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宋 Song · 词 Ci lyric

鹧鸪天·彩袖殷勤

Partridge Sky: Colorful Sleeves

晏几道

Yan Jidao

爱情Love 重逢Reunion 婉约Graceful and Restrained

鹧鸪天·彩袖殷勤捧玉钟彩袖殷勤捧玉钟，当年拚却醉颜红。
舞低杨柳楼心月，歌尽桃花扇底风。
从别后，忆相逢，几回魂梦与君同。
今宵剩把银釭照，犹恐相逢是梦中。

Colorful sleeves, attentive, held a jade cup,
That year I vowed to drink until my cheeks were red.
Dancing low the moon over the willow's heart,
Singing out the wind beneath the peach blossom fan.
Since we parted, I recall our meetings,
How many times in dreams I've been with you?
Tonight I hold the silver lamp and gaze,
Still fearing this reunion is a dream.

Listen

Meaning

The poet recalls a past feast where his beloved sang and danced, and he got willingly drunk. After their separation, he dreamed of her repeatedly. Now they reunite, but he is afraid it is still a dream.

当年你身着彩衣殷勤捧着玉杯劝酒，我那时甘愿一醉，醉得满脸通红。歌舞一直持续到楼心明月低沉到杨柳之下，桃花扇底的微风里歌声方尽。自从离别之后，总忆起初相逢，多少次魂牵梦绕与你相会相同。今夜我一次次把银灯举起照看你，还怕这相逢只是一场梦境。

Appreciation

The upper stanza vividly recalls the ecstasy of the feast: colorful sleeves, jade cup, flushed face, dancing until the moon sets, singing until the breeze stops. The lower stanza shifts to the longing after separation, with many dreams of reunion, and finally the actual meeting, where the poet lifts a lamp repeatedly to confirm reality, still doubting. The poem contrasts past and present, using parallelism, hyperbole, and delicate psychological description to express deep emotion.

【白话串讲】当年她捧着酒杯劝酒，他喝得醉眼朦胧；多年后重逢，两人举着灯照来照去，都不敢相信是真的。“今宵剩把银釭照，犹恐相逢是梦中”——写尽了旧情人重逢的恍惚。【意象与手法】上片以「彩袖」「玉钟」「醉颜红」铺写欢宴，「舞低」「歌尽」二句运对仗与夸张，以月落风歇写歌舞彻夜，画面极美。下片「几回魂梦与君同」由实入虚，结句「剩把银釭照」「犹恐是梦中」以两个动作细节，写尽重逢时惊喜交并、疑真疑幻的心理，委婉深挚。【情感与主旨】晏几道（1038—1110）字叔原，号小山，晏殊之子，晚年家道中落。其词多忆写往日歌酒情事与相恋歌妓。此词当为别后重逢之作，具体对象与年份已难确考，约作于其落魄之后，于欢会中寄寓身世飘零之慨，是其「四痴」性情与深情的自然流露。【名句点睛】考点：①「舞低杨柳楼心月，歌尽桃花扇底风」的对仗与以景写时；②「犹恐相逢是梦中」化用与心理刻画；③上片欢宴与下片重逢的今昔对照。

Background

Yan Jidao (1038–1110), style name Shuyuan, sobriquet Xiaoshan, was the son of Yan Shu. His family declined in his later years. His ci poems often recall past romantic affairs with courtesans. This poem is likely written after a reunion, during his impoverished years, expressing the sorrow of a drifting life amidst the joy of reunion.

晏几道（1038—1110），字叔原，号小山，抚州临川人，北宋词人晏殊第七子。他出身贵胄，早年锦衣玉食，是相府中的公子；晏殊去世后家道中落，他由贵公子沦为落魄士人，晚年甚至「家人寒饥」而不知。晏几道性情孤傲，人称其有「四痴」：仕宦连蹇而不肯依附权贵，文章自负而不肯迎合流俗，挥金如土而不治生计，爱人不疑而屡遭辜负。其词多忆写往日歌酒情事与相恋的歌妓，黄庭坚《小山词序》谓其「清壮顿挫，能动摇人心」。此词当为别后重逢之作，具体对象与年份已难确考，约作于其落魄之后：上片追忆当年彩袖捧钟、歌舞彻夜的欢会，下片写别后魂梦相牵与重逢疑幻，于欢会中寄寓身世飘零之慨，是晏几道深情与「痴」性的真实流露。晏几道与其父晏殊并称「二晏」，然晏殊贵为宰相、词风温润闲雅，晏几道落魄潦倒、词风凄婉深挚，父子词境之异正是时代与身世使然。黄庭坚《小山词序》称其「清壮顿挫，能动摇人心」，此词追忆欢宴、疑梦重逢，正是小山词「以痴写情」的典型，千载之下犹能令人动容。

Art

The upper stanza uses colorful sleeves, jade cup, and flushed face to set the scene. The couplet 'dancing low the moon' and 'singing out the wind' employs parallelism and hyperbole to convey all-night revelry. The lower stanza moves from reality to dreams, and the final lines use the action of lifting the lamp to portray joy mixed with disbelief, subtle and sincere.

此词章法精妙，今昔交织，虚实相生。上片以「彩袖」「玉钟」「醉颜红」三组意象铺写当年欢宴，「舞低杨柳楼心月，歌尽桃花扇底风」二句运对仗与夸张：月本悬于楼心，舞久则月沉于杨柳之下；风本生于扇底，歌尽则风亦停歇，以月落风歇写歌舞彻夜，时空凝练，画面极美。下片「从别后，忆相逢，几回魂梦与君同」由实入虚，写别后魂梦相牵，过渡自然；结句「今宵剩把银釭照，犹恐相逢是梦中」以「剩把银釭照」「犹恐是梦中」两个动作细节，写重逢时惊喜交并、疑真疑幻的心理，委婉深挚。全词上片浓丽、下片深婉，一热一冷，今昔对照，把重逢之喜置于离别之久与家道之衰的背景下，愈显情深，是晏几道小令艺术的巅峰。全词上片四句全写当年之乐，下片五句全写别后与今宵之情，今昔对比、虚实相生，章法极为讲究。上片以浓笔铺写，彩袖、玉钟、醉颜、杨柳、桃花，色彩秾丽；下片以淡笔抒情，魂梦、银釭、疑梦，语浅情深，浓淡之间正见欢宴之盛与重逢之幻的对照，是晏几道「于短章中见长篇气象」的典范。

Allusions

The 'silver lamp' is a daily object. The closing lines allude to Du Fu's 'Qiang Village' ('Night deep, holding a candle, facing each other as in a dream') and Sikong Shu's 'Suddenly meeting, I doubt it is a dream', making the reunion more lingering. 'Colorful sleeves' symbolizes the courtesan. The poem uses few obscure allusions, relying on simple details and genuine emotion, typical of Yan Jidao's style: 'plain words full of flavor'.

「银釭」即银灯，结句化用杜甫《羌村三首》「夜阑更秉烛，相对如梦寐」及司空曙《云阳馆与韩绅宿别》「乍见翻疑梦，相悲各问年」，将久别重逢的恍惚写得更为缠绵：杜诗写乱离中夫妻重逢如梦，司空曙写故人乍见疑梦，晏几道则把这一「疑梦」心理置于银灯照影的细节中，喜极而疑，疑中愈见情深。「彩袖」以服饰代指歌女，是典型的借代；「玉钟」指玉制酒杯，写欢宴之华贵；「桃花扇」为歌女所执之扇，扇上画桃花，以物衬人。全词少用僻典，以家常细节与真情动人，体现小山词「淡语皆有味，浅语皆有致」之格，将前人诗意化用无痕，正是晏几道「于小令中见大手段」的体现。「几回魂梦与君同」暗用楚怀王梦遇巫山神女及《庄子》蝴蝶梦的典故，以梦写相思之深；「银釭照」则化用李白「长安一片月」的思妇意象而更见亲切。「剩把银釭照」的「剩」字，或作「尽」「频」解，写反复照看之态，正与「犹恐是梦中」的疑心相映，把化用而来的诗意化为自家的深情，正是小山词「淡语皆有味」之格。

Commentary

Huang Tingjian, in his preface to Yan Jidao's ci collection, remarked that Yan, despite his difficult official career, never curried favor with the powerful, and his poems are 'clear and forceful, stirring the heart'. Xia Jingguan commented that Yan's ci differ from the Huajian school and Northern Song masters, and even Zhou Bangyan and Qin Guan could not match his depth of feeling.

黄庭坚《小山词序》称晏几道「仕宦连蹇，而不能一傍贵人之门」，又赞其词「清壮顿挫，能动摇人心」。此词写重逢，历代评家多激赏结句：清人陈廷焯《白雨斋词话》评晏几道「淡语皆有味，浅语皆有致」，正以此类句为例；夏敬观评小山词「与花间、北宋迥异，方之以后来，则清真、淮海皆不能到」，足见其情深一往。今人常以「痴」论晏几道：他写情不假掩饰，把重逢的欣喜与疑惧写得如此真切，正是痴情人的口吻。全词的价值在于以极短的篇幅写出爱情中最复杂的心理时刻——久别重逢本应大喜，他却怕喜是梦，这「犹恐」二字，道尽了别离之久、思念之深与人生之变，千载之下犹能动人。此词在宋词选本中几无遗漏，历来与柳永《雨霖铃》、秦观《鹊桥仙》并称宋人写离别重逢的三大名篇。近人俞陛云《唐五代两宋词选释》评「剩把银釭照」句「婉转缠绵，情致如绘」，正见其写情之工。晏几道以一介落魄公子，把爱情的欣喜与身世的苍凉熔于一炉，使个人的重逢体验上升为普世的情感共鸣，这正是小山词超越一时一地的价值所在。

Prosody

Form Ci poem to the tune 'Partridge Sky', double stanza of 55 characters, first stanza three level-tone rhymes, second stanza three level-tone rhymes (all level tone).词牌《鹧鸪天》，双调五十五字，上片三平韵、下片三平韵（平韵到底）。

Rhyme According to 'Ci Lin Zheng Yun' first rhyme group (dong/dong), rhyme words: zhong, hong, feng (first stanza); tong, zhong, zhong (second stanza, last word 'zhong' in 'mengzhong').依《词林正韵》第一部（东/冬）平韵，韵脚：钟、红、风（上片）；同、中（下片）。

Tone pattern Level tones create a graceful flow; first stanza recalls a feast, second stanza describes dreams after parting and reunion, emotion moving.《鹧鸪天》句式以七言为主，前两句对仗（「彩袖殷勤捧玉钟，当年拚却醉颜红」），第三四句亦常作对（「舞低杨柳楼心月，歌尽桃花扇底风」），上下片末句皆以七言收束，音律整齐而流转。

Reading note This short ci portrays love; the couplet 'dancing low the moon over the willow's heart, singing out the wind beneath the peach blossom fan' is a famous line; the closing 'still fearing this meeting is a dream' expresses the joy and doubt of reunion, deeply touching.此词为词牌《鹧鸪天》，双调五十五字，上片四句三平韵、下片五句三平韵，平韵到底，依《词林正韵》第一部（东/冬）韵，韵脚「钟、红、风、同、中」皆为响亮的阳声韵，声情明朗，与全词由欢到疑的情感变化相合。《鹧鸪天》词调源于唐教坊曲，句式以七言为主，间以三言，前两句与第三四句皆可作对仗，正宜铺陈与抒情。此词充分发挥词调特点：上片四句七言，前两句叙事、后两句对仗写歌舞之盛，气势铺展；下片「从别后，忆相逢」三言短句转入，节奏顿挫，再以七言「几回魂梦与君同」承接，结句「今宵剩把银釭照，犹恐相逢是梦中」以七言对句收束，一收一放。全词音律整齐而不板滞，对仗精工而情致流转，与晏几道「清壮顿挫」的词风相合，是《鹧鸪天》词调的名篇，也是小令写长情、短调含深意的典范。

Line by line

彩袖殷勤捧玉钟，当年拚却醉颜红。

Colorful sleeves attentively held a jade cup; that year I risked a drunken, flushed face. This recalls the initial meeting, full of passion.

当年你身着彩衣殷勤捧着玉杯劝酒，我那时甘愿一醉，醉得满脸通红。

Then, in colored sleeves, you pressed the jade cup on me with eager grace; that year I freely let myself drown in wine, my face flushed red.

起笔追忆当年欢宴，「彩袖」「玉钟」点出歌女身份与酒宴之盛：彩衣的歌女殷勤捧杯劝酒，「殷勤」二字写尽对方的热情与情意。「当年」二字领起，拉开回忆的帷幕，全词自此皆在追想中展开。「拚却」作「甘愿、不惜」解，写词人面对殷勤劝酒，不惜一醉，「醉颜红」以醉后的酡红写情热之炽。一个「拚」字，写出当年为情纵酒的少年意气，也暗含此后家道中落的感慨——当年可以拚却一醉的豪兴，如今已不可复得。两句一问一答的格局中，情意已浓，为下句「舞低」「歌尽」的彻夜欢会作势，也为下片重逢时的沧桑对照埋下伏笔。

The opening recalls the revels of old; 'colored sleeves' and 'jade cup' mark the singing girl's station and the splendor of the feast: a girl in colored robes pressing the cup with eager grace, the words 'eager' exhausting her warmth and feeling. The words 'that year' draw back the curtain of memory; the whole ci unfolds henceforth in recollection. 'Freely let myself' means willingly, regardless, writing the poet, face to face with her eager pressing, not sparing a drunken bout, and 'face flushed red' writes the heat of feeling through the flushed cheeks. One word 'freely' writes the young ardor of drinking for love in those days, and carries the afterthought of the family's later decline — the recklessness that could 'freely' get drunk then is no longer attainable. In a pattern of question and answer, feeling is already intense, building momentum for the next line's all-night revels of 'dance' and 'song,' and planting the seed of the weathered contrast in the lower stanza's reunion.

舞低杨柳楼心月，歌尽桃花扇底风。

Dancing till the moon sank low over the willow's heart; singing till the breeze beneath the peach blossom fan exhausted. Famous couplet depicting all-night revelry with parallelism and temporal condensation.

歌舞一直持续到楼心明月低沉到杨柳之下，桃花扇底的微风里歌声方尽。

Danced until the moon above the tower sank beneath the willows; sang until, beneath the peach-blossom fan, the breeze died away.

此联是全词最著名的对仗，以月落风歇写歌舞彻夜，时空凝练。月本悬于楼心之上，舞至夜深，月已低沉到杨柳之下；风本生于扇底，歌至曲终，风亦随之停歇。「低」「尽」二字是炼字之眼：以月之「低」写舞之久，以风之「尽」写歌之终，不写时间而时间自见，把彻夜欢会凝于两句。「杨柳楼心月」对「桃花扇底风」，杨柳、桃花、楼、扇，意象华美，色彩明丽，对仗工稳而流转自如；「舞」对「歌」、「低」对「尽」，动静相生。此联以景写时，以物写情，是宋词对仗的典范，也是晏几道追忆笔法的极致，把当年的欢乐写得愈美，愈见今宵重逢的不易与沧桑。

This couplet is the ci's most famous parallel, writing the all-night dance and song through the moon's setting and the wind's dying, time and space condensed. The moon originally hung above the tower; dancing deep into night, it has sunk below the willows; the wind originally rose from beneath the fan; singing to the close, it too has died. The words 'sank' and 'died' are the eyes of refined diction: writing the length of the dance through the moon's 'sinking,' the end of song through the wind's 'dying' — not naming time, yet time appears of itself, condensing the all-night revels into two lines. 'The moon above the tower among willows' pairs 'the breeze beneath the peach fan': willow, peach, tower, fan — the imagery ornate, the colors bright, the parallel tight yet flowing freely; 'dance' against 'song,' 'sank' against 'died,' motion and stillness rising together. This couplet writes time through scenery and feeling through objects, a model of Song ci parallelism and the extreme of Yan Jidao's recall brush; the more beautiful the old joy is written, the more it shows the difficulty and weathering of tonight's reunion.

从别后，忆相逢，几回魂梦与君同。

Since parting, I recall our meetings; how many times in dreams have I been with you? Transition from reality to illusion, expressing deep longing.

自从离别之后，总忆起初相逢，多少次魂牵梦绕与你相会相同。

Since we parted, I have recalled our meeting; how many times in dreams have I been with you?

过片三短句由追忆转入别后的相思，是上下片之间的转折枢纽。「从别后」三字轻点时光流逝，一笔带过漫长的离别；「忆相逢」回扣上片，说明当年的欢会始终萦绕心头；「几回魂梦与君同」写相思之深：现实中不能相见，唯有在魂梦中与对方相会，「几回」言次数之多，「与君同」写梦中相见的真切。三句一气流转，节奏急促，恰如思念之不可抑止。此句由实入虚，把别后相思写得缠绵深挚，为结句「今宵相逢」蓄势：正因为魂梦中相会太多次，今夜真能相见，反而疑是梦中，虚与实在此交汇，是晏几道善于以梦写情的体现，也为全词的心理高潮作了铺垫。

The three short head-turning lines pass from recollection to the longing after parting, the pivot between upper and lower stanzas. 'Since we parted' lightly marks time's passage, passing over the long separation in one stroke; 'I have recalled our meeting' answers the upper stanza, showing the old revels still haunt the heart; 'how many times in dreams have I been with you?' writes the depth of longing: unable to meet in reality, only meeting in soul-dreams; 'how many times' the frequency, 'been with you' the vividness of meeting in dream. Three lines flow in one breath, the rhythm urgent, as longing that cannot be held back. This line moves from the actual to the imagined, writing post-parting longing as lingering and deep, building momentum for the closing 'tonight's meeting': precisely because of meeting so many times in dreams, tonight's true meeting is half suspected to be a dream; the imaginary and the actual meet here, showing Yan's skill at writing feeling through dreams, and preparing the ci's psychological climax.

今宵剩把银釭照，犹恐相逢是梦中。

Tonight I repeatedly hold the silver lamp to shine; still fearing this meeting is in a dream. The gesture captures the joy and doubt of reunion, wrapping up with profound emotion.

今夜我一次次把银灯举起照看你，还怕这相逢只是一场梦境。

Tonight I hold the silver lamp up again and again to look at you, still fearing this meeting is only a dream.

结句以两个动作细节写尽重逢时惊喜交并、疑真疑幻的心理，是全词的点睛之笔。「剩把」作「再三、频频」解，写词人今夜把银灯举起，照了又照，仿佛要借灯光确认眼前人是真实存在；「犹恐相逢是梦中」直写心理：灯下分明是真实的相逢，却还怕这只是又一次魂梦。「剩把银釭照」是动作，「犹恐是梦中」是心理，动作因疑而生，心理因照而愈疑，层层递进，把久别重逢的恍惚写得入木三分。此句化用杜甫、司空曙诗意而更见细腻：前人写「相对如梦寐」是惊，晏几道写「犹恐是梦中」是痴，喜极而疑，疑中带悲，含蓄地透出别离之久与人生之变，收束警策，余味无穷，是宋词写重逢心理的千古名句。

The close writes, through two small actions, the mingled joy and doubt, the real and the dreamlike of reunion, the illuminating stroke of the ci. 'Hold up again and again' means repeatedly; tonight the poet raises the silver lamp, looks again and again, as if to confirm by lamplight that the person before him is real. 'Still fearing this meeting is only a dream' directly writes the mind: by the lamp the meeting is plainly real, yet still afraid it is another soul-dream. 'Hold up the silver lamp' is action, 'fearing it is a dream' is mind; action born of doubt, mind deepened by gazing, advancing layer on layer, writing the trance of long-parted reunion to the quick. This line adapts the poetry of Du Fu and Sikong Shu yet is more delicate: the older poets wrote 'face to face as if in a dream' as shock, Yan writes 'still fearing it is a dream' as dotage — joy beyond measure turning to doubt, doubt carrying sorrow, quietly revealing the length of parting and the change in life; the close is alert and pregnant with aftertaste, a famous Song line on the psychology of reunion.

Study

Word focus

彩袖／玉钟 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「彩袖殷勤捧玉钟」以「彩袖」代指歌女、「玉钟」指玉制酒杯，两处借代并出，铺写当年欢宴的华美与情意的殷勤。彩袖色彩鲜明，见歌女之盛装与风华；玉钟质地华贵，见酒宴之排场与欢愉。以「彩袖」代人，不直言人而人自现，是借代的典型用法；「捧玉钟」三字，写歌女双手捧杯、殷勤相劝的情态，恭敬而亲昵。两个意象一色一质、一人一物，交相辉映，把当年相府欢宴的富贵气象写得如在目前。此词以借代起笔，不仅写出场景，更以华美之物反衬此后家道中落，今昔对照的意味已隐于词首，是晏几道善于以物写情、以丽景写哀思的体现。

低／尽 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「舞低杨柳楼心月，歌尽桃花扇底风」之「低」「尽」是炼字之眼，一写舞之久、一写歌之终，以物态变化写时间流逝。「低」字写月：月本悬于楼心，因舞之持续而渐渐低沉，终至没于杨柳之下，月之「低」正见歌舞之久；「尽」字写风：风本生于扇底，因歌之终止而风歇，风之「尽」正见曲终之终。「低」「尽」皆以被动之物写主动之人，不直言「舞久歌尽」，而月低风歇已足见其久其尽，含蓄凝练。二字相对，一写空间之移，一写时间之止，把彻夜欢会凝于两句，时空高度浓缩。此二字是宋词炼字中「以景写时」的典范，历来为评家所称道，也是此联成为千古名句的关键。

拚却 Risk / dare: conveys the poet's willingness to get drunk, showing intense emotion. 「当年拚却醉颜红」之「拚却」作「甘愿、不惜」解，是晏几道写情之「痴」的关键词。面对歌女殷勤劝酒，词人不是推辞，而是甘愿一醉，甚至不惜醉得「颜红」，一个「拚」字写出当年为情纵酒、不顾一切的少年豪兴，也写出歌酒场中的真性情。「拚却」本是口语化的词，入词而不俗，反添亲切之感；「醉颜红」以醉后的酡红写情热，色相鲜明。此词之妙在于「拚却」二字不仅写酒，更写情：甘愿为眼前人醉，正是甘愿为眼前人倾注深情的写照。同时，「当年」二字与「拚却」相映，点明这是追忆中的豪兴，如今落魄的诗人已不复当年意气，怀旧之情、身世之感俱在其中。

剩把／犹恐 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「今宵剩把银釭照，犹恐相逢是梦中」之「剩把」与「犹恐」是结句的心理枢纽。「剩把」作「再三、频频」解，写词人今夜把银灯举起照了又照，动作的反复正见内心的不安——他要用灯光反复确认眼前人是否真实；「犹恐」直写心理，照过之后仍怕这是梦中相逢。一动作、一心理，层层递进：因为疑，所以要照；因为照了仍疑，所以「犹恐」。两个词把重逢时惊喜交并、疑真疑幻的心理刻画得入木三分，比直言「喜相逢」深刻得多。此二词是晏几道善于以细节写心理的体现，也是全词「痴」情的集中爆发，委婉深挚，收束有力，成为宋词写重逢心理的经典。