宋 Song · 词 Ci lyric
晏几道·阮郎归·天边金掌露成霜
Return of the Wanderer · By Heaven's Edge the Bronze Palm Drips Frost from Dew
阮郎归·天边金掌露成霜天边金掌露成霜，云随雁字长。
绿杯红袖趁重阳，人情似故乡。
兰佩紫，菊簪黄，殷勤理旧狂。
欲将沉醉换悲凉，清歌莫断肠。
The clouds follow the geese's script, long and drawn.
Green cups, red sleeves, in time for the Double Ninth—
The warmth of human feeling is like my old home.
Orchid purple at the waist, chrysanthemum gold in the hair,
Tenderly I set my former wildness in order.
I would trade deep drunkenness to buy off desolate grief—
Let the clear song not snap the heart in two.
Meaning
The bronze palm of the celestial immortal has gathered frost from the dew; clouds stretch along with the wild-geese formation. Holding green wine and beside red sleeves, just in time for the Double Ninth Festival, the warmth of human feeling here is like that of my hometown. Orchids purple at the waist, yellow chrysanthemums pinned in the hair, I tenderly gather up my old wildness. I had thought to use deep drunkenness to replace the desolate grief in my heart, yet I bid the clear song not to break one's heart.
天边的铜仙掌上，露水已凝结成霜；云朵随雁阵拉得细长。捧着绿酒、伴着红袖，正赶上重阳佳节，此地人情竟似故乡般温暖。腰间佩紫兰，鬓边簪黄菊，殷勤地收拾起往日的疏狂。本想用沉醉去替换心中的悲凉，却劝清歌莫要唱得令人断肠。
Appreciation
This lyric sets a rich, brilliant surface against a desolate, grieving heart, a sharp contrast. The upper part's 'green cups and red sleeves' and the lower part's 'orchid purple, chrysanthemum gold' blaze with colour, painting the bustling mirth of a Double Ninth outing; yet 'the clouds follow the geese's script' secretly hints at a traveller's thoughts, and 'the warmth is like my old home' hides coolness within warmth. The line 'tenderly I set my former wildness in order' writes a forced ease, and the close 'I would trade deep drunkenness for desolate grief' lays bare the truth—even wine cannot buy off the grief, so it asks the clear song not to break the heart, ending the utmost sorrow in a turning, gentle phrase. The whole piece writes grief through joy, its feeling breathing in and out, truly the heir of the flower-and-bird lyricists yet more sombre.
【白话串讲】 重阳节，晏几道和朋友们喝酒，“人情似故乡”——热闹得像在故乡。可他说：“欲将沉醉换悲凉”——想用喝醉换掉心里的悲凉。越热闹，越孤独。 【意象与手法】 此词以秾丽之色写凄婉之情，形成强烈反差。上片「绿杯红袖」、下片「兰佩紫，菊簪黄」色彩斑斓，绘出重阳宴游的繁华热闹；而「云随雁字长」暗逗羁旅之思，「人情似故乡」于暖中藏凉。过片「殷勤理旧狂」写强作洒脱，结句「欲将沉醉换悲凉」直揭本心，以乐景写哀，情致吞吐往复。 【情感与主旨】 晏几道为晏殊幼子，出身相门而晚年落拓，一生沉沦下僚、常作客漂泊。此词约作于某年重阳羁旅异乡、逢节宴饮之时，看似写佳节欢聚、人情温暖，实则以客中暂暖反衬身世飘零之悲，是其后期「古之伤心人」情怀的典型流露。 【名句点睛】 常考「天边金掌露成霜」的用典与意境、「人情似故乡」在客愁中的反衬作用、色彩词「绿」「红」「紫」「黄」的秾丽效果，以及「欲将沉醉换悲凉」中「换」字的矛盾心理。
Background
Yan Jidao was the youngest son of Yan Shu, born to a chancellor's house yet reduced to a wandering, low official in later life, often a guest far from home. This lyric was likely written at some Double Ninth in his travels, when the poet, lodging in a strange place, feasted at the festival and was moved by the sight. 'The bronze palm' uses the allusion of Emperor Wu of Han's Jianzhang Palace bronze immortal palm catching dew, marking the deep autumn and frost; 'in time for the Double Ninth' writes the season's custom. On the surface it sings festival mirth and warm feeling, but in truth uses the brief warmth of a sojourn to set off the grief of a rootless life—a typical utterance of his later 'ancient man of broken heart', of a piece with his 'Partridge Sky · Drunk, I Pat the Spring Robe'.
晏几道（约1038—约1110），字叔原，号小山，晏殊幼子，北宋词人。出身相门而晚年落拓，一生沉沦下僚，不肯依附权贵，常作客漂泊，黄庭坚称其「仕宦连蹇，而不能一傍贵人之门」，其词多写怀人、伤别、身世之感，冯煦谓其「古之伤心人」。此词约作于某年重阳，词人羁旅异乡，逢节宴饮，触景生情。「金掌」用汉武帝建章宫承露铜仙掌之典，点明秋深露冷；「趁重阳」写节俗宴游。表面写佳节欢聚、人情温暖、绿酒红袖、佩兰簪菊，一派热闹；骨子里却是客中暂暖反衬身世飘零之悲——重阳本是团圆之节，而词人独在异乡，热闹愈盛，孤寂愈深。「理旧狂」三字更见沧桑：当年的疏狂少年，如今须「殷勤」收拾方能重现旧态，正是「古之伤心人」情怀的典型流露，与《鹧鸪天·醉拍春衫》诸作同调。晏几道生于富贵而长于落拓，其词多写『梦后楼台』式的追忆与『客中重阳』式的身世之悲，此词即其后期漂泊生涯的写照；与其父晏殊的雍容闲雅相比，小山的秋思更多一层孤客的苍凉，正见其『古之伤心人』的底色。
Art
This lyric's art lies in its contrast of brilliant colour with desolate feeling. The upper part's 'green cups and red sleeves' and the lower part's 'orchid purple, chrysanthemum gold' glow with colour, sketching the busy splendour of a Double Ninth feast; yet 'the clouds follow the geese's script, long' quietly stirs the thought of wandering, and 'human warmth is like my old home' holds coolness within the warm. The break 'tenderly I set my former wildness in order' writes a strained carelessness, the effort showing in the word 'tenderly'; the close 'I would trade deep drunkenness for desolate grief' reveals the very heart—wine too cannot replace the grief, so it asks the clear song not to break the heart, gathering the extreme sorrow into a soft, swerving close. The whole poem sets joy against grief, its emotion turning back upon itself, deep in the flower-and-bird manner yet heavier.
此词以秾丽之色写凄婉之情，形成强烈反差，是「以乐景写哀情」的典范。上片「天边金掌露成霜」以承露铜仙掌的典故点出秋深露冷，先立苍凉基调；「云随雁字长」以雁阵写羁旅望乡，暗逗秋思；随即「绿杯红袖趁重阳，人情似故乡」笔锋一转，写宴游之乐、人情之暖——「绿」「红」两色秾丽夺目，与「霜」「雁」的萧瑟形成对照，而「似故乡」三字尤为关键：只是「似」故乡，终究不是故乡，暖中藏凉，乐中隐悲。下片「兰佩紫，菊簪黄」再铺秾丽之色，佩兰簪菊，本是重阳雅事，却要「殷勤理旧狂」——「殷勤」见用力之勉，「旧狂」见今非昔比，强作洒脱，悲从中来；结句「欲将沉醉换悲凉，清歌莫断肠」直揭本心：醉亦难换悲凉，遂劝清歌莫唱断肠之曲，以宛转语收极哀之情。全词情致吞吐往复，深得花间遗韵而更见沉郁。全词以『似』字为眼——人情似故乡而终非故乡，理旧狂而狂难再理，换悲凉而悲不可换，三个『欲换不能』的矛盾层层递进，把客中重阳的复杂心绪写得吞吐往复，正是小山词『浓彩写哀』的匠心所在。
Allusions
'The bronze palm' comes from San Fu Huang Tu: Emperor Wu of Han set a bronze immortal in Jianzhang Palace, its palm spreading to catch dew, which he mixed with jade dust to seek immortality. Here it borrows to mean the deep autumn dew congealing to frost, and also implies the passing of time and the evening of life. 'The geese's script' originally names the geese flying in a 'person' formation, taken by the ancients as an omen of letters; here 'the clouds follow the geese's script, long' secretly writes a look toward home. 'Orchid at the belt' and 'chrysanthemum in the hair' transform the Chu Ci 'I twined autumn orchid to wear at my side' and the old custom of pinning chrysanthemums at the Double Ninth—both suiting the season and showing the lofty, self-keeping taste of a scholar. The allusions are so natural as to leave no trace, fused with the festival sights.
「金掌」典出《三辅黄图》：汉武帝于建章宫造铜仙人，舒掌擎承露盘，以仙露和玉屑服食以求长生。晏几道以「金掌露成霜」点明秋深——承露盘上的露水已凝成霜，既写出重阳时节之寒，又暗寓时序推移、人生迟暮、繁华已逝之感，与汉武帝求仙终成空幻的典故相映，为全词的悲凉基调埋线。「雁字」指雁飞成「人」字行列，古人有雁足传书之说，「云随雁字长」以雁阵暗写望乡与音书之思。「兰佩」「菊簪」化用《楚辞·离骚》「纫秋兰以为佩」与重阳簪菊的古俗——佩兰是高洁自守的象征，簪菊是重阳节令的应景，既合节俗，又见士人情趣。用典自然不着痕迹，与节物融为一体，正是小山词「融典入情」的功力所在。又『雁字』暗含雁足传书之典，『云随雁字长』以雁写音书之思，与『人情似故乡』的暂暖相映，愈见乡愁之切；诸典皆切节令与客愁，化用无痕，正是小山『融典入情』而归于自然的功力。
Commentary
Qing critic Chen Tingzhuo, in Bai Yu Zhai Ci Hua, said of Xiaoshan's lyrics 'the desolate and tender passages are straight like the lament of a life'. The modern scholar Xia Jingguan rated Yan Jidao 'Shuyuan (Xiaoshan's style name) stands worthily after Li Houzhu and Yan Shu'. Tang Guizhang, in A Brief Explication of Tang and Song Lyrics, reads this poem: 'the first half writes the Double Ninth sights and human feeling, the second half writes setting the wildness in order and trading for grief; the last two lines turn, and the sorrow deepens'. Yu Pingbo too said of him 'he writes grief in dense colour, the true colour of the Xiaoshan lyrics'. All the critics value his writing of a broken heart in the language of wealth, his sombreness within the graceful.
此词历被推为小山词中的秋思名篇。清·陈廷焯《白雨斋词话》谓小山词「凄婉处直如生命的悲歌」，此词正是注脚——热闹的节景之下，是一颗飘零孤寂的心；近人夏敬观评晏几道「叔原词，足继其父（晏殊）后」，其婉丽处承家学，沉郁处过乃父；唐圭璋《唐宋词简释》析此词云：「前半写重阳景物人情，后半写理狂换悲，末二句一转，愈见沉痛。」俞平伯亦言其「浓彩写哀，是《小山词》本色」。诸家皆重其以富贵语写伤心、于婉丽中见沉郁的特质——小山出身贵胄，最知繁华，故能以秾丽之笔写彻骨之悲；此词以重阳为背景，把节日的热闹与身世的飘零揉在一起，情致往复，余味不尽，是理解晏几道「古之伤心人」情怀与小山词「浓彩写哀」风格的绝佳文本。在词史上，此词与《临江仙》《鹧鸪天》并为小山词的代表，其以秾丽之笔写飘零之感的风格，上承花间、下启南宋『清刚』一路，也是理解北宋词由贵族词风转向个人抒情的重要文本。
Prosody
Line by line
天边金掌露成霜，云随雁字长。
At the sky's edge the golden palm's dew has turned to frost; the clouds stretch long with the wild geese's line.
天边的铜仙掌上露水已凝结成霜，云朵随雁阵拉得细长。
At the sky's rim the dew on the golden palm has turned to frost; the clouds stretch long along the line of wild geese.
起句用典写景，先定全词的苍凉基调。「金掌」暗用汉武帝建章宫承露铜仙掌之典，以「露成霜」点明重阳时节已深秋露冷——承露盘上本应承接仙露，如今却凝成了霜，典故的仙家意味与眼前的霜寒形成对照，暗寓岁月流逝、繁华难久之感；「云随雁字长」以天象写羁旅——雁阵成行南飞，白云随之绵延，「长」字既写雁阵云影之绵长，更暗写归路之远、乡思之长。两句一以典故写时令之寒，一以景物写秋思之远，苍凉之境全出，为下文「绿杯红袖」的热闹作了冷热对照的铺垫——越是热闹的节景，越衬出这苍凉起笔的深意。
The opening line using the allusion's scene-writing, first establishing the whole ci's bleak tone. The golden palm's secretly using the Han Wudi's Jianzhang palace's dew-bearing bronze immortal-palm allusion, using the dew-has-turned-to-frost's pointing out the Double-Ninth season's already's the deep-autumn-cold-dew — the dew-bearing tray's originally's bearing the immortal dew, now's and yet's congealed into frost, the allusion's immortal-family meaning and the present's frost-cold's the contrast, secretly entrusting the years' passing-and-the-prosperity's no-long-lasting feeling; the clouds-stretch-long-along-the-line-of-wild-geese's using the celestial-phenomenon for the journey — the wild-geese's lined's southward-flying, the white-clouds's along-with's stretching, the chang word's at once writing the wild-geese-clouds'-shadow's continuity, and yet the secret's writing the return-road's far-and-the-homesickness's long. Two lines one using the allusion for the season's coldness, one using the scenery for the autumn-thought's distance, the bleak realm's all-out, storing the ground for the below's green-cups-and-red-sleeves's bustle's the cold-warm contrast — the more-the-bustling season-scene's, the more setting-off-this-bleak-opening's deep meaning.
绿杯红袖趁重阳，人情似故乡。
Green cups and red sleeves on the Double Ninth; the warmth of people is like my old home.
捧着绿酒、伴着红袖，正赶上重阳佳节，此地人情竟似故乡般温暖。
Green wine cups, red sleeves, as the Double Ninth comes; the people's warmth is like my own home.
此句是词境的转折，由苍凉之景转入热闹之宴，而热闹之中暗藏悲凉。「绿杯红袖」以秾丽的色彩写宴游之乐——绿酒红袖，声色相映，一派节日的繁华；「趁重阳」点明时令，重阳本应登高赏菊、合家团聚，词人却客中赴宴，这个「趁」字写尽勉强凑趣之态。「人情似故乡」是全词的关键句：主家情意殷切，让客居的词人感到如故乡般的温暖——然而「似」字是点睛之笔：只是相似，终究不是故乡；人情虽暖，乡愁难消。以客中暂暖反衬身世之寒，暖中藏凉、乐中隐悲，正是「以乐景写哀情」的典范，为下片「理旧狂」「换悲凉」的强作洒脱埋下伏笔。
This line's the ci-realm's turning, from the bleak-scene's entering-the-bustling-feast, and yet the bustle's within's the hidden bleakness. The green-cups-and-red-sleeves's using the gorgeous color for the feast-joy — the green-wine-and-red-sleeves, the sound-and-color's mutual-reflection, the festival's prosperity; the as-the-Double-Ninth-comes pointing out the season, the Double-Ninth's should-be's the height-climbing-and-chrysanthemum-viewing-and-family's gathering, and yet the poet's the guest-at-the-feast, this chen word's exhausting the forced-joining-in's pose. The people's-warmth-is-like-my-own-home's the whole ci's key line: the host's earnest warmth, making the guest-poet's feeling's the like-the-old-home warmth — and yet the si word's the telling stroke: only's the resemblance, ultimately's not the old home; the human warmth's though's warm, the homesickness's hard-to-disperse. Using the guest's temporary-warmth's setting-off-the-lot's coldness, the warmth's within's hiding-the-chill and the joy's within's hiding-the-grief, precisely the joy-scene-writes-grief-feeling model, storing the ground for the second stanza's the old-wildness's sorting and the bleakness's exchange.
兰佩紫，菊簪黄，殷勤理旧狂。
Orchids at the girdle, chrysanthemum in the hair; diligently I gather up my old wildness.
腰间佩紫兰，鬓边簪黄菊，殷勤地收拾起往日的疏狂。
Purple orchids at the belt, yellow chrysanthemums in the hair; eagerly I sort out my old wild ways.
此句写重阳雅事，而「殷勤理旧狂」五字是全词情感的重心。「兰佩紫，菊簪黄」以秾丽的色彩写重阳佩兰簪菊的节俗——「紫」「黄」两色对举，色彩斑斓，写尽佳节装束之盛；而「殷勤理旧狂」笔锋陡转：「理」是整理、收拾，「旧狂」指往日的疏狂豪放——当年的风流疏狂，如今要「殷勤」地重新拾起，一个「殷勤」写尽用力之勉、勉强之态：狂是旧日的狂，人已非昔日之人，强作洒脱而悲从中来。此句的深意在于「旧」字：旧狂难续，正如旧日难回，词人于热闹的节景中感到的，正是年华老去、身世飘零的悲凉，为结句「欲将沉醉换悲凉」直揭本心作了最有力的铺垫。
This line writes the Double-Ninth's elegant custom, and yet the diligently-sort-out-my-old-wild-ways five words' the whole ci's emotional center. The orchids-at-the-belt-chrysanthemum-in-the-hair's using the gorgeous color for the Double-Ninth's orchid-and-chrysanthemum's season-custom — the purple-and-yellow two colors' parallel, the color's gorgeous, exhausting the festival's dress's splendor; and yet the diligently-sort-out-my-old-wild-ways's brush's sudden-turn: the li's the arranging-and-gathering, the old-wildness meaning the year's free-spirit — the year's romantic free-spirit, now's the diligently's the re-picking-up, the one yinqin word's exhausting the effort's forced-and-the-reluctant pose: the wildness's the year's wildness, the person's already's not the year's person, the forced-openness-and-yet-the-grief's-bursting. This line's deep meaning's in the old word: the old-wildness's hard-to-continue, precisely's the year's hard-to-return, the poet's in-the-bustling-season-scene's feeling's, precisely the years'-aging-and-the-lot's-drifting bleakness, storing the ground for the closing line's the-would-trade-deep-drunkenness-for-this-bleak-grief's heart's-direct-revelation's most-forceful ground-laying.
欲将沉醉换悲凉，清歌莫断肠。
I would exchange deep drunkenness for this cold grief; clear song, break not my heart.
本想用沉醉去替换心中的悲凉，却劝清歌莫要唱得令人断肠。
I would trade deep drunkenness for this bleak grief; clear song, do not break my heart.
结句直揭本心，是全词情感的总爆发，也是「以宛转语收极哀之情」的典范。「欲将沉醉换悲凉」——「换」字写尽矛盾：明知醉不能解愁，偏要以沉醉去替换悲凉，一个「欲」字见其徒劳，一个「换」字见其无奈，悲凉之深、愁绪之重，尽在欲换而不能换之间。「清歌莫断肠」以劝止清歌收束——宴席上的清歌本为助兴，词人却怕它唱出断肠之曲，这一劝，既是对眼前欢宴的珍惜，更是对心底深悲的遮掩：不是不悲，是不敢听悲；不是无愁，是怕愁被歌声勾起。两句一写沉醉之求，一写清歌之惧，求与惧之间，飘零孤客的万重心事尽在其中，余味不尽，正是小山词「浓彩写哀」的绝唱。
The closing line's the heart's direct-revelation, the whole ci's emotion's total-outbreak, and the gentle-words-close-extreme-grief model. The I-would-trade-deep-drunkenness-for-this-cold-grief — the huan word's exhausting the contradiction: the knowing-the-drunk's no-sorrow-solving's, and yet the precisely's the deep-drunkenness's exchanging-the-bleakness, the one yu word's seeing the futility, the one huan word's seeing the helplessness, the bleakness's depth and the grief's weight, all within the would-exchange-and-yet-cannot-exchange's between. The clear-song-break-not-my-heart using the persuasion-stop-the-clear-song's close — the feast's clear-song's originally's the atmosphere-boosting, and yet the poet's fearing-it-sings-the-heartbreak tune, this one persuasion, at once the present-bustle's cherishing, and yet the heart's deep-grief's hiding: not the no-grief, and yet the no-daring-the-hear-grief; not the no-sorrow, and yet the fearing-the-sorrow's the song's arising. Two lines one writing the drunkenness's seeking, one the clear-song's fear, between the seeking-and-the-fear, the drifting-lone-guest's ten-thousand-heart's matters's all within, the aftertone endless, precisely the Xiaoshan ci's gorgeous-color-writes-grief's swan song.
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Both are famous lines of remembrance from the Xiaoshan Lyrics; compare their graceful sombreness and art of recall.
晏几道《临江仙·梦后楼台高锁》「落花人独立，微雨燕双飞」与本词同出《小山词》，皆以秾丽之笔写凄凉之怀，而侧重有别。临江仙写怀人——梦后楼台、酒醒帘幕，追忆歌女小苹「当时明月在，曾照彩云归」，是爱情记忆的凄美追怀，情致空灵缥缈；本词写羁旅——重阳客中、绿杯红袖，感慨身世飘零，「欲将沉醉换悲凉」是人生况味的沉郁抒发，情致吞吐低回。一写「忆人」之凄婉，一写「伤己」之悲凉；一空灵一沉郁。两词并读，可见晏几道词情的两个侧面：对旧日情人的追忆，与对自身身世的感慨，而皆归于「古之伤心人」的底色，合观最见小山词全貌。
晏几道·鹧鸪天·醉拍春衫惜旧香 Zhe Gu Tian · Drunk, I Pat the Spring Robe, Cherishing the Old Scent 晏几道 · 同写佳节伤情、旧狂难理 SameBoth write hurt at a festival, the old wildness hard to order; together they prove Xiaoshan's 'ancient man of broken heart'.
晏几道《鹧鸪天·醉拍春衫惜旧香》「舞低杨柳楼心月，歌尽桃花扇底风」与本词同为小山佳节伤情之作，皆写旧日繁华与今日飘零的对照。「舞低杨柳」写昔日歌舞之盛，与今「理旧狂」的勉强相映；「醉拍春衫惜旧香」的「惜」字，与本词「欲将沉醉换悲凉」的「换」字，皆写以酒遣愁而愁不可遣的无奈。差异在：鹧鸪天以浓笔直写旧日之欢与今日之悲，情感外放；本词以秾丽之色写苍凉之情，情感内敛。两词互证，可见晏几道「古之伤心人」情怀在重阳、宴饮等不同场景下的反复流露，以及小山词「浓彩写哀」手法的一致与变化。
晏殊·清平乐·红笺小字 Qing Ping Yue · Red Note, Small Characters 晏殊 · 父子同写相思秋思，风格可比较 DifferentFather and son both write longing; Yan Shu is leisurely and elegant, Xiaoshan desolate and tender—compare the two graceful manners.
晏殊《清平乐·红笺小字》「鸿雁在云鱼在水，惆怅此情难寄」与其子晏几道此词同写秋思离愁，而风格判然有别。晏殊为宰相词人，词风闲雅圆融——「红笺小字，说尽平生意」，愁是富贵闲愁，节制温润，哀而不伤；晏几道为落拓公子，词风凄婉沉郁——「欲将沉醉换悲凉，清歌莫断肠」，愁是身世悲凉，浓郁低回，悲而难遣。父子同写相思、秋思，一闲雅一凄婉，一雍容一落拓，恰见北宋词由贵族的闲适走向身世的沉郁之变，也正应了晏几道「狂篇醉句」自比乃父「得诸公之绪余」却更见深情的词史评价。合读父子词，最可体会「词至晏氏父子而婉约大成」之说。