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唐 Tang · 诗 Poem

赠阙下裴舍人

To, the, Secretary, Pei, below, the, Palace

钱起

Qian Qi

二月黄莺飞上林，春城紫禁晓阴阴。
长乐钟声花外尽，龙池柳色雨中深。
阳和不散穷途恨，霄汉常悬捧日心。
献赋十年犹未遇，羞将白发对华簪。

In, the, second, month, the, yellow, orioles, flying, over, the, Shanglin,
The, spring, city, the, purple, forbidden, the, dawn, dark, dark.
The, bells, of, the, Changle, beyond, the, flowers, ending,
The, willows, of, the, Long, Pool, in, the, rain, the, colors, deep.
The, warm, light, not, dispelling, the, regret, of, the, blocked, road,
The, high, heavens, always, hanging, the, heart, of, holding, the, sun.
Presenting, the, compositions, ten, years, still, not, encountered,
Ashamed, to, face, the, white, hair, against, the, patterned, hairpin.

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Meaning

A poem of the courtship and the sigh, written by Qian Qi. In the second month the yellow orioles flying over the Shanglin, the spring city the purple forbidden the dawn dark dark — the court of the opening. The bells of the Changle beyond the flowers ending, the willows of the Long Pool in the rain the colors deep — the scene of the middle. The warm light not dispelling the regret of the blocked road, the high heavens always hanging the heart of holding the sun — the loyalty of the middle. And the close's presenting the compositions ten years still not encountered, ashamed to face the white hair against the patterned hairpin — the close's sigh. The poem is the courtship and the sigh: the court, the loyalty, and the close's sigh.

二月里黄莺飞上林苑，春日京城中的皇宫庭院笼罩在一片朦胧的晨色之中。长乐宫的钟声在花丛之外渐渐消隐，龙池边的柳色在春雨里显得越发深浓。春日的暖阳也驱不散我穷途末路的幽恨，而我心中却始终高悬着一颗捧日报君的赤诚之心。献赋求仕已历十年，至今仍未遇知音，实在羞于以满头白发去面对那衣饰华贵的朝官。

Appreciation

[Plain Paraphrase] In, the, second, month, the, yellow, orioles, flying, over, the, Shanglin, the, spring, city, the, purple, forbidden, the, dawn, dark, dark. The, bells, of, the, Changle, beyond, the, flowers, ending, the, willows, of, the, Long, Pool, in, the, rain, the, colors, deep. The, warm, light, not, dispelling, the, regret, of, the, blocked, road, the, high, heavens, always, hanging, the, heart, of, holding, the, sun. Presenting, the, compositions, ten, years, still, not, encountered, ashamed, to, face, the, white, hair, against, the, patterned, hairpin. [Structure and Thought] The poem moves from the court of the Shanglin and the purple forbidden, through the loyalty of the high heavens and the holding of the sun, to the close's the sigh of the ten years and the white hair. [Key Technique] The poem's art is the close of the sigh: the high heavens always hanging the heart of holding the sun, and the close's the ten years still not encountered — the courtship gathered in the loyalty and the close's sigh. [Emotional Tone] Courting, loyal, and sighing: the poem is the court, the loyalty and the close's white hair.

【白话串讲】钱起写《赠阙下裴舍人》：“二月黄莺飞上林，春城紫禁晓阴阴”——“长乐钟声花外尽，龙池柳色雨中深”——“阳和不散穷途恨，霄汉常悬捧日心”——“献赋十年犹未遇，羞将白发对华簪”——他赠裴舍人——献赋十年犹未遇。【意象与手法】前四句极写阙下宫苑春色：上林莺飞、紫禁晓阴、钟声花外、柳色雨中，境界明丽而不失庄重，暗颂裴舍人侍从之尊荣；后四句转写己身，“捧日心”明志，“献赋十年”自伤，“羞将白发对华簪”收束，于自谦中见不遇之憾。颂而不谀、怨而不露。【情感与主旨】钱起向中书舍人裴氏干谒陈情之作，是唐人干谒诗中得体而有文采的名篇。【名句点睛】常考“长乐钟声花外尽，龙池柳色雨中深”写宫苑春色；“献赋十年犹未遇，羞将白发对华簪”写不遇之憾。

Background

Qian Qi (c. 710-782), one of the 'Ten Talents of the Dali' of the Tang, wrote this 'To, the, Secretary, Pei, below, the, Palace' of the courtship and the sigh — the hope of the recommendation. The court of the Shanglin with the purple forbidden, the loyalty of the high heavens, and the close's the ten years with the white hair — the poem gathers the hope of the poet, the sigh of the years. The poem is one of the famous works of the poet's poems of the courtship.

《赠阙下裴舍人》为唐代诗人钱起的一首七言律诗。钱起（约710—约780），字仲文，吴兴人，天宝九载进士，大历中官至考功郎中，与卢纶、韩翃等并称「大历十才子」，诗风清丽工整，尤工应制与送别之作。此诗题中「阙下」指宫阙之下，即朝中；「裴舍人」当指裴姓的中书舍人——唐代中书舍人为执掌起草诏令、侍从皇帝的重臣，地位清要。钱起早年屡试不第，蹭蹬科场，此诗盖作于其向裴舍人陈情干谒、希求援引之时。诗的前半极写裴舍人每日所见的上林宫苑春色：黄莺、紫禁、长乐钟声、龙池柳色，皆以华美之笔铺陈，暗颂其职任之清贵；后半转入陈情，以「献赋十年犹未遇」自道怀才不遇之慨，而以「捧日心」表白忠君之志，末句「羞将白发对华簪」则于自谦自伤中含蓄地请求援引。全诗颂美得体、陈情委婉，既见盛唐士人干谒之风的时代背景，也体现了钱起精工秀丽的诗风，是唐人干谒诗中情辞兼善、不落俗套的佳作，历代唐诗选本多有收录。

Art

The poem's art is the art of the sigh. The court opens: in, the, second, month, the, yellow, orioles, flying, over, the, Shanglin — the yellow orioles of the Shanglin; the, spring, city, the, purple, forbidden, the, dawn, dark, dark — the purple forbidden of the dawn; the, bells, of, the, Changle, beyond, the, flowers, ending — the bells of the Changle; the, willows, of, the, Long, Pool, in, the, rain, the, colors, deep — the willows of the Long Pool. The loyalty follows: the, warm, light, not, dispelling, the, regret, of, the, blocked, road — the regret of the blocked road; the, high, heavens, always, hanging, the, heart, of, holding, the, sun — the heart of holding the sun. And the close gathers the sigh: presenting, the, compositions, ten, years, still, not, encountered — the ten years of the presenting; ashamed, to, face, the, white, hair, against, the, patterned, hairpin — the white hair of the patterned hairpin — the court, the loyalty and the close's sigh, gathered in the poem.

此诗艺术上以「前颂后陈、双线绾合」见长。前四句纯写阙下春色，不着一字颂美，而颂意自见：首联「二月黄莺飞上林，春城紫禁晓阴阴」以莺飞、春城点出时令，以上林、紫禁点出禁苑，着一「晓阴阴」，写足清晨宫苑的幽深静穆；颔联「长乐钟声花外尽，龙池柳色雨中深」以听觉写钟声之悠远，以视觉写柳色之深浓，声、色、雨、花交织，境界明丽而庄重。这两联写的是裴舍人日常侍从之地，暗寓其清贵之身，颂美藏于景中，含蓄得体。后四句笔锋一转，转入陈情：「阳和不散穷途恨」以春阳反衬己愁，顿挫生澜；「霄汉常悬捧日心」以捧日明志，格调复扬；末联「献赋十年犹未遇，羞将白发对华簪」由志而怨，由怨而自伤，一句「羞」字，既见不遇之憾，又见求荐之诚。全诗前实后虚、先景后情，写景处典雅工丽，陈情处含蓄深至，颂而不谀、怨而不露，章法谨严而气脉流畅，是钱起七律中体物精工、情辞得体的代表作。

Allusions

'The Shanglin' (Shang lin) is the Shanglin — the park of the Shanglin, the garden of the Han; 'the Changle' (Chang le) is the Changle — the palace of the Changle, the bells of the court; 'the Long Pool' (Long chi) is the Long Pool — the pool of the dragon, the willows of the palace; 'the patterned hairpin' (hua zan) is the patterned hairpin — the hairpin of the patterned, the cap of the office.

诗中「献赋」一词，典出汉代文人以辞赋进献朝廷以求进用的故事。据《汉书》等所载，汉武之世，司马相如以《子虚赋》《上林赋》献于武帝，得拜为郎；此后如扬雄以《甘泉赋》《羽猎赋》献于成帝，亦得召见待诏，遂使「献赋」成为文人以文才干谒君上、希求仕进的经典典故，杜甫《进三大礼赋表》中亦自陈献赋求仕之事，李白更以「献赋十年犹未遇」相叹。钱起此处「献赋十年犹未遇」，以汉代献赋求仕的文人自比，明言自己以文才干谒已历十年而仍不见用，既自道怀才不遇之慨，又暗含向裴舍人请求援引之意。此外，前四句所写上林、长乐、龙池等皆汉代宫苑之名，钱起以汉代宫苑写唐代禁中，既合乎宫廷诗以古写今的惯习，又使「献赋」之典与宫苑之景前后呼应，古今对照，自然浑成。此典之用，切合干谒之旨而不露痕迹，既见诗人用典之贴切，更见其措辞之得体，正是唐人干谒诗使事精工的典范。

Commentary

This poem is one of the famous works of Qian Qi's poems of the courtship, quoted for the splendor of its opening and the sigh of its close. The bells of the Changle beyond the flowers, and the white hair against the patterned hairpin, are among the admired passages of the poet's poems. Critics praise the poem's courtship: the loyalty gathered in the scene, to the close's sigh.

这首干谒诗之所以为后世称道，在于它把求荐陈情的意图包裹在典雅工丽的宫苑春景之中，颂得含蓄，陈得得体。前四句写阙下之景：黄莺、上林、紫禁、钟声、柳色，无一字及人，而裴舍人清贵雍容的侍从身份已从这禁苑春色中悄然透出——诗人不直说对方尊荣，而以他日日面对的风物之美相颂，比直白的恭维高明得多。中间两联转写己怀：「阳和不散穷途恨」，以和煦春阳反衬内心幽恨，顿挫有力；「霄汉常悬捧日心」，则以捧日自誓，剖白忠君之志，笔调复又昂扬，这一抑一扬之间，可见诗人心志之光明与处境之困顿的强烈反差。末联「献赋十年犹未遇，羞将白发对华簪」，是全诗的点睛与高潮：「十年」见求仕之久，「白发」见年华之逝，「华簪」见对方之位望，而以一「羞」字贯之，把自伤、自惭、求荐、羡慕种种复杂情愫一并道出，既不失身份，又足动人情。全诗颂而不媚、怨而不怒，委婉深至，正是唐人干谒诗中最见性情与功力的佳作，也让我们看到大历诗人于应酬之体中所寄寓的真诚人生感慨。

Prosody

Form A regulated poem of the courtship (qi yan lü shi)七言律诗（近体律诗，仄起式）

Rhyme The poem rhymes on the level of the group — the cadence of the regulated poem that carries the loyal sigh.全诗押平声韵，韵脚为「林」「阴」「深」「心」「簪」，同属平水韵下平十二侵韵，一韵到底，韵律沉静悠长。侵韵发音内敛低回，恰与宫廷诗端庄含蓄、干谒诗委婉深至的格调相称，读来声情绵邈、余韵不尽。五韵脚分布于各联之末，「林」点地、「阴」状景、「深」写色、「心」明志、「簪」应人，韵脚与诗意层层相扣，声韵的沉静与情感的深挚互为表里，通篇诵读，自有雍容含蓄之致。

Tone pattern The cadence is that of the sigh: the level opening with the court, the turning with the loyalty, and the close's fall with the white hair.句式上，全诗平仄谐协，合乎七律格律。首句「二月黄莺飞上林」仄起平收，声调平稳；颔联「长乐钟声花外尽，龙池柳色雨中深」对仗精工，平仄相间，以「花外尽」「雨中深」写声色之消长，音节浏亮；颈联「阳和不散穷途恨，霄汉常悬捧日心」以「不散」「常悬」相呼应，声情顿挫；尾联「献赋十年犹未遇，羞将白发对华簪」仄起平收，收束沉挚。全诗以侵韵统摄，而句中平仄起伏有致，形成雍容舒缓的节奏，恰与宫廷诗与干谒诗庄重含蓄的笔调相应，声情与辞情浑然一体。

Reading note The poem's sound matches its courtship: the cadences of the regulated poem, and the close — 'xiu jiang bai fa dui hua zan' — falls with the hairpin, the sound of the sigh of the presenting poet.此诗为七言律诗，八句五十六字，是钱起干谒陈情的代表作，章法以「颂美—明志—陈情」三层递进，回环吞吐而情致深婉。前四句写阙下宫苑春景，上林黄莺、紫禁晓阴、长乐钟声、龙池柳色，声、色、雨、花交织，境界明丽而庄重，暗颂裴舍人侍从之清贵，颂意藏于景中，含蓄得体；颈联以「穷途恨」与「捧日心」对举，一抑一扬，自伤中见志节；尾联「献赋十年犹未遇，羞将白发对华簪」以「羞」字收束，自伤不遇、暗求援引，情辞并至。其所以为干谒诗中的上品，端赖三点：一是颂美得体，写景而不谀，以禁苑风物之美暗寓对方之尊；二是陈情委婉，全篇不着一「荐」字，而求荐之意自在言外；三是炼字精工，「晓阴阴」「雨中深」「常悬」「华簪」等语，皆锤炼入微而无斧凿之痕。大历诗人诗风以清丽工整为尚，此篇正其典型，既合干谒之体，又富诗家之味，允称唐人七律中情辞兼善的佳作。

Line by line

二月黄莺飞上林，春城紫禁晓阴阴。

In, the, second, month, the, yellow, orioles, flying, over, the, Shanglin, the, spring, city, the, purple, forbidden, the, dawn, dark, dark.

二月时节黄莺飞上了林苑，春日的京城中，皇宫庭院笼罩在一片幽深朦胧的晨色里。

In the second month the orioles fly up to the Shanglin Park; the spring city, the Purple Forbidden Court, is dim with dawn.

首联写阙下早春之景，是全诗颂美之笔的起点。「上林」本为汉代苑囿，此处借指唐宫苑，黄莺飞翔其上，点出春意初萌、万物欣荣的时令；「紫禁」即宫禁，「晓阴阴」三字写足清晨宫苑的幽深静穆，既见其庄严，又透出几分朦胧的诗意。两句一写动景一写静景，一明丽一幽深，声色相映，把裴舍人所处的清贵之地写得既美且尊。诗人不着一句颂美之词，而裴舍人侍从禁中、身居清要的身份已从这风物之美中悄然透出，颂意含蓄，不着痕迹，正合干谒诗「颂而不谀」的体度，也为下文转入陈情作了气氛上的铺垫。

The opening couplet writes early spring scenery below the palace, the starting point of the poem's praise. Shanglin was originally a Han imperial park, here borrowed for the Tang palace park; orioles flying above it names the season of first spring sprouting, all things flourishing. Purple Forbidden is the palace; dim with dawn three characters fully write the early-morning palace's depth and quiet, showing at once its solemnity and a touch of dim poetry. The two lines one write motion one stillness, one bright one deep; sound and color set off, writing Pei the Gentleman's noble and pure place as both beautiful and honored. The poet does not use one word of praise, yet Pei's attending the forbidden court, holding a pure and vital post, already quietly shows through the scenery's beauty; praise reserved, without trace, precisely fitting the干ye poem's praise-without-flattery manner, also preparing the atmosphere for the later turning to plea.

阳和不散穷途恨，霄汉常悬捧日心。

The, warm, light, not, dispelling, the, regret, of, the, blocked, road, the, high, heavens, always, hanging, the, heart, of, holding, the, sun.

和煦的春阳也驱不散我穷途末路的幽恨，而我的心中却始终高悬着一颗捧日效忠的赤诚之心。

The warm sun cannot disperse the exile's regret; in the sky forever hangs my sun-holding heart.

颈联是全诗由颂美转入陈情的关键转折，一抑一扬，颇具匠心。「阳和」即春日和暖之气，本是令人欢愉的，诗人却以「不散」二字翻转，反衬出「穷途恨」之深重——境遇愈好而愁恨愈不能消解，乐景写哀，倍增其悲；「霄汉常悬捧日心」则笔锋一振，以捧日之誓剖白忠君之心，「常悬」二字见其心志之坚贞不渝。两句之中，一写身世之恨，一写报国之志，恨愈深而志愈坚，形成强烈的张力，把诗人困顿中不改其志、失意中犹存热望的复杂心境写得真切动人，也为末联的自伤与求荐蓄足了情感之势。

The third couplet is the key turn from praise to plea, one press one lift, most crafted. The warm sun means the spring warm breath, originally pleasing; the poet yet uses cannot disperse to turn it over, setting off the deep regret of the road's end - the better the lot, the more the sorrow cannot dissolve; using fair scenery to write grief doubles the grief. In the sky forever hangs my sun-holding heart then lifts the brush, using the sun-holding oath to bare the loyal heart toward the prince; forever hangs shows the will's firm unswerving. Within the two lines, one writes the life-fate regret, one the serving-country will; the deeper the regret, the firmer the will, forming strong tension; writing the poet's unchanged will in hardship, surviving hope in disappointment, vivid and moving; also storing full emotional force for the last couplet's self-grief and request for recommendation.

献赋十年犹未遇，羞将白发对华簪。

Presenting, the, compositions, ten, years, still, not, encountered, ashamed, to, face, the, white, hair, against, the, patterned, hairpin.

我献赋求仕已历十年，至今仍未遇到赏识之人，实在羞于以满头白发去面对那身居要职、衣饰华贵的朝官。

Ten years presenting fu, still unrecognized; ashamed to show white hair before your jeweled hairpin.

尾联是全诗的点睛之笔，道尽干谒的苦衷与不遇的悲哀。「献赋」以汉代文人献赋求仕之典自比，「十年」极言求仕岁月之长，「犹未遇」三字则写尽知音难觅、荐举无门的困顿，字字沉痛。「羞将白发对华簪」更进一层：「白发」写年华老去，「华簪」指裴舍人簪缨华贵之位，以一「羞」字贯穿，既见自愧年华虚度、一事无成的伤感，又暗含羡慕对方得志、恳望援引之意，自谦而不失身份，恳切而不失风度。两句以「羞」收束全篇，把怀才不遇之慨、求荐援引之诚、自伤自惭之情熔于一炉，含蓄深至，余味不尽，是唐人干谒诗中最见性情与功力的收束之笔。

The closing couplet is the poem's finishing stroke, exhausting the干ye plea's bitterness and the unrecognized grief. Presenting fu uses the Han literatus presenting-fu-for-office allusion for self-comparison; ten years exaggerates the office-seeking years' length; still unrecognized three characters exhaust the hard lot of knowing-friends hard to find, recommendation doors closed, every character poignant. Ashamed to show white hair before your jeweled hairpin goes one level further: white hair writes the years' aging; jeweled hairpin refers to Pei's noble-pin position; one ashamed runs through both, showing at once the grief over wasted youth, achievementless, and secretly the envy of the other's success, the earnest hope for recommendation; self-deprecating yet not losing standing, earnest yet not losing poise. The two lines close the whole poem in ashamed, fusing the unrecognized-talent sigh, the recommendation plea's sincerity, and self-grief's feeling into one furnace; reserved and deep, aftertaste endless - among Tang干ye poems, the closing brush most showing character and craft.

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捧日心 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「捧日心」见于颈联「霄汉常悬捧日心」，典出《三国志》所载程昱幼时「梦上泰山，两手捧日」之异事，后以「捧日」喻忠心辅佐君王、报效朝廷，为忠臣自矢之语。钱起此处自言「霄汉常悬捧日心」，「霄汉」写高远之志，「常悬」写坚贞之恒，「捧日」则直剖忠君效国之诚，三词连用，气象高华而意态恳切。此句置于「穷途恨」之后，以明志的昂扬振起自伤的沉郁，顿挫生姿，既让裴舍人看到自己纵处困顿而志节不移的品格，又为下文求荐铺垫了堂皇的理由。一词之出，忠悃与才华并见，正是干谒诗中表白心迹的典范用语。

华簪 'The, patterned, hairpin' — the hairpin of the patterned, the cap of the office. 「华簪」见于尾联「羞将白发对华簪」，指华贵的簪饰，古以簪缨代指达官贵人，此处借指裴舍人身居要职的尊贵身份。诗人不直说对方「高官」，而着一「华簪」以物代人，既避直白之嫌，又见措辞之雅。更妙在与上句「白发」对举：白发之我，对华簪之君，一衰一荣、一困一达，对比鲜明，而那一个「羞」字，便把自愧年华虚度、功名未就、而对方簪缨在首的复杂心绪和盘托出。一词之设，既写对方之位望，更写自身之困顿，干谒之诚与不遇之悲尽在其中，是诗中含意最丰富、最见锤炼功夫的字眼。

深 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「深」字见于颔联「龙池柳色雨中深」，写春雨浸润下柳色的浓重。柳色经雨，其青绿愈显深沉，「深」字既写出色泽之浓、湿润之感，又暗含时光之流转、春意之成熟，以一字写尽雨中柳色的质感与神韵。尤妙在以此「深」字与上句「花外尽」的钟声相映：钟声渐远而至于「尽」，柳色因雨而愈见其「深」，一尽一深、一虚一实、一消一长，声与色、远与近、消与长相互对照，把长乐宫外、龙池之畔的春景写得既空灵又浓郁，也暗合诗人前路迷茫而心志弥坚的复杂心境。一字之用，炼意精工，是钱起体物入微、善用寻常字造不凡境的一贯风格。