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唐 Tang · 诗 Poem

小松

The Young Pine

杜荀鹤

Du Xunhe

自小刺头深草里，而今渐觉出蓬蒿。
时人不识凌云木，直待凌云始道高。

From youth its thorny crown hid deep in grass,
Now gradually it rises past the mugwort mass.
Men of the age see not this cloud-touching tree,
Only when it touches clouds do they cry 'How great it is!'
Listen

Meaning

A poem of allegory on the small pine, voicing the poet's faith in talent that is yet unrecognized. In his youth the pine's prickly top was buried in deep grass; only by degrees does it now rise above the artemisia. The men of the day cannot recognize a tree destined for the clouds — they sing its praises only when the clouds are already brushed. The poem is at once a defense of the unregarded young talent and a quiet rebuke to the world's late-sightedness.

自小刺头深草里，而今渐觉出蓬蒿。时人不识凌云木，直待凌云始道高。

Appreciation

[Plain Paraphrase] As a sapling the pine's sharp crown lay hidden in the deep grass; now, gradually, it has grown above the mugwort and brambles. The people of the time fail to recognize a tree that will pierce the clouds; only when it actually pierces the clouds do they exclaim how tall it is. [Structure and Thought] The quatrain falls into two balanced couplets: the first describes the pine's unnoticed growth from buried thorn-top to a height above the weeds; the second contrasts the world's blindness before and after its soaring. The whole is a compressed allegory of the unrecognized genius who must outgrow his circumstances before the crowd will notice him. [Key Technique] The poem works by temporal contrast: 'from youth' against 'now,' 'do not recognize' against 'then they say high.' The physical climb of the tree becomes the moral ascent of the neglected talent, and the final line carries a quiet irony — the praise of the world comes only when praise is no longer needed. [Emotional Tone] The tone is proud yet patient, indignant yet confident: the poet identifies with the young pine, secure in the knowledge that height will prove itself in time.

【白话串讲】 杜荀鹤写《小松》：“自小刺头深草里，而今渐觉出蓬蒿”——“时人不识凌云木，直待凌云始道高”——他写小松——时人不识凌云木。 【意象与手法】 “自小刺头深草里，而今渐觉出蓬蒿”写小松出蓬蒿；结以“时人不识凌云木，直待凌云始道高”以凌云木写才士不遇。慷慨明快。 【情感与主旨】 杜荀鹤咏松言志之作，以小松喻未遇之才，讽刺时人不识凌云木，是咏物诗中的名篇。 【名句点睛】 常考“自小刺头深草里，而今渐觉出蓬蒿”写小松渐长；“时人不识凌云木，直待凌云始道高”写才士不遇。

Background

Du Xunhe (c. 846–c. 904), courtesy name Yanzhi, styled himself Hermit of Mount Jiuhua; he was a late Tang poet from Shidai, Chizhou (present-day Shitai, Anhui). He spent long years in obscurity before achieving the jinshi degree late in life, and his verse is known for plain language and social criticism. The Young Pine is his famous allegory on the theme of unrecognized talent: writing of the pine that only wins applause once it has touched the clouds, Du speaks for every gifted man whose worth is ignored while he is still 'buried in deep grass.'

《小松》为晚唐诗人杜荀鹤所作诗。杜荀鹤（约846—约904），字彦之，号九华山人，池州石埭（今安徽石台）人，晚唐诗人。此诗写咏物言志，为咏小松之作。诗中「自小刺头深草里，而今渐觉出蓬蒿」写自小刺头深草里，而今渐觉出蓬蒿；「时人不识凌云木，直待凌云始道高」写时人不识凌云木，直待凌云始道高。杜荀鹤此诗以咏物言志、直待凌云始道高写其言志之情，慷慨明快，是杜荀鹤诗中的名篇。此篇《小松》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《小松》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《小松》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

The poem's art lies in the compression of a moral allegory into two couplets of seven-character lines. The first couplet builds a visual sequence — thorny crown hidden in deep grass, then gradually rising above the artemisia — so that growth itself is dramatized step by step. The second couplet turns to the world's perception: 'the men of the time do not recognize the cloud-touching tree' until 'only then they call it high.' The repeated word 'lingyun' (touching the clouds) brackets the two halves and sharpens the irony that recognition comes exactly when it is no longer necessary. Nothing is over-stated; the contrast does the work.

此诗艺术上以「慷慨明快、以松写志」见长。全诗共四句，由自小刺头深草里而时人不识凌云木。起「自小刺头深草里，而今渐觉出蓬蒿」写自小刺头深草里：自小刺头深草里，而今渐觉出蓬蒿；「时人不识凌云木，直待凌云始道高」写直待凌云始道高：时人不识凌云木，直待凌云始道高。全诗以松写志，由自小刺头深草里而直待凌云始道高，慷慨明快，是杜荀鹤诗中的名篇。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 'cloud-touching tree' (lingyun mu) carries the classical symbolism of the pine as a type of the upright gentleman, rooted in the long tradition that likens tall evergreens to noble character — the 'cold companions' motif in which pines stand through winter. 'Artemisia' (penghao) is the conventional image of low, common weeds, the habitat of the undistinguished. Together the two images form an implicit ladder of social worth: the pine's ascent from weeds to clouds traces the hoped-for rise of talent from obscurity to eminence.

诗中「自小刺头深草里而今渐觉出蓬蒿」「时人不识凌云木直待凌云始道高」等语，皆含典故故实。「自小刺头深草里而今渐觉出蓬蒿」写自小刺头深草里而今渐觉出蓬蒿；「时人不识凌云木直待凌云始道高」写时人不识凌云木直待凌云始道高（凌云木写松之凌云）。诗人以凌云木之语入诗，不着痕迹，而把咏物言志之情写得慷慨淋漓，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

This quatrain has been treasured for a millennium as a model of Tang allegory at its most economical. Its strength is the perfect marriage of image and meaning: a real observation of how pines push through weeds becomes a universal truth about talent and recognition. Later critics have repeatedly cited the closing couplet as the classic statement of the world's belated applause — a theme that keeps the poem fresh for every generation of ambitious readers.

这首《小松》，是杜荀鹤写咏物言志之作，写自小刺头深草里、时人不识凌云木、直待凌云始道高之情，慷慨明快。起「自小刺头深草里，而今渐觉出蓬蒿」——自小刺头深草里，而今渐觉出蓬蒿。写自小刺头深草里：自小刺头深草里、而今渐觉出蓬蒿——刺头深草里、渐觉出蓬蒿；「时人不识凌云木，直待凌云始道高」——时人不识凌云木（凌云木写松之凌云），直待凌云始道高。写直待凌云始道高：时人不识凌云木、直待凌云始道高——不识凌云木、凌云始道高。这「时人不识凌云木，直待凌云始道高」，是全诗之结：以直待凌云始道高写其言志。全诗慷慨明快，以松写志，正是杜荀鹤诗中的名篇。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)诗（七言绝句）
Rhyme The poem rhymes on the level-tone words 'hao' (artemisia) and 'gao' (high), both in the hao rhyme group, sustained from the second to the fourth line in the standard quatrain pattern.此诗为七言绝句，共四句，两句一联。押平声韵：「蒿」「高」押豪部韵。诗体依绝句而定，句式整齐，音节随情起伏，正与写咏物言志的慷慨明快相称，也见其以绝句写言志的自然。
Tone pattern The first couplet moves in measured, level cadence as it narrates growth; the second couplet rises on the repeated 'lingyun' to a brisk, ironic close. The evenness of the quatrain suits the allegorical composure of the piece.句式上，「自小刺头深草里，而今渐觉出蓬蒿」写自小刺头深草里，音节明快；「时人不识凌云木，直待凌云始道高」写直待凌云始道高，音节昂扬。全诗音节随情起伏，由明快而昂扬，正合绝句「含蓄」之妙，读来如咏物言志、直待凌云始道高之音，慷慨而动人。
Reading note This is a five-character regulated verse by Du Xunhe, a poet of the late Tang whose 'Young Pine' is his most famous work. The first couplet contrasts the pine's hidden youth with its gradual emergence; the second delivers the poem's celebrated turn — the age fails to recognize the cloud-touching tree until the clouds are touched. The rhyme is even and level throughout, and the closing couplet's flat, proverbial tone gives the poem its epigrammatic force.此诗为七言绝句，是杜荀鹤写咏物言志之作，也是其诗中的名篇。全诗的艺术特色在于「慷慨明快、以松写志」：「自小刺头深草里，而今渐觉出蓬蒿」写自小刺头深草里、「时人不识凌云木，直待凌云始道高」写直待凌云始道高。全诗慷慨明快，以松写志。尤为精妙者，是「时人不识凌云木，直待凌云始道高」写尽松之凌云；而「自小刺头深草里，而今渐觉出蓬蒿」写尽松之初生，正是杜荀鹤诗「慷慨明快」的典范，为历代选本所常收。《小松》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

自小刺头深草里，而今渐觉出蓬蒿。

From youth its thorny crown hid deep in grass; now gradually it rises past the mugwort mass.

自小刺头深草里，而今渐觉出蓬蒿。

From infancy its pointed head was buried deep in the grass; now it is slowly seen rising above the weeds.

首二句写自小刺头深草里，起笔即见其松。「自小刺头深草里」写自小刺头深草里，「自小刺头」写自小如刺头、「深草里」写深草里；「而今渐觉出蓬蒿」写而今渐觉出蓬蒿，「而今渐觉」写而今渐渐觉得、「出蓬蒿」写出蓬蒿。两句一写自小刺头深草里、一写而今渐觉出蓬蒿，以自小刺头深草里写刺头深草、以而今渐觉出蓬蒿写出蓬蒿，写尽自小刺头深草里、而今渐觉出蓬蒿之情。以松起兴，慷慨而明快，是「以松起兴」的妙笔。

The first two lines write the young pine's pointed head buried in deep grass, the pine named at the first stroke. From infancy its pointed head was buried deep in the grass: the pine as a tiny thorn-like shoot among tall weeds. Now it is slowly seen rising above the weeds: gradually, the shoot rising clear of the brush. One line writes the buried childhood shoot, the other the gradual emergence - Du Xunhe's starting point for the young pine: buried then rising. The line opens with the pine as bi-xing, forthright and bright - the poem's subject established through the pine's slow upward struggle, preparing the satire on short-sighted men below.

时人不识凌云木，直待凌云始道高。

Men of the age see not this cloud-touching tree; only when it touches clouds do they cry 'How great it is!'

时人不识凌云木，直待凌云始道高。

Men of the time cannot tell the tree that will pierce the clouds; only when it pierces them do they say how tall it is.

尾二句写直待凌云始道高，是全诗立意的落点。「时人不识凌云木」写时人不识凌云木，「时人不识」写时人不识、「凌云木」写凌云木；「直待凌云始道高」写直待凌云始道高，「直待凌云」写直等凌云、「始道高」写才道高。两句一写时人不识凌云木、一写直待凌云始道高，以时人不识凌云木写不识松、以直待凌云始道高写凌云道高，写尽时人不识凌云木、直待凌云始道高之情。以松写志，慷慨而豪迈，是全诗最动人处，也是「以松写志」的点睛之笔。

The last two lines write the tree piercing the clouds before men praise its height, the poem's landing. Men of the time cannot tell the tree that will pierce the clouds: contemporaries failing to recognize the future timber. Only when it pierces them do they say how tall it is: waiting until it reaches the sky before calling it tall. One line writes the failure to recognize, the other the belated praise - the poem's satire: the world cannot see the great tree until its greatness stares them in the face. The line uses the pine to write ambition, forthright and bold - the poem's most moving point: worth unrecognized in its youth, acknowledged only when it can no longer be denied.

Study

Word focus

刺头 'The thorny crown' — the pine's spiky, uncompromising youth, the figure of the unappreciated talent. 「刺头」写自小刺头深草里，是写松之刺头的关键。「自小刺头深草里」着一「刺头」，写刺头——着一「刺头」，写自小刺头深草里，见其松如刺头。两字写尽刺头之态，是「以词写形」的妙笔。「刺头」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。
渐觉 'Gradually it is perceived' — the slow, unnoticed growth of the pine past the weeds. 「渐觉」写而今渐觉出蓬蒿，是写渐出之态的关键。「而今渐觉出蓬蒿」着一「渐觉」，写渐渐觉得——着一「渐觉」，写渐觉出蓬蒿，见其出之渐。两字写尽渐觉之态，是「以词写渐」的点睛之词。「渐觉」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。
不识 'Do not recognize' — the age's blindness to the tree destined for the clouds. 「不识」写时人不识凌云木，是写不识之态的关键。「时人不识凌云木」着一「不识」，写不认识——着一「不识」，写时人不识凌云木，见其识之难。两字写尽不识之情，是「以词写识」的点睛之词。「不识」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。
直待 'Only when' — the conditional irony of the close: recognition comes only after the greatness is accomplished. 「直待」写直待凌云始道高，是写直等之态的关键。「直待凌云始道高」着一「直待」，写直等到——着一「直待」，写直待凌云始道高，见其待之直。两字写尽直待之态，是「以词写待」的点睛之词。「直待」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

山园小梅 The Small Plum of the Mountain Garden 林逋 · 同写咏物言志、以物喻志，一写疏影横斜水清浅暗香浮动月黄昏、一写自小刺头深草里而今渐觉出蓬蒿，皆于咏物之中见言志 Both are poems of the unnoticed object's self-assertion — Lin Bu's plum and Du's pine, each declaring its own worth.

Lin Bu's 'Small Plum of the Mountain Garden' — 'sparse shadows slanting across the clear shallow water' — asserts the plum's quiet excellence; Du Xunhe's 'Young Pine' asserts the pine's destined height. Both are poems of the object that knows its own worth against the age's blindness.

林逋《山园小梅》「疏影横斜水清浅，暗香浮动月黄昏」，写梅之清雅、言志，是宋诗咏物的绝唱；杜荀鹤《小松》则以「自小刺头深草里，而今渐觉出蓬蒿」「时人不识凌云木，直待凌云始道高」写刺头出蓬蒿、凌云始道高。两诗同写咏物言志、以物喻志：一写疏影横斜水清浅暗香浮动月黄昏、以梅写清雅，一写自小刺头深草里而今渐觉出蓬蒿、以松写志；一为林逋之清逸、一为杜荀鹤之豪迈，并读正可见诗写「咏物言志」的两种笔法，皆于咏物之中见言志。

 浣溪沙·一曲新词酒一杯 Silk-Washing Stream: A New Song and a Cup of Wine 晏殊 · 同写感怀言志、无可奈何，一写无可奈何花落去、一写时人不识凌云木直待凌云始道高，皆于感怀之中见言志 Both close on the age's failure to recognize — Yan Shu's falling flowers and returning swallows, Du Xunhe's unrecognized cloud-touching tree.

Yan Shu's 'Silk-Washing Stream' — 'the falling flowers are independent, the swallows fly in pairs' — laments the passing of what the age fails to keep; Du Xunhe's 'Young Pine' laments the age's failure to recognize the talent before it is proved. Both are poems of time's and the world's blindness.

晏殊《浣溪沙·一曲新词酒一杯》「无可奈何花落去，似曾相识燕归来」，写感怀言志，是宋词小令的名篇；杜荀鹤《小松》则以「时人不识凌云木，直待凌云始道高」「自小刺头深草里，而今渐觉出蓬蒿」写凌云始道高、刺头出蓬蒿。两诗同写感怀言志、无可奈何：一写无可奈何花落去、以花落燕归写惜时，一写时人不识凌云木直待凌云始道高、以不识松写感慨；一为晏殊之温润、一为杜荀鹤之豪迈，并读正可见诗写「感怀言志」的两种笔法，皆于感怀之中见言志。