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唐 Tang · 诗 Poem

送杨少府贬郴州

Seeing Off Magistrate Yang, Demoted to Chenzhou

王维

Wang Wei

送别Farewell 贬谪Demotion

明到衡山与洞庭，若为秋月听猿声。
愁看北渚三湘远，恶说南风五两轻。
青草瘴时过夏口，白头浪里出湓城。
长沙不久留才子，贾谊何须吊屈平。

Tomorrow you will reach Mount Heng and Dongting; how, beneath an autumn moon, to bear the gibbon's cry?
Grieving, you watch the northern isle and the Three Xiang, far; loath to speak of the south wind and the light five-liang gauge.
Through Qingcao miasma you pass Xiakou; from white-headed waves you emerge at Pencheng.
Chenzhou will not long detain a man of talent; Jia Yi need not mourn Qu Yuan.

Listen

Meaning

Wang Wei sends off Magistrate Yang, demoted to Chenzhou. He imagines the friend's hard southern road and grieving sights, then consoles him with the example of Jia Yi—who was briefly exiled yet rose again—urging he need not despair like Qu Yuan.

明到衡山与洞庭，若为秋月听猿声。愁看北渚三湘远，恶说南风五两轻。青草瘴时过夏口，白头浪里出湓城。长沙不久留才子，贾谊何须吊屈平。

Appreciation

[Plain Paraphrase] Wang Wei bids Magistrate Yang farewell on his demotion to Chenzhou. He opens 'tomorrow you reach Mount Heng and Dongting; how, beneath an autumn moon, bear the gibbon's cry,' then 'grieving you watch the northern isle and Three Xiang, far; loath to speak of the south wind and the light five-liang,' 'through Qingcao miasma past Xiakou; from white-headed waves at Pencheng,' and closes 'Chenzhou will not long detain a man of talent; Jia Yi need not mourn Qu Yuan.' [Structure] The first six lines dwell on the harsh, grieving road; the last two turn to consolation—sorrow first, comfort after. [Imagery] Autumn moon, gibbon cry set mournful sound; Three Xiang, five-liang map the southern route; miasma, white-headed waves figure peril; Jia Yi delivers the comfort. [Tone] Wang Wei, here 'deep and sincere yet broad-minded': a demotion farewell that ends in uplift.

【白话串讲】王维写《送杨少府贬郴州》：“明到衡山与洞庭，若为秋月听猿声”——“愁看北渚三湘远，恶说南风五两轻”——“长沙不久留才子，贾谊何须吊屈平”——他送被贬的朋友——说长沙留不住才子，不必学贾谊吊屈原。【意象与手法】此诗写送别，以宽慰写送别，是王维的名篇。前六句写贬途：「明到衡山与洞庭，若为秋月听猿声。愁看北渚三湘远，恶说南风五两轻。青草瘴时过夏口，白头浪里出湓城」写明到衡山与洞庭、愁看北渚三湘远、白头浪里出湓城——写尽贬途的艰辛；后二句写宽慰：「长沙不久留才子，贾谊何须吊屈平」写长沙不久留才子、贾谊何须吊屈平——写尽送别的宽慰。全诗以宽慰写送别，写尽贬途的艰辛与送别的宽慰，是王维的代表作。【情感与主旨】此诗写送别，以宽慰写送别，是王维的名篇。此诗写王维送别友人杨少府贬谪郴州（今湖南郴州）。友人被贬，此诗既写贬途的艰辛，更以贾谊自比宽慰友人。此诗写贬途：明到衡山与洞庭，若为秋月听猿声——写明到衡山与洞庭、若为秋月听猿声，写尽贬途的猿声；愁看北渚三湘远，恶说南风五两轻——写愁看北渚三湘远、恶说南风五两轻，写尽贬途的愁绪；青草瘴时过夏口，白头浪里出湓城——写青草瘴时过夏口、白头浪里出湓城，写尽贬途的瘴浪；长沙不久留才子，贾谊何须吊屈平——写长沙不久留才子、贾谊何须吊屈平，写尽送别的宽慰。全诗以宽慰写送别——那「愁看北渚三湘远」写尽贬途的艰辛，「贾谊何须吊屈平」写尽送别的宽慰，写尽贬途的艰辛与送别的宽慰，是理解王维送别诗的重要篇章。【名句点睛】常考「愁看北渚三湘远，恶说南风五两轻」写贬途的艰辛；「长沙不久留才子，贾谊何须吊屈平」写送别的宽慰；以及全诗以宽慰写送别、以典慰人的手法。

Background

Wang Wei (701–761), poet-painter of the 'Wang and Meng' pair. This poem sees Magistrate Yang off to his demotion in Chenzhou (Hunan). The friend travels by water through Dongting, the Xiang, Xiakou, and Pencheng; the south brings miasma and white-headed waves. Wang Wei imagines the grieving road, then consoles him with Jia Yi, who was demoted to Changsha yet was a talent soon recalled, arguing he need not mourn Qu Yuan as Jia Yi once did. It is a classic Tang poem of consoling a demotion—key to Wang Wei's farewell range.

此诗写送别，以宽慰写送别，是王维的名篇。王维（701—761），字摩诘，太原祁（今山西祁县）人，唐代诗人、画家，与孟浩然并称「王孟」，有「诗佛」之称。此诗写王维送别友人杨少府贬谪郴州（今湖南郴州）。友人被贬，此诗既写贬途的艰辛，更以贾谊自比宽慰友人。杨少府赴贬所，途经洞庭、湘江、夏口、湓城，一路水行。此诗写贬途：「明到衡山与洞庭，若为秋月听猿声」写明到衡山与洞庭、若为秋月听猿声——写尽贬途的猿声（明到衡山与洞庭，若为秋月听猿声）；「愁看北渚三湘远，恶说南风五两轻」写愁看北渚三湘远、恶说南风五两轻——写尽贬途的愁绪（愁看北渚三湘远，恶说南风五两轻）；「长沙不久留才子，贾谊何须吊屈平」写长沙不久留才子、贾谊何须吊屈平——写尽送别的宽慰（长沙不久留才子，贾谊何须吊屈平）。全诗以宽慰写送别，写尽贬途的艰辛与送别的宽慰，是理解王维送别诗的重要篇章。

Art

Four strategies. First, imagination for the road: 'tomorrow you will reach Mount Heng and Dongting' projects the future journey rather than the present. Second, scene for grief: 'how, beneath an autumn moon, to bear the gibbon's cry' uses moon and gibbon to voice sorrow. Third, place-names for track: 'grieving you watch the northern isle and Three Xiang, far; loath to speak of the south wind and the light five-liang' maps the Xiang route with toponyms. Fourth, allusion for comfort: 'Jia Yi need not mourn Qu Yuan' cites Jia Yi's Changsha exile to console. The poem moves from imagined hardship to consolation; its opening word 'tomorrow' and the ironic phrase 'loathe to speak' show Wang Wei's deep, oblique wording—sorrow first, comfort after.

此诗的艺术特色可从四个方面解析。其一，以想象写贬途。「明到衡山与洞庭」以想象写贬途——那「明到」写尽将来的预想，以想象写尽贬途的行程。其二，以景物写愁绪。「若为秋月听猿声」以景物写愁绪——那「秋月」「猿声」写尽月下的猿啼，以景物写尽贬途的愁绪。其三，以地名写行迹。「愁看北渚三湘远，恶说南风五两轻」以地名写行迹——那「北渚」「三湘」写尽湘江的地名，以地名写尽贬途的行迹。其四，以典故写宽慰。「贾谊何须吊屈平」以典故写宽慰——那「贾谊吊屈平」用贾谊贬长沙之典，以典故写尽送别的宽慰。此外，此诗前六句写贬途的艰辛，后二句写送别的宽慰，由实及慰，正是送别诗「先忧后慰」的写法。四重手法，使此诗以宽慰写送别，写尽贬途的艰辛与送别的宽慰，是王维的代表作。此诗还善于以「明到」起笔写预想——送别而不写眼前，而先写友人明日至达的衡山洞庭，以预想写行程，正见送别诗「想其行色」的写法。又善以「恶说」二字写反语——不说南风助行之快，而说「恶说」，以反语写不愿友人速去之情，正见王维用字的深曲。

Allusions

The language sits in farewell and demotion tradition. 'Mount Heng and Dongting' name the southern Xiang landscape (Heng, the south sacred peak; Dongting, the great lake). 'Gibbon cry' recalls the Shui jing zhu 'the ape wails, tears wet the robe' and Li Bai's 'both shores' gibbons.' 'Three Xiang' names the Xiang basin; 'five-liang' the ancient wind-gauge. 'Jia Yi mourning Qu Yuan' cites Jia Yi, demoted to Changsha, who wrote 'Lament for Qu Yuan' on crossing the Xiang; this is echoed by Liu Changqing ('the Xiang's water is heartless, would it know your lament?'). 'Qingcao miasma' names the southern pestilential air near Chenzhou; 'Pencheng' is Xunyang (Jiujiang). Wang Wei thus remakes Heng, gibbon, Three Xiang, five-liang, Jia Yi, and Qu Yuan into a consoling demotion farewell.

此诗的用语深植于送别与贬谪的传统。「衡山与洞庭」令人想到「衡山洞庭」写湘地的意象——衡山为五岳之南岳，洞庭为湘中巨湖，也令人想到「气蒸云梦泽，波撼岳阳城」（孟浩然）的意象；「猿声」令人想到「猿声」写猿啼的意象——郦道元《水经注》「巴东三峡巫峡长，猿鸣三声泪沾裳」，也令人想到「两岸猿声啼不住」（李白）的意象；「三湘」令人想到「三湘」写湘江的意象——三湘为湘水流域，也令人想到「三湘愁鬓逢秋色」（卢纶）的意象；「五两」令人想到「五两」写测风器的意象——五两为古代测风之具，也令人想到「五两竿头风欲平」（敦煌词）的意象；「贾谊吊屈平」令人想到「贾谊吊屈平」用贾谊贬长沙之典——贾谊被贬长沙王太傅，过湘水作《吊屈原赋》，也令人想到「汉文有道恩犹薄，湘水无情吊岂知」（刘长卿）的意象。全诗化用衡山、猿声、三湘、五两、贾谊吊屈平的意象典故，以宽慰写送别，正是王维「诗中有画」而善用典、承送别传统写宽慰的本领。「青草瘴」指南方青草湖一带的瘴气，郴州地近湘南，夏日瘴起，故云「青草瘴时过夏口」；「湓城」即浔阳（今江西九江），为长江中游古城，白居易《琵琶行》「住近湓江地低湿」亦写其地。王维以青草瘴、白头浪写贬途的艰险，正是以实景写虚愁，正见其写实而兼有寄托的本领。

Commentary

Long ranked among Wang Wei's finest and the classic Tang poem on consoling a demotion, it won Qing praise for 'farewell through consolation, deep yet open-minded.' Moderns cite 'Chenzhou will not long detain a man of talent; Jia Yi need not mourn Qu Yuan' as its famous line. Its worth is condensing the harsh southern road and the consoling word into a seven-character lüshi—every image (Heng, Dongting, the moon, the gibbon, the Three Xiang, the five-liang, the miasma, the white-headed waves, Jia Yi) belongs to Wang Wei's hand; the Jia Yi close turns grief to hope. Paired with his 'Farewell to Yuan the Second' it shows Wang Wei farewells both frontier and demotion. For today's readers it opens his art and the Tang classic of consoling exile—the 'need not mourn' still speaking across ages.

此诗历来被推为王维送别诗的名篇，也是唐人写贬谪送别的代表。历代论者对此诗评价极高：清人评此诗「以宽慰写送别，沉挚而旷达」；近人更指出「长沙不久留才子，贾谊何须吊屈平」写送别的宽慰，是此诗的名句。在诗歌史上，此诗的特殊价值在于：它以八句的七律写尽贬途的艰辛与送别的宽慰——那衡山，那洞庭，那秋月，那猿声，那北渚，那三湘，那南风，那五两，那青草瘴，那白头浪，那长沙，那贾谊，那屈平，都写尽了王维笔下的贬途；那「贾谊何须吊屈平」更以典故写尽送别的宽慰。此诗与王维《送元二使安西》（「西出阳关无故人」）同为送别名篇，一写「劝君更尽一杯酒」的渭城（送元二使安西），一写「贾谊何须吊屈平」的郴州（送杨少府贬郴州）；又与李白《赠汪伦》、高适《别董大》的送别传统一脉相承，可见唐人送别诗的传统。对于今日读者，此诗是理解王维送别诗的窗口，也是中国诗写贬谪送别的经典——那无须吊屈平的宽慰，穿越千年，仍在诉说着送别的深情。

Prosody

Form Poem · seven-character regulated verse (qilü)诗·七言律诗

Rhyme A seven-character lüshi rhyming on ting, sheng, qing, cheng, ping (the 'geng' rhyme, level tone), one rhyme to the end, its level music deep and sincere, fitting the consoling tone.七律，押「庭」「声」「轻」「城」「平」韵（下平八庚），一韵到底，音节沉挚

Tone pattern As a seven-character regulated verse rhyming on level tone throughout, one rhyme to the end, its music is deep and sincere, suiting the poem's consoling, weighty manner.此诗为七言律诗，押平声韵，一韵到底，音节沉挚，正合送别的沉挚。

Reading note A seven-character lüshi of eight lines—'tomorrow you reach Mount Heng and Dongting… Jia Yi need not mourn Qu Yuan'—rhyming on the 'geng' category (ting, sheng, qing, cheng, ping), one rhyme to the end, its music weighty. The first six lines build the imagined, grievous southern road; the last two turn to consolation via Jia Yi. Read the close with earnest, hopeful steadiness to catch Wang Wei's 'deep yet open-minded' manner.此诗为七言律诗，八句——「明到衡山与洞庭，若为秋月听猿声。愁看北渚三湘远，恶说南风五两轻。青草瘴时过夏口，白头浪里出湓城。长沙不久留才子，贾谊何须吊屈平」，押「庚」韵（庭、声、轻、城、平），一韵到底，音节沉挚。全诗以宽慰写送别：前六句写贬途的艰辛（明到衡山与洞庭、愁看北渚三湘远、白头浪里出湓城），后二句写送别的宽慰（长沙不久留才子、贾谊何须吊屈平）。八句长篇，前写贬途，后写宽慰，以「贾谊何须吊屈平」写尽送别的宽慰，正见王维「沉挚旷达」的本色。诵读此诗，宜以沉挚的语调读「愁看北渚三湘远」的贬途，以旷达的语调读「贾谊何须吊屈平」的宽慰，结句要读得沉挚而有余韵，方能传达出王维的深情旷达。王维七律以「沉挚温厚」著称，此诗正是其送别律诗的典范。

Line by line

长沙不久留才子，贾谊何须吊屈平

Chenzhou will not long detain a man of talent; Jia Yi need not mourn Qu Yuan.

长沙不久留才子，贾谊何须吊屈平。

Changsha will not long keep a man of talent; why should Jia Yi need to mourn Qu Yuan?

此二句是全诗写宽慰的核心，以长沙不久留才子写长沙，以贾谊何须吊屈平写宽慰，写尽送别的宽慰，是千古名句。「长沙不久留才子」写长沙不久留才子——那「长沙」写长沙，「不久留才子」写不久留才子，写尽长沙的不久；「贾谊何须吊屈平」写贾谊何须吊屈平——那「贾谊」写贾谊，「何须吊屈平」写何须吊屈平，写尽贾谊的宽慰。这句的深意在于：它以「长沙不久留才子」的长沙与「贾谊何须吊屈平」的宽慰，写尽送别的宽慰——长沙不久留才子，那「长沙不久留才子」写尽长沙的不久——长沙不会久留才子，正是贬谪终将结束的写照，那「不久留」写尽对复起的期待；贾谊何须吊屈平，那「贾谊何须吊屈平」写尽贾谊的宽慰——何必像贾谊那样吊屈平，正是劝慰的写照，那「何须」写尽送别的宽慰；那「长沙不久留才子」写尽长沙的不久，那「贾谊何须吊屈平」写尽贾谊的宽慰，一写长沙，一写贾谊，写尽送别的宽慰——长沙不久而无需自吊，正是对友人的宽慰；此二句以长沙、贾谊写尽送别的宽慰，也让此二句成为全诗写宽慰的核心与千古名句。若换作直说「你很快会回来的」，则失其含蓄；唯以「长沙不久留才子」写长沙、「贾谊何须吊屈平」写宽慰，写尽送别的宽慰，也让此二句成为全诗写宽慰的核心。

These two lines are the core of the whole's writing the comfort, using Changsha will not long keep a man of talent for Changsha and why should Jia Yi need to mourn Qu Yuan for the comfort, writing to the full the comfort at parting, the famous line of a thousand ages. Changsha writes the city of exile; will not long keep a man of talent writes that the demotion will soon end. Jia Yi writes the exiled scholar; why should need to mourn Qu Yuan writes the comfort, using Jia Yi's allusion. The deep meaning lies in that it uses the Changsha of Changsha will not long keep a man of talent and the comfort of why should Jia Yi need to mourn Qu Yuan to write to the full the comfort at parting - Changsha will not long keep the talent, exactly the picture of the demotion's ending, the expectation of recall. Why mourn Qu Yuan like Jia Yi, exactly the picture of consolation. One writing Changsha, one writing Jia Yi, writing to the full the comfort - Changsha not long, and no need to mourn oneself, exactly the comfort to the friend. These two lines write to the full the comfort through Changsha and Jia Yi, and make them the core of the whole's comfort and a famous line of a thousand ages. If one instead directly said you will soon be back, one would lose the reserve; only writing Changsha through Changsha will not long keep a man of talent and the comfort through why should Jia Yi need to mourn Qu Yuan, writing to the full the comfort at parting, makes these two lines the core of the whole's comfort.

愁看北渚三湘远，恶说南风五两轻

Grieving, you watch the northern isle and the Three Xiang, far; loath to speak of the south wind and the light five-liang gauge.

愁看北渚三湘远，恶说南风五两轻。

Gazing sadly at the northern islet, the three Xiangs are far; I hate to hear the south wind light on the five-liang pennant.

此二句是全诗写愁绪的核心，以愁看北渚三湘远写北渚，以恶说南风五两轻写南风，写尽贬途的愁绪，是千古名句。「愁看北渚三湘远」写愁看北渚三湘远——那「愁看北渚」写愁看北渚，「三湘远」写三湘远，写尽北渚的眺望；「恶说南风五两轻」写恶说南风五两轻——那「恶说南风」写恶说南风，「五两轻」写五两轻，写尽南风的愁怨。这句的深意在于：它以「愁看北渚三湘远」的北渚与「恶说南风五两轻」的南风，写尽贬途的愁绪——愁看北渚三湘远，那「愁看北渚三湘远」写尽北渚的眺望——愁看北渚，三湘遥远，正是贬途回望的写照，那「三湘远」写尽贬途的遥远；恶说南风五两轻，那「恶说南风五两轻」写尽南风的愁怨——南风五两轻，船行虽快，却载人远去，那「恶说」写尽贬途的愁怨；那「愁看北渚三湘远」写尽北渚的眺望，那「恶说南风五两轻」写尽南风的愁怨，一写回望，一写前行，写尽贬途的愁绪——回望北渚而南风催行，正是贬途的愁绪；此二句以北渚、南风写尽贬途的愁绪，也为后二句的宽慰作铺垫，也让此二句成为全诗写愁绪的核心与千古名句。若换作直说「贬谪的路好远好苦」，则失其形象；唯以「愁看北渚三湘远」写北渚、「恶说南风五两轻」写南风，写尽贬途的愁绪，也让此二句成为全诗写愁绪的核心。

These two lines are the core of the whole's writing the grief, using gazing sadly at the northern islet, the three Xiangs are far for the northern islet and I hate to hear the south wind light on the five-liang pennant for the south wind, writing to the full the grief of the exile road, the famous line of a thousand ages. Gazing sadly at the northern islet writes the backward gaze; the three Xiangs are far writes the distance of the exile. I hate to hear the south wind writes the hated south wind; light on the five-liang pennant writes the light wind of the weather-vane. The deep meaning lies in that it uses the northern islet of gazing sadly at the northern islet, the three Xiangs are far and the south wind of I hate to hear the south wind light on the five-liang pennant to write to the full the grief of the exile road - gazing sadly, the three Xiangs distant, exactly the picture of the backward gaze on the exile road. The south wind light on the pennant: though the boat sails fast, it carries the man farther away, the hated speaks the grief of the exile road. One writing the backward gaze, one writing the forward going, writing to the full the grief - gazing back at the northern islet while the south wind urges the going, exactly the grief of the exile road. These two lines write to the full the grief of the exile road through the northern islet and the south wind, lay a ground for the later comfort, and make them the core of the whole's grief and a famous line of a thousand ages. If one instead directly said the exile road is so far and bitter, one would lose the image; only writing the northern islet through gazing sadly at the northern islet, the three Xiangs are far and the south wind through I hate to hear the south wind light on the five-liang pennant, writing to the full the grief of the exile road, makes these two lines the core of the whole's grief.

Study

Word focus

恶 'E' (loathe, unwilling) in 'loath to speak of the south wind and the light five-liang.' Ironically, rather than noting the wind speeds the parting, the poet says he loathes to speak of it—obliquely showing he does not want his friend to leave quickly. 「恶说南风五两轻」之「恶」字是写愁绪的关键词，一个「恶」字写尽贬途的愁怨。恶者，厌恶、不愿也。王维以「恶说南风五两轻」写愁绪，这个「恶」字至少有双重意味：其一，写风之愁——那「恶说南风五两轻」写恶说南风五两轻，那「恶」字写尽对南风的厌恶——南风五两轻，船行迅速，却载人远去，正是离人的写照，那「恶」字写尽贬途的愁怨；其二，写离之痛——那「恶」字更是写痛——恶说，正见离别的痛楚，那「恶」字写尽送别的深情。以「恶」字写愁绪，正是王维写送别的枢纽——若换作「厌」「怨」等字，则或失其与「南风」「五两轻」的配合，或失其写恶的意味；唯「恶」字，以恶说南风五两轻写尽对南风的厌恶与离别的痛楚，与「愁看北渚三湘远」的愁看相合，写尽贬途的愁绪，也让「恶说南风五两轻」成为全诗写愁绪的名句。

何须 'Hesu' (need not, why should) in 'Jia Yi need not mourn Qu Yuan.' It dismisses the need for despair—both the uselessness of mourning and the hope of recall—the keynote of the poem's consoling close. 「贾谊何须吊屈平」之「何须」是写宽慰的关键词，一个「何须」写尽送别的宽慰。何须者，何必、不需要也。王维以「贾谊何须吊屈平」写宽慰，这个「何须」至少有双重意味：其一，写吊之不必——那「贾谊何须吊屈平」写贾谊何须吊屈平，那「何须」写尽吊祭的不必——何必像贾谊那样吊屈平，正是无须自伤的写照，那「何须」写尽送别的宽慰；其二，写复起之望——那「何须」更是写望——何须，正见复起的希望，那「何须」写尽对友人的期许。以「何须」写宽慰，正是王维写送别的枢纽——若换作「不必」「何必」等词，则或失其与「贾谊」「吊屈平」的配合，或失其写何须的意味；唯「何须」二字，以贾谊何须吊屈平写尽吊祭的不必与复起的希望，与「长沙不久留才子」的不久相合，写尽送别的宽慰，也让「贾谊何须吊屈平」成为全诗写宽慰的名句。