『卢橘』『杨梅』并举,皆是江南名果,点出岭南果品之盛;『次第新』三字最见功力:『次第』写果品轮番成熟、接连上市的动态过程,仿佛看见卢橘熟罢杨梅红、杨梅谢后荔枝鲜的时序更迭,充满蓬勃的生机;『新』字写果品之新鲜,见此地物产之丰饶鲜活。两句之间,上句写气候之暖,下句写果品之丰,一虚一实,互为因果,共同构建起岭南宜居可恋的生活图景。此句语似平淡,而把贬谪地的日常生活写得有滋有味,正见东坡善于从平凡生活中发现诗意的一贯作风,也为后两句吃荔枝的宣言作了最充分的铺垫。

This line writes Lingnan's abundance through the fruits, the concentrated showing of the poem's life charm. The medlar and the bayberry set side by side, both Jiangnan famous fruits, naming the plenty of Lingnan's fruit; the three words one after another fresh show the craft best: one after another writes the ripening in turn, the coming to market, as if one saw the medlar done and the bayberry red, the bayberry gone and the lychee fresh, the turn of seasons charged with swelling life; the word fresh writes the fruit's newness, showing the land's richness and freshness. Between the two lines, the upper writes the warm climate, the lower the rich fruits, one empty one real, cause and effect, building together the livable, lovable picture of Lingnan. The line seems plain, and yet writes the daily life of the exile land with savor, showing Su Shi's constant way of finding poetry in ordinary life, and preparing the fullest ground for the lychee declaration below.

日啖荔枝三百颗

If I could eat three hundred lychees each day — hyperbole expressing his love for lychees, also revealing his adaptability in exile.

每天能吃上三百颗荔枝。

Eating three hundred lychees a day.

此句以夸张写嗜荔之笃,是千古传诵的名句。『日啖』即每天品尝,『三百颗』以惊人的数字极写荔枝之可口与食量之大,常人一天吃三百颗荔枝难以想象,正是这不合常理的夸张,见出诗人对荔枝的痴迷程度,也见出谪居生活中难得的满足与快意。此句的妙处,在以荒诞的夸张写真实的欢愉:荔枝果大肉厚、甘甜多汁,岭南佳品,诗人贬居此地,日日以啖荔为乐,把人人避之不及的贬谪生活过得有滋有味,这一夸张正是其自得其乐心态的绝妙写照。同时,『三百颗』的数字也暗含幽默的自嘲:吃这么多荔枝,大约也带几分对命运的调侃——既然贬到这里,就索性把这里的荔枝吃个够,苦中作乐,乐在其中。

This line writes the devotion to the lychee through exaggeration, the famous couplet recited by all. Eating means daily tasting; three hundred pieces with the astonishing number writing the lychee's deliciousness and the eater's appetite, three hundred lychees a day beyond the ordinary imagination, and precisely this unreasonable exaggeration shows the poet's infatuation, and the rare satisfaction and joy in the exile life. The line's beauty lies in writing real joy through absurd exaggeration: the lychee large, thick-fleshed, sweet and juicy, the southern treasure, and the poet in exile taking his daily lychee joy, making the posting that all men shun savor of life — the exaggeration the perfect portrait of his self-delight. At the same time, the number three hundred carries a humorous self-mockery: eating so many lychees is perhaps also a quip at fate — since I am exiled here, I might as well eat my fill of the lychees, making joy out of bitterness, joy within.

不辞长作岭南人

I would gladly be a man of Lingnan here — a broad-minded conclusion, transforming the bitterness of exile into tranquil joy.

我情愿长久地做个岭南人。

I do not decline to remain a man of the south of the ranges.

结句以反说正,是全诗情感的高潮与归宿。『不辞』即不推辞、甘愿,『长作岭南人』言情愿长久定居于此。岭南在唐宋时为烟瘴贬谪之地,士人闻之丧胆,韩愈贬潮州时即写『好收吾骨瘴江边』;苏轼却偏说不辞长作岭南人,把人人避之不及的贬所说成心甘情愿的乐土,这正是以反语写旷达:不写贬谪之苦,而写居留之愿,愈是说乐,愈见其胸襟之开阔、心境之超然。此句与上句因果相承:正因为日啖荔枝三百颗,才不辞长作岭南人——以食荔之乐作为长居的理由,看似戏谑,实则把贬谪的苦难彻底消解于日常的欢愉之中。全诗至此戛然而止,而东坡『此心安处是吾乡』的达观精神,已在这一句自嘲自解的宣言中表露无遗。

The close writes the reverse as the positive, the emotional peak and resting place of the poem. Do not decline means refuse not, willingly; remain a man of the south of the ranges means willing to settle here long. The south of the ranges in Tang and Song was the miasmic exile land, the very name striking dread into scholars; Han Yu, exiled to Chaozhou, wrote gather my bones at the miasmic river; and Su Shi says I do not decline to remain a man of the south of the ranges, turning the posting all shun into a willingly chosen paradise, precisely the equanimity spoken through the reverse: not writing the exile's hardship, but the wish to stay, the more he speaks of joy, the broader the breast, the more detached the mind. The line follows the upper in cause: precisely because I eat three hundred lychees a day, I do not decline to remain — taking the lychee joy as the reason for staying, seemingly playful, and in truth dissolving the exile's suffering utterly into the daily joy. The poem ends abruptly here, and yet Su Shi's wherever the heart is at peace, that is home is fully declared in this self-mocking, self-releasing avowal.

Study

Word focus

次第 in sequence, one after another — showing the dynamic process of fruits continuously ripening, conveying vitality. 『卢橘杨梅次第新』之『次第』,是全诗最有生趣的字眼。『次第』意为依次、接连,此处写卢橘、杨梅等果品轮番成熟、接连上市的动态,仿佛一幅岭南果市的长卷徐徐展开:卢橘方熟,杨梅又红,一茬接一茬,新鲜不断。此字之妙,在化静为动:若只写『卢橘杨梅俱新』,则只是静态的物产罗列;加『次第』二字,则果品的成熟有了时序的节奏,岭南四季如春、物产不绝的生机扑面而来。同时,『次第』也暗含诗人对贬所生活的细细体味:不是笼统地赞美岭南,而是留心观察果品成熟的先后次序,正见其安之若素、随处发现乐趣的心态,一个词写活了贬谪生活中的烟火气与人情味。
三百颗 three hundred pieces — an exaggerated number, greatly expressing the satisfaction of eating lychees, lively and witty. 『日啖荔枝三百颗』之『三百颗』,以夸张数字写尽嗜荔之笃,是幽默与旷达的结晶。三百颗荔枝,以常人的食量断难尽啖,诗人偏以如此具体的数字夸口,正是以不合常理的夸张自娱自乐:一来极写荔枝之甘美诱人,食之不足;二来写谪居生活之自得,以啖荔为乐;三来暗含对命运的调侃——既贬至此,索性放怀大嚼,苦中作乐。数字之具体与事实之荒诞形成反差,幽默感油然而生,而幽默的背后,是东坡化解苦难的生存智慧。此三字使全诗由前两句的写景转入后两句的抒情,由客观的叙述转入主观的宣言,是全诗情调转折的枢纽,也是东坡式旷达最生动的注脚。
不辞 do not refuse, gladly — in plain language shows broad-mindedness, turning exile into willing residence. 『不辞长作岭南人』之『不辞』,是点睛之笔,写出旷达的分量。『不辞』即不推辞、甘愿,二字轻轻一出,便把岭南贬所从苦难之地翻转为乐居之乡。此词之妙,在于以否定的形式表达肯定的意愿:不说『愿作岭南人』,而说『不辞长作』,言下之意,纵使岭南真有瘴疠之苦、贬谪之辱,我也一概不辞——明知其苦而甘之如饴,正是旷达的至高境界。若直说愿意久居,则失于浮浅;『不辞』二字,以退为进,把贬谪的苦难与自身的豁达同时写出,愈见胸襟之阔。此词与『日啖荔枝三百颗』相承,一以夸张写乐,一以反语写达,共同完成全诗由苦转乐、由怨转达的情感历程,东坡精神于此二字中熠熠生辉。

Related Reading

浣溪沙·游蕲水清泉寺 Silk-Washing Stream: Roaming at the Qingquan Temple in Qishui 苏轼 · 同作者,同写贬谪中的旷达乐观 Same author, both express broad-minded optimism

Also written during exile, the line 'Who says one can't regain youth? The water before the gate can still flow west' uses an optimistic tone to express a youthful spirit in old age. Together with 'Delight of Huizhou', they demonstrate Su Shi's ability to find peace anywhere.

《浣溪沙·游蕲水清泉寺》与《惠州一绝》同出苏轼之手,同写贬谪逆境中的乐观旷达,而取径各异。此词作于黄州贬所,『谁道人生无再少?门前流水尚能西!休将白发唱黄鸡』以流水尚西反拨人生不再的常理,抒老当益壮、奋发进取之情,是借哲理议论化解迟暮之忧;《惠州一绝》则作于惠州贬所,以啖荔之乐写居留之愿,是借生活情趣消解贬谪之苦。一以理遣情,一以乐化忧;一纵声高唱,一含笑自嘲。二作对读,可见东坡旷达精神的两种表达方式,亦可互证其『随遇而安』的人生哲学在诗词中的一贯体现,堪称苏轼贬谪文学的双璧。

过华清宫绝句 过华清宫绝句 杜牧 · 同写荔枝,一刺奢靡,一写赏味 Related reading

Compare this related work with the poem above through theme, imagery, tone, and emotional movement.

杜牧《过华清宫绝句》『一骑红尘妃子笑,无人知是荔枝来』与苏轼《惠州一绝》皆以荔枝入诗,而用意截然相反。杜诗以荔枝为骄奢误国的象征,写玄宗为博妃子一笑不惜劳民伤财,是借古讽今的咏史之作,笔锋冷峻;苏诗则化荔枝为个人赏味之乐,以日啖三百颗的自得写贬谪中的旷达,笔调欢快。同一物象,一刺君王之奢,一写诗人之乐,一为历史批判,一为个人抒情,可见荔枝在中国诗歌中意象内涵的丰富与流变。二诗对读,既可见咏史与即事两种诗体的不同功能,也可窥苏轼善于反用前人典故、化沉重为轻松的点化之功,正是东坡『以故为新』诗学观的生动例证。