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唐 Tang · 诗 Poem

望夫石

The, Stone, of, the, Watching, for, the, Husband

刘禹锡

Liu Yuxi

咏物Object poem 爱情Love

终日望夫夫不归，化为孤石苦相思。
望来已是几千载，只似当时初望时。

All, day, long, watching, for, the, husband, the, husband, not, returning,
Turned, into, the, lone, stone, the, bitter, longing.
Watching, for, him, already, for, the, several, thousand, years,
Only, like, the, time, of, the, first, watching, then.

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Meaning

A poem of the stone and the waiting, written by Liu Yuxi. All day long watching for the husband the husband not returning, turned into the lone stone the bitter longing — the stone of the opening. Watching for him already for the several thousand years, only like the time of the first watching then — the constancy of the close. The poem is the stone and the waiting: the watching, the stone, and the close's constancy.

终日望夫夫不归，化为孤石苦相思。望来已是几千载，只似当时初望时。

Appreciation

[Plain Paraphrase] All, day, long, watching, for, the, husband, the, husband, not, returning, turned, into, the, lone, stone, the, bitter, longing. Watching, for, him, already, for, the, several, thousand, years, only, like, the, time, of, the, first, watching, then. [Structure and Thought] The poem moves from the watching of the husband with the not returning, through the turning into the lone stone, to the close's the constancy of the several thousand years. [Key Technique] The poem's art is the close of the constancy: turned into the lone stone the bitter longing, and the close's only like the time of the first watching then — the stone gathered in the waiting and the close's constancy. [Emotional Tone] Bitter, longing, and constant: the poem is the watching, the stone and the close's thousand years.

【白话串讲】刘禹锡写《望夫石》：“终日望夫夫不归，化为孤石苦相思”——“望来已是几千载，只似当时初望时”——她望夫不归，化成了石头——望了几千年，还像当初第一眼那样——他写坚贞的等待。【意象与手法】此诗写咏物，以相思写咏物，是刘禹锡的名篇。前二句写化石：「终日望夫夫不归，化为孤石苦相思」写终日望夫夫不归、化为孤石苦相思——写尽化石的相思；后二句写化石：「望来已是几千载，只似当时初望时」写望来已是几千载、只似当时初望时——写尽化石的坚贞。全诗以相思写咏物，写尽化石的相思与化石的坚贞，是刘禹锡的代表作。【情感与主旨】此诗写咏物，以相思写咏物，是刘禹锡的名篇。此诗写望夫石的传说。望夫石为民间传说——女子盼夫归来，登高而望，久之化为石。湖北武昌北山有望夫石，刘禹锡过此咏之。此诗写终日望夫而夫不归，化为孤石而苦相思；望来已是几千载，只似当时初望时。此诗写化石：终日望夫夫不归，化为孤石苦相思——写终日望夫夫不归、化为孤石苦相思，写尽化石的相思；望来已是几千载，只似当时初望时——写望来已是几千载、只似当时初望时，写尽化石的坚贞。全诗以相思写咏物——那「化为孤石苦相思」写尽化石的相思，「只似当时初望时」写尽化石的坚贞，写尽化石的相思与化石的坚贞，是理解刘禹锡咏物诗的重要篇章。【名句点睛】常考「终日望夫夫不归，化为孤石苦相思」写化石的相思；「望来已是几千载，只似当时初望时」写化石的坚贞；以及全诗以相思写咏物、以今昔写坚贞的手法。

Background

Liu Yuxi (772-842), the poet of the Tang, wrote this 'The, Stone, of, the, Watching, for, the, Husband' of the stone and the waiting — the constancy of the legendary lady. The watching with the not returning, the turning into the lone stone, and the close's the several thousand years — the poem gathers the constancy of the poet, the sorrow of the legend. The poem is one of the famous works of the poet's poems of the legends.

此诗写咏物，以相思写咏物，是刘禹锡的名篇。刘禹锡（772—842），字梦得，洛阳人，唐代文学家、哲学家，有「诗豪」之称，与柳宗元并称「刘柳」，与白居易并称「刘白」。此诗写望夫石的传说。望夫石为民间传说——女子盼夫归来，登高而望，久之化为石。湖北武昌北山有望夫石，刘禹锡过此咏之。此诗写终日望夫而夫不归，化为孤石而苦相思；望来已是几千载，只似当时初望时。此诗写化石：「终日望夫夫不归，化为孤石苦相思」写终日望夫夫不归、化为孤石苦相思——写尽化石的相思（终日望夫夫不归，化为孤石苦相思）；「望来已是几千载，只似当时初望时」写望来已是几千载、只似当时初望时——写尽化石的坚贞（望来已是几千载，只似当时初望时）。全诗以相思写咏物，写尽化石的相思与化石的坚贞，是理解刘禹锡咏物诗的重要篇章。望夫石的传说流传甚广，湖北武昌北山、辽宁兴城、安徽当涂等地皆有望夫石。传说一女子之夫久戍不归，女子日日登高而望，久之化为石。刘禹锡此诗写武昌望夫石，以「终日望夫夫不归」写化石之因，以「望来已是几千载」写化石之久，以「只似当时初望时」写相思之坚。

Art

The poem's art is the art of the constancy. The watching opens: all, day, long, watching, for, the, husband, the, husband, not, returning — the watching of the not returning; turned, into, the, lone, stone, the, bitter, longing — the lone stone of the bitter longing. The constancy follows: watching, for, him, already, for, the, several, thousand, years — the thousand years of the watching; only, like, the, time, of, the, first, watching, then — the first watching of the like — the watching, the stone and the close's constancy, gathered in the poem.

此诗的艺术特色可从四个方面解析。其一，以直抒写相思。「终日望夫夫不归」以直抒写相思——那「夫不归」写尽望夫的相思，以直抒写尽化石的相思。其二，以对照写化石。「化为孤石苦相思」以对照写化石——那「化为孤石」写尽人化石的对照，以对照写尽化石的相思。其三，以时间写坚贞。「望来已是几千载」以时间写坚贞——那「几千载」写尽千载的望夫，以时间写尽化石的坚贞。其四，以今昔写坚贞。「只似当时初望时」以今昔写坚贞——那「只似当时」写尽今昔的如一，以今昔写尽化石的坚贞。此外，此诗前二句写化石的相思，后二句写化石的坚贞，由化及望，正是咏物诗「以石写情」的写法。四重手法，使此诗以相思写咏物，写尽化石的相思与化石的坚贞，是刘禹锡的代表作。此诗还善于以「终日望夫夫不归」的「终日」写望夫之久——那「终日望夫」写尽整日的眺望，正是以时间写情，以「终日」写尽化石的相思。又善以「只似当时初望时」的「只似」写初心之如一——只似当时初望时，正见千载不改的坚贞，以「只似」写尽化石的坚贞。

Allusions

'The stone of the watching for the husband' (wang fu shi) is the stone of the watching for the husband — the stone of the wangfu, the legend of the opening; 'the lone stone' (gu shi) is the lone stone — the stone of the lone, the turning of the lady; 'the first watching' (chu wang) is the first watching — the watching of the first, the like of the close.

此诗的用语深植于咏物与相思传统。「望夫石」令人想到「望夫石」写望夫石的意象——民间传说，也令人想到「望夫山」的意象；「终日望夫」令人想到「终日望夫」写整日望夫的意象——也令人想到「望穿秋水」的意象；「孤石」令人想到「孤石」写孤石的意象——也令人想到「独立苍茫」的意象；「苦相思」令人想到「苦相思」写苦恋的意象——也令人想到「思君令人老」的意象；「几千载」令人想到「几千载」写千载的意象——也令人想到「千载难逢」的意象；「初望时」令人想到「初望时」写初望的意象——也令人想到「人生若只如初见」的意象。全诗化用望夫石、终日望夫、孤石、苦相思、几千载、初望时的意象，以相思写咏物，正是刘禹锡「诗豪」而善写情、承咏物传统写坚贞之本领。「望夫石」令人想到「望夫石」写望夫石的意象——民间传说，也令人想到「望夫山」「望乡台」的意象；「苦相思」令人想到「苦相思」写苦恋的意象——也令人想到「衣带渐宽终不悔」（柳永）的意象，以苦相思写化石之痴情。

Commentary

This poem is one of the famous works of Liu Yuxi's poems of the legends, quoted for the bitterness of its opening and the constancy of its close. The lone stone of the bitter longing, and the first watching of the thousand years, are among the admired passages of the poet's poems. Critics praise the poem's constancy: the stone gathered in the waiting, to the close's thousand years.

此诗历来被推为刘禹锡咏物诗的名篇，也是唐诗写望夫石传说的代表。历代论者对此诗评价极高：清人评此诗「以相思写咏物，真切自然」；近人更指出「望来已是几千载，只似当时初望时」写化石的坚贞，是此诗的名句。在诗歌史上，此诗的特殊价值在于：它以四句的绝句写尽化石的相思与化石的坚贞——那终日，那望夫，那夫不归，那化为，那孤石，那苦相思，那望来，那已是几千载，那只似，那当时，那初望时，都写尽了刘禹锡笔下的望夫石；那「只似当时初望时」更以今昔写尽化石的坚贞。此诗与刘禹锡《乌衣巷》（「朱雀桥边野草花」）同为咏物名篇，一写「旧时王谢堂前燕」的乌衣巷（乌衣巷），一写「终日望夫夫不归」的望夫石（望夫石）；又与民间望夫石的传说传统一脉相承，可见中国诗写坚贞爱情的传统。对于今日读者，此诗是理解刘禹锡咏物诗的窗口，也是唐诗写望夫石传说的经典——那望了几千载的孤石，穿越千年，仍在诉说着化石的坚贞。

Prosody

Form A quatrain of the legend (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 bitter constancy.七绝，押「归」「思」「时」韵（上平四支/五微），一韵到底，音节自然

Tone pattern The cadence is that of the constancy: the level opening with the watching, the turning with the stone, and the close's fall with the first.此诗为七言绝句，押平声韵，一韵到底，音节自然，正合咏物的自然。

Reading note The poem's sound matches its constancy: the cadences of the quatrain, and the close — 'zhi si dang shi chu wang shi' — falls with the watching, the sound of the constancy of the legendary lady.此诗为七言绝句，四句——「终日望夫夫不归，化为孤石苦相思。望来已是几千载，只似当时初望时」，押平韵（归、思、时），一韵到底，音节自然。全诗以相思写咏物：前二句写化石的相思（终日望夫夫不归、化为孤石苦相思），后二句写化石的坚贞（望来已是几千载、只似当时初望时）。四句短章，前写相思，后写坚贞，以「只似当时初望时」写尽化石的坚贞，正见刘禹锡「诗豪」的本色。诵读此诗，宜以自然的语调读「化为孤石苦相思」的相思，以真挚的语调读「只似当时初望时」的坚贞，结句要读得自然而有余韵，方能传达出刘禹锡的真切自然。刘禹锡绝句以「诗豪」著称，此诗正是其咏物诗的典范。

Line by line

望来已是几千载，只似当时初望时

Watching, for, him, already, for, the, several, thousand, years, only, like, the, time, of, the, first, watching, then.

望来已是几千载，只似当时初望时。

She has watched for him for thousands of years; yet she is still as she was at the first watching.

此二句是全诗写坚贞的核心，以望来已是几千载写几千载，以只似当时初望时写初望时，写尽化石的坚贞，是千古名句。「望来已是几千载」写望来已是几千载——那「望来已是」写望来已是，「几千载」写几千载，写尽千载的望夫；「只似当时初望时」写只似当时初望时——那「只似当时」写只似当时，「初望时」写初望时，写尽初望的如一。这句的深意在于：它以「望来已是几千载」的几千载与「只似当时初望时」的初望时，写尽化石的坚贞——望来已是几千载，那「望来已是几千载」写尽千载的望夫——望来已是，正是望了千载的写照，那「几千载」写尽化石的坚贞；只似当时初望时，那「只似当时初望时」写尽初望的如一——只似当时，正是恰似当时的写照，那「初望时」写尽化石的坚贞；那「望来已是几千载」写尽千载的望夫，那「只似当时初望时」写尽初望的如一，一写几千载，一写初望时，写尽化石的坚贞——千载不改而初心如一，正是化石的坚贞；此二句以千载、初望写尽化石的坚贞，也让此二句成为全诗写坚贞的核心与千古名句。若换作直说「等了几千年，还是像当初一样」，则失其真切；唯以「望来已是几千载」写几千载、「只似当时初望时」写初望时，写尽化石的坚贞，也让此二句成为全诗写坚贞的核心。

These two lines are the poem's core in writing constancy, famous through the ages. She has watched for him for thousands of years: watching-thousands-of-years names the stone's age. Yet she is still as she was at the first watching: still-like-the-first-watching-time writes that the stone's posture has not changed. The deeper pathos lies in the contrast: thousands of years have passed, yet the face is still the face of that first day - the moment of waiting frozen for eternity. Liu Yuxi's point is that constancy is not endurance of time but indifference to it; the stone does not grow old because the waiting does not end. The famous simplicity of the line makes the myth more moving than any elaboration. Compared with a plain saying she waited for thousands of years and still looks the same, the thousands of years and the first watching give the constancy both duration and immediacy, making this the poem's core.

终日望夫夫不归，化为孤石苦相思

All, day, long, watching, for, the, husband, the, husband, not, returning, turned, into, the, lone, stone, the, bitter, longing.

终日望夫夫不归，化为孤石苦相思。

All day she watched for her husband; her husband did not return; she turned into a lone stone in bitter longing.

此二句是全诗写相思的核心，以终日望夫夫不归写夫不归，以化为孤石苦相思写苦相思，写尽化石的相思，是千古名句。「终日望夫夫不归」写终日望夫夫不归——那「终日望夫」写终日望夫，「夫不归」写夫不归，写尽望夫的相思；「化为孤石苦相思」写化为孤石苦相思——那「化为孤石」写化为孤石，「苦相思」写苦相思，写尽化石的相思。这句的深意在于：它以「终日望夫夫不归」的夫不归与「化为孤石苦相思」的苦相思，写尽化石的相思——终日望夫夫不归，那「终日望夫夫不归」写尽望夫的相思——终日望夫，正是整日望夫的写照，那「夫不归」写尽化石的相思；化为孤石苦相思，那「化为孤石苦相思」写尽化石的相思——化为孤石，正是望夫化石的写照，那「苦相思」写尽化石的相思；那「终日望夫夫不归」写尽望夫的相思，那「化为孤石苦相思」写尽化石的相思，一写望夫，一写化石，写尽化石的相思——望夫不归而化石苦思，正是痴情的写照；此二句以望夫、化石写尽化石的相思，也为下文的千载作铺垫，也让此二句成为全诗写相思的核心与千古名句。若换作直说「整天等丈夫不回来，变成了石头还在相思」，则失其真切；唯以「终日望夫夫不归」写夫不归、「化为孤石苦相思」写苦相思，写尽化石的相思，也让此二句成为全诗写相思的核心。

These two lines are the poem's core in writing longing, famous through the ages. All day she watched for her husband: all-day-watching names the daily action. Her husband did not return: husband-not-returning names the absence. She turned into a lone stone in bitter longing: turned-into-lone-stone names the metamorphosis, bitter-longing writes what the stone holds. The deeper pathos lies in the sequence: all-day watching, non-return, metamorphosis - the woman's longing so intense that her body becomes stone, yet the longing itself does not end; the stone is not the end of longing but its petrification. The lone stone and the bitter longing give the myth both image and interiority. Compared with a plain saying she waited all day for her husband who never came and turned to stone, the all-day, the non-return, and the lone stone give the transformation both narrative intensity and symbolic weight, making this the poem's core.

Study

Word focus

化 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「化为孤石苦相思」之「化」字是写化石的关键词，一个「化」字写尽人化的孤石。化者，变化、化为也。刘禹锡以「化为孤石苦相思」写化石，这个「化」字至少有双重意味：其一，写石之化——那「化为孤石苦相思」写化为孤石苦相思，那「化」字写尽人化的孤石——化为孤石，正是望夫化成的写照，那「化」字写尽化石的相思；其二，写情之痴——那「化」字更是写痴——化，正见痴情化石的深挚，那「化」字写尽刘禹锡的咏物。以「化」字写化石，正是刘禹锡写咏物的枢纽——若换作「变」「作」等字，则或失其与「终日望夫夫不归」「孤石苦相思」的配合，或失其写化的意味；唯「化」字，以化为孤石苦相思写尽人化之孤石与痴情之化石，与「望来已是几千载」的千载相合，写尽化石的坚贞，也让「化为孤石苦相思」成为全诗写化石的名句。

只似 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「只似当时初望时」之「只似」是写坚贞的关键词，一个「只似」写尽初望的如一。只似者，只是像、恰如也。刘禹锡以「只似当时初望时」写坚贞，这个「只似」至少有双重意味：其一，写望之只似——那「只似当时初望时」写只似当时初望时，那「只似」写尽初望的如一——只似当时，正是恰似当时的写照，那「只似」写尽化石的坚贞；其二，写情之贞——那「只似」更是写贞——只似，正见初心不改的坚贞，那「只似」写尽刘禹锡的咏物。以「只似」写坚贞，正是刘禹锡写咏物的枢纽——若换作「仍似」「恰似」等词，则或失其与「望来已是几千载」「初望时」的配合，或失其写只似的意味；唯「只似」二字，以只似当时初望时写尽初望之如一与初心之坚贞，与「望来已是几千载」的千载相合，写尽化石的坚贞，也让「只似当时初望时」成为全诗写坚贞的名句。

望夫石