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五代 Five Dynasties · 词 Ci lyric

临江仙·十二高峰天外寒

Linjiangxian: Twelve High Peaks Cold Beyond the Sky

阎选

Yan Xuan

写景scenery 感怀reflections

十二高峰天外寒，竹梢轻拂玉栏干。
宝帘慵卷玉钗横。
西风飘桂子，仙鹤夜徘徊。
何事乘龙人忽降，似知深意相招。
三清携手路非遥。
世间屏障，彩笔画娇娆。

Twelve towering peaks, cold beyond the sky,
Bamboo tips lightly brush jade railings.
Precious curtain lazily rolled, jade hairpin askew.
In west wind, laurel seeds drift,
Immortal cranes wander by night.
Why does the dragon-rider suddenly descend,
As if knowing my deep intent, inviting?
Hand in hand to the Three Pure Ones, the road is not far.
In the mortal world's painted screen,
Colorful brushes depict a charming face.

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Meaning

The poem depicts a cold, otherworldly scene with peaks and bamboo, a woman idly in her chamber, osmanthus scent and cranes at night. Suddenly a dragon-riding immortal descends as if called, and they walk to the celestial realm. The final lines return to a painted screen, blending reality and fantasy.

十二座高峰耸立在天外，透着寒意；竹梢轻轻拂过白玉栏杆。珍贵的帘幕懒懒地卷着，玉钗横斜。西风飘来桂子的清香，仙鹤在夜色里往复徘徊。为何那乘龙的人忽然降临，仿佛懂得我深心里的相招之意？携手同登三清仙境，路途并不遥远。回头看那世间的屏风上，正用彩笔描画着娇美的容颜。

Appreciation

Yan Xuan weaves an immortal realm with a mortal painted screen, expressing secluded feelings through a boudoir's desolation. The first stanza builds a cold, quiet mood with distant peaks, bamboo, jade rails, a lazy curtain, osmanthus, and cranes. The second stanza introduces a dragon-riding immortal and ends with a painted screen, blurring real and unreal. Diction is refined yet sparse; 'lazy' and 'askew' convey solitude. The final line leaves lingering charm.

【白话串讲】阎选写巫山十二峰：竹梢轻拂栏杆，西风飘着桂子香，仙鹤夜里徘徊。五代词人写仙境，美得像一场梦。【意象与手法】上片由远及近、由物及人，以寒峰、竹梢、玉栏、宝帘、玉钗、桂子、仙鹤诸般清冷意象织成清寒幽寂之境，着一「慵」字而人物情态毕现；下片由实入虚，以乘龙人降、三清携手引入仙凡相会之想，结以「世间屏障，彩笔画娇娆」收归画中幻影，虚实相生、真幻莫辨，如一场缥缈的仙凡之梦。【情感与主旨】阎选为五代后蜀布衣词人，世称阎处士，《花间集》存其词八首，多写闺情而杂仙道。此词借巫山十二峰、乘龙、三清等仙道典故，写独处清夜之孤寂与仙凡相招之幽思，寄寓乱世中向往超脱、借仙以写幽怀之情；清寒之境与缥缈之思相合，正其「清疏有仙气」之本色。【名句点睛】常考「宝帘慵卷玉钗横」中「慵」「横」二字以物写人之传神，以及上片清寒意象的组合、下片「世间屏障，彩笔画娇娆」虚实收束之妙。

Background

Yan Xuan, known as 'Yan Hermit', was a commoner poet of Later Shu. His eight surviving ci in the Huajian Ji often blend boudoir sentiments with Daoist immortal themes. The title 'Twelve High Peaks' may allude to the twelve peaks of Mount Wu. The dragon-rider and Three Pure Ones reflect Daoist influence. During the Five Dynasties turmoil, literati sought escape through immortal realms; this poem mirrors that yearning.

阎选，字号、生卒年均不详，五代后蜀布衣词人，世称阎处士。《花间集》卷九录其词八首，另有《虞美人》《浣溪沙》等，题材多写闺情与仙道。五代十国之际，中原干戈扰攘，而西蜀据险自守、物阜民殷，前蜀王衍、后蜀孟昶皆好词曲，君臣以词相娱，遂有花间一派之盛。阎选身居布衣，不预政事，故词多清疏自适之趣，与欧阳炯、鹿虔扆等同为西蜀词坛作者。此词题咏十二高峰，即巫山十二峰，暗用楚襄王游高唐、梦遇神女之典；词中复见乘龙、三清、仙鹤诸仙道意象，显受道教仙隐思想浸染。五代乱世，文士或托仙道以逃世自遣，寄情缥缈之境；此词清寒之景与仙凡相招之思，正是乱离时代向往超脱的曲折心影。巫山十二峰之名起于宋玉《高唐赋》《神女赋》之神女故事，后世文人屡以入咏，遂成仙凡缥缈之代称；此词题下虽无小序，而神女、乘龙、三清之语相衔，恍若梦游仙乡，正见其以仙写情、借幻抒怀之旨。至其本事，或谓写巫山神女故事，或谓抒登临怀仙之幽绪，今已难确考，然词以仙道意象构筑清远之境，则灼然可见。

Art

The first stanza builds a cold, quiet scene via distant peaks, bamboo brushing jade rails, a lazy curtain and askew hairpin showing a pensive woman, then osmanthus scent and wandering cranes adding ethereality. The second stanza shifts from reality to fantasy with the dragon-rider and journey to the Three Pure Ones, then returns to a painted screen, blending real and imaginary. Imagery is magnificent yet clear, marking a distinct immortal-hermit style within the ornate Huajian tradition.

此词章法最妙处在虚实相生、以境写心。上片纯写景，由远而近、由静而动、由物及人：起句「十二高峰天外寒」以远景立骨，十二峰耸入天外，一「寒」字定下清寂基调；次句「竹梢轻拂玉栏干」拉回近景，竹梢拂栏，微动生趣；三句「宝帘慵卷玉钗横」由室外转入室内，帘慵卷、钗横斜，写人慵起之态，着一「慵」字而百无聊赖之情自见；换头「西风飘桂子，仙鹤夜徘徊」以嗅觉（桂香）与动态（鹤影）点染，境益幽渺，且鹤为仙禽，暗启下片仙凡之思。下片陡转虚境：以「何事乘龙人忽降」一问，将笔触从人间引入仙界，乘龙而降、似知深意，仙凡相招若有情缘；「三清携手路非遥」宕开一笔，谓携手同登三清之路并不遥远，忽近忽远，如梦如幻；结句「世间屏障，彩笔画娇娆」再落回人间，以画屏美人收束——仙凡之会终不过是画中幻影，虚实往复，余味邈然。全词以景起、以仙转、以画收，意象瑰丽而气韵清疏，于花间绮靡之外别开仙隐一格；所用物象皆轻清（高峰、竹梢、玉栏、宝帘、桂子、仙鹤、屏障），无一处浓艳，正见其清疏有仙气之本色。

Allusions

'Dragon-rider' alludes to Xiao Shi and Nongyu riding a dragon and phoenix to immortality (from Liexian Zhuan). 'Three Pure Ones' refers to the Daoist celestial realms. 'Twelve peaks' derives from the myth of the twelve peaks of Mount Wu, associated with a goddess. The final line's painted beauty echoes the immortal realm. These allusions create a distant, ethereal world, expressing secluded feelings.

此词用典皆出仙道传说与神话，用以构筑清远缥缈之境。「十二高峰」化用巫山十二峰之传说：宋玉《高唐赋》载楚襄王游云梦高唐，梦神女自称巫山之女，旦为朝云、暮为行雨，后世遂以巫山神女为仙凡相恋之典，词中「似知深意相招」正暗承此脉。「乘龙」用《列仙传》箫史、弄玉故事：秦穆公女弄玉好箫，嫁善吹箫之箫史，后二人乘凤凰飞去，后世以乘龙喻得佳婿或仙人升举，此处「乘龙人忽降」谓仙人乘龙自天而降，反用其意，写仙凡邂逅。「三清」为道教最高仙境，指玉清、上清、太清三清天，为尊神所居，「三清携手路非遥」谓仙境可期，暗含超尘之想。「仙鹤」亦道教仙禽，《相鹤经》谓鹤为羽族之宗、仙人之骐骥，夜徘徊之鹤正添幽渺仙气。结句「彩笔画娇娆」写画屏美人，与乘龙仙人遥遥相对，亦真亦幻，神女、仙人、画中人三者叠映，正如李商隐「神女生涯原是梦」之幻感。典故皆非咏史实，乃借仙道以写幽怀，以典构筑意境，故李冰若《栩庄漫记》谓阎词如「白云孤鹤，去人境远」。

Commentary

In the Huajian Ji, Yan Xuan is noted for his elegant lines as a commoner recluse. Modern critics see his style as 'clear and sparse with an immortal aura', distinct from the dense refinement of Wen Tingyun and Wei Zhuang. Li Bingruo's 'Xuzhuang Manji' says 'the hermit's words are like white clouds and solitary cranes, far from the human world.' This piece exemplifies that cold, ethereal quality.

《花间集》录阎选词八首，欧阳炯《花间集序》虽盛称温、韦，而阎选以布衣处士厕身其间，独标清疏一格。近人论花间，多以温庭筠之秾艳、韦庄之清婉为两宗，而阎选、李珣辈以疏淡仙逸别张一军；李冰若《栩庄漫记》评阎选词云「处士词如白云孤鹤，去人境远」，又谓其《临江仙》数阕情致绵邈，此篇十二高峰正是其典型代表。就词史而言，此词的价值有三：其一，以词写游仙题材，上承郭璞《游仙诗》、曹植《远游篇》之游仙传统，下启两宋道士词与苏轼《水调歌头》之仙逸气韵，在词体初兴时已具仙道一格；其二，其以景起、以仙转、以画收的虚实章法，与温韦之直写闺情迥异，为词境之开拓另辟一途；其三，「宝帘慵卷玉钗横」一类句法写女子慵懒之态，与温庭筠「懒起画蛾眉」神理相通，可见花间词风于阎选并未断绝，唯于绮靡中注入清寒之气。此词虽非中高考常篇，然于研究五代词之题材拓展与风格多元，实为一重要样本。

Prosody

Form Ci, 'Linjiangxian' in 54 characters, two stanzas each of five lines词，《临江仙》双调六十字体，上下片各五句、三平韵

Rhyme Pingshui rhyme group 14 (han, gan, heng, pan, yao, rao - final -an)全词押平声韵到底，一韵不复转。上片韵脚为寒、干、横，下片韵脚为降、招、遥、娆；就平水韵而言，寒、干属上平十四寒，遥、招、娆属下平二萧，横属下平八庚，降兼上平三江与去声绛韵，韵部出入较大，可见五代词用韵较宽，多就方音口语押韵，不严守中古韵书。

Tone pattern Level tone throughout, slow pace句式以七言为主，参以五言、六言、四言短句：上片为七、七、七、五、五，下片为七、六、七、四、五，长短相间、奇偶错落；上下片皆平声韵到底，声情舒缓悠远，与清寒缥缈之境相谐。

Reading note Yan Xuan's several 'Linjiangxian' pieces survive in the Huajian Ji; this one is clear and ethereal.《临江仙》为唐教坊曲名，后用作词调，五代花间词人竞相填作，体制多端。阎选此首为双调六十字体，上片五句、下片五句，与后世苏轼《临江仙·夜饮东坡醒复醉》同属六十字之列，而句读小异——苏词下片作七、六、七、五、五，此词下片作七、六、七、四、五，可见词调在五代尚未定型，字数句式随声而变。全词押平声韵到底，一韵不复转，声情平稳舒缓，正合幽渺之境；就平水韵观之，韵脚分布较散（寒干属寒删部，遥招娆属萧豪部，横属庚青部，降兼江阳绛韵），然依五代实际语音与词韵宽泛之习，诵读仍觉谐畅，此正词律初兴、韵书未立之时代特征，不必以后世严律绳之。其句法尤可注意者：上片以七言三句起势，再以两个五言短句收束，如长吁后之短叹；下片先以七言发问，继以六言作答，再以七言、四言、五言层层递进，终于「彩笔画娇娆」之悠扬余韵，长短相济、声随情转，最宜曼声低唱。就词史言，此调经阎选、冯延巳、晏殊、苏轼诸家递相敷演，遂成宋词名调，而阎选此体实为早期形态之重要一环。

Line by line

十二高峰天外寒，竹梢轻拂玉栏干。

Distant twelve peaks cold beyond the sky; bamboo tips gently brush jade railings. This opening sets a cold, quiet mood.

十二座高峰耸立在天外，透出阵阵寒意；庭中竹梢轻轻拂过白玉栏杆。

The twelve peaks rise cold beyond the sky; bamboo tips lightly brush the jade balustrade.

首二句一远一近，构成立体画面。「十二高峰」用巫山十二峰神话，峰在「天外」，极言其高远清寒，一「寒」字既写山巅霜气，亦染心绪之孤冷，为全词定下清寂基调；「竹梢轻拂玉栏干」则收回近景，竹梢拂栏本是寻常物态，着一「轻」字写出微风徐来、竹影摇动之细腻动感，与远峰之静形成动静对照。远景以寒立骨，近景以轻传神，远冷近清，境由是生。而玉栏干之玉色又与后文玉钗、桂子、仙鹤等清冷意象呼应，句句不离清字，为下片仙凡相会之幻境预伏气象。两句十字，写尽词人独处清夜、目接高远之境，清疏之气扑面而来。

The opening two lines, one far, one near, build a three-dimensional picture. 'The twelve peaks' uses the myth of the twelve peaks of Wu Gorge, the peaks 'beyond the sky' writing their height and cold, the single word 'cold' giving at once the frost on the summits and the loneliness of the mood, setting the clear, still keynote of the whole. 'Bamboo tips lightly brush the jade balustrade' pulls back to the near scene: bamboo tips brushing the rail is an ordinary sight, yet the word 'lightly' writes the delicate motion of a soft breeze stirring the bamboo shadows, contrasting the stillness of the far peaks. The far view builds on cold, the near view conveys light; far cold and near clearness, and the realm arises. The jade color of the rail answers the later cold images of the jade hairpin, cassia seeds, and immortal crane, every line holding to the word 'clear,' preparing the air for the fantasy of immortal and mortal meeting in the lower stanza. Ten characters write the poet alone in the clear night, eyeing the lofty realm, an air of sparse purity coming to the face.

宝帘慵卷玉钗横。

Precious curtain lazily rolled, jade hairpin askew. 'Lazy' and 'askew' convey the woman's idle, lonely state.

珍美的帘幕懒懒地不曾卷起，头上的玉钗横斜未整，可见其人慵懒未起、心绪散淡。

The jeweled curtain is idly unrolled; the jade hairpin lies askew.

「慵」「横」二字是全词传神之笔。帘本无情，着一「慵」字而帘若有意不卷，实是帘内之人慵懒无心、百无聊赖之折射；玉钗本应端正插戴，却「横」斜着，写人晨起未理妆或独坐出神之态，以物态传人情，正是花间词以物写人的惯技。值得玩味的是，此词写女子不着一愁怨字，而帘慵钗横之间，孤寂无聊之意已盎然纸上，较温庭筠「懒起画蛾眉，弄妆梳洗迟」更为含蓄蕴藉。且宝帘玉钗皆华贵之物，与玉栏干相映，点出居处之精雅，而精雅愈甚、慵懒愈显，物之华美反衬人之孤寂，与后文「何事乘龙人忽降」的仙凡之想遥相勾连——帘慵不卷，正是待人而未至之态。

The words 'idly' and 'askew' are the vivid strokes of the line. The curtain is by nature indifferent, yet with 'idly' it seems of its own will not to be rolled up, in truth the reflection of the person within, lazy and listless. The jade hairpin should be worn straight, yet it lies 'askew,' writing her rising without arranging her toilet or sitting alone lost in thought, conveying human feeling through the state of things, the Huajian method of writing the person through objects. What is intriguing is that the line names no word of grief or resentment, yet between the idle curtain and the askew pin the loneliness and listlessness are already rich on the page, more reserved and refined than Wen Tingyun's 'rising late to paint the moth brows, slow at toilet and combing.' Moreover, the jeweled curtain and jade pin are luxurious things, set off by the jade rail to show the refinement of the dwelling, and the more refined, the more the laziness shows—splendid things setting off a lonely person, answering the later immortal fantasy of 'why did the dragon rider suddenly descend': the unrolled, idle curtain is precisely the state of waiting for someone who has not come.

西风飘桂子，仙鹤夜徘徊。

West wind wafts laurel seeds; immortal cranes wander at night. Sensory details and movement add an ethereal, immortal atmosphere.

西风送来桂子的清香，仙鹤在夜色中往复徘徊。

The west wind drifts cassia seeds; the immortal crane hovers in the night.

换头两句以嗅觉与动态点染，境愈幽而意愈渺。「桂子」暗用月中桂树之传说——段成式《酉阳杂俎》载月中有桂，故桂香自带仙意，西风飘来，嗅觉通于仙界；「仙鹤」更是道教仙禽，夜中徘徊、若有所待，为下片「乘龙人忽降」预设先声。两句一写香之来、一写影之动，皆轻清缥缈、不着色相，正见阎词清疏有仙气之本色。而「徘徊」二字又暗含人物情思：鹤之徘徊，实是人之徘徊，伫立凝望、若有所期之态宛然；此与上片「慵卷」「横」的静慵相对，由静入动、由慵入盼，词情于此一转，遂自然过渡到「何事乘龙人忽降，似知深意相招」的仙凡相会之问。五言偶句句式短促，声情摇曳，读来倍觉清远。

The two opening lines of the second stanza, through smell and motion, make the realm the more secluded and the feeling the more distant. 'Cassia seeds' covertly uses the legend of the cassia in the moon—Duan Chengshi's 'Miscellaneous Morsels from Youyang' records a cassia in the moon, so that the cassia scent carries an immortal air, and the west wind wafting it makes smell reach the fairy world. The 'immortal crane' is even more a Taoist immortal bird, hovering in the night as if waiting for something, preparing the sound for the lower stanza's 'why did the dragon rider suddenly descend.' The two lines write, one the coming of scent, one the motion of a shadow, both light, clear, and ethereal, holding no color, showing the native sparse, immortal quality of Yan Xuan's verse. The word 'hovers' also carries the human feeling: the crane's hovering is in truth the person's hovering, the figure standing and gazing, as if expecting something. Set against the still laziness of the upper stanza's 'idly unrolled' and 'askew,' the poem moves from stillness to motion, from laziness to expectation, and the feeling turns here, passing naturally to the question of the dragon rider's descent. The short five-character couplets have a swaying music, and read the more clear and remote.

世间屏障，彩笔画娇娆。

In the mortal world's painted screen, colorful brushes depict a charming face. The fantasy returns to reality, blurring boundaries.

回头看那世间的屏风之上，正用彩笔描画着娇美的容颜。

On this world's screen, painted in colors, is that lovely face.

结句是全词点睛，收得极妙。前面层层写仙境：乘龙人降、深意相招、三清携手，几乎要将人引入飘渺仙乡；结句却陡然一收，落到「世间屏障」上的彩画美人，点破所谓仙凡相会，终究不过是画屏上的幻影。这一收有三层妙处：一是虚实相生，仙境写得愈真，画屏收得愈实，真幻对照，令人怅然；二是余味邈然，画中娇娆与乘龙仙人遥遥相对，仙耶、人耶、梦耶、画耶，皆不可分，恰如巫山神女旦为朝云、暮为行雨之不可捉摸；三是章法回环，词起于玉栏、宝帘的室内之景，结于屏障的室内之画，首尾皆在人居，中间一段仙游不过是一场白日梦，正见其以仙写情、借幻抒怀之旨。收束处不着议论，而幻灭怅惘之意尽在其中。

The closing line is the luminous point of the lyric, resolved with exquisite art. Layer by layer the poem has written the immortal realm: the dragon rider descending, the deep meaning summoning, the三清 walked together, almost drawing one into the misty immortal land; yet the closing suddenly pulls up to the painted beauty on the 'world's screen,' exposing that the so-called meeting of immortal and mortal is, after all, no more than a phantom on a painted screen. The close has three refinements: the real and the virtual begetting each other—the more real the immortal realm, the more solid the painted screen, the contrast of true and illusory leaving one wistful; the afterecho distant—the painted beauty and the dragon-riding immortal set far against each other, immortal, human, dream, or picture, none to be distinguished, like the Wushu goddess who at dawn becomes morning cloud and at dusk the driving rain, elusive; and the circling craft—the lyric opens on indoor scenes of the jade rail and jeweled curtain and closes on the indoor picture of the screen, both ends in the human dwelling, while the middle journey to the immortal is but a daydream, showing the purpose of writing feeling through immortality and uttering feeling through illusion. The close names no argument, yet the feeling of disillusion and wistfulness is all within it.

Study

Word focus

寒 cold. Both literal and emotional, setting the overall mood. 「寒」字是全词定调之字，亦是最见炼意之笔。它本写十二高峰耸入天外、山巅霜气袭人之气候之寒，然置于宝帘慵卷玉钗横的闺阁语境中，遂兼三层意蕴：一是空间之寒，高峰在天外，远而冷，拓开清寂境界；二是时间之寒，西风、桂子、夜徘徊皆秋夜物候，寒自秋来，时令之感分明；三是心境之寒，帘慵钗横、百无聊赖，孤栖之人目接寒峰，寒意自然沁入心头。故「寒」字以气候写心境，一字而情与景会，统摄上片全部意象——高峰、竹梢、玉栏、宝帘、玉钗、西风、桂子、仙鹤，无不染此寒色。下片仙凡之想虽缥缈，然路非遥的慰藉终究落于彩笔画娇娆的幻影，清寒之气贯穿全篇，正是此字之效。以一字定一调，五代词人中阎选最擅此道。

慵 lazy, listless. Used to describe the curtain, reflecting the woman's apathetic mood. 「慵」字写帘，实写人，是花间词以物写人的典型炼字。帘之卷与不卷，本系于人手；词人不说人懒于卷帘，却说「宝帘慵卷」，将人之情态移于物上，帘若慵懒之人，慵懒之人宛在帘后。这一个字至少传达三层情思：一是心绪之闲散，慵即百无聊赖、无可事事，故连卷帘这般小事亦提不起兴致；二是期待之落空，帘幕半垂、遮断视线，正见其不愿面对空庭寂寞，或曾凭栏望仙、望人不至之怅惘；三是身份的暗示，宝帘玉钗、居处精雅，而人独处其中，富贵愈盛、孤独愈深。与下句「玉钗横」的「横」字对举，一慵一横，皆是不整之态，慵为情态、横为物态，物我相映，将花间词人写闺情的含蓄手段展露无遗，较直写愁怨二字高出一筹。

徘徊 wander. Describes the cranes' movement, contrasting stillness with ethereal motion. 「徘徊」本写人行步往复、欲去还留之态，词人移以写仙鹤，且置于夜色之中，炼意精微。鹤本仙禽，夜中徘徊，若有所待、若有所寻，遂使静止的夜景生出动态的期盼：鹤之徘徊，实为人之伫立凝望之投影，鹤待其侣、人待其仙，物我同情，将上片「慵卷」「横」的静慵悄然转为脉脉期盼，为下片「何事乘龙人忽降，似知深意相招」的仙凡相会作了最自然的过渡。就声情言，「徘徊」二字叠韵，读来音律回环，正与往复徘徊之动态相谐，声与义会。就境界言，桂子飘香是嗅觉之虚，仙鹤徘徊是视觉之动，一虚一动，皆轻清缥缈、不着人间烟火，遂有「白云孤鹤，去人境远」之致。一词之移用，而仙意、期盼、音韵三者俱足，此阎词炼字之精处。