宋 Song · 诗 Poem
绝句
A Quatrain
古木阴中系短篷，杖藜扶我过桥东。
沾衣欲湿杏花雨，吹面不寒杨柳风。
My staff of thorny elm supports me across the bridge to the east.
The apricot-blossom rain touches my robe, about to wet it;
The willow wind blows on my face, not cold.
Meaning
A spring outing in verse: mooring under old trees, leaning on a staff across the bridge, then the fine apricot rain and willow wind — a quiet, delicate pleasure in the gentle touch of spring.
在古木浓荫中系住小船，拄着藜杖扶我走过桥东。杏花时节的细雨沾衣似湿未湿，杨柳间的微风拂面并不觉寒。
Appreciation
The first couplet sets a leisurely scene — mooring under ancient shade, crossing the bridge on a thorny-elm staff — unhurried and secluded. The second renders the spring rain and wind with rare delicacy: the apricot rain 'about to wet' the robe, the willow wind 'not cold' on the face. By stating the negative, the poet writes the very mildness of spring, observing things to their finest grain. Plain in language yet deep in mood, it is a clear, lovely little Song poem on spring.
【白话串讲】 僧人志南写春天：“古木阴中系短篷，杖藜扶我过桥东”。“沾衣欲湿杏花雨，吹面不寒杨柳风”——杏花雨沾衣欲湿，杨柳风吹面不寒。宋代最著名的僧诗。 【意象与手法】 “杏花雨”“杨柳风”以时令景物代春雨春风；“欲湿”“不寒”以反说写春之温润，体物入微。 【情感与主旨】 写春游的闲适与对春光的细腻感受，语淡而境幽，是宋人写春的清丽小诗。 【名句点睛】 “沾衣欲湿杏花雨，吹面不寒杨柳风”——以欲湿不湿、拂面不寒写春之温润，遂成写春风春雨的绝唱。
Background
Zhinan was a Southern-Song monk-poet of obscure biography; this is his only extant famous work, writing the delicate feeling of a spring boat outing.
《绝句》为宋代志南所作，是写春日游春、杏花春雨的诗。志南，南宋诗僧，生平不详。此诗：古木阴中系短篷，杖藜扶我过桥东。沾衣欲湿杏花雨，吹面不寒杨柳风。全诗写春日游春、杏花春雨，是志南诗的名篇。
Art
A seven-character quatrain: first mooring and crossing the bridge, then observing wind and rain. 'About to wet' and 'not cold' write spring's mildness by negation, with exquisitely chosen words.
《绝句》艺术上以春日游春的描摹与杏花春雨的自然见长。全诗四句：首写系篷过桥——“古木阴中系短篷，杖藜扶我过桥东”写古木阴中系短篷、杖藜扶我过桥东；末写杏花春雨——“沾衣欲湿杏花雨，吹面不寒杨柳风”写沾衣欲湿杏花雨、吹面不寒杨柳风。全诗以春日游春写杏花春雨，正是志南诗自然的笔法。
Allusions
'Little boat' is a small skiff. 'Staff of thorny elm' is a walking staff of elm wood. 'Apricot-blossom rain' is the rain at apricot-blossom time. 'Willow wind' is the spring wind among willows (the early, gentle breeze).
《绝句》用典在“短篷”“杖藜”“杏花雨”“杨柳风”。“短篷”写短篷（小船）；“杖藜”写杖藜（藜杖）；“杏花雨”写杏花雨（杏花时节细雨，应时之雨）；“杨柳风”写杨柳风（杨柳青时春风，应时之风）。全诗以这些意象写春日游春、杏花春雨，用典自然而平易自见，正是志南诗的笔法。
Commentary
The 'Jade Chips of Poets' records that Zhu Xi, reading 'touches my robe, about to wet it', was greatly pleased, saying 'among monk-poets, few are like this'. This couplet became a famous line on spring.
《绝句》是志南诗的名篇，也是宋诗中写春日游春的代表作。此诗写春日游春、杏花春雨，向为论者称道。论者多赏其春日游春的描摹与杏花春雨的自然——“古木阴中系短篷，杖藜扶我过桥东”写古木阴中系短篷、杖藜扶我过桥东，自然之极；“沾衣欲湿杏花雨，吹面不寒杨柳风”写沾衣欲湿杏花雨、吹面不寒杨柳风，更见其工。朱光潜曾引此联论诗，此诗正是其代表——以春日游春写杏花春雨，正是其诗风。
Prosody
Line by line
古木阴中系短篷，杖藜扶我过桥东。
Under the shade of an old tree I moor the little boat; my staff of thorny elm supports me across the bridge to the east.
古木阴中系短篷，杖藜扶我过桥东。
Beneath the shade of ancient trees I tie my small boat; the cane staff supports me as I cross to the east of the bridge.
首写古木阴中系短篷、杖藜扶我过桥东，是全诗写游春之行的起点。“古木阴中系短篷”写古木阴中系短篷——“古木阴中系短篷”写古树阴凉处系着小船——古木阴中系短篷；“杖藜扶我过桥东”写杖藜扶我过桥东——“杖藜扶我过桥东”写藜杖扶着我走过桥东——杖藜扶我过桥东。二句写古木阴中系短篷、杖藜扶我过桥东：古木阴中系短篷，杖藜扶我过桥东。以“古木阴中系短篷”写古木阴凉、系舟暂歇，以“杖藜扶我过桥东”写杖藜扶行、过桥游春，正是志南诗写游春之行的起点——古木系篷，藜杖过桥。
The opening writes the boat tied beneath the ancient trees and the staff-supported crossing, the starting point of the poem's spring outing. Beneath the shade of ancient trees I tie my small boat writes the boat tied in the old trees' shade; the cane staff supports me as I cross to the east of the bridge writes the reed staff supporting me across the bridge. Two lines: the boat tied in the old shade, the staff supporting the crossing. The old trees' shade and the tied boat write the resting; the staff-supported crossing writes the spring outing's walking — precisely Zhinan's starting point for the spring journey: the boat tied among the old trees, the reed staff crossing the bridge.
沾衣欲湿杏花雨，吹面不寒杨柳风。
The apricot-blossom rain touches my robe, about to wet it; the willow wind blows on my face, not cold.
沾衣欲湿杏花雨，吹面不寒杨柳风。
The apricot-blossom rain, about to wet the robe; the willow wind, breathing on the face without chill.
末用杏花雨杨柳风之语写沾衣欲湿杏花雨、吹面不寒杨柳风，是全诗写杏花春雨的名句。“沾衣欲湿杏花雨”用杏花雨之语写沾衣欲湿杏花雨——“沾衣欲湿杏花雨”写沾衣欲湿的是杏花时节细雨——沾衣欲湿杏花雨；“吹面不寒杨柳风”用杨柳风之语写吹面不寒杨柳风——“吹面不寒杨柳风”写吹面不寒的是杨柳青时春风——吹面不寒杨柳风。二句写沾衣欲湿杏花雨、吹面不寒杨柳风：沾衣欲湿杏花雨，吹面不寒杨柳风。以“沾衣欲湿杏花雨”写杏花雨沾衣欲湿、应时之雨，以“吹面不寒杨柳风”写杨柳风吹面不寒、应时之风，正是志南诗写杏花春雨的名句——杏花雨湿，杨柳风温。
The close uses the apricot-blossom rain and willow wind for the rain about to wet the robe and the wind breathing on the face without chill, the poem's famous line of the apricot rain and spring wind. The apricot-blossom rain, about to wet the robe writes the late-rain of the apricot season, about to wet the clothes; the willow wind, breathing on the face without chill writes the spring wind of the willow-green season, breathing on the face without cold. Two lines: the apricot rain about to wet, the willow wind without chill. The apricot rain writes the season's rain wetting the robe; the willow wind writes the season's wind breathing without cold — precisely Zhinan's famous line of the apricot rain: the apricot rain moistening, the willow wind warm.
Study
Word focus
Related Reading
Compare this related work with the poem above through theme, imagery, tone, and emotional movement.
杨万里《小池》写初夏小池之景，与本首同为宋诗写时令物候。差异在时令：绝句写春日杏花雨；小池写初夏小荷。一写“春”之雨，一写“夏”之池。两者并读，可见宋诗写时令物候的两种境界。
绝句 A Quatrain 杜甫 · 同为绝句写春景，一写杏花雨杨柳风一写江碧鸟逾白，皆明丽 Related readingCompare this related work with the poem above through theme, imagery, tone, and emotional movement.
杜甫《绝句》（两个黄鹂鸣翠柳）写春日明丽之景，与本首同为绝句写春景。差异在工致：志南绝句写杏花雨杨柳风之应时；杜甫绝句写翠柳白鹭之明丽。一写“雨”之柔，一写“景”之丽。两者并读，可见绝句写春景的两种笔法。
春晓 Spring Dawn 孟浩然 · 同为古诗写春日，一写杏花雨杨柳风一写春眠不觉晓，一工一淡 Related readingCompare this related work with the poem above through theme, imagery, tone, and emotional movement.
孟浩然《春晓》写春眠初醒、惜春之情，与本首同为古诗写春日。差异在情致：志南绝句写游春；孟浩然春晓写春睡。一写“游”之趣，一写“眠”之慵。两者并读，可见古诗写春日的两种情致。