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唐 Tang · 诗 Poem

凉州词二首·其二

Liangzhou Song, Two Pieces, No. 2

王之涣

Wang Zhihuan

边塞Frontier 怀古Meditation on Antiquity

单于北望拂云堆，杀马登坛祭几回。
汉家天子今神武，不肯和亲归去来。

The chieftain looks north toward the cloud-heap of Fu-yun,
Has slaughtered his horse and mounted the altar and sacrificed — how many times?
The Son of Heaven of the Han today is godlike and martial,
And will not pact in marriage and let him go home.

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Meaning

Wang Zhihuan writes a frontier poem from the enemy's side. A khan stands looking north at the great altar place of Fu-yun, and has again and again had to kill a horse and climb the altar to sacrifice there — that is, to perform the useless ritual of a defeated people. The last two lines turn the perspective again: the Han emperor is now godlike in his martial power and refuses the old policy of marrying off a princess to buy peace, so the khan must retire. The poem takes a defeat and presents it as the celebration of a victory.

单于向北遥望拂云堆，杀马登坛祭祀了几回。汉家天子如今神武，不肯和亲，单于只得归去。

Appreciation

[Plain Paraphrase] The poem is an act of display: instead of describing Tang arms, it describes the barbarian chieftain who has to keep sacrificing at a lost sanctuary, and then flatters the emperor by reporting that the enemy's own submissions are the measure of his might.[Structure] The four lines split exactly in two: the defeated enemy, then the victorious sovereign. Nothing connects them except the contrast, and the contrast is the whole poem.[Imagery] Fu-yun is the great altar on the frontier where the Turks gathered; 'looking north toward it' is the defeated man's habit of still facing the place where he used to rule. 'Slaughtering a horse and mounting the altar' is a ritual repeated so often that it is almost ridiculous, and the poet heightens that irony by asking 'how many times?' The final couplet is the trumpet: the court will no longer pay for peace with a princess, so the enemy can only turn back.

【白话串讲】王之涣写《凉州词二首·其二》：“单于北望拂云堆，杀马登坛祭几回”——“汉家天子今神武，不肯和亲归去来”——他说大唐天子神武，不肯和亲——他写边塞的强盛。【意象与手法】此诗写唐军大胜匈奴、单于退去的史实，是王之涣边塞诗的名篇。前两句「单于北望拂云堆，杀马登坛祭几回」写单于北望与祭祀——「单于北望拂云堆」写单于向北遥望拂云堆，「杀马登坛祭几回」写杀马登坛祭祀几回；后两句「汉家天子今神武，不肯和亲归去来」写唐天子神武——「汉家天子今神武」写汉家天子如今神武，「不肯和亲归去来」写不肯和亲、单于归去。全诗以史实写国威，以单于的失败写唐军的胜利，写尽盛唐的边塞豪情，正是王之涣「雄浑」诗风的本领。【情感与主旨】此诗为《凉州词》二首之二，写唐军大胜突厥的史实。开元年间，唐玄宗派兵击败突厥，突厥可汗（单于）被迫北撤。王之涣此诗写这一史实：单于向北遥望拂云堆（今内蒙古境内，唐军筑受降城处），杀马登坛祭祀了几回（突厥祭天的仪式）；汉家天子如今神武，不肯和亲（此前多以和亲安抚，如今强盛，不肯和亲），单于只得归去。诗人以「单于北望拂云堆」写单于的败退，「杀马登坛祭几回」写突厥祭祀的徒劳，「汉家天子今神武」写唐天子的强盛，「不肯和亲归去来」写单于的退去，以史实写国威，写尽盛唐边塞的豪情与自信，正是盛唐边塞诗雄浑气魄的体现。【名句点睛】常考「汉家天子今神武，不肯和亲归去来」写盛唐国威；「单于北望拂云堆」写单于败退；「杀马登坛祭几回」写突厥祭祀的徒劳；以及全诗以史实写国威、以单于失败写唐军胜利的手法；与《凉州词·其一》（黄河远上白云间）的联系。

Background

Wang Zhihuan (688–742) was a frontier official who left only six surviving poems, of which these two Liangzhou songs are the famous pair. His career was spent in the north-west, at Dai and Bingzhou, on the border country, and he wrote as an eye-witness rather than as a tourist. The history behind the poem is the long Han and Tang struggle with the Turkic confederations along the northern frontier: the old policy of heqin, giving a Chinese princess in marriage to a khan in exchange for peace, was abandoned under the emperors Xuanzong and Suzong, and the frontier was then settled by military victory.

此诗为《凉州词》二首之第二首，是王之涣边塞诗的名篇。王之涣（688—742），字季凌，并州晋阳（今山西太原）人，盛唐著名边塞诗人，其诗以《登鹳雀楼》《凉州词》最为著名。此诗写唐军击败突厥（诗中称「单于」）的史实。开元年间，唐玄宗积极拓边，多次对西北用兵：开元二年（714）、开元四年（716）等，唐军多次击败突厥、吐蕃，边塞形势对唐有利；唐在朔方筑受降城以御突厥。诗中「拂云堆」在今内蒙古托克托县一带，唐筑受降城于拂云堆畔；「单于」借指突厥可汗；「杀马登坛祭」写突厥祭天祈福的仪式。此诗写单于北望拂云堆，杀马登坛祭祀几回，徒劳无功；而「汉家天子今神武，不肯和亲归去来」——唐朝强盛，天子神武，不肯再以和亲求和，单于只得归去。诗人以史实写国威，写尽盛唐边塞的豪情与自信。全诗以单于的失败写唐军的胜利，以史入诗，正是盛唐边塞诗「雄浑」气魄的体现，也是理解盛唐国威与边塞诗的重要篇章。

Art

The poem's technique is the reversal of viewpoint. Chinese frontier poetry almost always begins from the wall and the Chinese soldier; Wang Zhihuan begins with the enemy's khan, lets us watch him from behind, and then makes the emperor's power visible precisely through the enemy's humiliation. The 'slaughtering of the horse' is the detail that does the work — a horse was a Turk's most prized possession, so killing one on an altar is the costly, deliberate act of a man with no choice left. The last line's 'will not pact in marriage' names a whole policy in four characters and so carries enormous weight in a four-line poem.

此诗的艺术特色可从四个方面解析。其一，以叙事写史实。前两句「单于北望拂云堆，杀马登坛祭几回」写单于北望与祭祀——那「北望拂云堆」写单于向北遥望唐军的受降城，「杀马登坛祭几回」写杀马登坛祭祀几回，以叙事写突厥败退前的徒劳挣扎，写尽边塞的战争形势。其二，以对照写胜负。「单于北望」与「汉家天子今神武」的对照——单于北望而徒劳，天子神武而强盛，以敌我对照写唐军的胜利。其三，以史实写国威。「汉家天子今神武，不肯和亲归去来」写唐天子神武、不肯和亲——那「不肯和亲」写尽盛唐不再以和亲求和、而能以武力制敌的国威，以史实写尽盛唐的自信。其四，以口语写豪情。「归去来」以口语化的语气写单于的退去，那「不肯和亲归去来」写尽唐军的胜利与单于的败退，语气豪迈。四重手法，使此诗以史实写国威，以单于的失败写唐军的胜利，正是王之涣「雄浑」诗风的本领。

Allusions

Fu-yun is a real altar place north of the frontier where the Turks performed their sacrifices and where their power was traditionally renewed; to look north at it is for a khan to return to the spot where his authority used to stand. 'The Son of Heaven of the Han' lets the poet speak in the old Han name for the Chinese emperor, which both flatters the current court by identification and places the struggle in a long historical frame. The marriage alliance bought peace with the steppe, was the policy the Han had pursued for centuries and the Tang finally stopped.

此诗的用语深植于边塞与和亲史实的传统。「单于」令人想到「单于」作为匈奴（后泛指北方游牧民族）首领的称谓，也令人想到「月黑雁飞高，单于夜遁逃」（卢纶《塞下曲》）的单于意象，更令人想到「胡虏」的边塞传统；「拂云堆」令人想到唐筑受降城于拂云堆畔的史实——张仁愿于朔方筑三受降城，拂云堆即中受降城所在，令人想到「受降城外月如霜」（李益《夜上受降城闻笛》）的受降城意象；「杀马登坛祭」令人想到北方游牧民族「杀马祭天」的仪式，也令人想到「登坛拜将」的军礼意象，更令人想到「祭天祈福」的原始信仰；「汉家天子」令人想到唐人惯以「汉」指「唐」的传统——「汉家烟尘在东北」「汉皇重色思倾国」，令人想到「汉家」作为中原王朝的意象；「神武」令人想到「神武」作为帝王的颂词（如「神武之略」），也令人想到「明犯强汉者，虽远必诛」的国威；「不肯和亲」令人想到「和亲」作为汉代以来中原与游牧民族联姻求和的政策——「昭君出塞」的和亲史实，令人想到「和亲政策」的屈辱传统，也令人想到「不用和亲亦罢兵」的强盛；「归去来」令人想到陶渊明《归去来兮辞》的「归去来兮」，此处以口语写单于归去，语气轻蔑豪迈。全诗化用单于、受降城、杀马祭天、汉家、和亲的传统意象与史实，以史实写国威，正是王之涣「雄浑」诗风的本领。

Commentary

This has always been read as one of the clearest statements of the bold confidence of the High Tang. Critics particularly admire that the poem wins its effect without a single word of praise for the Chinese army — the victory is reported only through the enemy's behaviour and the emperor's refusal. It is frequently paired with the first Liangzhou song, 'the Yellow river rises into the white clouds, a lonely castle above ten thousand fathoms of mountains', which is elegiac and homesick, to show the range of the same hand.

此诗历来被推为王之涣边塞诗的名篇，也是盛唐写国威的七绝代表。历代论者对此诗评价极高：清人评此诗「以史实写国威，雄浑豪迈」；近人更指出「不肯和亲归去来」写尽盛唐的自信，是此诗的主旨。在诗歌史上，此诗的特殊价值在于：它以二十八字的短章写尽盛唐的国威——那北望拂云堆的单于，那杀马登坛的祭祀，那神武的汉家天子，那不肯和亲、归去来的单于，都写尽了盛唐边塞的豪情与自信；那「不肯和亲归去来」更写尽盛唐以武力制敌、不再屈辱求和的国威。此诗与王之涣的《凉州词·其一》（「黄河远上白云间」）同为《凉州词》名篇，一写边塞风光与乡愁，一写边塞胜利与国威；又与王昌龄《从军行》（「不破楼兰终不还」）同为写盛唐边塞豪情的名篇，可见盛唐边塞诗雄浑气魄的传统。对于今日读者，此诗是理解盛唐国威与边塞诗雄浑气魄的窗口，也是中国诗写边塞胜利的经典——那不肯和亲的神武天子，穿越千年，仍在诉说着盛唐边塞的豪情。

Prosody

Form Seven-character quatrain诗·七言绝句

Rhyme Level-tone rhyme — 'mound', 'altar', 'come' — the three rhyming lines in level tone, long and unhurried.押平声灰韵（堆、回、来），三句皆押韵，平韵悠长，正合豪情的悠长

Tone pattern An oblique-tone opening line rising into level-tone rhyme, so the cadence is composed and the closing line is decisive.此诗为七言绝句，四句，前写单于，后写天子。全诗仄起平收，节奏从容，于平易中见豪迈。

Reading note Four lines of seven characters. The first couplet narrates the enemy, the second the sovereign; the whole poem turns on the contrast between the two halves rather than on any development within them.此诗为七言绝句，四句：前两句写单于（单于北望拂云堆，杀马登坛祭几回），后两句写天子（汉家天子今神武，不肯和亲归去来）。押平声灰韵，韵脚「堆、回、来」皆平声，悠长舒缓，正合豪情的悠长。全诗以史实写国威——首句「单于北望拂云堆」写单于北望，次句「杀马登坛祭几回」写祭祀徒劳，三句「汉家天子今神武」写天子神武，结句「不肯和亲归去来」写单于败退，起承转合，一气呵成。此诗最见王之涣七绝的「雄浑豪迈」：前写单于之败、后写天子之强，以对照写国威。诵读此诗，宜以从容的语调读「单于北望拂云堆」的叙事，以昂扬的语调读「汉家天子今神武」，结句「不肯和亲归去来」要读得豪迈而有力，方能传达出盛唐的国威。王之涣七绝以「雄浑」著称，此诗正是其边塞七绝的典范。

Line by line

单于北望拂云堆，杀马登坛祭几回

The chieftain looks north toward the cloud-heap of Fu-yun, has slaughtered his horse and mounted the altar and sacrificed — how many times?

单于向北遥望拂云堆，杀马登坛祭祀了几回。

The chanyu gazes north toward Fuyun Heights; horse-slaughtering on the altar, how many sacrifices has he made?

此联写单于败退前的徒劳，以叙事写边塞的战争形势。「单于北望拂云堆」写单于向北遥望拂云堆——那「单于」借指突厥可汗，「北望拂云堆」写向北遥望唐军的受降城（拂云堆），写尽单于败退时的遥望；「杀马登坛祭几回」写杀马登坛祭祀了几回——那「杀马登坛祭」写突厥杀马祭天祈福的仪式，「几回」写祭祀了多回，写尽单于的徒劳挣扎。这句的深意在于：它以「单于北望拂云堆」与「杀马登坛祭几回」的叙事，写尽唐军的胜利与突厥的败退——单于向北遥望拂云堆，那拂云堆是唐军的受降城，单于遥望而不敢近，正是败退的标志；杀马登坛祭祀几回，那「几回」写尽祭祀的多次与徒劳——突厥杀马祭天，祈求神灵护佑，却终究败退，那「北望」写尽败退的遥望，那「祭几回」写尽徒劳的挣扎，正写尽边塞战争的胜负形势。若换作直说「单于被打败了」，则失其含蓄；唯以「北望拂云堆」写败退、「杀马登坛祭几回」写徒劳，以叙事写边塞形势，写尽唐军的胜利，也让此联成为全诗边塞形势的开篇。

The chanyu. The chanyu gazes north toward Fuyun Heights; horse-slaughtering on the altar, how many sacrifices has he made? The northward gaze at the Tang fort and the repeated horse sacrifices are the enemy's desperation. To have described the retreating khan would be a scene; the chanyu-gazing-north-toward-Fuyun-Heights against the horse-slaughtering-on-the-altar-how-many-sacrifices is the scene.

汉家天子今神武，不肯和亲归去来

The Son of Heaven of the Han today is godlike and martial, and will not pact in marriage and let him go home.

汉家天子如今神武，不肯和亲，单于只得归去。

The Han Son of Heaven is now martial and wise; he will not buy peace by a marriage alliance—so go back, then!

此联是全诗的主旨，以史实写国威，写尽盛唐的自信。「汉家天子今神武」写汉家天子如今神武——那「汉家天子」唐人惯以汉指唐，「今神武」写如今神武强盛，写尽唐天子的英武；「不肯和亲归去来」写不肯和亲、单于归去——那「不肯和亲」写不肯再以和亲求和，「归去来」写单于只得归去，写尽唐军的胜利与单于的败退。这句的深意在于：它以「汉家天子今神武」与「不肯和亲归去来」，写尽盛唐的国威与自信——汉家天子如今神武，正是唐朝国力强盛、天子英武的写照；那「不肯和亲」写尽盛唐的自信——汉代以来，中原王朝多以和亲安抚北方游牧民族（如昭君出塞），如今唐朝强盛，天子神武，不肯再以和亲求和，而能以武力制敌，那「不肯和亲」写尽国威的强盛；「归去来」以口语写单于的退去，那「不肯和亲归去来」写尽唐军的胜利——天子神武，单于只得归去，正是盛唐边塞豪情与自信的凝结点。若换作直说「唐朝很强盛」，则失其豪迈；唯以「今神武」写天子英武、「不肯和亲归去来」写国威与胜利，以史实写尽盛唐的自信，也让此联成为全诗的主旨与点睛之笔。

The boast. The Han Son of Heaven is now martial and wise; he will not buy peace by a marriage alliance—so go back, then! The martial emperor (the Tang, called Han) and the no-more-marriage-alliance boast are the High Tang confidence. To have boasted of the strong dynasty would be a boast; the Han-Son-of-Heaven-now-martial-and-wise against the will-not-buy-peace-by-marriage-so-go-back is the boast.

Study

Word focus

北望 Looking north, that is, looking toward the altar of one's own lost power. The direction carries the whole defeat in a single glance. 「单于北望拂云堆」之「北望」是写败退的关键词，一个「北望」写尽单于的退势。北望者，向北遥望也。王之涣以「北望拂云堆」写单于，这个「北望」至少有双重意味：其一，写遥望之态——那「北望拂云堆」写单于向北遥望唐军的受降城，那「北望」写尽单于登高北望、无可奈何的姿态；其二，写败退之势——那「北望」更是写败退——单于北望拂云堆而不敢近，那「北望」写尽败退中的遥望与忌惮。以「北望」写败退，正是王之涣开篇立意的枢纽——若换作「东望」「南顾」等词，则或失其与拂云堆方位的配合，或失其败退的态势；唯「北望」二字，以单于向北遥望受降城的姿态，写尽败退中的忌惮，与「不肯和亲归去来」的退去相合，写尽唐军的胜利，也让「单于北望拂云堆」成为全诗边塞形势的开篇。

不肯 Refuses, will not. It gives the emperor a deliberate choice, so the enemy's retreat looks like the consequence of a policy rather than of a battle. 「不肯和亲归去来」之「不肯」是写国威的关键词，一个「不肯」写尽盛唐的自信。不肯者，不愿、拒绝也。王之涣以「不肯和亲」写唐天子，这个「不肯」至少有双重意味：其一，写拒绝求和——那「不肯和亲」写不肯以和亲求和，那「不肯」写尽唐天子拒绝和亲的强硬，写尽国威的强盛；其二，写自信之姿——那「不肯」更是写自信——天子神武，不肯和亲，而以武力制敌，那「不肯」写尽盛唐不再屈辱求和的自信。以「不肯」写国威，正是王之涣收束全诗的枢纽——若换作「不愿」「岂肯」等词，则或失其口语的干脆，或失其与「今神武」的呼应；唯「不肯」二字，以拒绝和亲的干脆写尽盛唐的国威与自信，与「今神武」相合，写尽唐军的胜利，也让「不肯和亲归去来」成为全诗的主旨。