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唐 Tang · 诗 Poem

重别梦得

The, Parting, Again, from, the, Meng, the, De

柳宗元

Liu Zongyuan

送别Farewell 友情Friendship

二十年来万事同，今朝岐路忽西东。
皇恩若许归田去，晚岁当为邻舍翁。

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Meaning

A poem of the parting and the promise, written by Liu Zongyuan. The twenty years of the everything the same, this morning the fork of the road suddenly the west and the east — the parting of the opening. The grace of the emperor if permitting the returning to the fields, the evening years should be the old man of the neighbor the hut — the promise of the close. The poem is the parting and the promise: the road, and the close's promise.

二十年来万事同，今朝岐路忽西东。皇恩若许归田去，晚岁当为邻舍翁。

Appreciation

[Plain Paraphrase] The, twenty, years, of, the, everything, the, same, this, morning, the, fork, of, the, road, suddenly, the, west, and, the, east. The, grace, of, the, emperor, if, permitting, the, returning, to, the, fields, the, evening, years, should, be, the, old, man, of, the, neighbor, the, hut. [Structure and Thought] The poem moves from the parting of the twenty years with the fork of the road, through the west and the east, to the close's the promise of the neighbor the hut. [Key Technique] The poem's art is the close of the promise: the grace of the emperor if permitting the returning to the fields, and the close's the evening years should be the old man of the neighbor the hut — the parting gathered in the hope and the close's promise. [Emotional Tone] Sorrowful, hopeful, and promising: the poem is the road, the grace and the close's promise.

【白话串讲】柳宗元写《重别梦得》：“二十年来万事同，今朝岐路忽西东”——“皇恩若许归田去，晚岁当为邻舍翁”——他与刘禹锡同年遭贬，如今又要各奔东西——他说如果皇恩允许归田，晚年就做邻居。【意象与手法】此诗写送别，以友情写送别，是柳宗元的名篇。前二句写惜别：「二十年来万事同，今朝岐路忽西东」写二十年来万事同、今朝岐路忽西东——写尽同甘共苦的惜别；后二句写期望：「皇恩若许归田去，晚岁当为邻舍翁」写皇恩若许归田去、晚岁当为邻舍翁——写尽晚年重逢的期望。全诗以友情写送别，写尽同甘共苦的惜别与晚年重逢的期望，是柳宗元的代表作。【情感与主旨】此诗写送别，以友情写送别，是柳宗元的名篇。此诗写柳宗元与刘禹锡（字梦得）的第二次告别。元和十年（815），柳宗元、刘禹锡同被召回京师，旋又同被外贬——柳宗元贬柳州，刘禹锡贬连州，二人同行至衡阳分路，柳宗元先作《衡阳与梦得分路赠别》，又作此诗《重别梦得》。二人同为永贞革新党人，同贬十年，友情深厚。此诗写惜别：二十年来万事同，今朝岐路忽西东——写二十年来万事同、今朝岐路忽西东，写尽同甘共苦的惜别；皇恩若许归田去，晚岁当为邻舍翁——写皇恩若许归田去、晚岁当为邻舍翁，写尽晚年重逢的期望。全诗以友情写送别——那「二十年来万事同」写尽同甘共苦的惜别，「晚岁当为邻舍翁」写尽晚年重逢的期望，写尽同甘共苦的惜别与晚年重逢的期望，是理解柳宗元刘禹锡友情的重要篇章。【名句点睛】常考「二十年来万事同，今朝岐路忽西东」写同甘共苦的惜别；「皇恩若许归田去，晚岁当为邻舍翁」写晚年重逢的期望；以及全诗以友情写送别、以数句写情谊的手法。

Background

Liu Zongyuan (773-819), the poet of the Tang, wrote this 'The, Parting, Again, from, the, Meng, the, De' of the parting and the promise — the promise of the parting with the friend the Liu the Yuxi. The parting of the twenty years, and the close's the promise of the neighbor the hut — the poem gathers the sorrow of the poet, the hope of the return. The poem is one of the famous works of the poet's poems of the friendship.

此诗写送别，以友情写送别，是柳宗元的名篇。柳宗元（773—819），字子厚，河东（今山西运城）人，唐代文学家、哲学家，唐宋八大家之一，与韩愈并称「韩柳」。此诗写柳宗元与刘禹锡（字梦得）的第二次告别。元和十年（815），柳宗元、刘禹锡同被召回京师，旋又同被外贬——柳宗元贬柳州，刘禹锡贬连州，二人同行至衡阳分路，柳宗元先作《衡阳与梦得分路赠别》，又作此诗《重别梦得》。二人同为永贞革新党人，同贬十年，友情深厚。此诗写惜别：「二十年来万事同，今朝岐路忽西东」写二十年来万事同、今朝岐路忽西东——写尽同甘共苦的惜别（二十年来万事同，今朝岐路忽西东）；「皇恩若许归田去，晚岁当为邻舍翁」写皇恩若许归田去、晚岁当为邻舍翁——写尽晚年重逢的期望（皇恩若许归田去，晚岁当为邻舍翁）。全诗以友情写送别，写尽同甘共苦的惜别与晚年重逢的期望，是理解柳宗元刘禹锡友情的重要篇章。

Art

The poem's art is the art of the promise. The parting opens: the, twenty, years, of, the, everything, the, same — the twenty years of the everything the same; this, morning, the, fork, of, the, road, suddenly, the, west, and, the, east — the fork of the road of the west and the east. The promise follows: the, grace, of, the, emperor, if, permitting, the, returning, to, the, fields — the grace of the returning to the fields; the, evening, years, should, be, the, old, man, of, the, neighbor, the, hut — the neighbor the hut of the evening years — the parting, the hope and the close's promise, gathered in the poem.

此诗的艺术特色可从四个方面解析。其一，以数句写情谊。「二十年来万事同」以数句写情谊——那「二十年」「万事同」写尽二十年的同甘，以数句写尽同甘共苦的惜别。其二，以对照写离别。「今朝岐路忽西东」以对照写离别——那「今朝」「忽西东」写尽今朝的歧路，以对照写尽惜别的怅惘。其三，以假设写期望。「皇恩若许归田去」以假设写期望——那「若许」写尽假设的希冀，以假设写尽归田的期望。其四，以展望写重逢。「晚岁当为邻舍翁」以展望写重逢——那「邻舍翁」写尽晚年为邻的想象，以展望写尽重逢的期望。此外，此诗前二句写同甘共苦的惜别，后二句写晚年重逢的期望，由别及望，正是送别诗「先别后望」的写法。四重手法，使此诗以友情写送别，写尽同甘共苦的惜别与晚年重逢的期望，是柳宗元的代表作。此诗还善于以「万事同」三字总括二十年交谊——那「二十年来万事同」写二十年之万事皆同，正是以少总多的写法，短短五字而二十年的患难与共尽在其中。又善以「忽」字写离别之骤——那「今朝岐路忽西东」以「忽」写分别之出人意料，一个「忽」字写尽仕途的变幻，也暗写身不由己的无奈。

Allusions

'The fork of the road' (qi lu) is the fork of the road — the fork of the road, the parting of the opening; 'the neighbor the hut' (lin she weng) is the old man of the neighbor the hut — the neighbor of the hut, the promise of the close.

此诗的用语深植于送别与友情传统。「岐路」令人想到「岐路」写岔路的意象——也令人想到「无为在歧路，儿女共沾巾」（王勃）的意象；「西东」令人想到「西东」写分离的意象——也令人想到「君向潇湘我向秦」（郑谷）的意象；「皇恩」令人想到「皇恩」写皇恩的意象——也令人想到「皇恩浩荡」的意象；「归田」令人想到「归田」写辞官归隐的意象——张衡《归田赋》写归田，也令人想到「归去来兮」的意象；「邻舍翁」令人想到「邻舍翁」写邻居的意象——也令人想到「白头翁」的意象。全诗化用岐路、西东、归田、邻舍翁的意象，以友情写送别，正是柳宗元「清峭」之外亦见温厚、承送别传统写友情的本领。「岐路」典出《列子》「歧路之中又有歧焉，吾不知所之」，后以「歧路」写人生岔道；王勃《送杜少府之任蜀州》「无为在歧路，儿女共沾巾」亦以歧路写别情。柳宗元「今朝岐路忽西东」承此，而「二十年来万事同」更翻出患难之情。「邻舍翁」令人想到《后汉书》庞公与司马徽为邻的隐逸故事，也令人想到「比邻」的意象。

Commentary

This poem is one of the famous works of Liu Zongyuan's poems of the friendship, quoted for the depth of its opening and the warmth of its close. The fork of the road of the west and the east, and the old man of the neighbor the hut, are among the admired passages of the poet's poems. Critics praise the poem's promise: the parting gathered in the hope, to the close's reunion.

此诗历来被推为柳宗元友情诗的名篇，也是写柳刘交谊的代表。历代论者对此诗评价极高：清人评此诗「以友情写送别，情真语挚」；近人更指出「皇恩若许归田去，晚岁当为邻舍翁」写晚年重逢的期望，是此诗的名句。在诗歌史上，此诗的特殊价值在于：它以四句的绝句写尽同甘共苦的惜别与晚年重逢的期望——那二十年，那万事同，那岐路，那西东，那皇恩，那归田，那晚岁，那邻舍翁，都写尽了柳宗元笔下的衡阳歧路；那「晚岁当为邻舍翁」更以展望写尽对重逢的期望。此诗与柳宗元《衡阳与梦得分路赠别》（「十年憔悴到秦京」）同为送刘禹锡名篇，一写「今朝歧路忽西东」的重别（重别梦得），一写「垂泪千行便濯缨」的赠别（衡阳赠别）；又与王勃「海内存知己」的友情传统一脉相承，可见中国诗写友情的传统。对于今日读者，此诗是理解柳宗元刘禹锡友情的窗口，也是中国诗写送别的经典——那邻舍翁的期望，穿越千年，仍在诉说着友情的深挚。

Prosody

Form A quatrain of the parting (qi yan jue ju)诗·七言绝句

Rhyme The poem rhymes on the level of the group — the cadence of the quatrain that carries the warm promise.七绝，押「东」「翁」韵（上平一东），一韵到底，音节沉挚

Tone pattern The cadence is that of the promise: the level opening with the parting, the turning with the hope, and the close's fall with the hut.此诗为七言绝句，押平声韵，一韵到底，音节沉挚，正合友情的沉挚。

Reading note The poem's sound matches its warmth: the cadences of the quatrain, and the close — 'wan sui dang wei lin she weng' — falls with the hut, the sound of the promise of the friendship poet.此诗为七言绝句，四句——「二十年来万事同，今朝岐路忽西东。皇恩若许归田去，晚岁当为邻舍翁」，押「东」韵（东、翁），一韵到底，音节沉挚。全诗以友情写送别：前二句写同甘共苦的惜别（二十年来万事同、今朝岐路忽西东），后二句写晚年重逢的期望（皇恩若许归田去、晚岁当为邻舍翁）。四句短章，前写惜别，后写期望，以「晚岁当为邻舍翁」写尽晚年重逢的期望，正见柳宗元「清峭」之外亦见温厚的本色。诵读此诗，宜以沉挚的语调读「二十年来万事同」的惜别，以低回的语调读「晚岁当为邻舍翁」的期望，结句要读得沉挚而有余韵，方能传达出柳宗元的情真语挚。柳宗元绝句以「清峭」著称，此诗正是其友情绝句的典范。

Line by line

皇恩若许归田去，晚岁当为邻舍翁

If the imperial grace permits my return to the fields, in my later years I will be the old man next door.

皇恩若许归田去，晚岁当为邻舍翁。

If the emperor's grace should let me go home to the fields, in my declining years I would be your neighbor across the hedge.

此二句是全诗写期望的核心，以皇恩若许归田去写归田，以晚岁当为邻舍翁写邻舍，写尽晚年重逢的期望，是千古名句。「皇恩若许归田去」写皇恩若许归田去——那「皇恩若许」写皇恩若许，「归田去」写归田去，写尽归田的假设；「晚岁当为邻舍翁」写晚岁当为邻舍翁——那「晚岁」写晚岁，「邻舍翁」写邻舍翁，写尽晚岁的为邻。这句的深意在于：它以「皇恩若许归田去」的归田与「晚岁当为邻舍翁」的邻舍，写尽晚年重逢的期望——皇恩若许归田去，那「皇恩若许归田去」写尽归田的假设——皇恩若许归田，正是对放还的希冀，那「若许」写尽归田的期望；晚岁当为邻舍翁，那「晚岁当为邻舍翁」写尽晚岁的为邻——晚岁为邻舍翁，正是对重逢的想象，那「邻舍翁」写尽重逢的期望；那「皇恩若许归田去」写尽归田的假设，那「晚岁当为邻舍翁」写尽晚岁的为邻，一写归田，一写为邻，写尽晚年重逢的期望——若得归田而晚岁为邻，正是对友情的期许；此二句以归田、邻舍写尽晚年重逢的期望，也让此二句成为全诗写期望的核心与千古名句。若换作直说「希望以后还能见面」，则失其深情；唯以「皇恩若许归田去」写归田、「晚岁当为邻舍翁」写邻舍，写尽晚年重逢的期望，也让此二句成为全诗写期望的核心。

These two lines are the core of the poem's hope, 'if the imperial grace permits my return to the fields' the return to the fields, 'in my later years I will be the old man next door' the neighbor, writing the hope of meeting again in old age, a famous line. 'If the imperial grace permits my return to the fields' - the 'if permitted' the longing for release from exile, the hope of the country return; 'in my later years I will be the old man next door' - the imagining of the old age together, the 'neighboring old man' the hope of reunion. If but permitted the field-return and the old age as neighbors, the pledge of friendship; one line the return, one the neighbor, the hope complete. If one said plainly 'I hope we can meet again,' the depth would be lost; only the imperial grace permitting the return to the fields and the old age as neighboring elders hold the longing.

二十年来万事同，今朝岐路忽西东

For twenty years, all things have been one; this morning at the fork we suddenly part, west and east.

二十年来万事同，今朝岐路忽西东。

For twenty years we have shared every fate; this morning at the crossroads we suddenly part, west and east.

此二句是全诗写惜别的核心，以二十年来万事同写万事同，以今朝岐路忽西东写岐路，写尽同甘共苦的惜别，是千古名句。「二十年来万事同」写二十年来万事同——那「二十年」写二十年，「万事同」写万事同，写尽二十年的同甘；「今朝岐路忽西东」写今朝岐路忽西东——那「今朝岐路」写今朝岐路，「忽西东」写忽西东，写尽今朝的歧路。这句的深意在于：它以「二十年来万事同」的万事同与「今朝岐路忽西东」的岐路，写尽同甘共苦的惜别——二十年来万事同，那「二十年来万事同」写尽二十年的同甘——二十年来，万事相同，正是患难与共的写照，那「万事同」写尽友情的深挚；今朝岐路忽西东，那「今朝岐路忽西东」写尽今朝的歧路——今朝岐路，忽分西东，正是临别的写照，那「忽西东」写尽惜别的怅惘；那「二十年来万事同」写尽二十年的同甘，那「今朝岐路忽西东」写尽今朝的歧路，一写同甘，一写别离，写尽同甘共苦的惜别——二十年同甘而一朝分路，正是友情的写照；此二句以万事同、岐路写尽同甘共苦的惜别，也为后二句的期望作铺垫，也让此二句成为全诗写惜别的核心与千古名句。若换作直说「我们多年好友今天要分别」，则失其沉痛；唯以「二十年来万事同」写万事同、「今朝岐路忽西东」写岐路，写尽同甘共苦的惜别，也让此二句成为全诗写惜别的核心。

These two lines are the core of the poem's reluctant farewell, 'for twenty years, all things have been one' the shared fate, 'this morning at the fork we suddenly part, west and east' the fork, writing the parting of those who shared weal and woe, a famous line. 'For twenty years, all things have been one' - twenty years, all things alike, the portrait of sharing weal and woe, the 'all things one' writing the friendship's depth; 'this morning at the fork we suddenly part, west and east' - the fork this morning, suddenly west and east, the parting at hand, the 'suddenly west and east' writing the farewell's bewilderment. Twenty years shared and one day divided, the friendship's portrait; one line the shared years, one the parting, the reluctant farewell complete. If one said plainly 'we've been friends for years and now we part,' the gravity would be lost; only the twenty years of shared fate and the sudden parting at the fork hold the sorrow.

Study

Word focus

同 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「二十年来万事同」之「同」字是写情谊的关键词，一个「同」字写尽二十年的同甘。同者，相同、一同也。柳宗元以「二十年来万事同」写情谊，这个「同」字至少有双重意味：其一，写患难之同——那「二十年来万事同」写二十年来万事同，那「同」字写尽二十年的同甘——万事相同，正是患难与共的写照，那「同」字写尽友情的深挚；其二，写命运之同——那「同」字更是写命——同，正见命运的相同，那「同」字写尽同贬的际遇。以「同」字写情谊，正是柳宗元写友情的枢纽——若换作「共」「齐」等字，则或失其与「二十年」「万事」的配合，或失其写同的意味；唯「同」字，以二十年来万事同写尽二十年的同甘与命运的相同，与「今朝岐路忽西东」的忽西东相合，写尽同甘共苦的惜别，也让「二十年来万事同」成为全诗写情谊的名句。

若 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「皇恩若许归田去」之「若」字是写期望的关键词，一个「若」字写尽归田的假设。若者，假如、倘若也。柳宗元以「皇恩若许归田去」写期望，这个「若」字至少有双重意味：其一，写望之假设——那「皇恩若许归田去」写皇恩若许归田去，那「若」字写尽归田的假设——皇恩若许归田，正是对放还的希冀，那「若」字写尽归田的期望；其二，写情之渺茫——那「若」字更是写渺——若，正见期望的渺茫，那「若」字写尽迁谪的无奈。以「若」字写期望，正是柳宗元写友情的枢纽——若换作「倘」「如」等字，则或失其与「皇恩」「许归田去」的配合，或失其写若的意味；唯「若」字，以皇恩若许归田去写尽归田的假设与期望的渺茫，与「晚岁当为邻舍翁」的邻舍翁相合，写尽晚年重逢的期望，也让「皇恩若许归田去」成为全诗写期望的名句。