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唐 Tang · 诗 Poem

夜泊牛渚怀古

Moored at Night at Niuzhu, Recalling the Past

李白

Li Bai

怀古reminiscing the past 月夜moonlit night 感怀reflections

牛渚西江夜，青天无片云。
登舟望秋月，空忆谢将军。
余亦能高咏，斯人不可闻。
明朝挂帆席，枫叶落纷纷。

The night at Niuzhu on the western river,
The blue sky holds not a single cloud.
I board the boat and gaze at the autumn moon,
In vain recalling General Xie.
I too can chant aloud my lofty verse,
But that man can never hear it now.
At dawn I'll hoist the sail,
While maple leaves drift down in profusion.

Listen

Meaning

Moored at Niuzhu on an autumn night, Li Bai recalls how General Xie Shang once discovered the poet Yuan Hong by his moonlit chanting, and laments that no such patron exists for him now.

牛渚山下的西江之夜，青天万里没有一丝云。登上船头仰望秋月，徒然追忆当年的谢尚将军。我也能像袁宏那样高声吟咏，可惜谢尚那样的人已听不到了。明天一早挂帆离去，只见枫叶纷纷飘落江上。

Appreciation

The poem opens with a spare, clear sketch of an autumn riverside night — cloudless sky, lonely moon — establishing a pure, still mood. The emotional signal lies in the word 'vainly': it voices the regret of admiring a worthy predecessor one can never meet. The closing image of maple leaves drifting down ends the feeling in scenery, conveying melancholy without a single word of grief, and is among the most resonant lines of Li Bai's five-character regulated verse. Beneath its cold surface runs a burning resentment — a genius's quiet protest against an unjust fate.

【白话串讲】 “牛渚西江夜，青天无片云”——李白夜泊牛渚：青天无云。“登舟望秋月，空忆谢将军”——他想起谢尚赏识袁宏的故事。“余亦能高咏，斯人不可闻”——我也能高咏，可谢将军听不见了。“明朝挂帆席，枫叶落纷纷”——明天挂帆而去。【意象与手法】诗人用极洗练的笔墨，勾勒出一个清寂的秋江月夜：青天无云、秋月独照，意境澄澈。情感信号藏在空忆二字中——空字道尽追慕前贤而不得的怅惘。枫叶落纷纷以景收情，不着一字而愁自见，是李白五律中最有韵外之致的一首。【情感与主旨】表面是怀古（怀念谢尚袁宏的知遇佳话），内里是自伤不遇——袁宏不过是少孤贫、以运租自业的底层士人，却因月夜吟诗被谢尚发现而一举成名。李白自诩才华远胜袁宏，却等不到属于他的谢尚。全诗字面清冷，底里却滚烫——是一个天才对命运不公的隐忍抗议。【名句点睛】 “余亦能高咏，斯人不可闻”——十个字，两层意思：一来表明我能，二来表明他不在了。语气平静到了极点，但正是这种平静里藏着最深的悲。

Background

Niuzhu (present-day Caishi Ji in Ma'anshan, Anhui) is a famous crossing on the Yangtze. In the Eastern Jin, the general Xie Shang, garrisoning Niuzhu, heard the poor scholar Yuan Hong chanting his own 'Poems on History' from a boat on a moonlit night, took delight in him, and made him an aide. This tale of a humble man meeting a patron and rising overnight held special meaning for Li Bai, who found no such patron in his own petitioning.

牛渚，即今安徽马鞍山采石矶，是长江下游著名的渡口与军事要地，山势插江、形势险要，历代兵家与文士皆萦怀于此。此诗题下自注曰此地即谢尚闻袁宏咏史处，点出全诗所本的东晋典故：镇西将军谢尚镇守牛渚，一个秋夜泛舟江上，忽闻邻船有人高声吟咏自作的《咏史》诗，词采不凡，遂遣人相问，得知是当时家境贫寒、以为人运租为业的袁宏，谢尚大为激赏，即邀其过船，谈论达旦，从此袁宏声名大噪，仕途亨通。这个贫士月夜吟诗、一朝遇伯乐而成名的故事，在唐代文人中广为流传，对于一生渴望被荐引却干谒无门的李白而言，具有特殊的情感共鸣。李白虽天纵奇才、自负甚高，却始终未能真正施展抱负，故夜泊牛渚、追忆谢袁旧事之际，那份对知音赏识的渴慕与不遇的怅惘便自然涌出。此诗当作于李白漫游江东、舟行长江途中，借怀古之名而抒身世之感，是其五律中意境最为澄澈、寄慨最为深婉的一篇。

Art

All forty characters contain not a single piled-up allusion — the whole poem points to Yuan Hong's old story with the three words 'General Xie,' yet leaves it unspoken, letting it float among the images of moonlight and maple leaves, a model of 'saying nothing yet gaining every grace.' It opens with narration (mooring at night), closes with scenery (maple leaves drifting), and weaves reminiscence and feeling in between, structurally seamless.

全诗八句四十字，通篇不见一处典故堆砌，而怀古之意、身世之感俱在其中，是不著一字、尽得风流的典范。首联牛渚西江夜、青天无片云以极洗练之笔勾出一个澄澈清寂的秋江月夜：西江浩渺、青天无云，境界空明而寥廓，为下文的望月怀古预设了最干净的背景。颔联登舟望秋月、空忆谢将军由景入情，只以谢将军三字轻轻点出袁宏遇知的旧事，却并不说破，让典故漂浮在月光的意象之中，含而不露。颈联余亦能高咏、斯人不可闻是全诗的情感核心，以自比袁宏而慨叹知音已渺，语气平静而悲慨深沉。尾联明朝挂帆席、枫叶落纷纷则忽然荡开，以明朝将去的行程与枫叶纷飞的江景作结，不著一字之怨而怅惘弥漫天地。全诗以叙事起、以写景收、中间怀古抒情，结构浑然天成；而其最大的艺术特色在于以景寓情、以简驭繁：清景之中自含无限低回，是李白五律最具韵外之致的一首。

Allusions

General Xie refers to Xie Shang of the Eastern Jin; 'chant aloud' refers to the story of Yuan Hong reciting his self-composed 'Poems on History' in his boat and winning Xie Shang's favor, recorded in the 'Book of Jin, Biographies of Literature.'

此诗核心用典出自《晋书·文苑传·袁宏传》所载谢尚闻袁宏咏史的故事。袁宏字彦伯，东晋文士，早年孤贫，曾以为人运租之资以自给，然极有文才。镇西将军谢尚镇守牛渚，秋夜乘月泛江，恰闻袁宏在运租船中讽咏自作的《咏史》诗，声调既高、词采复美，谢尚倾听良久，大为赏爱，即遣人往询，邀其过船，两人谈论文义、通宵达旦，袁宏由是声名鹊起，谢尚亦荐拔之，遂成一段贫士遇知音、月夜致青云的文坛佳话。诗中谢将军即指谢尚，能高咏即用袁宏牛渚咏史之事，斯人不可闻则慨叹世间再无谢尚那样善识人才、乐于奖掖的知音。李白以袁宏自比，正见其对自身才华的高度自负——袁宏不过孤贫运租之士，尚能一夕遇知而显达，而李白自诩才高十倍于袁宏，却终身等不到属于他的谢尚，故一典之用，既是怀古，又是自伤，用典而全化于清景之中，不见斧凿之痕。

Commentary

The Qing critic Wang Fuzhi, in 'Selected Tang Poems,' praised it as 'color and form both empty, like an antelope hanging by its horns, leaving no trace to be found,' and ranked it first among Li Bai's five-character regulated poems. Yan Yu's 'Canglang's Remarks on Poetry' lists it among representative works of the High Tang spirit.

此诗历来被推为李白五律的压卷之作，尤为主张神韵、妙悟一派的诗论家所激赏。清人王夫之《唐诗评选》评此诗色相俱空、羚羊挂角、无迹可求，推为太白五律第一，谓其不着痕迹而余味无穷，得诗家不落言筌之上乘。严羽《沧浪诗话》论盛唐气象、标举妙悟之说，尝以李白此类作品为兴趣所到、透彻玲珑的典范，谓盛唐诸公惟在兴趣，如空中之音、相中之色、水中之月、镜中之象，言有尽而意无穷——此诗清景澄澈而寄慨深远，正是这一境界的绝好例证。后世论者多称其虽为五律而不为格律所拘，颔联、颈联皆不刻意求工对，纯以自然之气运笔，故读来疏宕自由、毫无板滞，恰是诗仙不主故常、独往独来的本色。综观诸评，或赏其境界之空明、或赏其寄慨之深婉、或赏其格律之疏放，而皆归于一个化字：化典故于无形、化格律于自然、化身世之慨于清景之中，此所以为李白五律绝唱。

Prosody

Form Five-character regulated poem五言律诗

Rhyme Rhymes on yun, jun, wen, fen (level tone, rhyme group 12 Wen), one rhyme throughout.押平水韵上平十二文韵，韵脚为云、军、闻、纷，首句不入韵，一韵到底

Tone pattern The second couplet ('board the boat — gaze at autumn moon' / 'vainly recall — General Xie') flows as an imperfect antithesis, and the third couplet is not a strict pair — what Wang Fuzhi calls 'color and form both empty' precisely: not forcing parallelism, wielded by natural energy.五言律诗而不主故常，颔联登舟望秋月对空忆谢将军、颈联余亦能高咏对斯人不可闻皆不刻意求工对，以流走自然之气运笔

Reading note Li Bai never bound himself with tonal rules when writing regulated verse; though a five-character lu shi, this poem is loose and free, exactly the true color of the Poetry Immortal.此诗为五言律诗，然李白作律向来不以格律自缚，故此篇虽具律体之形，而写得疏宕自由、天然浑成。全篇押上平十二文韵，云、军、闻、纷四字收音轻柔，一韵到底，读来低回悠远，与怀古伤今的怅惘之情相合。就对仗而言，五律本以颔联、颈联对仗为常格，此诗却有意不刻意求工：颔联登舟望秋月与空忆谢将军，上句写景、下句抒情，属对并不严整，近于流水对；颈联余亦能高咏与斯人不可闻，一能一不可、一扬一抑，亦以气行而不以对偶为工。王夫之所谓色相俱空、无迹可求，正指此种不着痕迹、不为对仗所拘的写法——诗人以自然之气贯注全篇，使格律隐于气脉之中，遂令一首五律读来疏放松散、如行云流水，全无板滞之感。这种于律体中见古调、于严整中寓自由的笔法，正是李白诗仙本色的体现，也是此诗被推为太白五律第一的重要缘由。

Line by line

牛渚西江夜，青天无片云。

The night at Niuzhu on the Yangtze; the miles of blue sky hold not a wisp of cloud.

牛渚山下的西江之夜，青天万里没有一丝云。

At Niuzhu, on the western river, the night; the blue sky has not a wisp of cloud.

首联以极简之笔开出一个澄澈空明的秋江月夜。牛渚点地、西江写境、夜字点时，五字之内已交代了怀古的具体时空。青天无片云五字尤为洗练：万里青空、纤云不染，写出秋夜的清朗高远，也为下文的望秋月铺设了最干净的背景——唯有天无纤云，月方能朗照千里，怀古之思方能在这一片空明中自由展开。此联不写一人一事，只以疏淡之笔勾出浩渺清寂的江天，境界寥廓而气象高华，起笔即见李白五律不假雕琢、天然浑成的本色。

The opening couplet uses the simplest brush to open a limpid, clear autumn river moon night. Niuzhu names the place, western river the setting, night the time; within five characters the concrete space-time of the reminiscence is given. The blue sky has not a wisp of cloud is five characters even more refined: ten thousand li of blue sky, not a cloud staining, writing the autumn night's clear height, and laying the cleanest background for gazing at the autumn moon below - only when the sky has not a cloud can the moon shine across a thousand li, and the reminiscence unfold freely in this clarity. This couplet writes no man or event, only sketches the vast, quiet river and sky in sparse, light strokes; the realm boundless, the air high-hued - the opening at once shows Li Bai's five-character regulated verse's untutored, natural nature.

登舟望秋月，空忆谢将军。

I climb aboard and gaze at the autumn moon, in vain recalling the late General Xie.

登上船头仰望秋月，徒然追忆当年的谢尚将军。

I climb the boat and gaze at the autumn moon, vainly remembering General Xie.

此联由景入情，轻轻点出全诗所本的谢尚闻袁宏咏史之典而并不说破。登舟望秋月承上片清景，人物登场；空忆谢将军则由月及人，触发怀古之思。诗眼全在空字：牛渚依旧、秋月依旧，而当年月夜识拔贫士的谢将军早已不在人世，故这一番追忆终归徒然。空字既写追慕前贤而不可复得的怅惘，又暗伏下文余亦能高咏而斯人不可闻的自伤——有袁宏之才而无谢尚之知，怀古之意与身世之感就在这一个空字中悄然贯通，含蓄而深沉。

This couplet passes from scenery to feeling, lightly touching the allusion on which the poem is based - Xie Shang hearing Yuan Hong chant his historical verses - without saying it out. I climb the boat and gaze at the autumn moon continues the clear scene above; the figure enters. Vainly remembering General Xie passes from moon to man, triggering the reminiscence. The poem's eye is entirely the word vain: Niuzhu still, the autumn moon still, yet the general who recognized the poor scholar in that moonlit night long dead; hence this reminiscence ends in vain. Vain at once writes the wistfulness of admiring the worthy yet never again attaining it, and secretly plants the self-sorrow below - I too can chant aloud, yet that man cannot hear it: having Yuan Hong's gift without Xie Shang's recognition; the reminiscence and the life's feeling quietly connect within this one vain, reserved and deep.

余亦能高咏，斯人不可闻。

I too can chant my lofty verses as Yuan Hong did, but such a man as Xie can no longer hear.

我也能像袁宏那样高声吟咏，可惜谢尚那样的人已听不到了。

I too can chant aloud; but that man can no longer hear it.

此联是全诗的情感核心，十字之中浓缩了一个天才的全部委屈。余亦能高咏，是自比袁宏、自信才华的坦然——我也能像当年的袁宏一样高声吟咏、震动一江；斯人不可闻，则是急转直下的深悲——可惜像谢尚那样能赏识我的知音，如今已经听不到了。上句愈自负，下句愈见落寞；上句是能，下句是不可，一扬一抑之间，把怀才不遇的孤独写到了极处。而诗人不怨天、不尤人，只是极平静地道出这个残酷的事实，正是这种近乎淡然的语气里，藏着最深沉、最无可奈何的悲慨。

This couplet is the poem's emotional core; within ten characters, a genius's whole grievance is compressed. I too can chant aloud is the calm self-comparison to Yuan Hong, confidence in his gift - I too can chant aloud like Yuan Hong then, shaking the whole river. That man can no longer hear it is the sudden deep grief downward: sadly, one like General Xie who could recognize me can no longer hear. The upper line the more self-assured, the lower the more desolate; the upper is can, the lower is cannot; between one lift and one press, the loneliness of talent unrecognized is written to the utmost. And the poet blames neither heaven nor men, only speaks this cruel fact with utmost calm; precisely within this near-indifferent tone lies the deepest, most helpless grief.

明朝挂帆席，枫叶落纷纷。

Tomorrow at dawn I shall set sail; on the river the maple leaves drift down in profusion.

明天一早挂帆离去，只见枫叶纷纷飘落江上。

At dawn I will hoist the sail; maple leaves are falling, falling.

尾联以景结情，不著一字之怨而怅惘弥漫天地。明朝挂帆席写行程之无定——今夜泊此怀古，明晨便又扬帆远去，知音既不可得，此地亦不可久留，漂泊之感隐然。枫叶落纷纷则以眼前江景收束：秋深叶落、纷纷飘坠，既是实景，又暗喻心绪的纷乱与前路的茫茫。诗人不再申诉一句，只留一幅萧萧落叶、孤帆将发的画面，而知音难觅的孤独、身世飘零的怅惘尽在其中。以景语作结、含情于景，正是此诗最具韵外之致处：言有尽而意无穷，余味袅袅不绝。

The closing couplet resolves feeling in scenery, not one word of grievance, yet wistfulness pervades heaven and earth. At dawn I will hoist the sail writes the journey's uncertainty - tonight moored here reminiscing, tomorrow morning sailing away again; since the知音 cannot be found, this place cannot be long stayed; the drifting feeling hidden. Maple leaves are falling, falling closes in the present river scene: deep autumn, leaves falling, shower upon shower - at once real scenery, and secretly the disordered heart and the road ahead's vastness. The poet pleads not another word, only leaves a picture of rustling falling leaves and a lone sail about to depart; the loneliness of the hard-to-find知音 and the wistfulness of drifting life are all within. Closing in scenery, feeling held in scenery - precisely this poem's most beyond-savor point: words finite, meaning infinite, lingering and unending.

Study

Word focus

空忆 Kong means 'in vain, to no purpose' — not 'empty/idle.' 'Vainly recall' means to remember for nothing, hinting at the futility of the admiration; a single word exhausts the regretful air of a poem of reminiscence. 空忆二字见于空忆谢将军一句，是全诗的诗眼所在。空在此非空闲之空，而是徒然、白费之意——空忆即白白地追忆、追慕而不可得。牛渚山川依旧、秋月清辉依旧，独当年月夜识才的谢尚早已作古，故这一番隔世的追忆终成徒劳。一个空字，把怀古诗特有的今昔之感、追慕前贤而不可复遇的怅惘一笔写尽，既承上片的清景、又启下联的自伤：正因斯人不可复得，故有余亦能高咏、斯人不可闻的深悲。以一字定全诗之情、贯怀古与身世之两义，可见李白炼字虽不着力而自能中的，寻常一字而含无限低回。

纷纷 The reduplicative fenfen not only describes the real scene of maple leaves falling but also hints at a mind in turmoil — sailing away tomorrow, the road ahead uncertain, only the falling leaves are certain. 纷纷二字见于尾句枫叶落纷纷，是以景结情的关键。它表层写实景——深秋枫叶飘零、纷纷坠落于江面，点出时令，也补足了牛渚秋夜的萧瑟氛围；深层则暗写心绪，以落叶的纷乱飘坠映照诗人内心的纷扰与怅惘。明朝即将挂帆而去，知音不可得、前路正茫茫，一切都在漂泊与不定之中，唯有这满江落叶的纷纷坠落是眼前最真切、最确定的存在。叠字纷纷读来声情缭绕、绵绵不尽，恰与那无从排遣、挥之不去的孤独之感相应。以一叠字状落叶而兼传心境，含情于景、意在言外，是此联耐人寻味的所在。