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魏晋 Wei-Jin · 诗 Poem

归园田居·其五

Returning to the Garden and Fields (No. 5)

陶渊明

Tao Yuanming

田园pastoral 闲适leisurely 饮酒drinking

怅恨独策还，崎岖历榛曲。
山涧清且浅，可以濯吾足。
漉我新熟酒，只鸡招近局。
日入室中暗，荆薪代明烛。
欢来苦夕短，已复至天旭。

With regret and resentment I walk home alone, staff in hand, traversing the rugged, brambly path.
The mountain stream is clear and shallow, enough to wash my feet.
I strain my newly brewed wine, kill a single chicken to invite the near neighbors.
The sun enters, the room grows dark; thornwood stands in for bright candles.
Joy comes, and I grieve the night is short—already it is dawn again.

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Meaning

After a day's labor the poet walks home alone, staff in hand, along a rugged path, then washes his feet in a clear stream. He strains his new wine, kills a chicken, and invites his neighbors to drink; as the room darkens he lights thornwood for candle, and the company drinks till dawn, grieving only that the night was too short.

满怀怅恨，独自拄杖归来，走过崎岖的山路，穿过丛生的灌木。山涧的水清浅，正可以洗濯我的双脚。滤出我新酿的酒，杀一只鸡，招呼近邻来共饮。太阳落山，屋里暗了下来，点燃荆柴当作明亮的蜡烛。欢饮正浓，只恨夜晚太短，不知不觉已到天将明。

Appreciation

The fifth of Tao Yuanming's 'Returning to the Garden and Fields,' this poem writes the joy of drinking with neighbors after retirement—the most intimate of his pastoral poems. It opens on 'regret and resentment' and closes on 'joy comes,' moving from the lone return's chagrin to the full pleasure of shared drinking. The image of straining wine, a single chicken, thornwood candle, and dawn again writes the plainness and warmth of village life in language both simple and rich.

【白话串讲】陶渊明写《归园田居·其五》：“怅恨独策还，崎岖历榛曲”——“山涧清且浅，可以濯吾足”——“漉我新熟酒，只鸡招近局”——“日入室中暗，荆薪代明烛”——“欢来苦夕短，已复至天旭”——他种田归来，用荆柴当蜡烛，与邻人喝酒。【意象与手法】此诗是陶渊明《归园田居》五首的第五首，写归田后与邻人饮酒的欢愉，是陶渊明田园诗中写饮酒与邻情的最亲切之作。首四句写归来的怅恨与濯足：「怅恨独策还，崎岖历榛曲」写独自拄杖归来，走过崎岖山路——那「怅恨」写归途中的怅然（或为耕作之辛、或为世路之艰）；「山涧清且浅，可以濯吾足」写山涧洗足——化用《孟子》「沧浪之水清兮，可以濯我缨」之典，那「清且浅」写涧水的清澈，「濯吾足」写洗足的闲适；中四句写招邻共饮：「漉我新熟酒，只鸡招近局」写滤酒杀鸡、招邻共饮——那「漉酒」「只鸡」写农家待客的朴素；「日入室中暗，荆薪代明烛」写日暮烛火——太阳落山，点燃荆柴作烛，那「荆薪代明烛」写农家的清贫与温馨；末二句「欢来苦夕短，已复至天旭」写欢饮达旦——欢饮正浓，只恨夜短，不觉已到天明，是千古名句。全诗以「怅恨」起、以「欢来」结，由归途的怅然转入欢饮的尽兴，写尽归田后与邻人饮酒的欢愉与淳朴。【情感与主旨】此诗作于晋安帝义熙元年（405）陶渊明归隐之后，是《归园田居》五首（其一「少无适俗韵」、其三「种豆南山下」等）的第五首。陶渊明归隐后躬耕田园，与邻人相处融洽。此诗写其一日耕作归来，滤酒杀鸡、招邻共饮，欢饮达旦——那「怅恨独策还」写归途的怅然（或为耕作之劳，或为独行的孤寂），那「山涧清且浅，可以濯吾足」写濯足的闲适，那「漉我新熟酒，只鸡招近局」写以新酒只鸡待邻的朴素，那「日入室中暗，荆薪代明烛」写农家烛火的清贫与温馨，那「欢来苦夕短，已复至天旭」写欢饮达旦的尽兴。全诗以质朴的语言写归田后与邻人饮酒的欢愉，那「漉酒」「只鸡」「荆薪」「天旭」的农家意象，写尽了田园生活的淳朴与欢乐，是陶渊明田园诗中最亲切、最富生活气息的篇章。【名句点睛】常考“山涧清且浅，可以濯吾足”化用《孟子》之典写洗足的闲适；“欢来苦夕短，已复至天旭”写与邻欢饮、苦夕短而天将明。

Background

This poem is the fifth of Tao Yuanming's 'Returning to the Garden and Fields,' written after he resigned and retired in 405 CE (the first year of the Yixi era of Emperor An of Jin). Tao Yuanming (c. 365–427), styled Yuanliang, also named Qian, known as Master Five Willows, was from Xunyang Chaisang (today's Jiujiang, Jiangxi), the founder of Chinese pastoral poetry. In the first year of Yixi, Tao resigned the magistrate post of Pengze with the words 'I will not bow for five pecks of rice,' and afterward farmed for over twenty years. The five 'Returning' poems are his early representative works after retirement, writing pastoral life: the first writes the joy of returning (''long had I been in the cage, now I return to nature'), the third writes the toil of farming ('I plant beans at the foot of the southern hill'), and this fifth writes the joy of drinking with neighbors. 'With regret and resentment I walk home alone, staff in hand, traversing the rugged, brambly path' writes returning alone full of chagrin, crossing the rugged mountain road and brambly path—'regret and resentment' writes the chagrin of the return, 'brambly path' the winding road through thickets; 'the mountain stream is clear and shallow, enough to wash my feet' writes washing feet in the stream—adapting the ancient song 'the Canglang water is clear, it can wash my tassel; the Canglang water is foul, it can wash my feet' (cited in Mencius), writing the ease of foot-washing; 'I strain my newly brewed wine, kill a single chicken to invite the near neighbors' writes straining new wine and killing a chicken to invite neighbors—'strain wine' means filtering (new wine must be filtered), 'near neighbors' the close ones; 'the sun enters, the room grows dark; thornwood stands in for bright candles' writes dusk and candle; 'joy comes, and I grieve the night is short—already it is dawn again' writes drinking till dawn—'grieve the night is short' writes only hating the night's brevity, 'dawn' the day's light. The whole writes the joy of drinking with neighbors after retirement, the most life-filled of Tao's pastoral poems.

此诗是陶渊明《归园田居》五首的第五首，作于晋安帝义熙元年（405）陶渊明弃官归隐之后。陶渊明（约365—427），字元亮，一名潜，号五柳先生，浔阳柴桑（今江西九江）人，中国田园诗的开创者。义熙元年，陶渊明因「不为五斗米折腰」辞彭泽令归隐，此后躬耕田园二十余年。《归园田居》五首是其归隐初期的代表作，写归田后的田园生活：其一写归田的喜悦（「久在樊笼里，复得返自然」），其三写躬耕的辛劳（「种豆南山下，草盛豆苗稀」），此其五写与邻人饮酒的欢愉。诗中「怅恨独策还，崎岖历榛曲」写满怀怅恨、独自拄杖归来，走过崎岖山路与丛生灌木——那「怅恨」写归途中的怅然，「榛曲」写灌木丛生的曲折山路；「山涧清且浅，可以濯吾足」写山涧洗足——化用古谣「沧浪之水清兮，可以濯我缨；沧浪之水浊兮，可以濯我足」（《孟子·离娄上》引），写濯足的闲适；「漉我新熟酒，只鸡招近局」写滤出新酒、杀鸡招邻——「漉酒」写滤酒（新酿的酒需过滤），「近局」写近邻；「日入室中暗，荆薪代明烛」写日暮屋暗、点燃荆柴作烛；「欢来苦夕短，已复至天旭」写欢饮达旦——「苦夕短」写只恨夜短，「天旭」写天明。全诗写归田后与邻人饮酒的欢愉，是陶渊明田园诗中最具生活气息的篇章。

Art

The artistic features of this poem can be parsed on four levels. First, a vein led by feeling: the poem opens on 'regret and resentment' and closes on 'joy comes,' moving from the chagrin of the return (with regret I walk home alone) to the ease of the stream (wash my feet), the joy of inviting neighbors (invite the near), the warmth of candlelight (thornwood for candle), the full pleasure of dawn (already dawn again)—feeling rising from low to high, the vein clear. Second, the wit of adapting classics: 'the mountain stream is clear and shallow, enough to wash my feet' adapts the ancient song cited in Mencius—Tao adapts 'wash the feet' with new meaning: the clear and shallow stream can exactly 'wash my feet,' writing retirement's ease with wit. Third, the intimacy of pastoral images: 'I strain my newly brewed wine, kill a single chicken to invite the near neighbors' writes straining wine and killing a chicken, 'the sun enters, the room grows dark; thornwood stands in for bright candles' writes thornwood candle—'strain wine,' 'a single chicken,' 'thornwood' are all the farmer's ordinary things, writing pastoral life's plainness and warmth. Fourth, the close on 'grieving' to write 'joy': 'joy comes, and I grieve the night is short—already it is dawn again' writes only hating the night's brevity in the full pleasure of drinking, using 'grieve' to write 'joy'—precisely because of drinking's joy, one grieves the night's shortness, writing the full pleasure with a reverse brush, a famous line for a thousand ages. These four methods make the poem write, in plain language, the joy of drinking with neighbors after retirement—exactly Tao's pastoral craft of 'plain yet truly ornate, lean yet truly rich.'

此诗的艺术特色可从四个层面解析。其一，以情为纲的脉络。全诗以「怅恨」起、以「欢来」结，由归途的怅然（怅恨独策还）转入山涧的闲适（濯吾足）、招邻的欢愉（招近局）、烛火的温馨（荆薪代明烛）、达旦的尽兴（已复至天旭），情感由低到高，脉络分明。其二，化用经典的机趣。「山涧清且浅，可以濯吾足」化用《孟子》所引古谣「沧浪之水清兮，可以濯我缨；沧浪之水浊兮，可以濯我足」，陶渊明化用「濯足」而别出新意——那「清且浅」的涧水正可「濯吾足」，以闲适写归田之乐，机趣盎然。其三，农家意象的亲切。「漉我新熟酒，只鸡招近局」写滤酒杀鸡，「日入室中暗，荆薪代明烛」写荆薪烛火，那「漉酒」「只鸡」「荆薪」都是农家的寻常之物，写尽了田园生活的朴素与温馨。其四，以「苦」写「欢」的收束。「欢来苦夕短，已复至天旭」以「苦夕短」写欢饮正浓而恨夜短，以「苦」写「欢」——正因欢饮之乐，才苦夜之短，以反笔写尽欢愉，是千古名句。四重手法，使此诗以质朴的语言写归田后与邻人饮酒的欢愉，正是陶渊明田园诗「质而实绮，癯而实腴」的本领。

Allusions

The poem's diction is rooted in Confucian classics and pastoral tradition. 'With regret and resentment I walk home alone, staff in hand, traversing the rugged, brambly path' writes the return—'staff' writes leaning on a staff, 'brambly path' the winding road through thickets, calling to mind the traveler image of 'on and on we walk' and also Tao's own 'at dawn I tidy the wild weeds, bearing the moon I return with hoe' (his third 'Returning' poem); 'the mountain stream is clear and shallow, enough to wash my feet' adapts the ancient song cited in Mencius' 'Li Lou'—'wash the feet' was originally the life-philosophy of 'clear washes tassel, foul washes feet,' Tao adapts it with new meaning, the clear and shallow stream exactly washing the feet, calling to mind the 'Canglang water' allusion and the 'wash feet, wash tassel' source, also the hermit tradition of the 'Canglang Pavilion'; 'I strain my newly brewed wine, kill a single chicken to invite the near neighbors' writes straining wine and killing a chicken—'strain wine' calls to mind Tao's 'straining wine with a kerchief' anecdote (tradition says Tao loved wine; when it was ready he took the kerchief from his head to strain it), 'a single chicken' calls to mind the 'a dou of wine and a chicken' sacrifice tradition, also writing the farmer's plain hospitality; 'the sun enters, the room grows dark; thornwood stands in for bright candles' writes thornwood candle—'thornwood' calls to mind the 'thorn hairpin, cloth skirt' poverty image, also the 'cold night, guest comes, tea for wine' (Du Lei's 'Cold Night') tradition of substituting one thing for another; 'joy comes, and I grieve the night is short—already it is dawn again' writes drinking till dawn—'grieve the night is short' calls to mind 'the day is short, grieve the long night, why not hold the candle and roam' (from the Nineteen Old Poems) and also 'by daylight I sing, must indulge in wine' (Du Fu's 'On Hearing the Army Recaptured'). The whole adapts Mencius' old song, the kerchief-straining wine, and the Nineteen Old Poems without trace—exactly Tao's craft of 'citing classics without showing it.'

此诗的用语深植于儒家经典与田园传统。「怅恨独策还，崎岖历榛曲」写归途——那「策」写拄杖，「榛曲」写灌木丛生的曲折山路，令人想到「行行重行行」的羁旅意象，也令人想到「晨兴理荒秽，带月荷锄归」（陶渊明《归园田居·其三》）的躬耕意象；「山涧清且浅，可以濯吾足」化用《孟子·离娄上》所引古谣「沧浪之水清兮，可以濯我缨；沧浪之水浊兮，可以濯我足」——那「濯足」本是古谣中「清濯缨、浊濯足」的处世哲理，陶渊明化用而别出新意，那「清且浅」的涧水正可濯足，令人想到「沧浪之水」的典故与「濯足濯缨」的出处，也令人想到「沧浪亭」的隐逸传统；「漉我新熟酒，只鸡招近局」写滤酒杀鸡——那「漉酒」令人想到陶渊明「葛巾漉酒」的典故（相传陶渊明嗜酒，酒熟后取头上葛巾漉酒），「只鸡」令人想到「斗酒只鸡」的祭奠传统，也写农家待客的朴素；「日入室中暗，荆薪代明烛」写荆薪烛火——那「荆薪」令人想到「荆钗布裙」的清贫意象，也令人想到「寒夜客来茶当酒」（杜耒《寒夜》）的以物代物的待客传统；「欢来苦夕短，已复至天旭」写欢饮达旦——那「苦夕短」令人想到「昼短苦夜长，何不秉烛游」（《古诗十九首·生年不满百》）的秉烛夜游传统，也令人想到「白日放歌须纵酒」（杜甫《闻官军收河南河北》）的纵饮之乐。全诗化用《孟子》古谣、葛巾漉酒、古诗十九首等典故，以质朴的语言写田园的欢愉，正是陶渊明「引经据典而不露痕迹」的本领。

Commentary

This poem has long been praised as the most life-filled of Tao Yuanming's 'Returning to the Garden and Fields' and a classic of Chinese pastoral poetry writing neighborly gathering. Critics through ages rate it highly: the Song poet Su Shi said of Tao's poetry 'plain yet truly ornate, lean yet truly rich,' and this poem is its representative; a Qing critic said 'writing the village's ordinary affairs as true pastoral joy, intimate and moving.' In literary history, the poem's special value is that it writes a most ordinary day after retirement—returning from labor, washing feet in the stream, straining wine and killing a chicken, inviting neighbors, thornwood candle, drinking till dawn—yet writes pastoral life's most genuine joy; the plain hospitality of 'I strain my newly brewed wine, kill a single chicken to invite the near neighbors,' the farmer's candle of 'the sun enters, the room grows dark; thornwood stands in for bright candles,' the full pleasure of 'joy comes, and I grieve the night is short—already it is dawn again' all write the sincere friendship with neighbors and pastoral plainness's joy. The lines 'the mountain stream is clear and shallow, enough to wash my feet' and 'joy comes, and I grieve the night is short—already it is dawn again' are both famous for a thousand ages, the former adapting an old song for ease, the latter writing joy with 'grieve the night is short.' This poem and 'Returning to the Garden and Fields (No. 1)' ('long had I been in the cage, now I return to nature') are both famous retirement poems, the first writing the joy of returning, this fifth writing the village's gathering; and with 'Moving House (No. 1)' ('fine writings we enjoy together, doubts we analyze together') it also writes friendship with neighbors, one writing literary friends' exchange, one writing the farmer's shared drink. For today's readers, this poem is a window into Tao's pastoral life and a classic of Chinese poetry writing neighborly feeling and pastoral joy—the newly strained wine, the thornwood candle, the drinking till dawn still speak, across a thousand years, of pastoral life's plainness and beauty.

此诗历来被推为陶渊明《归园田居》中最具生活气息的篇章，也是中国田园诗写邻里欢聚的经典。历代论者对此诗评价极高：宋人苏轼评陶诗「质而实绮，癯而实腴」，此诗正是其代表；清人评此诗「以农家寻常事写田园真乐，亲切动人」。在文学史上，此诗的特殊价值在于：它写的是归田后极平常的一天——耕作归来、山涧濯足、滤酒杀鸡、招邻共饮、荆薪烛火、欢饮达旦，却写出了田园生活最真切的欢乐；那「漉我新熟酒，只鸡招近局」的朴素待客，那「日入室中暗，荆薪代明烛」的农家烛火，那「欢来苦夕短，已复至天旭」的欢饮达旦，都写尽了陶渊明与邻人的真挚情谊与田园的淳朴欢乐。诗中「山涧清且浅，可以濯吾足」「欢来苦夕短，已复至天旭」都是千古名句，前者化用古谣写闲适，后者以「苦夕短」写欢愉。此诗与《归园田居·其一》（「久在樊笼里，复得返自然」）同为归隐诗的名篇，其一写归田的喜悦，此其五写田家的欢聚；又与《移居·其一》（「奇文共欣赏，疑义相与析」）同写与邻人的情谊，一写文友切磋，一写农家共饮。对于今日读者，此诗是理解陶渊明田园生活的窗口，也是中国诗歌写邻里情谊与田园欢乐的经典——那新漉的酒、荆薪的烛、达旦的欢饮，穿越千年，仍在诉说着田园生活的淳朴与美好。

Prosody

Form Five-character ancient poem (five-character, five rhymes, ten lines).五言古诗（五韵十句）

Rhyme The whole follows the oblique-tone 'wo/jue' rhyme (path, feet, neighbors, candle, dawn); entering-tone rhymes are short, exactly fitting the pastoral's plainness.全诗押仄声沃觉韵（曲、足、局、烛、旭），入声韵短促，正合田园诗的质朴。

Tone pattern This is a five-character ancient poem, ten lines fifty characters. The whole divides by content into three layers: the first four lines write the return and foot-washing (with regret I walk home alone, traversing the rugged brambly path, the mountain stream clear and shallow, enough to wash my feet); the middle four write inviting neighbors to drink (I strain my newly brewed wine, kill a single chicken to invite the near, the sun enters the room grows dark, thornwood stands for bright candles); the last two write drinking till dawn (joy comes, and I grieve the night is short, already it is dawn again). In tone, the whole uses plain language, follows entering-tone rhyme, its rhythm steady, exactly fitting pastoral plainness; the three layers progress, from the return's chagrin to drinking till dawn, feeling rising from low to high.此诗为五言古诗，十句五十字。全诗按内容可分为三层：首四句写归途与濯足（怅恨独策还、崎岖历榛曲、山涧清且浅、可以濯吾足）；中四句写招邻共饮（漉我新熟酒、只鸡招近局、日入室中暗、荆薪代明烛）；末二句写欢饮达旦（欢来苦夕短、已复至天旭）。声调上，全诗以质朴的语言入诗，押入声韵，节奏沉稳，正合田园诗的质朴；三层递进，由归途怅然到欢饮达旦，情感由低到高。

Reading note This is a famous five-character ancient poem writing pastoral gathering and drinking, writing in plain language the joy of drinking with neighbors after retirement—exactly Tao's pastoral craft of 'plain yet truly ornate, lean yet truly rich.' The whole has three layers: the first four lines write the return and foot-washing, the middle four write inviting neighbors to drink, the last two write drinking till dawn. In tone, the language is plain, the rhyme entering-tone; the ease of 'the mountain stream is clear and shallow, enough to wash my feet' and the full pleasure of 'joy comes, and I grieve the night is short—already it is dawn again' are exactly Tao's deep intent in writing pastoral joy. Reading this poem, use a plain tone for the return and foot-washing, a pleased tone for inviting neighbors, a full-pleasure tone for drinking till dawn, to convey Tao's joy with his neighbors. Tao's poetry is known for plainness; this poem is the most life-filled classic of his pastoral poetry.此诗是五言古诗写田园聚饮的名篇，以质朴的语言写归田后与邻人饮酒的欢愉，正是陶渊明田园诗「质而实绮，癯而实腴」的本领。全诗三层：首四句写归途与濯足（怅恨独策还、崎岖历榛曲、山涧清且浅、可以濯吾足），中四句写招邻共饮（漉我新熟酒、只鸡招近局、日入室中暗、荆薪代明烛），末二句写欢饮达旦（欢来苦夕短、已复至天旭）。声调上，全诗语言质朴、押入声韵，那「山涧清且浅，可以濯吾足」的闲适、「欢来苦夕短，已复至天旭」的尽兴，正是陶渊明写田园欢愉的深意。诵读此诗，宜以平实的语调读归途与濯足，以欣然的语调读招邻共饮，以尽兴的语调读欢饮达旦，方能传达出陶渊明与邻人共饮的欢愉。陶渊明诗以质朴著称，此诗正是其田园诗中最具生活气息的经典。

Line by line

山涧清且浅，可以濯吾足。

The mountain stream is clear and shallow, enough to wash my feet. (A famous line writing retirement's ease, a famous line for a thousand ages, adapting Mencius' old song with new meaning, writing the ease of washing feet in the stream. 'The mountain stream is clear and shallow' writes the stream's clarity and shallowness—'clear and shallow' writes the stream's limpidity, seeable to the bottom; 'enough to wash my feet' writes exactly washing the feet—'wash my feet' writes the ease of washing feet in the mountain stream. The line's depth: it adapts the old song cited in Mencius' 'Li Lou'—'the Canglang water is clear, it can wash my tassel; the Canglang water is foul, it can wash my feet'—the old song writes the life-principle of 'clear washes tassel, foul washes feet'; Tao adapts it with new meaning: the clear and shallow stream can exactly 'wash my feet,' no longer the choice of 'clear or foul,' but washing feet in the clear stream with an easy heart; 'wash my feet' writes the retired one's ease—returning from labor, washing feet in the stream, washing off the soil and fatigue, exactly pastoral life's most genuine pleasure. And the 'clear and shallow' stream also symbolizes pastoral's plainness and clarity. Writing the stream with 'clear and shallow,' writing ease with 'wash my feet,' is exactly Tao's craft of 'adapting classics without trace,' making this line a famous one for pastoral ease.)

山涧的水清浅，正可以洗濯我的双脚。

The mountain stream is clear and shallow; I can wash my feet in it.

这句是写归田闲适的名句，也是千古名句，化用《孟子》古谣而别出新意，写尽山涧濯足的闲适。「山涧清且浅」写山涧的水清浅——那「清且浅」写涧水的清澈与浅显，清可见底；「可以濯吾足」写正可以洗濯双脚——那「濯吾足」写在山涧中洗足的闲适。这句的深意在于：它化用《孟子·离娄上》所引古谣「沧浪之水清兮，可以濯我缨；沧浪之水浊兮，可以濯我足」——古谣以「清濯缨、浊濯足」写处世之理，陶渊明化用而别出新意：那「清且浅」的涧水正可「濯吾足」，不再有「清浊」的选择，而是以闲适之心濯足于清涧；那「濯吾足」写尽了归田者的闲适——耕作归来，山涧濯足，洗去泥土与疲惫，正是田园生活最真切的乐趣。而那「清且浅」的涧水，也象征着田园的淳朴与清明。以「清且浅」写涧水、以「濯吾足」写闲适，正是陶渊明「化用经典而不露痕迹」的本领，也让这句成为写田园闲适的千古名句。

This line is the famous pastoral leisure line, transforming the Mencius ancient song with new meaning. The-mountain-stream-is-clear-and-shallow writes the stream's clarity and shallowness. I-can-wash-my-feet-in-it writes washing feet in the stream. The line transforms the Mencius's Canglang song: clear water for the hat strings, muddy water for the feet - Tao uses the clear shallow stream for washing feet, no longer a choice between clear and muddy, but washing feet in the clear stream with a leisured heart. The line exhausts the reclusive man's ease: farming return, mountain stream washing feet, washing off mud and fatigue, the most real pastoral joy. The clear shallow stream also symbolizes the fields' simplicity and clarity. This is Tao's skill of using classics without trace.

欢来苦夕短，已复至天旭。

Joy comes, and I grieve the night is short—already it is dawn again. (The poem's close, a famous line for a thousand ages, writing the pleasure of drinking with 'grieve the night is short,' using a reverse brush to write the joy fully. 'Joy comes, and I grieve the night is short' writes the full pleasure of drinking, only hating the night's brevity—'joy comes' writes the coming of drinking's joy, 'grieve the night is short' writes only hating the night's shortness—precisely because of drinking's joy, one hates the night's brevity, the word 'grieve' writing joy with a reverse brush; 'already it is dawn again' writes unconsciously it is already day—'already' writes in a moment it has come, 'dawn' the day's light. The line's depth: it writes the full pleasure of drinking with 'grieve the night is short'—the 'grieve' is not sorrowful but the regret of 'only hating' (hating the night too short), precisely because of the joy of drinking with neighbors, one only hates the night too short; 'already it is dawn again' writes drinking till dawn—unconsciously it is day, writing the drink's abandon and self-forgetfulness; the two characters 'joy comes' also point the whole's tone with 'joy'—from the opening 'with regret and resentment I walk home alone' to here 'joy comes, and I grieve the night is short,' feeling rising from low to high, writing pastoral gathering's joy fully. Writing joy with 'grieve the night is short' and dawn with 'already it is dawn again' is exactly Tao's craft of 'writing joy with a reverse brush,' making this line a famous one for drinking and pastoral joy.)

欢饮正浓，只恨夜晚太短，不知不觉已到天将明。

When joy comes, I grudge the evening short; already it is dawn again.

这句是全诗的收束，也是千古名句，以「苦夕短」写欢饮之乐，以反笔写尽欢愉。「欢来苦夕短」写欢饮正浓、只恨夜短——那「欢来」写欢饮之乐的到来，那「苦夕短」写只恨夜晚太短——正因欢饮之乐，才恨夜之短，「苦」字以反笔写欢；「已复至天旭」写不知不觉已到天明——那「已复至」写不知不觉间已经到了，那「天旭」写天明。这句的深意在于：它以「苦夕短」写出了欢饮的尽兴——那「苦」不是愁苦，而是「只恨」的遗憾（恨夜太短），正因与邻人共饮之乐，才只恨夜晚太短；那「已复至天旭」写欢饮达旦——不知不觉间已到天明，写尽欢饮之酣畅与忘我；那「欢来」二字，更以「欢」点出全诗的基调——由开篇「怅恨独策还」的怅然，至此「欢来苦夕短」的尽兴，情感由低到高，写尽田园聚饮的欢愉。以「苦夕短」写欢愉、以「已复至天旭」写达旦，正是陶渊明「以反笔写欢」的本领，也让这句成为写欢饮与田园之乐的千古名句。

This closing is the poem's resolution, using the grudge-the-evening-short to write drinking joy in reverse. When-joy-comes-I-grudge-the-evening-short writes the drinking in full, grudging the night's brevity; the joy character names the arrival of drinking pleasure; grudge-evening-short is reverse writing of joy - because the drinking is joyful, one grudges the short night. Already-it-is-dawn-again writes the unnoticed arrival of morning; already writes the suddenness. The line's subtlety is the grudge: not sorrow but regret (grudge the short night), because drinking with neighbors is joyful, one grudges the night's brevity. Already-dawn writes the drinking through the night, the forgetting oneself in joy. The joy character sets the poem's tone - from the opening lonely-sigh to this full joy, the emotion rises low to high, exhausting the pastoral gathering's delight. This is Tao's reverse-writing of joy.

Study

Word focus

漉 'Strain' is the keyword writing the farmer's hospitality, one character writing the pastoral flavor of straining wine, the eye-character of 'I strain my newly brewed wine.' To strain is to filter. Tao writes straining wine with 'I strain my newly brewed wine'—one 'strain' character has at least double meaning: first, writing the action of filtering wine—'strain' writes filtering the newly brewed wine (new wine just ready, must filter the lees), the character writes the farmer's daily labor of brewing and filtering wine, 'my newly brewed wine' the home-brewed wine, 'strain' writing pastoral life's self-sufficiency; second, writing Tao's love of wine—'strain' calls to mind the 'straining wine with a kerchief' anecdote (tradition says Tao loved wine; when it was ready he took the kerchief from his head to strain it), the character covertly writes Tao's true love of wine and pastoral elegance. Writing filtering wine with 'strain' is exactly where Tao writes the farmer's life-flavor—if replaced by 'filter' or 'pour,' it would lose either the native charm or the 'kerchief-straining' allusion; only 'strain' writes in one character both the pastoral flavor of filtering wine and Tao's true nature, joining 'kill a single chicken to invite the near neighbors,' writing the farmer's plain and sincere hospitality, making 'I strain my newly brewed wine, kill a single chicken to invite the near neighbors' a famous line for pastoral gathering. 「漉」字是写农家待客的关键字，一个「漉」字写尽滤酒的田园情味，是「漉我新熟酒」的点睛字。漉者，过滤也。陶渊明以「漉我新熟酒」写滤酒，一个「漉」字，至少有双重意味：其一，写滤酒之动作——那「漉」写过滤新酿的酒（新酒初熟，需过滤酒糟），「漉」字写尽农家酿酒、滤酒的日常劳作，那「我新熟酒」写自家新酿的酒，「漉」字写出田园生活的自给自足；其二，写陶渊明之嗜酒——那「漉」字令人想到「葛巾漉酒」的典故（相传陶渊明嗜酒，酒熟后取头上葛巾漉酒），「漉」字暗写陶渊明爱酒的真率与田园的雅趣。以「漉」字写滤酒，正是陶渊明写农家生活的情味所在——若换作「滤」「斟」等字，则或失其乡土的韵味，或失其「葛巾漉酒」的典故；唯「漉」字，以一字写尽滤酒的田园情味与陶渊明的真率，与「只鸡招近局」相合，写尽农家待客的朴素与真诚，也让「漉我新熟酒，只鸡招近局」成为写田园聚饮的千古名句。

苦 'Grieve' is the keyword writing the full pleasure of drinking, one character writing joy fully with a reverse brush, the eye-word of 'joy comes, and I grieve the night is short.' To grieve is to suffer, to hate. Tao writes drinking with 'joy comes, and I grieve the night is short'—one 'grieve' character has at least double meaning: first, writing hating the night's brevity—'grieve the night is short' writes suffering the night too short, the character writes the regret of the night's brevity—precisely because of drinking's joy, one hates the night's brevity, 'grieve' writing joy with a reverse brush; second, writing the full pleasure of drinking—'grieve' is both hating the night short and writing the drink's abandon—were it not full, why hate the night short? 'grieve the night is short' writes the state of full pleasure, intent not yet exhausted, the character writing pastoral gathering's joy. Writing joy with 'grieve' is exactly Tao's key of writing feeling with a reverse brush—if replaced by 'hate' or 'cherish,' it would lose either the colloquial warmth or the depth of 'grieve'; only 'grieve' writes in one character both the regret of hating the night short and the full pleasure of drinking, joining 'joy comes,' writing joy with 'grieve,' writing pastoral gathering's joy fully, making 'joy comes, and I grieve the night is short—already it is dawn again' a famous line for drinking till dawn. 「苦」字是写欢饮尽兴的关键字，一个「苦」字以反笔写尽欢愉，是「欢来苦夕短」的词眼。苦者，苦于、恨也。陶渊明以「欢来苦夕短」写欢饮，一个「苦」字，至少有双重意味：其一，写恨夜之短——那「苦夕短」写苦于夜晚太短，「苦」字写尽对夜短的遗憾——正因欢饮之乐，才恨夜之短，「苦」字以反笔写欢；其二，写欢饮之尽兴——那「苦」字既是恨夜短，也是写欢饮之酣畅——若非尽兴，何恨夜短？那「苦夕短」写尽欢饮正浓、意犹未尽的状态，「苦」字写尽田园聚饮的欢愉。以「苦」字写欢，正是陶渊明以反笔写情的关键——若换作「恨」「惜」等字，则或失其口语的亲切，或失其「苦」的深婉；唯「苦」字，以一字写尽恨夜短的遗憾与欢饮的尽兴，与「欢来」相合，以「苦」写「欢」，写尽田园聚饮的欢愉，也让「欢来苦夕短，已复至天旭」成为写欢饮达旦的千古名句。