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汉 Han · 诗 Poem

秋胡行·其一

Ballad of Autumn Hu, No. 1 (Qiuhu Xing · Qi Yi)

曹操

Cao Cao

行旅Travel and Journey 求仙The Search for the Immortals

晨上散关山，此道当何难！
晨上散关山，此道当何难！
牛顿不起，车堕谷间。
坐磐石之上，弹五弦之琴。
作为清角韵，意中迷烦。
歌以言志，晨上散关山。
有何三老公，卒来在我旁。
有何三老公，卒来在我旁。
负揜被裘，似非恒人。
谓卿云何困苦以自怨，徨徨所欲，来到此间？
歌以言志，有何三老公。

At dawn I ascend Shan Guan mountain - what a hard road this is!
At dawn I ascend Shan Guan mountain - what a hard road this is!
The ox will not stand, and the cart falls into the valley.
I sit on a great boulder playing a five-stringed zither.
I make the sad, piercing air of the qingjiao mode, and my heart is confused and weary.
I sing, and thereby declare my wish: at dawn I ascend Shan Guan mountain.
Who is the old man of three, who suddenly comes beside me?
Who is the old man of three, who suddenly comes beside me?
His shoulders cover him, a furred robe over them, and he is hardly like an ordinary man.
He says: why do you suffer in hardship and grow angry with yourself, wandering restlessly - how is it that you have come to this place?
I sing, and thereby declare my wish: who is the old man of three?

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Meaning

The poem is set on a mountain road at dawn. Cao Cao repeats the opening line twice, the ox will not stand and the cart falls into the valley, and the poet sits on a boulder and plays a five-stringed zither, making the sad, piercing air of the qingjiao mode until his heart is confused and weary. He then sings his wish - to have ascended the pass - and twice asks who the three old men are who suddenly appear beside him. They carry a furred robe over their shoulders and are not ordinary men; when they speak, they ask why he suffers in hardship and grows angry with himself, wandering restlessly, and how he came to this place. The poem leaves the question unanswered: the poet only sings his wish again.

晨上散关山，此道当何难！晨上散关山，此道当何难！牛顿不起，车堕谷间。坐磐石之上，弹五弦之琴。作为清角韵，意中迷烦。歌以言志，晨上散关山。有何三老公，卒来在我旁。有何三老公，卒来在我旁。负揜被裘，似非恒人。谓卿云何困苦以自怨，徨徨所欲，来到此间？歌以言志，有何三老公。

Appreciation

[Plain Paraphrase] The poem is a journey and a visitation. The first half is plain reportage - the road, the stalled ox, the fallen cart, the boulder, the zither - and the second half introduces two identical questions about the men who suddenly appear. [Structure] The poem is built on refrains: the mountain line is stated twice at the opening, the question about the three old men twice in the middle, and the voice of the poet's own singing closes each movement. [Technique] The refrains are the poem's whole architecture. Nothing is developed; instead the same two lines are repeated like the tolling of a bell, and each return lands differently because the world around it has changed. [Imagery] The only supernatural detail is negative - they are 'hardly like ordinary men' - so the visitor remains a suggestion rather than a vision. [Comment] The poem's power lies in its ending. The old men ask a question that sounds like an accusation, and the poet does not answer; he sings his wish again, so that the poem closes on the same note it opened with.

【白话串讲】曹操写《秋胡行·其一》：“晨上散关山，此道当何难”——“牛顿不起，车堕谷间”——“坐磐石之上，弹五弦之琴”——“作为清角韵，意中迷烦”——他写行路艰难与迷惘。【意象与手法】此诗写行旅，以求道写行旅，是曹操的名篇。前段写行路之难：「晨上散关山，此道当何难！晨上散关山，此道当何难！牛顿不起，车堕谷间」写晨上散关山、此道当何难——写尽车堕谷间的散关山；中段写弹琴：「坐磐石之上，弹五弦之琴。作为清角韵，意中迷烦。歌以言志，晨上散关山」写坐磐石之上、弹五弦之琴——写尽意中迷烦的清角韵；后段写三老公：「有何三老公，卒来在我旁。有何三老公，卒来在我旁。负揜被裘，似非恒人。谓卿云何困苦以自怨，徨徨所欲，来到此间？歌以言志，有何三老公」写有何三老公、卒来在我旁——写尽有何三老的公公。全诗以求道写行旅，写尽车堕谷间的散关山与有何三老的公公，是曹操的代表作。【情感与主旨】此诗写行旅，以求道写行旅，是曹操的名篇。此诗为曹操秋胡行之一，写其行军途中的行路之难与求道之思。曹操此诗写其晨上散关山的行旅。此诗写晨上散关山，此道当何难；晨上散关山，此道当何难；牛顿不起，车堕谷间；坐磐石之上，弹五弦之琴；作为清角韵，意中迷烦；歌以言志，晨上散关山；有何三老公，卒来在我旁；有何三老公，卒来在我旁；负揜被裘，似非恒人；谓卿云何困苦以自怨，徨徨所欲，来到此间？歌以言志，有何三老公。此诗写行路之难：晨上散关山，此道当何难——写晨上散关山、此道当何难，写尽此道当何的何难；晨上散关山，此道当何难——写晨上散关山、此道当何难，写尽此道当何的何难；牛顿不起，车堕谷间——写牛顿不起、车堕谷间，写尽车堕谷的谷间；坐磐石之上，弹五弦之琴——写坐磐石之上、弹五弦之琴，写尽弹五弦的之琴；作为清角韵，意中迷烦——写作为清角韵、意中迷烦，写尽意中迷的清角韵；歌以言志，晨上散关山——写歌以言志、晨上散关山，写尽晨上散的关山；有何三老公，卒来在我旁——写有何三老公、卒来在我旁，写尽卒来在的旁；有何三老公，卒来在我旁——写有何三老公、卒来在我旁，写尽卒来在的旁；负揜被裘，似非恒人——写负揜被裘、似非恒人，写尽似非恒的恒人；谓卿云何困苦以自怨，徨徨所欲，来到此间——写谓卿云何困苦以自怨、徨徨所欲、来到此间，写尽徨徨所欲的来到此间；歌以言志，有何三老公——写歌以言志、有何三老公，写尽有何三老的公公。全诗以求道写行旅——那「车堕谷间」写尽车堕谷的谷间，「有何三老公」写尽有何三老的公公，写尽车堕谷的谷间与有何三老的公公，是理解曹操行旅诗的重要篇章。【名句点睛】常考「晨上散关山，此道当何难」写此道当何的何难；「坐磐石之上，弹五弦之琴」写弹五弦的之琴；以及全诗以求道写行旅、以复沓写行旅的手法。

Background

Cao Cao (155-220) wrote several poems on journeys, and this is one of the strangest and most effective. It belongs to the yuefu title 'Qiuhu Xing', which in the old舞曲 catalogues was attached to a story of a man who abandoned his wife; Cao's version has nothing to do with that story and uses the title for a journey poem. The setting - Shan Guan mountain, a steep pass on the road west from the capital - is historical, and the difficulty of the road matches the difficulty of the poet's position. Nothing else in his corpus is so overtly a record of a real journey, and none of it is so quiet about what the journey means.

此诗写行旅，以求道写行旅，是曹操的名篇。曹操（155—220），字孟德，小字阿瞒，沛国谯县（今安徽亳州）人，东汉末年杰出的政治家、军事家、文学家，曹魏政权的奠基者，建安文学的开创者，与其子曹丕、曹植合称「三曹」。此诗为曹操秋胡行之一，写其行军途中的行路之难与求道之思。曹操此诗写其晨上散关山的行旅。此诗写晨上散关山，此道当何难；晨上散关山，此道当何难；牛顿不起，车堕谷间；坐磐石之上，弹五弦之琴；作为清角韵，意中迷烦；歌以言志，晨上散关山；有何三老公，卒来在我旁；有何三老公，卒来在我旁；负揜被裘，似非恒人；谓卿云何困苦以自怨，徨徨所欲，来到此间？歌以言志，有何三老公。此诗写行路之难：「晨上散关山，此道当何难」写晨上散关山、此道当何难——写尽此道当何的何难（晨上散关山，此道当何难）；「牛顿不起，车堕谷间」写牛顿不起、车堕谷间——写尽车堕谷的谷间（牛顿不起，车堕谷间）；「坐磐石之上，弹五弦之琴」写坐磐石之上、弹五弦之琴——写尽弹五弦的之琴（坐磐石之上，弹五弦之琴）；「作为清角韵，意中迷烦」写作为清角韵、意中迷烦——写尽意中迷的清角韵（作为清角韵，意中迷烦）；「歌以言志，晨上散关山」写歌以言志、晨上散关山——写尽晨上散的关山（歌以言志，晨上散关山）；「有何三老公，卒来在我旁」写有何三老公、卒来在我旁——写尽卒来在的旁（有何三老公，卒来在我旁）；「负揜被裘，似非恒人」写负揜被裘、似非恒人——写尽似非恒的恒人（负揜被裘，似非恒人）；「谓卿云何困苦以自怨，徨徨所欲，来到此间」写谓卿云何困苦以自怨、徨徨所欲、来到此间——写尽徨徨所欲的来到此间（谓卿云何困苦以自怨，徨徨所欲，来到此间）。全诗以求道写行旅，写尽车堕谷的谷间与有何三老的公公，是理解曹操行旅诗的重要篇章。

Art

Two devices carry the poem. First, the refrain. The line about the mountain and the line about the old men are each given twice, with no change, and the repetition is what gives the poem its weight: the reader hears the same statement again after the world has shifted, and what was information becomes a motive. Second, the shift from plain speech to the strange without warning. 'The ox will not stand, and the cart falls into the valley' is reportage of the worst kind; two stanzas later the same plain voice reports that strange old men are standing there. The poem never tells the reader how to take this, and the balance between the two halves is what the poem's effect depends on. A third, quieter device is the poet's own singing: 'I sing, and thereby declare my wish' appears three times, including after the old men's question, which makes the song a way of refusing to answer. The final stanza, which repeats the opening question instead of replying, is the most economical ending in the poem.

此诗的艺术特色可从四个方面解析。其一，以复沓写行路之难。「晨上散关山」以复沓写行路之难——那「此道当何难」写尽此道当何的何难，以复沓写尽此道当何的何难。其二，以白描写车陷。「牛顿不起」以白描写车陷——那「车堕谷间」写尽车堕谷的谷间，以白描写尽车堕谷的谷间。其三，以写景写弹琴。「坐磐石之上」以写景写弹琴——那「弹五弦之琴」写尽弹五弦的之琴，以写景写尽弹五弦的之琴。其四，以问答写求道。「有何三老公」以问答写求道——那「卒来在我旁」写尽卒来在的旁，以问答写尽卒来在的旁。此外，此诗前写车堕谷的谷间，后写有何三老的公公，由难及道，正是行旅诗「以难写思」的写法。四重手法，使此诗以求道写行旅，写尽车堕谷的谷间与有何三老的公公，是曹操的代表作。又，此诗章法极富古意：「晨上散关山，此道当何难」与「有何三老公，卒来在我旁」两处重章叠唱，如乐府之「一唱三叹」；前半写实，以「牛顿不起，车堕谷间」白描行路之险，复以「坐磐石之上，弹五弦之琴」写途次遣怀，古直之中见雅韵；后半转入幻境，「负揜被裘，似非恒人」写仙翁之异相，「谓卿云何困苦以自怨」则仙人俯问，问得幽微、答得茫然，一实一幻、一艰一仙，正是曹操「以行路之难写求道之思」的独特构思。

Allusions

The most loaded phrase is 清角, the qingjiao mode - traditionally the most sorrowful of the pentatonic modes, and in the Hanfeizi the music that the Duke of Jin's court was forbidden to hear because it portends misfortune. Its use here makes the zither's sound a warning that the poet does not act on. 五弦之琴 is a five-stringed zither, an older and simpler instrument than the seven-stringed guqin, and its plainness suits the plainness of the poem. 歌以言志, 'I sing and thereby declare my wish', is Cao Cao's own formula, repeated at the end of his major poems, borrowed from the Classic of Documents and used as a signature. 三老公, the old man of three, and 负揜被裘, with a furred robe over his shoulders, build the figure of the strange old man who in later poetry becomes the immortal or the hermit. The asking of questions in the poem echoes the familiar framework of the visit to a recluse, though here the visit is not to a place but to a moment on the road.

此诗的用语深植于行旅与求道传统。「散关山」令人想到「散关山」写散关的意象——也令人想到「大散关」的意象；「何难」令人想到「何难」写何难的意象——也令人想到「蜀道之难，难于上青天」（李白）的意象；「牛顿不起」令人想到「牛顿不起」写牛困的意象——也令人想到「牛困人饥日已高」（白居易）的意象；「车堕谷间」令人想到「车堕谷间」写坠谷的意象——也令人想到「车坠山谷」的意象；「磐石」令人想到「磐石」写磐石的意象——也令人想到「磐石无转移」（《孔雀东南飞》）的意象；「五弦之琴」令人想到「五弦之琴」写琴的意象——也令人想到「五弦琴」的意象；「清角韵」令人想到「清角韵」写清角的意象——《韩非子》晋平公奏清角，也令人想到「清角之音」的意象；「迷烦」令人想到「迷烦」写迷烦的意象——也令人想到「意中迷烦」的意象；「歌以言志」令人想到「歌以言志」写言志的意象——也令人想到「幸甚至哉，歌以咏志」（曹操）的意象；「三老公」令人想到「三老公」写仙翁的意象——也令人想到「三老仙人」的意象；「负揜被裘」令人想到「负揜被裘」写仙装的意象——也令人想到「披裘负薪」的意象；「恒人」令人想到「恒人」写常人的意象——也令人想到「非常之人」的意象；「困苦以自怨」令人想到「困苦以自怨」写自怨的意象——也令人想到「自怨自艾」的意象；「徨徨」令人想到「徨徨」写彷徨的意象——也令人想到「彷徨歧路」的意象。全诗化用散关山、何难、牛顿不起、车堕谷间、磐石、五弦之琴、清角韵、迷烦、歌以言志、三老公、负揜被裘、恒人、困苦以自怨、徨徨的意象典故，以求道写行旅，正是曹操「气韵沉雄」而善复沓、承乐府传统写行旅之本领。

Commentary

The poem is one of the most admired of Cao Cao's shorter pieces, and critics have long noted how much it achieves with so little: no imagery of the ordinary kind, no argument, and a supernatural element that is never confirmed. Zhong Rong's verdict on Cao, '古直, and often pieces of bleak sadness', fits this poem unusually well; the plainness is deliberate and the sadness is not attached to anything in particular. It is customary to read it beside 'Kuhan Xing' (The Ballad of Severe Cold), which describes another mountain road - 'northward, up Taihang mountain, how perilous and high' - here the road is harder and the companion is a question rather than weather. Within the yuefu tradition this poem is important as an early example of the journey poem in which the road is inward as much as outward.

此诗历来被推为曹操行旅诗的名篇，也是建安诗写行路求道的代表。历代论者对此诗评价极高：钟嵘评曹操「曹公古直，甚有悲凉之句」，清人更评此诗「以求道写行旅，沉雄悲凉」；近人指出「晨上散关山，此道当何难」写此道当何的何难，是此诗的名句。在诗歌史上，此诗的特殊价值在于：它以乐府复沓写尽车堕谷的谷间与有何三老的公公——那晨上，那散关山，那此道，那当何难，那牛顿，那不起，那车堕，那谷间，那坐，那磐石之上，那弹，那五弦之琴，那作为，那清角韵，那意中，那迷烦，那歌以，那言志，那有何，那三老公，那卒来，那在我旁，那负揜，那被裘，那似非，那恒人，那谓卿，那云何，那困苦，那以自怨，那徨徨，那所欲，那来到，那此间，都写尽了曹操笔下的秋胡行其一；那「歌以言志」更以复沓写尽晨上散的关山。此诗与曹操《苦寒行》「北上太行山」同为行旅名篇，一写「艰哉何巍巍」的苦寒行，一写「此道当何难」的秋胡行；一写苦寒，一写迷途。两诗对读，可见曹操行旅诗的两面。对于今日读者，此诗是理解曹操行旅诗的窗口，也是建安诗写行路求道的经典——那有何三老的公公，穿越千年，仍在诉说着车堕谷的谷间。

Prosody

Form Yuefu ballad in mixed short lines — 'Qiuhu Xing'乐府·秋胡行

Rhyme Irregular throughout; the rhymes cluster on nan (难), jian (间), qin (琴), fan (烦), and elsewhere simply stop; the effect is of a poem that rhymes as it remembers to, which suits a poem whose whole subject is repetition.秋胡行，句多复沓，「晨上散关山」「有何三老公」两处重章叠唱

Tone pattern Plain and heavy, with no elevation. The words are chosen for their bluntness - the ox will not stand, the cart falls into the valley - and the poem's music is the music of a road being walked, not of a song being sung.此诗为乐府秋胡行，句多复沓，重章叠唱，音节沉雄，正合行旅的沉雄。

Reading note The prosody here is defined by the refrain rather than by the rhyme. Two whole lines are repeated without variation, and the poem's structure is heard rather than measured: each recurrence is marked by the return of the same words, which is why the poem seems tolling rather than developing. The line lengths are irregular, from five to eight syllables, and the rhymes are loose - a deliberate artlessness that distinguishes this piece from the more regular五言 of the same period. In recitation the two refrains must be spoken exactly as they were first spoken; any variation would destroy the poem. The final stanza should be slower than all that goes before it, and should end on the question rather than on an answer.此诗为乐府秋胡行——「晨上散关山，此道当何难！……坐磐石之上，弹五弦之琴。……有何三老公，卒来在我旁。……」，句多复沓，「晨上散关山」「有何三老公」两处重章叠唱，音节沉雄。全诗以求道写行旅：前写车堕谷的谷间（晨上散关山、牛顿不起），中写弹五弦的之琴（坐磐石之上、作为清角韵），后写有何三老的公公（有何三老公、负揜被裘）。乐府铺叙，前写行路之难，中写弹琴遣怀，后写仙人问答，以「歌以言志，有何三老公」写尽有何三老的公公，正见曹操「气韵沉雄」的本色。诵读此诗，宜以沉雄的语调读「此道当何难」的行路之难，以古直的语调读「弹五弦之琴」的弹琴，结句要读得沉雄而有余韵，方能传达出曹操的悲凉沉雄。曹操乐府以「气韵沉雄」著称，此诗正是其行旅诗的典范。

Line by line

晨上散关山，此道当何难

At dawn I ascend Shan Guan mountain - what a hard road this is!

晨上散关山，此道当何难！

At dawn I climb Mount Sanguan; how hard is this road!

此二句是全诗写行路之难的核心，以晨上散关山写散关山，以此道当何难写何难，写尽此道当何的何难，是千古名句。「晨上散关山」写晨上散关山——那「晨上」写晨上，「散关山」写散关山，写尽晨上的散关山；「此道当何难」写此道当何难——那「此道」写此道，「当何难」写当何难，写尽此道的当何难。这句的深意在于：它以「晨上散关山」的散关山与「此道当何难」的何难，写尽此道当何的何难——晨上散关山，那「晨上散关山」写尽晨上的散关山——晨上散关山，正是清晨上关的写照，那「散关山」写尽此道当何的何难；此道当何难，那「此道当何难」写尽此道的当何难——此道当何难，正是此道多难的写照，那「何难」写尽此道当何的何难；那「晨上散关山」写尽晨上的散关山，那「此道当何难」写尽此道的当何难，一写散关山，一写何难，写尽此道当何的何难——晨上散关而此道多难，正是行路之难的写照；此二句以散关山、何难写尽此道当何的何难，也为下文的牛顿作铺垫，也让此二句成为全诗写行路之难的核心与千古名句。若换作直说「清晨登上散关山，这路多么难行」，则失其沉雄；唯以「晨上散关山」写散关山、「此道当何难」写何难，写尽此道当何的何难，也让此二句成为全诗写行路之难的核心。

The two lines are the core of the poem on the difficulty of the road, writing Mount Sanguan through at dawn I climb Mount Sanguan and the how-hard through how hard is this road!, exhausting the road's hardship. At dawn I climb Mount Sanguan is precisely the picture of the dawn ascent of the pass; how hard is this road! precisely the picture of the road's many hardships. The deep meaning: climbing Sanguan at dawn and the road's hardship, precisely the picture of the journey's toil. One writes the mountain, one the hardship, exhausting the difficulty. Were it said plainly at dawn climbing Mount Sanguan, how hard the road, the somber strength would be lost; only through the dawn ascent and the how-hard is the road's hardship exhausted, preparing the later ox and making the lines the core of the poem.

坐磐石之上，弹五弦之琴

I sit on a great boulder playing a five-stringed zither.

坐磐石之上，弹五弦之琴。

I sit upon the great rock and play the five-stringed lute.

此二句是全诗写弹琴的核心，以坐磐石之上写磐石之上，以弹五弦之琴写五弦之琴，写尽弹五弦的之琴，是千古名句。「坐磐石之上」写坐磐石之上——那「坐」写坐，「磐石之上」写磐石之上，写尽坐的磐石之上；「弹五弦之琴」写弹五弦之琴——那「弹」写弹，「五弦之琴」写五弦之琴，写尽弹的五弦之琴。这句的深意在于：它以「坐磐石之上」的磐石之上与「弹五弦之琴」的五弦之琴，写尽弹五弦的之琴——坐磐石之上，那「坐磐石之上」写尽坐的磐石之上——坐磐石之上，正是磐石独坐的写照，那「磐石之上」写尽弹五弦的之琴；弹五弦之琴，那「弹五弦之琴」写尽弹的五弦之琴——弹五弦之琴，正是弹琴自遣的写照，那「五弦之琴」写尽弹五弦的之琴；那「坐磐石之上」写尽坐的磐石之上，那「弹五弦之琴」写尽弹的五弦之琴，一写磐石之上，一写五弦之琴，写尽弹五弦的之琴——磐石独坐而弹琴自遣，正是行旅的写照；此二句以磐石之上、五弦之琴写尽弹五弦的之琴，也为下文的清角韵作铺垫，也让此二句成为全诗写弹琴的核心与千古名句。若换作直说「坐在磐石上，弹着五弦琴」，则失其古直；唯以「坐磐石之上」写磐石之上、「弹五弦之琴」写五弦之琴，写尽弹五弦的之琴，也让此二句成为全诗写弹琴的核心。

The two lines are the core of the poem's lute-playing, writing the great rock through I sit upon the great rock and the five-stringed lute through and play the five-stringed lute, exhausting the playing of the five strings. I sit upon the great rock is precisely the picture of the lone sitting on the boulder; and play the five-stringed lute precisely the picture of playing to console oneself. The deep meaning: sitting alone on the rock and playing the lute to while away the road, precisely the picture of the journey. One writes the rock, one the lute, exhausting the playing. Were it said plainly sitting on a boulder, playing the five-stringed lute, the archaic plainness would be lost; only through the rock and the five strings is the playing exhausted, preparing the later clear-tune passage and making the lines the core of the poem.

Study

Word focus

难 In 'what a hard road this is', the adjective 难 means difficult or hard, and the exclamation gives it the poet's voice rather than a surveyor's report. It is the simplest word in the poem and the one the poem is built on - the refrain repeats it, and the poem's whole situation is a road judged difficult and still taken. 「此道当何难」之「难」字是写行路之难关键词，一个「难」字写尽此道的当何难。难者，艰难、险难也。曹操以「此道当何难」写行路之难，这个「难」字至少有双重意味：其一，写道之难——那「此道当何难」写此道当何难，那「难」字写尽此道的当何难——何难，正是此道多难的写照，那「难」字写尽此道的当何难；其二，写情之慨——那「难」字更是写慨——难，正见行路艰险的意味，那「难」字写尽曹操的感慨。以「难」字写行路之难，正是曹操写求道的枢纽——若换作「险」「艰」等字，则或失其与「此道当何难」「晨上散关山」的配合，或失其写难的意味；唯「难」字，以此道当何难写尽此道之艰险与行路之感慨，与「晨上散关山」的散关山相合，写尽此道的当何难，也让「此道当何难」成为全诗写行路之难的名句。

琴 In 'playing a five-stringed zither', the noun 琴 is the zither generally; the five strings mark the older, plainer instrument, played here on a boulder beside a broken cart. Its plainness is the poet's point: the only music available on this road is the simplest there is. 「弹五弦之琴」之「琴」字是写弹琴关键词，一个「琴」字写尽弹的五弦之琴。琴者，五弦琴、七弦琴也。曹操以「弹五弦之琴」写弹琴，这个「琴」字至少有双重意味：其一，写琴之五弦——那「弹五弦之琴」写弹五弦之琴，那「琴」字写尽弹的五弦之琴——五弦之琴，正是五弦古琴的写照，那「琴」字写尽弹的五弦之琴；其二，写情之寄——那「琴」字更是写寄——琴，正见弹琴寄意的意味，那「琴」字写尽曹操的迷烦。以「琴」字写弹琴，正是曹操写行旅的枢纽——若换作「瑟」「筝」等字，则或失其与「弹五弦之琴」「坐磐石之上」的配合，或失其写琴的意味；唯「琴」字，以弹五弦之琴写尽弹琴之雅与寄意之深，与「坐磐石之上」的磐石之上相合，写尽弹的五弦之琴，也让「弹五弦之琴」成为全诗写弹琴的名句。