宋 Song · 词 Ci lyric
玉楼春·尊前拟把归期说
Yulouchun: Before the Cup I Mean to Speak of the Return Date
尊前拟把归期说，未语春容先惨咽。
人生自是有情痴，此恨不关风与月。
离歌且莫翻新阕，一曲能教肠寸结。
直须看尽洛城花，始共春风容易别。
Before a word, her spring-fair face already sobs in grief.
Life has its fools who are slaves to feeling —
This regret has nothing to do with wind or moon.
Do not sing a new stanza of the parting song;
One tune can tie the heart in knots.
Only when I have seen all the Luoyang flowers,
Will I part with the spring wind, lightly, at last.
Meaning
At a farewell cup the poet first shows raw grief, then rises to the philosophical claim that love's ache belongs to human nature itself and not to wind and moon, and closes with a bold wish to see all the Luoyang flowers before parting — deep feeling held with openness.
酒樽前正要说起归去的日期，还没开口伊人春容已先惨然哽咽。人生自是有为情而痴的，这点恨怅不关风月。离别的歌且莫翻新曲，一曲便能教人愁肠寸结。只须看尽洛城的花，才肯随着春风轻易离别。
Appreciation
The first part shows the unspoken grief before the cup, then suddenly turns: parting regret is born of being a 'fool for feeling', owing nothing to wind and moon — a startling argument that lifts the lyric above the usual cliche. The second asks that no new parting song be sung, and resolves to see all the Luoyang flowers before a light farewell with the spring wind. A bold line closes a deep sorrow, coupling hardness and softness. Profound in feeling yet not drowned by it, the poem shows Ouyang Xiu's ideal of 'deep in feeling, clear in principle'.
【白话串讲】 “尊前拟把归期说，未语春容先惨咽”——欧阳修在送别酒宴上：想说归期，她先哭了。“人生自是有情痴，此恨不关风与月”——“直须看尽洛城花，始共春风容易别”——看尽洛阳花，才能坦然告别。 【意象与手法】 “此恨不关风与月”以议论入词，翻案见新；“看尽洛城花”以豪旷结深愁，刚柔相济。 【情感与主旨】 写离情而能透脱，既深于情又不为情溺，体现欧阳修“深于情而达于理”的词境。 【名句点睛】 “人生自是有情痴，此恨不关风与月”——以议论写离恨之深出于本性，遂成千古情语。
Background
Ouyang Xiu likely wrote this at a farewell in Luoyang during his official posting there. It shows the poignancy of meaning to speak of the return date yet sobbing first, carrying a philosophic flavor.
《玉楼春·尊前拟把归期说》为宋代欧阳修所作，是写尊前离别、有情痴之叹的词。欧阳修（1007—1072），字永叔，号醉翁、六一居士，吉州永丰人，宋代文学家。此词：尊前拟把归期说，未语春容先惨咽。人生自是有情痴，此恨不关风与月。离歌且莫翻新阕，一曲能教肠寸结。直须看尽洛城花，始共春风容易别。全词写尊前离别、有情痴之叹，是欧阳修词的名篇。
Art
A yulouchun in double tune: the first part the grief of parting and a turning argument, the second not listening to the parting song and parting only after seeing all flowers. Bold language for deep sorrow, feeling and principle born together.
《玉楼春·尊前拟把归期说》艺术上以尊前离别的描摹与有情痴之叹的深婉见长。全词分两片：上片写尊前离别——“尊前拟把归期说，未语春容先惨咽”写尊前拟把归期说、未语春容先惨咽，“人生自是有情痴，此恨不关风与月”写人生自是有情痴、此恨不关风与月；下片写有情痴之叹——“离歌且莫翻新阕，一曲能教肠寸结”写离歌且莫翻新阕、一曲能教肠寸结，“直须看尽洛城花，始共春风容易别”写直须看尽洛城花、始共春风容易别。全词以尊前离别写有情痴之叹，正是欧阳修词深婉的笔法。
Allusions
'Before the cup' means at the wine feast. 'Spring-fair face' is the woman's beauty. 'Wind and moon' are natural scenes (parting regret is usually lodged in them; here the reverse is claimed). 'Luoyang flowers' are the Luoyang peonies. 'Spring wind' is the season of parting.
《玉楼春·尊前拟把归期说》用典在“尊前”“风与月”“离歌”“洛城花”。“尊前”写酒尊之前；“风与月”写风月（男女之情）；“离歌”写离歌（送别之歌）；“洛城花”写洛阳花（牡丹，洛阳为花都）。全词以这些意象写尊前离别、有情痴之叹，用典自然而深婉自见，正是欧阳修词的笔法。
Commentary
Wang Guowei's 'Remarks on Lyrics' cites 'this regret has nothing to do with wind and moon' as showing 'amid boldness, a settled restraint'. This poem is a model of Ouyang's reasoned love lyrics.
《玉楼春·尊前拟把归期说》是欧阳修词的名篇，也是宋词中写别情离恨的代表作。此词写尊前离别、有情痴之叹，向为论者称道。论者多赏其尊前离别的描摹与有情痴之叹的深婉——“尊前拟把归期说，未语春容先惨咽”写尊前拟把归期说、未语春容先惨咽，深婉之极；“人生自是有情痴，此恨不关风与月”写人生自是有情痴、此恨不关风与月，更见其慨；“离歌且莫翻新阕，一曲能教肠寸结”写离歌且莫翻新阕、一曲能教肠寸结，尤见其愁；“直须看尽洛城花，始共春风容易别”用洛城花之典写直须看尽洛城花、始共春风容易别，尤见其达。欧阳修词以深婉著称，此词正是其代表——以尊前离别写有情痴之叹，正是其词风。
Prosody
Line by line
尊前拟把归期说，未语春容先惨咽。
Before the cup I mean to speak of the return date; before a word, her spring-fair face already sobs in grief.
尊前拟把归期说，未语春容先惨咽。
Before the cup I meant to speak the day of return; before I spoke, her spring bright face was already choked with grief.
首写尊前拟把归期说、未语春容先惨咽，是全词写尊前离别的起点。“尊前拟把归期说”用尊前之语写尊前拟把归期说——“尊前拟把归期说”写酒尊之前拟说归期——尊前拟把归期说；“未语春容先惨咽”写未语春容先惨咽——“未语春容先惨咽”写未及开言春容先已惨咽——未语春容先惨咽。二句写尊前拟把归期说、未语春容先惨咽：尊前拟把归期说，未语春容先惨咽。以“尊前拟把归期说”写尊前欲说归期、欲言又止，以“未语春容先惨咽”写未语先咽、春容惨淡，正是欧阳修词写尊前离别的起点——尊前欲说，未语先咽。
The opening writes 'before the cup I meant to speak the day of return; before I spoke, her spring face choked,' the starting point of the ci's farewell at the wine cup. 'Before the cup I meant to speak the day of return' writes meaning to name the return date before the wine. 'Before I spoke, her bright spring face was already choked' writes the face already grief-struck before a word. Two phrases: meant to speak at the cup, choked before speaking. 'Before the cup I meant to speak the return date' writes the wish to name it yet holding back; 'before I spoke, the face choked' writes the grief-struck spring visage. This is precisely Ouyang Xiu's starting point of farewell at the cup — meant to speak, choked before a word.
人生自是有情痴，此恨不关风与月。
Life has its fools who are slaves to feeling; this regret has nothing to do with wind or moon.
人生自是有情痴，此恨不关风与月。
Life is by nature full of foolish love; this grief has nothing to do with wind and moon.
此二句用风与月之语写人生自是有情痴、此恨不关风与月，是全词写有情痴之叹的深化。“人生自是有情痴”写人生自是有情痴——“人生自是有情痴”写人生本来是有情痴——人生自是有情痴；“此恨不关风与月”写此恨不关风与月——“此恨不关风与月”写此恨与风月无关——此恨不关风与月。二句写人生自是有情痴、此恨不关风与月：人生自是有情痴，此恨不关风与月。以“人生自是有情痴”写人生有情、本自痴情，以“此恨不关风与月”写此恨与风月无涉、情本天然，正是欧阳修词写有情痴之叹的深化——人生情痴，不关风月。
These two use the language of wind and moon to write 'life is by nature full of foolish love; this grief has nothing to do with wind and moon,' deepening the ci's lament on foolish feeling. 'Life is by nature full of foolish love' writes that human life is inherently besotted with feeling. 'This grief has nothing to do with wind and moon' writes that the sorrow is no concern of breeze and moonlight. Two phrases: life is by nature foolish with love, this grief apart from wind and moon. 'Life is by nature foolish with love' writes that feeling is born in human nature; 'this grief has nothing to do with wind and moon' writes that the sorrow is no affair of scenery, feeling being natural. This is precisely the deepening of Ouyang Xiu's lament — human foolishness of love, no concern of wind and moon.
离歌且莫翻新阕，一曲能教肠寸结。
Sing no new stanza of the parting song; one tune alone can knot my bowels inch by inch.
离歌且莫翻新阕，一曲能教肠寸结。
Do not strike up a new verse of the farewell song; one strain alone can tie my bowels into knots.
此二句写离歌且莫翻新阕、一曲能教肠寸结，是全词写离愁之深的深化。“离歌且莫翻新阕”用离歌之典写离歌且莫翻新阕——“离歌且莫翻新阕”写离歌且莫再翻新的一阕——离歌且莫翻新阕；“一曲能教肠寸结”写一曲能教肠寸结——“一曲能教肠寸结”写一曲能教人柔肠寸结——一曲能教肠寸结。二句写离歌且莫翻新阕、一曲能教肠寸结：离歌且莫翻新阕，一曲能教肠寸结。以“离歌且莫翻新阕”写离歌莫再翻新、愁已难当，以“一曲能教肠寸结”写一曲教人肠结、离愁寸断，正是欧阳修词写离愁之深的深化——离歌莫唱，一曲肠结。
These two write 'sing no new stanza of the parting song; one tune can knot my bowels,' deepening the ci's grief of parting. 'Do not strike up a new verse of the farewell song' uses the farewell-song allusion to write striking no fresh stanza. 'One strain alone can tie my bowels into knots' writes that a single tune can break the heart inch by inch. Two phrases: sing no new verse, one tune knots the bowels. 'Sing no new verse' writes that sorrow is already past bearing; 'one tune knots the bowels' writes a single strain breaking the heart. This is precisely the deepening of Ouyang Xiu's grief — sing no more the farewell song, one strain knots the bowels.
直须看尽洛城花，始共春风容易别。
Only when I have seen all the Luoyang flowers will I part with the spring wind, lightly, at last.
直须看尽洛城花，始共春风容易别。
I must see all the flowers of Luoyang to the last before I can take easy leave of the spring wind.
末用洛城花之典写直须看尽洛城花、始共春风容易别，是全词写豁达离别的归结。“直须看尽洛城花”用洛城花之典写直须看尽洛城花——“直须看尽洛城花”用洛阳牡丹之典写直须看尽洛阳城花——直须看尽洛城花；“始共春风容易别”写始共春风容易别——“始共春风容易别”写才与春风容易离别——始共春风容易别。二句写直须看尽洛城花、始共春风容易别：直须看尽洛城花，始共春风容易别。以“直须看尽洛城花”用洛城花之典写看尽洛城牡丹、赏尽繁华，以“始共春风容易别”写赏尽方别、与春风容易作别，正是欧阳修词写豁达离别的归结——看尽洛花，春风易别。
The closing uses the Luoyang-flowers allusion to write 'I must see all the flowers of Luoyang before I can take easy leave of the spring wind,' the conclusion of the ci's open-hearted farewell. 'I must see all the flowers of Luoyang' uses the Luoyang peony allusion to write seeing every bloom in the city. 'Before I can take easy leave of the spring wind' writes taking leave of the breeze only after the seeing is done. Two phrases: see all Luoyang flowers, then part easily with the spring wind. 'See all Luoyang peonies' uses the peony allusion for exhausting the splendor; 'part easily with the spring wind' writes parting only after enjoying it all. This is precisely the conclusion of Ouyang Xiu's open-hearted farewell — see the Luoyang flowers through, then take easy leave of the spring breeze.
Study
Word focus
Related Reading
Compare this related work with the poem above through theme, imagery, tone, and emotional movement.
欧阳修《踏莎行·候馆梅残》写羁旅离愁、行人思归，与本首同为欧阳修词写离情。差异在情境：玉楼春写尊前离别；踏莎行写行途离愁。一写“酒”之别，一写“行”之愁。两者并读，可见欧阳修词写离情的两种情境。
生查子·元夕 Sheng Chazi · Lantern Festival 欧阳修 · 同为欧阳修词写怀人伤别，一写尊前之叹一写元夕之忆，皆深婉 Related readingCompare this related work with the poem above through theme, imagery, tone, and emotional movement.
欧阳修《生查子·元夕》写元夕灯月、怀人伤别之情，与本首同为欧阳修词写怀人伤别。差异在情境：玉楼春写尊前离别；生查子元夕写元夕追忆。一写“酒”之别，一写“灯”之忆。两者并读，可见欧阳修词写怀人伤别的两种情境。
浪淘沙·把酒祝东风 Lang Tao Sha: A Toast to the East Wind 欧阳修 · 同为欧阳修词写惜别怀旧，一写尊前离别一写把酒怀人，皆深婉 Related readingCompare this related work with the poem above through theme, imagery, tone, and emotional movement.
欧阳修《浪淘沙·把酒祝东风》写把酒祝东风、怀人惜别，与本首同为欧阳修词写惜别怀旧。差异在情境：玉楼春写尊前离别；浪淘沙写把酒怀人。一写“酒”之别，一写“酒”之怀。两者并读，可见欧阳修词写惜别怀旧的两种情境。