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魏晋 Wei-Jin · 诗 Poem

过始宁墅

Passing by Shining Estate

谢灵运

Xie Lingyun

山水Landscape 隐逸Hermitage

束发怀耿介，逐物遂推迁。
违志似如昨，二纪及兹年。
缁磷谢清旷，疲苶惭贞坚。
拙疾相倚薄，还得静者便。
剖竹守沧海，枉帆过旧山。
山行穷登顿，水涉尽洄沿。
岩峭岭稠叠，洲萦渚连绵。
白云抱幽石，绿筱媚清涟。
葺宇临回江，筑观基曾巅。
挥手告乡曲，三载期归旋。
且为树枌槚，无令孤愿言。

Binding hair, I cherished upright pride,
Pursuing things, I drifted and changed.
To break my vow seems like yesterday,
Two decades now and this year.
Stained, I leave the clear and wide,
Weary, ashamed of steadfastness.
Clumsiness and illness press on me,
Yet I gain the ease of tranquility.
Holding a bamboo tally, I guard the sea,
With detouring sail, I pass the old mountain.
Mountain travel exhausts climbing and pausing,
Water crossing completes winding and following.
Rocks steep, ridges thick and overlapped,
Islets winding, sandbars continuous.
White clouds embrace the secluded rock,
Green bamboos charm the clear ripples.
Building a lodge overlooking the winding river,
Constructing a terrace on the high peak.
Waving hand, I tell my village folk,
In three years I expect to return.
For now, plant elm and catalpa trees,
Let not my solitary wish be hollow.

Listen

Meaning

The poet recalls his youthful idealism and laments his compromise with the worldly life. As he passes his ancestral estate, the natural beauty brings him solace. He vows to return in three years to live in seclusion.

束发之年我便胸怀耿介之志，随俗浮沉，志向遂被推移改变。违背当初的志向仿佛就在昨日，屈指至今已过了二十四年。被世俗所染，有负清旷的怀抱；疲惫羸弱，更惭愧于坚贞的操守。笨拙与疾病交相侵迫，如今重得静者之安适。奉命出守沧海之滨，绕道扬帆经过旧日的山居。山路行尽登顿之劳，水程历遍洄沿之曲。峭岩峻岭重重叠叠，洲渚萦回连绵不断。白云环抱着幽石，绿竹在清波中顾盼生媚。我曾在回曲的江边构筑屋宇，在山巅筑起台观。如今挥手告别乡邻，约定三年之后归来。且为我在故里种下枌树槚树，莫让我辜负了这归隐的誓言。

Appreciation

This poem is a quintessential work of Xie Lingyun's landscape style. It opens with a confessional account of the poet's career and his regret over abandoning his principles. The middle section shifts to a meticulous depiction of the scenery of his estate, using the personifying verbs 'embrace' and 'charm' to animate nature. The final lines express his longing to retire, making the poem a fusion of personal emotion and natural beauty.

【白话串讲】谢灵运是山水诗的开山鼻祖。他路过家乡始宁，看山崖峭壁、洲渚连绵——中国的山水诗，就是从他的笔下开始有了自己的灵魂。【意象与手法】诗前半叙事抒情，自「束发怀耿介」至「还得静者便」，以赋笔自述半生，一波三折，抑郁之气盘郁于胸；后半转入山水，「山行穷登顿，水涉尽洄沿」总写行旅之艰，「岩峭岭稠叠，洲萦渚连绵」大笔铺陈地势，「白云抱幽石，绿筱媚清涟」一联工笔特写，「抱」「媚」二字拟人，将云石竹水写得有情有态，为千古警句。结以「挥手告乡曲，三载期归旋」「且为树枌槚，无令孤愿言」，卒章显志，归隐之愿悠然不尽。全诗对偶精工、章法细密，由情入景、由景归情，一气流转。【情感与主旨】始宁墅为谢灵运祖父谢玄之别墅，在会稽（今浙江绍兴一带）。灵运出身陈郡谢氏，少袭封康乐公，刘宋易代后仕途失意，出为永嘉太守，此诗作于赴任途中绕道经过始宁墅时。诗人抚今追昔，既伤宦途违志，又喜山水可栖，正是其徘徊于仕隐之间矛盾心境的真实写照，也标志着他把一腔怀抱寄托于山水的创作转向。【名句点睛】常考「白云抱幽石，绿筱媚清涟」的炼字与意境（「抱」「媚」拟人手法）；「二纪及兹年」的时间感慨；「剖竹」「枌槚」等典故的运用；以及全诗由述怀而纪行而写景而言志的章法结构。

Background

Shining Estate was the villa of Xie Lingyun's grandfather, Xie Xuan, located in Kuaiji (present-day Shaoxing). Xie Lingyun was born into the prestigious Xie clan and inherited the title Duke of Kangle. After the transition from Jin to Song, he served as governor of Yongjia, later resigned, then was recalled to the capital. He eventually took a post in Linhai (the 'sea' in the poem). This poem was likely written on his way to that appointment, as he passed by his old estate, reflecting on his life.

始宁墅为谢灵运祖父谢玄之别墅，位于会稽始宁县（今浙江嵊州、上虞一带），依山傍水，是谢氏家族的别业。谢灵运出身陈郡谢氏，为谢玄之孙，十八岁袭封康乐公。晋宋易代之后，刘裕代晋建宋，谢灵运由公爵降为侯爵，政治处境渐趋困窘。永初三年（422）出为永嘉太守，此诗即作于赴任途中绕道经过始宁墅时。诗题「过始宁墅」之「过」，是途经、经过之意，并非专程归来，故诗中兼有「枉帆过旧山」的绕道之过与「三载期归旋」的将来之约。灵运一生徘徊于仕隐之间：既以门第才名自负、不甘寂寞，又屡遭猜忌、动辄得咎，遂把一腔怀抱寄托于山水。此诗抚今追昔，伤宦途违志而喜山水可栖，正是其「身在江湖、心怀魏阙」矛盾心境的真实写照，也是他山水诗创作进入成熟期的标志性作品。按《宋书·谢灵运传》，灵运「出为永嘉太守，郡有名山水，灵运素所爱好，出守既不得志，遂肆意游遨」，可见其山水之好与政治失意互为表里；此诗正是他由京官出守外郡、途经故墅时，把身世之感与山水之趣第一次融为一体的作品，上承玄言诗之哲理，下开模山范水之工笔，在谢客创作历程中居于枢纽地位。

Art

The poem's first half is narrative and lyrical, lamenting his career's divergence from his early ideals. The second half shifts to meticulous landscape painting: lines like 'Rocks steep, ridges thickly overlapped' present a broad topographical view, while 'White clouds embrace the secluded rock, green bamboos charm the clear ripples' are particularly striking—the personification captures the spirit of nature. The ending, with its promise to return in three years, sustains a lingering mood.

此诗章法严整，前半叙事抒情，后半写景言志，由情入景、由景归情，一气流转。起六句「束发怀耿介，逐物遂推迁」至「缁磷谢清旷，疲苶惭贞坚」，以赋笔自述半生：束发怀志而逐物推迁，违志如昨而二纪已过，缁磷之污、疲苶之态，层层自省，抑郁之气盘郁于胸。「拙疾相倚薄，还得静者便」一顿，方由困顿转出安顿。「剖竹守沧海，枉帆过旧山」承上启下，点出「过」字，进入山水。「山行穷登顿，水涉尽洄沿」总写行旅之艰，「岩峭岭稠叠，洲萦渚连绵」铺陈地势之雄，至「白云抱幽石，绿筱媚清涟」一联，工笔特写，以「抱」「媚」二字拟人，云与石相依、竹与波相悦，山水有情，为全诗最警绝处。「葺宇临回江，筑观基曾巅」追忆旧日经营，结以「挥手告乡曲，三载期归旋」「且为树枌槚，无令孤愿言」，卒章显志，归隐之愿悠然不尽。全诗对偶精工、章法细密，正是山水诗定型期的典型面貌。尤可注意者，全诗前半多用「推迁」「缁磷」「疲苶」等厚重字眼写身世之累，后半以「抱」「媚」「萦」「绵」等轻灵字眼写山水之美，前后语言风格的转换，正暗合诗人由尘网暂入山林的心境转换，内容与形式互为表里，是其章法精深处。

Allusions

The phrase 'holding a bamboo tally' alludes to the Han dynasty custom of dividing a bamboo tally to appoint a governor; here it symbolizes his official duty. 'Two decades' (er ji) means twenty-four years. 'Stained' (zi lin) reverses the Analects saying 'neither stained nor ground down', to express his shame at being tainted. 'Plant elm and catalpa' refers to trees planted at graves, hinting at a wish to retire and die in his hometown.

此诗用典贴切自然，皆关出处行藏。「束发」为古人成童之礼，十五岁束发为髻，代指少年；「二纪」以十二年为一纪，言违志已历二十四年。「缁磷」出《论语·阳货》：「不曰坚乎？磨而不磷；不曰白乎？涅而不缁。」本谓至坚至白者不受磨染，谢灵运反用其意，自谦久处世俗，坚白已亏，有负清旷贞坚。「剖竹」用汉制：郡守受命，剖竹为符信，故以「剖竹」代指出任太守，正是此时出守永嘉的贴切典故。「静者」暗承老庄虚静之旨，亦近谢氏玄学传统。「枌槚」典出《左传·哀公十一年》「树吾墓槚」，枌、槚皆为墓树，诗人嘱乡人种之，暗示将来归葬故山、终老于此之愿，将归隐之志说得含蓄而深远。「白云」「幽石」「清涟」则本《楚辞》以降的山水意象，与「绿筱」（绿竹）相映，清新秀润。诸典熔铸无痕，足见谢客学养之深。又「绿筱媚清涟」之「筱」出《尚书·禹贡》「筱簜既敷」，本指细竹，谢客取以入诗，见其用字之考究；「葺宇临回江，筑观基曾巅」则暗用谢氏先人卜居会稽之旧事，葺宇筑观皆实有其事，诗史互证，可见「过始宁墅」之题并非泛咏，而是交织着家族记忆与个人志业的具体书写。

Commentary

Zhong Rong's 'Grades of Poetry' praised Xie Lingyun for his 'famous phrases and striking lines, every fine saying scattered everywhere'. This couplet was famously imitated by Tang poets. The Song critic Fang Hui praised his skill in 'painting mountains and waters'. The Qing critic Wang Fuzhi remarked that Xie could convey the spirit of a great scene through small details—the words 'embrace' and 'charm' are brushstrokes of Nature.

钟嵘《诗品》列谢灵运于上品，评其诗「名章迥句，处处间起；典丽新声，络绎奔会」，正指其佳句络绎、辞采新丽的特点；又载汤惠休语，谓谢诗「如初发芙蓉，自然可爱」，虽与颜延之「铺锦列绣」相对而言，却见其清新一面。「白云抱幽石，绿筱媚清涟」一联，历来为人激赏：明人钟惺、谭元春《古诗归》拈出「抱」「媚」二字，谓山水有情；清人王夫之《古诗评选》亦赏其「以小景传大景之神」。就诗歌史而言，谢灵运是中国第一位全力写作山水诗的诗人，他把自然山水作为独立的审美对象加以精雕细刻，改变了此前山水仅作为背景陪衬的地位，为唐代王维、孟浩然一派的山水诗导夫先路。此诗融身世之感于山水之赏，情与景会，是谢客山水诗中情理兼备的佳作。近人刘师培《中国中古文学史》谓谢诗「矜庄典丽，务极雕镂」，然其佳处正在雕镂之中不失清新生动；叶嘉莹论谢灵运，尤重其「以山水为解忧之具」的心理，谓其山水诗是「仕隐矛盾中的自我安顿」。此诗以「白云抱幽石」的物我相得写此安顿，较之其《登池上楼》「池塘生春草」的天成，别是一种精工之美，二者并观，可尽谢客山水诗之两境。

Prosody

Form Five-character ancient verse (Xie Lingyun's landscape poetry)五言古诗（谢灵运山水诗）

Rhyme Ancient style, with tonal shifts (qian, nian, jian, bian, shan, yan, lian, lian, dian, xuan, yan—in archaic rhyme)古体隔句押韵，韵脚以「迁、年、坚、便、山、沿、连、涟、巅、旋、言」为主，一先、删、元诸韵通押，一韵到底

Tone pattern Ancient style, not adhering to modern tone patterns古体不究平仄，然句句对偶、音节谐美，已开齐梁声律之渐

Reading note Typical of Xie's landscape poetry; 'White clouds embrace the secluded rock' is a famous line.此诗为五言古体，凡二十二句，隔句押韵，一韵到底。韵脚「迁、年、坚、便、山、沿、连、涟、巅、旋、言」等字，在平水韵中分属一先、十五删、十三元诸部，然古体诗本可邻韵通押，此等字古韵多属真、元、先部，读来舒缓悠长，正合山水诗从容写景、娓娓述怀的格调。全诗虽为古体，不究近体平仄，但句句两两对偶：如「山行穷登顿，水涉尽洄沿」「岩峭岭稠叠，洲萦渚连绵」「白云抱幽石，绿筱媚清涟」等联，词性、结构一一相对，音节整齐而富节奏感，已开齐梁声律讲求的先声。谢灵运是第一个大量写作山水诗的诗人，其诗「俪采百字之偶，争价一句之奇」（刘勰《文心雕龙》语），此诗正体现了这种以骈偶句法写景叙事的典型风格。全诗由述怀而纪行而写景而言志，层次分明，声情与辞情相谐，是谢客山水诗章法成熟的代表作。

Line by line

违志似如昨，二纪及兹年

In youth, harboring upright integrity.

违背当初的志向仿佛就在昨日，屈指至今已过了二十四年。

To have strayed from my resolve seems like yesterday; yet two twelve-year cycles have brought me to this age.

这是全诗时间感慨的核心句。「违志」二字直揭题旨，承认自己违背了束发之年的初心；「似如昨」写心理时间之短——二十年光阴在记忆中竟仿佛昨日，正见其念念不忘、耿耿于怀；「二纪及兹年」写物理时间之长——十二年为一纪，二纪即二十四年，两个时间尺度并置，形成强烈的张力：觉得短暂，是因为初心未泯；实际漫长，是因为蹉跎已甚。这一联以极简的笔墨写尽半生沉浮，为下文「缁磷谢清旷，疲苶惭贞坚」的自我剖白张本，也为全诗「抚今追昔」的基调定音。时空对照之中，一个既自矜又自惭的诗人形象已然立起。

This couplet is the poem's time-reflection core. Strayed-from-my-resolve directly names the theme, admitting he abandoned the youthful vow. Seems-like-yesterday writes the psychological shortness - twenty-four years feel like yesterday, showing the unrelenting memory. Two-twelve-year-cycles-brought-me-to-this-age writes the physical length - twelve years a cycle, two cycles is twenty-four. The two time scales are juxtaposed: short because the original vow lives on; long because the wasted years are many. The couplet writes half a lifetime in the simplest words, preparing the later self-exposure. The time-space contrast establishes the poet, both proud and ashamed.

剖竹守沧海，枉帆过旧山

I received the bamboo tally to guard the blue sea; I bent my sail to pass the old hills.

奉命出守沧海之滨，绕道扬帆经过旧日的山居。

I received the bamboo tally to guard the blue sea; I bent my sail to pass the old hills.

这一联点出「过」字，是全诗由述怀转入写景的枢纽。「剖竹」用汉郡守分竹符之典，指受命出守永嘉；「沧海」指永嘉滨海之地，气象苍茫。下句「枉帆」二字最见情致：枉者，屈也，绕道之意。赴任本可直行，却偏偏绕道经过旧山，一个「枉」字，把诗人对故墅的眷恋之情写得委婉入骨——不是为了顺路，而是为了再看一眼旧日的家园。「旧山」之「旧」，与首句「束发」遥相呼应，岁月之感油然而生。两句一叙行踪、一写情愫，行文如舟行水上，自然而曲折，为下文铺陈始宁山水的大段工笔预作铺垫。

This couplet names the passing-by, the turning from statement to scenery. Received-the-bamboo-tally uses the Han governor bamboo tally allusion, meaning appointed to Yongjia. Guard-the-blue-sea writes the coastal post, vast. Bent-my-sail is the most feeling-laden: bent means detour - the journey could have been direct, yet he detours past the old hills; the bent character writes the attachment to the old villa, not on the way but to see the old home. The old character of old-hills echoes the youthful vow, the sense of years rising. The couplet narrates the journey and writes the feeling, flowing like a boat on water, preparing the long description of Shininging landscape.

岩峭岭稠叠，洲萦渚连绵

Pursuing external things, I drifted and changed.

峭岩峻岭重重叠叠，洲渚萦回连绵不断。

Cliffs are steep, ridges piled high; isles wind around, sandbars stretch on.

这是大笔铺陈的远景勾勒，写始宁山水总貌。「岩峭」「岭稠叠」写山之雄：岩石陡峭，峰岭层叠，一句之中以「峭」「稠」「叠」三字连施，山势之险峻密集扑面而来；「洲萦」「渚连绵」写水之曲：沙洲萦回，小渚连绵，水的柔曲绵长与山的雄峭刚健形成对照。两句对仗工整，动词「稠」「萦」用得精到，化静态为动态，山水都在流动铺展之中。这一联以概括之笔写全景，为下一联「白云抱幽石，绿筱媚清涟」的特写镜头拉开序幕，由远及近、由宏入微，章法井然。谢灵运山水诗善于构置「全景—中景—特写」的层次，此联即其典型示范。

This is the broad panoramic sketch of Shininging's landscape. Cliffs-are-steep, ridges-piled-high writes the mountains' grandeur: steep rocks, layered peaks, three adjectives in one line pressing the steep dense mountains on the reader. Isles-wind-around, sandbars-stretch-on writes the water's winding: sandbars meander, small islets stretch, water's soft winding contrasting with mountains' hard grandeur. The parallel is refined, verbs piled and meander precise, converting stillness to motion, landscape flowing. This couplet uses broad strokes for the panorama, preparing the next couplet's close-up of white clouds embracing hidden stones, green bamboos smiling in clear ripples. Far to near, grand to fine, Xie's landscape poem typical composition.

白云抱幽石，绿筱媚清涟

Going against my will seems like yesterday.

白云环抱着幽石，绿竹在清波中顾盼生媚。

White clouds embrace the hidden stones; green bamboos smile in the clear ripples.

这是全诗最警绝的名句，千古传诵。「白云抱幽石」：云本飘忽无定之物，着一「抱」字，竟如人有情，依偎着幽深的山石，静中见亲，远中见近；「绿筱媚清涟」：竹本静植之物，着一「媚」字，竟如女子顾盼，在清澈的涟漪中自呈娇态，色、光、影交会，明丽动人。两个拟人动词，使云、石、竹、水四者两两相悦，物我交融，山水遂有生命与情思。这两句还暗合谢氏玄学心境：幽石喻坚贞，清涟喻澄明，云竹之「抱」「媚」正是诗人与自然相亲相得之情的投射。钟嵘所谓「名章迥句，处处间起」，此联即其明证，后世「白云」「幽石」几成山水诗之固定意象。

This is the poem's most famous line, recited for a thousand years. White clouds embrace the hidden stones: clouds are drifting, yet the embrace character makes them affectionate, nestling the deep stones - quiet and intimate, far and near. Green bamboos smile in the clear ripples: bamboos are still plants, yet the smile character makes them glance like a woman in the clear ripples, color light and shadow meeting. Two personified verbs make clouds, stones, bamboos, water mutually delight, thing and self fused, landscape gaining life. The line also fits Xie's Xuanxue mood: hidden stones symbolize integrity, clear ripples symbolize clarity; the clouds' and bamboos' embrace and smile are projections of the poet's own delight in nature. This is the famous line Zhong Rong praised.

挥手告乡曲，三载期归旋

I wave goodbye to the countryside; in three years I promise to return.

如今挥手告别乡邻，约定三年之后归来。

I wave farewell to the village; I promise to return in three years.

这是全诗由景归情的收束之笔，卒章显志。「挥手告乡曲」写临别之态：挥手之间，既有对乡邻的依依，更有对始宁山水的留恋；「三载期归旋」许下三年之约，将今日的「过」变为来日的「归」，行文至此，由客转主，情意悠长。然而「期归旋」之「期」字又透出几分不确定：仕途茫茫，三年之约能否兑现，诗人自己亦无把握，遂有末句「且为树枌槚，无令孤愿言」的郑重叮嘱——托乡人种下枌槚墓树，正是为归期预留后路，隐然有「生不能归，死当归葬」之意，其宦海浮沉中的无奈与执着，尽在这一约一嘱之中。两句语淡情浓，为全诗画上一个既明朗又苍凉的句号。

This closing returns from scenery to feeling, stating the resolve at the end. Wave-farewell-to-the-village writes the parting: the wave holds both reluctance to neighbors and attachment to Shininging's hills. Promise-to-return-in-three-years makes today's passing into tomorrow's return, turning guest into host, lasting feeling. Yet the promise's promise character carries uncertainty: the official road is vast, whether the three-year promise can be kept, the poet himself is unsure, hence the final instruction to plant the grave trees. The couplet's plain words hold deep feeling, closing the poem both bright and desolate.

Study

Word focus

抱 embrace (personification of clouds) 「白云抱幽石」之「抱」字，是全诗炼字的眼目，也是山水诗中以动词写关系的经典范例。「抱」本为人之动作，用于白云与幽石之间，云不再是无情飘浮之物，而如恋人般环抱着幽石，静中有亲、疏中有昵。这个字的妙处有三：一是以拟人化静为动，使静态的山景生出情态；二是「抱」字写云的姿态，既见云之缠绵依恋，又见石之幽深独立，两者相依相成；三是暗合诗人的隐逸心境——幽石即诗人自况，白云即山水之知音，云石相抱，正是诗人与自然相得相亲的象征。后世诗人如李白「白云抱山来」、杜甫「片云天共远」，皆从此「抱」字化出，可见其一字开启的无数法门。

媚 charm (personification of bamboos) 「绿筱媚清涟」之「媚」字，与上句「抱」字相对，是全诗另一诗眼。「媚」本形容女子娇媚之态，移以写绿竹映水之景，竹遂如美人临镜，顾盼生姿：绿影投入清波，涟漪微动，光影摇曳，竹之「媚」态正是在这「清涟」的映照与波动中呈现出来的。此字之妙，在以人拟物而不失分寸——「媚」而不妖，正合绿竹的秀雅品性；又以光写影，不写竹之形态而写竹在清波中的风致，空灵透脱。与「抱」字合观，云之抱石见其亲，竹之媚波见其秀，一刚一柔、一远一近，共同构成一幅有情有态的山居图。汤惠休以「初发芙蓉，自然可爱」评谢诗，此二字正是其自然与工丽兼得的绝佳例证。

枉 detour (showing reluctance to leave) 「枉帆过旧山」之「枉」字，是全诗情感最含蓄处。「枉」者，屈也，绕道之意，本为行船术语，此处却深藏情愫：赴任永嘉，本可沿江直下，诗人却偏偏绕道经过始宁旧墅，一个「枉」字，把这次「过」的主动与深情写得委曲入微——不是顺路，是专程；不是路过，是眷恋。「枉」字还暗含一层自嘲：宦途羁绊，身不由己，连探望自己的家园也要「枉」道而行，其无奈与惭愧自在言外。此字与末句「期归旋」遥相呼应，今日之「枉过」正是为来日之「归旋」铺路。一字而见行踪、见情愫、见身世，谢客炼字之精，于此可见一斑。

穷 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「山行穷登顿」之「穷」字，与下句「尽」字相对，写尽行旅之艰。「穷」者，穷尽、走遍之意，「登顿」指登山涉水的起落颠簸，一「穷」字，把山路之险、跋涉之劳写到尽头——山行至此，登临的艰辛已尝遍无遗。此字看似寻常，实则力重千钧：它既是实写赴任途中绕道山水的辛劳，也是虚写诗人半生仕途的蹭蹬——「山行穷登顿」与首段「逐物遂推迁」「疲苶惭贞坚」暗相呼应，行路之难即仕路之难，一语双关。谢灵运山水诗惯以旅途的艰险烘托山水的奇绝，「穷」「尽」二字的铺排，正是为下文「岩峭岭稠叠」「白云抱幽石」的山水奇观蓄势，苦其行而美其景，张力自生。