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唐 Tang · 诗 Poem

喜见外弟又言别

Glad, to, See, the, Cousin, and, Again, the, Words, of, the, Parting

李益

Li Yi

重逢Theme 亲情Family affection 乱离Theme

十年离乱后，长大一相逢。
问姓惊初见，称名忆旧容。
别来沧海事，语罢暮天钟。
明日巴陵道，秋山又几重。

Ten, years, after, the, chaos, and, the, separation,
Grown, up, we, meet, once.
Asking, the, surname, I, am, startled, at, the, first, meeting,
Speaking, the, name, I, recall, the, old, face.
Since, the, parting, the, affairs, of, the, blue, sea,
The, talk, done, the, bell, of, the, evening, sky.
Tomorrow, the, road, of, the, Baling,
The, autumn, hills, again, how, many, ranges.

Listen

Meaning

A poem of the reunion and the parting, written by Li Yi. Ten years after the chaos and the separation, grown up we meet once — the reunion of the opening. Asking the surname I am startled at the first meeting, speaking the name I recall the old face — the recognition of the middle. Since the parting the affairs of the blue sea, the talk done the bell of the evening sky — the talk of the middle. And the close's tomorrow the road of the Baling, the autumn hills again how many ranges — the close's parting. The poem is the reunion and the parting: the meeting, the talk, and the close's ranges.

先问姓氏,才吃惊地发现原来就是旧识;再唤名字,才渐渐忆起他儿时的面容。别后十年的世事,如沧海桑田一般说不尽道不完;正谈到兴头上,暮天的钟声已经响起。明日你就要踏上前往巴陵的道路,一路之上,秋山重重,又隔着几重山呢。

Appreciation

[Plain Paraphrase] Ten, years, after, the, chaos, and, the, separation, grown, up, we, meet, once. Asking, the, surname, I, am, startled, at, the, first, meeting, speaking, the, name, I, recall, the, old, face. Since, the, parting, the, affairs, of, the, blue, sea, the, talk, done, the, bell, of, the, evening, sky. Tomorrow, the, road, of, the, Baling, the, autumn, hills, again, how, many, ranges. [Structure and Thought] The poem moves from the reunion of the ten years and the meeting, through the recognition of the surname and the name with the talk of the blue sea and the evening bell, to the close's the road of the Baling. [Key Technique] The poem's art is the close of the parting: since the parting the affairs of the blue sea, and the close's the autumn hills again how many ranges — the reunion gathered in the talk and the close's ranges. [Emotional Tone] Startled, talkative, and parting: the poem is the meeting, the bell and the close's ranges.

【白话串讲】李益在战乱后遇见表弟：“十年离乱后，长大一相逢”。“问姓惊初见，称名忆旧容”——他问起姓氏才知是表弟，说出名字才记起旧容。“别来沧海事，语罢暮天钟”——“明日巴陵道，秋山又几重”——刚重逢又要分别。【意象与手法】以时间结构全篇，把十年之隔、片刻之逢、明日之别压入八句之中。「问姓惊初见，称名忆旧容」把重逢辨认的过程拆为「问姓」「称名」两个瞬间，层层递进；「沧海事」与「暮天钟」对照，写叙旧之深与时光之速；尾联「秋山又几重」以景结情，与首联「一相逢」遥相呼应，通篇素朴语，天然浑成，不见雕琢。【情感与主旨】安史乱后十年，李益与表弟意外重逢，喜极而悲，旋又匆匆言别。「问姓」「称名」的辨认细节，写尽乱离使人至亲相见而不相识的辛酸；「明日巴陵道，秋山又几重」更以重重秋山写后会难期，把骨肉之聚散与时代之兴衰浓缩于家常语中，以小见大。【名句点睛】「问姓惊初见，称名忆旧容」写尽久别重逢的辨认过程，「惊」「忆」二字一写震动、一写追忆，神情毕肖，把乱离骨肉悲喜交集的刹那定格笔端，与司空曙「乍见翻疑梦」并称中唐写重逢的双璧。

Background

Li Yi (c. 746-829), the poet of the Tang, wrote this 'Glad, to, See, the, Cousin, and, Again, the, Words, of, the, Parting' of the reunion and the parting — the meeting of the cousins after the chaos. The ten years with the meeting, the recognition with the talk, and the close's the road of the Baling — the poem gathers the emotion of the poet, the sigh of the separation. The poem is one of the famous works of the poet's poems of the reunion.

李益字君虞,陇西姑臧人,大历四年进士,中唐著名诗人,以边塞诗名世,《夜上受降城闻笛》《江南曲》皆其名篇。此诗写诗人与表弟乱离之后偶然重逢、旋即又别的情景。安史之乱(七五五至七六三)前后,中原板荡,士民流徙,亲属离散者不可胜计。李益与表弟「十年离乱」,各自飘零,至重逢时「问姓惊初见,称名忆旧容」,其悲喜交集之状可想。首联「十年离乱后,长大一相逢」,从时间跨度着笔,十年之久、乱离之酷尽在其中;颔联写初见时的惊喜与辨认;颈联「别来沧海事,语罢暮天钟」,以沧海桑田之叹与钟声报暮写叙旧之深与时光之速;尾联「明日巴陵道,秋山又几重」,以眼前即别、前路山重作结。全诗把乱离之痛、重逢之喜、再别之哀层层写来,被推为中唐送别诗中的杰作。据《旧唐书·李益传》所载,李益「自负才地,多所凌忽」,然此诗写骨肉亲情却温厚深至,可见其为人多情的一面,亦可见乱离时代在士人心理上留下的深刻创伤。此诗被《唐诗三百首》收录,历来传诵,是理解唐代战争与亲情关系的重要诗篇。值得注意的是,此诗所写「十年离乱」,上距安史之乱爆发恰在十年上下,诗中的表弟重逢正是这场大动乱在普通家族关系上留下的深刻印记。李益生于天宝七年,乱时年仅七八岁,少年失怙、流离转徙的经历使他对此类题材格外敏感。此诗以个人骨肉之聚散写时代之兴衰,以小见大,其认识价值与艺术价值并重,是研究唐代战争史与家庭史的第一手文学材料,也是唐诗中罕见的直写乱离创伤的佳作。又,李益集中写相逢别离之作不少,而此诗独以「十年」「长大」「问姓」「称名」等家常语见长,盖因安史之乱后士庶流徙,骨肉离散为习见之痛,诗人不避琐细,直写其情,反得真切。诗中表弟虽未具名,然正因不具名,反能唤起每一位乱世读者共有的身世之感,此其所以能传之久远。

Art

The poem's art is the art of the parting. The reunion opens: ten, years, after, the, chaos, and, the, separation — the ten years of the chaos; grown, up, we, meet, once — the meeting of the grown. The recognition follows: asking, the, surname, I, am, startled, at, the, first, meeting — the startled of the first meeting; speaking, the, name, I, recall, the, old, face — the old face of the name; since, the, parting, the, affairs, of, the, blue, sea — the blue sea of the affairs; the, talk, done, the, bell, of, the, evening, sky — the bell of the evening sky. And the close gathers the parting: tomorrow, the, road, of, the, Baling — the road of the Baling; the, autumn, hills, again, how, many, ranges — the autumn hills of the ranges — the reunion, the talk and the close's ranges, gathered in the poem.

此诗以时间结构全篇,把十年之隔、片刻之逢、明日之别压缩在五律八句之中,章法极为精密。首联「十年离乱后,长大一相逢」,以「十年」「一相逢」对举,时间之漫长与相会之短暂形成强烈张力,「长大」二字轻轻点出彼此容颜已改、岁月无多,为下文「问姓」埋下伏笔。颔联「问姓惊初见,称名忆旧容」是全诗最见神采的笔墨:先问姓,惊其似曾相识;再称名,方才忆起旧时容颜。这一辨认的过程写得层层递进,把十年未见、乱离之后的陌生感与亲切感刻画得入木三分。颈联「别来沧海事,语罢暮天钟」,由叙述转入感慨:别后十年,世事如沧海桑田,道不尽、说不完,而「语罢」之际暮钟已响,时间在倾诉中悄然飞逝,一「罢」字极见笔力,欢会之短、叙旧之深尽在其中。尾联「明日巴陵道,秋山又几重」,以景结情,「巴陵道」点明外弟去向,「秋山又几重」以设问写前路重叠、后会难期,与首联「一相逢」遥相呼应。全诗无一字雕琢,而情真意切,天然浑成,是中唐五律中结构最浑融的篇章之一。更可留意的是,此诗通篇不用一个色彩浓艳的字眼,唯以「十年」「秋山」「暮天钟」等素朴语写深挚情,而其情感的浓度反较浓墨重彩者更甚,这正是盛唐以后律诗由气象转向情致的重要表征。诗中以时间、空间双重延伸收束全篇,使一次具体的离别具有了无限的时空纵深,其艺术概括力令人叹服,故历代选家无不珍视此诗,以为大历五律之冠冕。

Allusions

'The blue sea' (cang hai) is the blue sea — the sea of the blue, the changes of the affairs; 'the Baling' (ba ling) is the Baling — the mound of the Ba, the road of the parting; 'the autumn hills' (qiu shan) are the autumn hills — the hills of the autumn, the ranges of the close.

「沧海事」一语典出葛洪《神仙传》:麻姑自谓「接待以来,已见东海三为桑田」,故后世以「沧海桑田」喻世事巨变。李益以「别来沧海事」写十年乱离间的人世变迁,既有家国之变,亦有个人身世之感,用典而浑然无迹。「巴陵」即今湖南岳阳一带,古为巴丘,南朝以来为南北要冲,杜甫《登岳阳楼》「昔闻洞庭水,今上岳阳楼」即咏此地;李益以「明日巴陵道」点出外弟将赴之地,于地理中自含离情。至于「秋山又几重」的意境,可远溯《楚辞·九歌·湘夫人》「帝子降兮北渚,目眇眇兮愁予」及刘长卿「日暮苍山远」式的以远山写离思的传统,而以「又几重」设问更添一层怅惘。此外,首联「十年离乱后,长大一相逢」,其聚散无常之感可参鲍照《拟行路难》诸作的乱离之叹,亦与杜甫《赠卫八处士》「人生不相见,动如参与商」同一血脉。全诗用典皆融化于叙事之中,如盐入水不见痕迹,正体现了中唐诗人善用故实而归于平淡的艺术功力。此外,「秋山又几重」之「几重」以重叠的山影写无尽的离思,此种笔法亦可追及六朝赠答诗中「山川阻且远」的传统,而「又」字一转更添一层无可奈何。又,「巴陵」在唐代为贬谪流寓之所,张说、李白、贾至等皆曾谪宦其间,李益点出外弟将赴之地,于别情之外似亦暗含对友人行役之苦的牵挂。要之,此诗用典与化典皆浑然无迹,而每一典故的选用都经过精心经营,使短短四十字承载起丰厚的历史与情感容量。又,「称名忆旧容」之「称名」,犹今言叫出名字,此等家常语入诗,看似寻常,实寓深意:乱离十年,至亲相见而须先问姓、再称名,方能相认,其间有多少辛酸与隔阂,不言可知。诗人不避俚俗,以极平淡的言语写极深沉的感慨,正是中唐诗歌「以俗为雅」精神的体现,也是此联千古传诵的原因所在。

Commentary

This poem is one of the famous works of Li Yi's poems of the reunion, quoted for the recognition of its middle and the parting of its close. The asking of the surname, and the autumn hills of the ranges, are among the admired passages of the poet's poems. Critics praise the poem's emotion: the reunion gathered in the talk, to the close's ranges.

李益此诗被收入《唐诗三百首》,历来传诵。明人陆时雍《唐诗镜》评李益诗「风骨内蕴,而音韵外流」,此诗以平淡语写深挚情,正是「风骨内蕴」之验。清沈德潜《唐诗别裁集》论李益五律,谓其格律严整、情致深婉,此诗由喜而悲、由逢而别,转折处不露针线,恰合此评。近代俞陛云《诗境浅说》评此诗,尤赏颔联「问姓惊初见,称名忆旧容」二句,谓其写久别重逢、彼此辨认之状神情毕肖,千古以来乱离骨肉之情于此十四字中道尽。历代论者又多将此诗与司空曙「乍见翻疑梦,相悲各问年」并提,以为同一题旨而各极其妙:司空曙重在「疑梦」之恍惚,李益重在「辨认」之真切,两相映照,正可见中唐诗人于人情细微处的共同敏感。凡此诸评,皆说明此诗以写实之笔写至情之文,赢得了历代读者的共鸣,也确立了它在唐代亲情诗中的经典地位。此外,清代管世铭《读雪山房唐诗序例》论中唐诗,谓李益五言律格高调响,此诗正可印证。又,历代诗话多以「问姓惊初见,称名忆旧容」与「乍见翻疑梦,相悲各问年」并举,以为二联同写重逢而一质实一空灵,各有千秋,此说至今为学界所沿用。今人研治唐代文学者亦常以此诗为分析安史之乱后士人心理创伤的典型文本,可见其影响已从文学批评扩展至文化史研究领域,其经典地位历久弥坚。再就全诗之艺术成就而言,此诗最大的特色在于以极简之笔写极复之情:十年、一相逢、问姓、称名、沧海事、暮天钟、巴陵道、秋山几重,凡此数事,皆家常语、眼前景,而组合在一起,便构成了一幅乱离时代骨肉重逢的完整画卷,其含蓄与深刻,恰如王夫之《姜斋诗话》所谓「以乐景写哀,以哀景写乐,一倍增其哀乐」,虽非专论此诗,而此诗写重逢之乐与再别之哀,正是哀乐相生的绝佳注脚,足为后世作者取法。

Prosody

Form A regulated poem of the reunion (wu yan lü shi)五言律诗

Rhyme The poem rhymes on the level of the group — the cadence of the regulated poem that carries the emotional parting.平水韵上平二冬,韵脚为「逢、容、钟、重」

Tone pattern The cadence is that of the parting: the level opening with the reunion, the turning with the recognition, and the close's fall with the ranges.仄起首句不入韵,格律严整,入声字点染声情

Reading note The poem's sound matches its emotion: the cadences of the regulated poem, and the close — 'qiu shan you ji chong' — falls with the ranges, the sound of the parting of the reunited cousins.此诗为仄起首句不入韵式五言律诗,押平水韵上平二冬,韵脚为「逢、容、钟、重」。二冬韵音色温厚内敛,与诗中骨肉重逢又别的深情正相谐和。全诗格律严整:首联「十年离乱后,长大一相逢」,出句「仄平平仄仄」,对句「平仄仄平平」,其中「十」字入声、「一」字入声,仄声字的使用使音节顿挫有力,仿佛重逢时的呼吸为之一滞;颔联「问姓惊初见,称名忆旧容」,对仗工稳,「问姓」对「称名」、「初见」对「旧容」,平仄一一相对,音节清朗;颈联「别来沧海事,语罢暮天钟」,句中「沧」「暮」二字平仄相间,诵读时自有起伏;尾联「明日巴陵道,秋山又几重」,以「几重」二字叠用平声收结,余音袅袅。全诗平仄于严整中见流动,声调随情感由惊喜而沉郁,最后归于悠远的怅望,声情配合极为默契,是李益五律成熟期的代表作,也体现了大历诗人在格律规范化基础上的精进追求。

Line by line

问姓惊初见，称名忆旧容。

Asking, the, surname, I, am, startled, at, the, first, meeting, speaking, the, name, I, recall, the, old, face.

先问姓氏,才吃惊地发现原来就是旧识;再唤名字,才渐渐忆起他儿时的面容。

Asking the surname, I start at the first sight; hearing the name, I recall the old face.

此联把久别重逢时从陌生到熟悉的心理过程,拆分为「问姓」「称名」两个瞬间,层层递进,笔法极为细腻。「惊」字写乍见时的疑惑与震动,「忆」字写记忆被唤醒的刹那,而「初见」与「旧容」对举,十年光阴的距离感油然而生。十四个字写尽乱离骨肉重逢时的悲喜交集,不假雕饰而神情毕肖,是中唐诗中写人情最传神的名句,千百年来无数读者从中照见自己的重逢体验。

This couplet splits the long-parted reunion's from-strange-to-familiar psychological process into asking-the-surname and naming-two instants, layer by layer, brush most refined. Start writes the sudden-sight doubt and shock; recall writes the memory's waking instant; and first sight set against old face, ten years' distance feeling naturally arising. Fourteen characters exhaust the troubled-times flesh-and-blood reunion's grief-joy interweaving, without carving yet expression vivid; among mid-Tang poetry, the most spirit-transmitting famous line writing human feeling; through a thousand years countless readers see their own reunion experience in it.

别来沧海事，语罢暮天钟。

Since parting, the seas have changed; our talk done, the evening bell tolls.

别后十年的世事,如沧海桑田一般说不尽道不完;正谈到兴头上,暮天的钟声已经响起。

Since we parted, seas have changed; our talk finished, the evening bell rings.

此联由重逢之喜转入叙旧之深与时光之速。「沧海事」三字以沧海桑田的典故写十年间家国与个人的巨变,内容含量极大;「语罢」而「暮天钟」响,一个「罢」字写尽言谈之久与相聚之短,钟声既是时间的刻度,也暗示分别将至。万千言语与一响钟声对照,欢会的短暂与离别的无情尽在不言中,笔力极为凝练,是颈联以事写情、以声写时的典范。

This couplet turns from reunion joy to the depth of recounting old times and time's speed. Seas-changed-three-characters uses the seas-change-to-mulberry-fields allusion to write ten years' country-and-personal upheaval; content enormous. Talk done yet evening bell tolls: one done exhausts the talk's length and the meeting's shortness; the bell at once time's mark, and hints parting's approach. Ten thousand words set against one bell toll, the joy's brevity and parting's heartlessness all within the unspoken; brush force most concise - the third couplet's model of writing feeling through events, writing time through sound.

明日巴陵道，秋山又几重。

Tomorrow, the, road, of, the, Baling, the, autumn, hills, again, how, many, ranges.

明日你就要踏上前往巴陵的道路,一路之上,秋山重重,又隔着几重山呢。

Tomorrow on the Baling road, how many more autumn mountains?

尾联以景结情,设问作收。「巴陵道」点出前路,「秋山又几重」则以重叠的山影写后会难期,一个「又」字呼应首联「十年……一相逢」,道出人生聚散循环的无奈。不说「别情」而别情自在重重秋山之外,境界苍茫,余韵悠长,使全诗的离思在句终后仍绵绵不绝,是中唐律诗以景结情的典范收束。此结句以景作收,不着一「愁」字而愁满秋山,与首联「十年离乱后」遥相呼应,全诗的结构因此圆合无间,而离思的余韵则随秋山绵延至句外,令人低回不尽。

The closing couplet closes feeling in scenery, closing in rhetorical question. Baling road names the road ahead; how many more autumn mountains? uses overlapping mountain shadows to write future meeting's rarity; one again echoes the opening couplet's ten years ... one meeting, speaking the life's gathering-scattering cycle's helplessness. Not saying parting feeling yet parting feeling self-present beyond the layered autumn mountains; the realm vast, aftertaste long, making the whole poem's parting longing endless after the line's end; mid-Tang regulated verse's model closing of closing feeling in scenery. This closing line closes in scenery, not one word of sorrow yet sorrow fills the autumn mountains, echoing the opening's after ten years of war and exile from afar; the whole poem's structure hence roundly closed, and the parting longing's aftertaste extends with the autumn mountains beyond the line, making one linger endlessly.

Study

Word focus

惊 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「问姓惊初见」之「惊」,写乍闻姓氏时的心理震动。此「惊」兼含两层:惊于眼前之人竟是旧识,更惊于十年乱离竟使至亲相见而不相识。「惊」字以刹那间的反应,把战争给骨肉亲情造成的隔膜写得具体可感,为下句「忆旧容」的追忆蓄势。一个「惊」字千言万语尽在其中,是炼字于情感爆发点的成功范例,也是全诗情感启动的扳机。故此字实兼惊疑与悲怆二义,是理解全诗情感爆发的关键所在。

忆 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「称名忆旧容」之「忆」,写记忆被唤起的动态过程。先「问姓」而「惊」,再「称名」而「忆」,由表及里,由名字到容貌,十年前的旧影在脑海中渐渐清晰。着一「忆」字,时间便被拉回十年前,而「旧容」与眼前的「长大」之躯对照,恍如隔世之感油然而生。「忆」字承「惊」而来,一虚一实,把这个瞬间的心理写得层次分明,是炼字于心理转折处的妙笔。要之,「忆」字以虚写实,使十年时光凝于一瞬,是全联最见神采的字眼。

罢 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「语罢暮天钟」之「罢」是全诗最见匠心的虚字。「语罢」二字写千言万语告一段落,而暮钟恰好响起,仿佛上天在提醒欢会已尽、离别将至。「罢」字本身极平淡,却承担着转折与时间的双重功能:它既收束了绵绵絮语,又把「沧海事」的十年话题与「暮天钟」的当前时刻焊接在一起,相聚之短、离愁之迫皆由此一字泛出,举重若轻,是虚字传神的典范。