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唐 Tang · 诗 Poem

乌衣巷

The Black Clothes Lane

刘禹锡

Liu Yuxi

咏史Historical Reflection 怀古Nostalgic for the Past 沧桑Vicissitudes

朱雀桥边野草花，乌衣巷口夕阳斜。
旧时王谢堂前燕，飞入寻常百姓家。

By Red Sparrow Bridge wild grass and flowers bloom,
At Black Clothes Lane the setting sun casts a slanting gloom.
The swallows that once graced the halls of Wang and Xie
Now fly into the homes of common people, by fate's decree.

Listen

Meaning

By the Red Sparrow Bridge, wild grass and flowers are overgrown; at the mouth of the Black Clothes Lane, only the slanting sun remains, desolate. The swallows that once nested in the halls of the great noble families like Wang Dao and Xie An now fly into the homes of ordinary people, signifying the rise and fall of grand houses.

朱雀桥边长满了野草野花，乌衣巷口只有夕阳斜照、一片寂寥。当年在王导、谢安等豪门大族的厅堂前筑巢的燕子，如今却飞进了普通百姓的家中，往日的繁华早已荡然无存。

Appreciation

The poet visits Jinling (Nanjing) and stands by the Red Sparrow Bridge on the Qinhuai River, seeing wild grass and flowers, the setting sun, and the once-prosperous Black Clothes Lane now silent. From the swallows before his eyes, he reflects on the rise and fall of the Wang and Xie clans. The first two lines use desolate images of 'wild grass and flowers' and 'slanting sun' to contrast with past glory. The last two lines use the swallow, a small object, to traverse time, contrasting the unchanging swallow with the changing human world—a classic example of 'using small things to write great history.' Without direct commentary, the sense of rise and fall emerges naturally, embodying Liu Yuxi's characteristic of 'calm yet poignant and subtle.' The famous couplet is considered the pinnacle of nostalgic poems.

【白话串讲】 “旧时王谢堂前燕，飞入寻常百姓家”——当年乌衣巷里住着王导谢安这些豪门，如今只剩野草花。刘禹锡不写兴亡，只写一只燕子飞进普通人家。【意象与手法】全诗四句，章法极简而匠心独运，妙在“以不变写万变”。“朱雀桥边野草花，乌衣巷口夕阳斜”以工对写景，朱雀桥曾是六朝繁华的交通孔道，如今桥边丛生野草、巷口只余一抹斜阳，以繁华旧地的荒芜暗示人事代谢；“旧时王谢堂前燕，飞入寻常百姓家”更奇——不写人而写燕，燕子年年重归旧巢，其“不变”恰反衬人世的“剧变”，燕飞的轨迹即是一部兴亡史。【情感与主旨】刘禹锡金陵怀古之作，二十八字写尽六朝门阀的兴亡，无一字及“兴亡”而兴亡自见，历来被推为金陵怀古第一。【名句点睛】常考“旧时王谢堂前燕，飞入寻常百姓家”以燕子见证历史兴亡，是千古名句；“朱雀桥边野草花，乌衣巷口夕阳斜”以野草斜阳写繁华之逝。

Background

This is the second of Liu Yuxi's 'Five Poems on Jinling,' written around 826 AD when he was dismissed from his post as prefect of Hezhou and passed through Jinling on his way north. Through the dramatic changes of the Black Clothes Lane, once the heart of the Eastern Jin capital Jiankang (modern Nanjing), the poet expresses the impermanence of history and subtly laments the separatist regimes and decline of the Tang dynasty. Among the five poems, this one is the most celebrated.

刘禹锡（772—842），字梦得，洛阳人，中唐著名诗人，与白居易并称「刘白」，被白居易誉为「诗豪」。此诗为《金陵五题》组诗之二，约作于唐敬宗宝历二年（826）秋，诗人罢和州刺史、北归洛阳途经金陵（今南京）之时。《金陵五题》共五首，分别为《石头城》《乌衣巷》《台城》《生公讲堂》《江令宅》，皆咏金陵古迹，借古伤今，是刘禹锡怀古诗的代表作。乌衣巷在南京秦淮河南岸，三国吴时曾为乌衣营驻地，士兵皆着乌衣，故名；东晋时王导、谢安两大豪门世族聚居于此，子弟多穿乌衣以示门第，巷中甲第连云、车马喧阗，极一时之盛。至中唐刘禹锡的时代，王谢风流早已灰飞烟灭，巷陌凋零，唯余野草夕阳。此时距安史之乱已近七十年，藩镇割据、宦官专权、牛李党争相继而起，大唐国势江河日下；诗人身处其间，目睹金陵旧都的荒废，历史兴亡之感油然而生。金陵自三国吴建都以来，历东晋、宋、齐、梁、陈凡六朝，号为「六朝金粉」之地，繁华冠绝东南；至中唐已荒废百余年，旧都的断壁残垣恰是历史兴亡最直观的教科书，故金陵怀古遂成为中晚唐咏史诗的一大题材。诗人借乌衣巷的今昔对照，既哀东晋门阀政治的烟消云散，亦暗讽当世权贵的不可恃，寄慨遥深，遂成金陵怀古的压卷之作。

Art

The first couplet uses desolate imagery to depict present decay: 'By Red Sparrow Bridge wild grass and flowers grow, at Black Clothes Lane the setting sun slants low.' The second couplet employs the swallow as a tiny object that transcends time: 'The swallows that once graced the halls of Wang and Xie now fly into the homes of common people.' The unchanging swallow contrasts sharply with the changed human world, achieving a subtle and profound effect. The entire poem makes no overt commentary yet vividly conveys the rise and fall.

全诗四句，章法极简而匠心独运，妙在「以不变写万变」。「朱雀桥边野草花，乌衣巷口夕阳斜」两句先以工对写景：朱雀桥是秦淮河上的名桥，与乌衣巷隔河相望，曾是六朝繁华的交通孔道，如今桥边却丛生野草、杂开闲花；巷口则只余一抹斜阳，暗淡地照着残破的里巷。「野草花」与「夕阳斜」皆为衰败之景，以繁华旧地的荒芜暗示人事代谢，是不着议论的侧面烘托。后两句「旧时王谢堂前燕，飞入寻常百姓家」更奇：不写人而写燕，燕子春来秋去，年年重归旧巢，本是最寻常之物，诗人却让它成为历史的见证者——同一只燕子（或说同类的燕子），当年在王谢堂前筑巢，如今却飞入寻常百姓家。燕子的「不变」恰恰反衬人世的「剧变」，其飞行的轨迹即是一部从东晋到中唐的兴亡史。全诗以景写意、以小见大、以燕写人，不置一赞一讽而讽意自深，含蓄蕴藉，是刘禹锡怀古诗「托物寓兴」手法的极致；结尾不直接点破兴亡，而让读者从燕子的一飞中自行体会，正是「句绝而意不绝」的典范。

Allusions

Black Clothes Lane is located on the banks of the Qinhuai River in modern Nanjing. During the Eastern Jin dynasty, it was the residential area of powerful clans like Wang Dao and Xie An; their sons wore black clothes, hence the name. Red Sparrow Bridge was a famous bridge on the Qinhuai River, directly facing the lane. Wang and Xie were top-ranking noble families, once wielding immense power. By Liu Yuxi's time, their glory had long vanished, leaving only the lane and the setting sun, a scene that inspired the poet's lament.

乌衣巷之「乌衣」典出东晋门阀制度：王谢子弟皆衣乌衣以示门第之尊，故巷以得名。朱雀桥则为六朝都城建康秦淮河上的浮桥，因桥头有朱雀门（都城正南门）而得名，是金陵最繁华的地段之一，唐人诗中「朱雀桥边」几乎成为金陵旧都的代称。王谢指王导、谢安两大家族：王导辅佐晋元帝司马睿在建康定都，奠定东晋百年基业，号称「江左夷吾」；谢安则于淝水之战中从容指挥，以八万之众大破前秦苻坚百万之师，一战而名垂青史。两族人才辈出，书法有王羲之、王献之父子，诗歌有谢灵运、谢朓，可谓「旧时王谢」的具象。至刘禹锡之时，王谢早已式微，其后裔亦混同于寻常百姓。燕子意象在中国诗歌中源远流长，《诗经·邶风·燕燕》已以燕写别情，六朝乐府亦有「翩翩堂前燕，冬藏夏来见」之句；而刘禹锡此处将燕与门阀兴衰绾合，赋予其历史见证者的身份，实为「燕意象」在咏史诗中的一大创造，后世「王谢堂前燕」遂成感慨兴亡的习用语。诗人化用无痕，用典如盐入水，正见其熔铸古今之才。

Commentary

When Bai Juyi read the 'Five Poems on Jinling,' he marveled at the line 'The tide beats against the empty city, returning in loneliness,' saying 'I know later poets will never surpass this.' This poem is also regarded as the masterpiece of Jinling nostalgic poetry. Liu Yuxi's style is grand, desolate, and profound, excelling at using ordinary scenes to convey historical vicissitudes. The couplet about swallows is especially divine, imitated by many later poets.

《乌衣巷》历代评价极高。白居易读《金陵五题》组诗，至《石头城》「潮打空城寂寞回」之句叹服曰「吾知后之诗人不复措词矣」，可见同代人已惊其笔力；《乌衣巷》虽未蒙此赞，然以其构思之巧、寄慨之深，后世论者多推为金陵怀古第一。宋人谢枋得《注解选唐诗》评此诗「意在言外，使人思而得之」，正指其不落议论、以燕传意的含蓄笔法。清代沈德潜《唐诗别裁》谓刘禹锡「七言绝句，犹觉笔力雄健」，而此诗之雄健正在举重若轻：二十八字写尽六朝门阀的兴亡，无一字及「兴亡」而兴亡自见。刘禹锡怀古诗的独到处，在于他既能沉入历史（如《西塞山怀古》「一片降幡出石头」），又能跳出历史，以景物与物象的对照寄寓哲思，《乌衣巷》正是后一类的代表。后世仿作不绝，辛弃疾《鹧鸪天》「旧时王谢堂前燕，飞入寻常百姓家」径引原句，足见其影响之深。近人论此诗，谓其以二十八字写尽六朝兴亡，堪称以少胜多的典范。此诗与《石头城》《泊秦淮》等同为金陵怀古的代表作，奠定了「金陵」这一意象在后世诗歌中承载兴亡之感的传统，文学史价值不言而喻。

Prosody

Form Seven-character quatrain (oblique-tone opening, first line rhyming)七言绝句（仄起首句入韵式）

Rhyme Rhymes with the sixth rhyme category under the level tone: hua, xia (archaic pronunciation), jia押平水韵下平六麻韵：花、斜（古读xiá）、家，一韵到底，平声韵悠长和缓，正合怀古的深沉低回之调。

Tone pattern First line: 仄仄平平仄仄平; Second: 平平仄仄仄平平; Third: 仄平平仄平平仄; Fourth: 平仄平平仄平平全诗平仄为「仄仄平平仄仄平，平平仄仄仄平平；仄平平仄平平仄，平仄平平仄平平」，首句入韵，三四句一联平仄相对；「燕」字以仄声顿挫引出「飞入」的动势，结句以平声「家」字收束，余音袅袅。

Reading note One of the 'Five Poems on Jinling,' using swallows as a thread to write about the contrast between past and present. Subtle and profound, it is a model nostalgic poem.此诗为七言绝句，属近体诗中最凝练的体式，四句二十八字，起承转合一目了然：首句起于朱雀桥，次句承以乌衣巷，前两句写景定调；三句转出燕子，四句合于百姓之家，后两句借物寓意。用韵取平水韵下平六麻，花、斜、家三字一韵到底，平声韵开口度大、声调悠长，宜于表现怀古的深沉低回。值得注意的是「斜」字在中古音中与「花」「家」同属麻韵（古音读xiá），今人读xié虽不协，古人读来却圆融无碍，这是读唐诗须知的音韵常识。节奏上，前两句「二二三」节拍从容铺景，第三句「旧时／王谢／堂前燕」以仄收制造顿挫，第四句「飞入／寻常／百姓家」以平声「家」字收束，由抑到扬、由实到虚，声情与辞情相济。全诗平仄基本合律而自然流走，不刻意求工，正合刘禹锡「沉舟侧畔千帆过」式的老健笔力，亦见其怀古绝句以短章驭长史的举重若轻。

Line by line

朱雀桥边野草花，乌衣巷口夕阳斜。

Wild grass and flowers grow by Red Sparrow Bridge; at the mouth of Black Clothes Lane, the slanting sun sets. This depicts the desolation of once-prosperous places, implying decline without direct comment.

朱雀桥边长满了野草野花，乌衣巷口只剩夕阳斜照、一片寂寥。

By the Red Sparrow Bridge, wild weeds blossom; at the mouth of Black Gown Lane, the setting sun slants.

起笔两句以工对写今日之衰景。朱雀桥是秦淮河上的名桥，乌衣巷是东晋王谢豪门聚居之地，本是金陵最繁华的所在，如今桥边却野草丛生、闲花乱开，巷口只余一抹斜阳。「野草花」三字写荒芜，「夕阳斜」三字写暗淡，两者并置，昔日车马喧阗与今日门可罗雀的对照不待言说而自见。诗人不写人、不写事，纯以景语铺陈，让桥、草、花、巷、夕阳自己诉说沧桑，含蓄沉静，为后两句燕子之飞预设了空间与时间的双重背景，也为全诗定下低回苍凉的怀古基调。起句之静，正是为结句之动蓄势；四句之中，无一字说破兴亡，而兴亡之感已弥漫全篇。

The opening two lines use refined parallelism to write today's decay. Red Sparrow Bridge is the famous bridge over the Qinhuai River; Black Gown Lane was the Eastern Jin residence of the Wang and Xie clans - once Jinling's most flourishing ground; now the bridge is overgrown with weeds and wild flowers, the lane mouth holding only a slanting sunset. Wild weeds blossom writes desolation; the setting sun slants dimness; the two set side by side, the contrast of former bustle and present emptiness self-evident. The poet writes no person, no event, pure scenery, letting bridge, weeds, flowers, lane, sunset tell of the vicissitudes themselves, reserved and calm; setting the spatial and temporal double background for the swallows' flight below, and the poem's low, desolate keynote of historical longing. The opening's stillness stores force for the closing's motion; in four lines, not one word of rise and fall, yet the sense of it pervades all.

旧时王谢堂前燕，飞入寻常百姓家。

The swallows that once nested in the halls of the Wang and Xie families now fly into the homes of ordinary people. With the swallow as a witness to history, the line condenses the rise and fall of the Wang and Xie into a single 'fly'; 'ordinary' contrasts with 'once,' subtly conveying vicissitudes.

当年在王导、谢安等高门大族厅堂前筑巢的燕子，如今却飞进了普通百姓的家中。

The swallows that once nested before the halls of the Wangs and the Xies now fly into the homes of ordinary people.

这是全诗的诗眼，构思之妙在于借燕子写兴亡。燕子春来秋去、巢居檐下，本与人事无涉，诗人却想象它见证了百年沧桑：同一屋檐下，当年是王谢的华堂，如今是百姓的寒家，燕子依旧归来，而门第早已易主。以燕之「常」反衬世之「变」，以堂前燕的微小飞行轨迹收尽两大家族的兴衰，以小见大、举重若轻。「寻常百姓」四字尤为有力，「寻常」反衬「王谢」之显赫，而「旧时」与「今日」的时间跨度尽在「飞入」一动作中完成；诗人始终未发一句议论，而盛衰兴亡之感已随燕影贯注读者心间，含蓄蕴藉，正是怀古绝句「不着议论、意在言外」的最高境界。

This is the poem's eye; the conception's art lies in writing rise and fall through swallows. Swallows come in spring, nest under eaves, unrelated to human affairs; yet the poet imagines them witness to a century's vicissitudes: under the same eaves, once the Wang-Xie halls, now common homes; swallows still return, yet the houses have long changed hands. Using the swallows' constancy to set off the age's change, using the small flight of the hall-front swallows to gather the two clans' rise and fall - small writing large, weight handled lightly. Ordinary people is especially forceful: ordinary sets off the Wangs and Xies' eminence, and the temporal span of old times to today is completed in the one action of fly into. The poet never utters a word of argument, yet the sense of prosperity and decline pours into the reader's heart with the swallows' shadow, reserved and pregnant - precisely the highest realm of the historical quatrain: no argument, meaning beyond words.

Study

Word focus

野草花 Wild grass and flowers - suggests desolation and neglect, quietly indicating the replacement of prosperity. 「朱雀桥边野草花」之「野草花」三字，写朱雀桥边的荒芜景象。「野」字点出无人打理之态，与昔日秦淮河畔车马喧阗的繁华形成对照；「草」与「花」本是生机之物，此处却与「野」字连用，花开花落、自生自灭，愈见人事荒废、无人问津。三字平易自然，全不费力，却以景语托出沧桑之感。若用「残花」「败草」则着相，用「野草花」则荒而不悲，于冷峻中自有史笔的沉静；且「花」字与下句「夕阳斜」之「斜」同押麻韵，声韵上也浑然一体。此为刘禹锡「以平常语写深刻意」的典型，一字不着议论而盛衰之替尽在其中。

斜 Slanting - describes the setting sun's angle, also alludes to the decline of prosperity; scenery is emotion. 「乌衣巷口夕阳斜」之「斜」字（此处古音读如xiá以协韵），既写夕阳西下之景，又暗喻繁华倾颓之势。斜阳不是正午之阳，而是将没之阳，光色暗淡、余晖无力，与巷口的破败相映成趣；同时「斜」字以动态写静态，仿佛夕阳正一寸寸滑落，时光的流逝、门阀的倾颓、国势的衰落，都凝于这一个字中。景语即情语，诗人不直说「衰」而说「斜」，让读者从光的倾斜中体会王朝与门阀的倾斜；且「斜」与上句「花」、下句「家」同韵，古音相谐，读来圆融。炼字之精于此可见，一字而兼具写景、寓意、协韵三重功用。

寻常 Ordinary - contrasts with the former prominence of the Wang and Xie; with one word captures historical change. 「飞入寻常百姓家」之「寻常」二字是全诗点题的关键。寻与常本为古代长度单位（八尺为寻，倍寻为常），引申为普通、平常之意；此处以「寻常」对「王谢」，极言今昔门第之悬隔——当年王谢堂前的燕子，如今飞入的不过是普普通通的百姓人家。一词收尽百年沧桑：王谢的显赫、门阀的崩塌、世族的沉沦，皆在此二字中悄然完成。诗人不写「贫家」「寒家」而写「寻常百姓家」，语气愈平淡，对照愈强烈，感慨愈深沉；举重若轻，不着一字而意蕴无穷，是为全诗诗眼所在，亦刘禹锡笔力老健的明证。

乌衣巷