唐 Tang · 诗 Poem
忆杭州梅花因叙旧游寄萧协律
Remembering the Plum Blossoms of Hangzhou, Recounting the Old Journeys, Sent to the Music Master Xiao
三年闲闷在余杭,曾为梅花醉几场。
伍相庙边繁似雪,孤山园里丽如妆。
蹋随游骑心长惜,折赠佳人手亦香。
赏自初开直至落,欢因小饮便成狂。
薛刘相次埋新垅,沈谢双飞出故乡。
歌伴酒徒零散尽,唯残头白老萧郎。
For the plum blossoms I have been drunk how many times.
By the temple of the Prime Minister Wu, they flourish like the snow,
In the garden of the Lone Hill, they are lovely as the adornment.
I appreciated them from the first opening to the falling,
And the joy, through the small drinking, turned to the madness.
Xue and Liu, one after the other, are buried in the new mounds,
Shen and Xie have flown away in pairs from the homeland.
The singing companions and the drinking friends are all scattered and gone —
Only remains the white-haired old Xiao, and I.
Meaning
A poem of the remembered plum blossoms and the scattered friends, written by Bai Juyi to the music master Xiao. Three years of idle gloom in Yuhang — for the plum blossoms he has been drunk how many times — the plum of the years of the gloom. By the temple of the Prime Minister Wu, they flourish like the snow; in the garden of the Lone Hill, they are lovely as the adornment — the scenes of the plum of the two places. He appreciated them from the first opening to the falling, and the joy, through the small drinking, turned to the madness — the years of the appreciation. Then the losses: Xue and Liu, one after the other, are buried in the new mounds; Shen and Xie have flown away in pairs from the homeland — the dead and the gone. And the close: the singing companions and the drinking friends are all scattered and gone — only remains the white-haired old Xiao, and I. The poem is the memory of the plum and the friends: the drunk years, the buried companions, and the white-haired two remaining.
三年闲闷在余杭,曾为梅花醉几场。伍相庙边繁似雪,孤山园里丽如妆。蹋随游骑心长惜,折赠佳人手亦香。赏自初开直至落,欢因小饮便成狂。薛刘相次埋新垅,沈谢双飞出故乡。歌伴酒徒零散尽,唯残头白老萧郎。
Appreciation
[Plain Paraphrase] Three years of idle gloom in Yuhang, for the plum blossoms I have been drunk how many times. By the temple of the Prime Minister Wu, they flourish like the snow, in the garden of the Lone Hill, they are lovely as the adornment. I appreciated them from the first opening to the falling, and the joy, through the small drinking, turned to the madness. Xue and Liu, one after the other, are buried in the new mounds, Shen and Xie have flown away in pairs from the homeland. The singing companions and the drinking friends are all scattered and gone, only remains the white-haired old Xiao, and I. [Structure and Thought] The poem moves from the remembered plum of the years of gloom, through the scenes of the two places and the joy of the appreciation, to the losses — the buried Xue and Liu, the flown Shen and Xie — and the close's remains: only the white-haired old Xiao and I. [Key Technique] The poem's art is the memory against the losses: the plum blossoms of the drunken years, the buried and the flown friends, and the close's white-haired two remaining — the memory gathering the joy and the loss, the plum and the friends. [Emotional Tone] Reminiscent, sorrowful, and warm: the poem is the memory of the plum and the friends, the drunk years and the scattered companions, the white-haired two remaining.
【白话串讲】 白居易写《忆杭州梅花因叙旧游寄萧协律》:“三年闲闷在余杭,曾为梅花醉几场”——“伍相庙边繁似雪,孤山园里丽如妆”——“赏自初开直至落,欢因小饮便成狂”——他忆杭州梅花——曾为梅花醉几场。 【意象与手法】 三年闲闷在余杭、曾为梅花醉几场,写忆梅醉几场;伍相庙边繁似雪、孤山园里丽如妆,写梅花繁似雪;赏自初开直至落、欢因小饮便成狂,写赏梅之乐;薛刘相次埋新垅、沈谢双飞出故乡,写故人零落;结以“歌伴酒徒零散尽,唯残头白老萧郎”写唯残头白老萧郎。婉转怀旧。 【情感与主旨】 白居易忆杭州梅花而叙旧游之作,写当年为梅花醉几场之乐与歌伴酒徒零散尽之慨,是怀旧诗中的名篇。 【名句点睛】 常考“伍相庙边繁似雪,孤山园里丽如妆”写梅花繁盛;“歌伴酒徒零散尽,唯残头白老萧郎”写故人零落。
Background
Bai Juyi (772–846) wrote this poem of the remembered plum blossoms to the music master Xiao — one of the friends of his years in Yuhang (Hangzhou), where he served and where the plum of the region flourished. The temple of the Prime Minister Wu and the garden of the Lone Hill are the scenes of the plum of the two places. The losses — Xue and Liu buried, Shen and Xie flown — are the friends of the years gone; and the close — only the white-haired old Xiao and I — is the warmth of the remaining friendship. The poem is one of the warm, reminiscent works of Bai Juyi's later years.
《忆杭州梅花因叙旧游寄萧协律》为唐代诗人白居易所作诗。白居易(772—846),字乐天,号香山居士,又号醉吟先生,祖籍太原,生于河南新郑,中唐诗人,新乐府运动倡导者,曾任杭州刺史。此诗写咏物怀旧,为忆杭州梅花之作。诗中「三年闲闷在余杭,曾为梅花醉几场」写三年闲闷在余杭,曾为梅花醉几场;「伍相庙边繁似雪,孤山园里丽如妆」写伍相庙边繁似雪,孤山园里丽如妆;「蹋随游骑心长惜,折赠佳人手亦香」写蹋随游骑心长惜,折赠佳人手亦香;「赏自初开直至落,欢因小饮便成狂」写赏自初开直至落,欢因小饮便成狂;「薛刘相次埋新垅,沈谢双飞出故乡」写薛刘相次埋新垅,沈谢双飞出故乡;「歌伴酒徒零散尽,唯残头白老萧郎」写歌伴酒徒零散尽,唯残头白老萧郎。白居易此诗以咏物怀旧、唯残头白老萧郎写其怀旧之情,婉转怀旧,是白居易诗中的名篇。此篇《忆杭州梅花因叙旧游寄萧协律》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 is the art of the memory against the losses. The plum of the years opens: three years of idle gloom in Yuhang — for the plum blossoms he has been drunk how many times — the drunk years of the gloom, the plum of the memory. The scenes follow: by the temple of the Prime Minister Wu, they flourish like the snow; in the garden of the Lone Hill, they are lovely as the adornment — the two scenes of the plum, the flourish and the loveliness. The joy: he appreciated them from the first opening to the falling, and the joy, through the small drinking, turned to the madness — the years of the appreciation, the joy turned to the madness. Then the losses: Xue and Liu, one after the other, are buried in the new mounds; Shen and Xie have flown away in pairs from the homeland — the buried and the flown, the friends of the years gone. And the close keeps the warmth: the singing companions and the drinking friends are all scattered and gone — only remains the white-haired old Xiao, and I — the white-haired two, the memory and the friendship remaining.
此诗艺术上以「婉转怀旧、以梅写情」见长。全诗共十二句六联,由三年闲闷在余杭而伍相庙边繁似雪而赏自初开直至落。起「三年闲闷在余杭,曾为梅花醉几场」写三年闲闷在余杭:三年闲闷在余杭,曾为梅花醉几场;「伍相庙边繁似雪,孤山园里丽如妆」写伍相庙边繁似雪:伍相庙边繁似雪,孤山园里丽如妆;「蹋随游骑心长惜,折赠佳人手亦香」写蹋随游骑心长惜:蹋随游骑心长惜,折赠佳人手亦香;「赏自初开直至落,欢因小饮便成狂」写赏自初开直至落:赏自初开直至落,欢因小饮便成狂;「薛刘相次埋新垅,沈谢双飞出故乡」写薛刘相次埋新垅:薛刘相次埋新垅,沈谢双飞出故乡;结「歌伴酒徒零散尽,唯残头白老萧郎」写唯残头白老萧郎:歌伴酒徒零散尽,唯残头白老萧郎。全诗以梅写情,由三年闲闷在余杭而唯残头白老萧郎,婉转怀旧,是白居易诗中的名篇。
Allusions
'Yuhang' (Yuhang) is the old name of Hangzhou, where Bai Juyi served; 'the temple of the Prime Minister Wu' (Wuxiangmiao) is the temple of the Wu Zixu — the Prime Minister Wu — where the plum flourished like the snow; 'the garden of the Lone Hill' (Gushanyuan) is the garden of the Lone Hill of the West Lake, the famous place of the plum. 'Xue and Liu' (Xue Liu) and 'Shen and Xie' (Shen Xie) are the friends of the years — the buried and the flown; 'the music master Xiao' (Xiao xielü) is the friend to whom the poem is sent, the white-haired old Xiao of the close.
诗中「三年闲闷在余杭曾为梅花醉几场」「伍相庙边繁似雪孤山园里丽如妆」「蹋随游骑心长惜折赠佳人手亦香」「赏自初开直至落欢因小饮便成狂」「薛刘相次埋新垅沈谢双飞出故乡」「歌伴酒徒零散尽唯残头白老萧郎」等语,皆含典故故实。「三年闲闷在余杭曾为梅花醉几场」写三年闲闷在余杭曾为梅花醉几场;「伍相庙边繁似雪孤山园里丽如妆」用伍相之典(伍相即伍子胥),写伍相庙边繁似雪孤山园里丽如妆;「蹋随游骑心长惜折赠佳人手亦香」写蹋随游骑心长惜折赠佳人手亦香;「赏自初开直至落欢因小饮便成狂」写赏自初开直至落欢因小饮便成狂;「薛刘相次埋新垅沈谢双飞出故乡」用沈谢之典(沈谢为才士),写薛刘相次埋新垅沈谢双飞出故乡;「歌伴酒徒零散尽唯残头白老萧郎」用萧郎之典(萧郎写友人),写歌伴酒徒零散尽唯残头白老萧郎。诗人以伍相、沈谢、萧郎之典入诗,不着痕迹,而把咏物怀旧之情写得真切可感,是善于熔铸典故的体现。
Commentary
This poem is one of the warm, reminiscent works of Bai Juyi, quoted for the warmth of its close. The plum flourishing like the snow and the white-haired old Xiao remaining are among the admired passages of his reminiscent manner. Critics praise the poem's warmth: the memory of the plum and the friends, and the friendship remaining in the white-haired two.
这首《忆杭州梅花因叙旧游寄萧协律》,是白居易写咏物怀旧之作,写三年闲闷在余杭、伍相庙边繁似雪、赏自初开直至落、唯残头白老萧郎之情,婉转怀旧。起「三年闲闷在余杭,曾为梅花醉几场」——三年闲闷在余杭,曾为梅花醉几场。写三年闲闷在余杭:三年闲闷在余杭、曾为梅花醉几场——在余杭、醉几场;「伍相庙边繁似雪,孤山园里丽如妆」——伍相庙边繁似雪,孤山园里丽如妆。写伍相庙边繁似雪:伍相庙边繁似雪、孤山园里丽如妆——繁似雪、丽如妆;「蹋随游骑心长惜,折赠佳人手亦香」——蹋随游骑心长惜,折赠佳人手亦香。写蹋随游骑心长惜:蹋随游骑心长惜、折赠佳人手亦香——心长惜、手亦香;「赏自初开直至落,欢因小饮便成狂」——赏自初开直至落,欢因小饮便成狂。写赏自初开直至落:赏自初开直至落、欢因小饮便成狂——直至落、便成狂;「薛刘相次埋新垅,沈谢双飞出故乡」——薛刘相次埋新垅,沈谢双飞出故乡。写薛刘相次埋新垅:薛刘相次埋新垅、沈谢双飞出故乡——埋新垅、飞故乡;结「歌伴酒徒零散尽,唯残头白老萧郎」——歌伴酒徒零散尽,唯残头白老萧郎。写唯残头白老萧郎:歌伴酒徒零散尽、唯残头白老萧郎——零散尽、老萧郎。这「歌伴酒徒零散尽,唯残头白老萧郎」,是全诗之结:以唯残头白老萧郎写其怀旧。全诗婉转怀旧,以梅写情,正是白居易诗中的名篇。
Prosody
Line by line
三年闲闷在余杭,曾为梅花醉几场。
Three years of idle gloom in Yuhang, for the plum blossoms I have been drunk how many times.
三年闲闷在余杭,曾为梅花醉几场。
Three years of idle gloom in Yuhang; I drank drunk several times for the plum blossoms.
起句写三年闲闷在余杭,起笔即见其三年。「三年闲闷在余杭」写三年闲闷在余杭,「三年闲闷」写三年闲闷、「在余杭」写在余杭;「曾为梅花醉几场」写曾为梅花醉几场,「曾为梅花」写曾为梅花、「醉几场」写醉几场。一句写三年闲闷在余杭曾为梅花醉几场,以三年闲闷在余杭写在余杭、以曾为梅花醉几场写醉几场,写尽三年闲闷在余杭、曾为梅花醉几场之情。以梅起兴,婉转而怀旧,是「以梅起兴」的妙笔。
The opening writes three years of idle gloom in Yuhang, the three years named at the first stroke. Three years of idle gloom: the long boredom. In Yuhang: the Hangzhou post. I drank drunk several times for the plum blossoms: the drunken times spent for the flowers. One line writes the three years in Yuhang and the plum-blossom drunks - Bai Juyi's starting point for remembering Hangzhou: the idle years broken only by flowers and wine. The line opens with plum blossoms as bi-xing, graceful and nostalgic: the memory of the plum is the memory of those years.
伍相庙边繁似雪,孤山园里丽如妆。
By the temple of the Prime Minister Wu, they flourish like the snow, in the garden of the Lone Hill, they are lovely as the adornment.
伍相庙边繁似雪,孤山园里丽如妆。
By the Temple of Wu Xu, blossoms thick as snow; in Gu Shan's garden, fair as painted cheeks.
此句写伍相庙边繁似雪,是全诗写伍相之态的关键。「伍相庙边繁似雪」用伍相之典写伍相庙边繁似雪,「伍相庙边」写伍相庙边、「繁似雪」写繁似雪;「孤山园里丽如妆」写孤山园里丽如妆,「孤山园里」写孤山园里、「丽如妆」写丽如妆。一句写伍相庙边繁似雪孤山园里丽如妆,以伍相庙边繁似雪写繁似雪、以孤山园里丽如妆写丽如妆,写尽伍相庙边繁似雪、孤山园里丽如妆之情。以雪写梅,婉转而怀旧,是「以雪写梅」的点睛之笔。
This line writes by the Temple of Wu Xu, blossoms thick as snow, the key to the poem's temple state. By the Temple of Wu Xu uses the Wu Zixu allusion: the temple's edge. Thick as snow: the dense white blossoms. In Gu Shan's garden, fair as painted cheeks: the isolated hill's garden, the painted loveliness. One line writes the snow-like blossoms by the temple and the painted loveliness on Gu Shan - Bai Juyi's middle scene: the two famous Hangzhou plum sites. The line uses snow for plum blossoms, graceful and nostalgic: the flowers' whiteness and fair hue both fixed in the memory.
赏自初开直至落,欢因小饮便成狂。
I appreciated them from the first opening to the falling, and the joy, through the small drinking, turned to the madness.
赏自初开直至落,欢因小饮便成狂。
I admired them from first opening until they fell; mirth over a little wine turned to wildness.
此句写赏自初开直至落,是全诗写赏梅之态的关键。「赏自初开直至落」写赏自初开直至落,「赏自初开」写赏自初开、「直至落」写直至落;「欢因小饮便成狂」写欢因小饮便成狂,「欢因小饮」写欢因小饮、「便成狂」写便成狂。一句写赏自初开直至落欢因小饮便成狂,以赏自初开直至落写直至落、以欢因小饮便成狂写便成狂,写尽赏自初开直至落、欢因小饮便成狂之情。以赏写梅,婉转而怀旧,是「以赏写梅」的点睛之笔。
This line writes I admired them from first opening until they fell, the key to the poem's admiring state. From first opening: the early bloom. Until they fell: the petals dropping. Mirth over a little wine turned to wildness: the small drinking, the wild mirth. One line writes the full season of admiring and the little wine turning wild - Bai Juyi's turn: from first bloom to fall, he was there; a little wine sufficed for the old wildness. The line uses admiring for plum blossoms, graceful and nostalgic: the whole flowering season was his.
薛刘相次埋新垅,沈谢双飞出故乡。
Xue and Liu, one after the other, are buried in the new mounds, Shen and Xie have flown away in pairs from the homeland.
薛刘相次埋新垅,沈谢双飞出故乡。
Xue and Liu lie one after another under new mounds; Shen and Xie flew as a pair far from home.
此句写薛刘相次埋新垅,是全诗写薛刘之态的关键。「薛刘相次埋新垅」写薛刘相次埋新垅,「薛刘相次」写薛刘相次、「埋新垅」写埋新垅;「沈谢双飞出故乡」用沈谢之典写沈谢双飞出故乡,「沈谢双飞」写沈谢双飞、「出故乡」写出故乡。一句写薛刘相次埋新垅沈谢双飞出故乡,以薛刘相次埋新垅写埋新垅、以沈谢双飞出故乡写出故乡,写尽薛刘相次埋新垅、沈谢双飞出故乡之情。以友写情,婉转而怀旧,是「以友写情」的点睛之笔。
This line writes Xue and Liu lie one after another under new mounds, the key to the poem's friends state. Xue and Liu one after another: the two poets gone. Under new mounds: the fresh graves. Shen and Xie flew as a pair far from home uses the Shen-Xie allusion: the pair flown out. One line writes the friends buried and the pair flown away - Bai Juyi's turn to the present loss: those who shared the plum years are dead or scattered. The line uses friends for feeling, graceful and nostalgic: the old circle is broken.
歌伴酒徒零散尽,唯残头白老萧郎。
The singing companions and the drinking friends are all scattered and gone, only remains the white-haired old Xiao.
歌伴酒徒零散尽,唯残头白老萧郎。
The singing companions and drinking fellows are all scattered and gone; only white-headed old Xiao remains.
结句写唯残头白老萧郎,是全诗立意的落点。「歌伴酒徒零散尽」写歌伴酒徒零散尽,「歌伴酒徒」写歌伴酒徒、「零散尽」写零散尽;「唯残头白老萧郎」用萧郎之典写唯残头白老萧郎,「唯残头白」写唯残头白、「老萧郎」写老萧郎。一句写歌伴酒徒零散尽唯残头白老萧郎,以歌伴酒徒零散尽写零散尽、以唯残头白老萧郎写老萧郎,写尽歌伴酒徒零散尽、唯残头白老萧郎之情。以旧写情,婉转而怀旧,是全诗最动人处,也是「以旧写情」的点睛之笔。
The closing line writes only white-headed old Xiao remains, the poem's landing. The singing companions and drinking fellows are all scattered and gone: the companions scattered. Only white-headed old Xiao remains uses the Xiao-lang allusion: the white-haired friend left. One line writes the companions all scattered and old Xiao alone - Bai Juyi's resolution: among all who drank and sang, only the white-haired Xiao remains. The line uses the old for feeling, graceful and nostalgic, the poem's most moving point: the survival of one white head after all is gone.
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Bai Juyi's poem remembers the plum and the friends of the years — the buried and the flown, the white-haired remaining; Su Shi's 'Prelude to Water Melody' — 'when did the bright moon begin?' — remembers the brother in the moon of the mid-autumn — the same memory of the years and the people, the one of the plum, the other of the moon.
苏轼《水调歌头·明月几时有》「人有悲欢离合,月有阴晴圆缺,此事古难全」,写怀旧感怀、婉转旷达,是宋词长调的名篇;白居易《忆杭州梅花因叙旧游寄萧协律》则以「歌伴酒徒零散尽,唯残头白老萧郎」「薛刘相次埋新垅」写零散尽、埋新垅。两诗同写怀旧感怀、婉转旷达:一写人有悲欢离合、以悲欢写离合,一写歌伴酒徒零散尽唯残头白老萧郎、以梅花写怀旧;一为苏轼之旷达、一为白居易之婉转,并读正可见诗写「怀旧感怀」的两种笔法,皆于怀旧之中见婉转。
八声甘州·对潇潇暮雨洒江天 Eight Beats of Ganzhou: Facing the Evening Rain That Spatters the Long River 柳永 · 同写园中凝望、婉转清丽,一写对潇潇暮雨洒江天、一写伍相庙边繁似雪孤山园里丽如妆,皆于园中之中见凝望 Both are the poems of the remembered scene and the scattered company — Bai Juyi's plum of the two places, Liu Yong's evening rain of the river — the two memories of the scattered.Bai Juyi's poem scatters the company of the plum — the buried, the flown, the white-haired remaining; Liu Yong's 'Eight Beats of Ganzhou' — 'facing the evening rain that spatters the long river' — is the longing over the scattered — the same remembered scene and the scattered company, the one of the plum, the other of the rain.
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」,写园中凝望、婉转清丽,是宋词写羁旅的名篇;白居易《忆杭州梅花因叙旧游寄萧协律》则以「伍相庙边繁似雪,孤山园里丽如妆」「蹋随游骑心长惜」写繁似雪、心长惜。两诗同写园中凝望、婉转清丽:一写对潇潇暮雨洒江天、以暮雨写清秋,一写伍相庙边繁似雪孤山园里丽如妆、以梅花写怀旧;一为柳永之清丽、一为白居易之婉转,并读正可见诗写「园中凝望」的两种笔法,皆于园中之中见凝望。