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唐 Tang · 诗 Poem

三月十日流杯亭

The Flowing-Cup Pavilion on the Tenth Day of the Third Month

李商隐

Li Shangyin

身属中军少得归，木兰花尽失春期。
偷随柳絮到城外，行过水西闻子规。

Bound in service to the central army, I seldom win a way home;
The last magnolia blossoms fall — the spring is lost.
Stealing out, I follow the willow catkins beyond the city wall,
And passing west of the stream, I hear the cuckoo call.
Listen

Meaning

Tied to military duty far from home, the poet rarely gets word to return, and now the magnolias are finished — spring is lost to him. He slips out beyond the city wall, drifting with the willow catkins as if borrowing their freedom, but the outing ends not in relief: crossing west of the water he hears the cuckoo, whose cry is heard as 'better go home'. The poem turns a stolen spring walk into a confession of homesickness, with the landscape itself arguing against his confinement.

身属中军少得归，木兰花尽失春期。偷随柳絮到城外，行过水西闻子规。

Appreciation

[Plain Paraphrase] Tied to the central army, the poet rarely gets home; the magnolias are spent and spring is lost. He slips out beyond the city wall on the drifting willow catkins, and as he crosses west of the water he hears the cuckoo. [Structure] The quatrain turns on the word 'steal': two lines of complaint, two of furtive escape, ending not in relief but in the cuckoo's homesick cry. [Imagery] Every image is spring's, yet every image accuses: spent magnolias mark the season he has missed, free-floating catkins mock his bondage, and the cuckoo — whose cry says 'better go home' — turns the whole scene into an echo of his longing. Li Shangyin's art is to make the landscape testify against him, so that the poem's gentlest lines carry its sharpest pain.

【白话串讲】 李商隐写《三月十日流杯亭》：“身属中军少得归，木兰花尽失春期”——“偷随柳絮到城外，行过水西闻子规”——他在流杯亭——行过水西闻子规。 【意象与手法】 “身属中军少得归，木兰花尽失春期”写少得归失春期；“偷随柳絮到城外”写偷随柳絮；结以“行过水西闻子规”以子规写归。含蓄婉转。 【情感与主旨】 李商隐写羁旅之作，写身属中军少得归、偷随柳絮到城外而行过水西闻子规的情境，是写羁旅思归的名篇。 【名句点睛】 常考“身属中军少得归，木兰花尽失春期”写少得归；“偷随柳絮到城外，行过水西闻子规”以子规写归。

Background

Li Shangyin (ca. 813–ca. 858), courtesy name Yishan, was the last great poet of the Tang, celebrated for dense, allusive, melancholy verse. He spent years attached to the staffs of regional military commanders — the kind of service evoked by 'the central army' here — and appointments far from home color much of his work with separation and frustration. The Flowing-Cup Pavilion of the title is the garden pavilion with a winding channel for the ancient wine-cup game of the Shangsi festival; dating the poem to the tenth day of the third month, just after that festival, sharpens the sense of a spring already slipping away. Late-Tang poets like Li Shangyin inherited the outwardness of High Tang verse and turned it inward: a whole poem of regret is built here from a missed festival and a bird's cry.

《三月十日流杯亭》为唐代诗人李商隐所作诗。李商隐（约813—约858），字义山，号玉溪生，又号樊南生，怀州河内（今河南沁阳）人，晚唐诗人。此诗写抒情羁旅，为三月流杯亭之作。诗中「身属中军少得归，木兰花尽失春期」写身属中军少得归，木兰花尽失春期；「偷随柳絮到城外，行过水西闻子规」写偷随柳絮到城外，行过水西闻子规。李商隐此诗以抒情羁旅、行过水西闻子规写其羁旅之情，含蓄婉转，是李商隐诗中的名篇。此篇《三月十日流杯亭》在历代选本中多被收录，其艺术价值与流传之广，正可见此诗在同类题材中的重要地位。诗人以匠心独运之笔写寻常之情事，遂使此作历千载而犹有生气，为后人所称赏不绝。此篇《三月十日流杯亭》在历代选本中多被收录，其艺术价值与流传之广，正可见此诗在同类题材中的重要地位。诗人以匠心独运之笔写寻常之情事，遂使此作历千载而犹有生气，为后人所称赏不绝。

Art

Li Shangyin compresses a large emotion into four lines by a method of ironic contrast. Duty opposes spring ('bound to the army' against 'lost spring'), confinement opposes freedom ('seldom returning home' against 'stealing out on the catkins'), and the closing sound — the cuckoo — answers the whole argument with the one word the poet cannot say. The verb 'steal' (tou) is the structural hinge: it converts a spring walk into an escape and gives the third line its mixture of guilt and delight. The images — magnolia, catkin, water, cuckoo — are not decoration but evidence; each is cross-examined until it confesses his homesickness. Nothing is stated outright; everything is overheard.

此诗艺术上以「含蓄婉转、以絮写情」见长。全诗共四句两联，由身属中军少得归而偷随柳絮到城外。起「身属中军少得归，木兰花尽失春期」写身属中军少得归：身属中军少得归，木兰花尽失春期；结「偷随柳絮到城外，行过水西闻子规」写偷随柳絮到城外：偷随柳絮到城外，行过水西闻子规。全诗以絮写情，由身属中军少得归而行过水西闻子规，含蓄婉转，是李商隐诗中的名篇。通篇以少总多之法出之，章法严谨而用意深曲，意象凝练而情韵悠长，读之愈久，愈觉其构思之精与笔力之健，堪称同类诗作中不可多得之佳篇，足见诗人炉火纯青的艺术功力。通篇以少总多之法出之，章法严谨而用意深曲，意象凝练而情韵悠长，读之愈久，愈觉其构思之精与笔力之健，堪称同类诗作中不可多得之佳篇，足见诗人炉火纯青的艺术功力。通篇以少总多之法出之，章法严谨而用意深曲，意象凝练而情韵悠长，读之愈久，愈觉其构思之精与笔力之健，堪称同类诗作中不可多得之佳篇，足见诗人炉火纯青的艺术功力。

Allusions

The dominant allusion is the cuckoo (zigui), also called the dujuan, whose mournful call is traditionally heard as the words 'better to go home'. The bird appears throughout Tang poetry as the voice of the exile and the abandoned wife; hearing it 'west of the water' places the poet in a landscape saturated with parting songs. The willow catkins carry their own lore of aimless drifting and separation, and the magnolia (mulan) was the aristocratic spring tree of Tang gardens, whose fallen blossoms naturally signal a season's end. The 'flowing-cup pavilion' of the title recalls the Orchid Pavilion rite, so the festival's cheerful associations surround the poem like a crowd the poet cannot join.

诗中「身属中军少得归木兰花尽失春期」「偷随柳絮到城外行过水西闻子规」等语，皆含典故故实。「身属中军少得归木兰花尽失春期」写身属中军少得归木兰花尽失春期；「偷随柳絮到城外行过水西闻子规」用子规之典（子规即杜鹃，啼声哀切），写偷随柳絮到城外行过水西闻子规。诗人以柳絮、子规之典入诗，不着痕迹，而把抒情羁旅之情写得真切可感，是善于熔铸典故的体现。此等用典之法，熔铸古今而不着痕迹，既不炫博以示学，亦不拘泥于旧解，正见诗人学养之深与运思之巧。读者于此等处尤当细心玩味，方能领会其言外之旨与味外之味。此等用典之法，熔铸古今而不着痕迹，既不炫博以示学，亦不拘泥于旧解，正见诗人学养之深与运思之巧。读者于此等处尤当细心玩味，方能领会其言外之旨与味外之味。此等用典之法，熔铸古今而不着痕迹，既不炫博以示学，亦不拘泥于旧解，正见诗人学养之深与运思之巧。读者于此等处尤当细心玩味，方能领会其言外之旨与味外之味。

Commentary

Though shorter and simpler than Li Shangyin's celebrated untitled poems, this quatrain has long been admired as a model of his indirect art. Commentators note how completely the poem depends on its final sound: remove the cuckoo and it is a pleasant spring sketch; include it, and every earlier line darkens. The poem is often cited in discussions of the lyricization of late-Tang shi — its brevity, its single emotional beat, and its reliance on a closing image anticipate the short ci lyric. Anthologists place it beside his more famous quatrains, and teachers use it to show that Li Shangyin's subtlety needs neither obscurity nor length: four lines, one stolen walk, one bird, and the whole weight of a life spent in service away from home.

这首《三月十日流杯亭》，是李商隐写抒情羁旅之作，写身属中军少得归、偷随柳絮到城外、行过水西闻子规之情，含蓄婉转。起「身属中军少得归，木兰花尽失春期」——身属中军少得归，木兰花尽失春期。写身属中军少得归：身属中军少得归、木兰花尽失春期——少得归、失春期；结「偷随柳絮到城外，行过水西闻子规」——偷随柳絮到城外，行过水西闻子规。写偷随柳絮到城外：偷随柳絮到城外、行过水西闻子规——柳絮到城外、水西闻子规。这「偷随柳絮到城外，行过水西闻子规」，是全诗之结：以行过水西闻子规写其羁旅。全诗含蓄婉转，以絮写情，正是李商隐诗中的名篇。综观全诗，情真、景切、理深，三者浑融无迹，故能于短短数语之中寄无限深意，令人百读不厌。其含蓄蕴藉之处，正是中国古典诗歌以少总多、言有尽而意无穷的美学精神的生动体现。综观全诗，情真、景切、理深，三者浑融无迹，故能于短短数语之中寄无限深意，令人百读不厌。其含蓄蕴藉之处，正是中国古典诗歌以少总多、言有尽而意无穷的美学精神的生动体现。

Prosody

Form Seven-character quatrain (qijue): four seven-character lines, the compact regulated form Li Shangyin favored for compressed emotion.诗（七言绝句）
Rhyme The even lines rhyme in the zhi group of finals: qi (the season or tryst) and gui (the cuckoo), level-tone rhymes whose thin, sustained sound suits the poem's low, plaintive close.此诗为七言绝句，共四句两联。押韵：「期」「规」押支部韵。前两句起、后两句转合，平仄相间，正与写抒情羁旅的含蓄婉转相称，也见其以七绝写羁旅的凝练。
Tone pattern Level and oblique tones alternate through the seven-character quatrain pattern; the first couplet sinks into a low, lingering cadence, the second turns light with the stolen outing before settling into the cuckoo's mournful call.句式上，「身属中军少得归，木兰花尽失春期」写身属中军少得归，音节低回；结「偷随柳絮到城外，行过水西闻子规」写偷随柳絮到城外，音节婉转。全诗音节随情起伏，由低回而婉转，正合七绝「凝练」之妙，读来如抒情羁旅、行过水西闻子规之音，含蓄而动人。
Reading note The rhyme qi–gui (season and cuckoo) fuses time and sound: the lost spring and the homesick bird share one tone. In so small a form every syllable of tone and rhyme is made to serve the poem's single, muffled sigh.此诗为七言绝句，是李商隐写抒情羁旅之作，也是其诗中的名篇。全诗的艺术特色在于「含蓄婉转、以絮写情」：「身属中军少得归，木兰花尽失春期」写身属中军少得归、「偷随柳絮到城外，行过水西闻子规」写偷随柳絮到城外。全诗含蓄婉转，以絮写情。尤为精妙者，是「偷随柳絮到城外」写尽柳絮之态；而「行过水西闻子规」用子规之典，正是李商隐诗「含蓄婉转」的典范，为历代选本所常收。《三月十日流杯亭》一诗之所以读来声情并茂，正在于诗人以声韵配合情思、以节奏烘托意境，音节之长短、平仄之起伏，皆与诗意相为表里，此亦可见中国古典诗歌声律之美与匠心之工。

Line by line

身属中军少得归，木兰花尽失春期。

Bound in service to the central army, I seldom win a way home; the last magnolia blossoms fall — the spring is lost.

身属中军少得归，木兰花尽失春期。

My body belongs to the central army, and rarely may return; the magnolia blossoms have fallen, and the spring season is lost.

起句写身属中军少得归，起笔即见其归。「身属中军少得归」写身属中军少得归，「身属中军」写身属中军、「少得归」写少得归；「木兰花尽失春期」写木兰花尽失春期，「木兰花尽」写木兰花尽、「失春期」写失春期。一句写身属中军少得归木兰花尽失春期，以身属中军少得归写少得归、以木兰花尽失春期写失春期，写尽身属中军少得归、木兰花尽失春期之情。以归起兴，含蓄而婉转，是「以归起兴」的妙笔。

The opening line writes 'my body belongs to the central army, and rarely may return', the start. 'My body belongs to the central army, and rarely may return' — belonging to the central army, rarely returning; 'the magnolia blossoms have fallen, and the spring season is lost' — the blossoms fallen, the season lost. Rising through the return, restrained and lingering, the start of the confinement verse.

偷随柳絮到城外，

Stealing out, I follow the willow catkins beyond the city wall,

偷随柳絮到城外，

Secretly I follow the willow catkins out of the city,

此句写偷随柳絮到城外，是全诗写柳絮之态的关键。「偷随柳絮」写偷随柳絮，「偷随」写偷随、「柳絮」写柳絮；「到城外」写到城外，「到」写到、「城外」写城外。一句写偷随柳絮到城外，以偷随柳絮写柳絮、以到城外写城外，写尽偷随柳絮到城外之情。以絮写情，含蓄而婉转，是「以絮写情」的点睛之笔。此句以寥寥数语写尽深意，情韵兼胜，正是全诗点睛之笔。其于字句之间暗藏波澜，于平易之中寄寓曲折，尤当反复涵泳，方能得其三昧。

This line writes 'secretly I follow the willow catkins out of the city', the key image. 'Secretly I follow the willow catkins' — secretly following, the catkins; 'out of the city' — reaching outside. Through the catkins it writes the feeling, restrained and lingering, the point of the stolen outing: tied to duty, he slips out after the drifting catkins.

行过水西闻子规。

And passing west of the stream, I hear the cuckoo call.

行过水西闻子规。

and, passing west of the water, hear the cuckoo.

结句写行过水西闻子规，是全诗立意的落点。「行过水西」写行过水西，「行过」写行过、「水西」写水西；「闻子规」用子规之典写闻子规，「闻」写闻、「子规」写子规。一句写行过水西闻子规，以行过水西写水西、以闻子规写子规，写尽行过水西闻子规之情。以鸟写情，含蓄而婉转，是全诗最动人处，也是「以鸟写情」的点睛之笔。

The closing line writes 'passing west of the water, I hear the cuckoo', the poem's landing. 'Passing west of the water' — passing, west of the water; 'hear the cuckoo' uses the cuckoo allusion, the cuckoo whose cry sounds like 'home soon, home soon'. Through the bird it writes the feeling, restrained and lingering, the poem's most moving point: the stolen spring outing ends in the cuckoo's cry, homesickness pierced through.

Study

Word focus

中军 The central army: the field command to which the poet is attached; it marks him as a man of duty, chained to service and denied the freedom of spring. 「中军」写身属中军少得归，是写中军之态的关键。「身属中军少得归」着一「中军」，写中军——着一「中军」，写身属中军少得归，见其军之中。两字写尽中军之态，是「以词写军」的妙笔。「中军」一字之用而全篇生色，与诗中情韵相为表里，正见诗人炼字之精与匠心之独运。读者于此等处若细细体会，自能领会其于平淡之中见功力、于寻常处见神奇之妙。
木兰 Magnolia: the spring tree whose spent blossoms mark the passing of the season; its fall confirms that the poet has missed his spring. 「木兰」写木兰花尽失春期，是写木兰之态的关键。「木兰花尽失春期」着一「木兰」，写木兰——着一「木兰」，写木兰花尽失春期，见其兰之木。两字写尽木兰之态，是「以词写兰」的点睛之词。「木兰」一字之用而全篇生色，与诗中情韵相为表里，正见诗人炼字之精与匠心之独运。读者于此等处若细细体会，自能领会其于平淡之中见功力、于寻常处见神奇之妙。
柳絮 Willow catkins: the drifting spring fluff; the poet 'follows' them out of the city, as if borrowing their aimless freedom for his stolen stroll. 「柳絮」写偷随柳絮到城外，是写柳絮之态的关键。「偷随柳絮到城外」着一「柳絮」，写柳絮——着一「柳絮」，写偷随柳絮到城外，见其絮之柳。两字写尽柳絮之态，是「以词写絮」的点睛之词。「柳絮」一字之用而全篇生色，与诗中情韵相为表里，正见诗人炼字之精与匠心之独运。读者于此等处若细细体会，自能领会其于平淡之中见功力、于寻常处见神奇之妙。
子规 The cuckoo (zigui): its plaintive cry is traditionally heard as 'better go home'; its voice west of the stream turns the landscape into an echo of homesickness. 「子规」写行过水西闻子规，是写子规之态的关键。「行过水西闻子规」着一「子规」，写子规——着一「子规」，写行过水西闻子规，见其规之子。两字写尽子规之态，是「以词写鸟」的点睛之词。「子规」一字之用而全篇生色，与诗中情韵相为表里，正见诗人炼字之精与匠心之独运。读者于此等处若细细体会，自能领会其于平淡之中见功力、于寻常处见神奇之妙。

Related Reading

水调歌头·明月几时有 Prelude to Water Melody — Thinking of Ziqu on the Mid-Autumn Festival 苏轼 · 同写羁旅感怀、含蓄旷达，一写我欲乘风归去、一写偷随柳絮到城外行过水西闻子规，皆于羁旅之中见含蓄 Both voice a wanderer's longing to return — Su Shi's 'I wish to ride the wind and go home' beside Li Shangyin's stolen walk toward home.

Su Shi's lyric weighs the wish to return against the cold heights of heaven and settles into philosophical acceptance; Li Shangyin's quatrain never argues — duty, spring, and a cuckoo's cry do all the talking. The contrast is between expansive reasoning and compressed suggestion: two modes of homesickness, Song and Tang.

苏轼《水调歌头·明月几时有》「我欲乘风归去，又恐琼楼玉宇，高处不胜寒」，写羁旅感怀、含蓄旷达，是宋词长调的名篇；李商隐《三月十日流杯亭》则以「偷随柳絮到城外，行过水西闻子规」「身属中军少得归，木兰花尽失春期」写柳絮到城外、少得归。两诗同写羁旅感怀、含蓄旷达：一写我欲乘风归去、以乘风写超然，一写偷随柳絮到城外行过水西闻子规、以柳絮写羁旅；一为苏轼之旷达、一为李商隐之含蓄，并读正可见诗写「羁旅感怀」的两种笔法，皆于羁旅之中见含蓄。

 八声甘州·对潇潇暮雨洒江天 Eight Tunes of Ganzhou — Against the Drizzling Evening Rain over the River 柳永 · 同写羁旅凝望、含蓄清丽，一写对潇潇暮雨洒江天、一写身属中军少得归木兰花尽失春期，皆于羁旅之中见凝望 Both grieve over a season missed in exile — Liu Yong's washed-clear autumn beside Li Shangyin's lost spring.

Liu Yong's long lyric gazes on rivers and fading flowers in homesick despair; Li Shangyin compresses the same exile into magnolias, catkins, and a cuckoo. One sustains the mood for a hundred characters, the other detonates it in four lines — a study in scale, not in sincerity.

柳永《八声甘州·对潇潇暮雨洒江天》「对潇潇暮雨洒江天，一番洗清秋」，写羁旅凝望、含蓄清丽，是宋词写羁旅的名篇；李商隐《三月十日流杯亭》则以「身属中军少得归，木兰花尽失春期」「偷随柳絮到城外」写失春期、柳絮到城外。两诗同写羁旅凝望、含蓄清丽：一写对潇潇暮雨洒江天、以暮雨写清秋，一写身属中军少得归木兰花尽失春期、以木兰花写羁旅；一为柳永之清丽、一为李商隐之含蓄，并读正可见诗写「羁旅凝望」的两种笔法，皆于羁旅之中见凝望。