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宋 Song · 诗 Poem

重送赵参

A Second Farewell to Zhao Can

张方平

Zhang Fangping

山水Landscape 咏史Historical Reflection

参也堂堂气拂云，十年策蹇四方尘。
覊穷自古有元叔，精鉴观今少法真。
骥在驽群殊有态，龙初鱼服未能神。
君看渭曲傅岩事，天困斯人必有因。

O Can, thy grand mien brushes the clouds,
Ten years a lame mule through the dust of all four lands.
Distress has ever had its Yuan Shu since ancient days,
And in viewing men today, we lack a Fa Zhen.
A steed among a herd of nags still shows its special grace,
A dragon in fish's garb cannot yet reveal its godhood.
Look at the Wei's bend and the Fu Rock affair—
When Heaven straitens such a man, there must be a cause.

Listen

Meaning

The poem expresses deep sympathy for Zhao Can's long failure to find advancement despite his exceptional talents, and offers a consoling conviction that Heaven's trials of such men always have a deeper purpose. It urges patience and faith in destined recognition.

赵参啊你气宇堂堂如云拂天，十年间骑着跛驴奔走于四方风尘。困穷自古便有赵壹元叔那样的人物，精当的鉴别观照今世却少见法真那样的知人。千里骥混在驽马群里自有不凡的仪态，蛟龙初化鱼服尚不能显其神通。你看那渭水之曲、傅岩之事，上天困顿这等人必有其缘由。

Appreciation

The opening couplet praises Zhao's dignified presence and contrasts it with ten years of wandering. Historical exemplars (Yuan Shu, Fa Zhen) frame his hardship and the dearth of discerning minds. A pair of striking metaphors—a fine steed among nags, a dragon in fish guise—depict his hidden brilliance. The conclusion points to Jiang Shang and Fu Yue, affirming that Heaven's hardship precedes great appointment.

【白话串讲】张方平再送赵参：“参也堂堂气拂云，十年策蹇四方尘”——赵参奔波十年。“骥在驽群殊有态”——“君看渭曲傅岩事，天困斯人必有因”——他劝朋友：天要磨炼你，必有原因。【意象与手法】通篇以对比与用典立骨：堂堂对蹇滞、骥对驽、龙对鱼，复以赵壹、法真、渭曲、傅岩四典，把个人遭际纳入「天将降大任」的历史范式，结以「天困斯人必有因」的理悟。【情感与主旨】表达对赵参久困不遇的深切同情与坚定信念，劝其耐得困穷、相信天命不虚，是送别中别具理趣与温厚的一篇慰勉之作。【名句点睛】「骥在驽群殊有态，龙初鱼服未能神」以两喻写才高未显，意象奇警；「天困斯人必有因」收束全篇，透出宋人达观的命定之思。

Background

The title 'Second Farewell to Zhao Can' indicates that the author had previously seen off Zhao Can and now does so again. Zhao Can, now difficult to trace, appears from the poem to have been a talented but long-unrecognized scholar-official, a familiar type in the Northern Song when success in the examinations did not guarantee official advancement. Zhang Fangping, although himself a successful official, often wrote for the disadvantaged. This poem, likely composed when Zhao was about to set out again on uncertain journeys, replaces the usual grief of parting with a chain of historical precedents (Zhao Yi, Fa Zhen, Jiang Shang, Fu Yue) to recast his friend's suffering in the grand narrative of Heaven's destined tests. It reflects the Song literati's rational consolation for political frustration.

此诗题曰「重送赵参」，可知张方平此前已曾送赵参，此番再送，故云「重」。赵参其人今已难详考，从诗中「十年策蹇四方尘」「羁穷自古有元叔」等句看，当是一位才高而久不得志、常年奔走下僚的士人。北宋科举虽广，然中第后须历州县、候阙待次，沉沦者众，赵参即此类「淹蹇之士」。张方平既重送之，显见交情匪浅，亦显见其对「才士不遇」这一时代命题的深切关注——他自己虽仕途较顺，却屡在诗中为困穷之士张目。此诗之作，大抵在赵参再度远行、前程未卜之时。与一般凄切送别不同，张方平此作全无理涩之语，而是引赵壹、法真、姜尚、傅说一连串「困而后遇」的先贤，把赵参的个人挫折放进「天将大任」的历史叙事里。这种写法，既是对友人的切实安慰，也折射出北宋士大夫面对不遇时特有的理性化解方式：不怨天，而归之于「必有因」的天命逻辑。北宋仁宗以降，科举取士日多而官阙有限，士人得第后往往候阙待次、久沉下僚，「淹蹇」遂成一时代之痛。赵参之遭际，正是此一历史境遇的缩影。张方平以老臣之眼观之，故其慰勉不落空言，而引赵壹、法真、姜尚、傅说诸贤为证，欲以古人之「困而后遇」化解友人之「困而难遇」，其用心之厚，正在于把一个具体的人事挫折，接续到「天将降大任」的宏大叙事之中。

Art

The poem demonstrates the Song mastery of 'discharging feeling through reason.' The first couplet builds a striking contrast: a grand, cloud-brushing spirit versus a decade of lamely stirring up dust on all roads. The middle couplets use antithesis and allusions: ancient distress versus no present discerning judge; a steed in a herd of nags versus a dragon in fish garb. Each pair isolates a different facet of unrecognized talent. The closing couplet leaps to the heavenly principle behind such trials, citing Jiang Shang and Fu Yue. The rational argument never turns dry because it is carried by imagery and historical stories, producing a warm, thoughtful consolation.

此诗艺术上最见宋人「以理遣情」的本领。起手「参也堂堂气拂云」直接呼名而起，破空落笔，先立其人之伟岸；随即以「十年策蹇四方尘」一跌，伟岸与蹇滞形成刺眼反差，开篇即把「才」与「命」的对立拈出。中间两联全用对比与典故：颔联「羁穷有元叔」对「精鉴少法真」，一写困穷之古已有，一写知音之今难逢；颈联「骥在驽群」对「龙初鱼服」，一写才之不可掩，一写时之未至。四句两副对联，正反相生，把「不遇」拆解成「才高」「命蹇」「无知己」「待其时」四个层次，条理分明如一篇小论。尾联「君看渭曲傅岩事，天困斯人必有因」，以姜尚、傅说两个「困极而遇」的终极典范收束，由具体的赵参跃升到普遍的天道，举重若轻。全诗不使一「悲」字、一「惜」字，而慰勉之意自深，是为理趣之高境。全诗八句而能起承转合完备，尤以虚字斡旋见宋调本色：「也」「复」「殊」「未能」诸字，使议论之句不失流动，理趣之中仍有情致。尾联以「君看」唤起，如与友人促膝而谈，破排律之整饬而为亲切之叮咛。此种「以论为诗」而不堕枯燥的手段，正在于议论皆依托典故与意象而行，故读来有理而不说教，是张方平融学人之思于诗人之情的典型笔法。

Allusions

The poem weaves four allusions, all centered on hardship and eventual recognition. 1) Yuan Shu (Zhao Yi), a Eastern Han fu writer known for his pride and distress, stands for the ancient existence of straitened worth. 2) Fa Zhen, an Eastern Han recluse celebrated for discernment, is here lamented as missing in the present age. 3) The Wei River's bend refers to Jiang Shang (Lü Shang), who fished at Wei and met King Wen of Zhou; 4) Fu Rock refers to Fu Yue, the laborer discovered by King Wu Ding of Shang. The last two are the ultimate proofs that 'when Heaven constrains a man, there must be a cause.' Together they form a narrative chain from distress and lack of appreciation to eventual high appointment.

诗中用典四重，皆围绕「困穷—遇合」。一、赵壹（字元叔）：东汉辞赋家，恃才傲物、屡抵罪罚，桓帝时上书得赦，代表作《刺世疾邪赋》，诗中「羁穷自古有元叔」以之喻赵参久困，暗许其才之高、遇之蹇。二、法真：东汉高士法真，性恬静、隐居不仕，郭正称「百世之师」，诗中「精鉴观今少法真」叹今世少有如法真般能识鉴人才的知音。三、渭曲：姜太公吕尚钓于渭滨，遇周文王而兴周；四、傅岩：殷高宗武丁梦得傅说于傅岩，举以为相。后二典同写「困而后大用」，是「天困斯人」的注脚。四典串联，由「困」而「知」而「遇」，构成一条完整的「不遇—终遇」叙事链。张方平使事，不以繁密炫目，而每典皆扣「因」字，布局如老吏断案，层层举证，终归于「必有因」的判词。四典之外，尚有化用可辨：「气拂云」暗用李白「气清岳秀有如此」及「拂云」之雄姿以状其格；「策蹇」用孟郊「蹇驴破帽随金鞍」一类的穷士意象，写奔波之狼狈。法真一典尤需辨析：法真隐居不仕，人称「百世之师」，张方平以之叹知音难逢，实是反用——法真本不仕，而其「识鉴」之德仍为世所重，故以「少法真」叹当世乏此识才之明。凡此使事，皆扣「因」字而转，见其以学为诗的深厚根柢。

Commentary

This poem is an exemplary text of the Song literati's response to the common anxiety of 'stalled advancement.' Compared with Tang poets' complaint that 'talent and fate oppose each other,' Zhang Fangping converts grievance into a rational conviction that Heaven's trial is purposeful. His use of allusion is dense but not ostentatious, each citation serving as evidence for the closing judgment. The couplet 'A steed among a herd of nags... / A dragon in fish's garb...' is strikingly original and complements Wang Anshi's line about genius hard to bear in one's own time, yet warmer. Parallels can be drawn with Su Shi's fatalistic 'Use or discard depends on the time' and Huang Tingjian's nostalgic 'Spring breeze and peach blossom, a cup of wine; ten years of night rain by rivers and lakes,' all showing different modes of rational consolation. Zhang's kindness and composure place this poem firmly in the tradition of farewell poetry that 'comforts a gentleman with the Way.'

张方平此诗，可与其论士之不遇诸文合观。北宋中叶，科举取士日众而仕途壅滞，「淹蹇」成为普遍焦虑，故宋人送别诗多含「勉其耐心、信其终遇」的理趣，此诗即代表。清人贺裳《载酒园诗话》论宋诗尚理，举「以议论为诗」之弊，然此诗之议论，依托典故与意象，并非枯燥说教，与江西诗派「无一字无来处」暗合。近人陈衍《宋诗精华录》虽未录张氏，然其「诗人之诗」与「学人之诗」之分，正可移评：张方平此作兼而有之，以学人之典、行诗人之情。至若「骥在驽群殊有态，龙初鱼服未能神」一联，意象奇警，近于王安石「才高难入时人眼」一路，而温厚过之。要之，此诗以理性之光照亮不遇之痛，是宋人化解仕途焦虑的典型文本，亦张方平「质而能婉」诗风之证。将此诗置于宋人送别谱系中，可与苏轼「用舍由时，行藏在我」、黄庭坚「桃李春风一杯酒，江湖夜雨十年灯」并观：苏以旷达自解，黄以沉郁相忆，张则以「天困斯人必有因」的命定之思慰友，三家皆以理遣情，而张之温厚尤近欧公「穷而后工」一脉。要之，此诗以八句之制而兼叙事、议论、用典、理趣于一体，是宋人送别诗由「儿女共沾巾」转向「君子慰以道」的标志性文本，亦张方平诗「质而能婉」的有力佐证。

Prosody

Form Seven-character Regulated Verse七言绝句

Rhyme Level-tone Zhen-Wen rhyme group (真文韵): yún, chén, zhēn, shén, yīn; first line enters rhyme, one rhyme throughout.押平声真文韵（真、神、因属平水韵上平十一真，云属十二文，宋人真文多通押）：云、尘、真、神、因；首句入韵，一韵贯通。

Tone pattern Tonal pattern follows the level-tone first-line-rhyme form for a heptasyllabic regulated verse; parallel couplets in the middle show tonal contrast. Some names (Yuan Shu, Fa Zhen) inevitably break strict tonal parallelism, a common allowance in Song verse.七绝平起首句入韵体。首句「参也堂堂气拂云」平仄平平仄仄平，次句「十年策蹇四方尘」仄平仄仄仄平平，中二联大体合律，唯「元叔」「法真」等人名处平仄随字，宋人此类每从宽。

Reading note Although sometimes mislabeled a quatrain, this poem is an eight-line regulated verse with two strict parallel couplets. The rhyme group is open and expansive, suited to the poet's serene, encouraging tone. The lines are divided mainly into 4-3 cadence, lending a steady and weighty rhythm appropriate for a sincere farewell to an old friend. The overall structure moves from person to history, from hardship to principle, in harmonious accord between sound and meaning.此诗为七言绝句，中二联对仗精严（羁穷对精鉴、骥在驽群对龙初鱼服），读来兼有律诗之整饬与绝句之凝练，最宜写理趣送别。用韵上，云、尘、真、神、因同处真文部，韵母开口舒朗，宜于表达旷达从容的慰勉语气；首句即入韵，四句相贯，声情一贯而不促。平仄方面，张方平大体守七绝平起式，唯人名、典实用字处（如「元叔」「法真」「傅岩」）难免以平仄就义，宋人此类每从宽。其句式以四三顿为主，如「骥在—驽群殊有态」「天困—斯人必有因」，读来沉稳有力，与慰勉老友的语气相称。章法上八句一气转下，由人及典、由困及理，声情与义理并行而不悖，足称宋调理趣诗之范型，亦见张方平以气驭辞的一贯面目。

Line by line

参也堂堂气拂云，十年策蹇四方尘。

Zhao Can's imposing spirit brushes the clouds, yet for ten years he has ridden a lame mule through the dust of every direction. This opening couplet sets a sharp contrast between his noble character and his straitened wanderings, creating the poem's central tension.

赵参啊你气宇堂堂如云拂天，十年间骑着跛驴奔走于四方风尘。

Zan, how grand your spirit brushing the clouds; ten years driving a limping ass through the dust of four quarters.

首联是全诗的总纲，一扬一抑，先立人、后写命。「参也堂堂气拂云」直呼其名而起，如见其人：堂堂写仪容之伟，气拂云写胸襟之高，开篇即把赵参的「才」与「格」顶天立地地竖起。「十年策蹇四方尘」却陡然一跌：策蹇（骑跛驴）写奔波之劳，四方尘写漂泊之远，十年写时间之长。伟岸的人格与狼狈的遭际并置，刺眼的反差正是全诗张力之源。张方平不讳言其困，正因先极写其堂堂，后写困顿才更显不公、更需慰解。起笔如此，已见交谊之深与用笔之大胆——不替友人遮丑，而替其鸣不平。

The opening couplet is the poem's outline, one raised one depressed, first establishing the man, then writing his lot. Zan, how grand your spirit brushing the clouds calls him by name and rises, as if seeing the man: grand writes the stature, spirit brushing the clouds writes the height of the heart, and from the first stroke Zhao Zan's talent and bearing stand to the sky. Then ten years driving a limping ass through the dust of four quarters falls abruptly: driving the ass writes the labor of rushing, the dust of four quarters writes the far drifting, ten years writes the long time. The lofty character set against the wretched lot, the glaring contrast is the source of the whole poem's tension. Fangping does not hide his friend's hardship; precisely because he first writes the grandeur to the full, the later hardship shows the injustice and the need for comfort the more. An opening like this already shows the depth of the friendship and the boldness of the brush - not covering the friend's shame, but speaking out against the injustice for him.

骥在驽群殊有态，龙初鱼服未能神。

A fine steed among a herd of nags still carries an extraordinary attitude; a dragon that puts on a fish's garb cannot yet display its divine power. These two metaphors vividly portray a talent temporarily hidden in lowliness, implying that his true worth will eventually shine.

千里骥混在驽马群里自有不凡的仪态，蛟龙初化鱼服尚不能显其神通。

A thoroughbred among hacks still has its bearing; a dragon first in fish's dress has not yet shown its power.

这一联是全诗最警策的比喻，专写「才高未显」之态。「骥在驽群殊有态」用千里马混迹凡马之群犹自不凡，写赵参虽处下僚而风采不可掩；「龙初鱼服未能神」用「白龙鱼服」之典（语出《说苑》，白龙化鱼为渔者所射），写其如龙暂屈为鱼，神通未显。两句一正一反：骥是「显中有隐」，龙是「隐而未显」，合起来正是一个「真才暂埋」的立体画像。尤为妙者，「殊有态」「未能神」都只写「当前如此」，而暗含「他日当不然」的期待，与尾联「必有因」遥相呼应。以两喻代直说，既避说教，又留余味，是宋诗比兴之佳例。

This couplet is the poem's most alert metaphor, writing the state of high talent not yet revealed. A thoroughbred among hacks still has its bearing uses the thousand-li horse lost among common steeds yet still unmatched, writing Zhao Zan's bearing that cannot be hidden though he holds a low post. A dragon first in fish's dress has not yet shown its power uses the White Dragon in fish's dress (from the Garden of Stories, the white dragon transformed to a fish and shot by an angler), writing him like a dragon temporarily bent to a fish, its power not yet shown. The two lines, one positive one reverse: the thoroughbred is hidden within the revealed, the dragon is hidden and not yet revealed; together they form a solid portrait of true talent temporarily buried. The beauty lies in still has its bearing and has not yet shown its power, both writing only the present state, yet secretly holding the expectation that another day will be otherwise, echoing the closing's must have its cause. Using two metaphors instead of plain statement avoids preaching and leaves aftertaste - a fine example of the Song art of analogy.

君看渭曲傅岩事，天困斯人必有因。

Observe the affairs of the Wei River's bend and Fu Rock: when Heaven confines such a man, there must be a reason. The poet cites Jiang Shang and Fu Yue, both of whom rose after extreme hardship, to argue that his friend's trials are a prelude to a great destiny.

你看那渭水之曲、傅岩之事，上天困顿这等人必有其缘由。

Look at the affairs of the Wei bend and the Fu Rock: heaven's hardening of such a man must have its cause.

尾联收束，由具体的赵参跃升到普遍的天道，是全诗的「理悟」落点。「君看渭曲傅岩事」举姜尚钓渭、傅说版筑二典，皆为「困极而大用」的终极范例，等于告诉友人：你今日之困，与古之圣贤同辙。「天困斯人必有因」一句，是张方平给不遇之痛开出的药方——不是怨天，而是信天：困，是成大事前的磨砺；因，是冥冥中的安排。这种「天命不虚」的达观，正是北宋士大夫化解仕途焦虑的典型思路，较唐人「古来才命两相妨」的悲慨，更多一份理性与韧劲。七字收束，举重若轻，慰勉之意尽在其中。

The closing rises from the specific Zhao Zan to the universal way of heaven, the poem's landing of rational insight. Look at the affairs of the Wei bend and the Fu Rock raises Jiang Taigong fishing on the Wei and Fu Yue building walls on the Fu Rock, both the ultimate examples of extreme hardship followed by great use, telling the friend: your present hardship runs the same road as the ancient sages. The line heaven's hardening of such a man must have its cause is Fangping's prescription for the pain of not being known - not resenting heaven, but trusting heaven: hardship is the tempering before a great work; the cause is the unseen arrangement. This detachment of a heaven not in vain is the typical Northern Song way of dissolving official anxiety, carrying more reason and resilience than the Tang lament that talent and fate have always thwarted each other. Seven characters close it, handling the weight as if light; comfort and encouragement are all within.

Study

Word focus

堂堂 dignified and imposing; splendor of bearing 堂堂二字用在开篇「参也堂堂气拂云」，是定调之笔。它本形容仪容庄严、气度宏大，用于男子则有「伟丈夫」之意。张方平以之起首，等于先给赵参的品格与才具盖了一枚印章：此人非猥琐干禄之辈，而是顶天立地之士。在送别诗中，如此正面立人者不多，多数先写离愁；张方平偏从「人」写起，正见其对友人的由衷推重。堂堂与下句「策蹇」形成强烈对照——越是堂堂，越显蹇滞之冤，反差即张力。二字看似寻常，却定下全诗意脉的「扬—抑」基调，分量极重。

殊 remarkably, distinctly; with an extraordinary difference 殊字在「骥在驽群殊有态」中极见精神。殊者，特也、异也。千里马混在凡马群里，按理该被埋没，诗人却说「殊有态」——偏偏自有不凡的仪态，掩都掩不住。一个殊字，把「才不可掩」写得既肯定又生动，暗含对赵参品格的自豪：纵处下僚，本色不改。若易以「自」「犹」，则语气平弱；用「殊」，则带惊赏之意，如见其鹤立鸡群之姿。张方平炼此一字，既慰友人，也向世俗宣告：此非寻常驽骀。小字见大，是宋诗炼字「稳而准」的范例。

因 cause, reason; here, a meaningful, providential cause 因字是全诗结穴，在「天困斯人必有因」中担起全部的理趣重量。它回答了一个问题：为何堂堂之士困顿十年？答案是「有因」——上天困顿你，必别有深意（大任之前的磨砺）。因字把前文的「不平」转化为「相信」，把送别的「惜」升华为「慰」。在宋人诗学里，「理」常是治愈离愁的良药，这个因字正是理的凝结点：不怨命、不尤人，而归之于可期待的天道。若换作「意」「由」，皆不如「因」字那般带有「因果不爽、后必有报」的笃定。一字收束，使全诗立起一种从容的命定观，温厚而有力量。