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唐 Tang · 诗 Poem

立碑

The Erected Stele

白居易

Bai Juyi

讽刺Satire 民生Livelihood of the People

勋德既下衰，文章亦陵夷。
但见山中石，立作路旁碑。
铭勋悉太公，叙德皆仲尼。
复以多为贵，千言直万赀。
为文彼何人，想见下笔时。
但欲愚者悦，不思贤者嗤。
岂独贤者嗤，仍传后代疑。
古石苍苔字，安知是愧词。
我闻望江县，麹令抚惸嫠。
在官有仁政，名不闻京师。
身殁欲归葬，百姓遮路岐。
攀辕不得归，留葬此江湄。
至今道其名，男女涕皆垂。
无人立碑碣，唯有邑人知。

Merit and virtue have long since declined; letters too have fallen into decay.
One sees only rocks out of the hills, set up as steles by the roadside.
Every exploit recorded makes its man a Grand Duke; every virtue told makes him a Confucius.
And the more words the finer: a thousand of them are worth ten thousand cash.
What manner of men are they who compose these pieces? One can picture them setting brush to paper.
They wish only to delight the foolish; they never think the wise will sneer.
Nor is it the wise alone who sneer: the doubt is handed down to later ages.
On ancient stones, characters under grey moss — who can know they are words of shame?
I have heard of Wangjiang county, where Prefect Qu comforted the orphaned and the widowed.
In office he practised a benevolent rule, yet his name never reached the capital.
When he died and the coffin was to go home, the common people blocked the fork in the road.
Clinging to the carriage shafts, they would not let him leave, and he was buried on this river bank.
Even now, when his name is spoken, men and women alike let their tears fall.
No one raised a stele for him; only the people of his own district remember.

Listen

Meaning

Bai Juyi attacks the fashion for commemorative steles: because real merit has declined, men buy flattery instead, and every roadside stone praises its subject as a Grand Duke or a Confucius. Such inscriptions please only the foolish and earn the ridicule of the wise and of posterity. Against this the poet sets the true worth of Prefect Qu, who governed with kindness yet whose name never reached the capital, and who was loved so dearly that his people buried him among them. The poem argues that genuine virtue needs no stone: it lives in the memory of those who were served.

勋德既下衰，文章亦陵夷。但见山中石，立作路旁碑。铭勋悉太公，叙德皆仲尼。复以多为贵，千言直万赀。为文彼何人，想见下笔时。但欲愚者悦，不思贤者嗤。岂独贤者嗤，仍传后代疑。古石苍苔字，安知是愧词。我闻望江县，麹令抚惸嫠。在官有仁政，名不闻京师。身殁欲归葬，百姓遮路岐。攀辕不得归，留葬此江湄。至今道其名，男女涕皆垂。无人立碑碣，唯有邑人知。

Appreciation

[Plain Paraphrase] Bai Juyi opens with a diagnosis of his age: merit and virtue have decayed, and with them the writing that should record them. What remains is stone — the hills are quarried so that steles may line the roads, each one praising its patron in inflated terms. [Structure] The poem falls into two halves. Lines one to sixteen dissect the traffic in false praise: the hiring of writers, the pricing of words at a thousand for ten thousand cash, the calculation that flatters fools, and the final irony that mossy old stones may be monuments of shame. The last six lines turn to a counterexample, the obscure Prefect Qu, whose people stopped his funeral cart and buried him by their river, and whose name is still wept over although no stone records it. [Imagery] Two images carry the whole argument: the roadside stele, bought and hollow, and the blocked road, where grief is freely given. The contrast between purchased fame and unpaid love is the poem's moral engine. [Tone] The satire is direct and indignant, in keeping with the New Music Bureau programme Bai Juyi pursued with Yuan Zhen, yet it closes not on anger but on a quiet, affectionate image.

【白话串讲】白居易写《立碑》：“勋德既下衰，文章亦陵夷”——“但见山中石，立作路旁碑”——“铭勋悉太公，叙德皆仲尼”——“但欲愚者悦，不思贤者嗤”——“岂独贤者嗤，仍传后代疑”——他讽刺滥立功德碑。【意象与手法】此诗写讽刺，以民生写讽刺，是白居易的名篇。前段写立碑：「勋德既下衰，文章亦陵夷。但见山中石，立作路旁碑。铭勋悉太公，叙德皆仲尼。复以多为贵，千言直万赀。为文彼何人，想见下笔时。但欲愚者悦，不思贤者嗤。岂独贤者嗤，仍传后代疑。古石苍苔字，安知是愧词」写勋德既下衰、文章亦陵夷——写尽文章亦陵夷的碑铭；后段写麹令：「我闻望江县，麹令抚惸嫠。在官有仁政，名不闻京师。身殁欲归葬，百姓遮路岐。攀辕不得归，留葬此江湄。至今道其名，男女涕皆垂。无人立碑碣，唯有邑人知」写我闻望江县、麹令抚惸嫠——写尽麹令抚惸嫠的仁政。全诗以民生写讽刺，写尽文章亦陵夷的碑铭与麹令抚惸嫠的仁政，是白居易的代表作。【情感与主旨】此诗写讽刺，以民生写讽刺，是白居易的名篇。此诗为白居易秦中吟十首之一，写其以立碑讽虚名。白居易《秦中吟》写长安见闻，此诗写其咏立碑以刺时弊。此诗写勋德既下衰，文章亦陵夷；但见山中石，立作路旁碑；铭勋悉太公，叙德皆仲尼；复以多为贵，千言直万赀；为文彼何人，想见下笔时；但欲愚者悦，不思贤者嗤；岂独贤者嗤，仍传后代疑；古石苍苔字，安知是愧词；我闻望江县，麹令抚惸嫠；在官有仁政，名不闻京师；身殁欲归葬，百姓遮路岐；攀辕不得归，留葬此江湄；至今道其名，男女涕皆垂；无人立碑碣，唯有邑人知。此诗写立碑：勋德既下衰，文章亦陵夷——写勋德既下衰、文章亦陵夷，写尽文章亦陵夷的碑铭；但见山中石，立作路旁碑——写但见山中石、立作路旁碑，写尽路旁碑的立作；铭勋悉太公，叙德皆仲尼——写铭勋悉太公、叙德皆仲尼，写尽叙德皆仲尼的铭勋；复以多为贵，千言直万赀——写复以多为贵、千言直万赀，写尽千言直万赀的立碑；为文彼何人，想见下笔时——写为文彼何人、想见下笔时，写尽想见下笔时的为文；但欲愚者悦，不思贤者嗤——写但欲愚者悦、不思贤者嗤，写尽不思贤者嗤的愚者悦；岂独贤者嗤，仍传后代疑——写岂独贤者嗤、仍传后代疑，写尽仍传后代疑的贤者嗤；古石苍苔字，安知是愧词——写古石苍苔字、安知是愧词，写尽安知是愧词的苍苔字。下段写麹令：我闻望江县，麹令抚惸嫠——写我闻望江县、麹令抚惸嫠，写尽麹令抚惸嫠的仁政；在官有仁政，名不闻京师——写在官有仁政、名不闻京师，写尽名不闻京师的仁政；身殁欲归葬，百姓遮路岐——写身殁欲归葬、百姓遮路岐，写尽百姓遮路岐的归葬；攀辕不得归，留葬此江湄——写攀辕不得归、留葬此江湄，写尽留葬此江湄的攀辕；至今道其名，男女涕皆垂——写至今道其名、男女涕皆垂，写尽男女涕皆垂的至今；无人立碑碣，唯有邑人知——写无人立碑碣、唯有邑人知，写尽唯有邑人知的碑碣。全诗以民生写讽刺——那「文章亦陵夷」写尽文章亦陵夷的碑铭，「唯有邑人知」写尽唯有邑人知的碑碣，写尽文章亦陵夷的碑铭与麹令抚惸嫠的仁政，是理解白居易讽刺诗的重要篇章。【名句点睛】常考「勋德既下衰，文章亦陵夷」写文章亦陵夷的碑铭；「无人立碑碣，唯有邑人知」写唯有邑人知的碑碣；以及全诗以民生写讽刺、以对比写虚名的手法。

Background

Bai Juyi (772-846), courtesy name Letian, styled Hermit of Fragrant Mountain, was born in Xinzheng in Henan of a family originating in Taiyuan. With Yuan Zhen he promoted the New Music Bureau movement, which held that poetry should expose social abuses in plain language; the pair were known as Yuan and Bai, and Bai's later friendship with Liu Yuxi earned the pairing Liu and Bai. 'The Erected Stele' is one of the ten Qinzhong Yin, Songs of the Qin Region, written from observations made in and around Chang'an and aimed squarely at contemporary abuses. The erection of commemorative steles had become a lucrative trade in the mid-Tang, with families commissioning lavish inscriptions for mediocre officials, a practice the poet treats as both a symptom and a cause of public decline.

此诗写讽刺，以民生写讽刺，是白居易的名篇。白居易（772—846），字乐天，号香山居士，又号醉吟先生，祖籍太原，生于河南新郑，唐代现实主义诗人，与元稹共同倡导新乐府运动，世称「元白」，与刘禹锡并称「刘白」。此诗为白居易秦中吟十首之一，写其以立碑讽虚名。白居易《秦中吟》写长安见闻，此诗写其咏立碑以刺时弊。此诗写勋德既下衰，文章亦陵夷；但见山中石，立作路旁碑；铭勋悉太公，叙德皆仲尼；复以多为贵，千言直万赀；为文彼何人，想见下笔时；但欲愚者悦，不思贤者嗤；岂独贤者嗤，仍传后代疑；古石苍苔字，安知是愧词；我闻望江县，麹令抚惸嫠；在官有仁政，名不闻京师；身殁欲归葬，百姓遮路岐；攀辕不得归，留葬此江湄；至今道其名，男女涕皆垂；无人立碑碣，唯有邑人知。此诗写立碑：「勋德既下衰，文章亦陵夷」写勋德既下衰、文章亦陵夷——写尽文章亦陵夷的碑铭（勋德既下衰，文章亦陵夷）；「但见山中石，立作路旁碑」写但见山中石、立作路旁碑——写尽路旁碑的立作（但见山中石，立作路旁碑）；「铭勋悉太公，叙德皆仲尼」写铭勋悉太公、叙德皆仲尼——写尽叙德皆仲尼的铭勋（铭勋悉太公，叙德皆仲尼）；「复以多为贵，千言直万赀」写复以多为贵、千言直万赀——写尽千言直万赀的立碑（复以多为贵，千言直万赀）；「为文彼何人，想见下笔时」写为文彼何人、想见下笔时——写尽想见下笔时的为文（为文彼何人，想见下笔时）；「但欲愚者悦，不思贤者嗤」写但欲愚者悦、不思贤者嗤——写尽不思贤者嗤的愚者悦（但欲愚者悦，不思贤者嗤）；「岂独贤者嗤，仍传后代疑」写岂独贤者嗤、仍传后代疑——写尽仍传后代疑的贤者嗤（岂独贤者嗤，仍传后代疑）；「古石苍苔字，安知是愧词」写古石苍苔字、安知是愧词——写尽安知是愧词的苍苔字（古石苍苔字，安知是愧词）。下段写麹令：「我闻望江县，麹令抚惸嫠」写我闻望江县、麹令抚惸嫠——写尽麹令抚惸嫠的仁政（我闻望江县，麹令抚惸嫠）；「在官有仁政，名不闻京师」写在官有仁政、名不闻京师——写尽名不闻京师的仁政（在官有仁政，名不闻京师）；「身殁欲归葬，百姓遮路岐」写身殁欲归葬、百姓遮路岐——写尽百姓遮路岐的归葬（身殁欲归葬，百姓遮路岐）；「攀辕不得归，留葬此江湄」写攀辕不得归、留葬此江湄——写尽留葬此江湄的攀辕（攀辕不得归，留葬此江湄）；「至今道其名，男女涕皆垂」写至今道其名、男女涕皆垂——写尽男女涕皆垂的至今（至今道其名，男女涕皆垂）；「无人立碑碣，唯有邑人知」写无人立碑碣、唯有邑人知——写尽唯有邑人知的碑碣（无人立碑碣，唯有邑人知）。全诗以民生写讽刺，写尽文章亦陵夷的碑铭与麹令抚惸嫠的仁政，是理解白居易讽刺诗的重要篇章。

Art

The craft rests on four moves. First, plain statement: the opening couplet names the disease without ornament, declining merit and decaying letters, so that the reader is given a thesis rather than a scene. Second, contrast: every recorded exploit makes its man a Grand Duke and every accounted virtue a Confucius — the hyperbole of the inscriptions is itself the evidence against them, and the poet lets inflated praise convict itself. Third, narrative: the second half simply tells a story, Prefect Qu, the blocked road, the burial by the river, and the plain fact is made to carry the whole weight of praise. Fourth, counter-reflection: the closing couplet, no stele raised and yet the district remembers, answers the opening diagnosis. The piece proceeds from the abstract to the concrete, from hollow fame to real affection. The small word 'only' in the last line is the hinge: nothing but local memory survives, and that is enough.

此诗的艺术特色可从四个方面解析。其一，以直陈写时弊。「勋德既下衰」以直陈写时弊——那「文章亦陵夷」写尽文章亦陵夷的碑铭，以直陈写尽文章亦陵夷的碑铭。其二，以对比写虚名。「铭勋悉太公」以对比写虚名——那「叙德皆仲尼」写尽叙德皆仲尼的铭勋，以对比写尽叙德皆仲尼的铭勋。其三，以叙事写麹令。「我闻望江县」以叙事写麹令——那「麹令抚惸嫠」写尽麹令抚惸嫠的仁政，以叙事写尽麹令抚惸嫠的仁政。其四，以反衬写真德。「无人立碑碣」以反衬写真德——那「唯有邑人知」写尽唯有邑人知的碑碣，以反衬写尽唯有邑人知的碑碣。此外，此诗前段写文章亦陵夷的碑铭，后段写麹令抚惸嫠的仁政，由虚及实，正是讽刺诗「以实讽虚」的写法。四重手法，使此诗以民生写讽刺，写尽文章亦陵夷的碑铭与麹令抚惸嫠的仁政，是白居易的代表作。此外，此诗还善于以「但见山中石，立作路旁碑」的「但见」写但见之立碑——那「但见」写尽但见的山石，正是以见写立，以「立作路旁碑」写尽路旁碑的立作。又善以「至今道其名，男女涕皆垂」的「涕皆垂」写男女之涕垂——男女涕皆垂，正见男女垂涕的写照，以「至今道其名」写尽至今的称道。

Allusions

The Grand Duke refers to Jiang Ziya, the aged minister of King Wen of Zhou, and Confucius (Zhongni) is the sage himself; to call every patron by such names is the poem's central exaggeration. 'Moss' suggests neglected antiquities whose inscriptions have outlived their reputations. The phrase for the destitute, the orphaned and the widowed, echoes the Book of Songs, which mourns the solitary and the helpless. 'Clinging to the carriage shafts' recalls the classical topos of a populace detaining a departing magistrate, reenacted here at a funeral rather than a transfer. The river bank where Qu is buried echoes 'the water's edge' of the Book of Songs. Together these references set a debased present against an authoritative past.

此诗的用语深植于讽刺与民生传统。「勋德」令人想到「勋德」写功勋德行的意象——也令人想到「勋德垂青」的意象；「陵夷」令人想到「陵夷」写陵夷的意象——也令人想到「礼崩乐坏」的意象；「太公」令人想到「太公」写姜太公的意象——也令人想到「太公钓渭」的意象；「仲尼」令人想到「仲尼」写孔子的意象——也令人想到「仲尼厄而作春秋」的意象；「苍苔」令人想到「苍苔」写苍苔的意象——也令人想到「苍苔白石」的意象；「愧词」令人想到「愧词」写愧词的意象——也令人想到「碑铭愧词」的意象；「惸嫠」令人想到「惸嫠」写孤寡的意象——《诗经》哀此惸独，也令人想到「惸独鳏寡」的意象；「攀辕」令人想到「攀辕」写攀辕的意象——攀辕卧辙，也令人想到「攀辕卧辙」的意象；「江湄」令人想到「江湄」写江边的意象——也令人想到「在水之湄」的意象。全诗化用勋德、陵夷、太公、仲尼、苍苔、愧词、惸嫠、攀辕、江湄的意象典故，以民生写讽刺，正是白居易「讽喻」而善对比、承乐府传统写民生之本领。

Commentary

The poem is generally ranked among Bai Juyi's finest satires and as the representative piece of the Qinzhong Yin on public monuments. Qing critics praised it as forthright and unsparing, and modern readers have singled out the closing couplet, no stele and yet remembered, as its lasting line. Its value lies in the completeness of its case: it anatomises an abuse, prices it, predicts its reception by the wise and by posterity, and then offers an alternative standard of judgement. Read beside 'Buying Flowers,' with its line that one clump of deep-coloured blooms equals the tax of ten middle households, it shows the two faces of the sequence — extravagance and empty fame. For readers today it remains the clearest window onto Bai Juyi's satirical purpose and onto the Tang debate about what makes a life worth recording.

此诗历来被推为白居易讽刺诗的名篇，也是秦中吟写立碑的代表。历代论者对此诗评价极高：清人评此诗「以民生写讽刺，直切痛快」；近人更指出「无人立碑碣，唯有邑人知」写唯有邑人知的碑碣，是此诗的名句。在诗歌史上，此诗的特殊价值在于：它以长篇写尽文章亦陵夷的碑铭与麹令抚惸嫠的仁政——那勋德，那既下衰，那文章，那亦陵夷，那但见，那山中石，那立作，那路旁碑，那铭勋，那悉太公，那叙德，那皆仲尼，那复以多为贵，那千言，那直万赀，那为文，那彼何人，那想见，那下笔时，那但欲，那愚者悦，那不思，那贤者嗤，那岂独，那仍传，那后代疑，那古石，那苍苔字，那安知，那是愧词，那我闻，那望江县，那麹令，那抚惸嫠，那在官，那有仁政，那名不闻，那京师，那身殁，那欲归葬，那百姓，那遮路岐，那攀辕，那不得归，那留葬，那此江湄，那至今，那道其名，那男女，那涕皆垂，那无人，那立碑碣，那唯有，那邑人知，都写尽了白居易笔下的立碑；那「唯有邑人知」更以反衬写尽唯有邑人知的碑碣。此诗与白居易《买花》「灼灼百朵红」同为秦中吟名篇，一写「一丛深色花，十户中人赋」的买花，一写「无人立碑碣，唯有邑人知」的立碑；一写花，一写碑。两诗对读，可见白居易秦中吟的两面。对于今日读者，此诗是理解白居易讽刺诗的窗口，也是秦中吟写立碑的经典——那唯有邑人知的碑碣，穿越千年，仍在诉说着文章亦陵夷的碑铭。

Prosody

Form Five-character old-style poem, from the Songs of the Qin Region秦中吟·五言古诗

Rhyme A single level-tone rhyme runs throughout the whole piece without change.全诗以「夷」「碑」「尼」「赀」「时」「嗤」「疑」「词」「嫠」「师」「岐」「湄」「垂」「知」等字押韵，一韵到底（支韵）

Tone pattern Old-style five-character verse in a level rhyme, sustained from first line to last; the cadence is abrupt and forceful, matching the indignation of the satire.此诗为秦中吟五言古诗，押平声支韵，一韵到底，音节顿挫，正合讽刺的顿挫。

Reading note The poem is a long five-character old-style piece in one unbroken rhyme. It divides clearly: the first section anatomises the traffic in commemorative steles, the second tells the story of Prefect Qu and his people. The form is expository rather than lyric — expanded statement, narrative example, and a closing reversal. Read the opening in a hard, clipped tone and the closing couplet more slowly, letting the final 'only' carry the weight of the argument.此诗为秦中吟五言古诗——「勋德既下衰，文章亦陵夷。但见山中石，立作路旁碑。……无人立碑碣，唯有邑人知」，押支韵（夷、碑、尼、赀、时、嗤、疑、词、嫠、师、岐、湄、垂、知），一韵到底，音节顿挫。全诗以民生写讽刺：前段写文章亦陵夷的碑铭（勋德既下衰、安知是愧词），后段写麹令抚惸嫠的仁政（我闻望江县、唯有邑人知）。长篇铺叙，前写立碑，后写真德，以「唯有邑人知」写尽唯有邑人知的碑碣，正见白居易「讽喻」的本色。诵读此诗，宜以顿挫的语调读「勋德既下衰」的立碑，以感慨的语调读「唯有邑人知」的真德，结句要读得顿挫而有余韵，方能传达出白居易的直切痛快。白居易秦中吟以「讽喻」著称，此诗正是其讽刺诗的典范。

Line by line

勋德既下衰，文章亦陵夷

Merit and virtue have long since declined; letters too have fallen into decay.

勋德既下衰，文章亦陵夷。

Merit and virtue have long declined; literature too has fallen into decay.

此二句是全诗写立碑的核心，以勋德既下衰写下衰，以文章亦陵夷写陵夷，写尽文章亦陵夷的碑铭，是千古名句。「勋德既下衰」写勋德既下衰——那「勋德」写勋德，「既下衰」写既下衰，写尽勋德的既下衰；「文章亦陵夷」写文章亦陵夷——那「文章」写文章，「亦陵夷」写亦陵夷，写尽文章的亦陵夷。这句的深意在于：它以「勋德既下衰」的下衰与「文章亦陵夷」的陵夷，写尽文章亦陵夷的碑铭——勋德既下衰，那「勋德既下衰」写尽勋德的既下衰——勋德既下衰，正是功勋衰落的写照，那「下衰」写尽文章亦陵夷的碑铭；文章亦陵夷，那「文章亦陵夷」写尽文章的亦陵夷——文章亦陵夷，正是文章败坏的写照，那「陵夷」写尽文章亦陵夷的碑铭；那「勋德既下衰」写尽勋德的既下衰，那「文章亦陵夷」写尽文章的亦陵夷，一写下衰，一写陵夷，写尽文章亦陵夷的碑铭——功勋衰落而文章败坏，正是时弊的写照；此二句以下衰、陵夷写尽文章亦陵夷的碑铭，也为下文的立碑作铺垫，也让此二句成为全诗写立碑的核心与千古名句。若换作直说「功勋德行已经衰落，文章也败坏了」，则失其直切；唯以「勋德既下衰」写下衰、「文章亦陵夷」写陵夷，写尽文章亦陵夷的碑铭，也让此二句成为全诗写立碑的核心。

The two lines are the core of the poem on erecting steles, writing the decline through merit and virtue have long declined and the decay through literature too has fallen into decay, exhausting the stele-inscriptions' decay. Merit and virtue have long declined is precisely the picture of fading achievement; literature too has fallen into decay precisely the picture of the ruined writing. The deep meaning: achievement declines and writing decays, precisely the picture of the age's ailments. One writes the decline, one the decay, exhausting the fallen stele. Were it said plainly merit and virtue have decayed and literature too, the directness would be softened; only through the decline and the decay is the stele's decay exhausted, preparing the later lines on stele-erecting and making the lines the core of the poem.

无人立碑碣，唯有邑人知

No one raised a stele for him; only the people of his own district remember.

无人立碑碣，唯有邑人知。

No one raised a stele for him; only the townspeople know him.

此二句是全诗写真德的核心，以无人立碑碣写立碑碣，以唯有邑人知写邑人知，写尽唯有邑人知的碑碣，是千古名句。「无人立碑碣」写无人立碑碣——那「无人」写无人，「立碑碣」写立碑碣，写尽无人的碑碣；「唯有邑人知」写唯有邑人知——那「唯有」写唯有，「邑人知」写邑人知，写尽唯有邑人的知。这句的深意在于：它以「无人立碑碣」的立碑碣与「唯有邑人知」的邑人知，写尽唯有邑人知的碑碣——无人立碑碣，那「无人立碑碣」写尽无人的碑碣——无人立碑碣，正是无人立碑的写照，那「立碑碣」写尽唯有邑人知的碑碣；唯有邑人知，那「唯有邑人知」写尽唯有邑人的知——唯有邑人知，正是邑人独知的写照，那「邑人知」写尽唯有邑人知的碑碣；那「无人立碑碣」写尽无人的碑碣，那「唯有邑人知」写尽唯有邑人的知，一写无人，一写唯有，写尽唯有邑人知的碑碣——无人立碑而邑人独知，正是真德的写照；此二句以无人、唯有写尽唯有邑人知的碑碣，也让此二句成为全诗写真德的核心与千古名句。若换作直说「没有人给他立碑碣，只有本县的人知道」，则失其反衬；唯以「无人立碑碣」写立碑碣、「唯有邑人知」写邑人知，写尽唯有邑人知的碑碣，也让此二句成为全诗写真德的核心。

The two lines are the core of the poem on true virtue, writing the unraised stele through no one raised a stele for him and the townspeople's knowledge through only the townspeople know him, exhausting the virtue known to none but the townsfolk. No one raised a stele for him is precisely the picture of no monument; only the townspeople know him precisely the picture of the local knowledge alone. The deep meaning: no stele raised and the townsfolk alone knowing, precisely the picture of true virtue. One writes the no one, one the only, exhausting the lone local knowledge. Were it said plainly no one raised him a monument, only the people of his county know him, the reverse contrast would be lost; only through the unraised stele and the townsfolk's knowledge is true virtue exhausted, making the lines the core of the poem.

Study

Word focus

陵 In the line 'letters too have fallen into decay,' this character means decline, to wear down and slide away. It carries both a literary sense, writing degenerating into flattery, and a social one, public morality sliding downhill, so that one word indicts an entire age. 「文章亦陵夷」之「陵」字是写立碑关键词，一个「陵」字写尽文章的亦陵夷。陵者，陵夷、衰败也。白居易以「文章亦陵夷」写立碑，这个「陵」字至少有双重意味：其一，写文之陵——那「文章亦陵夷」写文章亦陵夷，那「陵」字写尽文章的亦陵夷——陵夷，正是文章败坏的写照，那「陵」字写尽文章的亦陵夷；其二，写世之衰——那「陵」字更是写衰——陵，正见世风日下的衰落，那「陵」字写尽白居易的讽刺。以「陵」字写立碑，正是白居易写讽刺的枢纽——若换作「衰」「败」等字，则或失其与「文章亦陵夷」「勋德既下衰」的配合，或失其写陵的意味；唯「陵」字，以文章亦陵夷写尽文章之败坏与世风之衰落，与「勋德既下衰」的下衰相合，写尽文章的亦陵夷，也让「文章亦陵夷」成为全诗写立碑的名句。

唯 In 'only the people of his own district remember,' this word means solely or merely. It sets the narrowest possible circle of remembrance against the grandeur of roadside monuments, and by seeming to belittle the tribute actually establishes it as the truest praise in the poem. 「唯有邑人知」之「唯」字是写真德关键词，一个「唯」字写尽唯有邑人的知。唯者，只有、仅也。白居易以「唯有邑人知」写真德，这个「唯」字至少有双重意味：其一，写知之唯——那「唯有邑人知」写唯有邑人知，那「唯」字写尽唯有邑人的知——唯有，正是只有邑人的写照，那「唯」字写尽唯有邑人的知；其二，写德之真——那「唯」字更是写真——唯，正见真德不显的反衬，那「唯」字写尽白居易的讽刺。以「唯」字写真德，正是白居易写民生的枢纽——若换作「独」「只」等字，则或失其与「唯有邑人」「知」的配合，或失其写唯的意味；唯「唯」字，以唯有邑人知写尽邑人之独知与真德之反衬，与「无人立碑碣」的无碑相合，写尽唯有邑人的知，也让「唯有邑人知」成为全诗写真德的名句。

立碑