汉 Han · 诗 Poem
悲愤诗（节选）
Poem of Grief and Indignation (Excerpt)
汉季失权柄，董卓乱天常。
志欲图篡弑，先害诸贤良。
逼迫迁旧邦，拥主以自强。
海内兴义师，欲共讨不祥。
卓众来东下，金甲耀日光。
平土人脆弱，来兵皆胡羌。
猎野围城邑，所向悉破亡。
斩截无孑遗，尸骸相撑拒。
马边悬男头，马后载妇女。
长驱西入关，迥路险且阻。
还顾邈冥冥，肝脾为烂腐。
所略有万计，不得令屯聚。
或有骨肉俱，欲言不敢语。
失意机微间，辄言毙降虏。
要当以亭刃，我曹不活汝。
岂复惜性命，不堪其詈骂。
或便加棰杖，毒痛参并下。
旦则号泣行，夜则悲吟坐。
欲死不能得，欲生无一可。
彼苍者何辜，乃遭此厄祸。
Dong Zhuo disrupted heaven's constant way.
He aimed to usurp and kill the emperor,
First harming many worthy men.
Forced the court to move to the old capital,
Held the sovereign to strengthen himself.
Within the seas, righteous armies arose,
All wanting to punish this evil one.
Dong's troops came eastward,
Golden armor shone in sunlight.
The plain land's people were weak,
The soldiers coming were all Hu and Qiang.
Hunting the countryside, besieging cities,
Everywhere they went, all was destroyed.
Slaughtered without leaving even one,
Corpses piled up supporting each other.
Men's heads hung by the horses,
Women were carried behind the horses.
They drove far west entering the passes,
The distant road was dangerous and blocked.
Looking back, all was dim and dark,
Liver and spleen rotted away.
Those captured numbered ten thousand,
They were not allowed to gather.
Some had family members together,
Wanting to speak but dared not.
At the slightest displeasure,
They shouted, 'Kill the captives!'
'We will surely strike with knives,
We will not let you live.'
How could one care for life?
Unbearable were the curses.
Some were beaten with sticks,
Poison and pain came together.
By day they cried as they walked,
By night they sat lamenting.
Wanting to die but unable,
Wanting to live but no way.
O blue sky above, what crime were we guilty of,
That we suffer this calamity?
Meaning
This excerpt from Cai Yan's autobiographical poem describes the chaos at the end of the Han dynasty, the rebellion of Dong Zhuo, the brutal plundering by his Hu and Qiang troops, and the poet's own capture and suffering. It vividly portrays the horrors of war and the helplessness of the people.
汉朝末年大权旁落，董卓扰乱了天道纲常。他图谋篡位弑君，先杀害众多贤良。又逼迫迁都旧京，挟持天子以自强。海内群起义兵，要共讨这不祥之徒。董卓部众东下，金甲在日光下闪耀。中原百姓软弱，来兵多是胡羌。他们如猎野般围攻城邑，所到之处尽被摧毁。屠戮不留活口，尸骨相互撑拄。马边挂着男人头颅，马后载着妇女。长驱向西入关，路途遥远险阻。回望故乡渺渺冥冥，令人肝脾碎裂。被掳掠者数以万计，不许聚集。有的骨肉一同被俘，想说话却不敢。稍不称意，便骂“杀降虏”。定要挥刀，我们绝不放过你。哪里还顾惜性命，只不堪那辱骂。有的更施以杖刑，毒打与痛楚交加。白天哭号着行路，夜里悲吟独坐。想死不能，求生无路。那苍天者有何罪，竟遭此大祸。
Appreciation
This poem is a personal record of the upheaval at the end of the Han dynasty. Cai Yan, having been captured and taken to the Xiongnu, writes with raw emotion. The lines depict the brutality of war with stark realism, such as 'Men's heads hung by the horses, women were carried behind the horses.' The poet's anguish is palpable, culminating in the question to heaven, elevating personal grief to a lament for all suffering in times of chaos.
【白话串讲】 蔡文姬被掳到匈奴十二年，写下《悲愤诗》：“汉季失权柄，董卓乱天常”——汉末大乱。“猎野围城邑，所向悉破亡”——她亲眼看着家园被毁。这是中国第一首文人自传体长篇叙事诗。 【意象与手法】 其艺术首在“诗史”笔法：以亲历者口吻直录战乱，不假雕饰而惨景自现 【情感与主旨】 蔡琰字文姬，蔡邕之女，东汉末遭董卓之乱，为胡骑所掠，没于南匈奴十二年，后为曹操赎归，重嫁董祀 【名句点睛】 中高考多考：一、内容概括，须点明“叙董卓之乱与被俘之惨”的纪实性
Background
Cai Yan, also known as Cai Wenji, was the daughter of Cai Yong. She was captured by nomadic soldiers during the Dong Zhuo rebellion and spent twelve years in the Southern Xiongnu. After being ransomed by Cao Cao, she wrote 'Poem of Grief and Indignation', the first long autobiographical poem in five-character verse in Chinese literature. This excerpt describes the initial disaster.
《悲愤诗》是东汉末年女诗人蔡琰（蔡文姬）所作，是中国文学史上第一篇文人自传体长诗。蔡琰为蔡邕之女，博学有才辩，通音律。汉末董卓之乱，天下大乱，蔡琰为乱兵所掳，辗转流入南匈奴，嫁与左贤王，居胡地十二年，生二子。后曹操与蔡邕有旧，遣使以金璧赎回。此诗即写其被掳、入胡、归汉的惨痛经历。本选节选部分，写董卓之乱与乱兵掠掠之惨：汉室失柄、董卓乱常，义师讨逆而乱兵东下，杀掠无度，“马边悬男头，马后载妇女”，被掳者历尽苦难，“欲死不能得，欲生无一可”。全诗以亲历者的血泪写乱世之惨，是汉末丧乱最真实的实录，也是“感于哀乐，缘事而发”的汉乐府精神在文人诗中的体现。
Art
The artistic merit lies in its 'poem-history' style: the poet writes as a witness, using straightforward description without embellishment. The lines 'Men's heads hung by the horses, women were carried behind the horses' are a cinematic close-up of violence. The structure moves from the political situation to the war, from the group's suffering to personal humiliation, ending with the question to heaven, blending narrative, lyricism, and commentary.
《悲愤诗》艺术上以自传叙事与血泪抒情见长，是中国叙事诗中的杰作。此节选以“汉季失权柄”起，以编年式的笔法写乱世：先写董卓之乱（“董卓乱天常”“逼迫迁旧邦”），次写义师讨逆（“海内兴义师，欲共讨不祥”），再写乱兵掠掠（“卓众来东下，金甲耀日光”），层层推进，勾勒出汉末丧乱的图景。写掠掠之惨尤为惊心：“平土人脆弱，来兵皆胡羌”写平民之脆弱与胡兵之凶悍；“猎野围城邑，所向悉破亡”写屠城之惨；“斩截无孑遗，尸骸相撑拒”写尸横遍野——“无孑遗”写杀戮殆尽，“相撑拒”写尸骨枕藉，惨不忍睹；“马边悬男头，马后载妇女”以两个镜头写掠掠的野蛮——马边挂着男头，马后载着妇女，意象惨烈，是千古传诵的名句。写被掳者之苦难尤为沉痛：“所略有万计，不得令屯聚”写被掳者不得相聚；“或有骨肉俱，欲言不敢语”写骨肉相逢而不敢言；“失意机微间，辄言毙降虏”写稍失意便遭辱骂；“要当以亭刃，我曹不活汝”写乱兵的威胁；“或便加棰杖，毒痛参并下”写毒打之惨；“旦则号泣行，夜则悲吟坐”写昼夜之悲；“欲死不能得，欲生无一可”写求生不得、求死不能的绝境。末以“彼苍者何辜，乃遭此厄祸”仰天而问作结，把个人的苦难升华为对苍天的控诉。全诗以叙事写实、以血泪抒情，字字是血，句句是泪，是汉末丧乱最真实最沉痛的实录。
Allusions
The poem refers to actual historical events: Dong Zhuo's rebellion and forced relocation of the capital in 190 AD. The term 'Hu and Qiang' refers to the non-Han soldiers in Dong Zhuo's army. The only literary allusion is the final line '彼苍者何辜', which echoes the line from the Classic of Poetry, '彼苍者天' (O blue sky above), using the interrogative form to express grievance.
《悲愤诗》以实录为主，用典不多而皆贴切。“董卓乱天常”之“天常”，本指天道纲常，出《尚书》一系，写董卓违逆天理；“太仓令”“缇萦”等词虽出于此诗其他段落，然“天常”一词已见其以经史语入诗的倾向。诗中“彼苍者何辜，乃遭此厄祸”之“彼苍”，出《诗经·秦风·黄鸟》“彼苍者天，歼我良人”，以呼天之语写无告之哀，是《诗经》以来“呼天”传统的承袭。全诗以白描叙事为主，不事用典，而以亲历的血泪写乱世之惨，正是“实录”精神与乐府传统的结合。蔡琰身处乱世而能写出如此沉痛的诗篇，正因其身世即是一部悲愤史，故字字真切。
Commentary
The 'Book of Later Han' records that she wrote this poem 'moved by the chaos and separation, recalling her grief and indignation.' 'Ancient Poetry Source' comments: 'Passionate and bitter, reading it feels like startled rocks flying.' Modern scholars see Cai Yan's feminine perspective as supplementing historical records, pioneering Du Fu's 'poem-history' style.
《悲愤诗》是蔡琰的名作，也是汉末叙事诗的高峰。全诗以自传之笔写乱世之惨，向为论者推为中国叙事诗的开山之作。节选部分写董卓之乱与掠掠之惨，“马边悬男头，马后载妇女”二句，意象惨烈，千古传诵。清人沈德潜评蔡琰诗“由情真，故语真”，正指其以血泪写实、字字真切。此诗与《胡笳十八拍》并称蔡琰的代表作，而《悲愤诗》尤以叙事之实、情感之真见长。诗中写被掳者“欲死不能得，欲生无一可”的绝境，写“彼苍者何辜，乃遭此厄祸”的控诉，皆非亲历者不能道。此诗不仅是个人身世的悲愤录，更是汉末乱世百姓苦难的实录，在中国诗歌史上具有不可替代的史料与文学价值。
Prosody
Line by line
汉季失权柄，董卓乱天常。志欲图篡弑，先害诸贤良。逼迫迁旧邦，拥主以自强。海内兴义师，欲共讨不祥。
At Han's last age the throne lost its hold; Dong Zhuo turned the moral order upside down. Bent on usurpation and regicide, he first struck down the loyal and good; he forced the court to move back to the old capital, holding the emperor to strengthen himself. Then the empire raised loyal armies, to punish together the accursed man.
汉末皇室失去了权柄，董卓祸乱纲常。他图谋篡位弑君，先杀害诸多贤良。逼迫迁都旧邦（长安），挟持天子以自固。海内兴起义兵，共同讨伐这不祥之人。
At the end of the Han the court lost its power; Dong Zhuo threw the moral order into chaos. Plotting to usurp the throne and murder the emperor, he first killed the loyal ministers; he forced the court back to the old capital Chang'an, holding the puppet emperor to strengthen himself. Then the empire raised righteous armies to punish the traitor together.
起八句以编年笔法写董卓之乱，是全诗的时代背景。“汉季失权柄”总写汉末大乱之由——皇室失权，天下动荡；“董卓乱天常”点出罪魁——“乱天常”写其违逆天道纲常；“志欲图篡弑，先害诸贤良”写其狼子野心——图谋篡弑，先杀贤良；“逼迫迁旧邦，拥主以自强”写其挟天子以令诸侯——迁都长安、拥主自固；“海内兴义师，欲共讨不祥”写天下起兵讨逆。八句以极简的笔法勾勒出汉末丧乱的全景，由权柄之失写到讨逆之兴，为下文乱兵东下、百姓遭殃作了铺垫。以史笔开篇，正是此诗“实录”精神的体现。
The poem opens as history. At the end of the Han the throne lost its hold; Dong Zhuo overturned the moral order. In eight compact lines Cai Yan narrates the usurpation: the regicidal plot, the murder of the loyal, the forced move of the court to Chang'an, the emperor held hostage, and the rise of the loyal armies. The chronicle is the necessary prologue: the reader must know the war's cause before the war's victims. The plain historiographic voice (this is still the tone of Shiji) prepares the unflinching eye that follows. To have begun with her own suffering would have been private; the dynasty's collapse first makes the suffering public.
卓众来东下，金甲耀日光。平土人脆弱，来兵皆胡羌。猎野围城邑，所向悉破亡。
Dong Zhuo's horde marched east, its bronze armor blazing in the sun. The people of the plains were soft, the invaders all Qiang and Hu. They hunted the countryside and besieged the towns; wherever they went, all was broken and dead.
董卓的军队东下，金甲在日光下闪耀。中原平原的人素来脆弱，来兵却都是胡羌之众。他们围猎田野、围攻城邑，所到之处全都破败灭亡。
Dong Zhuo's forces marched east, bronze armor flashing in the sun. The plains people were soft, the invading soldiers all Qiang and Hu tribesmen. They hunted the countryside and besieged the towns; everywhere they went, everything was destroyed.
此六句写乱兵东下，是全诗写掠掠之始。“卓众来东下，金甲耀日光”写乱兵之盛——“金甲耀日光”以甲光耀眼写其军容之盛，更写其势之凶；“平土人脆弱，来兵皆胡羌”写强弱之悬殊——中原百姓脆弱，来兵却是凶悍的胡羌；“猎野围城邑，所向悉破亡”写其杀掠之惨——“猎野”以猎兽写其屠戮百姓，“围城邑”写其攻城略地，“所向悉破亡”写所到之处皆成废墟。六句以对比写强弱，以“猎”“围”“破亡”写惨烈，把乱兵的凶残写到极致。这一幅战乱图，正是“兴，百姓苦；亡，百姓苦”的早期写照。
Then the army itself. Dong Zhuo's horde marched east, its bronze armor blazing in the sun—the splendor of the armor is the terror, and the invaders all Qiang and Hu, the northern tribes, the alienness compounding it. They hunted the countryside as if it were game, they besieged the towns, and wherever they went, all was broken and dead. The verb hunted is the horror: human beings as quarry. The contrast of armored invaders against soft plains people sets up the helplessness of the next section. To have described the army as brutal would be an adjective; the blazing bronze armor hunting the countryside is the brutality.
斩截无孑遗，尸骸相撑拒。马边悬男头，马后载妇女。长驱西入关，迥路险且阻。还顾邈冥冥，肝脾为烂腐。
They cut men down, leaving not one; the corpses leaned against each other. At each horse's side hung a man's head, behind each horse a load of captured women. We drove west through the pass, the long road dangerous and barred; looking back at the dim, far distance, my vitals rotted away.
杀戮得一个不留，尸骸互相支撑重叠。马边悬挂着男人的头颅，马后装载着掳掠的妇女。长驱向西入关，路途艰险阻隔。回望故乡邈远冥暗，肝脾都为之腐烂。
They slaughtered until none were left, corpses propped against each other. Men's heads hung at the horses' sides, captured women loaded behind the horses. The long drive west through the pass, the road far and dangerous. Looking back at the dim, fading homeland, my guts seemed to rot.
此八句写掠掠之惨与离别之痛，是全诗最惨烈、最沉痛的段落。“斩截无孑遗，尸骸相撑拒”写屠杀之惨——斩尽杀绝、尸骨相撑，惨不忍睹；“马边悬男头，马后载妇女”以两个特写镜头写掠掠之野蛮——马边悬着男头，马后载着妇女，被杀者与掳掠者并置，意象惊心，是千古传诵的名句；“长驱西入关，迥路险且阻”写被掳西行之苦——长驱入关、路途险阻；“还顾邈冥冥，肝脾为烂腐”写回望故土之悲——“邈冥冥”写故乡之邈远，“肝脾烂腐”写肝肠寸断的痛楚。八句由屠杀写到掳掠，由远行写到回望，把被掳者的血泪写得字字锥心。
The most famous passage. They cut men down leaving not one; the corpses leaned against each other—a field of dead bodies propped upright by their own number. Then the two unforgettable shots: at each horse's side hung a man's head, behind each horse a load of captured women. The killed and the carried are hung on the same beast, the war made visible in a single image. The long march west through the dangerous pass, and the backward look at the dim far distance—her homeland fading to nothing, her guts rotting. To have described the massacre would be a report; the head at the horse's side and the woman behind the horse are the massacre.
所略有万计，不得令屯聚。或有骨肉俱，欲言不敢语。失意机微间，辄言毙降虏。要当以亭刃，我曹不活汝。
Those seized were numbered in the tens of thousands, yet they would not let us gather. Some of us had kin among the rest, but dared not speak. At the smallest displeasure, they would say, kill the prisoners; we'll run you through, we won't let you live.
被掳掠的人数以万计，却不许他们聚集在一起。或有骨肉亲人一同被掳，想说话却不敢开口。稍有不慎惹怒乱兵，便说要杀死我们这些降虏。动不动就说要动刀，说不让我们活。
The captives were counted in tens of thousands, but were not allowed to gather. Some had kin among the others, yet dared not speak. At the slightest offense, they threatened to kill us prisoners; they said they would run us through, that they would not let us live.
此八句写被掳者战战兢兢的处境，是写苦难最细腻的段落。“所略有万计，不得令屯聚”写被掳者之众与受制之严——数以万计，却不许相聚；“或有骨肉俱，欲言不敢语”写骨肉相逢而不敢言——亲人同在而不敢相认，正是“欲言不敢语”的恐怖；“失意机微间，辄言毙降虏”写稍失意便遭威胁——稍有不慎，便要被杀；“要当以亭刃，我曹不活汝”写乱兵的恐吓——动不动说要动刀、不让你活。八句写被掳者的惊恐，由“不敢语”到“辄言毙”到“不活汝”，层层写其朝不保夕的处境。这种战战兢兢的刻画，正是亲历者才能写出的真实。
Now the small miseries of the prisoner's life. The captives were tens of thousands, yet were not allowed to gather—deliberately dispersed so no solidarity could form. Some had their own kin among the rest, yet dared not speak. At the smallest displeasure, the guards threatened to kill them, to run them through. The overheard, overheard brutality of the guards' speech—we won't let you live—is recorded verbatim, and the verbatim is the horror. To have said we were treated harshly would be a summary; the kin who dared not speak, the guards' threats recorded word for word, are the harshness.
岂复惜性命，不堪其詈骂。或便加棰杖，毒痛参并下。旦则号泣行，夜则悲吟坐。欲死不能得，欲生无一可。
We no longer clung to life; the curses were more than flesh could bear. Sometimes the clubs were used, the poison and the beating together. By day we marched wailing; by night we sat moaning. We could not die, and we could not live.
哪里还吝惜性命，只是不堪忍受那辱骂。有时还要遭受棍棒殴打，毒打之痛与屈辱一起袭来。白天号泣着行走，夜晚悲吟着独坐。想死也死不了，想活也没有一条活路。
We no longer valued our lives; the abuse was unbearable. Sometimes we were beaten with clubs, pain and cruelty together. By day we marched wailing, by night we sat moaning. We could not die, and there was no way to live.
此八句写被掳者的绝境，是写苦难的顶点。“岂复惜性命，不堪其詈骂”写生不如死——并非惜命，只是不堪辱骂；“或便加棰杖，毒痛参并下”写毒打之惨——棍棒交加、毒痛并下；“旦则号泣行，夜则悲吟坐”写昼夜之悲——白天号泣而行，夜晚悲吟而坐，无一刻安宁；“欲死不能得，欲生无一可”写求生不得、求死不能的绝境——这是全诗最沉痛的一笔，把被掳者的处境写到绝处。八句由“不堪辱骂”写到“毒痛并下”，由“号泣悲吟”写到“死生两难”，层层加码，把乱世中弱者的绝境写得字字血泪。
The extremity. We no longer valued our lives—the curses and beatings had reduced death to a wish. By day we marched wailing; by night we sat moaning; we could not die, and we could not live. The two negations are the nadir: death refused, life denied. The alternation of day and night, weeping and moaning, shows there is no hour of relief. To have said life was unbearable would be a statement; the wish to die and the inability to live are the unbearable.
彼苍者何辜，乃遭此厄祸。
O gray heaven, what fault was ours, that we should suffer this calamity?
那苍天啊，我们究竟有什么罪过，竟遭此厄难祸患？
O heaven above, what was our guilt, that we should suffer this disaster?
末二句以呼天之问作结，是全诗情感的爆发与升华。“彼苍者何辜”以“彼苍”呼天，承《诗经·黄鸟》“彼苍者天”的呼天传统；“何辜”是追问——我们有何罪过？“乃遭此厄祸”是控诉——竟遭此大难。这仰天的质问，把个人的苦难升华为对命运、对苍天的控诉：无辜者遭难，苍天无眼。两句以问作结，问而不答，正是无告之哀的极致。全诗至此戛然而止，而悲愤之气久久不息，正合“悲愤”之题。以呼天收束，把叙事推向抒情的高潮，是此诗结构上的点睛之笔。
The cry to heaven. O gray heaven, what was our guilt, that we should suffer this disaster? The invocation of heaven follows the Book of Songs tradition, and the question is left open—no answer comes. The poem ends on the unanswered accusation, because no answer is possible. The personal suffering has become the indictment of heaven itself. To have said the poet asked why this happened would be a paraphrase; the open question to the gray heaven is the indictment.
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《孔雀东南飞》与《悲愤诗》同为汉末长篇叙事诗的双璧，皆以女性为主角、以血泪写命运。差异在主题：蔡琰写乱世中女性被掳掠的绝境，是时代悲剧的实录；《孔雀东南飞》写封建家庭对爱情的扼杀，是婚姻悲剧的控诉。一写“乱世之哀”，一写“礼教之悲”。两诗并读，可见汉末叙事诗的两种方向——时代之实录与人性之悲剧，皆为中国叙事诗的开山之作。
战城南 Battle South of the City 汉乐府 · 同为写汉末战乱之惨，一写战场暴尸一写掳掠之苦 Same theme (war subject)Both depict the horrors of war in Han times; the yuefu directly describes battlefield death, while Cai's poem focuses on the plunder and capture. They can be compared for their realism.
《战城南》“战城南，死郭北，野死不葬乌可食”写战死者的暴尸荒野，与《悲愤诗》“尸骸相撑拒”同一惨象，而视角有别：乐府以旁观写战场之惨，蔡琰以亲历写掳掠之痛。一写“死”的惨状，一写“生”的绝境；一客观叙事，一血泪自述。两诗并读，可见汉乐府与文人诗写战乱的不同深度——乐府见其惨，蔡琰见其痛。
孤儿行 The Orphan's Song 汉乐府 · 同为汉乐府写民间之苦，一写掳掠之难一写孤苦之痛 Related readingCompare this related work with the poem above through theme, imagery, tone, and emotional movement.
《孤儿行》“孤儿生，孤子遇生，命独当苦”写孤儿被兄嫂虐待、劳作无休的苦痛，与《悲愤诗》同为汉乐府写民间苦难的名篇。差异在身份：蔡琰写乱世中被掳掠的女子，是时代之难；孤儿写家庭中被虐待的孤儿，是命运之苦。一写乱世之祸，一写人间之悲；一为亲历之实录，一为旁观之控诉。两诗并读，可见汉乐府写民间苦难的广度——从家庭到乱世。