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五代 Five Dynasties · 词 Ci lyric

清平乐·春光欲暮

Pure Peace Joy · The Spring Light About to Fade

毛熙震

Mao Xizhen

写景scenery 愁思sorrow 时序Theme

清平乐·春光欲暮春光欲暮,寂寞闲庭户。
粉蝶双双穿槛舞,帘卷晚天疏雨。
含愁独倚闺帏,玉炉烟断香微。
正是销魂时节,东风满树花飞。

Spring light nears its close; a lonely, quiet court and gate.
Pink butterflies in pairs dance through the rail; the blinds rolled up, sparse rain in the evening sky.
With sorrow she leans alone by the boudoir curtain; the jade censer's smoke has died, its fragrance faint.
This is the season that breaks the heart--east wind fills the trees, and blossoms fly.
Listen

Meaning

Spring light is about to fade; the lonely courtyard gate is quiet and cold. In pairs the pink butterflies dance through the balustrade, and as the blinds are rolled up a sparse rain falls in the evening sky. Sorrowful, she leans alone against the boudoir hanging; in the jade censer the smoke has broken off and the scent is faint. This is the very season that shatters the heart--the east wind shakes the trees and blossoms drift down in showers.

春光将要逝去,寂寞的庭院门户一片清冷。成双的粉蝶穿过栏杆翩翩起舞,卷起帘幕,外面正飘着傍晚稀疏的雨。她满含愁绪独自倚着闺帏,玉炉中香烟已断、余香微弱。这正是令人黯然销魂的时节,东风吹得满树春花纷纷飞坠。

Appreciation

The upper part uses the happy scene of 'pink butterflies in pairs' to set off the lonely girl by contrast, while the sparse evening rain deepens the desolation; the lower part, 'the jade censer's smoke has died, its fragrance faint,' writes the person through her things, showing her long waiting and absent mind. 'This is the season that breaks the heart--east wind fills the trees, and blossoms fly' closes on scene, implicit and endless. The whole lyric is plain and clear, its feeling beyond the words, quite unlike the ornate Hua Jian manner, and earns the compact lyric's strength of reserve. The closing line gathers the late-spring falling blossoms to end, speaking no sorrow yet sorrow shows itself--especially showing the craft of merging feeling into scene, subtle and far-reaching, a fine piece of the Hua Jian's alternative mode.

【白话串讲】 “春光欲暮,寂寞闲庭户”——毛熙震写暮春:庭院寂寞,粉蝶双双穿槛舞。“正是销魂时节,东风满树花飞”——春将尽,花在飞,人也在销魂。 【意象与手法】 上片以「粉蝶双双穿槛舞」之乐景反衬闺人之孤寂,晚天疏雨烘托凄清;下片「玉炉烟断香微」以物写人,见其久候无心。「正是销魂时节,东风满树花飞」以景结情,形象凄艳,含蓄不尽。全词白描清丽、情在言外,与花间秾艳之风迥异。 【情感与主旨】 毛熙震生卒年不详,约后晋高祖天福年间在世,仕后蜀为秘书监,《花间集》收其词。此词写暮春闺怨,属花间词中借春逝抒写女子离别相思的传统题材,反映了五代战乱背景下闺中人对青春与团聚的怅惘。 【名句点睛】 常考:一、以乐景写哀情,「粉蝶双双」对「寂寞闲庭户」的反衬作用;二、结句「东风满树花飞」的意境与以景结情之妙。

Background

Mao Xizhen's birth and death are unknown; he lived around the Tianfu era of the Later Jin and served Later Shu as director of the imperial library, and the Hua Jian Collection holds his lyrics. This lyric writes a late-spring boudoir grievance; its exact year is unknown, but it belongs to the Hua Jian tradition of using spring's passing to voice a woman's parting and longing, reflecting the unease of boudoir women amid the Five-Dynasties turmoil over their youth and reunion. Though listed among the Hua Jian, this poem uses plain description for scene and object, clear and sparse, its feeling implicit--quite different from the school's usual ornate sensuality, and showing the Five-Dynasties boudoir lyric's expansion toward reserve and implication, worth comparing with Wen and Wei.

毛熙震,生卒年不详,约后晋高祖天福年间在世,仕后蜀为秘书监,《花间集》录其词二十九首,为花间词人之一。五代十国时期,战乱频仍,蜀地相对安定,词人聚集,花间词应运而生,多写闺阁情事与离愁别恨。此词写暮春闺怨,具体作年无考,属花间词中借春逝抒写女子离别相思的一类传统题材。值得注意的是,花间词总体风格秾丽香艳(如温庭筠「鬓云欲度香腮雪」),而此词写景状物多用白描,清丽疏淡、情味蕴藉,如「粉蝶双双穿槛舞」「帘卷晚天疏雨」等句,明净如画,与花间秾艳之风颇有不同,体现了五代闺情词向含蓄蕴藉一面的拓展,可与温庭筠、韦庄诸家对照研读,尤见韦庄「疏淡」一脉的影响。毛熙震词在《花间集》中虽非大家,然其《浣溪沙》《清平乐》诸作多写闺情而清丽有致,陈廷焯《云韶集》评其「艳丽处似温尉,清雅处似韦相」,可见其在花间诸家中自具面目。此词作于后蜀承平之时,蜀中「岁岁年年常歌舞」,而深闺女子犹有春逝之叹,正是「商女不知亡国恨」的反面——闺中人于繁华中预感到的迟暮,与词坛「花间」词人于承平中潜藏的忧患,恰成微妙呼应;五代十国战乱频仍,蜀地虽安而北望中原,此词之「春愁」或亦暗含时代之怅惘。

Art

The upper part uses the gay scene of 'pink butterflies in pairs dance through the rail' to set off the girl's loneliness by contrast, and the sparse evening rain deepens the chill; the lower part, 'the jade censer's smoke has died, its fragrance faint,' writes the person through her things, showing her long wait and absent mind. 'This is the season that breaks the heart--east wind fills the trees, and blossoms fly' ends on scene, its image desolate and lovely, implicit and endless. The whole is plain and clear, feeling beyond the words, far from the ornate Hua Jian wind, and truly gains the compact lyric's reserved strength. Closing on late-spring falling blossoms, it speaks no sorrow yet sorrow appears--especially showing the craft of merging feeling into scene, subtle and far.

全词上片写景,下片写人,以景衬情、以物写心。上片先写暮春之景:「春光欲暮,寂寞闲庭户」点明时令与氛围,春光将尽、庭院空寂,「寂寞」「闲」二字写景兼写人,为全篇定调;「粉蝶双双穿槛舞」写双蝶穿栏而舞,双双对衬形单,以乐景反衬闺人之孤寂,是「以乐景写哀情」的典型笔法;「帘卷晚天疏雨」写卷帘所见,傍晚疏雨,凄清入画。下片转入人物:「含愁独倚闺帏」点出主人公,含愁独倚、百无聊赖;「玉炉烟断香微」以炉香之断写久候无心,香尽而人未归,物象传神;「正是销魂时节,东风满树花飞」以景结情——春暮花飞,正是销魂之时,不言愁而愁自见。全词由景入人、由人及情,白描清丽,结句尤以「满树花飞」的凄艳画面收束,含蓄不尽,深得短章蕴藉之致。此词在章法上还见「双线并进」之妙:一条线写「春」——由「春光欲暮」而「粉蝶舞」而「疏雨」而「花飞」,春之由盛而衰历历在目;一条线写「人」——由「寂寞」而「独倚」而「烟断」而「销魂」,人之由静而愁层层加深;两线交织,春之逝即人之愁,景之衰即心之寂,物我一体。尤妙者,「帘卷晚天疏雨」一句置于上下片之间,既是上片「庭院」之景的延展,又为下片「含愁独倚」的人设一凄清背景,转承自然,正见小令结构之精。

Allusions

The lyric uses no obvious allusion, writing feeling with common late-spring images. 'Breaks the heart' comes from Jiang Yan's 'Rhapsody on Parting'--'the only thing that desolates the heart is parting'--here turned to mean extreme sorrow, now a common poetic phrase. Paired butterflies, sparse rain, flying blossoms are all traditional spring-grievance images; though no deep allusion, the image group is typical, and the devices of contrast and scene-ending are skillfully used. This natural, unpiled-up manner of pure imagery is exactly the Hua Jian plain-descriptive strength, and a model for beginners to learn 'writing sorrow with a happy scene.'

本词无明显典故,纯以暮春常见意象写情,然意象组合极具典型性。「销魂」本出江淹《别赋》「黯然销魂者,唯别而已矣」,指离别时极度哀愁,此处化用指春逝之哀,已成诗词常语。「粉蝶双双」暗用「蝶双飞」的相思传统意象,「疏雨」「花飞」皆为传统春怨意象。双蝶、疏雨、落花、炉香,皆是闺怨词习见的物象,而作者以白描出之,不事堆垛、不引僻典,正见花间词中白描一体的佳处。全词情语与景语交融,尤以「玉炉烟断香微」一句,以炉香将尽暗喻心绪渐冷、等待无望,体物入微,可为初学者体会「以乐景写哀情」与「以物写心」的范本。就意象谱系而言,「玉炉」「闺帏」「晚天疏雨」「满树花飞」皆花间词习见之象,而毛熙震以白描出之,不事浓妆,遂与温庭筠「小山重叠金明灭」的秾丽划开界限,近于韦庄「春水碧于天,画船听雨眠」的疏朗;「销魂」之语,上承江淹《别赋》「黯然销魂者,唯别而已矣」,下启李清照「一种相思,两处闲愁」的用法,是「销魂」一词由赋入词的关键一环。全词意象皆常而组合出新,正是「善用常语」的花间别调。

Commentary

Chen Tingzhuo in his Words on Lyrics from the White Rain Studio praises the six characters 'east wind' as 'refined and desolate, lovely and poignant'; in his Separate Tunes he calls this lyric 'lifelike in feeling.' Yu Bide's Selected Lyrics of Tang, Five Dynasties and Two Songs says 'this is merely a clear and steady work, its closing implied, properly on the right track.' Though critics allow it is clear and steady, they especially prize the closing's desolate, implied poignancy, showing its compact reserve and feeling beyond the words.

陈廷焯《白雨斋词话》评此词「东风」六字「精湛凄艳」,又于《词则·别调集》谓此词「情味宛然」;俞陛云《唐五代两宋词选释》称「此词仅为清稳之作,结意含蓄,自是正轨」。诸家虽许其「清稳」,而于结句之凄艳含蓄尤加推赏。就花间词史而言,毛熙震词以「秾丽」为主调,此词却以疏淡见长,足见其风格之多元,也可见五代词由「秾艳」向「清丽」过渡的痕迹。今人选本多录此词作为五代闺怨词的代表,与冯延巳「风乍起,吹皱一池春水」、李璟「菡萏香销翠叶残」等并读,可窥五代词境由花间向外拓展的脉络。就词学史而言,此词的价值在「承上启下」:承上,它延续了花间闺情词的题材传统;启下,它以白描疏淡的笔法,预告了南唐冯延巳「风乍起,吹皱一池春水」、李煜「林花谢了春红」的深婉一路,是花间词由「秾艳」转向「清空」的过渡性作品。今人选五代词,多以此词与温庭筠《菩萨蛮》、韦庄《菩萨蛮》并列为「花间三体」之标本,正因其兼具花间诸体的特征;读此词,可以小见大,窥见五代词坛的完整光谱。

Prosody

Form Lyric, 'Pure Peace Joy' double-tune 46 characters词·《清平乐》双调四十六字
Rhyme Upper part oblique rhyme (close, gate, dance, rain), lower part level rhyme (curtain, faint, fly), tone shift上片仄韵(暮、户、舞、雨),下片平韵(帏、微、飞),换韵
Tone pattern Each part four lines; line lengths mainly four, five, seven, six上下片各四句,句式以四、五、六、七言相间
Reading note 'Pure Peace Joy' by rule has oblique rhyme above and level rhyme below; this follows the rule.此词为《清平乐》双调四十六字,上片四句四仄韵,下片四句三平韵,是词牌中「换韵」体制的代表——上片押仄韵、下片转平韵,一仄一平,声情由急促转入悠长。《清平乐》创调于晚唐,五代宋初盛行,其换韵的体制正宜于写「由景入情、由外入内」的层层转折。本词上片「暮、户、舞、雨」押仄韵(上声、去声相间),音节短促低回,正合春暮的衰飒与庭户的寂寞;下片转平韵「帏、微、飞」,韵脚悠长绵远,与「烟断香微」「满树花飞」的幽怨绵长相合,一仄一平的转换,恰是词境由「景」入「情」、由「外」入「内」的声律投影。句式上「春光欲暮」四字短句起,「寂寞闲庭户」五字承,七言(粉蝶双双穿槛舞)、六言(帘卷晚天疏雨)相间,长短错落、摇曳生姿;下片「含愁独倚闺帏,玉炉烟断香微」两个六言对句工稳,「正是销魂时节,东风满树花飞」以散句收束,于整饬中见流动。全词声情与辞情相谐,是《清平乐》小令在五代时期的典型范式,也可见毛熙震对词调声情的精熟。

Line by line

春光欲暮,寂寞闲庭户

Spring light nears its close; a lonely, quiet court and gate.

春光将要逝去,寂寞的庭院门户一片清冷。

Spring is drawing to its close; in the quiet courtyard, the doors stand empty and lonely.

开篇点明时令与氛围,为全词定下迟暮怅惘的基调。「春光欲暮」写春光将尽——「欲暮」即将逝去、将尽未尽,春的尾巴还挂着一丝余温,而衰颓之象已现,正是「惜春」最堪咀嚼的时刻;「寂寞闲庭户」写庭院空寂,「寂寞」写景兼写人——庭因无人而寂,人因独处而寞,「闲」字更见冷落,门户虚掩、无人出入。两句一写时间、一写空间,以「欲暮」的春光与「寂寞」的庭院互映,将迟暮之景与孤寂之情融为一体,开篇即入愁境。

The opening names the season and the mood, setting the keynote of wistful twilight for the whole lyric. 'Spring is drawing to its close' writes the spring nearly spent—'drawing to its close' means about to end, not yet ended, the tail of spring still carrying a thread of warmth while the signs of decline already show, the very moment most worth savoring in 'cherishing spring.' 'In the quiet courtyard, the doors stand empty and lonely' writes the empty court—the word 'lonely' writing both scene and person: the court is still because no one is in it, the person is lonely because she sits alone, and the word 'idle' shows the desolation, the doors ajar, no one coming or going. Two lines, one time, one space, the 'drawing to its close' spring and the 'lonely' court reflecting each other, fusing the scene of twilight with the feeling of solitude, entering the mood of grief from the opening.

粉蝶双双穿槛舞,帘卷晚天疏雨

Pink butterflies in pairs dance through the rail; the curtain rolls up, and evening sky lets fall a sparse rain.

成双的粉蝶穿过栏杆翩翩起舞,卷起帘幕,外面正飘着傍晚稀疏的雨。

Pink butterflies, pair on pair, flutter past the railing; the curtain is rolled up to the evening sky, where a sparse rain drifts.

以乐景写哀情,是全词反衬手法的核心。「粉蝶双双穿槛舞」写双蝶穿栏而舞——粉蝶成双、翩翩自得,正是春光明媚的欢乐景象;「双双」对衬下文的形单影只,蝶犹成双而人独一身,乐景之下暗涌哀情。「帘卷晚天疏雨」转写帘外之景——卷帘所见,暮色四合、疏雨飘洒,欢快的蝶舞被疏雨打断,春光欲暮的凄清扑面而来。两句一乐一哀、一明一暗,以蝶之双双反衬人之孤独,以疏雨之凄清烘托心境之怅惘,正是「以乐景写哀,一倍增其哀」的典型。

Writing grief through joyful scenery is the core of the lyric's foil. 'Pink butterflies in pairs dance through the rail' writes the paired butterflies dancing through the balustrade—the butterflies in pairs, fluttering at ease, precisely the joyous sight of bright spring. The word 'in pairs' sets off the singleness of what follows: butterflies still paired while the person stands alone, grief stirring beneath the joyful scene. 'The curtain rolls up, and evening sky lets fall a sparse rain' turns to the scene beyond the curtain—rolling up the curtain, the dusk gathering, the sparse rain drifting, the gay butterfly dance broken by the sparse rain, and the bleakness of waning spring pressing to the face. Two lines, one joy, one grief, one bright, one dim, the paired butterflies setting off the loneliness of the person, the sparse rain setting off the wistfulness of the mood—the classic instance of 'writing grief through joyful scenery doubles the grief.'

含愁独倚闺帏,玉炉烟断香微

Fraught with grief, she leans alone by the chamber curtain; in the jade incense burner, the smoke has ceased, the scent grown faint.

她满含愁绪独自倚着闺帏,玉炉中香烟已断、余香微弱。

Heavy with sorrow, she leans alone by the chamber screen; in the jade burner the smoke is broken and the fragrance thin.

由景入人,以物写心,是全词写人最见工细的一联。「含愁独倚闺帏」点出主人公——「含愁」写其满怀愁绪,「独倚」写其孤身独处、倚帏出神,愁态毕现;「玉炉烟断香微」以炉香写心绪——香烟已断、余香微弱,香将尽而人未归,炉香的「断」「微」正是心绪渐冷、等待无望的写照。此句不写人如何愁,而以炉香之象暗传其久候无心之态,体物入微,正是「以物写心」的妙笔,也是五代词由直抒转向含蓄的标志。

Moving from scene to person, writing the mind through things, this couplet is the most crafted passage of the lyric's portrait. 'Fraught with grief, she leans alone by the chamber curtain' names the protagonist—'fraught with grief' her full sadness, 'leans alone' her solitary state, leaning at the curtain lost in thought, the grief fully present. 'In the jade incense burner, the smoke has ceased, the scent grown faint' writes the mood through the incense—the smoke gone out, the fragrance faint, the incense nearly spent and the person not returned; the 'broken' and 'faint' of the burner's incense are the portrait of a heart growing cold and a hopeless wait. The line writes not how she grieves but covertly conveys, through the image of the burner's incense, her long waiting and listlessness, observing the thing to the finest point—the exquisite stroke of 'writing the mind through things,' and the mark of the Five Dynasties lyric's turn from direct statement to reserve.

正是销魂时节,东风满树花飞

This is the season that breaks the heart--east wind fills the trees, and blossoms fly.

这正是令人黯然销魂的时节,东风吹得满树春花纷纷飞坠。

This is the very season that breaks the heart; the east wind sets the blossoms flying from every tree.

以景结情,是全词最凄艳的收束。「正是销魂时节」点明时令之哀——春暮花飞,正是江淹《别赋》所谓「黯然销魂」之时,春逝之痛与离别之思在此叠合;「东风满树花飞」以景收束——东风吹来,满树繁花纷纷飞坠,如雪如雨,画面凄美而壮阔。此句不言愁而愁在景中:满树花飞是春之逝、是人之孤、是时光之无情,一切的怅惘都凝于这一片落英之中。以景结情,含蓄不尽,凄艳入骨,正是此词被推为花间别调佳构的结穴之笔。

Ending in scenery, this is the most poignant close of the lyric. 'This is the very season that breaks the heart' names the sorrow of the season—late spring, flowers flying, precisely the time of 'darkening the soul' in Jiang Yan's 'Rhapsody on Parting,' the pain of spring's passing and the thought of parting overlapping here. 'The east wind sets the blossoms flying from every tree' closes in scenery—the east wind rises, the blossoms of every tree fall in showers, like snow, like rain, the picture beautiful and desolate on a grand scale. The line names no grief, yet grief is in the scene: the blossoms flying from every tree are the passing of spring, the solitude of the person, the ruthlessness of time, all the wistfulness gathered into this drift of petals. Ending in scenery, reserved and unending, poignant to the bone—the closing stroke for which this lyric is counted an exceptional Huajian work.

Study

Word focus

欲暮 'Nears its close' means about to fade; these two words set the whole poem's tone of late, wistful decline. 「春光欲暮」之「欲暮」,即将逝去之意,二字奠定全词迟暮怅惘的基调。「欲」写将然而未然——春光将尽而未尽,正是惜春者最敏感的时刻:春尚有残余,而衰象已现,如美人迟暮、英雄末路,最堪怜惜。「暮」本指日暮,移以写春,则春光拟人化,如人之将老。以「欲暮」点春光,不用「已暮」「将尽」而用「欲暮」,正写出那「将尽未尽」的微妙时刻——惜春之情、迟暮之感,皆由此二字生发,也为全词「销魂时节」的结尾作了铺垫,是炼字定调的典范。
双双 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「粉蝶双双穿槛舞」之「双双」,以蝶之成双反衬人之孤独,是全词反衬手法的关键一词。「双双」写粉蝶两两相随、穿栏而舞,春景何其欢乐;而词中的闺人独倚闺帏、形单影只,蝶双人单,对照之下,孤独倍显。此词不直言「孤」而写「双双」,正是「以乐景写哀情」的妙处——欢乐愈欢,孤独愈孤。「双双」与下片的「独倚」遥相呼应,一多一少、一欢一愁,全词的情感张力由此而生,可见炼词之工不在奇字,而在位置的得当与反衬的巧妙。
断 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「玉炉烟断香微」之「断」,写炉烟中断,以物象传心绪,是全词最见精微的字。「断」本写香烟之绝——炉中沉香燃尽,烟气中断,袅袅之缕戛然而止;暗喻心绪之冷——等待的人儿久候无期,热情如香烟般渐渐断绝。「断」与下句「微」相配,一断一微,写香烟将尽未尽之态,正是心绪渐冷而余情未绝的写照。此字以炉香写人情,不着一个「愁」字而愁态毕现,体物入微、以物写心,正是五代词由花间秾艳走向含蓄蕴藉的关键笔法。

Related Reading

清平乐 Pure Peace Joy 冯延巳(花间南唐同调) · 同词牌写春怨闲愁,可比较五代词风之别 Same (same tune, spring grievance and idle sorrow)

Both use the same tune for spring grievance; compare the Five-Dynasties clear grace with the Southern Tang deep, lingering manner.

冯延巳《清平乐》「雨晴烟晚,绿水新池满」同用《清平乐》词牌写春景闲愁,与毛熙震此词可并读:毛词写暮春闺怨,白描清丽、以景结情;冯词写春暮闲愁,深婉绵密、以情见长。二者皆五代《清平乐》名篇,一属花间、一属南唐,恰可比较花间词的「疏淡」与南唐词的「深婉」之别,也可见《清平乐》词调在五代时期的两种写法。

清平乐·村居 Pure Peace Joy · A Village Dwelling 辛弃疾 · 同调而异题,可见词牌题材之广 Different (same tune, different topic)

Same tune yet different topic--one boudoir grievance, one pastoral; shows the tune's wide range of subjects.

辛弃疾《清平乐·村居》「茅檐低小,溪上青青草」写田园村居之乐,与毛熙震此词同用《清平乐》词牌而题材迥异:一写暮春闺怨、一写夏日村居,一愁一乐、一艳一朴。比较二词可见《清平乐》词调题材之广——从五代闺情到南宋田园皆可入调,也可看出词牌声情与内容的关系:同一声调,可承载截然不同的情感,正见词体「依声填辞」的弹性。

清平乐·春归何处 Pure Peace Joy · Where Has Spring Gone 黄庭坚 · 同写惜春寻春,可比较宋人修辞与寄托 Same (mourning spring)

Both mourn and seek the lost spring; compare the Song 'Pure Peace Joy' rhetoric and symbolism.

黄庭坚《清平乐·春归何处》「春归何处?寂寞无行路」以问答写寻春,将惜春之情写得活泼俏皮、理趣盎然;毛熙震此词写春逝,以景语含蓄写愁。同写暮春惜春,一为五代词的含蓄蕴藉、一为宋词的重修辞理趣,恰可比较两个时代词风的差异:五代词以情韵胜,宋词以思理胜,二词并读,可见惜春母题由五代到宋的演变轨迹。