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唐 Tang · 诗 Poem

清平调·其三

Pure Peace Tune - Third

李白

Li Bai

咏人portrait 宫词palace poem

名花倾国两相欢，长得君王带笑看。
解释春风无限恨，沉香亭北倚阑干。

The famous flower and the beauty of the realm rejoice together; long they keep the monarch smiling as he looks.
They dissolve the endless regret of the spring breeze; north of the Aloes Pavilion she leans on the rail.

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Meaning

The peerless beauty and the precious peony rejoice together; often they keep the monarch smiling as he gazes long. In the spring breeze they dissolve the boundless regret; north of the Aloes Pavilion she leans upon the railing, enjoying the sight.

绝代佳人与名贵牡丹两相欢娱，常使得君王面带笑容久久凝看。在春风中消解了那无穷的怅恨，在沉香亭北倚着栏杆尽兴赏玩。

Appreciation

Li Bai's 'Pure Peace Tune' (three pieces) was written in the Kaiyuan years of Emperor Xuanzong, when Li Bai served in the Hanlin Academy. This third piece follows the first two, which sang the beauty's loveliness, and turns to the threefold joy of famous flower, beauty and monarch, hinting at the peace of a flourishing court. Though a commissioned piece for the throne, it writes the court's riches and romance in natural language, with none of the stiffness of official verse — fully showing Li Bai's quick and gifted wit.

【白话串讲】 “名花倾国两相欢，长得君王带笑看”——李白写杨贵妃：名花和倾国美人两相欢，君王一直带笑看。“解释春风无限恨，沉香亭北倚阑干”——她的美，能化解春天所有的恨。清平调三首，到此圆满。【意象与手法】此章以'两相欢'绾合名花与倾国，以'带笑看'点出君王，三者并置，画面秾丽而情致流动【情感与主旨】《清平调》三章约作于唐玄宗开元年间，李白供奉翰林时【名句点睛】本诗常考炼字与画面赏析。'两相欢'之'欢'字，将无情的名花与绝代佳人写得两情相悦，暗含君王之欢，一字三关

Background

The three 'Pure Peace Tune' pieces were written around the Kaiyuan years of Emperor Xuanzong, when Li Bai served in the Hanlin Academy. Tradition says the emperor and Yang Guifei admired peonies before the Aloes Pavilion and bade Li Bai set words to music, which Li Guinian sang to the sandalwood clapper. The third follows the first two in praising the consort's beauty, then turns to the famous flower, the beauty and the monarch rejoicing together, hinting at the pleasures of a peaceful palace. A commissioned poem, yet written in natural language to the full of wealth and romance, it shows the genius of Taibai at his ease.

《清平调》其三为盛唐诗人李白所作，是李白供奉翰林时为杨贵妃所写的组诗之一。天宝初年，李白入长安供奉翰林，一日玄宗与杨贵妃在沉香亭赏牡丹，命李白作新词，李白醉中援笔而成《清平调》三首，此为其三。首二句“名花倾国两相欢，长得君王带笑看”写牡丹与贵妃两相辉映、共得君王宠爱的盛况；后二句“解释春风无限恨，沉香亭北倚阑干”写春风化解了无限的愁恨，贵妃倚阑而望。全诗以名花喻贵妃、以春风写君恩，雍容华贵，是唐代宫廷诗的代表作。李白以诗才供奉翰林，此诗为其应制之作中的名篇，虽为奉承之辞而才华横溢，可见其“诗仙”之才在应制场合亦能施展。

Art

This piece joins 'famous flower' and 'beauty of the realm' with the word 'rejoice together', and names the monarch with 'smiling as he looks' — the three set side by side, the picture rich yet the feeling flowing. 'They dissolve the endless regret of the spring breeze' cleverly puns on 'dissolve': it says the spring breeze dissolves the spring regret, and hints that flower and beauty dispel the monarch's care. The last line 'north of the Aloes Pavilion she leans on the rail' writes the void through the solid, closing on an action, condensing boundless charm into the instant of leaning on the rail — implicit and endless, the so-called 'without a word, all grace is won'.

《清平调》其三艺术上以比喻的精妙与语言的雍容见长。全诗四句，层层写来：“名花倾国两相欢”以“名花”喻牡丹、以“倾国”代贵妃（用李延年“一顾倾人城”之典），写花与人两相辉映——“两相欢”写牡丹与贵妃相映成趣；“长得君王带笑看”写君王带笑而观——“带笑看”写君王之宠爱，亦写贵妃之动人；“解释春风无限恨”以“春风”喻君恩，写君恩化解了无限的愁恨——“解释”即消解，“无限恨”写纵有春愁，亦为君恩所化解；“沉香亭北倚阑干”写贵妃倚阑之态——“沉香亭北”点出地点，倚阑而望，雍容娴雅。全诗以名花喻人、以春风喻恩，比喻精妙而语言雍容，把贵妃之美与君王之宠写得华贵而不流俗，正是李白应制诗的绝技。

Allusions

The poem uses few allusions, and those natural. 'Beauty of the realm' draws on Li Yannian's song 'with one glance she topples cities, with another the realm', originally a peerless beauty, here hinting at Yang Guifei. 'Aloes Pavilion' was a real pavilion in the Tang palace, made of aloes wood, where the emperor and consort feasted. The word 'dissolve' in old usage means to dispel or relieve, not today's 'explain'; though commissioned, its allusions leave no trace, writing palace splendour in household words — its excellence.

《清平调》其三用典精妙。“倾国”用李延年《佳人歌》“一顾倾人城，再顾倾人国”之典，以“倾国”代称绝色美人，写贵妃之美；“名花”兼指牡丹与喻花；“春风”兼指时令与君恩，一语双关；“沉香亭”为唐宫实景，亦含沉香之雅。全诗以典而不露典痕：以“倾国”写人、以“春风”写恩，皆浑融无迹，正是李白“清水出芙蓉”的风格。应制诗多以典故奉承，而李白此诗用典天然，不显雕琢，把奉承之辞写得如天籁之音，正是其过人之处。

Commentary

Tiaoxi Yuyin Conghua, citing Gaozhai Poetry Talks, records the story, saying Li Bai 'was hurried by the eunuch and finished at once'. Song critics praised his 'taking up the brush at once and completing a song'. Shen Deqian said of Taibai's commissioned poems 'only by being natural, free of ornament'; this piece is the example. Later readers often use 'lotus from clear water' to describe his spirit. Though written on command, its manner is lofty, not fallen into the weak tones of Qi-Liang.

《清平调》其三与《清平调》其一、其二同为李白供奉翰林时的名作，也是唐代宫廷诗的代表作。论者多赏其“名花倾国两相欢”的比喻——以名花喻贵妃、以春风写君恩，雍容华贵而自然天成；“解释春风无限恨”以春风化解愁恨，更见构思之妙。历代诗评家对此诗评价极高，或谓其“以花写人，人花俱艳”，或谓其“春风二字，一语双关，最为超妙”。此诗虽为应制奉承之作，然其才情之横溢、语言之华美，正是李白“谪仙人”之才的体现。相传玄宗贵妃皆以此诗为荣，后李白因遭谗而离去，然此诗之光彩不减。

Prosody

Form Seven-character quatrain (seven-character jue)七言绝句

Rhyme Ping-shui rhyme, upper-level fourteen han group (rejoice, look, rail)《清平调》为七言绝句，押平声韵。此诗用韵：欢、看、干（寒部），一韵到底，音节流丽。七绝句式整齐，宜于写雍容华贵的宫廷场景。

Tone pattern First line enters rhyme, level-onset level-close七言绝句以声调抑扬、音节流丽见长。此诗以“名花倾国”的并置起，音节舒展；“长得君王带笑看”以“带笑看”收上句，声情雍容；“解释春风无限恨”以“解释”领起，音节婉转；“沉香亭北倚阑干”以“倚阑干”收束，声情娴雅。全诗以平韵贯底，声调与宫廷的富贵场景相合，是李白七绝中雍容华贵的一路。

Reading note Li Bai's 'Pure Peace Tune' is a yuefu set to words; all three pieces are seven-character jue; this piece rhymes in han, lofty manner.《清平调》为七言绝句，是李白供奉翰林时的应制之作。此诗四句，以名花喻贵妃、以春风写君恩，雍容华贵而自然天成。应制诗易流于谄媚，而李白此诗以比喻之精妙、语言之华美，把奉承之辞写得如天籁之音——“名花倾国两相欢”人花一体，“解释春风无限恨”一语双关，皆见其才情之横溢。相传此诗为玄宗与贵妃赏牡丹时所作，李白醉中援笔立成，可见其“斗酒诗百篇”之才。此诗与《清平调》其一、其二同为名篇，是唐代宫廷诗的巅峰之作。

Line by line

名花倾国两相欢，长得君王带笑看。

The famous flower and the realm-overturning beauty delight in each other; long may the prince, smiling, gaze.

名贵的牡丹与倾国的佳人两相辉映，长久得到君王含笑观赏。

The famous peony and the beauty who overturns a realm glow in each other's light; long may the prince gaze with a smile.

首二句写牡丹与贵妃两相辉映、共得君宠。“名花倾国两相欢”写花与人相映——“名花”写牡丹之贵，“倾国”以李延年典代称贵妃之美，“两相欢”写花与人互相辉映、相得益彰；“长得君王带笑看”写君王之宠——“长得”写时间之久长，“带笑看”写君王含笑的欣赏——牡丹之艳与贵妃之美，皆在君王带笑的注视之中。二句以“名花”与“倾国”并提，人花一体，既赞花之美，更赞人之艳；以“带笑看”写君宠，雍容而不谄媚。这一起笔把沉香亭的赏花盛况写得富贵而风雅，正是应制诗的最高境界。

The first two lines write the peony and the Guifei glowing in each other's light, sharing the prince's favor. 'The famous flower and the realm-overturning beauty delight in each other' — 'the famous flower' the peony's nobility, 'the realm-overturning' using Li Yannian's allusion for the Guifei's beauty, 'delight in each other' the flower and the person glowing, each the more for the other; 'long may the prince, smiling, gaze' — the prince's favor, 'long may' the time's length, 'smiling gaze' the prince's smiling appreciation — the peony's brilliance and the Guifei's beauty, both within the prince's smiling gaze. Two lines, 'the famous flower' and 'the realm-overturning' together, person and flower one, praising the flower's beauty and the person's beauty; through 'smiling gaze' writing the princely favor, gracious without flattery. This opening writes the flower-viewing at the Chenxiang Pavilion as wealthy and elegant, precisely the highest realm of the commissioned verse.

解释春风无限恨，沉香亭北倚阑干。

It disperses the spring wind's boundless grief; north of the Chenxiang Pavilion, she leans on the balustrade.

春风化解了无限的愁恨，贵妃在沉香亭北倚着阑干。

It disperses the spring wind's boundless grief; north of the Chenxiang Pavilion, she leans on the railing.

后二句写春风解恨、倚阑凝望。“解释春风无限恨”写君恩化解愁恨——“解释”即消解，“春风”双关时令与君恩，“无限恨”写纵有春愁秋恨，亦为春风（君恩）所化解，牡丹与贵妃皆无愁容，只有融融的暖意；“沉香亭北倚阑干”写贵妃之态——“沉香亭北”点出实景，“倚阑干”写其倚阑凝望的娴雅身姿。二句由“解恨”到“倚阑”，由虚到实：春风一解，愁恨全消，唯余贵妃倚阑的绰约身影。以“倚阑干”收束，画面定格，余韵悠然，把贵妃之美与君恩之深写得含蓄而不尽。

The last two lines write the spring wind dispersing the grief, the leaning on the railing. 'It disperses the spring wind's boundless grief' — the princely grace dispersing the grief; 'disperses' means dissolving, 'the spring wind' the double meaning of the season and the princely favor, 'boundless grief' that however much spring grief and autumn grief, they are dispersed by the spring wind (the princely favor), and the peony and the Guifei wear no face of grief, only the warm glow; 'north of the Chenxiang Pavilion, she leans on the balustrade' — the Guifei's posture, 'north of the Chenxiang Pavilion' naming the real scene, 'leans on the balustrade' her elegant figure leaning and gazing. Two lines, from 'dispersing the grief' to 'leaning on the railing', from the unreal to the real: the spring wind once dispersed, the grief all gone, only left the Guifei's graceful figure leaning on the railing. Closing in 'leans on the balustrade', the picture fixed, the aftertaste at leisure, writing the Guifei's beauty and the princely grace deep and unending.

Study

Word focus

倾国 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. “名花倾国两相欢”之“倾国”，以李延年“一顾倾人城，再顾倾人国”之典代称绝色佳人，是写贵妃之美的点睛之词。“倾国”本写美女之貌可倾覆邦国，此处以之代称贵妃，极言其美。着一“倾国”，不直言“妃”而妃之身份、之美艳皆在焉；与“名花”对举，人花一体，更见雍容。以“倾国”写贵妃，既有典故的庄重，又有赞美的极致，正是应制诗用典的最高手法。

两相欢 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. “名花倾国两相欢”之“两相欢”，写牡丹与贵妃两相辉映，是全诗的立象之词。“两”写名花与倾国二者，“相欢”写其互相辉映、彼此增色——花因人而更艳，人因花而更娇。着一“相”字，人与花便不是并置，而是交融；着一“欢”字，花与人都带着融融的喜气。这一词把赏花的场景写得人花一体、其乐融融，正是“以花写人”的绝妙一笔。

解释 In old usage means to dispel or relieve, not today's 'explain'; puns on spring breeze and beauty, deeply oblique. “解释春风无限恨”之“解释”，写春风消解愁恨，是全诗构思最巧的一词。“解释”即消解、化解，本为日常用语，此处写春风化解愁恨——“春风”双关时令与君恩，“无限恨”写纵有春愁，亦为春风（君恩）所化解。着一“解释”，把抽象的“愁恨”写得可被春风消解，构思新巧而含意隽永：牡丹无恨，贵妃无恨，皆因春风之暖、君恩之厚。以“解释”写恩泽，正是李白语出新奇的过人之处。

倚阑干 Closes the whole on an action, turning deep feeling into a light brush, implicit and endless, winning grace. “沉香亭北倚阑干”之“倚阑干”，写贵妃倚阑凝望之态，是全诗收束的画面之词。“倚”写其倚靠，“阑干”写其凭栏——沉香亭北，贵妃倚阑而望，身姿绰约。着一“倚”字，写尽贵妃的娴雅与从容：不是正襟危坐，而是闲倚阑干；不是喧哗取宠，而是静美凝望。这一词把全诗的画面定格：名花、倾国、君王带笑、春风解恨，最终凝为倚阑的一幅美人图。以“倚阑干”收束，余韵悠然，正是李白“言有尽而意无穷”的笔法。