宋 Song · 词 Ci lyric
瑞鹤仙
The Auspicious Crane Immortal
悄郊原带郭。
行路永，客去车尘漠漠。
斜阳映山落。
敛馀红、犹恋孤城栏角。
凌波步弱。
过短亭、何用素约。
有流莺劝我，重解绣鞍，缓引春酌。
不记归时早暮，上马谁扶，醒眠朱阁。
惊飙动幕。
扶残醉，绕红药。
叹西园、已是花深无地，东风何事又恶。
任流光过却。
犹喜洞天自乐。
The road stretches long; the guest departs, the carriage dust stretches dim and vast.
The slanting sun reflects on the hills as it sets.
Gathering its remnant red, it still lingers over the corner of the lone city's tower.
Her steps on the waves are weak,
Passing the short pavilion — why need a plain promise?
There is a warbling oriole urging me:
Loose the embroidered saddle again,
And slowly draw the spring cup.
I do not remember when I returned, early or late,
Who helped me mount the horse,
Or waking, slept in the vermilion tower.
A sudden gale stirs the curtains.
Supporting the remnant drunk, I circle the red peonies.
I sigh: in the western garden the flowers are already deep, with no ground left,
And why is the east wind cruel again?
Let the light pass by, pass by —
I am still glad to have the cave heaven, and my own delight.
Meaning
A lyric of the spent spring and the lingering wine, written by the Northern Song master of form, Zhou Bangyan. The poem opens at the departure: the wild plain girdling the city, the guest's carriage dust stretching dim, the slanting sun lingering over the lone city's tower. A woman's weak steps pass the short pavilion; a warbling oriole urges the poet to loose the embroidered saddle and slowly draw the spring cup — the morning of the farewell dissolved in wine. The poet does not remember when he returned, who helped him mount, or waking in the vermilion tower. A sudden gale stirs the curtains; supporting his remnant drunk, he circles the red peonies. He sighs: in the western garden the flowers are already deep with no ground left, and why is the east wind cruel again? And the close: let the light pass by, pass by — he is still glad to have the cave heaven, and his own delight. The lyric is the classic expression of the spent spring and the resigned enjoyment, the farewell and the wine and the flowers gathered into one day.
悄郊原带郭。行路永，客去车尘漠漠。斜阳映山落。敛馀红、犹恋孤城栏角。凌波步弱。过短亭、何用素约。有流莺劝我，重解绣鞍，缓引春酌。不记归时早暮，上马谁扶，醒眠朱阁。惊飙动幕。扶残醉，绕红药。叹西园、已是花深无地，东风何事又恶。任流光过却。犹喜洞天自乐。
Appreciation
[Plain Paraphrase] Quietly the wild plain girdles the city wall. The road stretches long; the guest departs, the carriage dust stretches dim. The slanting sun reflects on the hills as it sets, gathering its remnant red, still lingering over the corner of the lone city's tower. Her steps on the waves are weak, passing the short pavilion — why need a plain promise? A warbling oriole urges me: loose the embroidered saddle again, and slowly draw the spring cup. I do not remember when I returned, early or late, who helped me mount, or waking, slept in the vermilion tower. A sudden gale stirs the curtains. Supporting the remnant drunk, I circle the red peonies. I sigh: in the western garden the flowers are already deep, with no ground left — and why is the east wind cruel again? Let the light pass by, pass by — I am still glad to have the cave heaven, and my own delight. [Structure and Thought] The lyric moves through the departure and the wine, the lost interval of the drunk, and the waking in the tower; then the gale and the peonies, the sigh over the spent flowers, and the close of the resigned delight. [Key Technique] The poem's art is the art of the dissolved time: the poet does not remember the return, the mounting, the waking — the interval is lost in the wine, and the lyric's center is precisely this blank, filled only by the oriole's urging and the peonies. [Emotional Tone] Resigned, sensuous, and gently ironic: the spring is spent, the east wind cruel, but the poet keeps his cave heaven and his own delight — the enjoyment that survives the ruin.
【白话串讲】 周邦彦写《瑞鹤仙》：“悄郊原带郭。行路永，客去车尘漠漠”——“斜阳映山落。敛馀红、犹恋孤城栏角”——“有流莺劝我，重解绣鞍，缓引春酌”——他写送别——犹恋孤城栏角。 【意象与手法】 “悄郊原带郭。行路永，客去车尘漠漠”写郊原行路；“斜阳映山落。敛馀红、犹恋孤城栏角”写斜阳映山；“有流莺劝我，重解绣鞍，缓引春酌”写流莺劝酒；“凌波步弱、过短亭何用素约”写过短亭；结以“任流光过却。犹喜洞天自乐”写洞天自乐。含蓄旷达。 【情感与主旨】 周邦彦写春日郊游之作，写送客归途、春景与自得其乐，以“犹喜洞天自乐”写旷达情怀，是清真词中旷达一类的代表。 【名句点睛】 常考“斜阳映山落。敛馀红、犹恋孤城栏角”以斜阳馀红写暮景；“任流光过却。犹喜洞天自乐”以洞天自乐写旷达。
Background
Zhou Bangyan (1056–1121), courtesy name Meicheng, was the greatest master of form in the Northern Song lyric, the poet who perfected the structure, the prosody and the diction of the ci and whose work became the model for the Southern Song masters. This lyric, one of his most famous, shows his art at its most characteristic: the precise structure of the scenes, the dissolved time at the center, and the resigned philosophy of the close. The 'cave heaven' (dongtian) is the Daoist paradise — the poet's own retreat, the enjoyment that survives the spent spring.
《瑞鹤仙》为北宋词人周邦彦所作词。周邦彦（1056—1121），字美成，号清真居士，钱塘（今浙江杭州）人，北宋词人，精通音律，词风典雅精工，为婉约词集大成者，人称「词中老杜」。此词写春日郊游。词中「悄郊原带郭。行路永，客去车尘漠漠」写郊原行路；「斜阳映山落。敛馀红、犹恋孤城栏角」写斜阳映山；「凌波步弱。过短亭、何用素约」写过短亭；「有流莺劝我，重解绣鞍，缓引春酌」写流莺劝酒；「不记归时早暮，上马谁扶，醒眠朱阁」写醒眠朱阁；「惊飙动幕。扶残醉，绕红药」写扶醉绕花；「叹西园、已是花深无地，东风何事又恶」写西园花深；「任流光过却。犹喜洞天自乐」写洞天自乐。周邦彦此词以春日郊游、洞天自乐写其游春之情，含蓄旷达，是周邦彦词中的名篇。此篇《瑞鹤仙》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 composed structure and the dissolved center. The opening is precise: the wild plain, the city wall, the carriage dust, the slanting sun lingering over the tower. The woman's weak steps and the oriole's urging turn the departure into a wine-soaked morning. Then the lyric's masterstroke: the poet does not remember the return, the mounting, or the waking — the whole interval is blank, the time dissolved in the drunk. The waking returns to the precise: the gale stirring the curtains, the remnant drunk, the circling of the peonies, the sigh over the flowers deep with no ground left. The close resolves in the resigned delight: let the light pass, he has his cave heaven. The contrast of the precise scenes and the blank interval is the structure that makes the lyric's mood.
此词艺术上以「含蓄旷达、以景写情」见长。全词上片写郊原行路与流莺劝酒，下片写醒眠朱阁与洞天自乐。上片「悄郊原带郭。行路永，客去车尘漠漠」写郊原行路：悄郊原带郭，行路永，客去车尘漠漠；「斜阳映山落。敛馀红、犹恋孤城栏角」写斜阳映山：斜阳映山落，敛馀红、犹恋孤城栏角；「凌波步弱。过短亭、何用素约」写过短亭：凌波步弱，过短亭、何用素约；「有流莺劝我，重解绣鞍，缓引春酌」写流莺劝酒：有流莺劝我，重解绣鞍，缓引春酌。下片「不记归时早暮，上马谁扶，醒眠朱阁」写醒眠朱阁：不记归时早暮，上马谁扶，醒眠朱阁；「惊飙动幕。扶残醉，绕红药」写扶醉绕花：惊飙动幕，扶残醉，绕红药；「叹西园、已是花深无地，东风何事又恶」写西园花深：叹西园、已是花深无地，东风何事又恶；「任流光过却。犹喜洞天自乐」写洞天自乐：任流光过却，犹喜洞天自乐。全词含蓄旷达，以景写情，是周邦彦词中的名篇。
Allusions
'Her steps on the waves' (lingbo) is the goddess of the Luo River of Cao Zhi's rhapsody — the beloved of the parting, her weak steps passing the pavilion. 'The cave heaven' (dongtian) is the Daoist paradise of the grotto-heavens — the poet's own retreat, the enjoyment that survives the spent spring. 'The vermilion tower' is the painted tower of the pleasure and the waking; 'the red peonies' are the flower of the late spring, the object of the circling and the sigh.
词中「郊原带郭」「车尘漠漠」「斜阳映山」「敛馀红」「孤城栏角」「凌波步弱」「短亭」「素约」「流莺」「绣鞍」「春酌」「朱阁」「惊飙」「红药」「西园」「花深无地」「东风」「流光」「洞天自乐」等语，皆含典故故实。「郊原带郭」写郊原环绕城郭；「车尘漠漠」写车尘弥漫；「斜阳映山落」写斜阳映山而落；「敛馀红」写收敛残余之红霞；「孤城栏角」写孤城之栏角；「凌波步弱」用曹植《洛神赋》「凌波微步」之典，写步履轻盈（此指女子）；「短亭」写十里短亭（古有五里短亭、十里长亭）；「素约」写旧约；「流莺」写黄莺；「绣鞍」写绣饰之马鞍；「春酌」写春日之酒；「朱阁」写朱红之楼阁；「惊飙」写急风；「红药」写芍药（红药为芍药别名）；「西园」写西园（曹植有西园夜游）；「花深无地」写花多之极；「东风」写春风；「流光」写流逝之光阴；「洞天自乐」写自乐于洞天（仙境），暗含超然之意。词人以郊原带郭、凌波步弱、短亭、流莺、红药、洞天自乐等语入词，不着痕迹，而把春日郊游之情写得真切可感，是善于熔铸典故的体现。
Commentary
This lyric is one of Zhou Bangyan's most admired works, quoted as a model of the structured lyric and the art of the dissolved time. The blank interval at the center — the forgotten return, the forgotten waking — is often cited as one of the most original strokes in the history of the ci, and the close, with its cave heaven and its own delight, is the characteristic Zhou Bangyan resolution: the enjoyment that survives the ruin. Critics praise the lyric's formal precision and its resigned, sensuous philosophy.
这首《瑞鹤仙》，是周邦彦写春日郊游之作，写郊原车尘、流莺劝酒、洞天自乐之情，含蓄旷达。上片写郊原行路与流莺劝酒：「悄郊原带郭。行路永，客去车尘漠漠」——悄郊原带郭，行路永，客去车尘漠漠。写郊原行路：悄郊原带郭，行路永、客去车尘漠漠——郊原环绕城郭，客去车尘弥漫；「斜阳映山落。敛馀红、犹恋孤城栏角」——斜阳映山落，敛馀红、犹恋孤城栏角。写斜阳映山：斜阳映山而落，敛馀红、犹恋孤城栏角——斜阳敛红、恋于孤城栏角；「凌波步弱。过短亭、何用素约」——凌波步弱，过短亭、何用素约。写过短亭：凌波步弱，过短亭、何用素约——以凌波步写其人步履轻盈，过短亭何用旧约；「有流莺劝我，重解绣鞍，缓引春酌」——有流莺劝我，重解绣鞍，缓引春酌。写流莺劝酒：有流莺劝我，重解绣鞍、缓引春酌——莺声如劝我解鞍饮酒。下片写醒眠朱阁与洞天自乐：「不记归时早暮，上马谁扶，醒眠朱阁」——不记归时早暮，上马谁扶，醒眠朱阁。写醒眠朱阁：不记归时早暮，上马谁扶、醒眠朱阁——醉归不记早暮；「惊飙动幕。扶残醉，绕红药」——惊飙动幕，扶残醉，绕红药。写扶醉绕花：惊飙动幕，扶残醉、绕红药——急风动幕、扶醉绕芍药；「叹西园、已是花深无地，东风何事又恶」——叹西园、已是花深无地，东风何事又恶。写西园花深：叹西园已是花深无地，东风何事又恶——花深无地而东风又恶；「任流光过却。犹喜洞天自乐」——任流光过却，犹喜洞天自乐。写洞天自乐：任流光过却，犹喜洞天自乐——任光阴流过，犹自乐于洞天。这「任流光过却。犹喜洞天自乐」，是全词之结：以洞天自乐写其旷达。全词含蓄旷达，以景写情，正是周邦彦词中的名篇。
Prosody
Line by line
悄郊原带郭。
Quietly, the wild plain girdles the city wall.
悄郊原带郭。
Quiet, the country plain girdles the outer wall.
首句写郊原之境，起笔即见其景。「悄郊原带郭」写悄郊原带郭，「悄」写幽静、「郊原带郭」写郊原环绕城郭。一句以「悄」写郊原之幽静、以「郊原带郭」写其郊原环绕城郭之形，写尽幽静郊原、环绕城郭之景。起笔写景，为全词写春日郊游作铺垫，是「以景起兴」的妙笔。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。
The opening writes the country plain's realm, the scene present at the first stroke. Quiet, the country plain girdles the outer wall: the quiet writing the stillness, the plain-girdling-the-wall writing the countryside's ring around the city. One line, the plain's stillness through the quiet, the wall-encircling form through the plain, exhausting the quiet plain and the ringed wall. Opening on scene, storing the ground for the whole ci's spring outing, a wondrous brush of rising-on-scene. 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.
斜阳映山落。
The slanting sun reflects on the hills as it sets.
斜阳映山落。
The setting sun, reflected on the hills, goes down.
此句写斜阳映山，是全词写暮景的关键。「斜阳映山落」写斜阳映山落，「斜阳」写西斜之日、「映山落」写映山而落。一句以「斜阳」写日之西斜、以「映山落」写其映山而落，写尽斜阳映山、徐徐而落之暮景。以景写时，含蓄而清丽，是「以景写时」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 setting sun reflected on the hills, the ci's dusk-scene key. The setting sun, reflected on the hills, goes down: the setting sun writing the west-slanting sun, the reflected-and-fallen writing the hill-reflected falling. One line, the sun's westward slant through the setting sun, the slow falling through the reflected-on-hills, exhausting the setting sun and the slow descent. Writing time through scene, restrained and fair, a telling stroke of time-through-scene. 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.
有流莺劝我，重解绣鞍，缓引春酌。
There is a warbling oriole urging me: loose the embroidered saddle again, and slowly draw the spring cup.
有流莺劝我，重解绣鞍，缓引春酌。
The roaming oriole seems to urge me: again I unbind the embroidered saddle, and slowly pour the spring wine.
此三句写流莺劝酒，是全词写游春之乐的关键。「有流莺劝我」写有流莺劝我，「流莺」写黄莺、「劝我」写如劝我；「重解绣鞍」写重解绣鞍，「重解」写再解、「绣鞍」写绣饰之鞍；「缓引春酌」写缓引春酌，「缓引」写徐徐举杯、「春酌」写春日之酒。三句一写有流莺劝我、一写重解绣鞍、一写缓引春酌，以流莺写莺声如劝、以解鞍酌酒写其游春之乐，写尽流莺劝酒、解鞍缓酌之乐。以声写乐，含蓄而明快，是「以声写乐」的点睛之笔。
These three lines write the roaming oriole's urging of wine, the ci's spring-roaming joy key. The roaming oriole seems to urge me writes the yellow oriole and the as-if-urging; again I unbind the embroidered saddle writes the re-unbinding and the embroidered saddle; slowly pour the spring wine writes the slow raising and the spring wine. Three lines, the oriole-song-as-urging through the roaming oriole, the saddle-unbinding and wine-pouring through the spring-roaming joy, exhausting the oriole's urging and the slow pouring. Writing joy through sound, restrained and bright, a telling stroke of joy-through-sound.
任流光过却。
Let the light pass by, pass by —
任流光过却。
Let the fleeting light pass on.
此句写任流光过却，是全词写旷达的关键。「任流光过却」写任流光过却，「任」写任凭、「流光过却」写光阴流过。一句以「任」写其任凭、以「流光过却」写光阴之流过，写其任凭光阴流过而不以为意——流光过却，任之由之。以任写达，含蓄而旷达，是「以任写达」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 let-the-fleeting-light-pass, the ci's detachment key. Let the fleeting light pass on: the let writing the leaving-to, the fleeting-light's-passing writing the time's flow. One line, the leaving-to through the let, the time's flow through the fleeting light, writing the leaving the time's passing and the unconcern — the light's passing, the letting-go. Writing detachment through the letting, restrained and detached, a telling stroke of detachment-through-letting. 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.
Study
Word focus
Related Reading
Su Shi's 'Immortals at the River' — 'the night is deep, the wind still, the waves level' — returns from the drink by the river at night; Zhou Bangyan's 'Auspicious Crane Immortal' returns from the spring drink without remembering the way — the two great returning drunks of the Song.
苏轼《临江仙·夜归临皋》「夜饮东坡醒复醉，归来仿佛三更」「小舟从此逝，江海寄余生」，写夜饮归来、超然物外，是苏轼写旷达的名篇；周邦彦《瑞鹤仙》则以「不记归时早暮，上马谁扶，醒眠朱阁」「任流光过却。犹喜洞天自乐」写醉归醒眠、洞天自乐。两词同写醉归旷达、超然物外：一写夜饮东坡醒复醉、小舟江海寄余生、超旷，一写不记归时早暮、任流光过却、旷达；一为苏轼之超然、一为周邦彦之雅致，并读正可见宋词写「醉归旷达」的两种情致，皆于醉归中见旷达之怀。
水调歌头·明月几时有 Prelude to Water Melody: When Did the Bright Moon Begin? 苏轼 · 同写任时过却、超然自乐，一写人有悲欢离合月有阴晴圆缺、一写任流光过却犹喜洞天自乐，皆以旷达遣怀 Both close in the philosophical ease — Su Shi's 'people have their sorrows and joys,' Zhou Bangyan's 'let the light pass, I have my cave heaven.'Su Shi's 'Prelude to Water Melody' ends in the great acceptance of the moon's rounds; Zhou Bangyan's 'Auspicious Crane Immortal' ends in the smaller acceptance — the cave heaven and his own delight, the enjoyment that survives the spent spring.
苏轼《水调歌头·明月几时有》「人有悲欢离合，月有阴晴圆缺，此事古难全。但愿人长久，千里共婵娟」，以理遣怀、超旷旷达，是苏轼最著名的词；周邦彦《瑞鹤仙》则以「叹西园、已是花深无地，东风何事又恶」「任流光过却。犹喜洞天自乐」写任流光过却、洞天自乐。两词同写任时过却、超然自乐：一写人有悲欢离合月有阴晴圆缺、以理遣怀、超旷，一写任流光过却犹喜洞天自乐、以旷遣怀；一为东坡之超然、一为周邦彦之雅致，并读正可见宋词写「旷达遣怀」的两种情致，皆以旷达遣怀。