“江畔何人初见月？江月何年初照人？”
是诗的哲学，是哲学之诗。表现了人和自然的关系，探讨了短暂与永恒的哲学命题。
注解：
1 青枫浦：地名，今湖南浏阳县境内有青枫浦。这里泛指游子所在的地方。暗用《楚辞·招魂》“湛湛江水兮上有枫，目极千里兮伤春心”句意，隐含离别之意。
2 明月楼：月夜下的闺楼。这里指闺中思妇。
3 文：同“纹”。
4 碣（jié）石潇湘：碣石，山名，在渤海边上。潇湘，湘江与潇水，在今湖南。这里两个地名一南一北，暗指路途遥远，相聚无望。无限路：极言离人相距之远。
5 斜：读音是xié，另有古音念xiá，在部分古诗中使用古音以求押韵。
《春江花月夜》是唐代张若虚（约公元647年-约公元730年）的诗作。此诗以春、江、花、月、夜这五种事物集中体现了人生最动人的良辰美景，构成了诱人探寻的奇妙的艺术境界。整首诗由景、情、理依次展开，第一部分写了春江的美景，第二部分写了面对江月由此产生的感慨，第三部分写了人间思妇游子的离愁别绪。
诗人将这些屡见不鲜的传统题材，注入了新的含义，融诗情、画意、哲理为一体，凭借对春江花月夜的描绘，尽情赞叹大自然的奇丽景色，讴歌人间纯洁的爱情，把对游子思妇的同情心扩大开来，与对人生哲理的追求、对宇宙奥秘的探索结合起来，从而汇成一种情、景、理水乳交溶的幽美而邈远的意境。诗人将深邃美丽的艺术世界特意隐藏在惝恍迷离的艺术氛围之中，整首诗篇仿佛笼罩在一片空灵而迷茫的月色里，吸引着读者去探寻其中美的真谛。
全诗共三十六句，每四句一换韵，通篇融诗情、画意、哲理为一体，意境空明，想象奇特，语言自然隽永，韵律宛转悠扬，洗净了六朝宫体的浓脂腻粉，具有极高的审美价值，素有“孤篇盖全唐”之誉。
诗中有好多名句被后世诗人所引用或化用。比如，崔颢的“黄鹤一去不复返，白云千载空悠悠”很可能是“白云一片去悠悠，青枫浦上不胜愁”的化用；张九龄的“海上生明月，天涯共此时”可能是根据“春江潮水连海平，海上明月共潮生”化用而来；李白的“青天明月来几时？我欲停杯一问之”，苏轼的“明月几时有？把酒问青天”，都有化用“江畔何人初见月？江月何年初照人？”的痕迹。
附中英文：
春江花月夜
A Moonlit Night On The Spring River
春江潮水连海平，海上明月共潮生。
滟滟随波千万里，何处春江无月明！
In spring the river rises as high as the sea,
And with the river's rise the moon uprises bright.
She follows the rolling waves for ten thousand li,
And where the river flows, there overflows her light.
江流宛转绕芳甸，月照花林皆似霰；
空里流霜不觉飞，汀上白沙看不见。
The river winds around the fragrant islet where
The blooming flowers in her light all look like snow.
You cannot tell her beams from hoar frost in the air,
Nor from white sand upon farewell beach below.
江天一色无纤尘，皎皎空中孤月轮。
江畔何人初见月？江月何年初照人？
No dust has stained the water blending with the skies;
A lonely wheel like moon shines brilliant far and wide.
Who by the riverside first saw the moon arise?
When did the moon first see a man by riverside?
人生代代无穷已，江月年年只相似。
不知江月待何人，但见长江送流水。
Ah, generations have come and pasted away;
From year to year the moons look alike, old and new.
We do not know tonight for whom she sheds her ray,
But hear the river say to its water adieu.
白云一片去悠悠，青枫浦上不胜愁。
谁家今夜扁舟子？何处相思明月楼？
Away, away is sailing a single cloud white;
On farewell beach pine away maples green.
Where is the wanderer sailing his boat tonight?
Who, pining away, on the moonlit rails would learn?
可怜楼上月徘徊，应照离人妆镜台。
玉户帘中卷不去，捣衣砧上拂还来。
Alas! the moon is lingering over the tower;
It should have seen the dressing table of the fair.
She rolls the curtain up and light comes in her bower;
She washes but can't wash away the moonbeams there.
此时相望不相闻，愿逐月华流照君。
鸿雁长飞光不度，鱼龙潜跃水成文。
She sees the moon, but her beloved is out of sight;
She'd follow it to shine on her beloved one's face.
But message-bearing swans can't fly out of moonlight,
Nor can letter-sending fish leap out of their place.
昨夜闲潭梦落花，可怜春半不还家。
江水流春去欲尽，江潭落月复西斜。
Last night he dreamed that falling flowers would not stay.
Alas! he can't go home, although half spring has gone.
The running water bearing spring will pass away;
The moon declining over the pool will sink anon.
斜月沉沉藏海雾，碣石潇湘无限路。
不知乘月几人归，落月摇情满江树。
The moon declining sinks into a heavy mist;
It's a long way between southern rivers and eastern seas.
How many can go home by moonlight who are missed?
The sinking moon sheds yearning o'er riverside trees.
－End－
