宋 Song · 词 Ci lyric
沁园春
Spring in the Qin Garden
为子死孝，为臣死忠，死又何妨。
自光岳气分，士无全节，君臣义缺，谁负刚肠。
骂贼睢阳，爱君许远，留得声名万古香。
后来者，无二公之操，百炼之钢。
人生翕欻云亡。
好烈烈轰轰做一场。
使当时卖国，甘心降虏，受人唾骂，安得留芳。
古庙幽沈，仪容俨雅，枯木寒鸦几夕阳。
邮亭下，有奸雄过此，仔细思量。
What harm is there in death?
Since the spirit of the mountains and rivers was split apart,
No scholar has kept his honor whole,
The bond of lord and minister has lost its duty,
And who has borne the upright heart?
The one who cursed the rebels at Suiyang,
And the one who loved his lord, Xu Yuan —
They have left their fame fragrant for ten thousand years.
Those who came after have not the integrity of these two lords,
The steel refined a hundred times.
Human life is a brief moment, gone like a cloud —
So let it be done with one great blazing blaze.
If one had sold the state and willingly bowed to the captors,
Spit upon by all — how could the fame remain fragrant?
In the ancient temple, deep and dark,
The stern countenances stand in solemn dignity,
Over withered trees and cold crows, how many setting suns?
By the posting station below,
If a villain and traitor passes by,
Let him think it over carefully.
Meaning
A great patriotic lyric written by Wen Tianxiang, the last chancellor of the Southern Song, in praise of the two loyalists of the Tang, Zhang Xun and Xu Yuan, who defended Suiyang against the rebels. The lyric opens with the fierce creed: to die for one's father is filial, to die for one's lord is loyal — what harm is there in death? Since the age has fallen and no scholar keeps his honor whole, the two lords of Suiyang — the one who cursed the rebels and the one who loved his lord — have left their fame fragrant for ten thousand years, and none of their successors has their steel. Life is a brief moment, so let it be done with one great blazing blaze; those who sold the state are spat upon and cannot leave fragrance. The ancient temple holds their stern countenances, over withered trees and cold crows; and the lyric closes with the warning to the traitor who passes by: think it over carefully. The lyric is the creed of the martyr, written by the man who would himself die for the state.
为子死孝，为臣死忠，死又何妨。自光岳气分，士无全节，君臣义缺，谁负刚肠。骂贼睢阳，爱君许远，留得声名万古香。后来者，无二公之操，百炼之钢。人生翕欻云亡。好烈烈轰轰做一场。使当时卖国，甘心降虏，受人唾骂，安得留芳。古庙幽沈，仪容俨雅，枯木寒鸦几夕阳。邮亭下，有奸雄过此，仔细思量。
Appreciation
[Plain Paraphrase] To die for one's father is filial, for one's lord is loyal — what harm in death? Since the spirit of the land was split, no scholar has kept honor whole; the bond of lord and minister has failed, and who has borne the upright heart? The one who cursed the rebels at Suiyang and Xu Yuan who loved his lord have left fame fragrant for ten thousand years. Those after them have not their integrity, the steel refined a hundred times. Human life is a moment gone like a cloud — so let it be done with one great blazing blaze. If one sold the state and bowed to the captors, spat upon — how could the fame remain fragrant? In the ancient temple, deep and dark, the stern countenances stand; over withered trees and cold crows, how many setting suns? By the posting station below, if a villain and traitor passes, let him think it over carefully. [Structure and Thought] The lyric moves from the creed (death for father and lord), through the dark age and the two exemplars of Suiyang, to the meditation on fame and the brief life, and closes with the temple and the warning to the traitor. [Key Technique] The poem's art is the union of argument and warning: the praise of Zhang Xun and Xu Yuan is conducted as a creed, and the close turns the temple into a court where the passing traitor is summoned to judgment. [Emotional Tone] Fierce, solemn, and admonitory: the lyric is the creed of the martyr, written by the man who would die for the state — and it is, in the event, Wen Tianxiang's own epitaph.
【白话串讲】 文天祥写《沁园春》：“为子死孝，为臣死忠，死又何妨”——“骂贼睢阳，爱君许远，留得声名万古香”——“人生翕歘云亡。好烈烈轰轰做一场”——他写忠义——好烈烈轰轰做一场。 【意象与手法】 “为子死孝，为臣死忠，死又何妨”以死忠写气节；“自光岳气分、士无全节、君臣义缺、谁负刚肠”写世风之衰；“骂贼睢阳，爱君许远，留得声名万古香”以张巡许远写忠义；结以“邮亭下，有奸雄过此，仔细思量”以奸雄自省写警示。慷慨悲壮。 【情感与主旨】 文天祥写咏史言志之作，以张巡许远等忠臣写为臣死忠之志，以“好烈烈轰轰做一场”写以身许国的决绝，是文天祥词中民族气节的代表作。 【名句点睛】 常考“骂贼睢阳，爱君许远，留得声名万古香”以张巡许远写忠义；“人生翕歘云亡。好烈烈轰轰做一场”写以身许国。
Background
Wen Tianxiang (1236–1283) was the last chancellor of the Southern Song, who led the resistance to the Mongol conquest, was captured in 1278, refused to submit through years of imprisonment, and was executed in 1283; his 'Song of the Righteous Spirit' and his prison poems are among the supreme documents of Chinese loyalty. This lyric praises Zhang Xun and Xu Yuan, the Tang loyalists who held Suiyang against the rebels of An Lushan and died rather than surrender; their temple stood by the posting station that Wen passed on his way to the north after his capture. The lyric is one of the most powerful patriotic works in the history of the ci, and its warning to the passing traitor was written with full knowledge of the traitors who had sold his own dynasty.
《沁园春》为南宋名臣文天祥所作词。文天祥（1236—1283），字宋瑞，号文山，吉州庐陵（今江西吉安）人，南宋民族英雄、诗人。此词写咏史言志，为题张巡许远双庙之作。词中「为子死孝，为臣死忠，死又何妨」写为臣死忠；「自光岳气分，士无全节，君臣义缺，谁负刚肠」写谁负刚肠；「骂贼睢阳，爱君许远，留得声名万古香」写骂贼睢阳；「后来者，无二公之操，百炼之钢」写百炼之钢；「人生翕欻云亡。好烈烈轰轰做一场」写烈烈轰轰；「使当时卖国，甘心降虏，受人唾骂，安得留芳」写甘心降虏；「古庙幽沈，仪容俨雅，枯木寒鸦几夕阳」写枯木寒鸦；「邮亭下，有奸雄过此，仔细思量」写仔细思量。文天祥此词以咏史言志、仔细思量写其忠烈之志，慷慨悲壮，是文天祥词中的名篇。此篇《沁园春》在历代选本中多被收录，其艺术价值与流传之广，正可见此诗在同类题材中的重要地位。诗人以匠心独运之笔写寻常之情事，遂使此作历千载而犹有生气，为后人所称赏不绝。
Art
The lyric's art is the art of the creed made verse. The opening is a fierce syllogism: death for father is filial, for lord is loyal — what harm in death? The dark age is then sketched in a few strokes: the split spirit of the land, the scholars without honor, the failed bond of lord and minister. Against this darkness stand the two exemplars of Suiyang, whose fame is fragrant for ten thousand years, and whose steel no successor has matched. The lyric then turns philosophical: life is a brief moment, so let it blaze; the traitor's fame cannot remain fragrant. The close is the poem's most striking stroke: the ancient temple with the stern countenances, and the warning to the villain who passes by — the temple as the eternal court, the traitor summoned to judgment.
此词艺术上以「慷慨悲壮、以典咏史」见长。全词上片写为臣死忠与骂贼睢阳，下片写烈烈轰轰与仔细思量。上片「为子死孝，为臣死忠，死又何妨」写为臣死忠：为子死孝，为臣死忠，死又何妨；「自光岳气分，士无全节，君臣义缺，谁负刚肠」写谁负刚肠：自光岳气分，士无全节，君臣义缺，谁负刚肠；「骂贼睢阳，爱君许远，留得声名万古香」写骂贼睢阳：骂贼睢阳，爱君许远，留得声名万古香；「后来者，无二公之操，百炼之钢」写百炼之钢：后来者，无二公之操，百炼之钢。下片「人生翕欻云亡。好烈烈轰轰做一场」写烈烈轰轰：人生翕欻云亡，好烈烈轰轰做一场；「使当时卖国，甘心降虏，受人唾骂，安得留芳」写甘心降虏：使当时卖国，甘心降虏，受人唾骂，安得留芳；「古庙幽沈，仪容俨雅，枯木寒鸦几夕阳」写枯木寒鸦：古庙幽沈，仪容俨雅，枯木寒鸦几夕阳；「邮亭下，有奸雄过此，仔细思量」写仔细思量：邮亭下，有奸雄过此，仔细思量。全词慷慨悲壮，以典咏史，是文天祥词中的名篇。
Allusions
'The spirit of the mountains and rivers was split apart' (guang yue qi fen) refers to the cosmic qi of the universe divided and corrupted — the fallen age; the phrase is drawn from the cosmological language of the 'Song of the Righteous Spirit.' 'The one who cursed the rebels at Suiyang' is Zhang Xun, who defied the rebels to the end and was executed; 'Xu Yuan' is his lieutenant, who loved his lord and shared the same fate; their defense of Suiyang and their deaths made them the supreme types of loyalty. 'The steel refined a hundred times' (bailian zhi gang) is the image of the tempered hero, from the saying that a hundred refinings make the best steel. 'The fragrant fame' (liufang) is the fame that perfumes the ages, the opposite of the stench of the traitor.
词中「为子死孝为臣死忠死又何妨」「自光岳气分士无全节君臣义缺谁负刚肠」「骂贼睢阳爱君许远留得声名万古香」「后来者无二公之操百炼之钢」「人生翕欻云亡好烈烈轰轰做一场」「使当时卖国甘心降虏受人唾骂安得留芳」「古庙幽沈仪容俨雅枯木寒鸦几夕阳」「邮亭下有奸雄过此仔细思量」等语，皆含典故故实。「为子死孝为臣死忠死又何妨」写为子死孝为臣死忠死又何妨（用忠孝之训）；「自光岳气分士无全节君臣义缺谁负刚肠」写自光岳气分士无全节君臣义缺谁负刚肠（光岳写五岳）；「骂贼睢阳爱君许远留得声名万古香」用张巡许远守睢阳之典，写骂贼睢阳爱君许远留得声名万古香；「后来者无二公之操百炼之钢」写后来者无二公之操百炼之钢（百炼之钢写百炼成钢）；「人生翕欻云亡好烈烈轰轰做一场」写人生翕欻云亡好烈烈轰轰做一场（翕欻写倏忽）；「使当时卖国甘心降虏受人唾骂安得留芳」写使当时卖国甘心降虏受人唾骂安得留芳；「古庙幽沈仪容俨雅枯木寒鸦几夕阳」写古庙幽沈仪容俨雅枯木寒鸦几夕阳（寒鸦夕阳写庙前景色）；「邮亭下有奸雄过此仔细思量」写邮亭下有奸雄过此仔细思量。词人以张巡许远守睢阳、百炼成钢等典入词，不着痕迹，而把咏史言志之情写得慷慨淋漓，是善于熔铸典故的体现。
Commentary
This lyric is one of the most powerful patriotic works in the history of the ci, written by the man who would himself become the supreme martyr of the Southern Song. The praise of Zhang Xun and Xu Yuan is conducted with the fierceness of a creed, and the closing warning to the passing traitor has the force of a judgment. The lyric is quoted wherever Chinese loyalty is remembered, and its final image — the ancient temple and the summoning of the traitor to thought — is among the most striking in the literature.
这首《沁园春》，是文天祥写咏史言志之作，写为臣死忠、骂贼睢阳、仔细思量之情，慷慨悲壮。上片写为臣死忠与骂贼睢阳：「为子死孝，为臣死忠，死又何妨」——为子死孝，为臣死忠，死又何妨。写为臣死忠：为子死孝、为臣死忠，死又何妨——为臣死忠、死又何妨；「自光岳气分，士无全节，君臣义缺，谁负刚肠」——自光岳气分，士无全节，君臣义缺，谁负刚肠。写谁负刚肠：自光岳气分、士无全节，君臣义缺，谁负刚肠——光岳气分、士无全节、谁负刚肠；「骂贼睢阳，爱君许远，留得声名万古香」——骂贼睢阳（用张巡许远守睢阳之典），爱君许远，留得声名万古香。写骂贼睢阳：骂贼睢阳、爱君许远，留得声名万古香——骂贼睢阳、爱君许远、声名万古香；「后来者，无二公之操，百炼之钢」——后来者，无二公之操，百炼之钢（写百炼成钢）。写百炼之钢：后来者无二公之操、百炼之钢——无二公之操、百炼之钢。下片写烈烈轰轰与仔细思量：「人生翕欻云亡。好烈烈轰轰做一场」——人生翕欻云亡，好烈烈轰轰做一场。写烈烈轰轰：人生翕欻云亡、好烈烈轰轰做一场——人生倏忽云亡、烈烈轰轰做一场；「使当时卖国，甘心降虏，受人唾骂，安得留芳」——使当时卖国，甘心降虏，受人唾骂，安得留芳。写甘心降虏：使当时卖国、甘心降虏，受人唾骂，安得留芳——卖国降虏、受人唾骂、安得留芳；「古庙幽沈，仪容俨雅，枯木寒鸦几夕阳」——古庙幽沈，仪容俨雅，枯木寒鸦几夕阳。写枯木寒鸦：古庙幽沈、仪容俨雅，枯木寒鸦几夕阳——古庙幽沈、仪容俨雅、寒鸦夕阳；「邮亭下，有奸雄过此，仔细思量」——邮亭下，有奸雄过此，仔细思量。写仔细思量：邮亭下有奸雄过此、仔细思量——奸雄过此、仔细思量。这「邮亭下，有奸雄过此，仔细思量」，是全词之结：以仔细思量写其忠烈。全词慷慨悲壮，以典咏史，正是文天祥词中的名篇。
Prosody
Line by line
为子死孝，为臣死忠，死又何妨。
To die for one's father is filial, to die for one's lord is loyal — what harm is there in death?
为子死孝，为臣死忠，死又何妨。
As a son, die for filial piety; as a subject, die for loyalty — what is death to fear?
首三句写为臣死忠，起笔即见其志。「为子死孝」写为子死孝，「为子」写为子、「死孝」写死于孝；「为臣死忠」写为臣死忠，「为臣」写为臣、「死忠」写死于忠；「死又何妨」写死又何妨，「死」写死、「又何妨」写又有什么妨害。三句一写为子死孝、一写为臣死忠、一写死又何妨，以为子死孝写孝、以为臣死忠写忠、以死又何妨写其视死如归，写尽为子死孝、为臣死忠、死又何妨之情。以志起兴，慷慨而悲壮，是「以志起兴」的妙笔。
The opening three lines write the subject's dying for loyalty, the will present at the first stroke. As a son, die for filial piety writes the son and the dying-for-filiality; as a subject, die for loyalty writes the subject and the dying-for-loyalty; what is death to fear? writes the death and the what-harm. Three lines, the filial piety through the son's dying, the loyalty through the subject's dying, the death's welcoming through the what-is-death-to-fear, exhausting the dying for filial piety and loyalty and the death's un-fearing. Rising on will, impassioned and stirring, a wondrous brush of rising-on-will.
骂贼睢阳，爱君许远，留得声名万古香。
The one who cursed the rebels at Suiyang, and the one who loved his lord, Xu Yuan — they have left their fame fragrant for ten thousand years.
骂贼睢阳，爱君许远，留得声名万古香。
The rebel-cursing at Suiyang, the ruler-loving Xu Yuan — their names remain fragrant through the ages.
此三句写骂贼睢阳，是全词以典咏史的关键。「骂贼睢阳」写骂贼睢阳，用张巡许远守睢阳之典写骂贼睢阳；「爱君许远」写爱君许远，「爱君」写爱君、「许远」写许远；「留得声名万古香」写留得声名万古香，「留得」写留下、「声名万古香」写声名万古芳香。三句一写骂贼睢阳、一写爱君许远、一写留得声名万古香，以骂贼睢阳写张巡、以爱君许远写许远、以声名万古香写声名留芳，写尽骂贼睢阳、爱君许远、留得声名万古香之情。以典咏史，慷慨而激昂，是「以典咏史」的点睛之笔。
These three lines write the rebel-cursing at Suiyang, the ci's allusion-ode-to-history key. The rebel-cursing at Suiyang uses Zhang Xun and Xu Yuan's defense of Suiyang allusion; the ruler-loving Xu Yuan writes the ruler love and Xu Yuan; their names remain fragrant through the ages writes the leaving and the name's eternal fragrance. Three lines, the Zhang Xun through the Suiyang cursing, the Xu Yuan through the ruler love, the eternal-fragrance name through the name's remaining fragrant, exhausting the Suiyang cursing and the eternal name. Ode to history through allusion, impassioned and stirring, a telling stroke of history-through-allusion.
后来者，无二公之操，百炼之钢。
Those who came after have not the integrity of these two lords, the steel refined a hundred times.
后来者，无二公之操，百炼之钢。
Those who come after lack the two gentlemen's integrity, the hundred-times-tempered steel.
此三句写百炼之钢，是全词写后来者之慨的关键。「后来者」写后来者，「后来」写后来、「者」写的人；「无二公之操」写无二公之操，「无」写没有、「二公之操」写二公的节操；「百炼之钢」写百炼之钢（写百炼成钢）。三句一写后来者、一写无二公之操、一写百炼之钢，以后来者写后来之人、以无二公之操写没有二公节操、以百炼之钢写百炼成钢，写尽后来者无二公之操、百炼之钢之情。以钢写操，慷慨而激越，是「以钢写操」的点睛之笔。
These three lines write the hundred-times-tempered steel, the ci's later-men sigh key. Those who come after lack the two gentlemen's integrity, the hundred-times-tempered steel: the later men writing the coming-after people, the no two gentlemen's integrity writing the absence of their character, the hundred-times-tempered steel writing the steel's hundred temperings. Three lines, the later men through the coming-after, the no-integrity through the absence, the tempered steel through the hundred-tempered, exhausting the later men's lack and the tempered steel. Writing character through steel, impassioned and driving, a telling stroke of character-through-steel.
好烈烈轰轰做一场。
Human life is a brief moment, gone like a cloud — so let it be done with one great blazing blaze.
好烈烈轰轰做一场。
What a grand and stirring performance it must be, once and for all.
此句写烈烈轰轰，是全词写其志的关键。「好烈烈轰轰做一场」写好烈烈轰轰做一场，「好」写好、「烈烈轰轰」写轰轰烈烈、「做一场」写做一番事业。一句以「好」写要、「烈烈轰轰」写轰轰烈烈、「做一场」写做一番，写尽好烈烈轰轰做一场之情——要轰轰烈烈做一番。以志写怀，慷慨而激昂，是「以志写怀」的点睛之笔。此句以寥寥数语写尽深意，情韵兼胜，正是全诗点睛之笔。其于字句之间暗藏波澜，于平易之中寄寓曲折，尤当反复涵泳，方能得其三昧。
This line writes the grand and stirring, the ci's will key. What a grand and stirring performance it must be, once and for all: the good writing the must, the grand-and-stirring writing the spectacular, the do-once-and-for-all writing the doing of a great deed. One line exhausting the must's spectacular doing. Writing the breast through will, impassioned and stirring. This line in the few words exhausts the deep meaning, feeling and charm both supreme; its hidden waves between the words, the turns within the plainness, require the repeated savouring to grasp its heart.
古庙幽沈，仪容俨雅，枯木寒鸦几夕阳。
In the ancient temple, deep and dark, the stern countenances stand in solemn dignity, over withered trees and cold crows, how many setting suns?
古庙幽沈，仪容俨雅，枯木寒鸦几夕阳。
The ancient temple is dim and deep, the bearing solemn and elegant; withered trees, cold crows, and how many setting suns.
此三句写枯木寒鸦，是全词写庙前景色的关键。「古庙幽沈」写古庙幽沈，「古庙」写古庙、「幽沈」写幽深；「仪容俨雅」写仪容俨雅，「仪容」写仪容、「俨雅」写庄重；「枯木寒鸦几夕阳」写枯木寒鸦几夕阳，「枯木寒鸦」写枯木寒鸦、「几夕阳」写几度夕阳。三句一写古庙幽沈、一写仪容俨雅、一写枯木寒鸦几夕阳，以古庙幽沈写庙之幽、以仪容俨雅写像之庄、以枯木寒鸦几夕阳写寒鸦夕阳，写尽古庙幽沈、仪容俨雅、枯木寒鸦几夕阳之情。以景写慨，慷慨而苍凉，是「以景写慨」的点睛之笔。
These three lines write the withered trees and cold crows, the ci's temple-foreground-scene key. The ancient temple is dim and deep writes the old temple and the seclusion; the bearing solemn and elegant writes the image and the dignity; withered trees, cold crows, and how many setting suns writes the withered trees and crows and the several sunsets. Three lines, the temple's dimness through the old temple, the image's dignity through the solemn bearing, the crows-and-sunsets through the withered trees, exhausting the dim temple, solemn image, and withered trees. Writing sigh through scene, impassioned and bleak, a telling stroke of sigh-through-scene.
邮亭下，有奸雄过此，仔细思量。
By the posting station below, if a villain and traitor passes by, let him think it over carefully.
邮亭下，有奸雄过此，仔细思量。
Beneath the post house, if some treacherous hero passes this way, let him think it over well.
尾三句写仔细思量，是全词立意的落点。「邮亭下」写邮亭下，「邮亭」写驿亭、「下」写下；「有奸雄过此」写有奸雄过此，「有奸雄」写有奸雄、「过此」写经过此处；「仔细思量」写仔细思量，「仔细」写仔细、「思量」写思量。三句一写邮亭下、一写有奸雄过此、一写仔细思量，以邮亭下写亭下、以有奸雄过此写奸雄过此、以仔细思量写细细思量，写尽邮亭下有奸雄过此、仔细思量之情。以思写志，慷慨而深婉，是全词最动人处，也是「以思写志」的点睛之笔。
The closing three lines write the think-it-over-well, the landing of the ci's theme. Beneath the post house, if some treacherous hero passes this way, let him think it over well: the post house writing the relay station and the beneath; the treacherous hero passing writing the villain and the passing; the think-it-over-well writing the careful thought. Three lines, the station-beneath through the post house, the villain-passing through the treacherous hero, the careful thought through the think-it-over, exhausting the villain's passing and the careful thinking. Writing will through thought, impassioned and graceful, the ci's most moving place.
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Su Shi's 'Prelude to Water Melody' resolves the brief life in the philosophical acceptance of the moon's rounds; Wen Tianxiang's 'Spring in the Qin Garden' resolves it in the loyal blaze — the fame of the two lords of Suiyang kept fragrant for ten thousand years, and the great deed done in the brief moment.
苏轼《水调歌头·明月几时有》「但愿人长久，千里共婵娟」，写中秋怀人、旷达超然，是宋词长调的名篇；文天祥《沁园春》则以「骂贼睢阳，爱君许远，留得声名万古香」「好烈烈轰轰做一场」写骂贼睢阳、烈烈轰轰。两词同写长调言志、借古抒怀：一写但愿人长久千里共婵娟、以婵娟写美好祝愿，一写留得声名万古香、以声名写忠烈之志；一为苏轼之超然、一为文天祥之悲壮，并读正可见宋词写「长调言志」的两种笔法，皆于长调之中见言志。
山园小梅 The Small Plum of the Mountain Garden 林逋 · 同写咏古寄志、借物抒怀，一写疏影横斜水清浅暗香浮动月黄昏、一写古庙幽沈仪容俨雅枯木寒鸦几夕阳，皆于咏古之中见寄志 Both are the poems of the lasting fragrance — Lin Bu's hidden fragrance of the plum, Wen Tianxiang's fame fragrant for ten thousand years.Lin Bu's 'Small Plum of the Mountain Garden' — 'the hidden fragrance floats, the shadow is sparse' — is the quiet assertion of the lasting excellence; Wen Tianxiang's poem is the loyal assertion — the fame of the two lords kept fragrant for ten thousand years, the same fragrance carried by the loyal dead.
林逋《山园小梅》「疏影横斜水清浅，暗香浮动月黄昏」，写梅之清雅，是宋诗咏物的绝唱；文天祥《沁园春》则以「古庙幽沈，仪容俨雅，枯木寒鸦几夕阳」「邮亭下，有奸雄过此，仔细思量」写枯木寒鸦、仔细思量。两词同写咏古寄志、借物抒怀：一写疏影横斜水清浅暗香浮动月黄昏、以梅写清雅，一写古庙幽沈仪容俨雅枯木寒鸦几夕阳、以古庙写忠烈；一为林逋之清逸、一为文天祥之悲壮，并读正可见宋代写「咏古寄志」的两种笔法，皆于咏古之中见寄志。