宋 Song · 诗 Poem
晚泊岳阳
Mooring at Night at Yueyang
昔者王子猷之爱竹，造门不问于主人，陶渊明之卧舆，遇酒便留于道士。
况西湖之胜概，擅东颍之佳名。
虽美景良辰，固多于高会。
而清风明月，幸属于闲人。
并游或结于良朋，乘兴有时而独往。
鸣蛙暂听，安问属官而属私。
曲水临流，自可一觞而一咏。
至欢然而会意，亦傍若于无人。
乃知偶来常胜于特来，前言可信。
所有虽非于己有，其得已多。
因翻旧阕之辞，写以新声之调，敢阵薄伎，聊佐清欢。
Arrived at the gate, and asked not of the host;
Tao Yuanming, in his lying carriage,
Met with the wine, and stayed with the Taoist.
How much more the surpassing view of the West Lake,
Holding the good name of the East Ying.
Though the fine scenes and the good hours
Are indeed many at the high gatherings,
Yet the clear wind and the bright moon
Fortunately belong to the idle man.
Then I know that the occasional coming always excels the particular coming,
And the former words may be trusted.
Meaning
A passage of the leisurely enjoyment of the West Lake, written by Ouyang Xiu in his later years. Of old, Wang Ziyou, in his love of the bamboo, arrived at the gate and asked not of the host; Tao Yuanming, in his lying carriage, met with the wine and stayed with the Taoist — the freedom of the ancients, the arrival without the asking and the stay for the wine. How much more the surpassing view of the West Lake, holding the good name of the East Ying — the surpassing view of the lake. Though the fine scenes and the good hours are indeed many at the high gatherings, yet the clear wind and the bright moon fortunately belong to the idle man — the clear wind and the bright moon of the idle man. Then he knows that the occasional coming always excels the particular coming, and the former words may be trusted — the occasional over the particular. The passage is the leisurely enjoyment of the later years: the freedom of the ancients, the surpassing view of the lake, and the clear wind and the bright moon of the idle man.
昔者王子猷之爱竹，造门不问于主人，陶渊明之卧舆，遇酒便留于道士。况西湖之胜概，擅东颍之佳名。虽美景良辰，固多于高会。而清风明月，幸属于闲人。并游或结于良朋，乘兴有时而独往。鸣蛙暂听，安问属官而属私。曲水临流，自可一觞而一咏。至欢然而会意，亦傍若于无人。乃知偶来常胜于特来，前言可信。所有虽非于己有，其得已多。因翻旧阕之辞，写以新声之调，敢阵薄伎，聊佐清欢。
Appreciation
[Plain Paraphrase] Of old, Wang Ziyou, in his love of the bamboo, arrived at the gate and asked not of the host; Tao Yuanming, in his lying carriage, met with the wine and stayed with the Taoist. How much more the surpassing view of the West Lake, holding the good name of the East Ying. Though the fine scenes and the good hours are indeed many at the high gatherings, yet the clear wind and the bright moon fortunately belong to the idle man. Then I know that the occasional coming always excels the particular coming, and the former words may be trusted. [Structure and Thought] The passage moves from the freedom of the ancients — the arrival without the asking, the stay for the wine — through the surpassing view of the West Lake, to the clear wind and the bright moon of the idle man, and the close's knowing of the occasional over the particular. [Key Technique] The passage's art is the reasoning through the example: the ancients of the freedom, and the close's 'the occasional coming always excels the particular coming' — the leisure of the idle man reasoned from the examples, the philosophy of the enjoyment. [Emotional Tone] Leisurely, clear, and content: the passage is the enjoyment of the later years, the freedom of the ancients and the clear wind and the bright moon.
【白话串讲】 欧阳修写《晚泊岳阳》：“卧闻岳阳城里钟，系舟岳阳城下树”——“正见空江明月来，云水苍茫失江路”——“夜深江月弄清辉，水上人歌月下归”——“一阕声长听不尽，轻舟短楫去如飞”——他夜泊岳阳——轻舟短楫去如飞。 【意象与手法】 “卧闻岳阳城里钟，系舟岳阳城下树”以闻钟写夜泊；“正见空江明月来，云水苍茫失江路”以明月写江景；“夜深江月弄清辉，水上人歌月下归”以江月清辉写夜景；结以“一阕声长听不尽，轻舟短楫去如飞”以歌声写渔歌。以动写静、清新开阔。 【情感与主旨】 欧阳修夜泊岳阳之作，写空江明月、云水苍茫的壮阔夜景与渔歌归舟的悠然，体现欧阳修诗清新自然的风格。 【名句点睛】 常考“正见空江明月来，云水苍茫失江路”以空江明月写夜景；“夜深江月弄清辉，水上人歌月下归”以江月清辉写渔歌。
Background
Ouyang Xiu (1007–1072) wrote this passage in his later years at the West Lake of the East Ying — the leisure of the retirement. Wang Ziyou's arrival without the asking of the host and Tao Yuanming's stay with the Taoist for the wine — the freedom of the ancients; the surpassing view of the West Lake and the good name of the East Ying; and the clear wind and the bright moon of the idle man, with the knowing that the occasional coming excels the particular coming — the passage is the preface of the master's enjoyment, the leisure of the later years gathered in the examples of the ancients.
《晚泊岳阳》为北宋文学家欧阳修所作序文。欧阳修（1007—1072），字永叔，号醉翁、六一居士，庐陵（今江西吉安）人，北宋政治家、文学家，唐宋八大家之一。此文写景感怀，为晚泊岳阳之作。文中「昔者王子猷之爱竹，造门不问于主人，陶渊明之卧舆，遇酒便留于道士」写王子猷之爱竹，陶渊明之卧舆；「况西湖之胜概，擅东颍之佳名」写西湖之胜概；「虽美景良辰，固多于高会。而清风明月，幸属于闲人」写美景良辰，清风明月；「并游或结于良朋，乘兴有时而独往」写并游结于良朋；「鸣蛙暂听，安问属官而属私。曲水临流，自可一觞而一咏」写鸣蛙暂听，一觞一咏；「至欢然而会意，亦傍若于无人」写欢然而会意；「乃知偶来常胜于特来，前言可信。所有虽非于己有，其得已多」写偶来常胜于特来；「因翻旧阕之辞，写以新声之调，敢阵薄伎，聊佐清欢」写翻旧阕之辞，聊佐清欢。欧阳修此文以写景感怀、偶来常胜于特来写其感怀之情，含蓄深婉，是欧阳修文中的名篇。
Art
The passage's art is the art of the reasoning through the examples. The ancients open: of old, Wang Ziyou, in his love of the bamboo, arrived at the gate and asked not of the host — the arrival without the asking; Tao Yuanming, in his lying carriage, met with the wine and stayed with the Taoist — the stay for the wine — the freedom of the ancients, the two examples of the leisure. The view follows: how much more the surpassing view of the West Lake, holding the good name of the East Ying — the surpassing view of the lake. The idle man: though the fine scenes and the good hours are indeed many at the high gatherings, yet the clear wind and the bright moon fortunately belong to the idle man — the clear wind and the bright moon of the idle man, the high gatherings against the idle enjoyment. And the close gathers the philosophy: then he knows that the occasional coming always excels the particular coming, and the former words may be trusted — the occasional over the particular, the leisure of the idle man reasoned from the examples — the enjoyment of the later years, the clear wind and the bright moon of the close.
此文艺术上以「含蓄深婉、以序见长」见长。全篇由昔者王子猷之爱竹、况西湖之胜概而虽美景良辰、而清风明月、至欢然而会意、乃知偶来常胜于特来。起「昔者王子猷之爱竹，造门不问于主人，陶渊明之卧舆，遇酒便留于道士」写王子猷之爱竹：昔者王子猷之爱竹，陶渊明之卧舆；「况西湖之胜概，擅东颍之佳名」写西湖之胜概：况西湖之胜概；「虽美景良辰，固多于高会。而清风明月，幸属于闲人」写美景良辰：虽美景良辰，而清风明月；「乃知偶来常胜于特来，前言可信」写偶来常胜于特来：乃知偶来常胜于特来。全篇以序见长，由王子猷之爱竹而偶来常胜于特来，含蓄深婉，是欧阳修文中的名篇。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。
Allusions
'Wang Ziyou, in his love of the bamboo' (Wang Ziyou ai zhu) is the story of Wang Huizhi — the arrival at the gate of the bamboo, asking not of the host; 'Tao Yuanming, in his lying carriage' (Tao Yuanming wo yu) is the story of Tao Yuanming — the meeting with the wine, the stay with the Taoist; 'the West Lake of the East Ying' (Ying hu / Dong Ying) is the lake of the retirement — the surpassing view of the lake; 'the idle man' (xian ren) is the idle man of the leisure — the poet himself of the retirement.
文中「昔者王子猷之爱竹造门不问于主人陶渊明之卧舆遇酒便留于道士」「况西湖之胜概擅东颍之佳名」「虽美景良辰固多于高会」「而清风明月幸属于闲人」「曲水临流自可一觞而一咏」「乃知偶来常胜于特来前言可信」等语，皆含典故故实。「昔者王子猷之爱竹造门不问于主人陶渊明之卧舆遇酒便留于道士」用王子猷、陶渊明之典（子猷爱竹、渊明嗜酒）；「况西湖之胜概擅东颍之佳名」写况西湖之胜概擅东颍之佳名；「虽美景良辰固多于高会」写虽美景良辰固多于高会；「而清风明月幸属于闲人」写而清风明月幸属于闲人；「曲水临流自可一觞而一咏」用兰亭曲水之典，写曲水临流自可一觞而一咏；「乃知偶来常胜于特来前言可信」写乃知偶来常胜于特来前言可信。文人以王子猷、陶渊明、兰亭曲水等典入文，不着痕迹，而把写景感怀之情写得真切可感，是善于熔铸典故的体现。
Commentary
This passage is one of the famous prefaces of Ouyang Xiu, quoted for the leisure of its close. The freedom of the ancients and the clear wind and the bright moon of the idle man, and the knowing of the occasional over the particular, are among the admired passages of the master. Critics praise the passage's leisure: the enjoyment of the later years reasoned from the examples, to the clear wind and the bright moon of the idle man.
这篇《晚泊岳阳》，是欧阳修写景感怀之作，写西湖之胜概、而清风明月幸属于闲人、乃知偶来常胜于特来之情，含蓄深婉。起「昔者王子猷之爱竹，造门不问于主人，陶渊明之卧舆，遇酒便留于道士」——昔者王子猷之爱竹（用子猷爱竹之典），造门不问于主人，陶渊明之卧舆（用渊明嗜酒之典），遇酒便留于道士。写王子猷之爱竹：王子猷之爱竹、陶渊明之卧舆——子猷爱竹、渊明卧舆；「况西湖之胜概，擅东颍之佳名」——况西湖之胜概，擅东颍之佳名。写西湖之胜概：西湖之胜概、擅东颍之佳名——西湖胜概、东颍佳名；「虽美景良辰，固多于高会。而清风明月，幸属于闲人」——虽美景良辰，固多于高会。而清风明月，幸属于闲人。写美景良辰：虽美景良辰、而清风明月——美景良辰、清风明月；「至欢然而会意，亦傍若于无人」——至欢然而会意，亦傍若于无人。写欢然而会意：欢然而会意、傍若于无人——欢然会意、傍若无人；结「乃知偶来常胜于特来，前言可信。所有虽非于己有，其得已多」——乃知偶来常胜于特来，前言可信。写偶来常胜于特来：偶来常胜于特来、其得已多——偶来胜于特来、得已多。这「乃知偶来常胜于特来，前言可信」，是全篇之结：以偶来常胜于特来写其感怀。全篇含蓄深婉，以序见长，正是欧阳修文中的名篇。
Prosody
Line by line
昔者王子猷之爱竹，造门不问于主人，陶渊明之卧舆，遇酒便留于道士。
Of old, Wang Ziyou, in his love of the bamboo, arrived at the gate and asked not of the host; Tao Yuanming, in his lying carriage, met with the wine and stayed with the Taoist.
昔者王子猷之爱竹，造门不问于主人，陶渊明之卧舆，遇酒便留于道士。
Of old, Wang Ziyou loved bamboo, coming to the gate without asking the host; Tao Yuanming in his carriage, meeting wine would linger with the Taoist.
起句写王子猷之爱竹，起笔即见其趣。昔者王子猷之爱竹，造门不问于主人——用子猷爱竹之典，写爱竹而造门不问主人；陶渊明之卧舆，遇酒便留于道士——用渊明嗜酒之典，写卧舆而遇酒便留。两句一写王子猷之爱竹、一写陶渊明之卧舆，以王子猷之爱竹写爱竹之趣、以陶渊明之卧舆写嗜酒之趣，写尽王子猷之爱竹、陶渊明之卧舆之情。以典起兴，含蓄而深婉，是「以典起兴」的妙笔。
The opening line writes Wang Ziyou's love of bamboo, the first stroke at once seeing the delight. Of-old-Wang-Ziyou-loved-bamboo-coming-to-the-gate-without-asking-the-host — using the Ziyou-loves-bamboo allusion, writing the bamboo-love's gate's no-host-asking; Tao-Yuanming's-carriage-meeting-wine-would-linger-with-the-Taoist — using the Yuanming-loves-wine allusion, writing the carriage's wine's lingering. Two lines one writing the bamboo love and one the wine carriage, using the bamboo-love for the bamboo delight and the wine-carriage for the wine delight, exhausting the two old men's feelings. Using the allusion's uprising, reserved and deep-gentle, the allusion-uprising wondrous brush.
况西湖之胜概，擅东颍之佳名。
How much more the surpassing view of the West Lake, holding the good name of the East Ying.
况西湖之胜概，擅东颍之佳名。
Moreover, the West Lake's fair scenery claims the finest name of eastern Ying.
此二句写西湖之胜概，是全篇写景的关键。「况西湖之胜概」写况西湖之胜概，「西湖之胜概」写西湖胜概；「擅东颍之佳名」写擅东颍之佳名，「擅」写独占、「东颍之佳名」写东颍佳名。两句一写况西湖之胜概、一写擅东颍之佳名，以况西湖之胜概写西湖胜概、以擅东颍之佳名写东颍佳名，写尽况西湖之胜概、擅东颍之佳名之情。以景写胜，含蓄而明快，是「以景写胜」的点睛之笔。
These two lines write the West-Lake scenery, the whole piece's scene key. The moreover-the-West-Lake's-fair-scenery writing the West Lake's beauty; claims-the-finest-name-of-eastern-Ying writing the exclusive claim and the fine name. Two lines one writing the lake's beauty, one the eastern-Ying's fame, using the lake's beauty for the scenery's triumph and the eastern-Ying's fame for the fair name, exhausting the West Lake's renown. Using the scene for the triumph-writing, reserved and bright, the scene-writes-triumph telling stroke.
虽美景良辰，固多于高会。
Though the fine scenes and the good hours are indeed many at the high gatherings.
虽美景良辰，固多于高会。
Though fair scenery and fine moments are many at grand gatherings.
「虽美景良辰，固多于高会」写虽美景良辰固多于高会，是全篇写良辰的关键。虽美景良辰——写虽美景良辰；固多于高会——写固多于高会。一句写虽美景良辰，固多于高会，以虽美景良辰写良辰、以固多于高会写高会，写尽虽美景良辰、固多于高会之情。良辰美景、多在高会，正是以景写情的点睛之笔，把闲适中的感怀写得真切可感。
The though-fair-scenery-and-fine-moments-are-many-at-grand-gatherings writing the fine-moment condition, the whole piece's fine-moment key. Though fair scenery and fine moments; they are indeed many at grand gatherings. One line writing the fine moments and the grand gathering, using the scenery-and-moments for the season and the grand-gathering for the feast, exhausting the fair-time abundance. The fine moments and grand gatherings, precisely the scene-writes-feeling telling stroke, writing the leisure's feeling's real and touchable.
而清风明月，幸属于闲人。
Yet the clear wind and the bright moon fortunately belong to the idle man.
而清风明月，幸属于闲人。
Yet the clear wind and bright moon belong, by good fortune, to the idle man.
「而清风明月，幸属于闲人」写而清风明月幸属于闲人，是全篇写闲情的关键。而清风明月——写清风明月；幸属于闲人——写幸属闲人。一句写而清风明月，幸属于闲人，以而清风明月写明月、以幸属于闲人写属闲人，写尽而清风明月、幸属于闲人之情。清风明月、幸属闲人，正是以闲写情的点睛之笔，把闲适旷达的情怀写得从容可感。
The yet-the-clear-wind-and-bright-moon-belong-by-good-fortune-to-the-idle-man writing the leisure feeling, the whole piece's leisure key. The clear wind and bright moon; by good fortune they belong to the idle. One line writing the wind-and-moon's belonging, using the wind-moon for the moon and the idle-man's-belonging for the idler's portion, exhausting the wind-and-moon's idle belonging. The clear wind and bright moon's belonging to the idle, precisely the leisure-writes-feeling telling stroke, writing the open leisure's feeling's composed and touchable.
乃知偶来常胜于特来，前言可信。
Then I know that the occasional coming always excels the particular coming, and the former words may be trusted.
乃知偶来常胜于特来，前言可信。
Thus I know the chance visit is often better than the intended one; the old words are trustworthy.
结句写偶来常胜于特来，是全篇立意的落点。「乃知偶来常胜于特来」写乃知偶来常胜于特来，「偶来常胜于特来」写偶来胜于特来；「前言可信」写前言可信，「前言」写前言、「可信」写可信。两句一写乃知偶来常胜于特来、一写前言可信，以乃知偶来常胜于特来写偶来胜特来、以前言可信写前言可信，写尽乃知偶来常胜于特来、前言可信之情。以理写情，含蓄而深婉，是全篇最动人处，也是「以理写情」的点睛之笔。
The closing line writes the chance-visit-often-better-than-the-intended-one, the whole piece's intention landing. Thus-I-know-the-chance-visit-is-often-better-than-the-intended-one writing the chance-and-intended comparison; the old-words-are-trustworthy writing the trustworthy words. Two lines one writing the chance's triumph and one the old words, using the chance-visit's-triumph for the impromptu's victory and the old-words-trustworthy for the truth, exhausting the impromptu's victory and the trustworthy old saying. Using the reason for the feeling-writing, reserved and deep-gentle, the whole piece's most moving place, the reason-writes-feeling telling stroke.
Study
Word focus
Related Reading
Yan Shu's 'Silk-Washing Stream' — 'a new song, a cup of wine' — is the leisure of the spring, the passing of the time; Ouyang Xiu's passage — 'the clear wind and the bright moon, fortunately belong to the idle man' — is the leisure of the retirement — the two leisures of the Song masters, the one of the spring, the other of the lake.
晏殊《浣溪沙·一曲新词酒一杯》「无可奈何花落去，似曾相识燕归来」，写闲适感怀，是宋词小令的名篇；欧阳修《晚泊岳阳》则以「乃知偶来常胜于特来，前言可信」「而清风明月，幸属于闲人」写偶来胜特来、清风明月属闲人。两文同写闲适感怀、无可奈何：一写无可奈何花落去、以花落燕归写惜时，一写乃知偶来常胜于特来前言可信、以偶来写闲适；一为晏殊之温润、一为欧阳修之旷达，并读正可见文写「闲适感怀」的两种笔法，皆于闲适之中见感怀。
山园小梅 The Small Plum in the Mountain Garden 林逋 · 同写隐逸清雅、以景寄情，一写疏影横斜水清浅暗香浮动月黄昏、一写而清风明月幸属于闲人，皆于隐逸之中见清雅 Both are the works of the enjoyment of the idle man — the plum of the hermit, the lake of the retired — the two leisures of the Song.Lin Bu's 'The Small Plum in the Mountain Garden' — 'the sparse shadows, the slanting water, the clear shallow' — is the enjoyment of the plum of the hermit; Ouyang Xiu's passage — 'the surpassing view of the West Lake' — is the enjoyment of the lake of the retired — the two leisures of the Song, the one of the plum, the other of the lake.
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、隐逸之趣，是宋诗咏物的绝唱；欧阳修《晚泊岳阳》则以「而清风明月，幸属于闲人」「乃知偶来常胜于特来，前言可信」写清风明月属闲人、偶来胜特来。两文同写隐逸清雅、以景寄情：一写疏影横斜水清浅暗香浮动月黄昏、以梅写清雅，一写而清风明月幸属于闲人、以明月写闲情；一为林逋之清逸、一为欧阳修之旷达，并读正可见文写「隐逸清雅」的两种笔法，皆于隐逸之中见清雅。