赵冷月 行书:宋之问《渡汉江》
【释文】岭外音书绝,经冬复历春。近乡情更怯,不敢问来人。
【款识】宋之问渡汉江。己未夏日冷月。
【注释】岭外:大庾岭之外,就是广东。
【简析】
《渡汉江》是宋之问诗中流传最为广泛的一首小诗,它之所以动人,自有其独到的地方。宋之问一生曾经历两次流放,第一次流放岭南是在神龙元年(705)春被贬为泷州(今广东罗定县)参军,第二年便逃归洛阳,匿居友人张仲之家里。这首小诗就是他逃归途中所作。
广东罗定县与广西岑溪县接壤,地处偏远的群山之中,西有云开大山,东有大云雾山,古时交通极为不便,音书难达。诗的开头“岭外音书断”,就是指诗人贬罗定后,与家人断绝了音信。可是下句说:“经冬复历春”。从寒冬到新春在这漫长的时日里,未得到家里一点消息。岂能不挂怀?这似乎有为自己北逃作辩解之意。第三句反说:“近乡情更怯”。既是渡汉江,又是近乡,这个地方必是襄阳无疑了。襄阳是唐代东西两京通向江南、岭南必经的要道。过襄阳向北即是河南境。正所谓,“便下襄阳向洛阳”。洛阳南郊有宋之问的陆浑山庄,洛阳已经指日可达,诗人很自然地产生了“近乡”的感觉。经历了千辛万苦翻山越岭,终于接近家乡了,本该万分激动,一个“怯”字,完美地表现了诗人当时的心态、情态与形态。他怯生生的不敢向从家乡来的人问讯,担心自己会听到不幸的或可怕的消息。同时因为自己被贬谪又逃归的特殊身份,更使他心情复杂,不敢见乡人。
这首五言绝句,影响深远。李商隐的《无题》诗也抒发过相同的心情:“楼响将登怯,帘烘欲过难。”
这些诗句,都把欲听、盼听而又怕听和欲见、急见而又怕见的微妙心情表现得很出色。宋之问这首小诗,情真、语真、意真,所以能打动读者的心。
【Simple Translation】
The poem “Crossing the Han River” is one of the most widely circulated poems of Song Zhiwen, and it has its own uniqueness. Song Zhiwen was exiled twice in his life, the first time to Lingnan in the spring of the first year of Shen Long (705) when he was relegated to the position of a senator in Taki Prefecture (today’s Luoding County, Guangdong), and the next year he fled to Luoyang and lived in hiding with his friend Zhang Zhongzhi. This small poem was written by him on his way back.
Luoding County in Guangdong borders with Cenxi County in Guangxi, and is located in the middle of remote mountains, with Yunkai Mountain in the west and Great Yunwu Mountain in the east, so transportation was extremely difficult in ancient times, and it was hard to reach the sound and letters. At the beginning of the poem, “The sound and letters from outside the mountain are broken” means that after the poet was relegated to Luoding, he was cut off from his family. However, the next line says, “After the winter and the spring”. During the long period from winter to spring, he did not get any news from his family. How can I not be worried? This seems to be an excuse for his own escape to the north. The third line says, “I feel more timid near my hometown”. The third line reads, “I am more squeamish about being near my hometown. Xiangyang was a major route between the two capitals in the Tang Dynasty, leading to the south and south of the Yangtze River. The north of Xiangyang was the border of Henan Province. As the saying goes, “then it’s down to Xiangyang to Luoyang”. In the southern suburbs of Luoyang, there is Song Zhiwen’s Luhun Villa, and Luoyang is within reach, so the poet naturally felt that he was “near his hometown”. After going through a lot of hardships over the mountains, he is finally close to his hometown and should be very excited. He was too timid to ask people from his hometown, fearing that he might hear unfortunate or terrible news. At the same time, because of his special status of being relegated and fleeing to his hometown, he was in a complicated mood and did not dare to meet the villagers.
This five-line poem has a profound influence. Li Shangyin’s poem “Untitled” also expresses the same feelings: “The sound of the building will be timid to ascend, the curtain bakes and it is difficult to pass.”
All these lines express the subtle feelings of wanting to hear, hoping to hear but fearing to hear, and wanting to see, eager to see but fearing to see. This small poem of Song Zhiwen is true to the heart of the reader because of its true feelings, true words and true meaning.