All poems

先秦 Pre-Qin · 楚辞 Chu Ci

涉江

Crossing the River

屈原

Qu Yuan

述志Expressing Aspirations 爱国Patriotism 楚辞Chuci (Songs of Chu)

余幼好此奇服兮,年既老而不衰。
带长铗之陆离兮,冠切云之崔嵬。
被明月兮珮宝璐,世溷浊而莫余知兮。
吾方高驰而不顾,驾青虬兮骖白螭。
吾与重华游兮瑶之圃,登昆仑兮食玉英。
与天地兮同寿,与日月兮同光。
哀南夷之莫吾知兮,旦余济乎江湘。
乘鄂渚而反顾兮,欸秋冬之绪风。

Show full original poem

余幼好此奇服兮,年既老而不衰。
带长铗之陆离兮,冠切云之崔嵬。
被明月兮珮宝璐,世溷浊而莫余知兮。
吾方高驰而不顾,驾青虬兮骖白螭。
吾与重华游兮瑶之圃,登昆仑兮食玉英。
与天地兮同寿,与日月兮同光。
哀南夷之莫吾知兮,旦余济乎江湘。
乘鄂渚而反顾兮,欸秋冬之绪风。
步余马兮山皋,邸余车兮方林。
乘舲船余上沅兮,齐吴榜以击汰。
船容与而不进兮,淹回水而凝滞。
朝发枉陼兮,夕宿辰阳。
苟余心其端直兮,虽僻远之何伤!
入溆浦余儃佪兮,迷不知吾所如。
深林杳以冥冥兮,乃猿狖之所居。
山峻高以蔽日兮,下幽晦以多雨。
霰雪纷其无垠兮,云霏霏而承宇。
哀吾生之无乐兮,幽独处乎山中。
吾不能变心而从俗兮,固将愁苦而终穷。
接舆髡首兮,桑扈臝行。
忠不必用兮,贤不必以。
伍子逢殃兮,比干菹醢。
与前世而皆然兮,吾又何怨乎今之人!
余将董道而不豫兮,固将重昏而终身。
乱曰:鸾鸟凤皇,日以远兮。
燕雀乌鹊,巢堂坛兮。
露申辛夷,死林薄兮。
腥臊并御,芳不得薄兮。
阴阳易位,时不当兮。
怀信侘傺,忽乎吾将行兮。

From my youth I loved this strange attire,
Though years have aged me, my passion never tires.
I wear a long sword with its gleaming blade,
And a high cap, 'Cloud-Cutter,' proudly made.
I deck myself with moon pearls and bright jade,
But the world is turbid, and none knows my worth—
I shall soar far away, never turning back to earth.
With azure dragons and white serpents in pair,
I roam with Shun in the Garden of Jasper rare.
I climb Mount Kunlun and eat jade blossoms there,
To live as long as Heaven and Earth,
To shine with the Sun and Moon in deathless worth.
Alas, the southern tribesmen know me not—
At dawn I cross the Jiang and Xiang, my lot.
I climb the isle of E'zhu and look behind,
Sighing at the lingering autumn wind of winter-kind.
I let my horse pace by the mountain ridge,
I halt my carriage by the forest's edge.
I board a lingship up the Yuan's swift flow,
We pull the Wu oars together, striking waves below.
The boat drifts hesitantly, refusing to go,
Caught in eddies, lingering to and fro.
At dawn I start from Wangzhu's shore,
At dusk I rest at Chenyang's door.
If only my heart is upright and true,
Though remote and distant, what should I rue?
Entering Xupu, I wander in distress,
Lost and confused, I know not where to press.
The deep forest is dark and dim,
Where apes and gibbons make their grim home.
Mountains tower high, hiding the sun's light,
Beneath them gloom and rain in endless night.
Sleet and snow fall without bound,
Clouds heavy hang, touching the ground.
Alas, my life has no joy at all,
Lonely I dwell within the mountain's thrall.
I cannot change my heart to follow the crowd,
I am doomed to grief and poverty, unbowed.
Jieyu shaved his head in mad defiance,
Sanghu went naked in self-reliance.
The loyal are not always used,
The worthy are not always prized.
Wu Zixu met disaster at the state's hand,
Bi Gan was minced—a tragic end.
All former ages were just the same,
Why then should I blame today's men for shame?
I will uphold the Way without a doubt,
And live in darkness till life wears out.
Envoi:
The luan and phoenix, day by day,
Fly farther off and far away.
Sparrows and crows, in flocks they come,
Build nests in hall and courtyard's dome.
Sweet clover and magnolia bloom,
Die in the thickets' lonely gloom.
Stench and rankness are brought near,
Fragrance cannot draw anear.
Yin and yang have changed their place,
The season is not in its grace.
I hold my faith, but all is lost—
Confused, I will go, whatever the cost.
Listen

Meaning

Qu Yuan recounts his journey into exile in the southern wilderness, expressing his unyielding integrity and grief at a corrupt world that fails to recognize his virtue. He vows to maintain his principles even unto death, drawing strength from ancient heroes who suffered for their loyalty.

我幼小就爱好这奇特的服饰,年纪虽老兴趣却不衰减。佩着长长的宝剑啊,戴着高高的切云冠。身披明月珠啊腰系美玉,世道混浊却没有人了解我。我正要高飞远走不再回头,驾着青虬啊配上白螭。我与舜帝同游那瑶圃,登上昆仑啊品尝玉英。与天地啊同寿,与日月啊同光。哀叹南方楚人莫知我,清晨我便渡过江、湘。登上鄂渚而回头远望,叹息秋冬的余风。让我的马慢步山皋,把我的车停驻方林。乘着小船逆沅水而上,齐举船桨击起浪花。船却徘徊不肯前进,困在回水之中停滞不前。清晨从枉陼出发,傍晚宿在辰阳。只要我心端直,虽偏远又有何伤!进入溆浦我徘徊不定,迷惘不知该往何处。深林幽暗冥冥,是猿狖所居。山高峻而蔽日,下处幽暗而多雨。霰雪纷纷无边,云气霏霏连接屋宇。哀我一生无欢乐,幽独居处山中。我不能变心而从俗,本应愁苦而终穷。接舆剃发,桑扈裸行。忠臣未必见用,贤人未必被任。伍子遭殃,比干被醢。前世便都如此,我又何怨于今人!我将守正道而不犹豫,本应重重昏暗而了此终身。乱辞:鸾鸟凤凰,日已远去。燕雀乌鹊,筑巢堂坛。露申辛夷,枯死林薄。腥臊并用,芳草不得近。阴阳错位,时运不济。怀忠信而失意,恍惚间我将远行。

Appreciation

This poem from the 'Nine Chapters' is a first-person narrative of Qu Yuan's exile journey, blending vivid realism and soaring mythic imagination. The opening image of 'strange attire' establishes his noble character; the celestial flight with dragons and the visit to Kunlun represent spiritual transcendence; the subsequent bleak landscapes mirror his inner desolation. The central vow—'I cannot change my heart to follow the crowd'—forms the poem's moral core, while the closing envoi contrasts noble birds with base ones, symbolizing the inversion of good and evil in politics. The work interweaves narrative, lyricism, and argument, epitomizing Qu Yuan's late-life persona.

【白话串讲】 “余幼好此奇服兮,年既老而不衰”——屈原写《涉江》:我从小就爱这奇伟的服饰。“世溷浊而莫余知兮,吾方高驰而不顾”——世道浑浊没人懂我,我独自远行。“驾青虬兮骖白螭”——他驾着青龙白龙。“与天地兮同寿”——他的理想与天地同寿。 【意象与手法】 叙事、抒情、说理交织。以“奇服”(长剑、切云冠、明月宝璐)自况高洁不俗;“驾青虬、游瑶圃、登昆仑”以奇幻想象写精神飞升;“船容与而不进、山高蔽日、霰雪无垠”以愁境之景写行路之艰。结尾引接舆、桑扈、伍子、比干明古来忠贤皆厄,乱曰以鸾凤远、燕雀巢堂作结,悲愤苍凉。 【情感与主旨】 约作于屈原晚年被放江南、渡江湘入沅水的途中所记。全诗以第一人称叙写南行历程与不改其志的决绝,“吾不能变心而从俗,固将愁苦而终穷”是全文脊骨,展现屈子忠贞不渝、至死不屈的人格,是晚年人格的写照。 【名句点睛】 常考“余幼好此奇服兮,年既老而不衰”以奇服象征高洁人格;“吾不能变心而从俗,固将愁苦而终穷”以直抒胸臆写坚守之志。

Background

The poem belongs to the 'Nine Chapters' (Jiu Zhang), a collection of Qu Yuan's exile lyrics. It was written during his second banishment under King Qingxiang of Chu, when he traveled from the capital area across the Yangtze and Xiang rivers, up the Yuan River, and finally into the remote mountains of Xupu (in present-day Hunan). The title 'Shejiang' means 'Crossing the River,' but it encompasses the entire journey into the southern wilderness. Qu Yuan, a member of the Chu royal house, had served as a high official advocating reform and alliance with Qi, but was slandered and exiled. This poem records his physical journey and his spiritual defiance, establishing a tradition of exile literature in China that later influenced Han Yu, Liu Zongyuan, and Su Shi.

《涉江》属屈原《九章》。《九章》非一时一地之作,是后人辑屈原九篇抒情诗而成,多写放逐中的经历与心志。《涉江》作于屈原再放江南时期,约在顷襄王时。其时秦楚交逼,楚政益昏,屈原自郢都附近启程,渡长江、湘水,经鄂渚,逆沅水上行,终入溆浦(今湖南溆浦一带)深山,诗即纪此行。题中涉江即渡江,实指渡江湘而入沅湘蛮荒。屈原出身楚之宗亲,曾任左徒,主张变法联齐,遭上官大夫等谗,怀王怒而疏之,顷襄王立更迁之江南。此诗的价值不仅在纪行,更在记录一位爱国诗人于流放绝境中,如何以奇服自守、以昆仑自high、以古贤自慰,终不改其志。它是理解屈原晚年思想与《九章》风格的关键篇目,也是中国文学中贬谪述志传统的源头之一。后世韩愈柳宗元之南迁诸作、苏轼之海南诗文,皆其流裔,可谓开千古逐臣述志之先声。此篇为九章之一,叙其南迁行迹,而志节之高亢贯乎始终。

Art

The poem's artistry lies in its fusion of realistic narration and mythical imagination, creating a stark contrast between spiritual elevation and worldly suffering. It opens not with events but with a self-portrait through attire—long sword, high cap, moon pearls, and jade—using clothing as a metaphor for moral distinction. Then it leaps into cosmic flight: riding dragons, visiting the Garden of Jasper, ascending Kunlun, and eating jade blossoms, culminating in the wish to share eternity with Heaven and Earth. The shift to the actual journey is marked by concrete details: oars striking waves, a hesitant boat, morning departures and evening halts. The Xupu landscape—dark forests, towering mountains, endless sleet—becomes a psychological projection. The poem's structure moves from high to low, from myth to reality, from individual to universal, with a dense, forceful rhythm typical of the 'Nine Chapters.'

《涉江》艺术上最突出的是叙事与抒情的浑融,以及奇幻与写实的对照。开篇不叙事而先立人格:奇服、长铗、切云冠、明月宝璐,以衣饰之奇写操守之异,是屈子一贯的香草美人象喻。随即驾青虬、游瑶圃、登昆仑、食玉英,突入神话般的精神翱翔,与天地同寿、与日月同光,想象奇丽,是浪漫主义的极致。笔锋一转,哀南夷莫知,落到渡江湘、上沅水的实写:乘舲船、齐吴榜、船容与而不进、朝发枉陼夕宿辰阳,纪行如画;入溆浦后深林冥冥、山高蔽日、霰雪无垠,以凄景写愁居。吾不能变心而从俗是理之挺立,接舆桑扈伍子比干是用典明志,乱曰则以比兴收束。全篇由高翔到沉沦、由奇幻到峻实、由个人到千古,气象沉郁,章法如江之行地,迂曲而不可遏。叙事、抒情、说理三相交融而无痕迹,现实之沉沦与精神之飞升对照成文,最见屈子晚年之笔力。奇服奇景奇情相生,浪漫与现实交织,屈子之文如其人。

Allusions

The 'strange attire' symbolizes Qu Yuan's outstanding virtue and refusal to conform: the long sword (chang jia), the Cloud-Cutter cap (qieyun guan), the moon pearls (mingyue), and precious jade (baolu) all denote extraordinary moral quality. 'Chonghua' is Shun, the sage-king, with whom the poet imagines roaming in the Garden of Jasper and ascending Kunlun to eat jade blossoms—a metaphor for nourishing purity in communion with ancient sages. The southern tribes (nanyi) represent the uncultured people of Chu's border regions, emphasizing the poet's isolation. The allusions to Jieyu (who shaved his head in madness), Sanghu (who went naked), Wu Zixu (wronged and executed), and Bi Gan (dismembered by King Zhou) serve to show that loyal worthies have always suffered, thus universalizing the poet's personal plight. The envoi's contrasts—phoenix vs. sparrows, fragrant herbs dying in thickets, rankness prevailing, yin and yang reversed—form a dense web of political allegory.

奇服是通篇象喻的眼目:长铗(长剑)、切云冠(高冠)、明月(夜明珠)、宝璐(美玉),皆非凡间常服,喻屈原突出的才德与不肯同流的高洁。重华即舜,尧舜是屈原理想中的圣君,与重华游瑶圃、登昆仑食玉英,写精神上与古圣同游、餐玉英以养清气,是屈子特有的飞升想象。南夷指楚之江南土著,莫吾知写不被理解的孤独。接舆髡首(楚狂接舆自刑其发)、桑扈臝行(古隐士裸身而行),皆古之佯狂守志者;伍子逢殃(伍子胥被谗死)、比干菹醢(比干被纣剖心),皆忠臣遇祸,屈原引以自况,明忠贤自古多厄。董道犹言守正道,不豫即不疑。乱曰中鸾凤(圣贤)远逝、燕雀乌鹊(小人)巢堂、露申辛夷(香草)死林薄、腥臊并御(臭恶并进),以一组对比象喻写黑白颠倒;阴阳易位写时运错乱。全篇用典与比兴,皆屈子政治抒情的标准语汇。接舆髡首、桑扈臝行,皆以畸人自况,明其不变之节。畸人自况,其节凛然。

Commentary

The first four lines establish the poet's lifelong love for extraordinary attire, which is both literal and allegorical. The detailed description of his adornments—long sword, tall cap, pearls, and jade—sets him apart from the muddy world that does not know him. The subsequent celestial flight is a fantasy of escape and self-affirmation, but the reality of exile soon intrudes: he crosses the Jiang and Xiang rivers, travels through desolate landscapes, and finally reaches the dark forests of Xupu. The boat's reluctance to move mirrors his own hesitation, yet he declares that if his heart is upright, remoteness is no injury. The middle section laments his joyless life in the mountains, but the crucial couplet—'I cannot change my heart to follow the crowd'—refuses any compromise. The historical examples transform personal grief into a universal truth, and the envoi delivers a final, bleak judgment on a world where values are inverted. The poem ends with a determined but sorrowful departure, embodying the tragic heroism of Qu Yuan.

首四句余幼好此奇服兮,年既老而不衰,以奇服立身,明高洁之好至老不改;带长铗、冠切云、被明月珮宝璐,铺写奇服之盛,世溷浊而莫余知则点出不被世俗理解的孤独。吾方高驰而不顾至与日月同光,写精神飞升:驾虬螭、游瑶圃、登昆仑、食玉英,与天地日月同寿同光,是浪漫的自我保护。哀南夷之莫吾知兮,旦余济乎江、湘,由幻入实,开启南行。乘鄂渚而反顾、欸秋冬绪风,写启程回首、悲风满怀;步马山皋、邸车方林、乘舲船上沅、齐吴榜击汰,纪行如画;船容与而不进、淹回水凝滞,以船之迟回写心之留恋。朝发枉陼夕宿辰阳,苟余心端直虽僻远何伤,于困顿中见倔强。入溆浦后儃佪迷路、深林冥冥、山高蔽日、霰雪无垠,景皆愁境,哀吾生无乐、幽独山中。吾不能变心而从俗,固将愁苦而终穷,是全文脊骨。接舆桑扈伍子比干一段,以古贤明忠不必用,与前世皆然又何怨今人,把一己之怨化为历史的通达。乱曰以鸾凤远、燕雀巢堂、芳死林薄、阴阳易位收束,怀信侘傺、吾将行,悲慨苍凉。

Prosody

Reading note The Sao style, originating in the 'Li Sao,' uses lines of six or seven characters with 'xi' (兮) as a caesura-marking particle, enabling expansive narrative and lyrical sweep. The poem's rhythm is flexible, with the envoi ('Luan') appearing as a closing coda with shorter, denser lines.《涉江》属楚辞体(骚体),句式以六言、七言为主,句中或句尾间以兮字,形成曼声摇曳的节奏,宜于长篇抒情。与《诗经》四言比较,骚体字数增多、容量扩大,更利铺排叙事与奇幻想象。用韵上依楚音,此篇韵脚约转入衰、嵬、璐、知、顾、螭、圃、英、光、湘、风、林、汰、滞、阳、伤、如、居、雨、宇、穷、行、以、醢、人、身、兮、坛、薄、兮、当、行等,换韵自由,随情节转易:写飞升则用光、英等响亮韵,写沉沦则用阳、伤、穷等沉郁韵,声情与内容相应。兮字在句中承担语顿与抒情功能,如余幼好此奇服兮、吾不能变心而从俗兮,于长句中分段,使气脉舒缓而有力。乱曰为楚辞特有的尾声形式,犹今之尾声、总结,句式更短促、用韵更密,把全篇悲愤凝缩收束。整体不重对仗、重在回旋与铺陈,是《九章》叙事抒情结合的典型格律面貌,对汉赋与后世七言影响深远。

Line by line

余幼好此奇服兮,年既老而不衰。

From youth I loved this strange attire; though old, my passion does not decay—announcing the poet's lifelong integrity.

From youth I loved this strange dress; now that I am old, it has not abated.

这两句是《涉江》的纲,也是屈原人格的宣言。奇服非谓衣饰怪异,而是以长剑、高冠、明珠、美玉象征不与世俗同调的高洁才德——幼而好之,是天性;年既老而不衰,是终身不改。这两句妙在把抽象的操守化为具体的衣饰偏好,且以时间跨度(幼到老)强调其顽固与坚定,已暗含后文不能变心而从俗的伏笔。在屈原系统中,服饰即人格,奇服与《离骚》的芰荷为衣、芙蓉为裳一脉相承。更深的,是这种好尚不被世人理解(世溷浊而莫余知),故奇服亦是孤独的标记。开篇即立此一格,使全篇的南行、愁居、引古、乱辞,都成为对这一初心的不懈印证,是屈子述志诗最凝练的起手。

These lines are the thesis of 'Crossing the River' and the declaration of Qu Yuan's character. 'Strange dress' does not mean bizarre clothing, but the lofty integrity that will not align with the world, symbolized by the long sword, the high cap, the pearl and jade—loving it from youth is inborn nature; 'now that I am old, it has not abated' is lifelong unchanging. The art lies in turning abstract integrity into a concrete preference of dress, and using the span of years (youth to old age) to stress its stubbornness and constancy, already foreshadowing the later 'I cannot change my heart to follow the world.' In Qu Yuan's system, dress is character; the strange dress of lotus-leaf coat and hibiscus skirt lines from the 'Li Sao' are of one lineage. More deeply, this preference is not understood by the age ('the world is turbid and knows me not'), so the strange dress is also the mark of solitude. Opening on this note, the whole's southward journey, sorrowful dwelling, citations of the past, and concluding verse all become untiring witness to this original heart—the most condensed opening of Qu Yuan's verse of purpose.

吾不能变心而从俗兮,固将愁苦而终穷。

I cannot change my heart to follow the vulgar—I am destined to be sorrowful and poor to the end. The poem's moral center.

I cannot change my heart to follow the world; of course I shall be sorrowful and end in want.

这两句是全篇的脊梁,也是屈原一生人格的定评。变心从俗即改节随波、与浊世同流;不能三字是斩钉截铁的拒绝。固将愁苦而终穷,固犹本就、自然,意谓既然不肯变心,那么愁苦穷困便是命定的结局,我不避亦不悔。这两句把屈原与所有屈节保身的士人划清界限:别人求通达,他求心安;别人患穷,他安穷。其力量在坦然——不是不知道变节可免祸,而是明知其可、断然不为。它上承奇服不衰,下启接舆桑扈伍子比干,把个人的倔强升格为千古忠贤的共同命运。读此二句,便读懂了屈原何以宁葬鱼腹而不改其度,也读懂了中国贬谪文学中那根不肯弯曲的脊梁。

These lines are the backbone of the whole and the final judgment on Qu Yuan's life-long character. 'Change the heart to follow the world' means altering one's integrity to drift with the turbid age; the word 'cannot' is a nailed-down refusal. 'Of course I shall be sorrowful and end in want'—'of course' means naturally, inevitably, meaning that since he will not change, sorrow and poverty are the fated end, which he neither avoids nor regrets. These lines draw the line between Qu Yuan and all the timeservers who saved themselves by bending: others sought advancement, he sought peace of mind; others feared poverty, he was at home in it. Its force lies in the ease—not that he does not know bending would avoid disaster, but that knowing it is possible, he flatly will not. It carries forward the strange dress unchanging and leads to the later Jie Yu, Sang Hu, Wu Zixu, Bi Gan, raising the personal stubbornness to the common fate of loyal sages through the ages. Reading these two lines, one understands why Qu Yuan would rather feed the river-fish than alter his measure, and understands the unbent spine of Chinese exile literature.

与前世而皆然兮,吾又何怨乎今之人!

Since all former ages were thus, why should I resent the people of today?—transcending personal grievance.

It was so, oh, with the men of old; what have I to resent, oh, in the men of today?

这两句是全篇情感的转关,由怨转通达,由个人之悲升为历史之察。屈原先引接舆髡首、桑扈臝行、伍子逢殃、比干菹醢,举出古来佯狂与死谏的忠贤皆遭厄运,然后说:前世便都如此,我又何必单怨今人呢!这一转极妙:它不消解悲愤,却把悲愤从历史深处认领下来——忠贤遇祸不是今世的偶然,而是亘古的常态,那么自己的遭遇便有了同道,不再孤立。何怨乎今之人表面是宽恕,实则是把批判从历史个案提到制度与人性的高度:黑白颠倒原是常态,故我独守其正乃愈显珍贵。这两句以理节情,使全诗免于单纯的哀号,而具哲学的沉静,是屈子晚年思想成熟的标志。

These lines are the emotional turning of the whole, moving from resentment to equanimity, from personal grief to historical insight. Qu Yuan first cites Jie Yu shaving his head, Sang Hu going naked, Wu Zixu meeting disaster, Bi Gan being cut to pieces—the mad and the remonstrant loyalists of old all came to ruin—and then says: it was so in olden times, what have I to resent in the men of today? The turn is exquisite: it does not dissolve grief, but claims it from the depth of history— loyalists meeting disaster is not a modern accident but an age-old norm, so that his own lot has comrades and is no longer isolated. 'What have I to resent in the men of today' is on the surface forgiveness, in truth raising criticism from the individual case to the height of system and human nature: black-white inversion is the norm, and his holding to the upright is therefore the more precious. These lines discipline feeling with reason, saving the poem from mere wailing and giving it philosophical calm, the mark of Qu Yuan's mature thought in his later years.

Study

Word focus

奇服 Strange attire; metaphor for the poet's extraordinary virtue and uncompromising character. 奇服是《涉江》乃至屈子抒情的核心象喻。字面指奇特的服饰,实指长铗、切云冠、明月珠、宝璐这一套装束,象征诗人突出的才德与不肯同流合污的高洁。其妙在把抽象的人格化为可衣可佩的实物,使读者直观见其异于世俗。在《离骚》中屈子亦以芰荷为衣、芙蓉为裳,与此同法;奇服之奇,正在不肯合于溷浊之世。年既老而不衰更点明此好是终身的执守,故奇服亦是孤独与坚守的标记。后人以奇服代指高人异士的节操,源头正在屈子此句。一个词,既写衣、又写人、更写志,是楚辞以物喻德最凝练的一例。
董道 To uphold the Way; to hold fast to the truth. 董道犹言守正道、持守大道。余将董道而不豫兮,固将重昏而终身,意谓我将守正道而不犹疑,本就该在重重昏暗中度过一生。董字有督率、持守之意,带主动与坚定;不豫即不犹豫、不游移。这个词的张力在于:董道是极清醒的选择,重昏是极黑暗的结局,二者由固将连属,表明诗人对代价有完全的预期却仍不选悔。它与前文不能变心而从俗呼应,把操守写到理性自觉的高度——不是被迫,而是甘愿。董道一词后入成语(如董道不豫),成为士大夫守正不阿的格言,其源正在于屈子此誓。一词之间,人格的硬度毕现。
侘傺 A key expression in this poem; read it with the Chinese note below. 侘傺(chà chì)楚语,意为失意、怅然若失、伫立不住。乱曰中怀信侘傺,忽乎吾将行兮,写怀抱忠信却失意潦倒,恍惚间我将远行。这个词的妙处在它的楚地色彩与体态感:侘傺不止是心里失意,更带一种立而不安、行而不前的身姿,恰合屈原徘徊溆浦、迷不知所如的状态。它与忽乎(恍惚、飘忽)相连,把结尾的远行写得 uncertain而苍凉——不是决绝的离去,而是失路后的飘零。作为乱辞的收束词,侘傺把全篇的愁、怨、达、守,最终凝为一个失意文人的孤独剪影,余味凄然。它是楚辞特有的方言词汇,也为汉赋悲士不遇主题提供了语源。

Related Reading

九歌·山鬼 The Mountain Spirit (九歌·山鬼) 屈原 · 同出屈原放逐之作,一述志、一写恋,皆托孤高之境 Both are exile-era works by Qu Yuan, one in lyric-lament mode, the other in narrative-expressive mode.

While 'Crossing the River' records a real journey and explicit vows, 'The Mountain Spirit' uses a goddess's longing for a mortal lover to allegorize the poet's unappreciated devotion. Both share imagery of dark forests, high mountains, and solitude. In 'Shan Gui,' the spirit waits on a mountaintop, 'darkening bamboo, no daylight'; in 'Shejiang,' the poet enters Xupu's 'dark forest, dim and deep.' Both express the pain of not being recognized, but 'Shan Gui' is more ethereal and sorrowful, while 'Shejiang' is more defiant and stoic.

《涉江》与《山鬼》皆屈原放逐楚南时所作,皆写孤高不与俗同的情怀。不同在题材与笔法:山鬼以神女候人之恋曲出之,奇诡清冷,孤绝如仙;涉江以第一人称纪行述志出之,由奇服立身、昆仑飞升到溆浦愁居、引古明志,沉郁切实。二者相通处在都以香草、高山、幽独写高洁不被理解:山鬼处幽篁不见天,涉江入溆浦迷所如;山鬼怨公子,涉江怨今人。一以男女喻君臣,一以纪行写贬谪,实是屈子同一份忠不见察的幽怨,分托于神恋与述志两体,恰可见《九歌》与《九章》的同源异貌。

离骚 Encountering Sorrow (离骚) 屈原 · 同抒忠怨与守正,一为长篇、一为中篇 The two works share themes of loyalty, alienation, and unyielding integrity; one is an expanded epic, the other a condensed travelogue.

'Transcending Sorrow' is Qu Yuan's autobiographical masterpiece, full of spirit-journeys, symbolic courtship, and cosmic wanderings. 'Crossing the River' condenses those elements: the strange attire, the dragon-chariot ride, the visit to Kunlun, and the determination to follow the Way. However, 'Shejiang' adds concrete geographical details—E'zhu, Chenyang, Xupu—that anchor the mythic in the real. The Li Sao ends with a determined 'I will go to Peng Xian's dwelling' (suicide), while 'Shejiang' ends with a confused departure, perhaps less absolute but equally sorrowful. Together they show Qu Yuan's range from grand epic to focused elegy.

《涉江》简直是《离骚》的缩微与写实版。离骚开篇亦以摄提贞于孟陬、扈江离辟芷写修身奇服,继而上下求女、昆仑飞升、党人偷乐、女媭申申,终以从彭咸之所居明死志;《涉江》则把这一宏构架浓缩为:奇服立身、驾虬游圃、哀南夷莫知、吾不能变心而从俗、引古贤明厄、乱曰鸾凤远。二者香草美人、昆仑飞升、忠不必用、守正不豫的象喻与主旨全同,仅离骚更宏肆、涉江更峻实(多纪行)。对照读来,可见屈原政治抒情的一贯语汇与人格,也见《九章》对《离骚》的承衍。