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唐 Tang · 诗 Poem

后宫词

The Back Palace Poem

白居易

Bai Juyi

宫怨palace grievance 七绝seven-character quatrain 女性women

泪湿罗巾梦不成，夜深前殿按歌声。
红颜未老恩先断，斜倚薰笼坐到明。

Tears soak my silk kerchief; I cannot fall asleep,
Deep in the night, from the front hall comes the beat of song.
My beauty has not yet faded, yet his favor broke first,
I lean against the incense warmer and sit until dawn.

Listen

Meaning

A palace woman weeps through the night while song sounds from the front hall; her beauty un-faded, the emperor's favor already broken—she leans on the incense warmer and sits until dawn, the quietest possible image of despair.

眼泪打湿了丝巾，怎么也睡不着，深夜里前殿还传来按节而歌的乐声。容颜还没有衰老，君王的恩宠却已断绝；她斜靠着薰笼，一直坐到天亮。

Appreciation

Twenty-eight characters, four lines four layers, each pressing deeper: line one tears, two sound, three cause, four posture. The gem is line two—not writing her desolation but the front hall's song. Another's revelry through the wall makes her loneliness need no saying; this is the classic 'write grief through joy.' The last line writes no cry, no complaint, only the pose 'lean on the incense warmer and sit till dawn,' freezing a whole night's torment into a still frame. Bai Juyi's palace lament accuses without a word against the emperor—'my beauty not yet faded, his favor broke first' states the fact, the poem's most painful line—if favor faded with age, there is reason; that favor broke while beauty remains leaves not even an explanation. This is the palace woman's deepest despair: her fate never depends on herself.

【白话串讲】 “泪湿罗巾梦不成，夜深前殿按歌声”——白居易写失宠的宫女：泪湿罗巾，睡不着；前殿传来歌声，是别人得宠。“红颜未老恩先断，斜倚薰笼坐到明”——她红颜未老，恩宠已断，坐到天亮。【意象与手法】全诗二十八字，四句四层，层层递进：一句写泪，二句写声，三句写因，四句写态。最见匠心的是第二句——不写自己的凄清，偏写前殿的歌声。别人的热闹隔墙传来，此处的冷落便无须多说。这是以乐景写哀情的经典用法。末句不写哭、不写怨，只留一个“斜倚薰笼坐到明”的姿势，把整夜的煎熬凝成一个静止的画面。【情感与主旨】白居易写宫怨，笔下没有一句斥责君王，却处处是控诉。“红颜未老恩先断”七字直陈其事，是全诗最痛的一句——若是色衰爱弛，尚有道理可讲；偏是红颜未老而恩已断，便连一个说法都没有。这正是宫廷女子最深的绝望：她们的命运从不取决于自身。【名句点睛】 “红颜未老恩先断”——不加雕饰，直白如话，却因这份直白而力透纸背，成为后世写失宠的定评之句。

Background

The poem was likely written while Bai Juyi served in Chang'an. The Tang palace held tens of thousands of women, many never seeing the emperor for life; Bai sympathized deeply, once submitting a memorial to release palace women, and wrote 'The White-Haired Woman of Shangyang' and 'Tomb Attendant.' 'The Back Palace Poem' is this care made into a quatrain.

白居易字乐天，晚号香山居士，中唐诗坛领袖，倡导新乐府运动，主张文章合为时而著、歌诗合为事而作，其诗多关注民生疾苦与社会不平，语言平易通俗而寄意深切。此篇后宫词当作于白居易任职长安、亲历宫廷生活期间。唐代宫廷宫女数以万计，一入深宫便与外界隔绝，多有终身不得见君王一面、幽闭至老而青春虚掷者。白居易对这一庞大而无声的群体深怀同情，曾郑重上《请拣放后宫内人奏状》，力请朝廷放还那些无辜幽禁的宫人，使其得以还乡婚配；他又写有《上阳白发人》《陵园妾》等一系列诗篇，专为深宫女子的悲惨命运立言。上阳白发人自言入宫时年方十六、及见白发已垂垂老矣，一生宫居而未曾承幸，读之令人酸鼻。后宫词正是这一贯的人道关怀在七言绝句中的凝练表达：它不写具体的人名事迹，而以一位失宠宫人长夜不寐的典型情境，写尽天下深宫女子恩断爱弛、青春空老的普遍悲剧，是白居易宫怨诗中语浅情深、以少总多的代表作。

Art

The poem's height is in 'not writing.' Not writing the emperor's fickleness, only the front hall's song; not writing the woman's wail, only the soaked kerchief and sitting till dawn. Of four lines, the first is the effect (tears, no sleep), the second the scene (song elsewhere), the third the cause (favor broken), the fourth the posture (sit till dawn). Order is effect before cause, feeling first full then released, like peeling a bamboo to its heart. The last line closes in pure plain sketch—Bai's other way of 'say nothing, yet win all': not by reserved imagery but by the plainest action.

此诗的高明处全在一个不写：不写君王之薄幸，只写前殿的歌声；不写宫女之悲号，只写罗巾湿透与斜倚坐明。四句之中，第一句是果——泪湿罗巾、彻夜难眠；第二句是境——他处笙歌、彻夜承欢；第三句是因——红颜未老而恩先断；第四句是态——斜倚薰笼、枯坐达旦。次序上先果后因、先境后情，情绪先满而后释，读来如层层剥笋、渐见其心。尤见匠心者为第二句：诗人不写自己一方的凄清孤寂，偏宕开一笔去写前殿的按歌之声——那边丝竹达旦、承欢正盛，这边独泣通宵、梦亦不成，一墙之隔而冷热天渊，别人的热闹反衬此处的冷落，无须一字点破而弃置之悲自明，是以乐景写哀情的经典笔法。末句更不写哭、不写怨，只定格一个斜倚薰笼坐到明的静止姿态，把整整一夜的煎熬凝成一幅无声的画面，让长夜之苦在这凝固的剪影中久久回荡——这是白居易不着一字、尽得风流的另一种写法：不用含蓄的意象，而用最朴素、最真切的动作。

Allusions

The poem uses no obscure allusion. The 'incense warmer' (xunlong) is a bamboo cage for warming and scenting clothes in the palace, a common Tang object—here real scene yet quietly ironic: the warmer is warm, the human heart cold. 'Beating song' (an ge) means accompanying song on the beat, the real scene of favor in the front hall.

此诗通篇不用一个僻典，纯以宫廷实景与常语出之，然其看似平常的物象与用语，细究之下皆有其分寸与深意。薰笼是唐代宫廷中习见的器物，即熏香烘衣所用的竹笼，笼下置炉焚香、上覆衣物以取暖生香，是后宫日常起居之物；此处斜倚薰笼既是写实——失宠宫人长夜无眠，只得斜靠着熏香的竹笼枯坐取暖，又暗含反讽——薰笼有暖而人心已冷，物之温与人之寒两相对照，孤寂之感倍增。按歌之按，是按节拍、按乐律以伴奏歌唱之意，属宫廷乐语，说明前殿传来的是正式的、有排场的承欢之乐，愈见彼处之盛、此处之弃。罗巾即丝罗手巾，是宫中女子随身之物，泪湿罗巾写其泪之多、之久。红颜、恩等语亦皆宫怨诗的常用词汇，白居易一概取其本义、不加雕饰，正是其诗合为事而作、以平易之语写切近之情的一贯追求。全诗以最寻常的宫廷物象与口语构筑意境，而字字精准、无一虚设，可见浅语之中自有锤炼。

Commentary

Huang Shucan's 'Tang Poetry Annotated' says 'not complaining, yet complaining—and how it complains.' Shen Deqian's 'Tang Poetry: Selected' calls it 'shallow in words, deep in feeling, Bai Juyi's strength.' Later readers say the three words 'sit till dawn' hold a whole night's suffering.

此诗历来被推为白居易宫怨绝句的名篇，评家多赏其不怨而怨、语浅情深。清人黄叔灿《唐诗笺注》评曰不怨而怨，怨甚矣，一语道破此诗的含蓄之妙——通篇不着一句怨君之语，而怨已深入骨髓，愈是不作激愤之辞，怨恨愈显沉痛。沈德潜《唐诗别裁》称其语浅而情深，白傅所长，特标举白居易以平易浅近之语写深挚沉痛之情的本色，谓此正是香山诗的擅场。后世评家于末句坐到明三字尤多称道，谓一夜之苦尽在此三字之中——不写辗转、不写悲啼，只以坐到明写尽通宵不寐、枯坐达旦的煎熬，含蓄而力透纸背。综观诸评，或赏其章法之妙，谓四句先果后因、以景衬情、以静态收束，层层对照而绝句的容量被撑到极致；或赏其立意之痛，谓红颜未老恩先断七字硬语盘空、直陈其事，是全诗最沉痛处。而其共同指向，皆是白居易以最朴素之笔写最深沉之悲的过人功力，故此诗虽仅二十八字，而历久传诵、感人不衰。

Prosody

Form Seven-character quatrain (level-tone opening, first line rhyming)七言绝句

Rhyme Rhymes on the geng category of the eighth rhyme group: cheng, sheng, ming. The geng rhyme is open and clear, fitting the sleepless night and clear sound in the ear, with a hollow echo.押平水韵下平八庚韵，韵脚为成、声、明，平起首句入韵，一韵到底

Tone pattern The third line 'My beauty not yet faded, yet his favor broke first' has not a filler word, the rhythm choppy as a knife; the last line 'lean on the incense warmer and sit till dawn' drags level and long—one break, one continuation, like passion spent into dead still.平起首句入韵式，第三句红颜未老恩先断全句硬语盘空、节奏斩截，末句斜倚薰笼坐到明平缓拖长，一断一续

Reading note All four lines use common words, no obscure allusion, yet each is a contrast: line one vs. two is here vs. there, three vs. four is heart vs. body—the quatrain's capacity stretched to the limit by contrast.此诗为七言绝句，平起首句入韵，押下平八庚韵，成、声、明三字收音开口而清亮，庚韵本以开阔回响见长，用于此诗则暗合长夜不寐、清越的按歌之声隔墙入耳的情境，读来自有一种空旷而回荡的余韵，恰如失宠宫人独对空房、耳听远歌的孤寂况味。就声调节奏而言，此诗四句于对照中见变化：第三句红颜未老恩先断，全句几无一个虚字，字字着力、节奏斩截如刀，把恩断的真相硬生生逼出，读来铿然有声、force十足；末句斜倚薰笼坐到明则声调平缓、语气拖长，一断一续之间，恰似激愤之后归于枯寂、悲呼之后陷入沉默，声情随之由紧张而松弛、由激越而黯然。全诗四句皆用平常字眼、无一僻典，却句句成对照：一句与二句是此处独泣与彼处笙歌之比，三句与四句是心之恩断与身之枯坐之比，绝句短短二十八字的容量，在这两重对照与一张一弛的声调布置中被撑到了极致，是七绝以平易之语、谨严之律承载深沉之情的典范。

Line by line

泪湿罗巾梦不成，夜深前殿按歌声。

Tears wet the silk kerchief; sleep will not come; deep in the night, songs beat time from the front hall.

眼泪打湿了丝巾，怎么也睡不着，深夜里前殿还传来按节而歌的乐声。

Tears soak the silk kerchief and sleep will not come; deep into the night, measured singing drifts from the front hall.

此联开篇即以先果后境之法营造对照。上句泪湿罗巾梦不成先示其苦：湿字见泪之多、之久，梦不成见夜之长、之难，不写缘由而先呈其果，最能攫住读者，令人急欲知其何以至此。下句夜深前殿按歌声则陡然宕开一笔，去写他处的热闹：夜已深沉，前殿却仍传来按节伴奏、彻夜承欢的丝竹歌声。一墙之隔，那边笙歌达旦、恩宠正浓，这边独泣通宵、梦亦不成，冷与热、闹与寂的强烈对照不着一字而自明。以乐景反衬哀情，借别人的欢愉写自己的孤凄，是全诗最巧妙的一笔，弃置之悲尽在这隔墙的歌声之中。

This couplet opens with effect before circumstance, building contrast. 'Tears wet the kerchief; sleep will not come' first shows the suffering — 'wet' for the tears' abundance, 'sleep will not come' for the night's length, seizing the reader before any cause. Then 'deep in the night, songs beat time from the front hall' opens the contrast: night already deep, yet the front hall rings with measured music and all-night revel. A wall between them — there, favor at its height; here, weeping through the night. Joyous scene set against grief, using others' delight to write one's own desolation.

红颜未老恩先断，斜倚薰笼坐到明。

Her face is not yet old, yet favor has already died; leaning on the incense burner, she sits until dawn.

容颜还没有衰老，君王的恩宠却已断绝；她斜靠着薰笼，一直坐到天亮。

Her rosy years not yet faded, the royal favor is already cut off; leaning on the incense cage, she sits until dawn.

此联由境入因、复由因入态，是全诗最沉痛也最见收束功力处。上句红颜未老恩先断七字直陈其事、硬语盘空，一举点破失宠的真相：未老与先断硬碰硬地对在一起，若是色衰而爱弛，尚有情理可讲，偏是红颜未老而恩已先断，连一个说法、一点自我安慰的余地都被剥夺净尽——这正是宫廷女子最深的绝望：命运从不取决于自身。下句斜倚薰笼坐到明则不哭不诉，只给一个静止的姿态：斜倚见其身心俱疲、支撑不住，坐到明见其彻夜无眠、枯坐达旦，而所倚者又偏是本为取暖的薰笼，物暖人寒、反差无声。画面一经定格，长夜之苦便凝固为一幅动人的剪影，含蓄而余味无穷。

This couplet moves from scene to cause, and from cause to posture, the most poignant close. 'Her face is not yet old, yet favor has already died' states the fact plainly, a hard line: if beauty faded and love cooled, there were reason; but the face not old and favor already cut leaves no room for comfort — the deepest despair of palace women, that fate is never in their own hands. 'Leaning on the incense burner, she sits until dawn' gives a static image, no weeping, no complaint: 'leaning' shows spent body and spirit, 'until dawn' the sleepless night; and what she leans on is the warming incense cage — warm object, cold person, the contrast silent. Once fixed, the long night's suffering becomes a moving silhouette.

Study

Word focus

先 In 'his favor broke first,' the word 'first' is the poem's key. It sets an expected order—beauty fades, then love cools; but 'first' breaks that order, meaning the break has nothing to do with her looks, purely the lord's fickle heart. In one word lies the deepest injustice and the helplessness of having no defense. 先字见于红颜未老恩先断一句，是全诗的关键所在。它预设了一个本应如此的次序——色衰而后爱弛，容颜老去、恩宠随之淡薄，这在世俗看来虽属无奈，却尚合情理、有迹可循；而一个先字，恰恰打破了这个次序：红颜分明未老，恩宠却已抢先断绝。这就说明恩断与容颜的衰老全然无关，纯系君心的莫测难凭。一字之中，藏着最深的不平与最彻底的绝望：失宠若因色衰，还可归咎于岁月、聊以自解；失宠而与容貌无涉，则连辩白、归因的余地都荡然无存，只剩下无从说起的委屈。以一个先字打乱常序、逼出宫人有貌无恩、有理无处诉的至痛，正是白居易于平易之中见锤炼、以一字定全诗之悲的高妙笔法。

斜倚 Not 'sit' but 'lean,' writing a state of body and spirit both spent, unable to hold up. What she leans on is the incense warmer—meant to give warmth, yet only sets off the person's cold. Thing warm, person cold, the contrast silent. 斜倚二字见于斜倚薰笼坐到明一句，是全诗以静态收束、以姿势传情的传神之笔。诗人不说坐、不说卧，偏说斜倚——一个斜字、一个倚字，写尽了身心俱疲、无力支撑而不得不靠物而息的疲惫之态：她既无法安睡，又无力端坐，只能斜斜地倚着，勉强撑过这漫漫长夜。而她所倚者偏偏是薰笼——本是熏香烘衣、给人温暖的器物，此刻却只衬出人的孤冷凄清：物本有暖而人独觉寒，器能生香而心已成灰，物暖与人寒的反差在这一倚之间无声地凸显。以斜倚二字状其困顿之态、并借所倚之物暗写其孤寒之心，动作之中含尽长夜煎熬与失宠悲凉，是白居易不写哭怨而怨自深的绝妙手段。

后宫词