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唐 Tang · 诗 Poem

玉台体十二首其十一

Twelve Pieces of the Yutai Style: The Eleventh

权德舆

Quan Deyu

昨夜裙带解，今朝蟢子飞。
铅华不可弃，莫是藁砧归。

Last night, the sash of the skirt, untied,
This morning, the spider, flying.
The lead and the flowers, cannot be abandoned,
Could it be, the returning of the husband of the straw?

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Meaning

A poem of the omens of the returning, written by Quan Deyu. Last night, the sash of the skirt, untied — this morning, the spider, flying — the untied sash and the flying spider, the omens of the returning. The lead and the flowers, cannot be abandoned — could it be, the returning of the husband of the straw? — the makeup kept and the question of the returning. The poem is the omens of the returning: the untied sash, the flying spider, and the close's question of the husband.

昨夜裙带无故自解，今朝又见蟢子飞悬。脂粉切勿轻易抛掷，莫不是远行的丈夫要回来了？

Appreciation

[Plain Paraphrase] Last night, the sash of the skirt, untied, this morning, the spider, flying. The lead and the flowers, cannot be abandoned, could it be, the returning of the husband of the straw? [Structure and Thought] The poem moves from the untied sash and the flying spider of the omens, through the kept makeup, to the close's question of the returning of the husband. [Key Technique] The poem's art is the omens of the returning: the untied sash and the flying spider of the folk omens, and the close's kept makeup with the question — the joy of the returning gathered in the omens and the close's question. [Emotional Tone] Light, joyful, and anticipating: the poem is the omens, the kept makeup and the close's question of the returning.

【白话串讲】权德舆写《玉台体十二首其十一》：“昨夜裙带解，今朝蟢子飞”——“铅华不可弃，莫是藁砧归”——她写闺中盼归——莫是藁砧归。【意象与手法】裙带解、蟢子飞本为民间占验离人之兆，诗人信手拈来，写少妇由吉兆而生的殷殷期待与自我宽慰；“莫是”二字将将信将疑、喜中含忧的复杂心理和盘托出。语浅情真、机趣横生。【情感与主旨】权德舆写闺中少妇盼夫归来的微妙心理，纯以民俗起兴，不着一字情语而情味盎然，是中唐五绝中别具生趣的一篇。【名句点睛】常考“昨夜裙带解，今朝蟢子飞”以民俗起兴；“铅华不可弃，莫是藁砧归”写盼归心理。

Background

Quan Deyu (759–818), the minister of the Tang, wrote this 'Twelve Pieces of the Yutai Style: The Eleventh' of the omens of the returning — the joy of the wife. The untied sash of the skirt and the flying spider of the folk omens, the kept makeup of the lead and the flowers, and the close's question of the returning of the husband of the straw — the poem gathers the joy of the omens, the anticipation of the wife. The poem is one of the famous works of the Yutai style of the poet.

《玉台体十二首其十一》为中唐诗人权德舆所作五言绝句。权德舆（759—818），字载之，天水略阳人，贞元、元和间著名政治家与文学家，德宗朝官至宰相，其诗文雍容典雅，为中唐台阁体的代表。所谓「玉台体」，源出南朝徐陵所编《玉台新咏》，多收宫体艳情之作，风格绮丽婉转，唐人偶有仿作，即称「玉台体」。权德舆《玉台体十二首》正是摹写这一类以闺情为题材的诗体。此诗为其第十一首，写闺中少妇独守空房、盼夫早归的微妙心理。诗中「裙带解」「蟢子飞」皆是古代民间流传的占验习俗：旧时人以为裙带自解是夫妇离散之兆，亦有解作行人将归之征者；蟢子（一种蜘蛛）垂丝而下，因「蟢」与「喜」谐音，俗以为喜兆。诗人采撷这些带着生活温度的民俗细节入诗，不写相思之苦，而写盼归之喜与将信将疑之态，别开生面，是中唐五绝中融民俗、闺情于一体的名篇，足见诗人于雍容文风之外，亦有清新灵动的一面。

Art

The poem's art is the art of the omens. The omens open: last night, the sash of the skirt, untied — the untied sash of the night; this morning, the spider, flying — the flying spider of the morning — the omens of the returning, the untied sash and the spider. The makeup follows: the lead and the flowers, cannot be abandoned — the kept makeup of the wife. And the close gathers the joy: could it be, the returning of the husband of the straw? — the question of the returning — the omens and the kept makeup, the joy of the returning gathered in the close's question.

此诗艺术上以「以俗为雅、不言情而情自见」见长。全诗四句二十字，通篇不见一个「想」字「思」字，而少妇盼归之情跃然纸上。首句「昨夜裙带解」起笔突兀，撷取一个寻常而神秘的细节——裙带无缘无故自解，正是古人占验离思的征兆；次句「今朝蟢子飞」紧承，又拈来一个吉兆，与昨日之兆相映成趣。两句连用两个民俗意象，一为离思之兆，一为归期之喜，读来已觉其中有人、有情、有期待。三四句「铅华不可弃，莫是藁砧归」笔锋一转，由写兆而入写心：既见吉兆，少妇便不肯卸妆——「铅华不可弃」是舍不得，更是以备夫归时以最好的姿容相见；「莫是藁砧归」以揣度之辞收束，将信将疑、喜中含忧的复杂心绪和盘托出。「藁砧」为古时「丈夫」的隐语，用典而不露痕迹。全诗前实后虚，以民俗之兆写闺中之情，语浅而味长，机趣横生，正是中唐五绝以小儿大、以俗见雅的典型笔法。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 sash of the skirt, untied' (qun dai jie) is the untied sash — the omen of the returning of the folk; 'the spider, flying' (xi zi fei) is the flying spider — the spider of the morning, the omen of the good; 'the lead and the flowers' (qian hua) are the lead and the flowers — the makeup of the wife, the lead powder and the flowers; 'the husband of the straw' (gao zhen) is the husband of the straw — the husband, the returning of the close.

诗中「藁砧」二字，用典极古。藁砧本指铡草时垫在下面的砧板，「藁」为禾秆，「砧」为垫板，古人行刑时以藁荐与砧板为铺垫，而「铁」（铡刀之属）置于其上，因「铁」与「夫」谐音，故古人以「藁砧」为「丈夫」的隐语。此说见于《汉书》注引应劭之说及乐府古辞《藁砧今何在》：古诗「藁砧今何在，山上复有山」即以「藁砧」隐指丈夫，「山上复有山」合成「出」字，暗示丈夫外出。权德舆此处用「藁砧归」三字，既承接闺怨盼归的主题，又以古雅之典写家常之情，使俗题见雅趣。此外，「裙带解」「蟢子飞」皆涉民俗占验，与「藁砧」之典虚实相生，共同营造出少妇于吉凶未卜之间殷殷期待的心境，可见诗人熔铸民俗与典故、以雅俗相济写闺情的艺术匠心。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 poem is one of the famous works of the Yutai style of Quan Deyu, quoted for the joy of its omens. The untied sash and the flying spider, and the close's question of the returning, are among the admired images of the poet's works of the boudoir. Critics praise the poem's joy: the omens gathered in the kept makeup, to the close's question of the returning.

这首小诗之妙，在于它捕捉了闺中少妇一个极富生活气息的心理瞬间。裙带解、蟢子飞，本是妇人日常间司空见惯的小事，诗人却从中看出盼归的喜兆，并以此写出了少妇的全部心事。她不言相思，不诉孤寂，只是说「铅华不可弃」——脂粉莫要卸下，因为也许丈夫就要回来了。这一句，既见她对重逢的殷切期待，又暗含独守空房以来以妆自持的辛酸；「莫是」二字尤其传神，将信将疑之间，既有吉兆初现的欢喜，又怕空欢喜一场的忧惧，千回百转，尽在二字之中。全诗不着一情语，而情味盎然；不写一愁字，而孤寂自见。它没有盛唐闺怨诗的深婉与悲凉，而多了几分中唐诗人贴近日常的温润与机趣，正如后人所评「语浅意深、韵短情长」。读罢此诗，仿佛看见一位少妇倚门而立，望着窗外悬丝的蟢子，脸上漾起又惊又喜的神情，这正是此诗历千载而犹觉亲切的所在。

Prosody

Form A regulated five-character poem of the boudoir五言绝句（古体，不严守近体平仄）

Rhyme The poem rhymes on the level-tone fei and gui of the group — the even, level rhyme that carries the light joy.全诗押仄声韵「解」（上声九蟹韵）、「飞」（上平五微韵）、「归」（上平五微韵），首句「解」不入韵，二四句「飞」「归」押平声微韵，属首句不入韵的仄起式变格。以「飞」「归」为韵，音调清亮而有余韵，恰与盼归的主题相合，韵脚之「归」字更直接点出全诗题旨，声情与辞情相凑。

Tone pattern The cadence is that of the omens: the level opening with the untied sash and the spider, the turning with the kept makeup, and the close's rise with the question of the returning.句式上，首句「昨夜裙带解」仄起仄收，以「解」字顿挫，暗合少妇乍见征兆时的心头一颤；二句「今朝蟢子飞」平收，音调渐舒；三四句「铅华不可弃，莫是藁砧归」以「弃」「归」收束，平仄相间，语气从肯定到揣度，由实入虚。全诗以平声韵脚统摄，而句中仄声字间出，读来如家常絮语，亲切自然，正是五绝小诗以声调助情韵的妙处。

Reading note The poem's sound matches its joy: the even, level rhymes carry the cadence of the omens, and the close — 'mo shi gao zhen gui' — rises with the question, the sound of the anticipation of the wife.此诗为五言绝句，体制短小，却以「以俗为雅、不言情而情自见」的手法，写出了闺中少妇盼归的微妙心理。其艺术关键在于三点：其一，撷取「裙带解」「蟢子飞」两个民俗占验细节入诗，以生活之俗写闺情之雅，使传统闺怨题材焕发出亲切的日常气息；其二，通篇不着一情语，而期待、喜疑、郑重诸般情态，皆从少妇留意征兆、不肯卸妆、自问自答的举动中自然流出，含蓄蕴藉；其三，「藁砧」之典的巧妙运用，以古语写家常，雅俗相济，不着痕迹。中唐五绝多走向平易浅近，此诗正是其中善于以小见大、以俗见雅的佳例，与盛唐闺怨诗的深婉悲凉相比，别有一种温润机趣的风致，读来亲切可喜，余味悠长。

Line by line

昨夜裙带解，今朝蟢子飞。

Last night, the sash of the skirt, untied, this morning, the spider, flying.

昨夜裙带无缘无故地松解开来，今朝又见蟢子从檐间垂丝而下。

Last night my skirt's tie came loose for no reason; this morning I saw a spider hanging from the eaves.

开篇两句连用两个民俗意象，全不涉情语而情在其中。古人相传，裙带无故自解是行人将归或夫妇离散之兆，蟢子垂丝则因「蟢」谐「喜」而为归期将临的喜兆。诗人不写少妇如何思念，只写她留意到这两件细小的征兆，便已见出她日复一日、时时刻刻悬着盼归之心——若非心中有人，何至于对这样的小事如此敏感在意？「昨夜」「今朝」对举，更见时序流转、日日如此。两句以征兆起兴，将一个空闺独守的少妇形象与她那隐秘而殷切的期待，不动声色地托了出来，起笔即见匠心。

The opening two lines use two folk-custom images together, not one word of love-talk, yet love within. The ancients held that a skirt's tie loosening of itself was an omen of the traveler's return or of marital reunion; the spider's hanging thread, because spider sounds like joy, was an omen of the coming return. The poet does not write how the young wife longs, only writes her noticing these two tiny omens, already showing her day after day, moment after moment, the hung heart of expecting his return - if there were no one in her heart, how could she be so sensitive and attentive to such small things? Last night against this morning set against, all the more showing time's flow, day after day. The two lines open with omens as bi-xing, quietly bringing forth the young wife keeping the empty chamber and her secret, earnest expectation; the opening at once shows craft.

铅华不可弃，莫是藁砧归。

The lead and the flowers, cannot be abandoned, could it be, the returning of the husband of the straw?

脂粉不可轻易卸去，莫非是那远行的丈夫就要回来了？

I must not lay aside my rouge; could it be my husband is coming home?

末两句由写兆转入写心，是全诗情感的高潮。「铅华不可弃」写少妇因吉兆而决定继续妆饰——脂粉不卸，既是舍不得放下女为悦己者容的期待，也是以备夫归时能以最好的姿容相见，五个字里藏着多少心事；「莫是藁砧归」则以揣度之辞作结，「藁砧」用古语指丈夫，「莫是」二字将信将疑，喜中带怯，唯恐空盼一场，心理之曲折尽在言外。两句一叙一疑，把少妇由吉兆而生希望、又不敢全然相信的复杂心态写得真切动人。全诗以俗事起兴、以痴语收束，语浅情真，机趣盎然，正是此诗耐人寻味之处。

The last two lines pass from writing omens to writing the heart, the poem's emotional climax. I must not lay aside my rouge writes the young wife deciding to keep adorning herself because of the good omen - not removing the rouge, at once unwilling to put down the expectation of dressing for the one who loves her, and preparing to meet her husband with the best face should he return; within five characters how many heart's secrets. Could it be my husband is coming home? then closes in conjecture; husband uses the old term; could it be writes the half-believing, half-doubting, joy mixed with timidity, fearing the hope empty; the psychology's twists are all beyond words. The two lines one narrate, one doubt, writing the young wife's hope born of the good omen, yet not daring to fully believe - the complex state vivid and moving. The whole poem opens with the folk custom and closes with infatuated words, words shallow yet feeling true, playful and rich - precisely what makes this poem worth savoring.

Study

Word focus

裙带解 'The sash of the skirt, untied' — the untied sash, the omen of the returning. 「裙带解」三字是全诗的起兴之笔，看似写一件琐碎小事，实为古代民俗占验的浓缩。裙带无缘无故松解，古人以为行人将归之兆，少妇因此留意、因此生出期待，可见其盼夫归家之心无时或忘。诗人不直写思念，而托此征兆以见之，含蓄蕴藉，又极具生活气息，使闺怨这一传统题材平添几分家常的亲切与机趣。

蟢子飞 'The spider, flying' — the flying spider, the omen of the good. 「蟢子」即蜘蛛，因「蟢」与「喜」谐音，民间视为喜兆。诗人继「裙带解」之后又拈出此兆，一为离思之征，一为归期之喜，两兆相映，少妇心中的波澜便不言而喻。「飞」字写蟢子垂丝飘荡之态，动态如在目前，也暗喻喜讯之将至、心神之摇曳。二字看似寻常，却将民俗之兆、盼归之情与灵动的画面熔于一炉。「蟢子飞」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。

铅华不可弃 'The lead and the flowers, cannot be abandoned' — the kept makeup, the readiness of the wife. 「铅华」指搽脸的铅粉，代指妆饰。「不可弃」三字是全诗情感最浓处：既是舍不得卸妆，更是以备夫归时以最好姿容相见。一个深闺独守的少妇，因一个吉兆而认真地决定「不可弃」妆，其背后的期待、郑重与辛酸，尽在五个字中。此句以平淡语写深情，是唐人五绝中「以少总多」的典范。「铅华不可弃」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。

莫是 'Could it be' — the question of the wife, the anticipation of the returning. 「莫是」即「莫非是」，是全诗点睛的揣度之辞。吉兆虽现，而夫归未定，少妇既喜又疑，唯恐空欢喜一场，故以「莫是」自问自答，把将信将疑、喜中含忧的心理刻画得入木三分。二字看似轻飘，实则千钧，收束全诗而余味无穷，正见诗人捕捉闺中微妙的功力。「莫是」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。