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唐 Tang · 诗 Poem

秋登宣城谢朓北楼

Climbing Xie Tiao's North Tower in Xuancheng on an Autumn Day

李白

Li Bai

唐Theme 李白Theme 五律Theme 山水Landscape 谢朓Theme

江城如画里，山晚望晴空。
两水夹明镜，双桥落彩虹。
人烟寒橘柚，秋色老梧桐。
谁念北楼上，临风怀谢公。

The riverside city lies as if inside a painting; at dusk among the hills I gaze into the clear sky.
Two streams embrace it like bright mirrors; twin bridges descend like a falling rainbow.
Who else, atop the North Tower, faces the wind and cherishes the memory of Master Xie?

Listen

Meaning

From a tower built by a poet he revered, Li Bai faces the wind and keeps company with Xie Tiao.

江边的城池如在画中，傍晚的山色遥望晴空。两条江水夹着明镜般的波光，两座桥像落下的彩虹。人家炊烟使橘柚生寒，秋色让梧桐显老。谁会想到在这北楼上，有人临风怀念谢公？

Appreciation

Li Bai paints Xuancheng in two brushstrokes, then reveals the true subject: not the city but the predecessor poet standing invisibly beside him in the wind.

【白话串讲】 “江城如画里，山晚望晴空”——李白登谢朓北楼：江城如画。“两水夹明镜，双桥落彩虹”——“人烟寒橘柚，秋色老梧桐”——“谁念北楼上，临风怀谢公”——他在北楼上，怀念谢朓。李白最爱的诗人是谢朓。【意象与手法】首联“江城如画里”总挈全景；颔联“两水夹明镜，双桥落彩虹”以明镜、彩虹为喻写宣城双溪双桥；颈联“人烟寒橘柚，秋色老梧桐”由景入情暗含迟暮之慨；尾联“临风怀谢公”直点对谢朓的倾慕。语言清丽、意境疏朗。【情感与主旨】李白游宣城登谢朓北楼所作，写所见秋景与所怀之人。李白一生推重谢朓“清发”诗风，此处以古贤自况、情景相生，是李白五律中“清水出芙蓉”一派的佳作。【名句点睛】常考“两水夹明镜，双桥落彩虹”以明镜彩虹写宣城之景；“人烟寒橘柚，秋色老梧桐”以寒橘老梧写秋色与迟暮。

Background

Li Bai climbed the North Tower in Xuancheng (built by the Liang poet Xie Tiao, whom Li Bai revered) on an autumn day. The poem is a landscape homage to a predecessor.

此诗作于李白漫游宣城期间。宣城（今安徽宣城）有谢朓任太守时所建北楼，后人因称谢朓楼、谢公楼。谢朓是南齐诗人，以「清发」诗风开山水一派，李白平生最推重他，屡有「解道澄江净如练，令人长忆谢玄晖」之句。登此楼，对李白而言不单是看景，更是与隔代知音的一次精神对晤。李白一生爱谢朓，既有诗风上的认同，也有身世上的共鸣：谢朓才高而遭忌、终死于非命，李白自亦负才不遇、飘零江湖。当他傍晚登上这座以谢朓命名的楼，望见江城如画、双桥如虹，美景当前，涌上心头的却是「谁念北楼上，临风怀谢公」的孤怀——满城之人赏的是景，唯有他一人，在风里念的是几百年前的诗人。此诗约作于李白居宣城时，具体年份难确，然大抵在他人生中游历江南、求仕无门的阶段。把一首登临之作，写成对一位前代诗人的私人悼怀，是李白的独门路数；它表面写秋景，内里写的是「我亦如谢」的幽独。读懂「怀谢公」三字背后的自我投射，才能品出这清丽秋景底下那一层淡淡的凉。

Art

Opens with the famous 'city as in a painting'; the middle couplet is a perfect antithesis of water and bridge, mirror and rainbow. The close turns scenery into communion with Xie Tiao.

此诗的艺术，在于「以画写境、以境写人」，景愈明丽，情愈孤清，二者反向相成。首联「江城如画里，山晚望晴空」总挈全景，以「如画」二字定调，把整座宣城收进一幅秋晴图；一个「晚」字点出登临时刻，天色将暝未暝，最宜远望。颔联「两水夹明镜，双桥落彩虹」是千古名句，以两个比喻写宣城双溪（句溪、宛溪）夹城、两桥（凤凰、济川）跨水之景：水静如镜、桥弯如虹，明丽如幻。这两句纯写物色，却已暗含诗人凝神静观的愉悦。颈联「人烟寒橘柚，秋色老梧桐」由景入情，「寒」「老」二字把客观的秋，点成带主观凉意的秋——橘柚因人家炊烟而寒，梧桐因秋色而老，物候与心境开始咬合。尾联「谁念北楼上，临风怀谢公」忽作陡转，从满城明丽跳到一人临风，以「谁念」的反问收束，把前面所有风景都化作怀古的布景。全诗清丽疏朗，是李白五律中「清水出芙蓉」一派的标本：不堆典故，不使力气，景自真、情自深。

Allusions

Master Xie is Xie Tiao (464-499), a Southern Qi poet admired by Li Bai, who often invoked him as a kindred spirit of pure landscape feeling.

此诗用典极淡，重心全在「谢公」一人。谢公即谢朓，南齐诗人，曾任宣城太守，世称谢宣城，其《晚登三山还望京邑》有「澄江静如练」之句，李白「解道澄江净如练，令人长忆谢玄晖」即指此。北楼既为谢朓所建，李白登楼怀人，是「登其楼、思其人、法其诗」的三重呼应。「明镜」「彩虹」虽是比喻，却也接通了谢朓一派的山水观物传统：以清丽之喻写江桥，正合「清发」家风。而「寒橘柚」「老梧桐」的物候写法，则遥承《诗经》「十月陨萚」以降的悲秋脉络，并与谢朓「大江流日夜，慷慨送君归」的苍茫气脉暗通。最要紧的是「怀谢公」的自我投射。李白一生以谢朓为隔代知己，并非偶然：谢朓才为世嫉、死于非命，李白自伤亦复如是。故「怀谢公」表面怀古，实则自怀——他是在几百年前的诗人身上，认出了自己的影子。这种「借古人以自照」的写法，是李白咏怀的一大惯性，也是此诗情感真正的落点。此诗用典之妙，全在不使人觉：谢公之名、澄江之句、悲秋之脉，皆化为眼前风物，读来不觉用典而只是怀人。李白借古人以自照的写法在此达于化境，所谓登其楼、思其人、法其诗，三者浑然一体，遂使一首普通登临之作有了跨越数百年的精神重量。

Commentary

Li Bai's landscape is never mere description; here the vista becomes a bridge to a poet he called his soul-ancestor. The 'who else' is a lonely self-portrait.

历代论李诗者，多以此诗为五律清丽一体之代表。明人胡应麟《诗薮》论太白五律，称其「逸气凌云，天然秀丽」，此诗「两水夹明镜，双桥落彩虹」尤为「清水芙蓉，不假雕饰」的范例。清人沈德潜《唐诗别裁》选此诗，特赏中间二联的「写景如画」，并点出末联「临风怀谢公」的寄托。近人论此诗，尤重其「情景反衬」：前六句越写江城明丽，末二句「谁念」越显孤清，这种以乐景写哀、以闹景写静的手法，使小诗有余味。也有论者指出，李白集中怀谢朓之作甚多，此诗把「怀人」放在登临的收束处，使全篇从山水诗悄然转为怀古诗，章法上是一个漂亮的「翻案」。还有一点值得注意：李白五律向来不如七古纵放，此诗却能于法度之中见天然，恰证他并非不能谨严，而是不屑时时谨严。前人每以「仙才」目李白，此诗则说明，仙才落回人间写风景，亦自有其清远的骨格。此诗被推为李白五律清丽一体之代表，正因其能在法度之中见天然，不似七古之纵放而自具清远骨格。前人每以仙才目李白，此诗则说明仙才落回人间写风景，亦自有其疏淡的格局；末联谁念一问，把满城明丽收为一人临风的孤怀，余味悠长，足证小诗亦可承载大感慨。

Prosody

Form Five-character regulated octet (wulü), with the middle two couplets antithetical五言律诗（五律，山水登临，平起首句不入韵式）

Rhyme Rhymes on 'sky' (kong), 'rainbow' (hong), 'Xie' (gong), level-tone dong group.押平声东韵：空、虹、公（平水韵上平一东）。首句「里」属纸韵上声，首句不入韵，与后三韵脚一韵贯穿；东韵开口呼，声音宏亮而悠远，与登临怀古的疏朗基调相称。

Tone pattern Regulated; the 'two streams / twin bridges' couplet is a celebrated antithesis.江城如画里（平平平仄仄），山晚望晴空（平仄仄平平）；两水夹明镜（仄仄平平仄），双桥落彩虹（平平仄仄平）；人烟寒橘柚（平平平仄仄），秋色老梧桐（平仄仄平平）；谁念北楼上（平仄仄平仄），临风怀谢公（平平平仄平）。中二联对仗精严，平仄合律，是李白五律谨严一格的代表。

Reading note A canonical autumn-landscape poem and a love-letter to Xie Tiao.五律八句，容量小于七律，最讲究景情分配的疏密。此诗前六句写景、后二句抒情，看似「六三开」，实则景中已伏情：首联「晚」字、颈联「寒」「老」字，都是情的引线，到尾联才点火。这种「景多情少、以少总多」的布局，正是五律登临体的正格。中二联的对仗尤见功力。「两水」对「双桥」、「夹明镜」对「落彩虹」，数词、动词、喻体两两相称，工而不滞；「人烟」对「秋色」、「寒橘柚」对「老梧桐」，则把物候与主观感受对在一起，是对仗中的「活法」。韵用东韵，发音开口而长，宜于写开阔之景与邈远之思；尾联「谁念北楼上，临风怀谢公」以仄起平收收束，末句归到平声「公」字，余音悠悠，像一声远望后的轻叹。声律不喧，方容得下那份临风的孤清。

Line by line

江城如画里，山晚望晴空。

The riverside city lies as if inside a painting; at dusk among the hills I gaze into the clear sky.

江边的城池如在画中，傍晚的山色遥望晴空。

The river-walled city is as in a painting; at dusk, the hills gaze at the clear sky.

这一联是全诗的起手与总纲。「江城如画里」五字，先给整座宣城下了一个「如画」的判词，等于告诉读者：下面所有描写，都是在一幅画的内部展开。这个比喻不只形容景美，更定了全诗的观物姿态——诗人是站在画外看画、又身在画中的登览者。「山晚望晴空」补足时间与环境：傍晚、晴空、远山，三个意象把色调压到清朗疏淡，没有暮云惨雾，只有秋晴的开阔。一个「晚」字极要紧，它让光线柔和、让远望成为可能，也为尾联「临风」的孤怀留出情绪空间。这两句一横（江城）一纵（山空）、一近（城）一远（山），把登楼所见的立体空间一下子撑开。它不写愁，却因「晚」字暗藏一日将尽、游子何依的伏笔；不写人，却因「望」字点出有人在楼上望。起手如此从容，后面才铺得开明丽与孤清的两层景情。

This couplet is the opening and the outline of the poem. The five words 'the river-walled city is as in a painting' first give the whole of Xuancheng the verdict of 'like a painting', telling the reader: all the description below unfolds within a picture. This metaphor not only describes the scene's beauty, but fixes the poem's posture of viewing — the poet is the climber who stands without the painting watching it, and is within it. 'At dusk, the hills gaze at the clear sky' completes the time and the setting: dusk, clear sky, distant hills, the three images pressing the tone to the clear and pale, no dusk clouds, only the autumn-clear openness. The word 'dusk' the most vital: it makes the light soft, makes the far gazing possible, and leaves the emotional space for the closing couplet's 'leaning into the wind' solitude. These two lines, one horizontal (the river city) one vertical (the hill sky), one near (the city) one far (the hills), at once open the three-dimensional space of the tower's prospect. It writes not grief, and through 'dusk' secretly plants the foreshadowing of the day's ending, the traveler's where-to-depend; writes not the man, and through 'gaze' names someone on the tower gazing. The opening so unhurried, and only below can the bright and the lonely two layers of scene and feeling spread.

两水夹明镜，双桥落彩虹。

Two streams embrace it like bright mirrors; twin bridges descend like a falling rainbow.

两条江水夹着明镜般的波光，两座桥像落下的彩虹。

Two rivers enclose a mirror of bright glass; twin bridges, like fallen rainbows.

这一联是全书最耀眼的两句，也是李白写山水「以喻代写」的绝活。宣城有句溪、宛溪两水夹城，又有凤凰、济川二桥跨水；诗人不逐项铺叙，而用两个比喻一举收尽：水静如「明镜」，桥弯如「彩虹」。「夹」字写两水之势，是实的；「落」字写双桥之形，是虚的——桥本立于水上，诗人却说它像彩虹「落」下来，把静态的建筑写成天工偶坠的奇景，想象力一转，寻常桥水便成仙境。明镜对彩虹，一平一曲、一冷一暖、一水下一天上，对仗工而意趣活。更深的妙处在「如画」的具体化：首联说江城如画，这一联才把「画」到底是什么画出来。读者至此方知，所谓如画，画的就是这水镜桥虹的明丽。这两句越写得绚烂无愁，尾联「谁念」的孤怀就越显清冷——李白把最好的颜色留给风景，把最淡的凉意留给自己。

This couplet is the most dazzling of the whole, and Li Bai's unmatched stroke of writing hills and waters 'through the metaphor in place of description'. Xuancheng has the Ju and Wan streams enclosing the city, and the Fenghuang and Jichuan bridges spanning the water; the poet does not enumerate, but gathers it all in one stroke with two metaphors: the water still like 'a mirror', the bridges arched like 'rainbows'. The word 'enclose' writes the two rivers' force, the real; the word 'fallen' writes the twin bridges' shape, the unreal — the bridges standing on the water, and the poet says they are like rainbows 'fallen', turning the static building into the wonder of heaven's craft dropping by chance, the imagination turned, and the ordinary bridge and water become the immortal realm. The mirror against the rainbow, one flat one arched, one cold one warm, one below water one above sky, the couplet exact and the charm alive. The deeper beauty is the concretizing of 'like a painting': the opening says the river city is like a painting, and this couplet now paints out what the 'painting' is. The reader here understands that the so-called 'like a painting' paints precisely this water-mirror and bridge-rainbow brightness. The more brilliantly these two lines write without grief, the colder the closing couplet's 'who would' solitude shows — Li Bai leaves the best colors for the landscape, and the palest coolness for himself.

谁念北楼上，临风怀谢公。

Who else, atop the North Tower, faces the wind and cherishes the memory of Master Xie?

谁会想到在这北楼上，有人临风怀念谢公？

Who, on this North Tower, would lean into the wind and think of Lord Xie?

这一联是全诗的收束，也是情感的反转键。前六句一路明丽，到此忽然一收，从满城风景跳到一人临风，节奏由放转敛。「谁念」是反问，意思是满城无人念及，唯我独念——把「怀谢公」写成一件无人共享的私事，孤怀立见。「北楼上」呼应题目，「临风」写姿态：风里独立，既是实景，也是「临风怀想」的古典姿势，带着一份不可说、不必说的怅惘。「谢公」即谢朓，诗人登其楼而怀其人，看似怀古，实则在几百年前的知音身上照见自己——才高不遇、飘零如寄，二人何其相似。这一联的力道，在把一首山水登临诗，轻轻翻成一首怀人诗。前面所有的画意，到此都成了怀古的布景；风景越好，独念越深。李白不哭不怨，只以「谁念」淡淡一问收住，余味比直说更长。读懂这层自我投射，整首诗的秋凉才算真正落到心里。

This couplet is the close of the poem, and the turn of the emotion. The first six lines all the way bright, and here suddenly gathered, from the whole city's scene jumping to one man in the wind, the rhythm from release to restraint. 'Who would' is the counter-question, meaning the whole city and none thinks, only I alone think — writing 'thinking of Lord Xie' as a private matter shared by no one, the solitude at once. 'On this North Tower' answers the title, 'lean into the wind' the posture: standing alone in the wind, at once the real scene and the classical posture of 'leaning into the wind and thinking', carrying a grief unspeakable and needless to speak. 'Lord Xie' means Xie Tiao, the poet climbing his tower and thinking of him, seemingly the historic lament, in fact seeing himself in the soulmate of centuries ago — high talent and no meeting, drifting like a guest, how alike the two. The force of this couplet lies in turning a landscape-climbing poem, lightly, into a missing-friend poem. All the painterliness above becomes, here, the backdrop of the historic lament; the fairer the scene, the deeper the lone thought. Li Bai weeps not and grieves not, only closes in the light question of 'who would', the aftertaste longer than a plain saying. Reading this layer of self-projection, the poem's autumn cool truly settles in the heart.

Study

Word focus

如画里 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「如画里」三字，是全诗的观物总闸。它不只夸景美，更把整座江城收进一个比喻的框里，暗示诗人是以「看画」的目光在看世界。这个姿态极重要：一旦把现实当画看，人便从景中抽离出来，成了旁观者，也为尾联「谁念」的孤怀埋下距离感。一个「里」字尤其妙，它说诗人身在画中，又知画是画，物我之间留了一线清明。

明镜 / 彩虹 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「明镜」写水之静、「彩虹」写桥之曲，是两个把平常景物神话化的比喻。明镜取其平、净、冷，彩虹取其弯、丽、幻；二者一水下一天上，却同出于「夹」「落」两个动词的安排。最见巧的是「落」字：桥本立定，诗人偏说彩虹「落」下，把人工化为天工，静物写出动势。这两个喻体，是李白「清水出芙蓉」风格最具体的注脚——不堆辞藻，只用一个新鲜的比方，景就活了。

寒 / 老 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「人烟寒橘柚，秋色老梧桐」中的「寒」「老」，是颈联由景入情的转关。橘柚因人家炊烟而「寒」，是把人的温度移给植物；梧桐因秋色而「老」，是把时序的推移写成树木的衰老。二字都是诗人主观情绪的投射，却不着一个「愁」字。寒与老一冷一颓，把前联的明丽悄悄压暗，为尾联的孤怀铺好情绪的坡道。这种「以物色写心境」的炼字，正是悲秋传统的精髓。

怀谢公 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「怀谢公」三字，是全诗情感的真正落点，也是李白式的自我投射。谢朓才高见忌、死于非命，李白自伤亦复如是，故登其楼而怀其人，表面怀古，实则自照。这三个字把一首山水诗翻成怀人诗，使前面所有风景都成为布景。一个「怀」字轻，却压着千斤身世之慨——满城无人知，唯隔代诗人懂得隔代诗人。这一个「怀」字轻，却压着千斤身世之慨：满城之人赏的是景，唯诗人临风念的是几百年前的知音。李白以此将山水登临轻轻翻作怀人怀己之章，前面所有画意至此皆成布景，孤怀之深，正在于无人共此一念。