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宋 Song · 词 Ci lyric

姜夔·念奴娇·闹红一舸

Nian Nu Jiao · A Boat Amidst Red Stir

姜夔

Jiang Kui

婉约graceful 咏物object-chant

念奴娇·闹红一舸闹红一舸，记来时、尝与鸳鸯为侣。
三十六陂人未到，水佩风裳无数。
翠叶吹凉，玉容消酒，更洒菰蒲雨。
嫣然摇动，冷香飞上诗句。
日暮青盖亭亭，情人不见，争忍凌波去。
只恐舞衣寒易落，愁入西风南浦。
高柳垂阴，老鱼吹浪，留我花间住。
田田多少，几回沙际归路。

A boat amid red stir: I recall when I came, once paired with mandarin ducks as companions.
Thirty-six ponds, no visitor comes; countless are those with water for pendant, wind for robe.
Green leaves blow cool; the jade face loses its wine-flush; further falls the rain among wild rice and rushes.
She smiles and sways; the cold fragrance flies up into my verse.
At dusk the green canopy stands tall; the beloved is not seen—how can I bear to step on the waves and leave?
I only fear the dance-robe coldly easily falls; sorrow enters the west wind at the south shore.
Tall willows hang their shade; old fish blow the waves, keeping me to dwell among the flowers.
How many the spreading leaves—how many times they hid the sandy homeward path.

Listen

Meaning

A small boat laden with red lotus drifts on the water. I recall when I came, once paired with mandarin ducks as companions. The thirty-six ponds no visitor reaches; only countless lotus immortals with water for pendant, wind for robe. Green leaves send cool; the jade face loses its wine-red; further the rain among wild rice and rushes. The lotus smiles and sways gently; the cold fragrance flies into my verse. At dusk the lotus leaves stand tall like canopies; that water maiden is not seen—how can I bear to step on the waves and leave? I only fear the autumn cold makes the dance-robe petals fall; sorrow enters the west wind at the south shore. Tall willows hang green shade; old fish blow the waves, all keeping me to dwell among the flowers. How dense the spreading leaves—how many times they hid the sandy homeward path.

一艘载满红荷的小舟在水上荡漾。记得来的时候，曾与成对的鸳鸯为伴。那三十六处池塘游人未到，只见无数以水为佩、以风为裳的荷花仙子。翠绿的荷叶送来凉意，如玉的荷花脸庞褪去酒红，更兼菰蒲间飘洒细雨。荷花嫣然含笑轻轻摇曳，清冷的幽香飞入了我的诗句。日暮时分荷叶亭亭如盖，那如水伊人却不见踪影，怎忍心踏波离去。只怕秋寒令舞衣般的荷瓣飘零，愁绪随西风落入南浦。高柳垂下绿阴，老鱼吹动微波，都挽留我住在花间。那田田的荷叶何其繁密，掩盖了几回沙边的归路。

Appreciation

This lyric was likely written in Jiang Kui's youth, travelling around Hefei and Huzhou. Jiang Kui was a commoner all his life, moving among the famous literati of the rivers and lakes, loving object-chant, especially skilled at plum and lotus. The title 'A Boat Amidst Red Stir' points the topic of boating to view lotus. Song poets chanting lotus mostly followed Zhou Bangyan's 'Su Mu Zhe'; Jiang Kui opened a clear-secluded line, comparing the lotus to a dew-walking immortal with 'water pendant, wind robe', blending his own drifting, rootless life-feeling. The first part writes the lotus-pond clear scene seen from the boat; the second turns from object to person, at dusk and worried wind pointing the lonely travel. It is a typical early work of Baishi's clear-empty manner.

【白话串讲】姜夔乘船穿行荷塘：“闹红一舸，记来时、尝与鸳鸯为侣”。“翠叶吹凉，玉容消酒，更洒菰蒲雨。嫣然摇动，冷香飞上诗句”——荷花嫣然摇动，冷香飞上他的诗句。“日暮青盖亭亭，情人不见”——日暮时分，心上人却不见了。【意象与手法】全词以“清空”为骨，化用曹植“凌波微步”与李贺“水佩风裳”典故，将荷花写成不食烟火的仙子【情感与主旨】此词约作于姜夔青年时期游历合肥、湖州一带时。姜夔终身布衣，往来于江湖名士之间，酷爱咏物，尤擅写梅荷【名句点睛】此诗为宋姜夔之作，精要赏析详见下方深度赏析。

Background

This lyric was likely written in Jiang Kui's youth, travelling Hefei and Huzhou. Jiang Kui was a commoner all his life, moving among the famous literati of the rivers and lakes, loving object-chant, especially skilled at plum and lotus. The title 'A Boat Amidst Red Stir' points the topic of boating to view lotus. Song poets chanting lotus mostly followed Zhou Bangyan's 'Su Mu Zhe'; Jiang Kui opened a clear-secluded line, comparing the lotus to a dew-walking immortal with 'water pendant, wind robe', blending his own drifting, rootless life-feeling. The first part writes the lotus-pond clear scene seen from the boat; the second turns from object to person, at dusk and worried wind pointing the lonely travel. It is a typical early work of Baishi's clear-empty manner.

《念奴娇·闹红一舸》为南宋词人姜夔所作。姜夔（约1155—约1221），字尧章，号白石道人，鄱阳人，南宋婉约词派的代表，精通音律，其词清空骚雅。此词写夏日荷塘之游：闹红一舸，记来时、尝与鸳鸯为侣；三十六陂人未到，水佩风裳无数；翠叶吹凉，玉容消酒，更洒菰蒲雨；嫣然摇动，冷香飞上诗句。下片日暮青盖亭亭，情人不见，争忍凌波去；只恐舞衣寒易落，愁入西风南浦；高柳垂阴，老鱼吹浪，留我花间住；田田多少，几回沙际归路。全词以荷花写高洁之情，是姜夔咏物词的名篇。

Art

The whole lyric takes 'clear-empty' as its bone, transforming Cao Zhi's 'step on the waves' and Li He's 'water pendant, wind robe', writing the lotus as an immortal untouched by worldly smoke. The first part's three lines 'Green leaves blow cool; the jade face loses its wine-flush; further falls the rain among wild rice' layer by layer between person, flower, rain, with synesthesia; cool, wine, rain weave a lotus-pond clear realm; 'the cold fragrance flies up into my verse' with a strange fancy turns smell into poetic thought. The second part's 'Tall willows hang their shade; old fish blow the waves, keeping me to dwell among the flowers' uses fish and willow keeping the man to contrast the absence of human feeling, object and self forgotten. The closing 'How many the spreading leaves—how many times the sandy homeward path' ends feeling with scene, long aftertaste, within clear-empty an unexhausted thought.

《念奴娇·闹红一舸》艺术上以咏物而不滞于物、清空骚雅见长。全词结构分明：上片写荷塘之游——“闹红一舸，记来时、尝与鸳鸯为侣”写乘舟入荷塘，“三十六陂人未到，水佩风裳无数”写荷塘之盛，“翠叶吹凉，玉容消酒，更洒菰蒲雨”写荷叶荷容，“嫣然摇动，冷香飞上诗句”写荷花之香入诗；下片写荷之情态与惜别——“日暮青盖亭亭，情人不见，争忍凌波去”写日暮荷亭亭，“只恐舞衣寒易落，愁入西风南浦”写荷之将谢，“高柳垂阴，老鱼吹浪，留我花间住”写留人花间，“田田多少，几回沙际归路”写归路之思。全词以荷写人、以景写情，咏物而不滞于物，正是姜夔“清空骚雅”的风格。

Allusions

This lyric uses allusions precise yet fitting. First it transforms Li He's 'Su Xiaoxiao's Tomb' 'wind for robe, water for pendant', using 'water pendant, wind robe' to write the lotus's attire, darkly figuring its unworldly posture; second it takes Cao Zhi's 'Luo Shen Fu' 'steps on the waves, fine socks raise dust', the lower part's 'how can I bear to step on the waves and leave' compares the lotus to a water immortal like the Luo goddess; third 'thirty-six ponds' from Jiangnan pond imagery, broadly meaning water pools. Also 'green canopy stands tall' uses the lotus leaf as carriage-canopy, carrying the ancient carriage-canopy image. All allusions melted traceless, exactly aiding the clear-empty realm, not piled yet meaning self-sufficient.

《念奴娇·闹红一舸》用典在“水佩风裳”“凌波”。“水佩风裳”出李贺《苏小小墓》“风为裳，水为佩”，以风裳水佩写荷之姿态；“凌波”出曹植《洛神赋》“凌波微步，罗袜生尘”，写凌波仙子，此处写荷花如洛神；“南浦”出江淹《别赋》“送君南浦”，写送别之地。全词以这些典故写荷花，咏物而不滞于物，正是姜夔“以典写物”而清空的风格。

Commentary

Zhang Yan's Ci Source judged Baishi's lyrics 'like a wild cloud alone flying, no trace of coming or going', exactly portable to this piece's clear-empty realm. Chen Tingzhuo's Bai Yu Zhai Ci Talk said of it 'secluded rhyme, cold fragrance, one cannot exhaust the drinking'. Modern Xia Chengtao's 'Jiang Baishi Lyrics Annotated by Year' places this lyric in the early rivers-and-lakes travels, holding 'its clear wonder no less than Dongpo'. Critics of all ages mostly grant it uses plum and lotus as self-comparison, lodging life-feeling—the precursor of the Southern-Song object-chant line of 'far-deep lodging'.

《念奴娇·闹红一舸》是姜夔咏物词的名篇，也是其“清空骚雅”风格的代表作。此词咏荷花而寄高洁之情，向为论者称道。论者多赏其“嫣然摇动，冷香飞上诗句”的写法——以“冷香飞上诗句”写荷香入诗，清空灵动；“只恐舞衣寒易落，愁入西风南浦”写荷之将谢，更见骚雅。姜夔精通音律、工于咏物，其词清空骚雅，此词正是其代表——咏物而不滞于物，正是白石词风的精髓。

Prosody

Form Lyric, 'Nian Nu Jiao' double-tune one hundred characters词牌·念奴娇

Rhyme Oblique rhyme (meet, companion, count, rain, verse, leave, shore, dwell, path etc., by the tune)《念奴娇》为双调，上下片各十句，押仄声韵。此词用韵：侣、数、雨、句（遇部）、浦、住、路（遇部），上下片同韵，音节清空。

Tone pattern Long and short lines, level-oblique by 'Nian Nu Jiao' correct rhyme《念奴娇》句式以四、五、六、七言相间，音节清空。此词上片写荷塘之游，音节明丽，如闹红一舸；下片写荷之惜别，音节低回，如愁入西风。全词以仄韵贯底，声调与咏荷寄情的内容相合，是宋词中清空骚雅的一路。

Reading note Jiang Kui uses the traditional Nian Nu Jiao form, first part forty-nine characters, second fifty-one.《念奴娇·闹红一舸》为词牌《念奴娇》，是姜夔咏物词的名篇。此词咏荷花而寄高洁之情：上片写荷塘之游与荷之姿香，下片写荷之惜别与留人花间。咏物而不滞于物，清空骚雅。姜夔精通音律、工于咏物，其词清空骚雅，此词正是其代表——以“冷香飞上诗句”写荷香入诗，以“凌波”写荷如洛神，正是白石词风的精髓。

Line by line

闹红一舸，记来时、尝与鸳鸯为侣。三十六陂人未到，水佩风裳无数。

A little boat amid the riot of red; I remember coming, often in the company of mandarin ducks. In the thirty-six ponds no man has come, and countless are the water-veils and wind-garments.

一叶小舟闯入红荷丛中，记得来时，曾与鸳鸯为伴。三十六陂荷塘，人迹未到，水佩风裳（荷花）无数。

A small boat pushes into the riot of red lotuses; I remember the way here, often with mandarin ducks for company. In the thirty-six ponds no foot has trod, and the water-veil and wind-garment lotuses are past counting.

上片起写荷塘之游与荷花之盛。“闹红一舸”写乘舟入荷塘——“闹红”写红荷闹春，“一舸”写一叶小舟，“记来时、尝与鸳鸯为侣”写曾与鸳鸯为伴；“三十六陂人未到，水佩风裳无数”写荷塘之盛——“三十六陂”写荷塘之多，“人未到”写人迹未至，“水佩风裳无数”以李贺“风为裳，水为佩”写荷花无数。五句写荷塘之游：一叶小舟闯入红荷，曾与鸳鸯为伴；三十六陂荷塘，水佩风裳无数。以“闹红”写荷之盛，以“水佩风裳”写荷之姿，正是姜夔写荷塘的清空笔法——人迹未到之处，荷花自盛。

The first stanza opens on the pond outing and the lotuses' abundance. A small boat pushes into the riot of red writes the boat entering the pond; I remember the way here, often with mandarin ducks for company writes the ducks' companionship; in the thirty-six ponds no foot has trod, and the water-veil and wind-garment lotuses are past counting writes the pond's abundance — the thirty-six ponds the many pools, no foot trod the unvisited, the water-veil and wind-garment borrowing Li He's wind for garment, water for pendant for the countless lotuses. Five lines: the boat into the red, the ducks for company; the unvisited ponds, the countless water veils. The riot of red writes the lotus's abundance; the water veils and wind garments write the lotus's bearing — precisely Jiang Kui's lucid brush for the pond: where no man comes, the lotuses bloom of themselves.

翠叶吹凉，玉容消酒，更洒菰蒲雨。嫣然摇动，冷香飞上诗句。

The green leaves breathe coolness; the jade faces sober from wine, and rain falls through the wild rice and rush. Smiling, they sway, and the cold scent flies up into the verse.

翠绿的荷叶吹来凉意，玉一般的荷花如消酒之容，更洒下菰蒲之雨。嫣然摇动，冷香飞上了诗句。

The emerald leaves breathe coolness; the jade-like blooms, like faces sobered from wine, are sprinkled by the rain through the wild rice and rush. Smiling, they sway, and the cold scent flies up into the poem.

此数句写荷之姿与香，是全词咏荷的核心。“翠叶吹凉”写荷叶之凉——“翠叶”写荷叶，“吹凉”写其带来凉意；“玉容消酒”写荷花之美——“玉容”写荷花如玉，“消酒”写其如消酒后的红晕；“更洒菰蒲雨”写菰蒲之雨——“菰蒲雨”写菰蒲间的细雨；“嫣然摇动，冷香飞上诗句”写荷香入诗——“嫣然摇动”写荷花嫣然摇动，“冷香飞上诗句”写其冷香飞上诗句。六句写荷之姿与香：翠叶吹凉、玉容消酒、菰蒲雨洒，荷花嫣然摇动，冷香飞入诗句。以“玉容消酒”写荷之美，以“冷香飞上诗句”写荷香之入诗，正是姜夔咏物清空的笔法——荷花之美，尽入诗中。

These lines write the lotus's bearing and scent, the core of the ode. The emerald leaves breathe coolness writes the leaf's coolness; the jade-like blooms, like faces sobered from wine writes the flower's beauty, the jade face the lotus like jade, the sobered-from-wine the flush after wine; and rain falls through the wild rice and rush writes the fine rain among the reeds; smiling, they sway, and the cold scent flies up into the poem writes the scent entering verse — the smiling swaying the flower's smile and motion, the cold scent flying up the scent entering verse. Six lines: the leaves' coolness, the jade faces, the reed rain, the smiling swaying, the cold scent in verse. The jade faces write the beauty; the cold scent flying up writes the scent entering verse — precisely Jiang Kui's lucid ode brush: the lotus's beauty, all within the verse.

日暮青盖亭亭，情人不见，争忍凌波去。只恐舞衣寒易落，愁入西风南浦。

At dusk the green umbrellas stand tall; the lover unseen, how can I bear to leave on the waves? Only fearing the dance robes will fall in the cold — grief enters the west wind at the southern shore.

日暮时荷叶如青盖亭亭玉立，情人不见，怎忍凌波而去。只恐舞衣般的花瓣经寒易落，愁入西风南浦。

At dusk the lotus leaves stand like green umbrellas; the beloved is not seen, how can one bear to leave on the wave? Only fearing the dance robes of petals fall easily in the cold, grief enters the west wind at the southern shore.

下片起写荷之情态与惜别，是全词寄意的核心。“日暮青盖亭亭”写日暮荷亭亭——“青盖”写荷叶如青盖，“亭亭”写其亭亭玉立；“情人不见，争忍凌波去”写伊人不见——“情人不见”写所爱之人不见，“争忍凌波去”用《洛神赋》凌波之典写怎忍离去；“只恐舞衣寒易落，愁入西风南浦”写荷之将谢——“舞衣寒易落”写荷如舞衣经寒易落，“愁入西风南浦”写愁入西风南浦。六句写荷之情态与惜别：日暮荷亭亭，而情人不见，怎忍凌波而去；只恐荷花经寒易落，愁入西风。以“凌波”写荷如洛神，以“愁入西风南浦”写荷之将谢，正是姜夔咏物寄意的笔法——荷之将谢，正如人之将别。

The second stanza opens on the lotus's mood and the reluctant parting, the core of the ci's meaning. At dusk the lotus leaves stand like green umbrellas writes the dusk and the tall leaves; the beloved is not seen, how can one bear to leave on the wave? writes the unseen beloved, the how-can-I-bear leaving borrowing the Luo River goddess's treading the waves; only fearing the dance robes of petals fall easily in the cold, grief enters the west wind at the southern shore writes the flower's failing — the dance robes falling in the cold the petals' falling, the grief in the west wind the southern-shore grief. Six lines: the dusk and the tall leaves, the unseen beloved and the unbearable leaving; the petals falling in the cold, grief in the west wind. The treading the waves writes the lotus as the Luo goddess; the grief in the west wind writes the flower's failing — precisely Jiang Kui's ode-and-meaning brush: the flower's failing, like the man's parting.

高柳垂阴，老鱼吹浪，留我花间住。田田多少，几回沙际归路。

The tall willows drop shade; the old fish blow waves, keeping me to dwell among the flowers. How many broad, spreading leaves — how many times have I walked the homeward path along the shore?

高柳垂下绿阴，老鱼吹起浪花，留我住在花间。荷叶田田，不知几回走过沙际归路。

Tall willows droop their shade; the old fish blow up waves, keeping me to dwell among the flowers. How many round, spreading leaves — how many times have I taken the homeward path along the sandy shore?

末段写留人花间与归路之思，是全词的归结。“高柳垂阴，老鱼吹浪，留我花间住”写荷塘留人——“高柳垂阴”写柳阴垂地，“老鱼吹浪”写老鱼吹浪，“留我花间住”写留人住在花间；“田田多少，几回沙际归路”写归路之思——“田田”写荷叶田田，“多少”写其多少，“几回沙际归路”写几回走过沙际归路。五句写荷塘留人与归路之思：高柳垂阴、老鱼吹浪，留我花间；荷叶田田，几回走过归路。以“留我花间住”写荷塘之留恋，以“几回沙际归路”写归路之眷恋，正是姜夔咏物寄情的归结——爱荷之深，几回不去。

The close writes the keeping of the man among the flowers and the thought of the homeward path, the gathering of the ci. Tall willows droop their shade; the old fish blow up waves, keeping me to dwell among the flowers writes the pond's keeping — the willow shade, the fish-blown waves, the keeping to dwell among the flowers; how many round, spreading leaves — how many times have I taken the homeward path along the sandy shore? writes the thought of the path — the round and spreading the lotus leaves, the how many the count, the how many times along the shore the repeated walking home. Five lines: the willow shade, the fish-blown waves, the keeping among the flowers; the spreading leaves, the repeated homeward walks. The keeping me among the flowers writes the pond's reluctance; the how many times writes the path's longing — precisely the gathering of Jiang Kui's ode-and-feeling: the deep love of the lotuses, the repeated not going.

Study

Word focus

闹红 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. “闹红一舸”之“闹红”，写红荷闹春，是全词写荷塘之盛的关键词。“闹”写其繁盛热闹，“红”写荷花之红——一叶小舟，闯入闹红之中。这一词写荷塘之盛：不是安静的红荷，而是闹红；不是稀疏几朵，而是繁盛如闹。以“闹红”写荷，正是姜夔咏物清空的笔法——一个“闹”字，写尽荷塘之盛。

玉容 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. “玉容消酒”之“玉容”，写荷花如玉之容，是全词写荷之美的关键词。“玉”写其洁白温润，“容”写其容颜——荷花如玉容，如消酒后的红晕。这一词以“玉容”写荷花，赋予荷花以人之美：不是写实的花，而是如玉之人；不是无情的物，而是含情之容。以“玉容”写荷，正是姜夔咏物拟人的笔法。

冷香 'cold fragrance': clear, cold, secluded fragrance, both writes the lotus scent and sets off the lyric's clear-empty, lone-strong realm. “冷香飞上诗句”之“冷香”，写荷之清冷的香气，是全词咏荷最传神的一笔。“冷”写其清冷，“香”写其香气——荷之冷香，飞上诗句。这一词写荷香之清冷：不是浓艳之香，而是冷香；不是停留于鼻，而是飞上诗句。以“冷香”写荷香，正是姜夔“清空”风格的体现——冷香入诗，清空灵动。

凌波 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. “争忍凌波去”之“凌波”，用《洛神赋》“凌波微步”写荷如洛神，是全词写荷之姿态的关键词。“凌波”写步履于水波之上——荷花如凌波仙子，怎忍离去。这一词以“凌波”写荷，赋予荷花以洛神之姿：不是静止的花，而是凌波之仙子；不是无情的物，而是含情之人。以“凌波”写荷，正是姜夔咏物用典而清空的笔法。