潮满冶城渚，日斜征虏亭。
蔡洲新草绿，幕府旧烟青。
兴废由人事，山川空地形。
后庭花一曲，幽怨不堪听。
“潮满冶城渚，日斜征虏亭。”首联写的是晨景和晚景。诗人为HRef=https://www.xuegushici.com/list/xunfang/ target=_blank class=infotextkey>寻访东吴当年冶铸之地——冶城的遗迹来到HRef=https://www.xuegushici.com/list/jiangbian/ target=_blank class=infotextkey>江边，正逢早潮上涨，水天空阔，满川HRef=https://www.xuegushici.com/list/feng/ target=_blank class=infotextkey>风涛。冶城这一以冶制吴刀、吴钩著名的古迹在何处，诗人徘徊寻觅，却四顾茫然。只有那江涛的拍岸声和HRef=https://www.xuegushici.com/list/jiangbian/ target=_blank class=infotextkey>江边一片荒凉的景象。它仿佛告诉人们：冶城和吴国的雄图霸业一样，早已在HRef=https://www.xuegushici.com/list/shijian/ target=_blank class=infotextkey>时间的长河中消逝得无影无踪了。HRef=https://www.xuegushici.com/list/bangwan/ target=_blank class=infotextkey>傍晚时分，征虏亭HRef=https://www.xuegushici.com/list/jimo/ target=_blank class=infotextkey>寂寞地矗立在斜晖之中，伴随着它的不过是投在地上的长长的黑影而已，那东晋王谢贵族之家曾在这里饯行HRef=https://www.xuegushici.com/list/songbie/ target=_blank class=infotextkey>送别的热闹排场，也早已销声匿迹。尽管亭子与HRef=https://www.xuegushici.com/list/xiyang/ target=_blank class=infotextkey>夕阳依旧，但HRef=https://www.xuegushici.com/list/renshi/ target=_blank class=infotextkey>人事却已全非。诗在HRef=https://www.xuegushici.com/list/kaitou/ target=_blank class=infotextkey>开头两句巧妙地把盛衰对比从景语中道出，使诗歌一落笔就紧扣题意，HRef=https://www.xuegushici.com/list/ziran/ target=_blank class=infotextkey>自然流露出HRef=https://www.xuegushici.com/list/diaogushangjin/ target=_blank class=infotextkey>HRef=https://www.xuegushici.com/list/diaogu/ target=_blank class=infotextkey>吊古HRef=https://www.xuegushici.com/list/shangjin/ target=_blank class=infotextkey>伤今之情。
“蔡洲新草绿，幕府旧烟青。”颔联两句虽然仍是HRef=https://www.xuegushici.com/list/xiejing/ target=_blank class=infotextkey>写景，但此处写的景，则不仅是对HRef=https://www.xuegushici.com/list/lishi/ target=_blank class=infotextkey>历史陈迹的HRef=https://www.xuegushici.com/list/pingdiao/ target=_blank class=infotextkey>凭吊，而且以雄伟美丽的HRef=https://www.xuegushici.com/list/shan/ target=_blank class=infotextkey>山川为见证以HRef=https://www.xuegushici.com/list/shuhuai/ target=_blank class=infotextkey>抒怀，借以形象地表达出诗人对某一HRef=https://www.xuegushici.com/list/lishi/ target=_blank class=infotextkey>历史问题的识见。诗人说：看哪，时序虽在春寒料峭之中，那江心不沉的战船——蔡洲却已长出一片嫩绿的新草；那向称金陵门户的幕府HRef=https://www.xuegushici.com/list/shan/ target=_blank class=infotextkey>山正雄视大江，HRef=https://www.xuegushici.com/list/shan/ target=_blank class=infotextkey>山顶上升起袅袅青烟，光景依然如旧。面对着滔滔江流，诗人想起了东晋军阀苏峻曾一度袭破金陵，企图凭借险阻，建立霸业。不久陶侃、温峤起兵在此伐叛，舟师四万次于蔡洲。一时舳舻相望，旌旗蔽空，激战累日，终于击败苏峻，使晋室转危为安。他还想起幕府HRef=https://www.xuegushici.com/list/shan/ target=_blank class=infotextkey>山正是由于丞相王导曾在此建立幕府屯兵驻守而得名。但曾几何时，东晋仍然被刘宋所代替，衡阳王刘义季出任南兖州刺史，此HRef=https://www.xuegushici.com/list/shan/ target=_blank class=infotextkey>山从此又成为刘宋新贵们祖饯之处。HRef=https://www.xuegushici.com/list/shan/ target=_blank class=infotextkey>山川HRef=https://www.xuegushici.com/list/feng/ target=_blank class=infotextkey>风物在变幻的HRef=https://www.xuegushici.com/list/lishi/ target=_blank class=infotextkey>历史长河中并没有变异，诗人看到的仍是：春草年年绿，旧烟岁岁青。这一联熔古今事与眼前景为一体，“新草绿”、“旧烟青”六字下得醒豁鲜明，情景交融，并为下文的HRef=https://www.xuegushici.com/list/gankai/ target=_blank class=infotextkey>感慨作铺垫。
“兴废由HRef=https://www.xuegushici.com/list/renshi/ target=_blank class=infotextkey>人事，HRef=https://www.xuegushici.com/list/shan/ target=_blank class=infotextkey>山川空地形。”颈联承上两联转入HRef=https://www.xuegushici.com/list/yilun/ target=_blank class=infotextkey>议论。诗人以极其精炼的语言HRef=https://www.xuegushici.com/list/jieshi/ target=_blank class=infotextkey>揭示了六朝HRef=https://www.xuegushici.com/list/xingwang/ target=_blank class=infotextkey>兴亡的秘密，并示警当世：六朝的繁华哪里去了？当时的权贵而今安在？险要的HRef=https://www.xuegushici.com/list/shan/ target=_blank class=infotextkey>山川形势并没有为他们的长治久安提供保障；HRef=https://www.xuegushici.com/list/guojia/ target=_blank class=infotextkey>国家HRef=https://www.xuegushici.com/list/xingwang/ target=_blank class=infotextkey>兴亡，原当取决于HRef=https://www.xuegushici.com/list/renshi/ target=_blank class=infotextkey>人事！在这一联里，诗人思接千里，自铸伟词，提出了社稷之存“在德不在险”的卓越见解。后来王安石《金陵HRef=https://www.xuegushici.com/list/huaigu/ target=_blank class=infotextkey>怀古四首》其二：“天兵南下此桥江，敌国当时指顾降。HRef=https://www.xuegushici.com/list/shanshui/ target=_blank class=infotextkey>HRef=https://www.xuegushici.com/list/shan/ target=_blank class=infotextkey>山水雄豪空复在，君王神武自无双。”即由此化出。足见HRef=https://www.xuegushici.com/list/yilun/ target=_blank class=infotextkey>议论之高，识见之卓。
尾联“《后庭HRef=https://www.xuegushici.com/list/hua/ target=_blank class=infotextkey>花》一曲，HRef=https://www.xuegushici.com/list/youyuan2/ target=_blank class=infotextkey>幽怨不堪听”。六朝HRef=https://www.xuegushici.com/list/diwang/ target=_blank class=infotextkey>帝王凭恃天险、纵情享乐而国亡，HRef=https://www.xuegushici.com/list/lishi/ target=_blank class=infotextkey>历史的教训并没有被后世记取。诗人以《玉树后庭HRef=https://www.xuegushici.com/list/hua/ target=_blank class=infotextkey>花》尚在流行暗示当今唐代的统治者依托关中百二HRef=https://www.xuegushici.com/list/shan/ target=_blank class=infotextkey>山河之险，沉溺在声色享乐之中，正步着六朝的后尘，其后果是不堪设想的。《玉树后庭HRef=https://www.xuegushici.com/list/hua/ target=_blank class=infotextkey>花》是公认的HRef=https://www.xuegushici.com/list/wangguo/ target=_blank class=infotextkey>亡国之音。诗含蓄地把鉴戒HRef=https://www.xuegushici.com/list/wangguo/ target=_blank class=infotextkey>亡国之意寄寓于一种HRef=https://www.xuegushici.com/list/yinle/ target=_blank class=infotextkey>音乐现象之中，可谓意味深长。晚唐诗人杜牧的《泊秦淮》：“商女不知HRef=https://www.xuegushici.com/list/wangguo/ target=_blank class=infotextkey>亡国恨，隔江犹唱《后庭HRef=https://www.xuegushici.com/list/hua/ target=_blank class=infotextkey>花》”，便是脱胎于此。
《贞一斋诗说》说：“HRef=https://www.xuegushici.com/list/yongshi/ target=_blank class=infotextkey>咏史诗不必凿凿指事实，看HRef=https://www.xuegushici.com/list/guren2/ target=_blank class=infotextkey>古人名作可见。”刘禹锡这首诗就是这样，首联从题前摇曳而来，尾联从题后迤逦而去。前两联只点出与六朝有关的金陵名胜古迹，以暗示千古HRef=https://www.xuegushici.com/list/xingwang/ target=_blank class=infotextkey>兴亡之所由，而不是为了HRef=https://www.xuegushici.com/list/zhuihuai/ target=_blank class=infotextkey>追怀一朝、一帝、一事、一物。至后两联则通过HRef=https://www.xuegushici.com/list/yilun/ target=_blank class=infotextkey>议论和HRef=https://www.xuegushici.com/list/gankai/ target=_blank class=infotextkey>感慨HRef=https://www.xuegushici.com/list/jiegufongjin/ target=_blank class=infotextkey>借古HRef=https://www.xuegushici.com/list/fongjin/ target=_blank class=infotextkey>讽今，HRef=https://www.xuegushici.com/list/jieshi/ target=_blank class=infotextkey>揭示出全诗主旨。这种手法，用在HRef=https://www.xuegushici.com/list/yongshi/ target=_blank class=infotextkey>咏史诗、HRef=https://www.xuegushici.com/list/huaigu/ target=_blank class=infotextkey>怀古诗中是颇为高明的。