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唐 Tang · 诗 Poem

紫薇花

The, Flower, of, the, Crape, Myrtle

白居易

Bai Juyi

丝纶阁下文书静，钟鼓楼中刻漏长。
独坐黄昏谁是伴，紫薇花对紫微郎。

Below, the, Pavilion, of, the, Silk, the, documents, still,
In, the, tower, of, the, bell, and, the, drum, the, water, clock, long.
Sitting, alone, at, the, dusk, who, is, the, companion,
The, flower, of, the, crape, myrtle, facing, the, clerk, of, the, crape, myrtle.
Listen

Meaning

A poem of the office and the solitude, written by Bai Juyi. Below the Pavilion of the Silk the documents still, in the tower of the bell and the drum the water clock long — the office of the opening. Sitting alone at the dusk who is the companion, the flower of the crape myrtle facing the clerk of the crape myrtle — the solitude of the close. The poem is the office and the solitude: the documents, the clock, and the close's crape myrtle.

丝纶阁下文书静，钟鼓楼中刻漏长。独坐黄昏谁是伴，紫薇花对紫微郎。

Appreciation

[Plain Paraphrase] Below, the, Pavilion, of, the, Silk, the, documents, still, in, the, tower, of, the, bell, and, the, drum, the, water, clock, long. Sitting, alone, at, the, dusk, who, is, the, companion, the, flower, of, the, crape, myrtle, facing, the, clerk, of, the, crape, myrtle. [Structure and Thought] The poem moves from the office of the Pavilion of the Silk and the water clock, through the sitting alone of the dusk, to the close's the crape myrtle facing the clerk of the crape myrtle. [Key Technique] The poem's art is the close of the solitude: sitting alone at the dusk who is the companion, and the close's the flower of the crape myrtle facing the clerk of the crape myrtle — the office gathered in the solitude and the close's flower. [Emotional Tone] Quiet, solitary, and self-mocking: the poem is the documents, the dusk and the close's crape myrtle.

【白话串讲】 白居易写《紫薇花》：“丝纶阁下文书静，钟鼓楼中刻漏长”——“独坐黄昏谁是伴，紫薇花对紫微郎”——他写紫薇花——紫薇花对紫微郎。 【意象与手法】 “丝纶阁下文书静、钟鼓楼中刻漏长”写文书静；“独坐黄昏谁是伴”写独坐黄昏；结以“紫薇花对紫微郎”以紫薇花对紫微郎写自嘲。诙谐闲适。 【情感与主旨】 白居易写紫薇花之作，写独坐黄昏谁是伴、紫薇花对紫微郎的闲适自嘲，是咏物诗中的名篇。 【名句点睛】 常考“丝纶阁下文书静，钟鼓楼中刻漏长”写文书静；“独坐黄昏谁是伴，紫薇花对紫微郎”写闲适自嘲。

Background

Bai Juyi (772-846), the great poet of the Tang, wrote this 'The, Flower, of, the, Crape, Myrtle' of the office and the solitude — the quiet of the idle post. The Pavilion of the Silk with the water clock, and the close's the crape myrtle facing the clerk of the crape myrtle — the poem gathers the solitude of the poet, the humor of the self-mockery. The poem is one of the famous works of the poet's poems of the office.

《紫薇花》为唐代诗人白居易所作诗。白居易（772—846），字乐天，号香山居士，下邽人，唐代诗人。此诗写咏物闲适，为咏紫薇之作。诗中「丝纶阁下文书静，钟鼓楼中刻漏长」写丝纶阁下文书静，钟鼓楼中刻漏长；「独坐黄昏谁是伴，紫薇花对紫微郎」写独坐黄昏谁是伴，紫薇花对紫微郎。白居易此诗以咏物闲适、紫薇花对紫微郎写其闲适之情，诙谐闲适，是白居易诗中的名篇。此篇《紫薇花》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《紫薇花》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《紫薇花》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 solitude. The office opens: below, the, Pavilion, of, the, Silk, the, documents, still — the documents of the Pavilion of the Silk; in, the, tower, of, the, bell, and, the, drum, the, water, clock, long — the water clock of the tower of the bell and the drum. The solitude follows: sitting, alone, at, the, dusk, who, is, the, companion — the companion of the dusk; the, flower, of, the, crape, myrtle, facing, the, clerk, of, the, crape, myrtle — the crape myrtle of the clerk — the office, the dusk and the close's flower, gathered in the poem.

此诗艺术上以「诙谐闲适、以花写情」见长。全诗共四句两联，由丝纶阁下文书静而独坐黄昏谁是伴。起「丝纶阁下文书静，钟鼓楼中刻漏长」写丝纶阁下文书静：丝纶阁下文书静，钟鼓楼中刻漏长；结「独坐黄昏谁是伴，紫薇花对紫微郎」写独坐黄昏谁是伴：独坐黄昏谁是伴，紫薇花对紫微郎。全诗以花写情，由丝纶阁下文书静而紫薇花对紫微郎，诙谐闲适，是白居易诗中的名篇。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 Pavilion of the Silk' (si lun ge) is the Pavilion of the Silk — the pavilion of the silk, the office of the drafting; 'the tower of the bell and the drum' (zhong gu lou) is the tower of the bell and the drum — the tower of the bell and the drum, the marking of the hours; 'the clerk of the crape myrtle' (zi wei lang) is the clerk of the crape myrtle — the clerk of the crape myrtle, the office of the Zhongshu, the self-mockery of the close.

诗中「丝纶阁下文书静钟鼓楼中刻漏长」「独坐黄昏谁是伴紫薇花对紫微郎」等语，皆含典故故实。「丝纶阁下文书静钟鼓楼中刻漏长」用丝纶阁之典（丝纶阁写中书省），写丝纶阁下文书静钟鼓楼中刻漏长；「独坐黄昏谁是伴紫薇花对紫微郎」用紫微之典（紫微写紫微省），写独坐黄昏谁是伴紫薇花对紫微郎。诗人用丝纶阁、紫微之典入诗，不着痕迹，而把咏物闲适之情写得真切可感，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 poem is one of the famous works of Bai Juyi's poems of the office, quoted for the quiet of its scene and the humor of its close. The water clock of the tower of the bell and the drum, and the crape myrtle facing the clerk of the crape myrtle, are among the admired passages of the poet's poems. Critics praise the poem's humor: the office gathered in the solitude, to the close's crape myrtle.

这首《紫薇花》，是白居易写咏物闲适之作，写丝纶阁下文书静、独坐黄昏谁是伴、紫薇花对紫微郎之情，诙谐闲适。起「丝纶阁下文书静，钟鼓楼中刻漏长」——丝纶阁下文书静，钟鼓楼中刻漏长。写丝纶阁下文书静：丝纶阁下文书静、钟鼓楼中刻漏长——文书静、刻漏长；结「独坐黄昏谁是伴，紫薇花对紫微郎」——独坐黄昏谁是伴，紫薇花对紫微郎。写独坐黄昏谁是伴：独坐黄昏谁是伴、紫薇花对紫微郎——谁是伴、对紫微郎。这「独坐黄昏谁是伴，紫薇花对紫微郎」，是全诗之结：以紫薇花对紫微郎写其闲适。全诗诙谐闲适，以花写情，正是白居易诗中的名篇。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 A quatrain of the office (qi yan jue ju)诗（七言绝句）
Rhyme The poem rhymes on the level of the group — the cadence of the quatrain that carries the quiet humor.此诗为七言绝句，共四句两联。押韵：「长」「郎」押阳部韵。前两句起、后两句转合，平仄相间，正与写咏物闲适的诙谐闲适相称，也见其以七绝写闲适的凝练。
Tone pattern The cadence is that of the solitude: the level opening with the office, the turning with the dusk, and the close's fall with the crape myrtle.句式上，「丝纶阁下文书静，钟鼓楼中刻漏长」写丝纶阁下文书静，音节诙谐；结「独坐黄昏谁是伴，紫薇花对紫微郎」写独坐黄昏谁是伴，音节悠长。全诗音节随情起伏，由诙谐而悠长，正合七绝「凝练」之妙，读来如咏物闲适、紫薇花对紫微郎之音，诙谐而动人。
Reading note The poem's sound matches its humor: the cadences of the quatrain, and the close — 'zi wei hua dui zi wei lang' — falls with the clerk, the sound of the self-mockery of the idle poet.此诗为七言绝句，是白居易写咏物闲适之作，也是其诗中的名篇。全诗的艺术特色在于「诙谐闲适、以花写情」：「丝纶阁下文书静，钟鼓楼中刻漏长」写丝纶阁下文书静、「独坐黄昏谁是伴，紫薇花对紫微郎」写独坐黄昏谁是伴。全诗诙谐闲适，以花写情。尤为精妙者，是「丝纶阁下文书静」用丝纶阁之典；而「紫薇花对紫微郎」用紫微之典，正是白居易诗「诙谐闲适」的典范，为历代选本所常收。《紫薇花》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

丝纶阁下文书静，钟鼓楼中刻漏长。

Below, the, Pavilion, of, the, Silk, the, documents, still, in, the, tower, of, the, bell, and, the, drum, the, water, clock, long.

丝纶阁下文书静，钟鼓楼中刻漏长。

In the Silk Edict Pavilion the documents are still; in the Bell-Drum Tower the water clock drags.

起句写丝纶阁下文书静，起笔即见其丝纶阁。「丝纶阁下文书静」用丝纶阁之典写丝纶阁下文书静，「丝纶阁下」写丝纶阁下、「文书静」写文书静；「钟鼓楼中刻漏长」写钟鼓楼中刻漏长，「钟鼓楼中」写钟鼓楼中、「刻漏长」写刻漏长。一句写丝纶阁下文书静钟鼓楼中刻漏长，以丝纶阁下文书静写文书静、以钟鼓楼中刻漏长写刻漏长，写尽丝纶阁下文书静、钟鼓楼中刻漏长之情。以阁起兴，诙谐而闲适，是「以阁起兴」的妙笔。

The opening writes in the Silk Edict Pavilion the documents are still, the Silk Edict Pavilion named at the first stroke. In the Silk Edict Pavilion uses the Silk Edict Pavilion allusion (the imperial secretariat): the office. The documents are still: the quiet desk. In the Bell-Drum Tower: the time tower. The water clock drags: the long hours. One block writes the still documents in the edict office and the long water clock - Bai Juyi's starting point for the idle office: the endless quiet of court service. The line opens with the office as bi-xing, humorous and leisurely: the stillness at once.

独坐黄昏谁是伴，

Alone I sit at dusk - who is my companion?

独坐黄昏谁是伴，

Sitting alone at dusk, who is my companion?

此句写独坐黄昏谁是伴，是全诗写黄昏之态的关键。「独坐黄昏」写独坐黄昏，「独坐」写独坐、「黄昏」写黄昏；「谁是伴」写谁是伴，「谁是」写谁是、「伴」写伴。一句写独坐黄昏谁是伴，以独坐黄昏写黄昏、以谁是伴写谁是伴，写尽独坐黄昏谁是伴之情。以坐写情，诙谐而闲适，是「以坐写情」的点睛之笔。此句以寥寥数语写尽深意，情韵兼胜，正是全诗点睛之笔。其于字句之间暗藏波澜，于平易之中寄寓曲折，尤当反复涵泳，方能得其三昧。

This line writes sitting alone at dusk, who is my companion?, the key to the poem's dusk state. Sitting alone at dusk: the solitary figure at twilight. Who is my companion: the asking question. One line writes the solitary dusk and the rhetorical question of companionship - the pivot: the dusk in the empty office. The line uses sitting for feeling, humorous and leisurely: the solitude shown through the question.

紫薇花对紫微郎。

The crape myrtle faces the Purple Star Gentleman.

紫薇花对紫微郎。

The crape myrtle flower faces the Purple Star Gentleman.

结句写紫薇花对紫微郎，是全诗立意的落点。「紫薇花对紫微郎」用紫微之典写紫薇花对紫微郎，「紫薇花」写紫薇花、「对紫微郎」写对紫微郎。一句写紫薇花对紫微郎，以紫薇花写紫薇花、以对紫微郎写对紫微郎，写尽紫薇花对紫微郎之情。以微写情，诙谐而闲适，是全诗最动人处，也是「以微写情」的点睛之笔。

The closing line writes the crape myrtle flower faces the Purple Star Gentleman, the poem's landing. The crape myrtle flower: the office flower. Faces the Purple Star Gentleman uses the Purple Star allusion (the Ziwei province, where Bai served as director): the punning title. One line writes the flower facing the official - the resolution: the only companion is the flower that shares his name. The line uses the subtle pun for feeling, humorous and leisurely, the poem's most moving point: the self-mocking wit of flower and official facing each other.

Study

Word focus

文书 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「文书」写丝纶阁下文书静，是写文书之态的关键。「丝纶阁下文书静」着一「文书」，写文书——着一「文书」，写丝纶阁下文书静，见其书之文。两字写尽文书之态，是「以词写书」的妙笔。「文书」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。
刻漏 'The, water, clock' — the clock of the water, the length of the hours. 「刻漏」写钟鼓楼中刻漏长，是写刻漏之态的关键。「钟鼓楼中刻漏长」着一「刻漏」，写刻漏——着一「刻漏」，写钟鼓楼中刻漏长，见其漏之刻。两字写尽刻漏之态，是「以词写漏」的点睛之词。「刻漏」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。
黄昏 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「黄昏」写独坐黄昏谁是伴，是写黄昏之态的关键。「独坐黄昏谁是伴」着一「黄昏」，写黄昏——着一「黄昏」，写独坐黄昏谁是伴，见其昏之黄。两字写尽黄昏之态，是「以词写昏」的点睛之词。「黄昏」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。
紫薇 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「紫薇」写紫薇花对紫微郎，是写紫薇之态的关键。「紫薇花对紫微郎」着一「紫薇」，写紫薇——着一「紫薇」，写紫薇花对紫微郎，见其薇之紫。两字写尽紫薇之态，是「以词写薇」的点睛之词。「紫薇」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。

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水调歌头·明月几时有 Prelude to Water Melody: How Long Will the Full Moon Appear? 苏轼 · 同写闲适感怀、诙谐旷达，一写人有悲欢离合、一写丝纶阁下文书静钟鼓楼中刻漏长，皆于闲适之中见诙谐 Related reading

Compare this related work with the poem above through theme, imagery, tone, and emotional movement.

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」，写闲适感怀、诙谐旷达，是宋词长调的名篇；白居易《紫薇花》则以「丝纶阁下文书静，钟鼓楼中刻漏长」「紫薇花对紫微郎」写刻漏长、对紫微郎。两诗同写闲适感怀、诙谐旷达：一写人有悲欢离合、以悲欢写离合，一写丝纶阁下文书静钟鼓楼中刻漏长、以紫薇写闲适；一为苏轼之旷达、一为白居易之诙谐，并读正可见诗写「闲适感怀」的两种笔法，皆于闲适之中见诙谐。

 八声甘州·对潇潇暮雨洒江天 Eight Beats of Ganzhou: Facing the Evening Rain 柳永 · 同写花下凝望、诙谐清丽，一写对潇潇暮雨洒江天、一写丝纶阁下文书静钟鼓楼中刻漏长，皆于花下之中见凝望 Related reading

Compare this related work with the poem above through theme, imagery, tone, and emotional movement.

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」，写花下凝望、诙谐清丽，是宋词写羁旅的名篇；白居易《紫薇花》则以「丝纶阁下文书静，钟鼓楼中刻漏长」「独坐黄昏谁是伴」写刻漏长、谁是伴。两诗同写花下凝望、诙谐清丽：一写对潇潇暮雨洒江天、以暮雨写清秋，一写丝纶阁下文书静钟鼓楼中刻漏长、以紫薇写闲适；一为柳永之清丽、一为白居易之诙谐，并读正可见诗写「花下凝望」的两种笔法，皆于花下之中见凝望。