宋 Song · 词 Ci lyric
踏莎行
Treading on the Grass
润玉笼绡,檀樱倚扇。
绣圈犹带脂香浅。
榴心空叠舞裙红,艾枝应压愁鬟乱。
午梦千山,窗阴一箭。
香瘢新褪红丝腕。
隔江人在雨声中,晚风菰叶生秋怨。
The red lips of the cherry leaning on the fan.
The embroidered collar still carries the light fragrance of the powder.
The pomegranate heart emptily folds the red of the dancing skirt,
The mugwort branch should press the disordered knot of the sorrowful hair.
The noon dream, the thousand hills,
The window shade, the one arrow.
The fragrant scar newly recedes from the red thread of the wrist.
Across the river, the one is in the sound of the rain,
The evening wind, the leaves of the wild rice, breed the autumn grievance.
Meaning
A lyric of the dream and the grief, written by Wu Wenying. The moist jade veiled in the gauze, the red lips of the cherry leaning on the fan — the beloved of the dream, veiled and leaning. The embroidered collar still carries the light fragrance of the powder — the remembered fragrance. The pomegranate heart emptily folds the red of the dancing skirt, the mugwort branch should press the disordered knot of the sorrowful hair — the empty red and the disordered hair. The noon dream, the thousand hills, the window shade, the one arrow — the dream and the passing time. The fragrant scar newly recedes from the red thread of the wrist — the mark of the past. Across the river, the one is in the sound of the rain, the evening wind, the leaves of the wild rice, breed the autumn grievance — the distant one and the autumn grievance. The lyric is the dream and the grief: the veiled beloved, the noon dream, and the close's autumn grievance across the river.
润玉笼绡,檀樱倚扇。绣圈犹带脂香浅。榴心空叠舞裙红,艾枝应压愁鬟乱。午梦千山,窗阴一箭。香瘢新褪红丝腕。隔江人在雨声中,晚风菰叶生秋怨。
Appreciation
[Plain Paraphrase] The moist jade veiled in the gauze, the red lips of the cherry leaning on the fan. The embroidered collar still carries the light fragrance of the powder. The pomegranate heart emptily folds the red of the dancing skirt, the mugwort branch should press the disordered knot of the sorrowful hair. The noon dream, the thousand hills, the window shade, the one arrow. The fragrant scar newly recedes from the red thread of the wrist. Across the river, the one is in the sound of the rain, the evening wind, the leaves of the wild rice, breed the autumn grievance. [Structure and Thought] The lyric moves from the veiled beloved of the remembered past, through the empty red and the disordered hair, and the noon dream with the passing window shade, to the close's distant one in the rain and the autumn grievance of the evening wind. [Key Technique] The lyric's art is the dense image of the dream: the moist jade and the red lips of the beloved, the pomegranate heart and the mugwort branch of the festival, and the close's one across the river in the rain — the grief gathered in the dense images of the dream and the memory. [Emotional Tone] Dense, sorrowful, and dreaming: the lyric is the dream and the grief, the veiled beloved and the close's autumn grievance.
【白话串讲】 吴文英写《踏莎行》:“润玉笼绡,檀樱倚扇。绣圈犹带脂香浅”——“榴心空叠舞裙红,艾枝应压愁鬟乱”——“午梦千山,窗阴一箭”——“隔江人在雨声中,晚风菰叶生秋怨”——他写端午怀人——隔江人在雨声中。 【意象与手法】 “润玉笼绡,檀樱倚扇。绣圈犹带脂香浅”写女子妆饰;“榴心空叠舞裙红,艾枝应压愁鬟乱”写端午景物;“午梦千山,窗阴一箭”写午梦;“隔江人在雨声中,晚风菰叶生秋怨”以雨声菰叶写秋怨。含蓄深婉。 【情感与主旨】 吴文英写端午怀人之作,写端午时节追忆所思之人,以“隔江人在雨声中”写可望不可即的惆怅,是梦窗词中怀人写情的代表作。 【名句点睛】 常考“午梦千山,窗阴一箭”以午梦千山写梦远;“隔江人在雨声中,晚风菰叶生秋怨”以雨声菰叶写秋怨。
Background
Wu Wenying (c. 1200–1260), the master of the dense and ornate lyric of the Southern Song, wrote this 'Treading on the Grass' of the dream and the grief — the remembered beloved of the noon dream. The moist jade veiled in the gauze and the red lips of the cherry, the pomegranate heart and the mugwort branch of the festival, the noon dream and the passing window shade, and the close's one across the river in the sound of the rain — the lyric gathers the grief of the dream, the dense images of the beloved and the autumn grievance. The lyric is one of the masterworks of the dense school.
《踏莎行》为南宋词人吴文英所作词。吴文英(约1200—约1260),字君特,号梦窗,四明(今浙江宁波)人,南宋词人,词风密丽深婉,为「梦窗词」之宗。此词写怀人端午,为端午怀人之作。词中「润玉笼绡,檀樱倚扇。绣圈犹带脂香浅」写润玉笼绡;「榴心空叠舞裙红,艾枝应压愁鬟乱」写榴心空叠;「午梦千山,窗阴一箭」写午梦千山;「香瘢新褪红丝腕。隔江人在雨声中,晚风菰叶生秋怨」写晚风菰叶。吴文英此词以怀人端午、晚风菰叶写其怀人之情,含蓄深婉,是吴文英词中的名篇。此篇《踏莎行》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。此篇《踏莎行》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 dense image. The beloved opens: the moist jade veiled in the gauze, the red lips of the cherry leaning on the fan — the veiled jade and the leaning lips, the beloved of the memory; the embroidered collar still carries the light fragrance of the powder — the remembered fragrance. The festival follows: the pomegranate heart emptily folds the red of the dancing skirt, the mugwort branch should press the disordered knot of the sorrowful hair — the empty red of the skirt and the disordered hair, the festival of the grief. The dream: the noon dream, the thousand hills, the window shade, the one arrow — the dream of the thousand hills and the passing of the shade; the fragrant scar newly recedes from the red thread of the wrist — the mark of the past. And the close gathers the grief: across the river, the one is in the sound of the rain, the evening wind, the leaves of the wild rice, breed the autumn grievance — the distant one in the rain and the autumn grievance of the evening — the grief gathered in the close, the dream and the grievance.
此词艺术上以「含蓄深婉、密丽以情」见长。全词上片写润玉笼绡与榴心空叠,下片写午梦千山与晚风菰叶。上片「润玉笼绡,檀樱倚扇。绣圈犹带脂香浅」写润玉笼绡:润玉笼绡,檀樱倚扇,绣圈犹带脂香浅;「榴心空叠舞裙红,艾枝应压愁鬟乱」写榴心空叠:榴心空叠舞裙红,艾枝应压愁鬟乱。下片「午梦千山,窗阴一箭」写午梦千山:午梦千山,窗阴一箭;「香瘢新褪红丝腕。隔江人在雨声中,晚风菰叶生秋怨」写晚风菰叶:香瘢新褪红丝腕,隔江人在雨声中,晚风菰叶生秋怨。全词含蓄深婉,密丽以情,是吴文英词中的名篇。通篇以少总多之法出之,章法严谨而用意深曲,意象凝练而情韵悠长,读之愈久,愈觉其构思之精与笔力之健,堪称同类诗作中不可多得之佳篇,足见诗人炉火纯青的艺术功力。通篇以少总多之法出之,章法严谨而用意深曲,意象凝练而情韵悠长,读之愈久,愈觉其构思之精与笔力之健,堪称同类诗作中不可多得之佳篇,足见诗人炉火纯青的艺术功力。
Allusions
'The moist jade' (run yu) is the jade of the beloved — the moist jade veiled in the gauze, the image of the fair one; 'the red lips of the cherry' (tan ying) are the red lips — the lips of the cherry leaning on the fan; 'the pomegranate heart' (liu xin) is the pomegranate of the fifth month — the festival of the Duanwu; 'the mugwort branch' (ai zhi) is the mugwort of the festival — the mugwort branch of the Duanwu, pressing the hair; 'the red thread of the wrist' (hong si wan) is the red thread of the wrist — the charm of the festival, the fragrant scar of the past.
词中「润玉笼绡」「檀樱倚扇」「绣圈犹带脂香浅」「榴心空叠舞裙红」「艾枝应压愁鬟乱」「午梦千山」「窗阴一箭」「香瘢新褪红丝腕」「隔江人在雨声中」「晚风菰叶生秋怨」等语,皆含典故故实。「润玉笼绡」写润玉笼绡(润玉为肌肤、绡为薄纱);「檀樱倚扇」写檀樱倚扇(檀樱为檀口朱唇);「绣圈犹带脂香浅」写绣圈犹带脂香浅;「榴心空叠舞裙红」写榴心空叠舞裙红(榴为端午之物);「艾枝应压愁鬟乱」写艾枝应压愁鬟乱(艾为端午插艾之俗);「午梦千山」写午梦千山;「窗阴一箭」写窗阴一箭(一箭喻时间短,如光阴似箭);「香瘢新褪红丝腕」写香瘢新褪红丝腕(红丝腕为端午系五彩丝之俗,腕上红丝新褪);「隔江人在雨声中」写隔江人在雨声中;「晚风菰叶生秋怨」写晚风菰叶生秋怨(菰叶为茭白之叶)。词人以端午榴艾、红丝腕、窗阴一箭等语入词,不着痕迹,而把端午怀人之情写得真切可感,是善于熔铸意象的体现。
Commentary
This lyric is one of the masterworks of Wu Wenying's dense school, quoted for the density of its images. The moist jade veiled in the gauze, and the one across the river in the sound of the rain, are among the admired passages of the master's lyrics. Critics praise the lyric's density: the grief gathered in the dense images of the dream and the memory, to the close's autumn grievance.
这首《踏莎行》,是吴文英写怀人端午之作,写润玉笼绡、榴心空叠、晚风菰叶之情,含蓄深婉。上片写润玉笼绡与榴心空叠:「润玉笼绡,檀樱倚扇。绣圈犹带脂香浅」——润玉笼绡,檀樱倚扇,绣圈犹带脂香浅。写润玉笼绡:润玉笼绡、檀樱倚扇,绣圈犹带脂香浅——润玉笼绡、檀樱倚扇、绣圈脂香浅;「榴心空叠舞裙红,艾枝应压愁鬟乱」——榴心空叠舞裙红,艾枝应压愁鬟乱。写榴心空叠:榴心空叠舞裙红、艾枝应压愁鬟乱——榴心叠舞裙红、艾枝压愁鬟乱。下片写午梦千山与晚风菰叶:「午梦千山,窗阴一箭」——午梦千山,窗阴一箭。写午梦千山:午梦千山、窗阴一箭——午梦千山、窗阴一箭;「香瘢新褪红丝腕。隔江人在雨声中,晚风菰叶生秋怨」——香瘢新褪红丝腕,隔江人在雨声中,晚风菰叶生秋怨。写晚风菰叶:香瘢新褪红丝腕、隔江人在雨声中,晚风菰叶生秋怨——红丝腕新褪、隔江人雨声中、晚风菰叶生秋怨。这「隔江人在雨声中,晚风菰叶生秋怨」,是全词之结:以晚风菰叶写其怀人秋怨。全词含蓄深婉,密丽以情,正是吴文英词中的名篇。
Prosody
Line by line
润玉笼绡,檀樱倚扇。
The moist jade veiled in the gauze, the red lips of the cherry leaning on the fan.
润玉笼绡,檀樱倚扇。
Jade-smooth flesh veiled in gauze, sandal-cherry lips leaning on a fan.
首二句写润玉笼绡,起笔即见其人。「润玉笼绡」写润玉笼绡,「润玉」写润洁如玉之肌肤、「笼绡」写笼着薄纱;「檀樱倚扇」写檀樱倚扇,「檀樱」写檀口朱唇、「倚扇」写倚着扇。两句一写润玉笼绡、一写檀樱倚扇,以润玉笼绡写其人如润玉、以檀樱倚扇写其倚扇,写尽润玉笼绡、檀樱倚扇之情。以人起兴,含蓄而密丽,是「以人起兴」的妙笔。
The opening two lines write the jade-flesh-veiled-in-gauze, the first stroke at once seeing the person. The jade-smooth-flesh-veiled-in-gauze writing the lustrous jade flesh and the thin gauze; the sandal-cherry-lips-leaning-on-a-fan writing the sandal lips and the fan's leaning. Two lines one writing the veiled gauze, one the leaning fan, using the veiled jade flesh for the person's jade-like beauty and the cherry-lips-fan for the fan's leaning, exhausting the veiled flesh and leaning-lips feeling. Using the person's uprising, reserved and dense-ornate, the person-uprising wondrous brush.
榴心空叠舞裙红,艾枝应压愁鬟乱。
The pomegranate heart emptily folds the red of the dancing skirt, the mugwort branch should press the disordered knot of the sorrowful hair.
榴心空叠舞裙红,艾枝应压愁鬟乱。
The pomegranate heart vainly folds the dancer's red skirt; the mugwort sprig must weigh down the grief-tousled bun.
此二句写榴心空叠,是全词以端午写愁的关键。「榴心空叠舞裙红」写榴心空叠舞裙红,「榴心空叠」写榴花空自叠、「舞裙红」写舞裙之红;「艾枝应压愁鬟乱」写艾枝应压愁鬟乱,「艾枝」写艾枝、「应压愁鬟乱」写应压着含愁之鬟而乱。两句一写榴心空叠舞裙红、一写艾枝应压愁鬟乱,以榴心空叠写榴空叠、以舞裙红写裙红、以艾枝压愁鬟写其鬟乱,写尽榴心空叠舞裙红、艾枝应压愁鬟乱之情。以端午写愁,含蓄而深婉,是「以端午写愁」的点睛之笔。
These two lines write the pomegranate heart's vain folding, the whole ci's Dragon-Boat grief-writing key. The pomegranate-heart-vainly-folds-the-dancer's-red-skirt writing the bloom's vain folding and the red skirt; the mugwort-sprig-must-weigh-down-the-grief-tousled-bun writing the mugwort sprig and the tousled bun. Two lines one writing the red skirt's folding, one the mugwort's bun-weighing, using the pomegranate's vain folding for the empty bloom and the dancer's red for the skirt's color, exhausting the red skirt's folding and mugwort's grief-tousled bun feeling. Using the festival for the grief-writing, reserved and deep-gentle, the festival-writes-grief telling stroke.
午梦千山,窗阴一箭。
The noon dream, the thousand hills, the window shade, the one arrow.
午梦千山,窗阴一箭。
A noon dream of a thousand mountains; the window's shadow, an arrow's flight.
此二句写午梦千山,是全词写梦短的关键。「午梦千山」写午梦千山,「午梦」写午间之梦、「千山」写千山;「窗阴一箭」写窗阴一箭,「窗阴」写窗上之阴、「一箭」写如箭之一瞬。两句一写午梦千山、一写窗阴一箭,以午梦千山写梦之远、以窗阴一箭写时之短,写尽午梦千山、窗阴一箭之情。以梦写情,含蓄而深婉,是「以梦写情」的点睛之笔。
These two lines write the noon dream's thousand mountains, the whole ci's dream's-shortness key. The noon-dream-of-a-thousand-mountains writing the midday dream and the thousand mountains; the window's-shadow-an-arrow's-flight writing the shadow's arrow-flight instant. Two lines one writing the dream's far mountains, one the shadow's arrow's shortness, exhausting the dream's far and time's brief feeling. Using the dream for the feeling-writing, reserved and deep-gentle, the dream-writes-feeling telling stroke.
隔江人在雨声中,晚风菰叶生秋怨。
Across the river, the one is in the sound of the rain, the evening wind, the leaves of the wild rice, breed the autumn grievance.
隔江人在雨声中,晚风菰叶生秋怨。
Across the river, a figure in the rain's sound; evening wind on the wild-rice leaves begets autumn grief.
尾二句写晚风菰叶,是全词立意的落点。「隔江人在雨声中」写隔江人在雨声中,「隔江」写隔江、「人在雨声中」写人在雨声之中;「晚风菰叶生秋怨」写晚风菰叶生秋怨,「晚风菰叶」写晚风中菰叶、「生秋怨」写生出秋怨。两句一写隔江人在雨声中、一写晚风菰叶生秋怨,以隔江人雨声写人隔江、以晚风菰叶生秋怨写秋怨之生,写尽隔江人在雨声中、晚风菰叶生秋怨之情。以怨写情,含蓄而深挚,是全词最动人处,也是「以怨写情」的点睛之笔。
The closing two lines write the evening wind's wild-rice leaves, the whole ci's intention landing. The across-the-river-a-figure-in-the-rain's-sound writing the divided river and the rain-sound; the evening-wind-on-the-wild-rice-leaves-begets-autumn-grief writing the wind-beleaguered leaves and the grief's birth. Two lines one writing the figure's rain-sound, one the wind's leaves' autumn-grief, exhausting the figure-in-rain and wind-begets-autumn-grief feeling. Using the grievance for the feeling-writing, reserved and deep, the whole ci's most moving place, the grievance-writes-feeling telling stroke.
Study
Word focus
Related Reading
Yan Shu's 'Butterflies Lingering over Flowers' — 'the fence chrysanthemums sorrow in the smoke, the orchids weep in the dew' — is the alone and the grief of the autumn; Wu Wenying's 'Treading on the Grass' — 'across the river, the one is in the sound of the rain' — is the grievance of the distance — the two grievances of the autumn, the one of the courtyard, the other of the river.
晏殊《蝶恋花·槛菊愁烟兰泣露》「槛菊愁烟兰泣露。罗幕轻寒,燕子双飞去」,写秋景离愁,是宋词写愁的名篇;吴文英《踏莎行》则以「午梦千山,窗阴一箭」「隔江人在雨声中,晚风菰叶生秋怨」写午梦千山、晚风菰叶生秋怨。两词同写独自凝愁、雨声秋怨:一写槛菊愁烟兰泣露、以菊烟写愁,一写隔江人在雨声中晚风菰叶生秋怨、以雨声菰叶写怨;一为晏殊之温润、一为吴文英之密丽,并读正可见宋词写「风雨凝愁」的两种笔法,皆于风雨之中见凝愁。
八声甘州·对潇潇暮雨洒江天 Eight Beats of Ganzhou: Facing the Evening Rain That Spatters the Long River 柳永 · 同写秋雨苍茫、相思之情,一写对潇潇暮雨洒江天、一写隔江人在雨声中,皆于秋雨之中见相思 Both are the lyrics of the rain and the longing — the evening rain of the river, the one in the rain across the river — the two rains of the longing.Liu Yong's 'Eight Beats of Ganzhou' — 'facing the evening rain that spatters the long river' — is the longing of the wanderer in the rain; Wu Wenying's 'Treading on the Grass' — 'across the river, the one is in the sound of the rain' — is the longing of the separated one in the rain — the two rains of the longing, the one of the wanderer, the other of the dreamer.
柳永《八声甘州·对潇潇暮雨洒江天》「对潇潇暮雨洒江天,一番洗清秋」,写秋雨苍茫、羁旅之愁,是宋词写羁旅的名篇;吴文英《踏莎行》则以「隔江人在雨声中,晚风菰叶生秋怨」写隔江人在雨声中、晚风菰叶生秋怨。两词同写秋雨苍茫、相思之情:一写对潇潇暮雨洒江天、以暮雨写清秋,一写隔江人在雨声中、以雨声写相思;一为柳永之清丽、一为吴文英之密丽,并读正可见宋词写「秋雨相思」的两种笔法,皆于秋雨之中见相思。