王安石与杭州的故事

司马一民

王安石虽然没有在杭州为官，但是他到过杭州，并且写过几首诗，留下了在杭州的印迹，也算是与杭州有缘了。

王安石（1021—1086），字介甫，号半山，临川（今江西抚州临川）人。王安石出道很早，庆历二年（1042），21岁进士及第，做过扬州签判、鄞县知县、舒州通判等，政绩显著。熙宁二年（1069），任参知政事，第二年拜相，主持变法。

我们这里要说的是北宋皇佑二年（1050），王安石30岁时在浙江鄞县知县任满，回家乡临川前路过杭州。也许有友人相邀，他在杭州小住，当然要看看西湖的山山水水、走访名胜古迹，于是留下了诗篇。我们从他的诗作里知道，他在杭州到过这些地方——

王安石在杭州到过的第一个地方是望湖楼。有《杭州望湖楼回马上作呈玉汝乐道》纪事：

水光山气碧浮浮，落日将归又少留。从此只应长入梦，梦中还与故人游。

读这首诗，知道王安石与与韩缜（字玉汝，曾出使西夏）、杨畋（号乐道，将门之后）是故交，很可能与他们相约到杭州，一同游览西湖，登望湖楼饱览湖光山色，在望湖楼下三位挥手分别。这首诗是王安石与韩缜、杨畋分别后在马上所作，才分手就牵挂，可见朋友情谊浓。

望湖楼曾经是杭州西湖著名景点，原建筑早已不存。现在我们看到的望湖楼是20世纪80年代重建的。

望湖楼原名看经楼，在当时的昭庆寺（现在杭州青少年活动中心）前，始建于北宋乾德五年（967），吴越王钱弘俶所建，到宋时改名为望湖楼。为什么取名看经楼？可能与昭庆寺相关。昭庆寺是钱弘俶的父亲钱元瓘所建，当时称菩提院。宋太平兴国七年，敕赐“大昭庆寺”。昭庆寺曾经是一个规模宏大的寺院，寺院外围建筑一直延伸到西湖边。因此，在昭庆寺前西湖边建看经楼（望湖楼）似乎是顺理成章的事情了。

游客从西湖码头登岸后，沿着石板路穿过石牌坊和山门，便到了天王殿前的万善桥。万善桥的西面另有一座涵胜桥，西湖水由南往北、再由西往东，流经涵胜桥和万善桥后，注入青莲池。1926年西湖边拓建马路，拆掉了昭庆寺的前殿天王殿，万善桥也不复存在了，还填掉了桥下的青莲池，殿前的古樟至今仍存数株。

登望湖楼，近观碧波如镜，远眺群山环绕，湖中画舟点点，湖中三岛如三颗明珠闪烁于湖水之上，有时朦朦胧胧，有时却清晰如画，是煮茗把酒欣赏西湖万种风情的绝佳处，引来历代许多文人墨客的题咏。王安石到杭州，少不得要登望湖楼，纵览湖光山色之后自然要做诗。在王安石登望湖楼作诗20多年之后，熙宁五年（1072），时任杭州通判苏轼也登上了望湖楼，留下了《六月二十七日望湖楼醉书》：

黑云翻墨未遮山，白雨跳珠乱入船。卷地风来忽吹散，望湖楼下水如天。

这是后话，按下不提。

王安石在杭州到过的第二个地方是圣果寺，有《游杭州圣果寺》纪事：

登高见山水，身在水中央。下视楼台处，空多树木苍。浮云连海气，落日动湖光。偶坐吹横笛，残声入富阳。

此诗描述了胜果寺的景致。

胜果寺原在杭州凤凰山苕帚湾内山坞。初建于隋代，后因唐代番僧文喜在寺里静坐得道而更名为“胜果”，又名“圣果”。宋庆历（1041）初，因仁宗赐“崇圣塔”额匾而称“崇圣寺”。南宋时胜果寺为宫廷内苑供奉之所，后淹没。明洪武年间（1368），胜果寺重建，此后有诸多文人雅士为寺题额。胜果寺佛殿后石壁上，有五代吴越国时镌刻的高达6米的弥陀、观音、势至三圣石像及十八罗汉，人称“三佛石”，旧时石佛上建有阁，阁后平地上有佛祖亭。明嘉靖年间（1522）因倭寇入侵被焚，后由僧正因重建，天启年间（1621）又毁。清初寺院逐渐恢复，清乾隆三十年（1767）高宗弘歷南巡到杭州，为胜果寺题“江湖广览”“澄观堂”两匾额。

胜果寺藏于深山幽谷之中，明张岱《西湖梦寻》称：“松径盘纡，涧淙潺，罗刹石在其前凤凰山列其后，江景之胜无过此。”

胜果寺整体建筑毁于清咸丰时（1851）。

胜果寺至今留下的历史遗迹不少，是凤凰山古迹最集中的地方。摩崖上1平方米大小的“凤山”两字系南宋王大通所书，还有宋高宗手书“忠实”两字。山崖上的石刻十八罗汉像，虽经千年已残损，但多数仍能辨认，凤凰池半在洞内半在洞外，洞寒泉冽。此外还有通明洞、放光岩以及当年殿堂的地基等。

王安石在杭州到过的第三个地方是飞来峰，有《登飞来峰》纪事：

飞来山上千寻塔，闻说鸡鸣见日升。不畏浮云遮望眼，自缘身在最高层。

这首诗虽然是写游览登高，却是借景抒怀。有人说，此诗透露出王安石渴望被朝廷重用，实现革新变法富国强兵的愿望和抱负。这是把日后王安石拜相实行变法与这首诗联系起来的理解，也有一定的道理。不过，对于30岁的王安石来说，恐怕当时还不一定有日后拜相变法的清晰仕途目标，但是“达则兼济天下”的理想肯定是有的。

飞来峰为杭州佛教名山，又名灵鹫峰，高168米，山体由石灰岩构成。飞来峰由于长期受地下水溶蚀作用，形成了许多奇幻多变的洞壑，如龙泓洞、玉乳洞、射旭洞、呼猿洞等。据说飞来峰过去有72洞，但因年代久远，多数已湮没。仅存的几个洞，大都集中在飞来峰东南一侧。

飞来峰面朝灵隐寺的山坡上，遍布五代以来的佛教石窟造像，有三百多尊。石刻有西方三圣像（五代）、卢舍那佛会浮雕（北宋）、布袋和尚（南宋）、金刚手菩萨、多闻天王、男相观音（均为元代）。其中，最为著名的是喜笑颜开、袒胸露腹的弥勒佛，是飞来峰石窟中最大的造像，为宋代造像艺术的代表作。

王安石在杭州的游览以一首《杭州呈胜之》结束：

游观须知此地佳，纷纷人物敌京华。林峦腊雪千家水，城郭春风二月花。彩舫笙萧吹落日，画楼灯烛映残霞。如君援笔宜摹写，寄与尘埃北客夸。

这首诗除了对杭城景物风俗的赞叹之外，我们还可以读出三个信息：一个是王安石拿杭州与京城汴梁（今开封）比，觉得不相上下，这是他对杭州的总体印象;再一个是王安石到杭州的时间是“二月”;还有一个是假设，如果您（胜之）的妙笔来描写杭州，京城的人看了一定会“惊艳”。这首诗是写给胜之的，胜之是谁？王益柔（1015—1086）字胜之，洛阳人，庆历四年（1044）以殿中丞召试，授集贤校理，曾在扬州、毫州、江宁、应天府为官。王益柔好学，博通群书，一日能写数千言的策论。司马光曾对人说，自我著《资治通鉴》，人们多请求读看，但未看完一张纸，便已打呵欠想瞌睡。能够把它全部读完的人，只有一个王胜之。庆历年间，王安石与王益柔先后被朝廷录用，可能其间有交往。

（作者系杭州市政協智库专家、杭州文史专家）

The Poet Wang Anshi and the City of Hangzhou

By  Sima Yimin

Wang Anshi （1021-1086）， alternatively known by his courtesy name Jiefu and style name Banshan， was an important politician， writer， calligrapher and thinker of the Northern Song dynasty （960-1126）. He is most famous for his reforms carried out under Emperor Shenzong who ruled from 1067 to 1085.

Born in Linchuan （present-day Fuzhou， Jiangxi） Wang is also known as Linchuan Xiansheng （or Master Linchuan）. He obtained his jinshi degree， the highest and final degree in the imperial examinations， in 1042. Throughout his career， he served as secretary in the office of the assistant military commissioner in Yangzhou， Jiangsu， the district magistrate of Yinxian county （present-day Ningbo， Zhejiang）， and controller-general of Shuzhou， among various positions. For his hard work and rich experience in local administration， Wang Anshi was appointed vice chancellor in 1069 and became the chancellor in 1070.

Although Wang never worked as an official in Hangzhou， he had been to the city and composed a few poems about it.

In 1050， when Wang was 30， he finished his term in Yinxian county and was on his way back to Linchuan， his hometown. Perhaps invited by friends， he stayed in Hangzhou for some time during his trip， and traveled to a number of places there， including the West Lake.

The first place Wang visited， judging by his poems， was the Wanghu Lou， or the Lake Viewing Tower， where he wrote：

Amid fresh air and green mountains the water shines，

We stay for a longer while as the sun sets.

Into a long dream now we should dive，

And still travel with old friends.

Poem Written on Horseback for Yuru and Ledao after Returning from Lake Viewing Towe was apparently penned for Yuru （courtesy name of Han Zhen， 1019-1097） and Ledao （courtesy name of Yang Tian， 1007-1062）， both officials， who may have invited Wang in the first place.

The Wanghu Lou was once a famous scenic spot around the West Lake. The original building has long since disappeared. Today’s Wanghu Lou was rebuilt in the 1980s.

First erected in 967 in front of the Zhaoqing Temple （which is now the Hangzhou Youth and Children’s Center）， it was originally named the Kanjing Lou （or the Sutra Reading Tower）， more than likely because of the Zhaoqing Temple. The temple was once a large complex， with its outer buildings extending all the way to the West Lake.

Once up inside the Wanghu Lou， one is instantly drawn to the clear， mirror-like lake surface nearby. The mountains stand far away， circling the West Lake. Twinkling in the middle of the lake are star-like boats and the three pearl-shaped small islands， sometimes hazy， sometimes bright. It is only natural that Wanghu Lou has always been one of the best spots for scholars and poets to drink tea and appreciate the beauty of the West Lake， and Wang Anshi was no exception. Indeed， some two decades later， in the year 1072， another prominent figure， Su Shi， who was Hangzhou’s controller-general at the time， also composed a poem here.

The second place that Wang Anshi visited was the Shengguo Temple， for which he left the poem Visiting the Shenghuo Temple in Hangzhou.

Climbing up I see mountains and rivers，

As if in the middle of the lake I stay.

Looking down from the terraces，

I see vast space ahead and trees grey.

Floating clouds mix with sea fogs，

As the setting sun shakes the surface of the lake.

I sit down blowing into a flute with my friends，

To Fuyang the reverberation seems to make.

The Shengguo Temple was originally tucked away deep in the Phoenix Mountain. First built during the Sui dynasty （581-618）， the temple acquired its name in the Tang dynasty （618-907） and fell into disuse after the Southern Song dynasty （1127-1279）. In 1368， the temple was restored before burned down in 1522 by the Japanese pirates. Later rebuilt， it was ravaged again in 1621. Although it enjoyed some glory when Emperor Qianlong （1711-1799） went there and left inscriptions， the temple was completely destroyed in 1851. Now， some of the remnant can still be found. Carved statues of the Eighteen Arhats， though weather beaten after more than a thousand years， are very much recognizable. Inscriptions on the cliffside， including two characters （Zhongshi， which means “loyalty”） written by Zhao Gou （1107-1187）， Emperor Gaozong of Song， are clearly visible. The foundation of the temple’s main hall and some of the old caves are also there.

The Feilai Peak （or Peak Flown from Afar） was the third place that Wang had been to， which is one of the most popular tourist destinations in Hangzhou， with more than three hundred exquisitely carved Buddhist statues hidden in the caves of the walls of the cliff. Also known as Lingjiu Peak， the Feilei Peak can be seen right in front of Hangzhou’s Lingyin Temple. Legend has it that over 1，600 years ago， when an Indian monk by the name of Huili arrived， he was quite surprised to see a peak towering above the nearby valley and high in the sky. He wondered aloud “how has such a peak flown all the way from India to this place？” Hence the name of the peak.

In Ascending the Flying Peak， he declared：

On the Feilai Peak is perched a pagoda eight thousand feet high，

It is said one can see the sun rise once the rooster crows.

Unafraid of floating clouds blocking my views，

I am already standing on the loftiest peak.

Some argued that this poem， in particular the last two lines， showed Wang’s aspirations to attain higher offices and to carry out his reforms later on. The “floating clouds”， for example， is believed to be a metaphor for those manipulating officials at the imperial court impeding his advancement. However， it is unclear whether a 30-year-old Wang， still 20 years away from assuming chancellorship， harbored such ambitions at the time， but he surely would like to make his country a better place.

Finally， Wang wrapped up his Hangzhou tour with a poem titled Written for Shengzhi in Hangzhou.

A fantastic place to visit， you should bear in mind，

For all can match those in the capital you find.

Trees， mountains， winter snow， and all the water，

The second month’s flowers bloom on city walls amid the spring wind.

In pleasure boats music greets the sunset，

In painted chambers lanterns and candles outshine the twilight.

To write the place if you are so kind，

People up north it will spellbind.

As the title made it clear， it was for Shengzhi， courtesy name of Wang Yirou （1015-1086）， a contemporary of Wang’s and a Song official as well. In the poem， Wang Anshi was all praise for Hangzhou， comparing it to the Northern Song capital Bianzhou （present-day Kaifeng， Henan）， before stating that this poem， if written by Shengzhi， would have undoubtedly impressed people from the capital even more.