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宋 Song · 诗 Poem

书愤二首·其二

Booked Resentment, Second of Two

陆游

Lu You

爱国Patriotism 壮志Lofty Aspiration 感慨Lament

镜里流年两鬓残，寸心自许尚如丹。
衰迟罢试戎衣窄，悲愤犹争宝剑寒。
远戍十年临的博，壮图万里战皋兰。
关河自古无穷事，谁料如今袖手看。

In the mirror, the flowing years — my two temples are grizzled;
yet this inch of heart I pledge to myself remains still like cinnabar.
Declining and slow, I have given up trying on my warrior's coat — too narrow now;
yet grief and wrath still contend with the cold brightness of my precious sword.
Far garrisoned ten years, I faced the Bo battlefield;
with grand designs for ten thousand li, I fought at Gaolan.
The passes and rivers since ancient times have endless affairs;
who could have foreseen that now I stand with hands in sleeves, merely watching.

Listen

Meaning

In the mirror the years have whitened his temples, yet his heart remains red as cinnabar. Too old now to don his warrior's coat, he still feels grief and wrath contend with the cold of his sword. He recalls the past — ten years garrisoned at the Bo front, grand designs fought out at Gaolan. And yet, as the passes and rivers still brim with endless affairs of state, who could have thought he would now stand with hands in his sleeves, only watching? It is a concentrated cry of unfulfilled patriotism.

镜中照见流年虚度，两鬓已经残白，一寸丹心仍自许如丹，始终未改。年老迟钝，不再试穿戎衣（戎衣已窄，无法再着），悲愤之情犹在，争看剑锋的寒光。当年远戍十年，兵临的博（地名），怀着壮图，万里征战皋兰（地名）。关河自古就有无穷的战事，谁料如今却只能袖手旁观。

Appreciation

A poem from Lu You's old age (1186, aged 62, retired at Shanyin), the second of his two Booked Resentment lyrics. It contrasts the white-haired present with the unaltered red heart, the abandoned coat with the still-burning wrath, and the remembered campaigns with the present helpless watching. The closing 'who could have foreseen that now I stand with hands in sleeves, merely watching' is a line for the ages — the very essence of unfulfilled loyalty. Somber, stirring, and deeply moving, it is a representative work of his patriotic verse.

【白话串讲】陆游写《书愤二首·其二》：“镜里流年两鬓残，寸心自许尚如丹”——“衰迟罢试戎衣窄，悲愤犹争宝剑寒”——“远戍十年临的博，壮图万里战皋兰”——“关河自古无穷事，谁料如今袖手看”——他叹如今只能袖手旁观。【意象与手法】此诗是陆游《书愤二首》的第二首，写年老身衰而壮志未酬的悲愤，是陆游爱国主义诗的名篇。首联「镜里流年两鬓残，寸心自许尚如丹」写老境与丹心——镜中流年虚度、两鬓已残，而那「寸心自许尚如丹」写一寸丹心仍自许如丹（丹心未改）；颔联「衰迟罢试戎衣窄，悲愤犹争宝剑寒」写年老罢武与悲愤——年老迟钝，不再试穿戎衣（「罢试戎衣」写不再着戎装试身），那「悲愤犹争宝剑寒」写悲愤犹在，争看剑锋的寒光（「争」写与剑争寒，写悲愤的激烈）；颈联「远戍十年临的博，壮图万里战皋兰」追忆当年的从军——那「远戍十年」写远戍十年，「临的博」写兵临的博（地名，在今甘肃），那「壮图万里」写壮图万里，「战皋兰」写征战皋兰（地名，在今甘肃），追忆当年的壮举；尾联「关河自古无穷事，谁料如今袖手看」写壮志未酬的悲愤——那关河自古就有无穷的战事，谁料如今却只能袖手旁观，那「袖手看」写尽壮志难酬的悲愤，是千古名句。全诗以「两鬓残」「尚如丹」写老境丹心，以「罢试戎衣」「悲愤争剑」写年老悲愤，以「远戍的博」「壮图皋兰」追忆壮举，以「谁料袖手看」写尽壮志未酬的悲愤，沉郁悲壮，是陆游爱国主义诗的名篇。【情感与主旨】此诗作于南宋孝宗淳熙十三年（1186），时陆游六十二岁，闲居山阴。陆游一生主张抗金收复中原，早年曾投身军旅（乾道八年入四川宣抚使王炎幕府，在南郑前线），却屡遭排挤，壮志难酬。《书愤二首》是陆游晚年回顾生平、抒发愤慨的组诗（其一「白发萧萧卧泽中」另见，其一为「早岁那知世事艰」或为另一组，此为其二）。那「镜里流年两鬓残，寸心自许尚如丹」写老境已至而丹心未改，那「衰迟罢试戎衣窄，悲愤犹争宝剑寒」写年老罢武而悲愤犹存，那「远戍十年临的博，壮图万里战皋兰」追忆当年从军的壮举，那「关河自古无穷事，谁料如今袖手看」写尽壮志未酬的悲愤——当年远戍征战，如今只能袖手旁观，正是陆游一生壮志难酬的写照。全诗以「谁料如今袖手看」写尽悲愤，沉郁顿挫，是陆游爱国主义诗的代表作。【名句点睛】常考“镜里流年两鬓残，寸心自许尚如丹”写流年已老而丹心未改；“关河自古无穷事，谁料如今袖手看”写如今只能袖手旁观的悲愤。

Background

Second of Lu You's two Booked Resentment poems, written in the thirteenth year of Chunxi (1186) when he was 62 and living in retirement at Shanyin. Lu You, style-name Wu Guan, art-name Fang Weng, was the great patriotic poet of the Southern Song. He advocated recovering the Central Plains and once served in the frontier staff under Wang Yan at Nanzheng, but was repeatedly sidelined and long retired. The poem's lines — mirror's grizzled temples, heart still like cinnabar, too old for the warrior coat, grief contending with the sword's cold, ten years at the Bo front, grand designs at Gaolan, the passes' endless affairs, hands in sleeves watching — express the resentment of a patriot aged and unfulfilled.

此诗是陆游《书愤二首》的第二首，作于南宋孝宗淳熙十三年（1186），时陆游六十二岁，闲居山阴（今浙江绍兴）。陆游（1125—1210），字务观，号放翁，越州山阴人，南宋伟大的爱国主义诗人。他一生主张抗金、收复中原，乾道八年（1172）曾入四川宣抚使王炎幕府，在南郑（今陕西汉中）前线参与军务，度过了他一生中最壮怀激烈的岁月，后因王炎被调离而返。此后陆游屡遭排挤，长期闲居山阴。《书愤二首》是陆游晚年回顾生平、抒发愤慨的组诗，作于淳熙十三年，时陆游被罢官闲居。诗中「镜里流年两鬓残」写镜中照见流年虚度、两鬓已残；「寸心自许尚如丹」写一寸丹心仍自许如丹（丹心未改）；「衰迟罢试戎衣窄」写年老迟钝、不再试穿戎衣（戎衣已窄，无法再着，写年老身衰）；「悲愤犹争宝剑寒」写悲愤犹在，争看剑锋的寒光（「争」写与剑争寒，写悲愤的激烈）；「远戍十年临的博」追忆当年远戍十年、兵临的博（的博，地名，在今甘肃临潭一带，陆游在蜀中时曾涉足）；「壮图万里战皋兰」写壮图万里、征战皋兰（皋兰，地名，在今甘肃兰州一带，为古战场）；「关河自古无穷事」写关河自古就有无穷的战事；「谁料如今袖手看」写谁料如今却只能袖手旁观。全诗写年老身衰而壮志未酬的悲愤，是陆游爱国主义诗的代表作。

Art

Four levels: First, the contrast of old age against the red heart — 'temples grizzled' against 'still like cinnabar,' using decline to set off unwavering loyalty. Second, writing wrath through 'contend' — 'grief and wrath still contend with the cold sword,' the verb showing undimmed fervor. Third, recalling the past campaigns — 'ten years at the Bo front, grand designs at Gaolan' — to contrast with the present abandonment. Fourth, closing with 'hands in sleeves watching' — the image of helplessness that condenses all unfulfilled aspiration. The four moves build to a somber, stirring whole.

此诗的艺术特色可从四个层面解析。其一，以老境反衬丹心的构思。首联「镜里流年两鬓残，寸心自许尚如丹」以老境（两鬓残）反衬丹心（尚如丹）——那「两鬓残」写老之已至，那「尚如丹」写丹心未改，以老境反衬丹心，写尽烈士暮年的壮心。其二，以「争」写悲愤。颔联「衰迟罢试戎衣窄，悲愤犹争宝剑寒」以「争」字写悲愤的激烈——那「罢试戎衣」写年老罢武（不再试穿戎衣），那「悲愤犹争宝剑寒」写悲愤犹在、与剑争寒，「争」字写尽悲愤的激烈与壮志未泯。其三，以追忆写壮举。颈联「远戍十年临的博，壮图万里战皋兰」追忆当年的从军壮举——那「远戍十年」「壮图万里」写当年远戍征战，那「临的博」「战皋兰」写当年的战地，以追忆写壮举，与今日的罢试形成对照。其四，以「袖手看」写悲愤。尾联「关河自古无穷事，谁料如今袖手看」以「袖手看」写壮志未酬的悲愤——那「关河自古无穷事」写关河自古战事无穷（正需英雄之时），那「谁料如今袖手看」写谁料如今却只能袖手旁观，「袖手看」写尽壮志难酬的悲愤，是千古名句。四重手法层层递进，使这首咏怀诗写尽年老身衰而壮志未酬的悲愤，正是陆游爱国主义诗沉郁顿挫的本领。

Allusions

The diction draws on the tradition of history and loyalty. 'In the mirror' evokes Li Bai's bright mirror grieves white hair and Du Fu's thick frost on the temples. 'Heart like cinnabar' evokes Wen Tianxiang's 'leave a loyal heart to shine in the annals' and 'my heart a magnetic needle.' 'Warrior's coat' evokes the iron clothes of Mulan and Du Fu. 'Precious sword' evokes Jia Dao's 'ten years I ground a sword' and Xin Qiji's 'lamp-lit, I examine the sword drunk.' 'The Bo front' and 'Gaolan' are real border place-names evoking the martial tradition. 'Passes and rivers' evokes Liu Yong and Mulan. 'Hands in sleeves' evokes the idiom of standing by and the 'no one understands me' of Li Sao. The poem adapts these to write unfulfilled patriotic resentment.

此诗的用语深植于历史与忠义传统。「镜里流年两鬓残」写老境——那「镜里」令人想到「高堂明镜悲白发，朝如青丝暮成雪」（李白《将进酒》）的明镜悲发意象，也令人想到「艰难苦恨繁霜鬓」（杜甫《登高》）的繁霜鬓意象；「寸心自许尚如丹」写丹心——那「丹心」令人想到「留取丹心照汗青」（文天祥《过零丁洋》）的丹心意象，也令人想到「臣心一片磁针石，不指南方不肯休」（文天祥《扬子江》）的忠义传统；「衰迟罢试戎衣窄」写年老罢武——那「戎衣」令人想到「朔气传金柝，寒光照铁衣」（《木兰诗》）的铁衣意象，也令人想到「初闻涕泪满衣裳」（杜甫《闻官军收河南河北》）的衣裳意象，「戎衣窄」写年老不复着戎装；「悲愤犹争宝剑寒」写悲愤争剑——那「宝剑」令人想到「十年磨一剑，霜刃未曾试」（贾岛《剑客》）的剑意象，也令人想到「醉里挑灯看剑」（辛弃疾《破阵子》）的看剑意象，「争宝剑寒」写与剑争寒、壮心未泯；「远戍十年临的博」写远戍的博——那「的博」是地名（今甘肃临潭一带，为蜀中与吐蕃交界之地），令人想到「铁马秋风大散关」（陆游《书愤》）的征战意象，也令人想到「报君黄金台上意，提携玉龙为君死」（李贺《雁门太守行》）的报国传统；「壮图万里战皋兰」写征战皋兰——那「皋兰」是地名（今甘肃兰州一带，古战场），令人想到「五月天山雪，无花只有寒」（李白《塞下曲》）的边塞征战意象，也令人想到「男儿何不带吴钩，收取关山五十州」（李贺《南园》）的从军传统；「关河自古无穷事」写关河战事——那「关河」令人想到「关河冷落，残照当楼」（柳永《八声甘州》）的关河意象，也令人想到「关山度若飞」（《木兰诗》）的关山意象；「谁料如今袖手看」写袖手旁观——那「袖手」令人想到「袖手旁观」的成语，也令人想到「国无人莫我知兮」（《楚辞·离骚》）的无人识才传统。全诗化用李白、杜甫、辛弃疾、文天祥等历史与忠义的意象，以咏怀写壮志未酬的悲愤，正是陆游「以典写愤」的本领。

Commentary

Long esteemed as a masterpiece of Lu You's patriotic verse and a classic of the unfulfilled-aspiration lyric. Qing critics called it somber and stirring, loyalty and wrath overflowing. The special value: it writes, through self-reflection, the resentment of aged yet unfulfilled patriotism — the grizzled temples against the red heart, the abandoned coat against the contending wrath, the recalled campaigns against the present watching. 'Who could have foreseen' conveys unforeseen grief; 'hands in sleeves' the pain of able-but-unused. 'Heart still like cinnabar' against 'hands in sleeves watching' sharpens the contrast. Alongside Booked Resentment (first poem) and To My Sons, it is a representative work. For readers today it is a window onto Lu You's unfulfilled loyalty — the grizzled temples, the cinnabar heart, the watching hands still speak across the ages.

此诗历来被推为陆游爱国主义诗的名篇，也是中国咏怀诗写壮志难酬的经典。历代论者对此诗评价极高：清人评此诗「沉郁悲壮，忠愤之气溢于言表」；近人更指出「关河自古无穷事，谁料如今袖手看」是千古名句，写尽了陆游壮志难酬的悲愤。在文学史上，此诗的特殊价值在于：它以咏怀写出了陆游年老身衰而壮志未酬的悲愤——那「镜里流年两鬓残，寸心自许尚如丹」写老境已至而丹心未改，那「衰迟罢试戎衣窄，悲愤犹争宝剑寒」写年老罢武而悲愤犹存，那「远戍十年临的博，壮图万里战皋兰」追忆当年从军的壮举，那「关河自古无穷事，谁料如今袖手看」写尽壮志未酬的悲愤——当年远戍征战、壮图万里，如今却只能袖手旁观，那「谁料」二字写尽意料之外的悲愤，那「袖手看」三字写尽有志难酬的痛楚；那「寸心自许尚如丹」与「谁料如今袖手看」的对照，更写尽丹心未改而壮志难酬的悲愤。诗中「关河自古无穷事，谁料如今袖手看」「寸心自许尚如丹」都是千古名句。此诗与《书愤》（「早岁那知世事艰」）同为陆游《书愤》诗的名篇，一写早岁壮志，一写老境悲愤；又与《示儿》（「但悲不见九州同」）同为陆游爱国主义诗的代表作。对于今日读者，此诗是理解陆游壮志难酬的窗口，也是中国诗歌写爱国情怀的经典——那两鬓的残白、如丹的寸心、袖手看的悲愤，穿越千年，仍在诉说着陆游至老不改的赤诚与壮志难酬的悲愤。

Prosody

Form Seven-character regulated verse (oblique-ending opening, level-tone close, first line rhymes)七言律诗（仄起平收，首句入韵）

Rhyme Rhymes with the level-tone han rhyme (grizzled, cinnabar, cold, Gaolan, watch), one rhyme throughout, deep and low, suiting the somber unfulfillment.全诗押平声寒韵（残、丹、寒、兰、看），一韵到底，韵音深沉，正合壮志难酬的沉郁。

Tone pattern A seven-character regulated verse of eight lines, fifty-six characters, level-tone rhyme. Four couplets: opening on old age and red heart; second on aged abandonment and wrath; third recalls past campaigns; closing on unfulfilled resentment. The words 'given up,' 'still contend,' 'who could have foreseen' carry the grief; the rhythm is somber and checked, fitting the resentment.此诗为七言律诗，八句五十六字，押平声韵。全诗按内容可分为四联：首联写老境与丹心（镜里流年两鬓残、寸心自许尚如丹）；颔联写年老罢武与悲愤（衰迟罢试戎衣窄、悲愤犹争宝剑寒）；颈联追忆当年壮举（远戍十年临的博、壮图万里战皋兰）；尾联写壮志未酬的悲愤（关河自古无穷事、谁料如今袖手看）。声调上，全诗以「罢试」「犹争」「谁料」等词写悲愤，节奏沉郁顿挫，正合壮志难酬的悲愤。

Reading note A masterpiece of regulated-verse self-reflection, setting old age against red heart, recalling campaigns, closing with hands-in-sleeves watching — Lu You's somber, stirring gift. Four couplets: opening on old age and red heart; second on aged abandonment and wrath; third on past campaigns; closing on unfulfilled resentment. The 'heart still like cinnabar' and 'who could have foreseen hands in sleeves watching' carry the deep meaning. Read the opening and second couplets in a somber tone, the third with stirring vigor, the close with grief — especially the last couplet, with grief and pain, to convey his unfulfilled loyalty.此诗是七言律诗咏怀的名篇，以老境反衬丹心、以追忆写壮举、以袖手看写悲愤，正是陆游爱国主义诗沉郁顿挫的本领。全诗四联：首联写老境丹心（镜里流年两鬓残、寸心自许尚如丹），颔联写年老悲愤（衰迟罢试戎衣窄、悲愤犹争宝剑寒），颈联追忆壮举（远戍十年临的博、壮图万里战皋兰），尾联写壮志难酬（关河自古无穷事、谁料如今袖手看）。声调上，全诗节奏沉郁顿挫，那「寸心自许尚如丹」的丹心、「谁料如今袖手看」的悲愤，正是陆游写壮志难酬的深意。诵读此诗，宜以沉郁的语调读首颔联的老境悲愤，以激昂的语调读颈联的当年壮举，以悲愤的语调读尾联的袖手看，尤其「关河自古无穷事，谁料如今袖手看」两句，要读得悲愤而沉痛，方能传达出陆游壮志难酬的情怀。陆游诗以爱国著称，此诗正是其爱国主义诗的代表作。

Line by line

镜里流年两鬓残，寸心自许尚如丹。

In the mirror the flowing years have grizzled my two temples; this inch of heart I pledge to myself remains still like cinnabar. (A famous line using old age to set off unwavering loyalty: the mirror shows whitened temples, yet the heart stays red as cinnabar — 'self-pledged' reveals the inner constancy that age cannot shake, the root of his unbroken loyalty to the realm.)

镜中照见流年虚度、两鬓已残，那一寸丹心仍自许如丹，始终未改。

In the mirror the fleeting years, two temples worn thin; yet my inch of loyal heart still vows itself crimson as cinnabar.

这句是写老境与丹心的名句，以老境反衬丹心，写尽烈士暮年的壮心，沉郁而悲壮。「镜里流年两鬓残」写镜中流年虚度、两鬓已残——那「镜里」写照镜自视，那「流年」写时光流逝，那「两鬓残」写两鬓斑白、老之已至；「寸心自许尚如丹」写一寸丹心仍自许如丹——那「寸心」写一寸之心（寸心即赤心、忠心），那「自许」写自我期许，那「尚如丹」写仍如丹砂般赤红（丹心未改）。这句的深意在于：它以「镜里流年两鬓残」写老境之至——那镜中照见的流年与残鬓，写尽时光的流逝与老之已至，正是「艰难苦恨繁霜鬓」（杜甫《登高》）的悲慨；以「寸心自许尚如丹」写丹心之未改——那「自许」写内心的自我期许，那「尚如丹」写丹心未改，正以老境反衬丹心——纵使两鬓已残、流年虚度，那一寸丹心仍自许如丹；那「两鬓残」与「尚如丹」的对照，写尽烈士暮年、壮心不已的情怀。而那「自许」二字，更写尽陆游内心的坚守——不因老境而改其志，正是不忘报国的根基。以「两鬓残」写老境、以「尚如丹」写丹心，正是陆游以老境反衬丹心的本领，也让这句成为写烈士暮年的名句。

This line is the old-age-and-loyal-heart famous line, using the old age for the loyal heart's setting off, exhausting the martyr's late years' stirring heart, the somber and yet solemn. In-the-mirror-the-fleeting-years-two-temples-worn-thin writing the mirror's self-gazing, the fleeting time's passing, and the two temples' whiteness and old age's arrival; my-inch-of-loyal-heart-still-vows-itself-crimson-as-cinnabar writing the inch heart (the inch heart i.e. the red heart and loyal heart), the self-expectation, and the still-crimson like cinnabar (the loyal heart unchanged). This line's deep meaning: using the in-the-mirror-fleeting-years-and-temples-worn-thin for the old-age's arrival — the mirror's seen fleeting years and worn temples, exhausting the time's passing and the old age's arrival, precisely Du Fu's the-hardships-and-bitter-grief's-loaded-frosted-temples grief (Climbing the Height); using the inch-heart-self-vow-still-crimson for the loyal-heart's unchanged — the self-expectation writing the heart's self-expectation, the still-crimson writing the loyal heart's unchanged, precisely the old-age's setting-off-of-the-loyal-heart — even though the temples worn thin and the years frittered, that inch of loyal heart still vows itself crimson; the temples-worn-thin and the still-crimson contrast, exhausting the martyr's late years and the stirring-will's-unceasing feeling. And the self-expectation two words, the more exhausting Lu You's heart's insistence — not changing the will through the old age, precisely the country-service-remembrance's root. Using the temples-worn-thin for the old age and the still-crimson for the loyal heart, precisely Lu You's old-age-sets-off-loyal-heart craft, making this line the martyr's-late-years famous line.

关河自古无穷事，谁料如今袖手看。

The passes and rivers since ancient times have endless affairs; who could have foreseen that now I stand with hands in sleeves, merely watching. (The poem's finishing line: the passes still teem with affairs of state needing heroes, yet he can only watch — 'who could have foreseen' conveys unforeseen grief, 'hands in sleeves' the pain of able-but-unused. The contrast between endless affairs and helpless watching condenses a lifetime's regret.)

关河自古就有无穷的战事，谁料如今却只能袖手旁观。

The passes and rivers have known endless affairs since old; who could have dreamed that now I stand by, hands idle?

这句是全诗的点睛之笔，也是千古名句，以「袖手看」写尽壮志未酬的悲愤，沉郁而悲壮。「关河自古无穷事」写关河自古就有无穷的战事——那「关河」写关塞河山（借指祖国山河与边塞），那「无穷事」写无穷的战事——自古至今，关河之上战事无穷，正是需要英雄之时；「谁料如今袖手看」写谁料如今却只能袖手旁观——那「谁料」写谁曾料到（意料之外的悲愤），那「袖手看」写袖手旁观（两手笼袖，旁观战事而不得参与）。这句的深意在于：它以「关河自古无穷事」写战事的无穷——那关河之上自古就有无穷的战事，正是英雄用武之时，那「无穷事」写尽国事的艰危与关河的多事；以「谁料如今袖手看」写壮志未酬的悲愤——那「谁料」写尽意料之外的愤慨（当年远戍征战，谁料如今竟只能袖手旁观），那「袖手看」三字写尽有志难酬的痛楚——不是不想战，而是不能战、不得战，只能袖手旁观；那「自古无穷事」与「如今袖手看」的对照，写尽陆游一生的遗恨——当年壮图万里，如今壮志难酬。以「无穷事」写国事、以「袖手看」写悲愤，正是陆游爱国主义诗的本领，也让这句成为写壮志难酬的千古名句。

This line is the whole poem's telling stroke, and a line through the ages, using the hands-idle-stand-by for the unstirred-will's grief and indignation, the somber and yet solemn. The-passes-and-rivers-have-known-endless-affairs-since-old writing the passes and rivers (metonymy for the motherland's mountains and the frontier), and the endless affairs — since old to now, the passes-and-rivers' endless warfare, precisely the hero's-needed time; who-could-have-dreamed-that-now-I-stand-by-hands-idle writing the who-could-have-dreamed (the unexpected grief-indignation), and the hands-idle-stand-by (the arms folded in sleeves, watching the warfare and yet unable to join). This line's deep meaning: using the passes-and-rivers'-endless-affairs for the warfare's endlessness — the passes-and-rivers' since-old endless warfare, precisely the hero's battle-field time, the endless affairs exhausting the national affairs' hardship and the passes' troubles; using the who-could-have-dreamed-now-I-stand-by for the unstirred-will's grief-indignation — the who-could-have-dreamed exhausting the unexpected indignation (that year's far-garrison and campaigning, who dreamed now the only hands-idle standing by), the hands-idle-stand-by three characters exhausting the will's hard-to-fulfill pain — not the not-wanting-to-fight, and yet the unable-to-fight and the forbidden-to-fight, only the hands-idle standing by; the since-old-endless-affairs and the now-hands-idle-stand-by contrast, exhausting Lu You's whole-life unfulfilled regret — that year's grand plan ten thousand li, today's stirring-will's hard-to-fulfill. Using the endless-affairs for the national affairs and the hands-idle-stand-by for the grief-indignation, precisely Lu You's patriotic poetry craft, making this line the unstirred-will famous line through the ages.

Study

Word focus

丹 Cinnabar / vermilion red. The word of loyalty: 'this inch of heart I pledge remains still like cinnabar' — cinnabar denotes the pure red of a loyal heart, the traditional 'loyal heart' (dan-xin) image. It also means the heart unchanged: though temples grizzle, the heart stays red. Only 'cinnabar' carries both the hue and the allusion; 'red' or 'vermilion' would lose the loyal-heart echo. 「丹」字是写忠心的关键字，一个「丹」字写尽赤诚之心，是「寸心自许尚如丹」的词眼。丹者，丹砂、赤红也。陆游以「寸心自许尚如丹」写忠心，一个「丹」字，至少有双重意味：其一，写赤心之赤——那「丹」写丹砂之赤红，那「尚如丹」写寸心仍如丹砂般赤红，那「丹」字写尽忠心的赤诚——如丹砂般纯粹的赤诚，是「丹心」的传统意象（文天祥「留取丹心照汗青」）；其二，写丹心之未改——那「自许尚如丹」写自我期许仍如丹，「丹」字写尽丹心的不变——纵使两鬓残、流年逝，丹心仍如丹，那「丹」字写尽陆游至老不改的赤诚。以「丹」字写心，正是陆游写忠心的关键——若换作「赤」「红」等字，则或失其「丹心」的典故，或失其「如丹」的比喻；唯「丹」字，以一字写尽赤诚之心与丹心未改，与「两鬓残」相合，以老境反衬丹心，写尽烈士暮年的壮心，也让「镜里流年两鬓残，寸心自许尚如丹」成为写忠心的名句。

袖 Sleeve / hands in sleeves. The word of unfulfilled aspiration: 'who could have foreseen that now I stand with hands in sleeves, merely watching' — 'sleeves' means tucking the hands into the sleeves, the posture of a bystander. It conveys both the stance of powerless watching and the fierce grief that, after campaigns past, he can now only stand by. Only 'sleeve' carries the idiom and the pain; 'idle' or 'bystander' would lose the image with 'watch.' 「袖」字是写壮志难酬的关键字，一个「袖」字写尽袖手旁观的悲愤，是「谁料如今袖手看」的词眼。袖者，衣袖也，「袖手」即把手笼在袖里（旁观之态）。陆游以「谁料如今袖手看」写壮志未酬，一个「袖」字，至少有双重意味：其一，写旁观之态——那「袖手看」写袖手旁观（两手笼袖，旁观战事而不得参与），「袖」字写尽陆游如今的处境——不是征战沙场，而是袖手旁观，那「袖手」写尽有志难酬的无奈；其二，写悲愤之激烈——那「谁料如今袖手看」以「袖手」写悲愤——当年远戍征战、壮图万里，谁料如今竟只能袖手旁观，那「袖手」写尽意料之外的悲愤与痛楚，也暗含「国家养士，何以报之」的愤慨。以「袖」字写旁观，正是陆游写壮志难酬的关键——若换作「闲」「旁」等字，则或失其「袖手」的成语意象，或失其与「看」的搭配；唯「袖」字，以一字写尽袖手旁观的无奈与悲愤，与「谁料」相合，写尽壮志难酬的遗恨，也让「关河自古无穷事，谁料如今袖手看」成为写壮志难酬的千古名句。