宋 Song · 词 Ci lyric
虞美人
The Beauty of Yu
芙蓉落尽天涵水。
日暮沧波起。
背飞双燕帖云寒。
独向小楼东畔、倚阑看。
浮生只合尊前老。
雪满长安道。
故人早晚上高台。
赠我江南春色、一枝梅。
The day, darkening, the blue waves, rising.
The flying apart, the pair of swallows, pasting the clouds, the cold.
Alone, toward, the east side of the small tower, leaning the railing, watching.
The floating life, only, fitting, before the cup, to grow old.
The snow, filling, the road of the Chang'an.
The old friends, sooner or later, ascending, the high terrace.
Sending me, the spring colors of the south of the river, one branch of the mume.
Meaning
A lyric of the watching and the mume, written by Shu Dan. The hibiscus flowers all fallen with the sky containing the water, the day darkening with the blue waves rising, and the pair of swallows flying apart pasting the clouds — the dusk of the opening. Alone toward the east side of the small tower leaning the railing watching — the watching of the poet. The floating life fitting to grow old before the cup with the snow filling the road of the Chang'an — the floating life and the snow. And the close's old friends sooner or later ascending the high terrace, sending the spring colors of the south of the river, one branch of the mume — the mume of the close. The lyric is the watching and the mume: the dusk, the floating life, and the close's branch of the mume.
芙蓉落尽，天涵水。日暮沧波起。背飞双燕，帖云寒。独向小楼东畔、倚阑看。浮生只合尊前老。雪满长安道。故人早晚上高台。赠我江南春色、一枝梅。
Appreciation
[Plain Paraphrase] The hibiscus flowers, all, fallen, the sky, containing the water. The day, darkening, the blue waves, rising. The flying apart, the pair of swallows, pasting the clouds, the cold. Alone, toward, the east side of the small tower, leaning the railing, watching. The floating life, only, fitting, before the cup, to grow old. The snow, filling, the road of the Chang'an. The old friends, sooner or later, ascending, the high terrace. Sending me, the spring colors of the south of the river, one branch of the mume. [Structure and Thought] The lyric moves from the dusk of the fallen flowers and the swallows, through the watching of the small tower and the floating life, to the close's old friends ascending the high terrace, sending the one branch of the mume. [Key Technique] The lyric's art is the mume of the close: the watching of the small tower with the floating life, and the close's spring colors of the south of the river, one branch of the mume — the feeling gathered in the watching and the close's mume. [Emotional Tone] Clear, lonely, and longing: the lyric is the dusk, the watching and the close's mume.
【白话串讲】 舒亶写《虞美人》：“芙蓉落尽天涵水。日暮沧波起”——“背飞双燕帖云寒。独向小楼东畔、倚阑看”——“浮生只合尊前老。雪满长安道”——“故人早晚上高台。赠我江南春色、一枝梅”——他写怀人——赠我江南春色一枝梅。 【意象与手法】 “芙蓉落尽天涵水。日暮沧波起”写秋景之萧瑟；“背飞双燕帖云寒。独向小楼东畔、倚阑看”写倚栏之孤；“浮生只合尊前老。雪满长安道”写浮生之感；结以“故人早晚上高台。赠我江南春色、一枝梅”写念友赠梅之愿。含蓄深婉。 【情感与主旨】 舒亶写怀人寄友之作，写秋日倚栏、浮生之感与念友赠梅之愿，是舒亶词中寄友怀人的名篇。 【名句点睛】 常考“背飞双燕帖云寒。独向小楼东畔、倚阑看”以双燕背飞写孤寂；“故人早晚上高台。赠我江南春色、一枝梅”以赠梅写念友。
Background
Shu Dan (1041–1104), the poet of the Northern Song, wrote this 'The Beauty of Yu' of the watching and the mume — the longing for the old friends. The dusk of the fallen flowers with the pair of swallows, the watching of the small tower, the floating life with the snow of the Chang'an, and the close's old friends sending the spring colors of the south of the river, one branch of the mume — the lyric gathers the longing of the poet, the mume of the close. The lyric is one of the famous works of the poet's lyrics of the longing.
《虞美人》为北宋词人舒亶所作词。舒亶（1041—1103），字信道，明州慈溪（今浙江慈溪）人，北宋官员、词人。此词写怀人寄友。词中「芙蓉落尽天涵水。日暮沧波起」写秋景之萧瑟；「背飞双燕帖云寒。独向小楼东畔、倚阑看」写倚栏之孤；「浮生只合尊前老。雪满长安道」写浮生之感；「故人早晚上高台。赠我江南春色、一枝梅」写念友赠梅之愿。舒亶此词以秋日倚栏、念友赠梅之情写怀人，含蓄深婉，是舒亶词中的名篇。此篇《虞美人》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《虞美人》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 watching and the mume. The dusk opens: the hibiscus flowers, all, fallen, the sky, containing the water — the fallen flowers containing the water; the day, darkening, the blue waves, rising — the blue waves of the darkening; the flying apart, the pair of swallows, pasting the clouds, the cold — the swallows pasting the clouds. The watching follows: alone, toward, the east side of the small tower, leaning the railing, watching — the watching of the small tower; the floating life, only, fitting, before the cup, to grow old — the floating life of the cup; the snow, filling, the road of the Chang'an — the snow of the Chang'an. And the close gathers the mume: the old friends, sooner or later, ascending, the high terrace — the ascending of the old friends; sending me, the spring colors of the south of the river, one branch of the mume — the mume of the close — the dusk, the watching and the close's mume, gathered in the lyric.
此词艺术上以「含蓄深婉、以景写情」见长。全词上下片各四句，上片写秋景之萧瑟与倚栏之孤，下片写浮生之感与念友赠梅之愿。上片「芙蓉落尽天涵水。日暮沧波起」写秋景之萧瑟：芙蓉落尽，天涵水；日暮沧波起。「背飞双燕帖云寒。独向小楼东畔、倚阑看」写倚栏之孤：背飞双燕，帖云寒；独向小楼东畔、倚阑看。下片「浮生只合尊前老。雪满长安道」写浮生之感：浮生只合尊前老；雪满长安道。「故人早晚上高台。赠我江南春色、一枝梅」写念友赠梅之愿：故人早晚上高台；赠我江南春色、一枝梅。全词含蓄深婉，以景写情，是舒亶词中的名篇。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 hibiscus flowers' (fu rong) are the hibiscus flowers — the flowers of the hibiscus, fallen; 'the pair of swallows' (shuang yan) are the pair of swallows — the swallows flying apart; 'the floating life' (fu sheng) is the floating life — the life of the floating, the growing old before the cup; 'the high terrace' (gao tai) is the high terrace — the terrace of the ascending, the old friends.
词中「芙蓉」「背飞双燕」「帖云寒」「浮生」「尊前老」「长安道」「一枝梅」等语，皆含典故故实。「芙蓉」指荷花，「芙蓉落尽」写荷尽秋深；「背飞双燕」写双燕背飞而去，暗含别离之意；「帖云寒」写燕飞掠云而寒；「浮生」用李白「浮生若梦」之意，写人生如浮萍；「尊前老」写于樽前老去；「长安道」写长安之路（长安为帝都），暗含功名之途；「一枝梅」用陆凯《赠范晔》「折梅逢驿使，寄与陇头人。江南无所有，聊赠一枝春」之典，写赠梅寄友，「赠我江南春色、一枝梅」写故人赠我一枝江南之梅。词人以芙蓉、背飞双燕、浮生、长安道、一枝梅等典入词，不着痕迹，而把怀人寄友之情写得真切可感，是善于熔铸典故的体现。此等用典之法，熔铸古今而不着痕迹，既不炫博以示学，亦不拘泥于旧解，正见诗人学养之深与运思之巧。读者于此等处尤当细心玩味，方能领会其言外之旨与味外之味。此等用典之法，熔铸古今而不着痕迹，既不炫博以示学，亦不拘泥于旧解，正见诗人学养之深与运思之巧。读者于此等处尤当细心玩味，方能领会其言外之旨与味外之味。
Commentary
This lyric is one of the famous works of Shu Dan's lyrics of the longing, quoted for the clearness of its scene and the mume of its close. The pair of swallows pasting the clouds, and the one branch of the mume, are among the admired passages of the poet's lyrics. Critics praise the lyric's longing: the watching gathered in the small tower, to the close's mume.
这首《虞美人》，是舒亶写怀人寄友之作，写秋日倚栏、念友赠梅之情，含蓄深婉。上片写秋景之萧瑟与倚栏之孤：「芙蓉落尽天涵水。日暮沧波起」——芙蓉落尽，天涵水；日暮沧波起。写秋景之萧瑟：芙蓉落尽，秋水涵天，日暮沧波涌起，一片萧瑟苍茫；「背飞双燕帖云寒。独向小楼东畔、倚阑看」——背飞双燕，帖云寒；独向小楼东畔、倚阑看。写倚栏之孤：双燕背飞、掠云而寒，独向小楼东畔倚阑而看——双燕背飞，暗含别离；独倚阑看，正见其孤。这「独向小楼东畔、倚阑看」，是全词上片之眼：他人有燕双飞，而我独倚阑看。下片写浮生之感与念友赠梅之愿：「浮生只合尊前老。雪满长安道」——浮生只合尊前老；雪满长安道。写浮生之感：浮生只合樽前老去，而长安道上已雪满——浮生如梦，唯樽前可老；长安雪满，正写时之深秋入冬；「故人早晚上高台。赠我江南春色、一枝梅」——故人早晚上高台；赠我江南春色、一枝梅。写念友赠梅之愿：故人早晚登上高台，赠我江南春色、一枝梅——以陆凯赠梅之典，写念友赠梅之愿：盼故人如折梅寄我，赠我江南之春。这「赠我江南春色、一枝梅」，是全词之结：以赠梅写念友，于萧瑟秋景中寄以江南春色之愿，含蓄深婉。全词含蓄深婉，以景写情，正是舒亶词中的名篇。
Prosody
Line by line
芙蓉落尽天涵水。
Lotus all fallen, sky merged in the water.
芙蓉落尽，天涵水。
The lotuses have all fallen; heaven is mirrored in the water.
首句写秋景之萧瑟，起笔即见其景。「芙蓉落尽天涵水」写芙蓉落尽、天涵水，「芙蓉落尽」写荷花已落尽，见秋之深，「天涵水」写天水相接、天光涵于水。一句以「芙蓉落尽」写秋之萧瑟、以「天涵水」写水天相接之苍茫，写尽秋日萧瑟苍茫之景，起笔即定下萧瑟之调，为全词写倚栏怀人作铺垫，是「以景起兴」的妙笔。此句以寥寥数语写尽深意，情韵兼胜，正是全诗点睛之笔。其于字句之间暗藏波澜，于平易之中寄寓曲折，尤当反复涵泳，方能得其三昧。
The opening writes the bleak autumn scene, and the scenery is visible from the first stroke. 'The lotuses have all fallen; heaven is mirrored in the water' — 'lotuses all fallen' shows the depth of autumn, 'heaven mirrored in the water' sky and water joined, light held within the flood. One phrase writes the bleakness of autumn through the fallen lotuses and the vastness of water and sky through 'heaven mirrored in water,' exhausting the bleak, boundless autumn scene and fixing the desolate keynote from the first stroke, preparing for the ci's leaning on the rail and longing — a fine stroke of 'raising feeling through scenery.' In a few words it exhausts deep meaning, waves hidden between the characters, worth repeated pondering.
独向小楼东畔、倚阑看。
Alone, by the east corner of the small tower, I lean on the rail and gaze.
独向小楼东畔、倚阑看。
Alone, at the east corner of the little tower, I lean on the railing and watch.
此句写倚栏之孤，是全词上片之眼。「独向小楼东畔、倚阑看」写独向小楼东畔、倚阑看，「独向」写其独往，「小楼东畔」写小楼之东，「倚阑看」写其倚栏而看。一句以「独」写其孤独、以「倚阑看」写其凭栏凝望，写其独向小楼东畔、倚栏而看——双燕背飞，而我独倚阑看。以「独」写孤，含蓄而深挚，是「以一字写孤」的点睛之笔，也是全词由写景转入写怀的枢纽。
This line writes the solitude of leaning on the rail, the eye of the ci's upper stanza. 'Alone, at the east corner of the little tower, I lean on the rail and watch' — 'alone' her solitary going, 'east corner of the small tower' its eastern side, 'lean on the rail and watch' her resting on the balustrade. One phrase writes loneliness through 'alone' and rapt gazing through 'lean on the rail,' writing how, while paired swallows fly apart, she alone leans and watches. Writing solitude through one word 'alone,' restrained and deep — an illuminating stroke of 'writing solitude through one word,' and the hinge where the ci turns from scenery to longing.
浮生只合尊前老。
Floating life is only fit to age out before the cup.
浮生只合尊前老。
Floating life is only meant to grow old beside the wine cup.
此句写浮生之感，是全词写慨的关键。「浮生只合尊前老」写浮生只合尊前老，「浮生」写人生如浮萍、如梦幻，「只合尊前老」写只合于樽前老去。一句以「浮生」写人生之虚幻、以「只合尊前老」写其唯樽前可老，写尽浮生如梦、唯樽前消遣之感。以慨写情，含蓄而深沉，是「以慨写情」的妙笔，也是全词由写景转入写慨的枢纽。
This line writes the feeling of floating life, the key to the ci's lament. 'Floating life is only fit to age out before the cup' — 'floating life' writes life like drifting duckweed and a dream, 'only fit to age before the cup' that the only proper place to grow old is beside wine. One phrase writes the unreality of life through 'floating life' and the only fit of wine through 'only fit to age before the cup,' exhausting the sense that life is a dream and only the cup can while it away. Writing feeling through lament, restrained and deep — a fine stroke of 'writing feeling through lament,' and the hinge where the ci turns from scenery to lament.
赠我江南春色、一枝梅。
Send me a sprig of plum, the spring of the southland.
赠我江南春色、一枝梅。
Send me, of Jiangnan's spring, one sprig of plum blossom.
尾句写念友赠梅之愿，是全词立意的落点。「赠我江南春色、一枝梅」写赠我江南春色、一枝梅，「赠我」写故人相赠，「江南春色」写江南之春，「一枝梅」写一枝梅花。一句用陆凯赠梅之典，写盼故人折梅寄我、赠我江南之春——于萧瑟秋景中，寄以江南春色之愿，正是念友之情。以梅写愿，含蓄深婉，是全词最动人处，也是「以典写情」的点睛之笔。
The closing writes the wish for a friend's gift of plum, where the ci's meaning lands. 'Send me, of Jiangnan's spring, one sprig of plum' — 'send me' the old friend's gift, 'Jiangnan spring' the southern spring, 'one sprig of plum' a branch of blossoms. One phrase uses Lu Kai's allusion of sending plum to write the hope that a friend will break a sprig and send it, giving him the spring of the south — amid bleak autumn scenery, lodging the wish for southern spring, precisely the feeling of missing a friend. Writing the wish through the plum, restrained and delicate, it is the most moving place of the ci and an illuminating stroke of 'writing feeling through allusion.'
Study
Word focus
Related Reading
Compare this related work with the poem above through theme, imagery, tone, and emotional movement.
晏几道《临江仙·梦后楼台高锁》「落花人独立，微雨燕双飞」「当时明月在，曾照彩云归」，写人去楼空、落花独立之怀，是晏几道最著名的词；舒亶《虞美人》则以「背飞双燕帖云寒。独向小楼东畔、倚阑看」写双燕背飞、独倚阑看。两词同写秋日倚栏怀人：一写落花独立微雨燕双飞、以景写情，一写背飞双燕独倚阑看、以孤写情；一为晏几道之深婉、一为舒亶之含蓄，并读正可见宋词写「倚栏怀人」的两种笔法，皆于倚栏望景中见怀人之情。
虞美人·春花秋月何时了 The Beautiful Lady Yu: When Will Spring Flowers and Autumn Moon End? 李煜 · 同用虞美人词牌写愁怀，一写春花秋月故国不堪回首之愁、一写芙蓉落尽念友赠梅之怀，皆以虞美人调写深愁 Related readingCompare this related work with the poem above through theme, imagery, tone, and emotional movement.
李煜《虞美人·春花秋月何时了》「问君能有几多愁，恰似一江春水向东流」，写亡国之愁，是虞美人调最著名的词；舒亶《虞美人》则以「浮生只合尊前老」「赠我江南春色、一枝梅」写浮生之感与念友赠梅。两词同用虞美人词牌写愁怀：一写亡国之愁、以一江春水写愁之深，一写浮生之慨、以江南春色写怀之远；一为帝王之血泪、一为文士之感慨，并读正可见「虞美人」词牌写愁的两种情致，皆以词牌写深愁。