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宋 Song · 词 Ci lyric

周邦彦·瑞龙吟·大石春景

Rui Long Yin · Spring Scene in the Great-Stone Mode

周邦彦

Zhou Bangyan

婉约graceful 怀旧nostalgia

瑞龙吟·大石春景章台路，还见褪粉梅梢，试花桃树。
愔愔坊陌人家，定巢燕子，归来旧处。
黯凝伫。
因念个人痴小，乍窥门户。
侵晨浅约宫黄，障风映袖，盈盈笑语。
前度刘郎重到，访邻寻里，同时歌舞。
唯有旧家秋娘，声价如故。
吟笺赋笔，犹记燕台句。
知谁伴、名园露饮，东城闲步。
事与孤鸿去。
探春尽是，伤离意绪。
官柳低金缕。
归骑晚、纤纤池塘飞雨。
断肠院落，一帘风絮。

On Zhangtai road, again I see the plum tips shed their powder, the peach trees try their flowers.
Quiet the lane houses; the nest-settling swallows return to the old place.
I stand darkly fixed. Thus I recall that one, so young and small, first peeping at the gate.
At dawn she lightly dabbed the palace-yellow, shielding from wind, mirrored by sleeve, with full and laughing speech.
The former Liu Lang comes again; I visit neighbors and lanes, the same-time singing and dancing.
Only the old Qiu Niang keeps her former price.
My chanting paper and fu brush still recall the Yantai lines.
Who, I wonder, keeps me company at famous gardens drinking in dew, strolling the east city?
Affairs have gone with the lone swan.
Seeking spring is all a mood of parting grief.
The official willows droop their golden threads.
My homeward horse is late; slender the pond's flying rain.
The heart-broken court, a curtain of wind-blown catkins.

Listen

Meaning

On Zhangtai road, again I see the plum tips shed their powder, the peach trees try their flowers. Quiet are the lane houses; the nest-settling swallows return to the old place. I stand darkly fixed. Thus I recall that one, so young and small, first peeping at the gate. At dawn she lightly dabbed the palace-yellow, shielding from wind, mirrored by sleeve, with full and laughing speech. The former Liu Lang comes again; I visit neighbors and lanes, the same-time singing and dancing. Only the old Qiu Niang keeps her former price. My chanting paper and fu brush still recall the Yantai lines. Who, I wonder, keeps me company at famous gardens drinking in dew, strolling the east city? Affairs have gone with the lone swan. Seeking spring is all a mood of parting grief. The official willows droop their golden threads. My homeward horse is late; slender the pond's flying rain. The heart-broken court, a curtain of wind-blown catkins.

章台路上，又见梅梢褪粉，桃树初花。寂静的街巷人家，定巢的燕子，飞回旧处。黯然凝望伫立。因想起那人儿娇小，初倚门户。清晨淡淡施了宫黄，障着风、映着袖，笑语盈盈。前度刘郎重又来到，访寻邻里，同昔日的歌舞。唯有旧家秋娘，声价依然如故。吟诗作赋，还记得燕台的诗句。可知谁伴我在名园露饮、东城闲步？往事随孤鸿而去。探春满眼，都是伤离的意绪。官柳低垂如金缕。归骑已晚、池塘飘起纤纤飞雨。断肠的院落，一帘风絮。

Appreciation

This lyric is Zhou Bangyan's representative work, likely written in his late years after wandering and returning to Bianjing. It writes revisiting the old Zhangtai place, recalling a song-girl he met there in early years (some say 'Qiu Niang'). Zhou Bangyan long wandered as a staff official in counties, all his life much with singers and dancers; in his late years returning, things same yet person changed, he uses 'the former Liu Lang' as his self-comparison, borrowing spring scene to voice the grief of parting and old attachment. The structure is strict, long called the press of the Qingzhen collection, best showing his regulated-school lyric manner.

【白话串讲】周邦彦重回章台路：“还见褪粉梅梢，试花桃树”——梅花谢了，桃花初开。“前度刘郎重到，访邻寻里”——他像刘禹锡重回旧地。“唯有旧家秋娘，声价如故”——只有旧日的歌女，还和当年一样。人去楼空的惆怅。【意象与手法】全词三片，上片写今之春景（梅褪桃试、燕归旧处），中片逆入忆昔（个人痴小、盈盈笑语），下片回到现实（刘郎重到、秋娘如故【情感与主旨】此词为周邦彦代表作，约作于其晚年漂泊复返汴京之时。词写重临章台旧地，追忆早年在此结识的一位歌伎（或谓“秋娘”）【名句点睛】考点：一、三片结构（今—昔—今）的章法特点；二、“前度刘郎”典故的寄托；三、结句“一帘风絮”以景结情的断肠之痛

Background

This lyric is Zhou Bangyan's representative work, likely written in his late years after wandering and returning to Bianjing. It writes revisiting the old Zhangtai place, recalling a song-girl (some say Qiu Niang) he met there in early years. Zhou Bangyan long served as a staff official in counties, all his life much with singers and dancers; in his late years returning, things same yet person changed, he uses 'the former Liu Lang' as his self-comparison, borrowing spring scene to voice the grief of parting and old attachment. The structure is strict, long called the press of the Qingzhen collection, best showing his regulated-school manner.

《瑞龙吟·大石春景》为北宋词人周邦彦所作。周邦彦（1056—1121），字美成，号清真居士，钱塘人，北宋婉约词派的集大成者，有“词中老杜”之称。此词写重游旧地、追寻伊人的春愁：章台路，还见褪粉梅梢，试花桃树；愔愔坊陌人家，定巢燕子，归来旧处；黯凝伫，因念个人痴小，乍窥门户；侵晨浅约宫黄，障风映袖，盈盈笑语。下片前度刘郎重到，访邻寻里，同时歌舞，惟有旧家秋娘，声价如故；吟笺赋笔，犹记燕台句；知谁伴、名园露饮，东城闲步？事与孤鸿去。探春尽是，伤离意绪。全词以重游旧地写追寻伊人之愁，是周邦彦词“浑成”风格的代表作。

Art

The whole lyric has three parts: the first writes today's spring scene (plum sheds, peach tries, swallows return to old place); the middle inversely enters memory (that one young and small, full laughing speech); the lower returns to reality (Liu Lang comes again, Qiu Niang as before), gathering with 'affairs have gone with the lone swan' into parting grief. Time and space leap, hooks trace multiple layers, rich and exquisite yet unexhausted in depression. Closing with 'the heart-broken court, a curtain of wind-blown catkins', scene holds feeling, lingering pain easy, the denseness of composition rarely matched in Song lyrics.

《瑞龙吟·大石春景》艺术上以章法的浑成与情感的深婉见长。全词结构分明：上片写重游旧地之景——“章台路，还见褪粉梅梢，试花桃树”写旧地春景，“愔愔坊陌人家，定巢燕子，归来旧处”写燕子归来旧处；中片写忆念伊人——“黯凝伫，因念个人痴小，乍窥门户”写忆其初见，“侵晨浅约宫黄，障风映袖，盈盈笑语”写忆其笑语；下片写追寻之愁——“前度刘郎重到，访邻寻里”写重访旧地，“同时歌舞，惟有旧家秋娘，声价如故”写秋娘犹在，“吟笺赋笔，犹记燕台句”写记忆犹新，“知谁伴、名园露饮，东城闲步”写伊人已去，“事与孤鸿去”写往事如烟，“探春尽是，伤离意绪”写伤离之绪。全词以重游旧地、忆念伊人、追寻无果三层写伤离之愁，章法浑成，正是周邦彦“词中老杜”的笔法。

Allusions

'The former Liu Lang' uses Liu Yuxi's 'the former Liu Lang comes again' and the Liu Chen-Ruan Zhao meeting immortals tale, figuring revisiting the old place, things changed; 'Yantai lines' uses Li Shangyin's 'Yantai' poems, standing for old inscribed gift-songs; 'Qiu Niang' from Du Mu's 'Lady Du Qiuniang', since Tang a common name for song-girls. All allusions concern romance and return; organized by Zhou, dense yet not blocked, in the amorous matter lodging the vicissitudes—the wonder of allusion is its melted tracelessness.

《瑞龙吟·大石春景》用典在“前度刘郎”“秋娘”“燕台句”。“前度刘郎”用刘禹锡《再游玄都观》“前度刘郎今又来”之典，写重游旧地；“秋娘”用唐代歌妓杜秋娘之典，写旧日歌妓；“燕台句”用李商隐《燕台》诗之典，写吟咏情爱之句；“章台路”用唐传奇《章台柳》之典，写旧地；“宫黄”写出女子眉间涂黄之妆。全词以这些典故写重游旧地、追寻伊人，用典浑融而不着痕迹，正是周邦彦“以典入词”而浑成的风格。

Commentary

Zhang Yan's Ci Source called Qingzhen's lyrics 'rich and harmonious, good at melting verse lines'; this piece is most noted. Zhou Ji pushed him as the Song lyric master, saying 'this three-fold lyric, the composition never a thread of disorder'. Modern critics say of it 'the wonder of hooking-tracing, none surpasses Qingzhen'; the closing wind-catkin image opened countless later schools of spring-sorrow parting-hate, influencing Mengchuang, Caochuang and others.

《瑞龙吟·大石春景》是周邦彦词的代表作，也是其“浑成”风格的名篇。此词以重游旧地写追寻伊人之愁，章法浑成，向为论者称道。论者多赏其“事与孤鸿去”的写法——以孤鸿写往事如烟，含蓄而深婉；“探春尽是，伤离意绪”写伤离之绪，更见沉郁。周邦彦为北宋婉约词的集大成者，其词以“浑成”著称，此词正是其代表——章法回环、用典浑融、情感深婉，正是“词中老杜”的风格。

Prosody

Form Lyric, 'Rui Long Yin' three-fold (double-drawn head) one hundred thirty-three characters, Great-Stone mode词牌·瑞龙吟

Rhyme Oblique rhyme, by Ci Lin Zheng Yun, three parts carry and shift rhyme《瑞龙吟》为三叠长调，共三十三句，押仄声韵。此词用韵：树、处（遇部）、语（语部）、句、步、去、绪（语部），三叠同韵，音节低回。

Tone pattern Complex line forms, level-oblique precise; a representative of Zhou's self-composed regulated tune《瑞龙吟》为三叠长调，句式以四、六、七言相间，音节低回。此词第一叠写旧地春景，音节从容；第二叠写忆念伊人，音节缠绵；第三叠写追寻无果，音节沉郁。全词以仄韵贯底，声调与伤离的内容相合，是宋词长调中浑成深婉的一路。

Reading note This tune created by Qingzhen, composition strict; fit for depressed and arrested feeling, the Song regulated school's standard.《瑞龙吟·大石春景》为三叠长调，是周邦彦词的代表作。此词以重游旧地写追寻伊人之愁：第一叠写章台旧地春景，第二叠写忆念伊人之美好，第三叠写追寻无果与伤离之绪。章法浑成、用典浑融、情感深婉，正是周邦彦“词中老杜”的风格，也是北宋婉约词集大成的体现。

Line by line

章台路，还见褪粉梅梢，试花桃树。愔愔坊陌人家，定巢燕子，归来旧处。

On the Zhangtai road I see again the plum boughs fading their powder, the peach trees first flowering. Quiet are the lanes and their houses; the swallows that fixed their nests have returned to the old place.

章台路上，还见梅花褪粉的枝梢，试花的桃树。静悄悄的坊陌人家，定巢的燕子，归来旧处。

On the Zhangtai road I see again the plum tips losing their powder, the peach trees in first bloom. Silent are the houses of the lanes; the swallows, their nests fixed, have returned to the old place.

上片写重游旧地之景。“章台路”写旧地——以章台路写其重游之处；“还见褪粉梅梢，试花桃树”写旧地春景——“还见”写重见，褪粉梅梢、试花桃树写梅花将谢、桃花初放，正是重游时的春景；“愔愔坊陌人家，定巢燕子，归来旧处”写燕子归来——“愔愔”写静悄悄，“定巢燕子”写筑巢之燕，“归来旧处”写燕归旧处。六句写重游旧地：章台路上，梅梢褪粉、桃树试花，燕子亦归旧处。以“还见”写旧地重游，以“归来旧处”写燕子归巢，正是以燕之归写人之访旧，为下片的“前度刘郎重到”张本。写景中暗含人事，正是周邦彦“浑成”的笔法。

The upper stanza writes revisiting the old place. 'The Zhangtai road' writes the old ground — using Zhangtai road for the place revisited. 'I see again the plum boughs fading their powder, the peach trees first flowering' writes the old place in spring — 'see again' the re-sighting, fading plum tips and first flowering peach trees, plum nearly faded and peach just opened, precisely the spring scene of revisit. 'Quiet are the lanes and their houses; the swallows that fixed their nests have returned to the old place' writes the swallows' return — 'quiet' the silence, 'swallows that fixed their nests' the nesting swallows, 'returned to the old place' the swallows back to their old nests. Six lines write revisiting the old ground: on the Zhangtai road, plum tips fading, peach trees flowering, swallows returning to their old nests. Writing the revisit through 'see again' and the swallows' return through 'returned to the old place' is precisely using the swallows' return to write the man's visiting the old, preparing the lower stanza's 'Liu Lang of old returns.' Writing human affairs within scenery is precisely Zhou's 'seamless' brush.

黯凝伫。因念个人痴小，乍窥门户。侵晨浅约宫黄，障风映袖，盈盈笑语。

Darkly I stand lost in thought. Then I think of that girl, so young and coy, first peeping from her door. In early dawn, lightly rouged with palace yellow, sleeves up against the wind, she laughed and chatted with graceful charm.

黯然凝立。因为念起那人痴小，初次窥看门户。清晨淡淡地涂了宫黄，障风映袖，盈盈笑语。

I stand darkly lost in thought; then I think of that young, coy girl, first peeping from her doorway. In early dawn, lightly painted with palace yellow, sleeves shielding the wind, she laughed and chatted gracefully.

中片写忆念伊人，是全词的情感核心。“黯凝伫”写其凝立——“黯”写黯然，“凝伫”写凝立不动；“因念个人痴小，乍窥门户”写忆其初见——“个人痴小”写其年少娇痴，“乍窥门户”写其初次窥看门户；“侵晨浅约宫黄，障风映袖，盈盈笑语”写忆其笑语——“侵晨”写清晨，“浅约宫黄”写淡涂宫黄（眉间黄妆），“障风映袖”写以袖障风，“盈盈笑语”写其盈盈笑语。七句写忆念伊人：黯然凝立，因念其初见之时——年少痴小，浅约宫黄，盈盈笑语。以“黯凝伫”写其凝立怀人，以“盈盈笑语”写伊人之美好，正是周邦彦写忆念的笔法——忆中之人，如在目前。

The middle stanza writes recalling the beloved, the emotional core of the ci. 'Darkly I stand lost in thought' writes his standing — 'darkly' the gloom, 'stand lost in thought' standing motionless. 'Then I think of that girl, so young and coy, first peeping from her door' writes recalling their first meeting — 'young and coy' her youth and charm, 'first peeping from her door' her first glance at the gate. 'In early dawn, lightly rouged with palace yellow, sleeves up against the wind, she laughed and chatted with graceful charm' writes recalling her laughter — 'early dawn' the morning, 'lightly rouged with palace yellow' the light yellow paint at the brows, 'sleeves up against the wind' the sleeve shielding the wind, 'graceful laughter' her charming voice. Seven lines write recalling the beloved: standing darkly, then thinking of her at their first meeting — young and coy, lightly rouged, graceful laughter. Writing his standing and longing through 'darkly I stand' and the beloved's beauty through 'graceful laughter' is precisely Zhou's brush of recollection — the person in memory as if before the eyes.

前度刘郎重到，访邻寻里，同时歌舞，惟有旧家秋娘，声价如故。吟笺赋笔，犹记燕台句。

Like Liu Lang of old, I come again, asking among the lanes; of those who sang and danced then, only the old Qiuniang remains, her fame as of old. The poems I wrote, the verses, I still remember the lines of Yentai.

前度刘郎重到，访邻寻里，同时歌舞的人，惟有旧家秋娘，声价如故。吟笺赋笔，犹记燕台之句。

Like Liu Lang of former times I return, asking among the lanes; of those who sang and danced then, only the old house's Qiuniang remains, her reputation as of old. The verses and poems, I still remember the lines of Yentai.

下片起写重访旧地，是全词追寻的关键。“前度刘郎重到”写其重到——“前度刘郎”用刘禹锡典写其重游旧地；“访邻寻里”写其寻访——“访邻”写访邻里，“寻里”写寻旧里；“同时歌舞，惟有旧家秋娘，声价如故”写秋娘犹在——“同时歌舞”写旧日歌舞之人，“惟有旧家秋娘”写只有旧家秋娘，“声价如故”写其声价依旧；“吟笺赋笔，犹记燕台句”写记忆犹新——“吟笺赋笔”写吟诗作赋，“犹记燕台句”写犹记燕台之句。七句写重访旧地：前度刘郎重到，访邻寻里，旧日秋娘犹在，而所忆之人已去；吟笺赋笔，犹记当时之句。以“前度刘郎”写重游，以“惟有秋娘”写伊人已去，以“犹记燕台句”写记忆犹新，正是周邦彦写追寻的笔法——旧地犹在，伊人已去，只余记忆。

The lower stanza opens with revisiting the old ground, the key to the ci's seeking. 'Like Liu Lang of old, I come again' writes his return — 'Liu Lang of old' uses Liu Yuxi's allusion for revisiting the old place. 'Asking among the lanes' writes his search — 'asking neighbors' visiting the neighborhood, 'seeking the lanes' seeking the old quarter. 'Of those who sang and danced then, only the old Qiuniang remains, her fame as of old' writes Qiuniang still there — 'those who sang and danced then' the old performers, 'only the old house's Qiuniang' that only she remains, 'fame as of old' her reputation unchanged. 'The poems I wrote, the verses, I still remember the lines of Yentai' writes memory fresh — 'poems and verses' composing and writing, 'still remember the lines of Yentai' still recalling the Yentai lines. Seven lines write revisiting: Liu Lang of old returns, asking among the lanes; the old Qiuniang remains, yet the one remembered is gone; poems and verses, the lines of that time still recalled. Writing the revisit through 'Liu Lang of old,' the beloved's departure through 'only Qiuniang,' and the fresh memory through 'still remember the Yentai lines,' is precisely Zhou's brush of seeking — the old place remains, the beloved gone, only memory left.

知谁伴、名园露饮，东城闲步？事与孤鸿去。探春尽是，伤离意绪。

Who now accompanies her — drinking in the open by the famous garden, strolling idly by the east city? Events have gone off with the lone wild goose. Seeking spring, all I find is the feeling of wounded parting.

不知谁陪伴着她，在名园露饮，东城闲步？往事与孤鸿一同飞去。探春所见，尽是伤离意绪。

Who is now her companion — drinking in the open of the famous garden, strolling idly by the east city? Affairs have fled with the lone goose. All seeking spring yields is the feeling of hurt parting.

末段写追寻无果与伤离之绪，是全词的归结。“知谁伴、名园露饮，东城闲步”写伊人已去——“知谁伴”写不知谁陪伴，“名园露饮，东城闲步”写昔日共游之景，而今伊人已去，不知谁伴；“事与孤鸿去”写往事如烟——“事与孤鸿去”写往事如孤鸿飞去；“探春尽是，伤离意绪”写伤离之绪——“探春尽是”写探春所见尽是，“伤离意绪”写伤离之情。五句写追寻无果与伤离：不知谁伴名园东城，往事如孤鸿飞去，探春所见尽是伤离。以“知谁伴”写伊人之去，以“事与孤鸿去”写往事如烟，以“探春尽是，伤离意绪”写伤离之愁，正是周邦彦词“浑成”的归结——伤离意绪，尽在探春之中。

The closing writes seeking in vain and the feeling of wounded parting, the conclusion of the ci. 'Who now accompanies her — drinking in the open by the famous garden, strolling idly by the east city?' writes the beloved gone — 'who now accompanies' not knowing who is with her, 'drinking in the open by the famous garden, strolling by the east city' the old shared wanderings, now she gone, unknown who accompanies. 'Events have gone off with the lone wild goose' writes the past like smoke — affairs fled like the lone goose. 'All I find seeking spring is the feeling of wounded parting' writes the sorrow of parting — 'seeking spring, all I find' that seeking spring yields only, 'feeling of wounded parting' the grief of separation. Five lines write seeking in vain and wounded parting: not knowing who accompanies her in garden and east city, the past gone with the lone goose, seeking spring yielding only hurt parting. Writing the beloved's departure through 'who now accompanies,' the past like smoke through 'gone with the lone goose,' and the sorrow through 'all seeking spring is wounded parting,' is precisely the conclusion of Zhou's 'seamless' ci — the feeling of hurt parting, all within seeking spring.

Study

Word focus

还见 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. “还见褪粉梅梢”之“还见”，写重游而重见，是全词写旧地重游的关键词。“还”写再次，“见”写所见——重游章台路，还见褪粉梅梢。这一词写旧地重游之景：不是初见，而是还见；不是陌生，而是熟悉。以“还见”写重游，正是周邦彦词写旧地重游、为忆念伊人张本的笔法。

黯凝伫 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. “黯凝伫”之“黯凝伫”，写黯然凝立，是全词写忆念伊人的关键。“黯”写黯然，“凝伫”写凝立——黯然凝立，因念伊人。这一词写其凝立之态：不是随意伫立，而是黯凝伫；不是无所事事，而是因念而凝。以“黯凝伫”写忆念，正是周邦彦词写深情的笔法——凝立之间，忆念如潮。

盈盈笑语 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. “盈盈笑语”之“盈盈笑语”，写其轻盈美好的笑语，是全词忆伊人最传神的一笔。“盈盈”写其轻盈，“笑语”写其欢笑——侵晨障风映袖，盈盈笑语。这一词写忆中之人的美好：不是静止的画像，而是盈盈笑语；不是模糊的记忆，而是如在目前。以“盈盈笑语”写伊人，正是周邦彦词写忆念的笔法——忆中之人，笑靥如昨。

孤鸿 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. “事与孤鸿去”之“孤鸿”，以孤鸿写往事如烟，是全词写追寻无果的关键词。“孤”写孤独，“鸿”写鸿雁——往事与孤鸿一同飞去。这一词写往事之逝：不是缓慢消逝，而是如孤鸿飞去；不是可以追回，而是杳然无踪。以“孤鸿”写往事，正是周邦彦词写伤离的笔法——往事如孤鸿，一去不返。