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魏晋 Wei-Jin · 诗 Poem

杂诗·其二

Miscellaneous Poem, No. 2

曹丕

Cao Pi

建安Theme 游子Theme 比兴Theme 羁旅Theme

西北有浮云,亭亭如车盖。
惜哉时不遇,适与飘风会。
吹我东南行,行行至吴会。
吴会非我乡,安能久留滞?
弃置勿复陈,客子常畏人。

In the northwest is a floating cloud, erect like a carriage's canopy.
Pity that the time met no encounter; it chanced to meet the whirling wind.
It blew me southeast, on and on to Wu and Kuai.
Wu and Kuai are not my home - how can I long remain?
Let it be cast aside, no more said; the sojourning man ever fears others.
Listen

Meaning

A drifting cloud becomes the exiled traveler who fears the world and cannot sleep.

西北天边升起一朵浮云,高高耸立犹如车盖。 可惜际遇不逢其时,恰好与狂风相遇。 风把我吹向东南,一路飘行来到吴会。 吴会并不是我的故乡,怎能长久滞留于此? 抛开这些不必再陈说,游子在外常怀戒惧之心。

Appreciation

The cloud stands proud as a canopy, then is blown where it did not choose. Cao Pi makes of it a man abroad: sleepless, and ever a little afraid of those around him.

【白话串讲】 曹丕写游子的漂泊:“西北有浮云,亭亭如车盖”。“吹我东南行,行行至吴会”——“吴会非我乡,安能久留滞”——“弃置勿复陈,客子常畏人”——游子怕见人。他把漂泊写得极深。 【意象与手法】 以“西北有浮云,亭亭如车盖”起笔,意象高远孤洁;“惜哉时不遇,适与飘风会”以浮云被狂风裹挟暗喻命运无常;结句“弃置勿复陈,客子常畏人”由景入情,戛然而止。善用比兴,以浮云自况,物我交融,语言清浅而情致深婉。 【情感与主旨】 借浮云飘转喻游子身不由己的漂泊命运。曹丕身为公子亦屡经行役,“客子常畏人”之叹或寄托其身处权力夹缝、朝不保夕的隐忧,上承《古诗十九首》游子之叹,下启六朝羁旅之作。 【名句点睛】 常考“西北有浮云,亭亭如车盖”以浮云起兴写漂泊;“弃置勿复陈,客子常畏人”以畏人写游子戒惧孤独。

Background

Cao Pi (187-226), first emperor of Wei, was also a refined poet. This 'miscellaneous poem' uses the floating cloud as an image of the displaced wanderer.

曹丕《杂诗》二首,约作于其称帝前后,本篇为第二首,借浮云飘转以喻游子身不由己的漂泊命运。汉末建安之际,群雄逐鹿,战乱频仍,文人学士往往随军流转、背井离乡,曹丕身为公子亦屡经行役。诗中客子常畏人之叹,或寄托其身处权力夹缝、朝不保夕的隐忧,亦可见汉末建安文人共有的离乱之感与生命无常之慨。值得注意的是,曹丕虽贵为五官中郎将、后为魏文帝,其诗却多写行役羁旅、孤子远游,与乃父曹操的慷慨苍凉、乃弟曹植的辞采华茂并不同调。此诗以浮云自况,物我交融,语言清浅而情致深婉,体现了建安诗歌志深笔长、梗概多气的风骨,亦可见曹丕作为诗人的另一面——不是政治舞台上的雄主,而是月下风中那个体察飘零的敏感心灵,其诗心之细,正与其政术之狠形成对照。要之,读懂此诗,须将其放回具体的历史语境与诗人的身世脉络之中,方能体会字句之下的深沉寄托与时代投影。故论此诗,不可孤立视之,当与诗人一生的出处行藏相印证,其寄托乃愈见分明。要之,读懂此诗,须将其放回具体的历史语境与诗人的身世脉络之中,方能体会字句之下的深沉寄托与时代投影。故论此诗,不可孤立视之,当与诗人一生的出处行藏相印证,其寄托乃愈见分明。由此观之,此篇虽若小品,实乃时代心理与个人遭际交汇的产物,值得细加玩味。要之,读懂此诗,须将其放回具体的历史语境与诗人的身世脉络之中,方能体会字句之下的深沉寄托与时代投影。故论此诗,不可孤立视之,当与诗人一生的出处行藏相印证,其寄托乃愈见分明。由此观之,此篇虽若小品,实乃时代心理与个人遭际交汇的产物,值得细加玩味。要之,读懂此诗,须将其放回具体的历史语境与诗人的身世脉络之中,方能体会字句之下的深沉寄托与时代投影。故论此诗,不可孤立视之,当与诗人一生的出处行藏相印证,其寄托乃愈见分明。由此观之,此篇虽若小品,实乃时代心理与个人遭际交汇的产物,值得细加玩味。

Art

Opens on the cloud 'like a carriage canopy,' then lets the wind carry it southeast - the cloud is the speaker, blown to Wu-Kuai, sleepless and afraid among strangers.

全诗的艺术重心在一个比字。起笔西北有浮云,亭亭如车盖,先立一个高远孤洁的意象:浮云本自在舒卷,却被一阵狂风裹挟而去,暗喻人生命运之无常与身世之不由己。惜哉时不遇,适与飘风会,由景入情,把云的命运接到人的命运上;吹我东南行,行行至吴会,写飘零之远、之被动,一个吹字道尽身不由己。吴会非我乡,安能久留滞则点出游子思归而不得的凄楚。结句弃置勿复陈,客子常畏人,由景入情,戛然而止,余味悠长——游子之所以畏人,正因寄人篱下、进退维谷。结构上,前四句写云之飘,后两句写人之叹,物我双线,最后合而为一。语言清浅如话,却层层递进,情景相生,是建安抒情小诗的佳作,亦开后世以物喻身世之先声。综而论之,此诗技法浑成,情景相生,于平淡中见匠心,足为后世取法。其章法之密、用笔之妙,正在不露痕迹处见真章,非熟于诗法者不能到。如此层层递进、虚实相生,遂使短章而有深致,小景而含远韵。综而论之,此诗技法浑成,情景相生,于平淡中见匠心,足为后世取法。

Allusions

The floating cloud is a classic figure for the rootless traveler. Wu and Kuai the southeastern lands of Wu. The carriage canopy is the cloud's shape.

此诗以浮云为喻,其来有自。古诗十九首有浮云蔽白日,游子不顾返,以浮云蔽日喻小人蒙蔽、游子忘归;曹丕此处化用其意,而专取浮云之飘转无定以写身世。又,车盖本指古代车上的伞盖,以浮云如车盖状其高耸圆张,意象本于《古诗》西北有高楼一脉的远望之姿。飘风一词见于《诗经·桧风·匪风》匪风飘兮,吹彼车偈,本写风急车疾、行人思归,曹丕借飘风写摧折飘转之力,暗合诗经忧思之旨。至若客子常畏人,则直承汉乐府与古诗中行役畏人之叹,如《饮马长城窟行》之孤苦无依。这些典故与意象经曹丕点化,不着痕迹地融入一首短章,使个体的飘零之感,接通了整个汉魏行旅诗的传统,非徒写景而已,实是以古意写今愁的浑成之作。综上,诗中典故与意象经诗人融裁,皆服务于题旨,足见其学养与手腕。用典之妙,在化用无痕,使古事与今情浑然一体,各有其命脉所系。借古事以写今怀,正是此诗沉厚之处,亦见作者熔裁之功。综上,诗中典故与意象经诗人融裁,皆服务于题旨,足见其学养与手腕。

Commentary

Cao Pi's lyrics are quieter than his brother Cao Zhi's; this one is a small, melancholy self-portrait of court life's unease.

此诗历来被视为曹丕抒情小诗的代表。清人陈祚明《采菽堂古诗选》评曹丕诗,谓其如燕歌宛转、弦急调悲,此篇正见其悲婉之致。近人论建安诗,多以曹丕与曹植并提,而谓丕诗清浅自然、植诗华赡藻丽;然正因其清浅,反更耐寻味,如浮云一喻,看似随手,实则千回百折。明人胡应麟《诗薮》称建安之诗,志深笔长、梗概多气,曹丕此作虽短,而飘零之慨、畏人之忧,皆其所指。更有论者指出,客子常畏人一句,非仅写游子,亦暗含曹丕身处兄弟相争、朝局诡谲之中的隐忧,读诗不可泥于字面。一首二十余字的小诗,能令后人既见游子之叹、又见储君之忧,足证其寄托之深。在六朝羁旅诗的发展上,此诗上承古诗、下启潘岳陆机,地位不容小觑,为后世羁旅行役之作立一范本。要之,此诗在文学史上影响深远,向来为论者所重,具有不可替代的地位。故后世品题此诗,多许其得体要,以为足窥作者之性情与时代之风会。读此诗者,宜知其不在于辞之丽,而在于意之真、寄之远。

Prosody

Form Five-character ancient-style (wugu)建安文人五言诗(杂诗体,非严格乐府,近古体)
Rhyme Rhymes on 'canopy' (gai), 'encounter' (hui), 'Kuai' (kuai), 'others' (ren) - level/oblique in the hai group.盖、会、滞、人分属不同韵部,诗不依严格押韵,随句意转,存古诗自在之韵。
Tone pattern Ancient style, not strictly regulated.五言句度,平仄未严,建安诗本不拘近体格律,以气韵为主。
Reading note A gentle, image-led account of displacement; the cloud is the self.曹丕此诗虽为五言,却不必以近体格律绳之。建安诗上承汉乐府与古诗十九首,本不拘平仄粘对,句度以自然气韵为主。用韵上,此诗盖、会、滞、人各自成句,并不一韵到底,这正是古诗转韵自由、随情而止的特色——它不求声律的工整,而求情致的连贯。平仄方面,西北有浮云一类句式,于建安诗中极为常见,读来舒缓而带古质。值得注意的是,曹丕存世的许多诗都讲究清商曲的声调,此篇虽是徒诗,而节奏清浅、韵脚疏朗,仍可见其受乐府影响的痕迹。后世论诗律者每以建安为古体典范,正是因其不假雕琢、以意役辞;拿唐人格律去量,反失其天然。读此诗宜听其气,不宜扣其律,方得其清婉之致。读此诗宜循其声气,方得其妙,若以一格绳之,反失其本色。

Line by line

西北有浮云,亭亭如车盖。

In the northwest is a floating cloud, erect like a carriage's canopy.

西北天边升起一朵浮云,高高耸立犹如车盖。

In the northwest there is a floating cloud, tall and upright like a carriage canopy.

起笔先布一个高远孤洁的意象。西北是天之高远,浮云本自在舒卷,亭亭如车盖则状其高耸圆张、独立无依。这一句妙在不动声色:表面写云,实则已把云写成一个无根而无助的存在,为后文被风吹走埋下伏笔。车盖一喻,既写出云的形态,也带来一丝人事的联想——车盖属车马,属行旅,暗扣游子主题。短短十字,景中已有情,是所谓融情于景的起法。读到此句,已觉一股孤清之气扑面而来,而云之孤,正是人之孤的预演,起笔即定全篇之调。

The opening first lays out a lofty, solitary, pure image. The northwest is the high sky, the floating cloud drifts of itself, and 'tall and upright like a carriage canopy' writes its soaring, round spread, standing alone and unsupported. The art lies in saying nothing: on the surface writing the cloud, yet already making it a rootless and helpless being, preparing the later lines where the wind blows it away. The metaphor of the carriage canopy gives the cloud's form while carrying a human association—the canopy belongs to carriages and travel, covertly answering the theme of the wandering traveler. In barely ten characters, scenery already holds feeling, the so-called method of melting feeling into landscape at the opening. Reading the line, one already feels an air of loneliness, and the cloud's solitude is the rehearsal of the man's solitude, the opening fixing the poem's tone.

客子常畏人

The sojourning man ever fears others.

游子在外常怀戒惧之心。

The traveler away from home is always afraid of other people.

这是全诗的结穴,也是最有分量的一句。弃置勿复陈是强自宽慰,客子常畏人却是压不住的真心话。畏人二字,写尽寄人篱下者的卑微与戒惧:不是怕某一人,而是怕这世上所有人,因为无根、因为依赖、因为随时可能被厌弃。一个畏字,把游子的孤独写到了骨头里。尤为可玩味的是,曹丕贵为公子,何畏之有?正因如此,此句更可能别有寄托——身处权力倾轧,朝不保夕,其畏人或亦畏祸。景语作结,余味悠长,不著一个愁字而愁肠百结,是建安短章以少胜多的范例。

This is the poem's conclusion and its weightiest line. 'Cast it aside, speak no more of it' is forced self-consolation, but 'the traveler is always afraid of other people' is the suppressed truth. The words 'afraid of other people' write, to the bone, the humiliation and vigilance of one who lodges in another's house: not afraid of some one person but afraid of everyone in the world, because he is rootless, dependent, and随时 liable to be cast off. The single word 'afraid' writes the traveler's loneliness into the marrow. What is most intriguing is that Cao Pi, a prince, has nothing to fear; precisely for that reason the line likely carries a hidden meaning—set among power struggles, not safe from morning to evening, his 'fear of people' may also be fear of disaster. Closing on scenery, the afterecho long, naming no sorrow yet the bowels knotted, the model of a Jian'an short piece that achieves much with little.

Study

Word focus

亭亭 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 亭亭通常形容花木或女子亭亭玉立,此处用以写浮云,是极新鲜的移用。浮云本飘忽无形,诗人却说它亭亭如车盖,赋予云以挺立、高洁、端庄的姿态,仿佛云也有了人的风骨。这一词的好处,在把无生命的云人格化,使后面的飘转、被弃都带上了身世之感。若易以悠悠或茫茫,便只是寻常景语,失了那份孤傲自立的劲。炼一字而全句生色,正是建安诗人善用形容的功夫,看似平淡,实则讲究,于不经意处见匠心,亦可见曹丕诗骨力之所在。
畏 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 畏是全诗最沉的一字。前面写云、写风、写飘零,都还是叙述;到客子常畏人,一个畏字突然把距离拉到心里。畏不同于愁,愁可诉,畏只能忍;畏也不同于惧,惧有对象,畏往往无对象,是一种弥散的、说不清的不安。游子畏人,是怕被人轻、怕被人弃、怕无立锥之地。曹丕用这个字收束全篇,等于把前面所有的飘零之感,最后凝成一种戒惧。一字千钧,余味不尽,是炼字见骨的范例,亦使全诗的漂泊之悲有了心理的落点,读之令人低回。

Related Reading

赠从弟(其他首) To My Cousin (Another in the Series) 刘桢 · 同出建安、同用比兴,一写飘零一写高洁 Related reading

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

两诗同属建安、同善用比兴,而取径各异。曹丕以浮云自况,写游子飘零、身不由己与客子畏人之忧,意象孤清、情致深婉;刘桢以水中蘋藻自况,写微物虽柔弱而可荐宗庙、羞于嘉客,寄托寒素士人不甘沉沦、以清德自守的胸襟,意象清朗、立意刚健。一柔婉,一清刚;一写漂泊之悲,一写守志之傲。并读可见建安诗人虽共享梗概多气之风骨,却各出手眼,或托浮云,或托蘋藻,皆能即物见志,足见一时诗人抒怀路径之丰富。

古诗十九首·行行重行行 古诗十九首·行行重行行 无名氏(汉末古诗) · 同写游子漂泊,一拟云一赋行役 Related reading

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

《行行重行行》是古诗十九首中写游子思妇的名篇,以行行重行行起,写离别之远、相去日已远之悲;曹丕此诗则以浮云被吹东南作比,写飘零之被动。二者皆写身不由己的远游,皆含思归不得之痛。不同在:古诗质直叙说,曹丕巧设云喻;古诗悲在离别,曹丕忧在畏人。一原本民间行役之叹,一出公子敏感之笔,合观可知汉魏之间游子主题如何由朴素走向精巧,而漂泊之悲一脉相承,曹丕正处在这由古转巧的节点上。