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宋 Song · 词 Ci lyric

望江南·超然台作

Tune: Wang Jiang Nan — Written at the Chaoran Terrace

苏轼

Su Shi

春日Spring Day 思乡Homesickness

春未老，风细柳斜斜。
试上超然台上看，半壕春水一城花。
烟雨暗千家。
寒食后，酒醒却咨嗟。
休对故人思故国，且将新火试新茶。
诗酒趁年华。

Spring is not yet old; the wind is fine, the willows lean, lean.
I try climbing the Chaoran Terrace to look: half a moat of spring water, a city of flowers.
Mist and rain darken a thousand homes.
After Cold Food, the wine worn off, I sigh.
Do not face old friends and long for the old country; rather take the new fire and try the new tea.
With poetry and wine, seize the years.

Listen

Meaning

Spring is not yet spent, the wind gentle, the willows aslant. Climbing the Chaoran Terrace, the poet sees a half-moat of spring water and a whole city of blossoms, while mist and rain darken a thousand roofs. After Cold Food, waking from wine, he sighs with homesickness. Yet he counsels himself: do not sit with old friends longing for home; instead brew the new-fire tea and, with poetry and wine, make the most of the years. It is a classic of dissolving homesickness through broad-mindedness.

春还未老，风细柳斜斜。试上超然台上看，半壕春水一城花。烟雨暗千家。寒食后，酒醒却咨嗟。休对故人思故国，且将新火试新茶。诗酒趁年华。

Appreciation

A famous lyric by Su Shi on climbing a terrace in spring and homesickness, written at Mizhou (1076). The upper stanza paints the spring scene — gentle wind, leaning willows, half-moat of water, a city of flowers, mist-darkened homes; the lower turns to feeling — the Cold Food sigh, then the broad-minded resolve not to brood on home but to enjoy new tea and poetry while the years are young. 'Half a moat of spring water, a city of flowers' and 'with poetry and wine, seize the years' are lines for the ages, showing Su Shi's gift of meeting longing with equanimity.

【白话串讲】苏轼写《望江南·超然台作》：“春未老，风细柳斜斜”——“试上超然台上看，半壕春水一城花”——“烟雨暗千家”——“寒食后，酒醒却咨嗟”——“休对故人思故国，且将新火试新茶。诗酒趁年华”——他劝自己趁年华诗酒。【意象与手法】此词是苏轼写春日登台思乡的名篇，写超然台上的春景与思乡的旷达，是苏轼词中「以旷达写思乡」的名篇。上片写景：「春未老，风细柳斜斜」写春日的和风细柳；「试上超然台上看，半壕春水一城花，烟雨暗千家」写登台所见的春水春花，是千古名句。下片写情：「寒食后，酒醒却咨嗟」写寒食酒醒的叹息；「休对故人思故国，且将新火试新茶，诗酒趁年华」写不必思乡、以诗酒自娱的旷达，是千古名句。全词以春景写思乡，以「诗酒趁年华」写旷达，是苏轼「以旷达化解乡愁」的名篇。【情感与主旨】此词约作于宋神宗熙宁九年（1076）春，时苏轼任密州（今山东诸城）知州，登超然台（苏轼在密州所筑，弟苏辙题名「超然台」）作此词。苏轼因与王安石政见不合自请外任，由杭州通判转密州知州，在密州虽政务繁忙，却筑超然台以「游乎物之外」。此词写其寒食后登台所见与思乡之情。词中「春未老，风细柳斜斜」写春日的和风细柳——春还未老，风细柳斜斜，写尽春日的和煦；「试上超然台上看，半壕春水一城花，烟雨暗千家」写登台所见——半壕春水、一城春花，烟雨暗千家，写尽密州春日的繁华与烟雨；「寒食后，酒醒却咨嗟」写寒食酒醒的叹息——寒食节后，酒醒却咨嗟（叹息），那「咨嗟」写尽思乡的叹息；「休对故人思故国，且将新火试新茶，诗酒趁年华」写不必思乡的旷达——休要对故人思念故国（故乡），且将新火（寒食后举的新火）试新茶，诗酒趁年华，那「休对」「且将」「诗酒趁年华」写尽以诗酒化解乡愁的旷达。全词以「半壕春水一城花」的春景写思乡的叹息，以「诗酒趁年华」写旷达的化解，是苏轼「以旷达化解乡愁」的名篇。【名句点睛】常考“试上超然台上看，半壕春水一城花，烟雨暗千家”写登台所见的春水春花；“休对故人思故国，且将新火试新茶。诗酒趁年华”写以旷达化解乡愁。

Background

Written in spring of the ninth year of Xining (1076) at Mizhou, where Su Shi was prefect. In 1074 he moved from Hangzhou to Mizhou; in winter 1075 he repaired an old terrace north of the city, and his brother Su Zhe wrote the Record of the Chaoran Terrace and named it 'Chaoran' (from Laozi's 'though there be glory, dwell at ease'). In spring 1076, after Cold Food, Su Shi climbed it, saw Mizhou's spring, and, thinking of his distant home in Meishan, wrote this lyric. 'Spring not yet old' and 'wind fine, willows lean' capture the mild season; 'half a moat of spring water, a city of flowers, mist darkens a thousand homes' the terrace view; 'after Cold Food, wine worn off, I sigh' the homesick sigh (Cold Food being a time to mourn ancestors); 'do not face old friends and long for the old country, rather take new fire and try new tea, with poetry and wine seize the years' the broad-minded resolve. It is a key work for understanding his Chaoran (detached, at-ease) outlook.

此词约作于宋神宗熙宁九年（1076）春，是苏轼写春日登台思乡的词。熙宁七年（1074），苏轼由杭州通判改任密州（今山东诸城）知州；熙宁八年冬，苏轼修葺密州城北旧台，弟苏辙为作《超然台记》并题名「超然」（取《老子》「虽有荣观，燕处超然」之意，苏轼自作文记之），苏轼遂以「超然」名台。熙宁九年寒食节后，苏轼登超然台，见密州春景，思及故乡（苏轼故乡在四川眉山，久宦未归），作此词。词中「春未老，风细柳斜斜」写春日的和风细柳——「春未老」写春还未老（春日将暮未暮），「风细柳斜斜」写风细柳斜（和风轻拂，柳丝斜斜），写尽春日的和煦；「试上超然台上看，半壕春水一城花，烟雨暗千家」写登台所见——「试上超然台上看」写登上超然台眺望，「半壕春水一城花」写半壕（半沟）春水、一城春花，那春水与春花写尽密州春日的美景，「烟雨暗千家」写烟雨笼罩千家，那「暗」字写烟雨的迷蒙，写尽春日烟雨的迷蒙；「寒食后，酒醒却咨嗟」写寒食酒醒的叹息——「寒食后」写寒食节后（寒食节在清明前一二日，禁火三日），「酒醒却咨嗟」写酒醒后却咨嗟（叹息），那「咨嗟」写尽思乡的叹息——寒食节是思亲的节日（寒食祭扫），酒醒后触景生情，咨嗟叹息；「休对故人思故国，且将新火试新茶，诗酒趁年华」写不必思乡的旷达——「休对故人思故国」写休要对故人思念故国（故国此处指故乡，令人想到「故国神游」的用法），「且将新火试新茶」写且将新火（寒食禁火后举的新火）试新茶（春茶），「诗酒趁年华」写趁年华以诗酒自娱，那「休对」「且将」「诗酒趁年华」写尽以诗酒化解乡愁的旷达。此词是苏轼「以旷达化解乡愁」的名篇，那「诗酒趁年华」正是其在密州「游乎物之外」（超然）心境的写照，也是理解苏轼旷达人生观的关键作品。

Art

Four levels: First, scene leading into feeling — the spring scene is the trigger of homesickness, the sigh its expression, the 'seize the years' its resolution, blending scene and emotion. Second, 'mist and rain darken a thousand homes' uses 'darken' for the mist's obscurity, covertly mirroring the darkened heart of longing. Third, 'do not… rather…' — the turn from 'do not face old friends and long' to 'rather take new fire and try new tea' is a self-consolation of broad-mindedness. Fourth, closing with 'seize the years' — timely enjoyment as the resolution, leaving a long aftertaste. These make it a classic of dissolving homesickness through equanimity.

此词的艺术特色可从四个层面解析。其一，由景入情的构思。全词以春日春景写思乡之情——那「半壕春水一城花」的春景，正是思乡的触媒；那「酒醒却咨嗟」的叹息，正是春景中的乡愁；那「诗酒趁年华」的旷达，正是乡愁的化解，由景入情、情景交融。其二，以「烟雨暗千家」写迷蒙。「烟雨暗千家」以「暗」字写烟雨的迷蒙——那烟雨笼罩千家，写尽春日的迷蒙，也暗写乡愁的迷蒙（那「暗」字既是写烟雨，也是写心境的迷蒙）。其三，以「休对」「且将」写旷达。「休对故人思故国，且将新火试新茶」以「休对」写不必思乡、以「且将」写姑且自娱，那「休对」「且将」的转折，写尽以旷达化解乡愁的自我宽慰。其四，以「诗酒趁年华」写收束。「诗酒趁年华」以「趁年华」写及时行乐——趁年华未老，以诗酒自娱，那「诗酒趁年华」以旷达收束，写尽「超然」的深意，余味悠长。四重手法层层推进，使此词成为苏轼词中「以旷达化解乡愁」的名篇。

Allusions

The imagery is rooted in the traditions of homesickness and broad-mindedness. 'Spring not yet old' belongs to the cherish-spring tradition; 'wind fine, willows lean' to the willow-seeing-off tradition (He Zhizhang). 'Half a moat of spring water, a city of flowers' echoes Bai Juyi's 'river flowers red as fire.' 'Mist and rain darken a thousand homes' echoes Du Mu's 'how many towers in the mist and rain.' 'Cold Food' evokes Han Hong's Cold Food poem. 'New fire' evokes the ancient custom of changing fire after Cold Food. 'Old country' here means hometown (as in his Red Cliff 'old country in spirit-wander'). 'With poetry and wine seize the years' echoes Li Bai's seize-the-moment and Du Fu's release-with-wine. Drawing on Laozi, He Zhizhang, Bai Juyi, Du Mu, Li Bai, the poem writes homesickness through scene and broad-mindedness through poetry and wine.

此词的意象与用语深植于思乡与旷达传统。「春未老，风细柳斜斜」写春日的和风细柳——「春未老」写春还未老（令人想到「春色恼人眠不得」的惜春传统），「风细柳斜斜」写和风细柳（令人想到「不知细叶谁裁出，二月春风似剪刀」（贺知章《咏柳》）的柳意象与「杨柳依依」的送别传统），那「风细柳斜斜」写尽春日的和煦。「试上超然台上看，半壕春水一城花，烟雨暗千家」写登台所见——「超然台」写苏轼在密州所筑之台（台名「超然」，取《老子》「燕处超然」之意），「半壕春水一城花」写半壕春水、一城春花（令人想到「日出江花红胜火，春来江水绿如蓝」（白居易《忆江南》）的春水春花意象），「烟雨暗千家」写烟雨千家（令人想到「南朝四百八十寺，多少楼台烟雨中」（杜牧《江南春》）的烟雨意象），那「烟雨暗千家」以「暗」字写烟雨的迷蒙。「寒食后，酒醒却咨嗟」写寒食酒醒的叹息——「寒食」写寒食节（清明前禁火，令人想到「春城无处不飞花，寒食东风御柳斜」（韩翃《寒食》）的寒食意象与「寒食东风」的节令传统），「咨嗟」写叹息（令人想到「咨嗟」的叹惜用法），那寒食酒醒的咨嗟，正是思乡的叹息；「休对故人思故国，且将新火试新茶，诗酒趁年华」写不必思乡的旷达——「故国」写故乡（令人想到「故国神游，多情应笑我早生华发」（苏轼《念奴娇·赤壁怀古》）的「故国」用法），「新火」写寒食禁火后举的新火（令人想到「改火」的传统：周代季春改火，寒食后举新火），「新茶」写春茶，「诗酒趁年华」写趁年华以诗酒自娱（令人想到「人生得意须尽欢，莫使金樽空对月」（李白《将进酒》）的及时行乐与「白日放歌须纵酒」（杜甫）的纵酒传统），那「休对」「且将」「诗酒趁年华」写尽以旷达化解乡愁的自我宽慰。全词化用《老子》、贺知章、白居易、杜牧、李白的意象与传统，以春景写乡愁、以诗酒写旷达，正是苏轼「以旷达化解乡愁」的本领。

Commentary

Long esteemed as Su Shi's lyric on homesickness and broad-mindedness, source of 'half a moat of spring water, a city of flowers' and 'with poetry and wine, seize the years.' Critics note it uses Mizhou's spring to write homesickness and the 'do not… rather… seize the years' to write the broad-minded resolution — a fine work of his Mizhou broad-mindedness-meets-longing manner. Its special value: the spring scene against the homesick sigh, and above all 'do not face old friends and long for the old country, rather take new fire and try new tea, with poetry and wine seize the years' — a line for the ages that counsels turning from brooding to present joy, the very song of the Chaoran heart. 'Half a moat of spring water, a city of flowers, mist darkens a thousand homes' is a famous spring scene; 'seize the years' a famous resolve. Alongside the Record of the Chaoran Terrace, it embodies his Mizhou detachment.

此词历来被推为苏轼写思乡与旷达的名篇，也是「半壕春水一城花」「诗酒趁年华」等名句的出处。历代论者对此词评价较高：论者多指出此词以密州春景写思乡之情，以「休对故人思故国，且将新火试新茶，诗酒趁年华」写旷达的化解，是苏轼密州时期「以旷达写乡愁」的佳作。在文学史上，此词的特殊价值在于：它以春日春景写出了乡愁与旷达的对照——那「半壕春水一城花」的春景，写尽了密州春日的美好；那「酒醒却咨嗟」的叹息，写尽了寒食思乡的惆怅；而那「休对故人思故国，且将新火试新茶，诗酒趁年华」更是千古名句——休要思念故乡，且将新火试新茶，趁年华未老以诗酒自娱，那「休对」「且将」「诗酒趁年华」写尽了以旷达化解乡愁的自我宽慰，正是「超然」心境的绝唱。词中「半壕春水一城花，烟雨暗千家」以春水春花写密州春景，是千古名句；「休对故人思故国，且将新火试新茶，诗酒趁年华」写以诗酒化解乡愁，更是千古名句。此词与苏轼的《超然台记》（「游乎物之外」）互为表里，都是其在密州「超然」心境的写照。对于今日读者，此词是理解苏轼「超然」人生观与「以旷达化解乡愁」的窗口，也是感受中国词「思乡与旷达」传统的典范——那半壕春水、一城春花、新火新茶、诗酒年华，穿越千年，仍在安慰着每一个思乡的游子。

Prosody

Form Lyric (Tune: Wang Jiang Nan; double mode, fifty-four characters)词（望江南，双调五十四字）

Rhyme The upper stanza rhymes with the level-tone ma rhyme (lean, flowers, homes); the lower with the level-tone ma rhyme (sigh, tea, years). The ma rhymes are long and bright, suiting the scene-and-feeling style.上片押平声麻韵（斜、花、家），下片押平声麻韵（嗟、茶、华），韵脚皆属麻部，韵音悠长明快，正合其写景抒情的风格。

Tone pattern The tune Wang Jiang Nan (aka Yi Jiang Nan), double mode of fifty-four characters, three level rhymes per stanza, its seven- and five-character lines serving the emotion. Two stanzas: upper on the spring terrace view; lower on Cold Food homesickness and broad-mindedness. The seven-character lines' unfolding against the five-character lines' brevity, with long bright rhymes, suit the style.此词为「望江南」（又名《忆江南》）词牌，双调五十四字，上下片各三平韵，以七言与五言的错落为抒情服务。全词按内容可分为两片：上片写春日登台所见（春未老、风细柳斜斜、半壕春水一城花、烟雨暗千家）；下片写寒食思乡与旷达（寒食后酒醒却咨嗟、休对故人思故国、且将新火试新茶、诗酒趁年华）。声调上，全词以七言句（半壕春水一城花）的舒展与五言句（风细柳斜斜）的短促错落，韵音悠长明快，正合其写景抒情的风格。

Reading note A Wang Jiang Nan short lyric using seven- and five-character lines to write spring terrace and homesick broad-mindedness — Su Shi's gift of feeling through the lyric. Two stanzas: upper scene, lower feeling. Level-tone ma rhymes, long and bright, matching the bright 'half a moat of spring water, a city of flowers' and the broad 'seize the years.' Read the upper stanza brightly, the lower with broad-minded depth — especially 'do not face old friends… seize the years,' with equanimity and feeling.此词是「望江南」双调小令，以七言与五言的错落写春日登台与思乡旷达，正是苏轼「以词写情」的本领。全词两片：上片写景（春未老、风细柳斜斜、半壕春水一城花、烟雨暗千家），下片写情（酒醒却咨嗟、休对故人思故国、诗酒趁年华）。声调上，全词以平声麻韵为韵脚，韵音悠长明快，配合「半壕春水一城花」的明丽与「诗酒趁年华」的旷达，全篇音节明快而不失深情。诵读此词，宜以明快的语调读上片的春景，以旷达的语调读下片的思乡与自娱，尤其「休对故人思故国，且将新火试新茶，诗酒趁年华」三句，要读得旷达而深情，方能传达出苏轼「以旷达化解乡愁」的深意。苏轼词以「旷达」著称，此词正是其密州时期「超然」心境的经典。

Line by line

试上超然台上看，半壕春水一城花。

I try climbing the Chaoran Terrace to look: half a moat of spring water, a city of flowers. (A famous line: 'try climbing' shows the eager anticipation of the ascent; 'half a moat' against 'a city' sets the spring water and blossoms in bright, generous proportion, capturing Mizhou's spring splendor and the terrace's detached vantage — the very justification of the terrace's name.)

试着登上超然台眺望，半壕春水、一城春花。

Try climbing the Chaoran Terrace to gaze: half the moat in spring water, a whole city of flowers.

这两句是写登台所见的名句，也是千古名句，以「半壕春水一城花」写密州春日的繁华，画面明丽。「试上超然台上看」写登台眺望——试着登上超然台上眺望，「试上」写登台的试探（那「试」字写登台时的兴致与期待），「超然台」写密州城北的台（苏轼所筑、苏辙题名），写尽登台的位置；「半壕春水一城花」写春水春花——半壕（半沟）春水、一城春花，「半壕春水」写那半沟的春水（春水满壕，写尽春水的丰盈），「一城花」写满城的春花（那春花满城，写尽春日的繁华），那「半壕春水一城花」以「半壕」与「一城」对举，写尽密州春日的明丽与繁华。这两句的深意在于：它以「半壕春水一城花」写密州春日的胜景——那春水半壕、春花一城，正是登台所见的最美景致；而这两句也是「超然台」得名的注脚——登超然台，见春水春花，正是「游乎物之外」的超然；那「试上」的兴致、「半壕春水一城花」的明丽，写尽苏轼登台赏春的旷达。以「半壕」对「一城」写春色、以「试上」写兴致，正是苏轼「以景写情」的本领，也让这两句成为写密州春景的千古名句。

These two lines write the terrace-gaze's famed line, and the through-the-ages famed line, using the half-moat-spring-water-and-whole-city-of-flowers for the Mizhou spring's prosperity, the picture bright. The try-climbing-the-Chaoran-Terrace-to-gaze writing the terrace gaze — the try-on writing the terrace climb's trial (the try word's terrace-climb's delight-and-expectation), the Chaoran Terrace writing the Mizhou-north terrace (Su Shi's built, Su Zhe's titled), exhausting the terrace position; the half-moat-spring-water-whole-city-of-flowers writing the spring water and spring flowers — the half-moat (half-ditch) spring water and whole city of spring flowers, the half-moat-spring-water writing the half-ditch spring water (the spring water's full moat, exhausting the spring water's abundance), the whole-city-of-flowers writing the city-full spring flowers (the spring flowers' city-full, exhausting the spring's prosperity), the half-moat-and-whole-city's parallel, exhausting the Mizhou spring's brightness-and-prosperity. These two lines' deep meaning: they use the half-moat-spring-water-and-whole-city-of-flowers for the Mizhou spring's triumphant scene — the half-moat spring water and whole-city spring flowers, precisely the terrace-gaze's most beautiful sight; and these two lines' also the Chaoran Terrace's naming annotation — climbing the Chaoran Terrace, seeing the spring water and spring flowers, precisely the roaming-beyond-things' detachment; the try-on's delight and the half-moat-spring-water's brightness, exhausting Su Shi's terrace-spring-gazing openness. Using the half-moat-to-whole-city's parallel for the spring color and the try-on for the delight, precisely Su Shi's scene-writes-feeling craft, and making these two lines the Mizhou-spring-scene's through-the-ages famed line.

休对故人思故国，且将新火试新茶。

Do not face old friends and long for the old country; rather take the new fire and try the new tea. (A famous line of broad-mindedness: 'do not' bids himself stop brooding on home, 'rather' turns to the simple pleasure of new-fire tea. The turn from 'do not' to 'rather' is the essence of Chaoran — since homesickness cannot be helped, turn to the fresh joys of the present.)

休要对故人思念故乡，且将新火试煮新茶。

Grieve not for the old home with old friends; rather use the new fire to brew the new tea.

这两句是写旷达的名句，以「休对」「且将」写不必思乡、且自寻乐，转折而旷达。「休对故人思故国」写不必思乡——休要对故人思念故国（故乡），「休对」写不必、不要（那「休对」写对思乡的自我劝止），「故人」写旧友（在密州的友人），「思故国」写思念故乡（故国此处指故乡，苏轼故乡在四川眉山），那「休对故人思故国」写尽对思乡的劝止——寒食思乡，最易触景伤情，故「休对故人思故国」；「且将新火试新茶」写且自寻乐——且将新火（寒食禁火后举的新火）试新茶（春茶），「且将」写姑且、暂且（那「且将」写退而求其次的自娱），「新火试新茶」写以新火煮新茶，那「新火」「新茶」写尽春日的新鲜与生活的趣味，那「且将新火试新茶」写尽以生活之乐化解乡愁的自娱。这两句的深意在于：它以「休对」与「且将」的转折，写出了以旷达化解乡愁的自我宽慰——那「休对故人思故国」是劝自己不要沉溺乡愁，那「且将新火试新茶」是劝自己转向生活的趣味；那「休对」「且将」的转折，正是「超然」的精髓——既然乡愁难解，不如转向新火新茶的生活之乐；那「新火」「新茶」的新鲜，正是对「故国」之思的化解。以「休对」写劝止、以「且将」写自娱，正是苏轼「以旷达化解乡愁」的本领，也让这两句成为写旷达的千古名句。

These two lines write the openness's famed line, using the grieve-not and rather-let for the not-homesickness-and-self-delight, the turn and the openness. The grieve-not-for-the-old-home-with-old-friends writing the not-homesickness — grieve-not-for-the-old-home with old friends, the grieve-not writing the no-need and the not (the grieve-not writing the homesickness's self-admonition), the old friend writing the old friend (the Mizhou friend), the homesickness writing the home-longing (the old country here meaning the home, Su Shi's home in Sichuan Meishan), the grieve-not-for-the-old-home-with-old-friends exhausting the homesickness's admonition — the cold-food homesickness, the easiest scene-triggered grief, hence the grieve-not; the rather-use-the-new-fire-to-brew-the-new-tea writing the self-delight — rather use the new fire (the cold-food-banned-fire's relit new fire) to brew the new tea (the spring tea), the rather-let writing the for-now (the rather-let writing the second-best self-amusement), the new-fire-brews-new-tea writing the new fire's brewing the new tea, the new-fire-and-new-tea exhausting the spring's freshness and life's delight, the rather-use-the-new-fire-to-brew-the-new-tea exhausting the life-joy's dissolving-the-homesickness self-amusement. These two lines' deep meaning: they use the grieve-not and rather-let's turn, writing the openness's dissolving-the-homesickness self-comfort — the grieve-not-for-the-old-home-with-old-friends's admonishing himself's not-sinking-in-homesickness, the rather-use-the-new-fire-to-brew-the-new-tea's admonishing himself's turning-to-life's-delight; the grieve-not and rather-let's turn, precisely the Chaoran essence — since the homesickness's hard-to-dissolve, the rather's turning to the new-fire-and-new-tea life's joy; the new-fire-and-new-tea's freshness, precisely the old-country-longing's dissolving. Using the grieve-not for the admonition and the rather-let for the self-delight, precisely Su Shi's openness-dissolves-homesickness craft, and making these two lines the openness's through-the-ages famed line.

Study

Word focus

斜斜 Lean, lean (reduplicative). Describes the willows' aslant, drooping motion in the gentle wind — both the soft form of the willows and the mildness of spring. The doubled character gives a lively, tender cadence; 'drooping' or 'swaying' would lose the specific aslant quality paired with 'fine wind.' 「斜斜」二字是写春日细柳的关键字，以叠字写柳丝的斜垂，生动而传神。斜斜，斜斜地下垂、斜拂的样子。苏轼以「风细柳斜斜」写春日，一个「斜斜」，至少有双重意味：其一，写柳丝之斜拂——「斜斜」写柳丝斜斜下垂、随风轻拂的样子——那和风中，柳丝斜斜地拂动，如美人低垂的鬓发，「斜斜」写尽柳丝的柔美与和风的轻拂；其二，写春日之和煦——「风细柳斜斜」以「风细」写风之柔和、「柳斜斜」写柳之斜拂，那风细柳斜斜，正是春日和煦的标志——没有风狂，只有风细；没有柳直，只有柳斜，那「斜斜」写尽春日的和煦与闲适。以「斜斜」写柳，正是苏轼炼字的本领：那「斜斜」二字，既是写柳丝的形态（斜垂），也是写春风的柔和（风细柳斜），更是写春日的情态（和煦闲适）——令人想到「碧玉妆成一树高，万条垂下绿丝绦」（贺知章《咏柳》）的垂柳意象，都是「垂」与「斜」的柔美。若换作「垂垂」「袅袅」等词，则或失其「斜拂」的动态，或失其与「风细」的相映；唯「斜斜」二字，以叠字写尽柳丝的斜拂与春日的和煦，也让「风细柳斜斜」成为写春景的名句。

休 Do not / stop. The word of broad-mindedness: 'do not face old friends and long for the old country' — a decisive self-command to cease brooding, the first step of turning from grief to equanimity. Paired with 'rather,' it makes the turning explicit; it is a firm inner order, the crux of dissolving homesickness. 「休」字是写旷达的关键字，一个「休」字写尽对思乡的自我劝止，转折而决绝。休者，不要、停止也。苏轼以「休对故人思故国」写思乡，一个「休」字，至少有双重意味：其一，写劝止之决绝——「休对」写不要对故人思念故国，「休」字写对思乡的断然劝止——那「休」字，不是委婉的劝慰，而是断然的自我命令（不要再思乡了！），写尽对思乡的决绝；其二，写旷达之转折——「休」字与「且将」呼应，写旷达的转折——「休对故人思故国」（不要再思乡），「且将新火试新茶」（姑且以新茶自娱），那「休」字写尽以旷达化解乡愁的第一步——先断然放下，才能转向新火新茶的诗酒生活。以「休」写思乡，正是苏轼「以旷达化解乡愁」的本领：一个「休」字，既是写对思乡的断然劝止（不要再思乡了），也是写旷达的转折（放下乡愁，转向生活）——那「休」字，把乡愁的纠缠与旷达的决绝写得简洁有力；令人想到「休说鲈鱼堪脍」（辛弃疾《水龙吟》）的「休说」与「人生得意须尽欢」的放下，都是「断然放下」的旷达。若换作「莫」「不」等字，则或失其「休」的决绝，或失其与「且将」的转折；唯「休」字，以一字写尽对思乡的劝止与旷达的转折，也让「休对故人思故国」成为写旷达的千古名句。