宋 Song · 词 Ci lyric
蒋捷·梅花引·荆溪阻雪
Plum Blossom Song: Blocked by Snow at Jingxi
白鸥问我泊孤舟，是身留，是心留？
心若留时，何事锁眉头？
风拍小帘灯晕舞，对闲影，冷清清，忆旧游。
旧游旧游今在否？
花外楼，柳下舟。
梦也梦也，梦不到，寒水空流。
漠漠黄云，湿透木棉裘。
都道无人愁似我，今夜雪，有梅花，似我愁。
心若留时，何事锁眉头？
风拍小帘灯晕舞，对闲影，冷清清，忆旧游。
旧游旧游今在否？花外楼，柳下舟。
梦也梦也，梦不到，寒水空流。
漠漠黄云，湿透木棉裘。
都道无人愁似我，今夜雪，有梅花，似我愁。
White gulls ask why I moor alone – by force or by will?
If by will, why knit my brows?
Wind slaps the little curtain, lamplight dances; facing a lonely shadow, cold and still, I recall old wanderings.
Old wanderings, old wanderings, where are they now? The tower beyond flowers, the boat beneath willows.
Dream, dream, but I cannot dream; cold water flows in vain.
Dense yellow clouds wet my kapok coat through.
All say no one is as sorrowful as I – tonight in the snow, there is a plum blossom as sorrowful as I.
Meaning
The poet is stranded by snow at Jingxi. He imagines a white gull asking whether his stay is forced or voluntary. He recalls past travels with friends, but now he cannot even dream of them. The cold scene and wet coat intensify his loneliness. Finally, he finds a kindred spirit in a plum blossom, which shares his melancholy.
白鸥问我停泊孤舟，是身被雪留，还是心自愿留？若心真想留，为何又紧锁眉头？寒风拍打着小帘，灯影摇晃，对着清冷的孤影，忆起旧日游踪。旧游啊旧游，如今是否还在？花外的楼阁，柳下的轻舟。梦吧梦吧，梦也梦不到，只有寒水空自流。阴沉的黄云弥漫，湿透了我的木棉衣裘。都说无人似我这般愁，今夜这雪，却有梅花，像我的愁。
Appreciation
This ci poem uses personification (the talking gull), rhetorical questions, and repetition ('old wanderings', 'dream') to express profound sorrow. The ending line, 'plum blossom as sorrowful as I', merges the poet's grief with nature, typical of Jiang Jie's style – pure, desolate, and transcendent.
【白话串讲】 蒋捷坐船被大雪困住，白鸥问他：你留在这里，是身子不想走，还是心不想走？他答：心若想留，我为什么皱眉？——人在江湖，身不由己。 【意象与手法】构思新奇：以白鸥拟人设问「身留心留」，破空而来；下片「旧游旧游」「梦也梦也」回环复沓，写思念之切与阻隔之深。「风拍小帘灯晕舞」「漠漠黄云，湿透木棉裘」以景衬冷。结句「今夜雪，有梅花，似我愁」将自然之物拟人，以梅之愁映己之愁，清空野逸，余味不尽。 【情感与主旨】蒋捷为阳羡（今江苏宜兴）人，宋亡后隐居竹山，人称竹山先生，词多亡国之痛与漂泊之悲。此《梅花引》作于荆溪阻雪、孤舟待发之际，时当易代之后，词人身阻风雪、心念故国旧游，借泊舟问留，抒发不仕新朝、漂泊无依的身世之愁。 【名句点睛】赏析重点：①体会白鸥设问的构思之妙；②分析「旧游」「梦也」复沓的抒情作用；③品味结句以梅写愁的含蓄；④「漠漠黄云，湿透木棉裘」以景衬情的写法。
Background
Jiang Jie, a poet of the late Song and early Yuan dynasties, retired after the fall of the Song. He was known for expressing the pain of national ruin and wandering. This poem was written when he was trapped by snow on the Jingxi River. Through the personified gull and the plum blossom, he conveys his refusal to serve the new dynasty and his nostalgia for the old world.
蒋捷（约1245—约1305），字胜欲，号竹山，阳羡（今江苏宜兴）人，南宋末词人。咸淳十年（1274）进士，宋亡后隐居不仕，浪迹江湖，人称竹山先生，与周密、王沂孙、张炎并称宋末四大家。此《梅花引》作于荆溪（宜兴水名）阻雪、孤舟待发之际，时当宋亡之后。词人身阻风雪，心念故国旧游，借泊舟问留之机，抒写国破家亡后的漂泊之愁与故国之思。荆溪阻雪、孤舟独泊的眼前处境，正是其遗民身世的缩影：前朝进士而不得其用，欲归故里而风雪阻隔，欲忘旧游而旧游难忘。全词以活泼清空之语写沉痛飘零之情，是其「悲苦凄楚」词风的代表作，也是宋末遗民词中羁旅题材的名篇。蒋捷词向以奇思异想著称，其《虞美人·听雨》以三幅听雨画面概括一生，与此词同以景写愁；此词作于荆溪风雪之中，孤舟泊岸，雪阻归程，词人于困顿中发为奇想，以白鸥之问、梅花之愁写尽漂泊之悲，是其晚年遗民心态的直接呈现。
Art
The structure is fresh: the gull's question starts abruptly. The repetition of 'old wanderings' and 'dream' intensifies longing and separation. Scenery like 'wind slaps the curtain', 'dark yellow clouds wet the coat' enhances the coldness. The final comparison of plum blossom to the poet's sorrow blends object and self, leaving an ethereal aftertaste.
构思新奇，起笔即以白鸥拟人设问：「白鸥问我泊孤舟，是身留，是心留？」破空而来，新颖别致——把阻雪难行写成身留心留之辨，妙趣中暗含无奈；「心若留时，何事锁眉头」一问再问，逼出心念旧游、身不由己的矛盾。「风拍小帘灯晕舞，对闲影，冷清清，忆旧游」以景衬情，由孤灯闲影转入旧游之忆。下片「旧游旧游」「梦也梦也」回环复沓，一唱三叹，写思念之切与阻隔之深；「漠漠黄云，湿透木棉裘」以黄云雪寒写羁旅之苦，由景及身。结句「今夜雪，有梅花，似我愁」将自然之物拟人，以梅之愁映己之愁，物我合一，清空野逸，余味不尽，最见竹山标格。全词句式长短错落，音节凄婉，是宋末词中构思与语言俱臻妙境之作。全词以问起、以答结，中间以复沓回环贯穿，构思之新、结构之巧，在宋末词中别具一格；尤其将留与愁、梅与我反复对照，层层推进，使一首短词容纳了身世、故国、羁旅多重意蕴，堪称以少总多的典范。
Allusions
No obscure allusions. Plum blossom symbolizes noble loneliness and wanderlust; the poet uses it to imply his own integrity. 'Cold water flows in vain' evokes the common image of rivers flowing endlessly, lost loves and times.
本词无明显僻典，以白描与拟人取胜，其艺术魅力正在不用典而情深。白鸥之问化用鸥鸟忘机的传统意象（《列子》海鸥狎人故事），却反其意而用之：鸥本无机心，今竟向人发问，是词人孤寂之极、遂与鸥语，以想象之趣写现实之孤。「梅花」在古典诗词中本为孤高坚贞、岁寒不凋的象征，词人借以自况遗民的坚贞与孤愁——雪中梅花与我同愁，实则是以梅之高洁映己之操守，遗民情怀尽在其中。「寒水空流」化用「唯有长江水，无语东流」一类江水流逝意象，写旧游难追、时光空逝。全词少用事典而情韵自深，是宋末词「以意胜」的典型。词人不用典而自成妙境，正见其以白描造境的功力；白鸥、梅花、寒水等意象皆从眼前景信手拈来，而赋予深意，使自然之物成为愁思的化身，物我之间无隔阂，此正是宋末词人以意驭景的成熟笔法。此词用典之少、写景之真，正见宋末词由典雅转清新的趋势，亦见竹山词「不事雕琢而自然高妙」的本色。
Commentary
Modern critics praise Jiang Jie's language as 'grievous yet vigorous'. This poem, with its lively tone and deep pain, shows his uniqueness. Compared to Zhang Yan's 'pure emptiness', Jiang Jie's is more wild and untamed. The ending plum blossom is especially admired.
近人论蒋捷词谓其「悲苦凄楚，以气胜」，此词以活泼语写沉痛，最见竹山特色；或比之张炎「清空」，谓其野逸处过之。结句「今夜雪，有梅花，似我愁」以拟人写愁，将梅与我合写，清空中有奇趣，为后世称赏，论者或以之比苏轼「与谁同坐，明月清风我」之洒脱，而竹山此句更带孤臣孽子之悲。蒋捷词的创新之处，还在于句式之长短参差与用字之生新（如「湿透木棉裘」以俗语入词），突破传统婉约词的圆熟，开启清初词风之先声。此词与《一剪梅·舟过吴江》（「流光容易把人抛，红了樱桃，绿了芭蕉」）同为羁旅名篇，并见于历代词选，是了解宋末遗民词与蒋捷词风的重要作品。此词在历代词选中与《一剪梅·舟过吴江》并称竹山双璧，其以活泼清空之语写沉痛悲凉之情的特点，对清代浙西词派、常州词派皆有影响，是中国词史上羁旅题材的重要作品。其以梅写愁、以雪写愁的手法，更启后世以物象写愁绪的无数篇什。
Prosody
Line by line
白鸥问我泊孤舟，是身留，是心留？
Personification: the gull asks if stay is forced or willing, revealing inner conflict.
白鸥问我为何停泊孤舟，是身被雪留，还是心自愿留？
The white gull asks why I moor the lone boat: am I kept here by the body, or by the will?
起笔构思新奇，破空而来：白鸥本无机心，今竟向人发问，把阻雪难行的现实写成身留还是心留的设问，谐趣中暗含无奈。身留者，风雪阻路、欲行不得之谓；心留者，恋念此地、甘愿停留之谓。一个问句将现实困境与心理矛盾并置，为全词定下「身不由己、心念旧游」的基调；以鸟问人，更见词人孤寂之极、遂与鸥语的处境，新颖别致，是宋词中罕见的起笔。
The opening's conception is novel, breaking in from nowhere: the white gull, by nature without design, now questions the man, turning the snow-blocked journey into the question of whether the body stays or the will stays, the humor carrying the helplessness. The body stays: the wind and snow blocking the road, the going impossible; the will stays: the place loved and the staying willing. One question sets the real predicament against the psychological contradiction, setting the ci's tone of the body unfree and the heart turning to the old wanderings; the bird's questioning the man further shows the poet's extreme solitude, speaking with the gull, novel and rare, an uncommon opening in Song ci.
心若留时，何事锁眉头？
If heart is willing, why frown? A rhetorical question showing contradiction.
若心真想留，为何又紧锁眉头？
If the will truly stays, why is the brow locked in a frown?
紧承上句设问，一问再问，层层逼出词人的心事：若心果真愿留，为何眉头深锁？这一问如剥笋般揭出矛盾——身留心未留，愁在眉头更在心头。锁字炼字凝重，写愁眉不展之态如在目前。两句自问自答之间，旧游之念、故国之思、飘零之悲皆蕴于未言之处，将白鸥之问的谐趣转为身世之叹的沉郁，是全词由奇趣转入深情的关键转折。一锁字，愁态毕现，身留心留之辨尽在不言。一问一锁之间，全词愁绪已定，后文诸景皆由此生。
Inheriting the question, this line asks again, layer on layer pressing out the poet's heart: if the will truly stays, why is the brow locked? The question peels the contradiction like a bamboo shoot — the body kept and the will not, the grief on the brow and deeper in the heart. The word lock is the heavy stroke, the frowning brow as if before the eyes. Between the question and the answer, the thought of the old wanderings, the longing for the lost land, the grief of drifting, all lie in the unspoken, turning the gull's humor into the somberness of the life-lament, the key turning point of the ci from novelty to deep feeling. The one lock makes the grief visible; the debate of body and will lies in the unspoken. Between one question and one lock, the ci's grief is set, and all the scenes below grow from it.
梦也梦也，梦不到，寒水空流。
Repetition of 'dream' emphasizes inability to reach them; cold water flows in vain.
梦吧梦吧，梦也梦不到旧游，只有寒水空自流。
Dream, oh dream; even in dream I cannot reach it; the cold water flows on in vain.
复沓句「梦也梦也」连用，一唱三叹，写尽思念之切与阻隔之深：想借梦重寻旧游，而梦亦难成、梦亦不到，唯见寒水空流。一个「空」字既写江流之无情，亦衬旧游难追之怅惘——水空自流，人空自忆，两相辜负。此句由思念跌入绝望的边缘，复沓的音节如泣如诉，是下片情感的谷底，为结句以梅写愁蓄势。此句由忆转梦，由梦转空，愁思之深已无可再加，只待结句梅愁以收。
The repeated dream, oh dream strikes three notes, exhausting the depth of longing and the depth of the barrier: wishing to revisit the old wanderings in dream, and the dream cannot come, the dream cannot reach, only the cold water flowing on. The one empty writes the river's ruthlessness and the longing's unreachable — the water flows on in vain, the man remembers in vain, the two betraying each other. The line falls from longing to the edge of despair, the repeated cadence like weeping, the emotional bottom of the second stanza, storing force for the closing's plum-blossom grief. The line turns from memory to dream, from dream to emptiness, the grief's depth already at its utmost, waiting for the plum blossom to close.
漠漠黄云，湿透木棉裘。
Dark clouds, wet coat – physical cold mirrors inner cold.
阴沉的黄云弥漫，湿透了我的木棉衣裘。
Vast, the yellow clouds; my cotton-padded coat is soaked through.
以景写身、由景及身，是羁旅之苦的实写：「漠漠」写黄云之广漠阴沉，「湿透」写雪水寒气之浸骨，木棉裘本为御寒之物，竟被湿透，则风雪之烈、孤舟之寒、处境之窘可想。两句纯用白描，无一字言情而愁苦自见；黄云、寒雪、湿裘的意象组合，与上片「冷清清」的孤灯闲影呼应，共同烘托出词人风雪中漂泊无依的处境，为结句「似我愁」提供了真实可感的情境。
Writing the body through scene, from scene to the body, the real writing of the hardship of travel: the vague writes the yellow clouds' vast gloom, the soaked through writes the snow-water's chill to the bone, the cotton coat by nature for warmth, and now soaked, then the fierceness of wind and snow, the cold of the lone boat, the straits of the place, may be imagined. The two lines use only plain drawing, not one word of feeling and the grief shows itself; the images of yellow clouds, cold snow, soaked coat answer the first stanza's cold, clear lamp and idle shadow, together rendering the poet's drifting, unbefriended plight in the wind and snow, providing the real, felt situation for the closing like my grief.
都道无人愁似我，今夜雪，有梅花，似我愁。
All say none as sad as I, but plum blossom in snow shares my sadness – object and self merge.
都说无人似我这般愁，今夜雪中，却有梅花，像我的愁。
All say no one grieves as I do; tonight in the snow, there is the plum blossom, grieving as I grieve.
结句以梅写愁，物我合一，余韵悠长：都说无人似我愁，今夜雪中却有梅花，与我同愁。「似我愁」三字将梅花拟人，梅之愁即我之愁，我之愁亦梅之愁，梅雪相映，人梅同悲。梅本孤高坚贞之象征，与遗民之操守相通，以梅写愁，正暗含词人于飘零困顿中坚守志节的深意。全词由白鸥设问起，以梅花同愁结，一鸟一梅，皆成愁之知己，构思圆合，清空野逸，是宋末词中难得的兴象玲珑之作。
The close writes grief through the plum blossom, thing and self one, the aftertone long: all say no one grieves as I do; tonight in the snow, there is the plum blossom, grieving as I grieve. The three words like my grief personify the plum, the plum's grief is my grief, my grief is the plum's, plum and snow answering, man and flower grieving together. The plum by nature the symbol of lonely fortitude, answering the loyalist's integrity; writing grief through the plum secretly carries the depth of the poet's keeping his integrity amid drift and hardship. The ci opens on the gull's question and closes on the plum's shared grief, one bird one plum, both become the confidants of grief, the conception circular, the realm clear and wild, a rare piece of late-Song ci with its lucid, exquisite imagery.
Study
Word focus
Related Reading
Both express wanderers' sorrow after the fall of the Song; one is about snow blockage, the other about passing Wujiang.
蒋捷《一剪梅·舟过吴江》「一片春愁待酒浇。江上舟摇，楼上帘招……流光容易把人抛，红了樱桃，绿了芭蕉」，与《梅花引·荆溪阻雪》同为词人漂泊行役之作。一写舟过吴江的春愁，一写荆溪阻雪的冬愁；一叹流光易逝（红了樱桃，绿了芭蕉），一叹旧游难寻（梦也梦也，梦不到）。两词皆以活泼清空之语写沉痛飘零之悲，合观可见竹山词羁旅题材的两副面目，及其对时间、身世的共同敏感。
声声慢·秋声 Slow Slow Song: Autumn Sound 蒋捷 · 同作者，一秋声一雪阻，同写凄楚 Same author and themeBoth reflect the poet's grief as a remnant of the Song; one focuses on autumn sounds, the other on snow.
蒋捷《声声慢·秋声》以「黄花深巷，红叶低窗」的秋声起笔，写尽秋日凄凉；《梅花引·荆溪阻雪》以风雪孤舟写冬日愁思。两词同为遗民之悲的写照，一以「声」为线索（风声、雨声、砧声），一以「雪」为中心（阻雪、寒雪、梅雪），皆借自然之景写亡国飘零之感。比较两词，可见蒋捷如何以不同的物象组合与音节安排，反复书写同一份易代之际的沉痛。
卜算子·咏梅 Ode to the Plum Blossom (to the Tune of Busuanzi) 陆游 · 同以梅花写孤高坚贞 Related readingCompare this related work with the poem above through theme, imagery, tone, and emotional movement.
陆游《卜算子·咏梅》「驿外断桥边，寂寞开无主……零落成泥碾作尘，只有香如故」，以梅花自况孤高不阿之节；蒋捷《梅花引》结句「今夜雪，有梅花，似我愁」，以梅花写遗民之愁。差异在：陆词中的梅是「香如故」的志节象征，傲然独立；蒋词中的梅是「似我愁」的愁绪化身，与词人同悲。一以梅喻志、刚健不屈，一以梅写愁、清空哀婉，正可见南宋爱国志士与宋末遗民对同一意象的不同寄托。