All poems

元 Yuan · 散曲 Sanqu song

殿前欢·登江山第一楼

Dian Qian Huan · Climbing the First Tower of the Rivers and Mountains

乔吉

Qiao Ji

写景Scenery 感怀Reflections

拍阑干，雾花吹鬓海风寒。
浩歌惊得浮云散。
细数青山，指蓬莱一望间。
纱巾岸，鹤背骑来惯。
举头长啸，直上天坛。

I lean on the railing, the sea wind cold blows my hair, with misty flowers wet.
My loud song startles the drifting clouds to scatter.
Counting green hills one by one, I point to Penglai within a glance.
With gauze cap pushed aside, riding on a crane I am used to.
Raising my head, I give a long whistle, straight up to the Heaven Altar.

Listen

Meaning

The poet climbs a famous tower by the river, leans on the railing, and feels the cold sea wind. His heroic song scatters the clouds. He counts the distant green mountains and points to the mythical isle of Penglai. With his cap pushed back, he is accustomed to riding a crane like an immortal. He lifts his head and whistles, as if ascending directly to the celestial altar.

拍打着栏杆，雾气般的水花吹湿了鬓发，江海的风透着寒意。放声高歌竟惊散了浮云。细细点数青翠的远山，指看蓬莱仙山就在这一望之间。纱巾高高掀起，早已习惯了骑鹤遨游。抬头一声长啸，直上那天的祭坛。

Appreciation

This lyric expresses the poet's untrammeled and heroic spirit while climbing a tower. The opening line 'I lean on the railing' shows his passionate mood, and the wind and waves heighten the grandeur. The line 'My loud song startles the drifting clouds' is a bold imagination, showing his inner feelings. The second half turns from heroism to ethereal elegance, as he counts mountains and points to Penglai. The final lines, with the image of a crane and a long whistle, elevate the exhilaration to a peak, blending heroic and transcendent moods.

【白话串讲】乔吉登上镇江的北固楼，拍着栏杆，海风吹乱头发。他放声高歌，惊散了浮云，细数青山，仿佛蓬莱就在眼前——元曲里的豪迈，一点不输盛唐。【意象与手法】起句「拍阑干」即见慷慨，「雾花吹鬓海风寒」以景衬豪。接「浩歌惊得浮云散」想象奇崛，以歌震云写胸中块垒。下幅「细数青山，指蓬莱一望间」由豪转逸，以指顾神州的从容见襟怀；「纱巾岸，鹤背骑来惯」用仙典写洒脱。结「举头长啸，直上天坛」气概直上，将登临之兴推至顶峰，豪逸相生。【情感与主旨】乔吉（约1280—1345），字梦符，号笙鹤翁、惺惺道人，元后期散曲代表作家，与张可久并称「乔张」。《殿前欢·登江山第一楼》写登临之作，「江山第一楼」约指镇江多景楼或类似临江名楼。此曲当是其漫游江南、登楼远眺时所作，于浩歌长啸中见出落拓文人睥睨万物的疏狂之气。【名句点睛】常考「浩歌惊得浮云散」的想象手法，命题多问「如何表现登临豪情」；「拍阑干」的用典（辛弃疾栏杆拍遍）；「纱巾岸」「鹤背骑」的仙道意象与疏狂意趣。

Background

Qiao Ji (c. 1280–1345), style name Mengfu, self-styled Master of Shenghe, was a representative sanqu writer of the late Yuan dynasty, often paired with Zhang Kejiu. 'Dian Qian Huan · Climbing the First Tower of the Rivers and Mountains' is a piece about climbing a tower. 'The First Tower' likely refers to Duojing Tower in Zhenjiang or a similar famous riverside tower. This piece was probably written during his travels in Jiangnan, when he climbed a tower and looked into the distance, showing the unbridled and aloof spirit of a frustrated literatus.

乔吉（约1280—1345），字梦符，号笙鹤翁、惺惺道人，太原人，流寓杭州，元后期散曲代表作家，与张可久并称「乔张」。他一生潦倒，浪迹江湖，寄情诗酒山水，以布衣终老，曾自述「不应举江湖状元，不思凡风月神仙」，其散曲多写江湖隐逸之趣与怀才不遇之慨。《殿前欢·登江山第一楼》为其登临之作，「江山第一楼」约指镇江多景楼——镇江临长江，多景楼有「天下江山第一楼」之誉，为历代诗人登临胜地。此曲当是乔吉漫游江南、登楼远眺时所作：凭栏拍遍、浩歌长啸，于苍茫的江海之间抒写胸中块垒，睥睨万物，潇洒疏狂。全曲豪逸相生，是乔吉散曲中登临题材的代表作，也可见元代落拓文人在山水之间寻求精神解放的普遍心态。又元代科举时兴时废，汉族文人进身之路极窄，乔吉虽才华横溢而终老布衣，其散曲中遂多「不占龙头选，不入名贤传」的愤激与「酒醒只在花前坐」的放达，此曲写登临而直欲「直上天坛」，正见其以仙游自高、睥睨尘俗的精神，是元代落拓文人以疏狂为解脱的典型心曲，也是理解元曲「豪放」一面的钥匙。

Art

The opening line 'I lean on the railing' immediately suggests a passionate mood, and 'the sea wind cold blows my hair, with misty flowers wet' uses scenery to set off heroism. The next line 'My loud song startles the drifting clouds' is a bold imagination, using the song to shake the clouds and express inner feelings. The second half turns from heroism to ethereal elegance: 'Counting green hills one by one, I point to Penglai within a glance' shows a calm gesture, revealing his broad mind. 'With gauze cap pushed aside, riding on a crane I am used to' uses a Daoist allusion to write about carefreeness. The conclusion 'Raising my head, I give a long whistle, straight up to the Heaven Altar' pushes the joy of climbing to the peak, interweaving heroism and transcendence.

此曲艺术之妙，在豪逸相生、想象奇崛。起句「拍阑干，雾花吹鬓海风寒」以动作起笔：拍栏眺望，水雾沾鬓，海风生寒，「拍阑干」暗用辛弃疾「把吴钩看了，栏杆拍遍」的慷慨之意，而「雾花吹鬓」写江上风浪扑面，「海风寒」写天地苍茫，景中含情，豪气已见。接「浩歌惊得浮云散」想象奇崛：放声高歌，竟将天上的浮云惊散——以歌震云写胸中块垒，夸张大胆，气概非凡。下幅「细数青山，指蓬莱一望间」由豪转逸：细细点数远山，指点蓬莱仙山就在一望之间，从容之中见襟怀；「纱巾岸，鹤背骑来惯」用仙道意象写洒脱——纱巾高岸、骑鹤遨游，皆是神仙中人气象。结「举头长啸，直上天坛」气概直上，将登临之兴推至顶峰，豪逸相生，余势不尽。全曲由拍栏而浩歌、由数山而长啸，动作连贯，情绪层层高涨，如登天梯，步步凌云。全曲以「拍」「歌」「数」「指」「啸」五组动作贯穿，一气呵成，如登天之阶步步高升；且豪中见逸、逸中见豪，张弛有度，正是乔吉「出奇制胜」而归于「骚雅」的本色，其想象之奇崛（歌散浮云、啸上天堂）与造境之从容（细数青山、指点蓬莱）相映成趣。

Allusions

'Leaning on the railing' alludes to Xin Qiji's 'patting the railing all over,' expressing passionate frustration. 'Penglai' is the mythical mountain in the sea, symbolizing a distant fairyland. 'Gauze cap pushed aside' refers to the famous scholar's unconventional behavior recorded in the Book of Jin. 'Riding on a crane' uses the story of Prince Wangzi Qiao who played the flute and rode a crane to ascend to immortality. 'Heaven Altar' refers to the altar for sacrifices to heaven, also hinting at reaching the sky. The whole piece uses Daoist immortal imagery to express a literatus's unconstrained spirit, with dense allusions but a smooth flow of energy.

此曲用典多取慷慨、仙道两类意象，熔铸无痕。「拍阑干」暗用辛弃疾《水龙吟》「把吴钩看了，栏杆拍遍，无人会、登临意」之意，以拍栏写登临之慷慨与无人会意的孤愤，然乔吉化悲为豪，转出了自己的疏狂。「蓬莱」为海上仙山，《史记》所载三神山之一，此处以「指蓬莱一望间」写登高望远、仙境在望，既有实景之指，又有仙家之想，虚实相生。「纱巾岸」即岸帻——古人脱冠露额谓之岸帻，为魏晋名士放达之态，出《晋书·谢奕传》「岸帻笑咏」一类记载，写不拘礼法的名士风度；「鹤背骑」用王子晋乘鹤升仙之典（《列仙传》载王子乔好吹笙，后乘白鹤驻缑氏山头），以骑鹤遨游写飘然出尘之想。「天坛」本指祭天之坛，此处暗合登高接天、直上青云之意。诸典或以豪杰之慨、或以仙家之趣，共同塑造出睥睨万物的疏狂形象。又「雾花吹鬓」写江上水气如雾花扑面，化俗为雅；「海风寒」以「寒」字写登楼纵目之壮，与「浩歌惊得浮云散」的奇想相映，皆是以景衬豪的妙笔；「鹤背骑来惯」之「惯」字，写骑鹤仙游已为家常，其视神仙如等闲的气概，正与「直上天坛」的冲天之势相贯，仙道意象的运用，洒脱而不落俗套。

Commentary

Modern scholar Ren Zhongmin classified Qiao Ji's sanqu as 'elegant and refined,' praising his originality. Ling Tingkan's comments on ci poetry, though about ci, that 'heroic but not coarse' aptly describes this piece. Some say the line 'straight up to the Heaven Altar' implies that literati in the late Yuan, blocked from official careers, vented their frustration through immortal journeys—this is one interpretation.

此曲历代评价甚高。近人任中敏编《散曲丛刊》，将乔吉散曲归入「骚雅」一派，称其「出奇制胜」，此曲正是其「出奇」的典型：「浩歌惊得浮云散」「直上天坛」等句，想象奇崛，气概不凡，而「细数青山」「纱巾岸」又见从容洒脱，豪逸相生，非大手笔不能办。清人凌廷堪论词有「豪而不粗」之评，移评此曲亦甚恰当：豪放而不失韵致，疏狂而不落粗率。亦有论者谓「直上天坛」隐含元代文人仕进无门、遂托仙游以泄愤懑之意，可备一说。乔吉一生潦倒而能以诗酒自遣，此曲正是其人格的写照：于江海苍茫之间拍栏长啸，视功名如浮云，睥睨万物，逍遥自得，为元代散曲中登临题材的翘楚，也是理解元曲疏狂之美的重要作品。又近人论元散曲，多以「清丽」评乔吉而与张可久之「骚雅」并举，然此曲清丽之中自有豪气，可见其风格并非一端；论者或谓其「兼豪放清丽之长」，此曲正是两者交融的证明；又「江山第一楼」的登临，在元曲中多有歌咏，然如乔吉此曲之慷慨淋漓者实不多见，故为元散曲登临题材中气象最开阔的一篇，亦是研究元代文人精神世界的重要文本。

Prosody

Form Yuan sanqu, Shuangdiao 'Dian Qian Huan' short song元散曲·双调《殿前欢》小令。

Rhyme Rhyming on 'gan, han, san, jian, guan, tan' (combined rhymes of Hanshan and Huanhuan)押寒山、桓欢韵：干、寒、散、间、惯、坛，通押一韵。

Tone pattern Sanqu does not strictly follow tonal patterns, with irregular line lengths《殿前欢》为双调曲牌，句式参差错落：首句三字，次句七字，第三句五字，第四句五字，第五句六字，末句五字，长短相间，宜于抒写豪放疏狂之情。

Reading note A masterpiece of Qiao Ji's climbing poems, blending heroism and transcendence, with dense immortal allusions.《殿前欢》为元曲双调曲牌，又名《小妇孩儿》《凤将雏》，句式参差错落：首句三字（拍阑干）、次句七字（雾花吹鬓海风寒）、第三句五字（浩歌惊得浮云散）、第四句五字（细数青山）、第五句六字（指蓬莱一望间）、第六句三字（纱巾岸）、第七句五字（鹤背骑来惯）、第八句四字（举头长啸）、末句五字（直上天坛），长短句相间，如潮水起伏，宜于抒写豪放疏狂、跌宕起伏之情。散曲不讲究近体诗的平仄格律，而以「声情相谐」为尚：此曲句句押韵，干、寒、散、间、惯、坛六字一韵到底，韵脚皆响亮开阔，读来铿锵有力；句式上三字句与七字句交错，短句促、长句缓，恰合登临之际心情的起伏——拍栏是顿，浩歌是扬，数山是缓，长啸是疾，声调随情感流转，如击筑高歌。乔吉此曲以疏狂的内容配拗峭的音节，是元散曲中声情并茂的登临名作，可见其「出奇制胜」之才。

Line by line

拍阑干，雾花吹鬓海风寒。

I strike the balustrade; mist-spray brushes my temples, the river-sea wind biting cold.

拍打着栏杆，雾气般的水花吹湿了鬓发，江海的风透着寒意。

Striking the balustrade, misty spray blows against my temples; the wind off the great waters carries a chill.

起拍以动作与景物开篇，豪气立见。「拍阑干」写登楼拍栏的慷慨之态，暗用辛弃疾「把吴钩看了，栏杆拍遍」之意，然稼轩拍栏是无人会意的孤愤，乔吉拍栏却是睥睨万物的疏狂，同是拍栏，气度迥异；「雾花吹鬓海风寒」写江上景象：水雾如花，扑面吹鬓，海风猎猎，寒意侵骨——「雾花」以花喻雾，化浊为雅，「吹鬓」写风浪之猛，「海风寒」写天地之阔。两句一写人、一写景，人在景中，景壮人豪，江海苍茫的背景下，一位拍栏而望的疏狂文人形象跃然纸上，为全曲定下慷慨豪迈的基调。

The opening begins with gesture and scenery, boldness at once. 'I strike the balustrade' alludes to Xin Qiji's 'I examined the Wu hook and struck the railings through' — but Xin's striking was lonely outrage with none to understand it, while Qiao Ji's is the carefree disdain of one who looks down on all things; the same gesture, a different bearing. 'Mist-spray brushes my temples, the river-sea wind biting cold' paints the river scene: water-mist like blossoms on the face, the wind in gusts, cold to the bone — 'mist-spray' turns the vague into elegance by likening it to flowers; 'brushes my temples' the force of wind and wave; 'river-sea wind' the vastness of the world. Person and scene, the man within the scene, the scene grandening the man: against the misty waters, the figure of a carefree scholar striking the railings rises on the page, fixing the song's bold, generous tone.

浩歌惊得浮云散。

My loud song startled the floating clouds apart.

放声高歌竟惊散了浮云。

Singing aloud, I startled the drifting clouds away.

此句是全曲想象最奇崛的一笔，以歌震云写胸中块垒。「浩歌」写放声高歌，气概非凡；「惊得浮云散」以夸张之笔写歌声之力——浮云本在天上，竟被歌声惊散，仿佛诗人胸中的郁积之气化作歌声，直冲云霄，连云翳都为之荡涤。此句无理而妙：歌声焉能散云？然正因这不合常理的想象，才写出歌者之豪、块垒之深、胸襟之阔。以有声写无声，以歌散云，前有李白「我歌月徘徊」的浪漫，此句更见疏狂。一句七字，如惊雷裂空，把登临的豪兴推向高潮，也是全曲由实入虚、由景入情的转折，为下文的仙逸之想蓄足气势。

This line is the song's strangest stroke of imagination, singing the blockage in the breast through song that scatters clouds. 'My loud song' is a voice raised, extraordinary in bearing; 'startled the floating clouds apart' is hyperbole for the song's force — clouds belonging in the sky, scattered by the singing, as if the pent-up air in the poet's breast had become voice, rushing heavenward until even the cloud-screen is swept clean. The line is absurd, and excellent: how could singing scatter clouds? Yet precisely this unreasonable imagination renders the singer's boldness, the depth of the blockage, the breadth of the breast. Sound writes the soundless; song disperses cloud — after Li Bai's 'I sing, the moon lingers,' this is more carelessly wild. Seven characters, like a thunderclap splitting the sky, driving the elation of the ascent to its peak — the turning from solid to void, scene to feeling, charging the immortal fancies to come.

细数青山，指蓬莱一望间。

I count the green peaks one by one, pointing to Penglai within a single gaze.

细细点数青翠的远山，指看蓬莱仙山就在这一望之间。

Counting the green mountains one by one, I point: the immortal isle of Penglai lies within this one gaze.

此两句由豪转逸，写登高望远的从容襟怀。「细数青山」写极目远眺，细细点数层层叠叠的远山——「细数」二字见出从容闲雅之态，与上句「浩歌」的激越恰成对照，一豪一逸，相映成趣；「指蓬莱一望间」写指点江山，蓬莱仙山仿佛就在一望之间——「蓬莱」本是海上仙山，遥不可及，此处却说「一望间」，既写登楼所见江天开阔、远山如仙境的实景，又写诗人视仙山如咫尺的气概，虚实相生。两句以指点江山之态写胸罗万象之怀：数青山如数家珍，指蓬莱如在掌中，从容之中见豪迈，正是「胸中自有丘壑」的注脚，也为下文的骑鹤仙游预作铺垫。

These two lines turn from bold to detached, writing the open calm of the far-seeing height. 'I count the green peaks one by one' — gazing to the horizon, counting range on range of blue mountains; 'count' renders the leisurely, elegant poise, set against the 'loud song' of the last line — boldness and ease, each setting off the other. 'Pointing to Penglai within a single gaze': pointing at the rivers and mountains, the immortal isle seems within one look — Penglai, the sea-isle of immortals, out of reach, is here said to be 'within a single gaze,' writing both the wide river-and-sky seen from the tower, peaks like fairyland, and the poet's bearing that holds the immortal mountains as near. Pointing at the world, he holds all within his breast: counting green peaks as familiar treasures, pointing to Penglai as if in the palm — ease holding boldness, the footnote to 'hills and valleys within the chest,' and the ground for the crane-back flight to come.

举头长啸，直上天坛。

Head raised, I let out a long whistle, straight up to the Altar of Heaven.

抬头一声长啸，直上那天的祭坛。

Head thrown back, a long whistle — straight up to the altar of heaven.

结拍是全曲气概的顶点，将登临之兴推至顶峰。「举头长啸」写仰天长啸之态，「长啸」本为魏晋名士抒怀之举（阮籍啸咏、孙登长啸），此处以长啸写胸中郁气之倾泻，啸声与江风相和，气概凌云；「直上天坛」以「直上」二字写冲天之势——「天坛」本指祭天之坛，亦可解作高接云天的坛台，诗人举头长啸，仿佛啸声直上九霄、直登天坛，人与天接，气吞江海。上句「纱巾岸，鹤背骑来惯」已入仙家之境，此句更上一层，以啸声冲霄作结，豪逸相生，戛然而止而余势不尽。全曲由拍栏、浩歌、数山、长啸，层层登高，至此凌空而上，完成了一幅疏狂文人登临造极的壮阔画卷。

The closing is the apex of the song's bearing, driving the elation of the ascent to its summit. 'Head raised, I let out a long whistle' — the long whistle was the gesture of Wei-Jin worthies (Ruan Ji's whistling, Sun Deng's); here it pours out the pent-up breast, the whistle blending with the river wind, its spirit above the clouds. 'Straight up to the Altar of Heaven' — 'straight up' writes the upward rush: the Altar of Heaven, the platform where heaven is sacrificed, or a terrace high into the clouds; head raised, the whistle seems to shoot through the ninth heaven and alight on that altar, man meeting sky, swallowing the river-sea. The preceding lines already entered the immortal realm; this one rises higher still, closing on the whistle's rush — boldness and detachment as one, stopping short with unresolved force. From striking the railings, to the loud song, to counting peaks, to the long whistle, the song climbs step by step, and at last takes wing: a grand scroll of the carefree scholar at the utmost height.

Study

Word focus

惊 startles — causative usage, showing the power of the song to scatter clouds, hyperbole conveying heroism; a forceful word. 「浩歌惊得浮云散」之「惊」，是全曲炼字最奇的一字。「惊」为使动用法，写歌声之烈竟使浮云惊散——云本无知，何所谓惊？然正因以「惊」写云，才见出歌声之磅礴、气势之逼人：仿佛那浮云也为浩歌所震慑，仓皇四散，让出一片青天。此字无理而妙，化静为动、化虚为实，把无形的歌声写得具有摧云裂空的威力，诗人的豪情与块垒，尽在「惊」字之中。若易作「吹」「冲」则坐实而失趣，唯「惊」字以拟人写云，奇崛而不失自然，与「散」字连用，写尽云开天青、胸臆大畅的快感，是元曲炼字「出奇制胜」的典范，也是理解此句想象之妙的关键。

岸 pushed aside — 'gauze cap pushed aside' means to bare the forehead, a gesture of aloof nonchalance; one word captures the spirit of a free-spirited scholar. 「纱巾岸」之「岸」，意为掀起、高揭，是名词作动词的用法，写纱巾高高掀起、露出额头，即古人所谓「岸帻」。岸帻本是脱冠露额的随意之态，魏晋名士以此为放达不羁的标志，故「纱巾岸」三字，写尽诗人不拘礼法、洒脱自在的名士风度。着一「岸」字，纱巾仿佛有了姿态——高高掀起，如鹤之昂首，既见形貌之潇洒，又见心性之疏狂。此字以一字写神态，举重若轻，与下句「鹤背骑来惯」的仙家意象相映：岸帻者，形之放达；骑鹤者，神之超脱，形神兼备，把落拓文人的疏狂气象写得栩栩如生，是此曲中炼字传神的神来之笔。

直 straight — an adverb closing the line, depicting the rapid and unimpeded ascent on the whistle, pushing the climbing exhilaration to the peak. 「直上天坛」之「直」，意为径直、一直，是全曲收束的副词，写长啸冲天、直上云霄的迅疾无碍。「直」字不作曲折、不设停顿，一往直前，正写诗人登临之兴的酣畅淋漓：举头长啸，啸声便径直升天，直抵天坛，中间没有任何滞碍——仿佛天地间的一切都被啸声打通，诗人的豪情直贯云霄。此字与「上」字连用，一「直」一「上」，如箭离弦、如鹤冲天，把登临造极的快感写到极致。若易作「欲」「将」则失其果断，唯「直」字以不容置疑的语气写冲天之势，戛然而止，余势不尽，把全曲的豪逸之气收束于最高点，是结句的点睛之笔。