All poems

唐 Tang · 诗 Poem

春宫曲

A Song of the Spring Palace

王昌龄

Wang Changling

宫怨Palace Lament 讽喻Allegory

春宫曲昨夜风开露井桃，未央前殿月轮高。
平阳歌舞新承宠，帘外春寒赐锦袍。

Last night the wind opened the peach by the well,
The moon hangs high over Weiyang Hall.
The dancer from Pingyang is newly favored,
In spring cold outside the curtain, a brocade robe is bestowed.

Listen

Meaning

The poem describes a newly favored palace woman receiving a brocade robe on a spring night, subtly contrasting the warmth of her favor with the cold neglect of others, expressing hidden palace resentment.

昨夜春风吹开了井边的桃花，未央宫前殿上明月高悬。平阳公主家的歌女新近得到皇帝宠爱，帘外春寒料峭，便赐下锦袍。全诗以乐景写哀情，通篇不著一「怨」字，却以「新承宠」的恩渥反衬失宠者的凄凉，借汉武、卫子夫之事暗讽唐宫，含蓄冷隽，是盛唐宫词「以乐写哀」的妙品。

Appreciation

Using joyful scenes to convey sorrow, the poem contrasts the new favorite's warmth with the old's cold. The structure is ingenious, with implicit satire.

【白话串讲】 “昨夜风开露井桃，未央前殿月轮高”——王昌龄写春天的深宫：昨夜风吹开井边的桃花。“平阳歌舞新承宠，帘外春寒赐锦袍”——平阳公主的歌女新得宠，皇帝赐她锦袍。宫里有多少得宠，就有多少失宠。【意象与手法】诗以乐景写哀情，章法极巧。前两句「昨夜风开露井桃，未央前殿月轮高」写春宫夜景，桃开月高，清丽祥和，暗点「春」与「宫」；后两句「平阳歌舞新承宠，帘外春寒赐锦袍」正面写新人受宠之殷，赐袍细节见恩渥之专，通篇不著一「怨」字，却以彼之暖衬此之寒。【情感与主旨】此诗约作于唐玄宗天宝年间，借汉武帝卫子夫之事暗写唐宫。据《汉书》，汉武帝过平阳公主家，悦歌女卫子夫，召入宫中承宠。王昌龄以汉喻唐，写新人得宠、旧人失意，实为「宫怨」之体而托于「春宫」喜庆；当时杨玉环已入宫专宠，诗人借古讽今，暗含对君王耽色、恩宠无常的委婉讥刺。【名句点睛】常考「以乐写哀」与对比反衬手法：诗中明明写「新承宠」之喜，为何归入「宫怨」？答案正在于以新宠之暖反衬失宠之寒，含蓄蕴藉，「不著一字，尽得风流」。

Background

Written around the Tianbao era of Emperor Xuanzong, the poem uses the story of Emperor Wu of Han and Wei Zifu to allude to the Tang court. According to the Book of Han, Emperor Wu visited Princess Pingyang's house, took a liking to the singer Wei Zifu, and brought her into the palace. Wang Changling uses Han to refer to Tang, writing about the new favorite's favor while implying the old's neglect, thus placing 'palace lament' under the guise of 'spring palace' festivity. At the time, Yang Yuhuan had entered the palace and gained exclusive favor; the poet satirizes the present by referencing the past, hiding sharp criticism behind gorgeous language.

此诗约作于唐玄宗天宝年间，属王昌龄宫词名篇。诗题「春宫曲」即春日宫中行乐之曲，而内容实为宫怨，这是盛唐宫词惯用的「以喜庆题目写哀怨内容」的手法。诗的史实背景有二层：表层用汉武帝卫子夫之事，《史记·外戚世家》《汉书·外戚传》载，汉武帝刘彻过平阳公主家，平阳公主进歌伎卫子夫，武帝悦之，载入宫中，先得幸，后立为皇后，卫氏一门贵震天下，卫青、霍去病皆因此显达；深层则影射当代——天宝年间，杨玉环先为寿王妃，后度为女道士号太真，再册为贵妃，「后宫佳丽三千人，三千宠爱在一身」，与卫子夫由歌伎而专宠的经历如出一辙。王昌龄身处开元、天宝之际，目睹玄宗晚年沉溺声色、恩宠无常，而宫中无数女子幽闭一生，遂借汉武旧事写唐宫新愁。诗人以汉喻唐，用意婉曲：既不直斥君上，又使讽意含蓄可寻，这正是盛唐诗人讽喻时政「主文而谲谏」的传统手法，也是此诗在当时及后世都被反复玩味的原因。

Art

The poem uses joyful scenes to express sorrow, with exquisite structure. The first two lines depict a serene spring palace night, hinting at 'spring' and 'palace'. The last two lines focus on the new favorite's favor, with the detail of bestowing a robe showing the depth of imperial grace. The word 'new' contrasts the neglected, using warmth to highlight cold, subtle and restrained, typical of Wang Changling's 'chilling' satire.

此诗艺术上最突出的是「以乐写哀」与「反面落笔」的双重经营。全诗四句，句句写喜庆，字字含哀怨。前两句「昨夜风开露井桃，未央前殿月轮高」写春宫夜景：春风一夜，吹开井边桃花，「开」字见春意之盎然；未央前殿，明月高悬，「高」字见夜景之清朗。桃开月高，是一派承平富丽的景象，暗点「春」字与「宫」字，为后文铺垫喜庆的氛围。后两句「平阳歌舞新承宠，帘外春寒赐锦袍」正面写新人得宠：以「平阳歌舞」点出卫子夫身份，以「新承宠」点出得幸之时，以「帘外春寒赐锦袍」的细节写恩渥之专——春寒料峭，皇帝怕新人受凉，隔着帘子便赐下锦袍，一个「赐」字写尽体贴入微。四句之中，没有一个「怨」字、没有一句失宠者的自白，但读者自然明白：有人新承宠，便有人旧失宠；有人获赐锦袍，便有人独守空房。以彼之暖衬此之寒，以新人之喜写旧人之悲，反面落笔、含蓄蕴藉，正是王昌龄宫词「不寒而栗」的冷隽之笔，也是此诗与一般直抒怨情的宫怨诗最大的不同。

Allusions

The core allusion is 'Pingyang singing and dancing' from Records of the Grand Historian: Emperor Wu of Han visited Princess Pingyang's mansion, saw the singer Wei Zifu, took her into the palace, and later made her empress. Wang Changling uses the Han Emperor Wu-Wei Zifu story to insinuate Tang Xuanzong-Yang Yuhuan (Yang was first Princess of Shou, then became a Daoist nun, then elevated to Consort; similar to Wei Zifu rising from singer to exclusive favor). 'Peach by the well' hints at the ancient poem 'peach and plum path' and palace lament tradition; 'Weiyang' is a Han palace name, using Han to refer to Tang. The allusions are dense yet elegant, with satire hidden in opulence.

此诗用典的核心是「平阳歌舞」与「未央」。平阳歌舞用卫子夫典，出《史记·外戚世家》《汉书·外戚传》：武帝姊平阳公主家蓄歌伎，武帝过其家，见卫子夫而悦之，遂入宫得幸。王昌龄以「平阳歌舞」四字唤起整个故事——歌女出身、偶然得幸、由卑而贵，与天宝年间杨贵妃的际遇暗暗相合，借古讽今，不着痕迹。「未央」为汉宫名，汉高祖七年萧何营建未央宫，此后为汉代正宫，诗人以汉宫代指唐宫，是唐诗「以汉喻唐」的习见手法（如王昌龄《长信秋词》「奉帚平明金殿开」亦写汉宫）；「未央前殿」更暗示帝后居所，与「新承宠」呼应。「露井桃」暗用乐府《鸡鸣》「桃生露井上」之典，兼承「桃李不言，下自成蹊」的古意，写桃花之盛即是写新人得宠之盛。诸典皆熟而不僻，熔铸于清丽的辞面之下，讽意藏于富贵之中，不见堆砌，正是盛唐宫词用典「以意运典、浑然天成」的典范。又，「露井桃」之「露井」为无盖之井，古乐府《鸡鸣》有「桃生露井上，李树生桃傍」之句，写桃李相倚、生机满园，诗人取此意象，既写春夜桃花之盛，又暗含新人得宠如桃李逢春的意味。此诗的用典还有一个特点：所引皆是「熟典」，平阳歌舞、未央前殿，皆是唐人妇孺皆知的汉家故事，诗人以熟典写时事，使讽意人人可会而不至晦涩，这正是盛唐宫词「雅俗共赏」的妙处——典故为读者提供了理解的门径，而不成为欣赏的障碍，深得乐府「缘事而发」的遗意。

Commentary

Ming critic Zhong Xing said in Tangshi Gui: 'Only speaks of new favor, but the old one's resentment is self-evident; wonderful in not writing it.' Shen Deqian: 'The first two lines paint the spring palace like a picture, but the satire is already contained.' Modern scholar Liu Yongji: 'Uses Han affairs to write about Tang palace, hidden needle in velvet.' Critics unanimously praise Wang Changling as the 'master of seven-character quatrains'. This poem and the 'Changxin Autumn Poem' are his twin masterpieces of palace poetry, known for subtle coldness.

此诗历代评价极高，被视为王昌龄宫词的巅峰之作。明人钟惺《唐诗归》评：「只说新宠，而旧人之怨自见，妙于不写。」一语道破此诗「反面落笔」的妙处。清人沈德潜《唐诗别裁》谓「昨夜风开二句，写春宫如画，而讽意已含」，又评其「言外之旨，可思而得」。近人刘永济《唐人绝句精华》称其「以汉武事写唐宫，绵里藏针」，以为讽喻之深与辞面之美兼而有之。历代论者推王昌龄为「七绝圣手」，其宫词尤以含蓄冷隽见长，此篇与《长信秋词》并为其宫词双璧：一写新宠之盛以反衬旧怨，一写秋扇见弃以直诉幽怨，一乐一哀、一热一冷，恰好构成宫怨诗的两种极致。就文学史意义言，此诗代表了盛唐宫词的最高成就——它把六朝以来宫体诗的绮靡，改造为「以乐写哀」的含蓄讽喻，为后世宫词（如杜牧《宫词》、元稹《行宫》）确立了范型。此诗在后世的接受也颇有意味：明清宫词、宫怨题材的诗作，多从此诗取法「反面落笔」之法，如唐寅《题画》之「新承宠」、清人《宫词》诸作，皆可见其影迹；现代学者论唐代宫怨诗，必举此篇与《长信秋词》为双璧，以为王昌龄以最少的字写尽了深宫女子的悲欢。就艺术价值言，此诗证明：写哀怨不必哀声叹气，最盛大的喜庆背后往往藏着最深的荒凉，这使它超越了具体的宫闱故事，成为「以乐景写哀情」这一美学原则的最纯粹的诗证，千载之下犹令人玩味不尽。

Prosody

Form Seven-character quatrain (qiyan jueju)七言绝句

Rhyme Pingshui rhyme, lower Ping tone, second rhyme (xiao): tao, gao, pao桃、高、袍，押平声萧韵（平水韵下平二萧），首句入韵。

Tone pattern First line enters rhyme, level tone, level opening平起首句入韵式。首句「昨夜风开露井桃」为仄仄平平仄仄平，次句「未央前殿月轮高」为仄平平仄仄平平，三句「平阳歌舞新承宠」为平平平仄平平仄，末句「帘外春寒赐锦袍」为平仄平平仄仄平，平仄合律，声调流丽。

Reading note Wang Changling's famous palace poem, using Han to refer to Tang, joy to express sorrow, subtle and cold.此诗为七言绝句正格，平起首句入韵，押下平二萧韵，韵脚「桃、高、袍」皆阴平阳平相间、清亮圆润，正合春宫行乐之题面，而骨子里却是宫怨的冷调，声情与辞情形成微妙的反差——音韵越流丽，越衬出内容的冷峻，这正是「以乐写哀」在声律上的配合。全诗四句，前二句写景、后二句写人，景为乐景、人为新宠，通篇不著一「怨」字，而怨意从「新」字、「赐」字的缝隙里悄然渗出。章法上，此诗是盛唐宫词「反面落笔」的典型：不写失宠者而写得宠者，不写悲而写喜，让读者从喜庆的正面看到哀怨的背面。王昌龄精于七绝，此诗与其《长信秋词》《闺怨》等并为宫词绝唱，诵读时宜以清扬之音读前二句，以稍沉之音读后二句，于「新」「赐」二字处略作停顿，方能听出喜庆字面下的冷讽之声。

Line by line

昨夜风开露井桃，未央前殿月轮高

Last night wind opened peach by the well; moon high over Weiyang Hall. Depicts serene spring palace night, hinting at 'spring' and 'palace', opening with joyful scene.

昨夜春风开桃，未央前殿月轮高悬

Last night the wind opened the peach by the open well; over the Weiyang front hall the moon hung high.

首二句写春宫夜景，是全诗的「乐景」所在，也是「以乐写哀」的反衬基础。「昨夜风开露井桃」写春风一夜吹开井边桃花，一个「开」字见春意勃发、万物更新，「露井桃」用乐府古意，暗含桃树依井而生、生机盎然的意象；「未央前殿月轮高」写未央宫前殿之上明月高悬，「月轮高」三字写月光圆满清朗、宫殿巍峨壮丽，一派皇家气象。两句一写花、一写月，一为春风之暖、一为月色之明，共同构成春夜承平富丽的图景，暗点「春」与「宫」二字，为下文「新承宠」铺设了喜庆的舞台。然而读者须知，这桃开月高的美景，正是失宠者眼中最刺目的风景——春意越浓，独处者越觉寒凉，乐景在此已为哀情埋下伏笔，是典型的「以乐景写哀」的开篇。

The opening two lines write the spring palace night, the seat of the whole's joyous scenery, and the foil-ground for writing grief through joy. Last night the wind opened the peach by the open well writes the spring wind overnight opening the peach by the well, the single word opened showing the spring's vigor and all things' renewal; the open-well peach uses the old yuefu air, secretly holding the image of the peach growing by the well, full of life. Over the Weiyang front hall the moon hung high writes the bright moon over the Weiyang Palace's front hall, the three words the moon hung high writing the moon's full clear light and the hall's towering grandeur, a stretch of royal air. The two lines, one the flower, one the moon, one the warmth of the spring breeze, one the brightness of the moon, together forming the peaceful and splendid spring night, secretly pointing the words spring and palace, laying the festive stage for the later newly won favor. Yet the reader must know: this beauty of opened peach and high moon is the most glaring scenery in the eyes of the disfavored - the stronger the spring, the colder the lonely one feels; the joyous scenery here already lays a ground for the grief, the typical opening of writing grief through joy.

平阳歌舞新承宠

The dancer from Pingyang is newly favored. Uses allusion to Wei Zifu, the word 'new' contrasts the old neglected, implying resentment.

平阳公主家的歌女新近得到宠爱

The singer from the Pingyang house has newly won favor,

此句是全诗的转折点，也是宫怨之意的正面着落处。「平阳歌舞」四字用卫子夫典故，点出新承宠者的出身——本是平阳公主家的歌舞伎，因机缘得见天子，一朝承恩；「新承宠」三字，以「新」字标举恩宠的「新」，与失宠者的「旧」形成暗中对照，全篇宫怨由此一字立骨。「新」字是全句的关键：正因为「新」，才有帘外赐袍的殷勤；正因为「新」，旧人的落寞才格外不堪；也正因为恩宠是「新」的，便暗含它终将变「旧」的预感——帝王之恩无常，今日之新宠，即明日之旧人。此句不写旧人一字，而旧人之怨已在「新」字的阴影下悄然升起，这正是王昌龄「反面落笔、以宾衬主」的妙处，也是此诗归于「宫怨」而非「宫乐」的枢机所在。

This line is the turning point of the whole, and the positive landing of the palace grievance. The four words the singer from the Pingyang house use the Wei Zifu allusion, pointing the new favorite's origin - originally a song-and-dance girl in Princess Pingyang's household, by chance seeing the emperor and winning favor overnight. The three words newly won favor use the word newly to mark the newness of the favor, secretly set against the disfavored one's old; the whole palace grievance takes its bone from this one word. The word newly is the key: precisely because it is new, there is the solicitude of the robe bestowed beyond the curtain; precisely because new, the old one's loneliness is the more unbearable; and precisely because the favor is new, it secretly carries the foreboding that it will one day grow old - the sovereign's grace is fickle, today's new favorite is tomorrow's old woman. This line writes not one word of the old woman, yet her grievance already rises quietly in the shadow of the word new, exactly Wang Changling's beauty of writing from the reverse and using the guest to set off the host, and the hinge of the poem's belonging to palace grievance rather than palace joy.

帘外春寒赐锦袍

Outside the curtain spring cold, bestows brocade robe. Detail shows exclusive favor, warmth contrasts cold, resentment self-evident.

帘外春寒料峭，便赐下锦袍

and, the spring chill beyond the curtain, the emperor bestowed a brocade robe.

结句以「赐锦袍」的细节写恩渥之专，是全诗情感张力的爆发点，也是最冷峻的一笔。「帘外春寒」四字，既写时令之寒——春夜尚有寒意，又暗喻宫闱之寒——深宫之中，人情冷暖如天气之无常；「赐锦袍」写皇帝隔着帘子，见新人畏寒，即命赐以锦袍，一个「赐」字写尽宠爱的体贴入微、无微不至。这一细节越是温馨，就越发衬出另一面的冷酷：有人帘外赐袍，有人空帏独守；有人新承雨露，有人旧泪沾巾。诗人不写失宠者一个字，只写这暖意融融的赐袍场景，而寒意已从字里行间透出，恰如沈德潜所谓「讽意已含」。「赐」字与「新」字呼应，共同完成「以彼之暖写此之寒」的反衬结构，全诗在这暖与寒的巨大反差中戛然而止，言尽而意无穷。

The closing line writes through the detail of bestowing the brocade robe the singleness of the favor, the eruption of the whole's emotional tension, and the coldest stroke. The four words the spring chill beyond the curtain at once write the season's cold - the spring night still chill - and secretly meta-phor the palace's coldness - in the deep palace, human warmth and cold are as fickle as the weather. Bestowed a brocade robe writes that the emperor, beyond the curtain, seeing the new beauty shiver, at once orders a brocade robe given; the single word bestowed writes to the full the favor's minute thoughtfulness. The warmer this detail, the more it sets off the other side's coldness: one given a robe beyond the curtain, one keeping an empty curtain alone; one newly bedewed by the rain, one with old tears staining the kerchief. The poet writes not one word of the disfavored, but only this warm scene of the robe, and the coldness already breathes between the lines, exactly as Shen Deqian said the satirical intent is already contained. The word bestowed echoes the word newly, together completing the foil structure of writing this cold through that warmth; the whole stops short in the vast contrast of warm and cold, the words ended yet the meaning endless.

Study

Word focus

新 The word 'new' is crucial; it highlights the newly favored one, contrasting with the 'old' neglected, anchoring the whole poem's resentment. 「平阳歌舞新承宠」之「新」字，是全诗立骨之字，宫怨的整个逻辑都由它生出。「新」标举恩宠之「新」，其对面自然站着恩宠之「旧」：既有新承宠的卫子夫，必有旧失宠的无数宫人，诗人不写旧人，而「新」字一出，旧人的影子已悄然立在诗后。此字至少有三重意蕴：其一写时，得宠在「今」，恩情正浓，春风得意；其二写势，恩宠是「新」的，则暗含它终将变旧、转瞬即逝的预感，帝王之爱如春花朝露，今日之新即是明日之故；其三写人，以「新」衬「旧」，新人之喜愈盛，旧人之悲愈深，全篇宫怨由此一字生发。若将此字换作「初」「始」等字，则仅写时间，失却对照的张力；一「新」字而新旧相形、喜悲相对，正是王昌龄炼字以一字驭全篇的典范。

赐 The word 'bestow' shows the emperor's special grace; under 'spring cold', the warmth of the robe contrasts sharply with the cold of the neglected, satirical. 「帘外春寒赐锦袍」之「赐」字，是结句也是全诗最冷峻的一字，写尽恩宠的体贴与恩宠的无情。「赐」是自上而下的施予，皇帝见新人畏寒，即赐锦袍，这一动作写得极温馨——隔帘相望，怜惜备至；然而「赐」字本身又带着天然的等级与无常：恩宠是君王「赐」的，不是自己挣的，可以今日赐袍，也可以明日收回；对受宠者是锦上添花，对失宠者则是雪上加霜。诗人不写被赐者的欢欣，只写「赐」的动作，让读者自己去想：同样的春夜，有人得赐锦袍，有人独守空帏，君恩如水，流向谁家？「赐」字与「新」字前后呼应，一写恩宠之专、一写恩宠之新，共同暗示恩宠之无常，把讽意藏进最温暖的细节里，冷讽入骨而不露锋芒，正是盛唐宫词「绵里藏针」的绝技。

春宫曲