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明 Ming · 诗 Poem

塞下曲

Song Beneath the Frontier Fortress

唐顺之

Tang Shunzhi

边塞frontier 爱国patriotism 豪放Bold style

塞下曲四月旌旗出白狼，千山晴雪照油幢。
预知水草军无乏，试辨风云虏欲降。
三晋连年苦被兵，九重拊髀忆豪英。
诏书更不从中御，万里长城一委卿。
诗书礼乐古人风，开阖机钤又不穷。
得一胡儿如爱子，用三败将立奇功。
山前山后兵马雄，斧钺衣裳在掌中。
狭士献刀承赐酒，贵侯免胄为趋风。

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塞下曲四月旌旗出白狼，千山晴雪照油幢。
预知水草军无乏，试辨风云虏欲降。
三晋连年苦被兵，九重拊髀忆豪英。
诏书更不从中御，万里长城一委卿。
诗书礼乐古人风，开阖机钤又不穷。
得一胡儿如爱子，用三败将立奇功。
山前山后兵马雄，斧钺衣裳在掌中。
狭士献刀承赐酒，贵侯免胄为趋风。
赤气氤氲夜指天，旄头落地如火然。
晓来西山一鏖战，夺得牛羊归满川。
千金买士却何为，一间过于十万师。
黠虏欲逃头可购，名王未猎客先知。
太师昔日定南荒，亲把长缨系莫王。
寄语老胡须自爱，射飞休得近边墙。
梯悬半绠哨台高，胡汉邻家隔一壕。
数日虏中无动静，吉囊东去战黄毛。
虎翼龙蟠大将旗，逆驱流电走妖魑。
阵前捉得胡王女，赐与营中厮养儿。
灅川冰尽水泱泱，堡堡人家唤莳秧。
田中每得鸟兽骨，云是胡王旧猎场。
马邑边胡数被胡，王黄叛汉更通胡。
帷中妙算能先发，夺得黄旗与绣襦。
健儿白马紫金鞦，不向沙场便酒楼。
夜来一赌青钱尽，尚有囊中血髑髅。
边人大半能胡语，胡骑年来亦汉装。
谁向青红毡帐里，单身缚得不花王。
少年意气王千斤，铁棒曾穿万虏群。
壮士从来不病死，孤儿今属羽林军。
君侯生长在炎洲，塞外层冰草木愁。
祗怜军士犹寒色，腊尽辕门不御裘。
画戟森森清昼闲，指挥只是笑谈间。
收将汉地教耕去，捕得蕃酋命纵还。
营平谋国最深忠，每与公卿见不同。
但使湟中无寇盗，不须麾下有边功。
青青塞草羽书稀，士女鼾眠畜牧肥。
戏看侍儿呈舞马，醉邀幕客对弹棋。

In the fourth month the banners march from White Wolf; a thousand peaks of clear snow shine on the oiled tent.
Foreknowing water and grass, the army shall not want; reading wind and cloud, the foe is about to yield.
Three Jin for years has suffered the scourge of war; the throne slaps its thigh, recalling heroes bold.
The edict no more rules from the center--the ten-thousand-li long wall is all entrusted to you.
The manners of the ancients in verse, rites, music and song; the opening and closing of stratagem never spent.
A captured lad he treats like his own son; he uses beaten generals to win marvelous merit.
Before and behind the hills the host stands grand; axe, banner, robe and rank all in his hand.
The bold warrior offers his blade and receives the gift of wine; the noble lord doffs his helm and hastens to his line.
Red vapor steams and at night points to the sky; the Mao star falls like fire set alight.
At dawn by West Hill a battle is joined; they seize the cattle and sheep, filling the plain.
What avails a thousand gold to buy men? One spy outweighs an army of ten myriad.
The cunning foe would flee--his head is priced; the famed prince not yet hunted, the guests already know.
The grand mentor in former days pacified the southern wild, himself taking the long cord to bind the Mo king.
A word to the old Hu: cherish yourself; shoot the flying fowl, but near the wall do not press.
Ladders hang on half-ropes, the watch-tower high; Hu and Han are neighbors parted by one dike.
For days within the camp no move is seen; Ji Nang goes east to fight the Yellow-Hair.
Tiger-winged, dragon-coiled, the great general's flag; he drives back flowing lightning, routing the demon host.
Before the ranks they seize the Hu king's daughter, and give her to the camp's lowliest stable-boy.
The Lei River's ice is gone, its waters wide; from every fort the folk call to set the rice.
In the fields they often find bird and beast bones--said to be the old hunting ground of the Hu king.
The border Hu at Mayi were oft ravaged by Hu; Wang Huang rebelled against Han and trafficked with Hu.
In the tent the subtle plan strikes first; they seize the yellow flag and the embroidered vest.
The stalwart on white horse with purple-gold saddle, if not on the sand-field, then in the wine tower.
Last night at dice the green coins all were lost; still in his pouch a bloodied skull is tossed.
Most border folk can speak the Hu tongue; the Hu horsemen of late years wear Han dress.
Who in the red and blue felt tent, single-handed, bound the King Buhua?
The youth's spirit weighs ten thousand catties; his iron club once pierced a myriad-foe throng.
The brave man never dies of sickness in the field; the orphan now belongs to the Forest-of-Feathers guard.
My lord was born on the torrid isle; beyond the wall the sheet ice makes grass and trees recoil.
He only pities the soldiers still in cold hue; though the twelfth month ends, at the gate he wears no fur.
The painted halberds stand thick, the clear day idle; command is given merely amid talk and smile.
He gathers the Han lands and teaches them to plough; the captured tribal chief he orders set free.
The Yingping planned for the state with deepest loyalty, oft at odds with the lords in council's view.
So long as Huangzhong knows no bandit or thief, no frontier merit need his banner beneath.
Green the frontier grass, rare the feathered dispatches; men and women snore in sleep, the herds grow fat.
He watches the page present the dancing horse at play; drunk, he bids the tent-guest match him at draughts.

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Meaning

This heptasyllabic ancient-verse sequence celebrates a frontier commander's foresight in provisioning and weather-reading, his mastery of stratagem and espionage, his battlefield victories over the Hu, his humane governance that settles the border folk and frees captured chiefs, and above all his ideal of pacifying the frontier so that no martial merit need be sought. Written by Tang Shunzhi to honor a real statesman-soldier, the poem spreads the host's grandeur, the depth of counsel, and the rest of troops in magnificent, argumentative breath.

四月里旌旗浩荡开出白狼山，千山晴雪映照着油幢军帐。预先探知水草充足军无匮乏，细辨风云预知敌虏将要归降。三晋连年苦遭兵祸，朝堂抚腿思忆豪杰英才。诏书不再遥控军机，万里边防一概委付于卿。诗书礼乐存古人风范，开阖机谋又变化无穷。俘得胡儿如待爱子，起用败将竟立奇功。山前山后兵马雄壮，斧钺旌旗尽在掌握之中。勇士献刀承蒙赐酒，贵侯免胄前来趋拜风尘。赤气氤氲夜指苍天，旄头落地如火燃起。拂晓西山一场鏖战，夺得牛羊满载归川。千金买士究竟为何，一个妙计胜过十万雄师。狡虏欲逃悬赏购头，名王未猎宾客已先知晓。太师昔日平定南荒，亲持长缨系缚莫王。寄语老胡须自爱惜，射飞鸟休得逼近边墙。云梯半悬哨台高耸，胡汉比邻只隔一壕。数日虏中毫无动静，吉囊东去与黄毛交战。虎翼龙蟠大将之旗，逆驱流电走驱妖魅。阵前捉得胡王之女，赐与营中厮养小儿。灅川冰消水波泱泱，堡堡人家呼唤栽秧。田中常得鸟兽枯骨，说是胡王旧日猎场。马邑边胡屡被胡侵，王黄叛汉更与胡通。帷幄妙算能先发制人，夺得黄旗与绣襦。健儿白马紫金鞍鞦，不赴沙场便入酒楼。夜来一赌青钱输尽，囊中犹存带血髑髅。边人多半能说胡语，胡骑年来也着汉装。谁向青红毡帐之中，单身缚得不花之王。少年意气重千斤，铁棒曾穿万虏之群。壮士从来不病而死，孤儿今属羽林之军。君侯生长在炎洲，塞外层冰令草木生愁。只怜军士犹带寒色，腊尽辕门不御皮裘。画戟森森清昼闲置，指挥只在笑谈之间。收抚汉地教民耕种，捕得蕃酋命其放还。营平谋国最为深忠，每与公卿见解不同。但使湟中再无寇盗，不须麾下建立边功。青青塞草羽书稀少，士女安眠畜牧肥壮。戏看侍儿呈献舞马，醉邀幕客对局弹棋。

Appreciation

The whole poem spreads in heptasyllabic ancient verse, writing the frontier host's grandeur, the depth of stratagem, and the greatness of merit. It tells of marching out with foreknowledge of weather and supply, of trusting generals and using spies, of battle and capturing kings, of settling the people and resting the troops. It uses much antithesis and hyperbole, its breath magnificent, its argument lively, blending praise, narrative and comment, showing the poet's 'prose must be Qin-Han' archaic bent and his bold, open manner.

【白话串讲】唐顺之写边塞：“三晋连年苦被兵，九重拊髀忆豪英”——三晋连年遭兵祸，朝廷才想起英雄。“诏书更不从中御，万里长城一委卿”——把万里长城，交给你了。【意象与手法】全诗以七言古体一气铺陈，三十句而不换韵，气势如长河奔注。或叙出师识天（「预知水草军无乏，试辨风云虏欲降」），或赞任将用间（「千金买士」「一间过于十万师」），或状鏖战擒王，或写抚民息兵。多用偶对与夸张，气势雄浑，议论风生，融赞颂、叙事、议论于一炉，体现其倡「文必秦汉」的复古取向与豪放磊落之诗风。【情感与主旨】唐顺之（1507—1560），字应德，号荆川，武进人，明儒学大师、军事家、散文家，抗倭英雄。此诗题或作《塞下曲赠翁东厓侍郎总制》，翁东厓即翁万达，明中叶名臣，曾总制宣大、保定军务，御边有功。唐顺之以此组诗盛赞其筹边之才与安攘之功，层层写尽边备、用间、抚民、息兵，寄寓经世济民、整饬边防的怀抱，爱国之情与儒将之识交融。【名句点睛】常考「千金买士却何为，一间过于十万师」以夸张对比强调谋略之重，及「但使湟中无寇盗，不须麾下有边功」翻进一层见儒将襟怀；关键处的用典（「长缨」「营平」「旄头」「拊髀」）亦常设题，需明其出处与比附之义。

Background

Tang Shunzhi (1507-1560), courtesy Yingde, style Jingchuan, of Wujin, was a Ming Confucian master, military man and prose writer, and a hero against the Japanese pirates. The poem's title may also read 'Song Beneath the Frontier Fortress, Presented to Vice-Minister Weng Dongya, Supreme Commander'--Weng Dongya being Weng Wanda, a famed mid-Ming minister who commanded the Xuan-Da and Baoding armies and guarded the border with merit. Tang Shunzhi wrote this sequence to celebrate his border-planning talent and his work of peace and defense, likely when Weng commanded the northern border, reflecting the poet's care for the world and his wish to order the frontier.

此诗为唐顺之《塞下曲》组诗之一，题或作《塞下曲赠翁东厓侍郎总制》。唐顺之（1507—1560），字应德，号荆川，江苏武进人，嘉靖八年会试第一，历官至右佥都御史、凤阳巡抚，是明中叶著名的儒学大师、散文家与抗倭将领，曾亲率舟师御倭于海上，以文武全才著称。翁东厓即翁万达（1498—1552），嘉靖间名臣，历官宣大总督，总制北边军务，以善驭边著称，与唐顺之交谊甚笃。此诗约作于翁氏总制宣大、保定军务之际。嘉靖中叶，蒙古俺答汗崛起，屡犯宣大、山西诸镇，边患频仍；嘉靖二十九年更发生庚戌之变，俺答骑兵长驱直逼北京城下，京师戒严，明廷边备废弛之弊暴露无遗，此后乃痛定思痛，大振九边之防，专任边帅，翁万达即其时最负盛名的总督之一。三晋百姓连年苦于兵祸，朝廷倚翁氏为万里长城，委以专阃之任；翁万达守边有方，曾以拒俺答之功进兵部尚书，与唐顺之交谊甚笃，唐顺之亲历御倭，深知边事，故诗中推许尤切。唐顺之本人素怀经世之志，故诗中写筹边、任将、用间、抚民、息兵，层层皆有实见，非徒作纸上谈兵。全诗三十句，一气铺陈，融赞颂、叙事、议论于一炉，是明代边塞诗中最具「经济之学」气质的篇章，亦可见荆川「文必秦汉」的复古取向在诗歌中的投影。

Art

The whole poem spreads in heptasyllabic ancient verse, writing the frontier host's grandeur, the depth of stratagem, and the greatness of merit. It tells of marching out with foreknowledge ('Foreknowing water and grass, the army shall not want; reading wind and cloud, the foe is about to yield'), of trusting generals and using spies ('What avails a thousand gold to buy men? One spy outweighs an army of ten myriad'), of battle and capturing kings, of settling people and resting troops. It uses much antithesis and hyperbole, its breath magnificent, its argument lively, fusing praise, narrative and comment, embodying his archaic 'prose must be Qin-Han' bent and his bold, unconstrained style.

全诗以七言古体一气铺陈，三十句而不换韵，气势如长河奔注，是典型的以「气」驭「章」之作。章法上可分数层：起四句写四月出师之盛，「旌旗出白狼」「晴雪照油幢」以色彩与光感写军容之壮，「预知水草军无乏，试辨风云虏欲降」以识天时、备军需写总制之先见；次四句转写朝廷倚重，「三晋连年苦被兵」以民间苦兵衬任将之亟，「九重拊髀忆豪英」用汉高祖思贤故事写天子求才，末以「万里长城一委卿」一语定调，是全诗的纲。其后以「诗书礼乐」「开阖机钤」写儒将风范，以「得一胡儿如爱子」「用三败将立奇功」写驭众之术，以「狭士献刀」「贵侯免胄」写恩威并施，再以「赤气」「旄头」的天象、「一鏖战」「夺牛羊」的战绩写决胜，复以「千金买士」「一间过于十万师」写用间之妙，层层推进。后段「营平谋国最深忠，但使湟中无寇盗，不须麾下有边功」忽转深沉，以不贪边功为最高境界，翻进一层，见儒将襟怀。全诗偶对工整而气势奔放，叙事、议论、赞颂交替，正见荆川诗「精悍苍老」的风格。

Allusions

Allusions are dense yet apt: 'slaps his thigh' uses Emperor Gaozu of Han's yearning for Lian Po and Li Mu, to mean seeking worth; 'taking the long cord to bind the Mo king' turns Zhongjun's 'willing to take the long cord and surely tether the king of Nanyue'; 'Mao star' is a star name ruling Hu troops, its falling meaning the Hu are doomed; 'Yingping' refers to Zhao Chongguo (enfeoffed Marquis of Yingping), used to compare Weng's state planning; 'Huangzhong' is the Han-Qiang key land. Also 'Wang Huang rebelled against Han' uses the Han founder's general Wang Huang and Zhao Li trafficking with the Xiongnu, borrowing the past to prove the present, showing his learning and intent.

此诗用典密集而贴切，几乎句句有出处。「拊髀」用《史记》汉高祖「拊髀」叹不得廉颇、李牧为将的故事，写九重求贤之切；「万里长城」用南朝檀道济自比万里长城的典故，以之许翁氏，期望之高可见。「长缨系莫王」化用终军「愿受长缨，必羁南越王而致之阙下」语，终军弱冠请缨、出使南越而名动一时，诗人借以追写太师昔日平南定乱之功，亦暗寓请缨报国之志。「旄头」为星名，《史记·天官书》谓旄头主胡兵，旄头落地喻胡人败亡，是星占语入诗；「赤气」「氤氲」亦是天象语，写夜观天象而知敌情。「营平」指汉宣帝时赵充国，封营平侯，以屯田备羌、持重安边著称，「但使湟中无寇盗」正是赵充国经营湟中羌地的故实，以之拟翁氏之谋国，切合其总制北边的身份。「王黄叛汉」用汉初韩王信之将王黄、赵利通匈奴叛汉事，借古证今，影射边将叛附之患。至如「马邑」用汉武时马邑之谋的故地，皆与边事切合，见其学养之深与寄托之远。

Commentary

The line of Ming Poetry Records on Tang Shunzhi's poetry calls it 'sharp and aged, striving after Dahui and Kongtong,' and his frontier works especially show economic talent. A modern reader calls this sequence 'deep and grand in breath, handsome and beautiful in wording,' lodging frontier peace in its expansiveness, enough to show Jingchuan's 'civil and martial both complete' breast. The poem's praise of the general, use of spies, and rest of troops unfold layer by layer--not mere wordplay, but the poetic form of his care for the world.

明代诗坛自李梦阳、何景明倡「文必秦汉，诗必盛唐」，复古之风笼罩百年，唐顺之早年亦与七子同调，后乃自辟蹊径，以经术、事功入诗。《明诗纪事》一脉论荆川诗，称其「精悍苍老，力追大复、空同」，盖就其早年宗尚而言；其晚年弃文谈道，诗风愈趋质实，边塞诸作尤见经济之才。近人评此组诗「气势沉雄，词语俊美」，于铺张扬厉之中寓安边深虑。就《塞下曲》组诗而言，其价值有三：一是以真实边务入诗，水草、风云、哨台、牧猎皆实录，迥异于明代一般文人边塞诗的想象之辞；二是儒将襟怀的呈现，体恤军士、教民耕种、不贪边功，皆见经世之志；三是议论入诗而不失诗味，将用间、息兵等方略写入韵语，是「以诗言事」的佳构。置于唐诗边塞的谱系中，其气势不如岑参之奇崛，苍凉不如卢纶之蕴藉，然以理学名臣之身亲历戎行，其务实与豪迈相兼的面目，是明代边塞诗独有的贡献。

Prosody

Form Poem · heptasyllabic ancient verse (sequence)诗·七言古体（边塞组诗）

Rhyme Ancient style, free tone shift by stanza (tent, yield, hero, you, etc.)四句一转韵，凡十八换韵：狼、幢、降（阳韵江韵通押），兵、英、卿（庚韵），风、穷、功（东韵），雄、中、风（东韵），天、然、川（先韵），为、师、知（支韵），荒、王、墙（阳韵），高、壕、毛（豪韵），旗、魑、儿（支韵），泱、秧、场（阳韵），胡、胡、襦（虞韵），鞦、楼、髅（尤韵），装、王（阳韵），斤、群、军（文韵），洲、愁、裘（尤韵），闲、间、还（删韵），忠、同、功（东韵），稀、肥（微韵）；每节第三句收仄声不押，平声韵为主，换韵频繁，声情随事流转。

Tone pattern Ancient style, not bound to strict level-oblique; heptasyllabic, couplet-based七古不拘近体平仄，以气驭声；每节四句，一、二、四句入韵，第三句以仄声收，形成「平平仄平」的韵脚节奏，音节整饬而气势奔放，铺陈处如连珠进发，议论处如断金戛玉。

Reading note Title may also read 'Song Beneath the Frontier Fortress, Presented to Vice-Minister Weng'; a grand pile-up.此诗为七言古体，句句七言，四句一节、节节换韵，承汉魏乐府与盛唐歌行「转韵」之法而更趋细密。七古一体，自鲍照《拟行路难》以转韵抒情，至李白歌行而极纵横捭阖之致；唐顺之此篇取法其上，而以经世之言入之，音节整饬处如军阵严整，奔放处如铁骑突出。用韵以平声宽韵为主，阳、庚、东、先、支、豪、虞、尤、文、删、微诸韵迭换，每节三句押韵（一、二、四句），第三句以仄声收，形成「平平仄平」的韵脚节奏，诵读时如鼓点错落，正与边塞征战、筹策的题材相称：写军容则韵脚响亮（阳、东、庚），写机谋则韵脚峭拔（支、尤），写安边则韵脚疏朗（微、删）。全诗不押仄韵、不杂入声，通篇平声大气，宜于长歌当哭的铺陈。章句上每节四句自成一境：或出师，或任将，或用间，或鏖战，或抚民，节节换境，如画卷徐展，正是七古「一篇之中，数层意思」的典型章法。

Line by line

预知水草军无乏，试辨风云虏欲降。

He knows beforehand of grass and water, so the army lacks nothing; he reads the wind and clouds and foresees the barbarians' surrender.

预先探知水草充足，军队不会匮乏；细辨风云变幻，预知敌虏将要归降。

Foreknowing grass and water, the army wants for nothing; reading wind and clouds, he discerns the rebels are about to surrender.

此联写总制筹边之先见，叙事之中见谋略。「预知水草军无乏」写后勤之虑：北边苦寒，大军出塞，水草之有无关乎生死，能预知水草便是不败之基；「试辨风云虏欲降」写情报之精：观风云之变而知虏情，虏欲降未降之际已能察之。「预知」「试辨」四字，一写未雨绸缪，一写洞烛机先，总制的从容与深算尽在其中。两句一实一虚：水草是实地之察，风云是天时之辨，由地及天，见其筹边无遗算。以叙事写人物，不发议论而谋略自现，是此诗「以事显人」的典型笔法，亦见荆川亲身经武的切实经验，迥非纸上谈兵者可比，更与盛唐边塞诗以意象写军的传统相区别，显出明人务实的一面。

The foresight. He knows beforehand of grass and water, so the army lacks nothing; he reads the wind and clouds and foresees the barbarians' surrender. The foreknown grass and water and the read wind and clouds are the general's foresight. To have foreknown the supply and read the enemy's will would be a foresight; the he-knows-beforehand-of-grass-and-water-so-the-army-lacks-nothing-he-reads-the-wind-and-clouds-and-foresees-the-barbarians'-surrender is the foresight.

诏书更不从中御，万里长城一委卿。

The imperial decree no longer commands from the court; the ten-thousand-li Great Wall is entrusted wholly to you.

诏书不再从朝廷遥控指挥，万里边防一概委付于您。

The imperial letter no longer controls from the center; the ten-thousand-li Great Wall is entrusted entirely to you.

此联是全诗纲领，写朝廷之信任与翁氏之重任。「更不从中御」用宋太宗「将兵者不可从中御」的驭将之道，谓朝廷不再遥制军机，委以专阃之任，是对边帅的最高信任；「万里长城一委卿」以檀道济自比万里长城的典故转赠翁氏，一「委」字写出付托之重、期望之殷。两句一破一立：先破「从中御」之弊，后立「一委卿」之信，对举之中见君臣相得的理想境界。用语堂皇正大，气势宏阔，为全诗奠定了赞颂的基调。此联亦可见明代边患日亟、朝廷倚重边帅的时代背景，与宋人「将在外君命有所不受」的议论一脉相承，是组诗理解的关键，也最能见出诗人对「知人善任」的深切向往。

The trust. The imperial decree no longer commands from the court; the ten-thousand-li Great Wall is entrusted wholly to you. The no-from-the-center-control and the entrusted Great Wall are the trust. To have entrusted the Great Wall would be an entrustment; the imperial-decree-no-longer-commands-from-the-court-the-ten-thousand-li-Great-Wall-is-entrusted-wholly-to-you is the entrustment.

千金买士却何为，一间过于十万师。

What is the point of buying warriors with a thousand pieces of gold? One stratagem of division outweighs a hundred thousand troops.

耗费千金收买士人究竟为何？一个离间之计胜过十万雄师。

What of spending a thousand gold pieces to buy warriors? One isolated ruse outweighs a hundred thousand troops.

此联以夸张对比强调用间取胜，豪宕有力。「千金买士」用燕昭王千金市骨、礼聘贤士故事，先设一问：「却何为」三字故作悬宕；下句答以「一间过于十万师」，以「一间」对「十万师」，极言谋略之重。所谓「间」，即离间、反间，孙子十三篇专有《用间》一篇，谓「明君贤将所以动而胜人，成功出于众者，先知也」，此诗正承其意。以十万之师与一计之谋相较，数字悬殊而道理分明，正是兵法「上兵伐谋」的诗化表达。两句先问后答，语势陡转，议论风生，是组诗中最见荆川豪放议论本色的一联，亦足见其深通兵略、以谋制胜的将略家风，为明代边塞诗中罕见的以兵法入诗的佳构。

The ruse. What is the point of buying warriors with a thousand pieces of gold? One stratagem of division outweighs a hundred thousand troops. The thousand-gold question and the one-ruse-outweighing-a-hundred-thousand-troops are the Sunzi spies' point. To have valued one ruse over a hundred thousand troops would be a point; the what-is-the-point-of-buying-warriors-with-a-thousand-pieces-of-gold-one-stratagem-of-division-outweighs-a-hundred-thousand-troops is the point.

但使湟中无寇盗，不须麾下有边功。

If only there are no raiders in Huangzhong, there need be no frontier glory won beneath your banner.

只要湟中一带没有寇盗，不必非要在麾下建立边功。

So long as Huangzhong has no bandits, there is no need for frontier merits under your command.

此联翻进一层，写安边理想，见儒将襟怀，是组诗的结穴。「湟中」用赵充国屯田安羌故地，以边地安宁代指边防稳固；「无寇盗」是目的，「有边功」是手段，诗人却以「但使」「不须」两个虚词倒置其重：宁要边境安宁，不求个人功勋。这正翻用「功成必定有我」的常态心理，把杀伐之业升华为仁德之政，境界高出一筹。赵充国持重安边、以屯代战的方略，与翁氏息兵抚民之政正相契合，故以此古人为喻，切当不移。两句平实如话而含蕴深厚，见出明中叶有识之士对边功边衅的清醒认识：边功愈盛，边患愈深，唯使民安业，才是真正的万里长城，亦是全诗赞颂而不失讽戒的双重意蕴所在。

The peace. If only there are no raiders in Huangzhong, there need be no frontier glory won beneath your banner. The no-raiders desired and the no-frontier-glory-needed are the ideal. To have desired no raiders over glory would be an ideal; the if-only-there-are-no-raiders-in-Huangzhong-there-need-be-no-frontier-glory-won-beneath-your-banner is the ideal.

Study

Word focus

预知 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「预知水草军无乏」之「预知」，是写总制谋略的枢纽字。「预」字着意于时间之先——在水草未竭、军需未乏之前，已探明地理、算定后勤；「知」字着意于判断之准——山川形势、虏情虚实，了然于胸。二字合观，写出一种「先事而谋」的从容：大军未发，胜负已在算中。与下句「试辨」相对，「预知」写已定之事，「试辨」写未定之机，一实一虚，周密无遗。此字之用，正见唐顺之非徒工文墨者，其亲历御倭戎行的经验，使诗中每言军务皆落实处。若易为「能知」「深知」，便少了那份料敌于先的从容气度；唯「预」字，才是儒将风范的注脚，也是此诗区别于一般文人边塞诗想象之辞的根柢。

一间 'One spy' in 'one spy outweighs an army of ten myriad' uses 'spy' for the art of division and stratagem, stressing the weight of counsel--a sharp, alert choice of words. 「一间过于十万师」之「间」，指离间、反间之术，是全诗最精警的炼字。孙子谓「用间有五：有因间，有内间，有反间，有死间，有生间」，用间是兵家制胜的利器；此处以「一间」与「十万师」对举，一个计谋胜过十万大军，数字的悬殊把谋略的价值推到极致。「间」字本身兼有「间隙」「间谍」「离间」数义，一字而包举用谋的全部机括，言简而意丰。更妙在「过」字的重量：不是「如」十万师，而是「过于」十万师，贬百万之师为寻常，褒一计之谋为至宝，语气斩截，霸气十足。此字之炼，正见荆川深通兵略，能将整部《孙子》的用间之道凝于一字之中，以最经济的笔墨写最深刻的谋略。

祗怜 'Only pities' in 'he only pities the soldiers still in cold hue' turns to show his care for the troops, a hardness with a humane core. 「祗怜军士犹寒色」之「祗怜」，是组诗中难得的仁心流露。「祗」作「只」讲，「祗怜」即只怜惜，写君侯自炎洲生长，而塞外苦寒，草木生愁，人更何以堪；腊尽岁终，辕门之内却不肯穿皮裘，并非不知寒，而是念及军士犹带寒色，不忍独暖。一个「祗」字，把怜惜的范围收束得极窄——只怜军士，不及其余，恰恰见出仁心之专笃；「怜」字与「犹寒色」相映，军士的寒在目，君侯的怜在心，体恤之情油然而生。全诗多写帷幄运筹、沙场决胜的雄武气象，此联忽转温柔，以细节写仁德，刚柔相济，正见儒将「仁者爱人」的本色，也使组诗的情感层次丰富起来，不至流为单纯的颂歌。

委 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「万里长城一委卿」之「委」，是朝廷付托之重的集中体现。「委」有委任、委付、托付之意，一「委」字写出朝廷将万里边防全盘交付的决绝信任——不遥控、不掣肘、不猜疑，把身家性命与社稷安危一并托于一人。「万里长城」是檀道济的自我期许，此处转以称人，期望之重已极；「一委」的「一」字更见分量，万机之中独任此一事，专之至也。此字之用，兼得「委任之专」与「委身之诚」两义：边帅受此委任，自然鞠躬尽瘁；朝廷行此委任，方得上下相济。两句对举，「更不从中御」破其掣肘，「一委卿」立其信任，一破一立之间，君臣相得之理想境界全出，是全组诗反复咏叹的「信任」主题的点睛之笔。

塞下曲