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宋 Song · 诗 Poem

吴范天章

For Fan, Drafter of the Tianzhang Pavilion

张方平

Zhang Fangping

山水Landscape 边塞Frontier 哲理Philosophy 时序Seasonal Cycle

诏起东山对紫庭，清风萧洒动阶蓂。
谠言几为忠邪发，大用须凭庙社灵。
武库神兵罗斧戟，大宫礼器列笾铏。
愿公早入当钧轴，重演三篇相武丁。

Summoned from the Eastern Mountain to the Purple Court,
Clear breeze rustles the stair-side cassia ferns.
Your upright words were spoken to part loyal from false,
Great office must rest on the spirits of shrine and soil.
The arsenal's divine arms array axes and halberds,
The grand temple's ritual vessels set basket and tripod.
May you soon enter and take the pivot of state,
Again enact the three chapters in serving King Wuding.

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Meaning

The poet praises Fan, a drafter at the Tianzhang Pavilion, for his upright words and comprehensive talents, and expresses the hope that he will soon enter the central government and become a wise minister like Fu Yue, who assisted the Shang ruler Wuding in restoring the dynasty.

诏书起公于东山以对紫庭，清风萧洒吹动阶前蓂荚。谠直之言几为忠邪而发，大用须凭宗庙社稷之灵。武库神兵罗列斧戟，大宫礼器排列笾铏。愿公早入而居钧轴之任，重演三篇以相武丁之贤。

Appreciation

This regulated verse moves from the honor of the imperial summons, through the moral weight of straight speaking, to the display of civil and martial abilities, and finally to the wish for a ministerial career. The opening line uses the Xie An allusion, the second line paints a fresh scene that mirrors Fan's pure reputation, and the middle couplets balance martial and civil imagery. The poem is dignified yet not stiff, and the couplet 'Your upright words... / Great office must rest...' forms the philosophical backbone.

【白话串讲】张方平写给范天章：“诏起东山对紫庭，清风萧洒动阶蓂”。“谠言几为忠邪发”——“愿公早入当钧轴，重演三篇相武丁”——他盼望范公入朝为相。【意象与手法】以「东山」「阶蓂」「武库」「大宫」等堂皇意象颂美，对仗工稳，「清风萧洒」以景写人之清望。【情感与主旨】推重范公之谠直与才具，盼望朝廷大用，表达延揽贤相、中兴治道的期待。【名句点睛】「谠言几为忠邪发，大用须凭庙社灵」二句，道出直言之难与任人之本，为全篇筋骨。

Background

The poem was likely written when the Song official Zhang Fangping presented it to a Mr. Fan who served as Drafter (Daizhi) of the Tianzhang Pavilion, a prestigious position close to the emperor. During the Northern Song, Tianzhang Pavilion housed the writings of Emperor Zhenzong, and its drafters were often consulted on major policies. Zhang, who served three reigns, used the poem both to praise Fan and to urge him to take up the reins of government, reflecting the common political ideal that the realm is well governed when worthy men are employed.

此诗题「吴范天章」，当为张方平赠天章阁待制姓范者之作（宋代天章阁置待制、侍讲等，多任以清望近臣）。北宋天章阁藏真宗御制，待制之职清要，常备顾问、参大政，故诗人以「东山」「钧轴」期之。「诏起东山」用谢安高卧东山、一朝而起典故，喻范公本隐或闲居而今被召。张方平历仕三朝，深知求治在得人，其集中多赠大臣、望大用之诗，此即其一。诗中「庙社灵」「相武丁」皆关国之治乱，可见赠诗非徒应酬，而含劝驾入朝、共图治道的政治期待，折射庆历、熙宁间士大夫「得贤则治」的共识。宋代天章阁，建于真宗大中祥符年间，专藏真宗御集、御书，置天章阁待制、侍讲、学士等，皆以清望近臣充之，号为「侍从清华之选」。待制虽非宰执，却近密清要，常与闻大政、备顾问，故士人一登天章，便有望进而参大政，此诗「愿公早入当钧轴」之期，正由此职之性质而生。考范公其人，当为张方平同朝或相知的天章阁待制范姓者，或即庆历、皇祐间以直言敢谏著称的范镇、范师道之流，惜题未系名，难以确指。然诗中「谠言几为忠邪发」一句，已透露出其人以直道立朝、因言获知的特征，与范镇、范师道辈的行迹若合符节。此诗作于北宋中期，正值庆历新政前后，朝中「得贤则治」的呼声甚高，士大夫多以推荐贤才、共图治道相砥砺，张方平此赠，正是这一政治气候下的产物。

Art

The poem is a seven-character regulated verse built on four layers: honor, argument, talent, and expectation. The first couplet opens with the glory of the summons and uses the fresh image of a breeze moving the stair-side cassia to symbolize Fan's pure influence. The second couplet introduces moral reasoning with the virtual particles 'almost' and 'must rely on,' making the tone earnest rather than flattering. The third couplet pairs arsenal weapons with ritual vessels, showing Fan as both civil and martial. The final couplet closes with the hope that Fan will become a prime minister, using the Fu Yue–Wuding allusion to elevate the expectation to a national scale.

此诗为七律，以颂美近臣、望其大用为旨，章法端重而仍有起伏。首联「诏起东山对紫庭，清风萧洒动阶蓂」先以召对之荣起笔，而「清风萧洒」四字以景写人，暗喻范公清望之风动朝阶，比直说「德望隆重」高出一筹。颔联「谠言几为忠邪发，大用须凭庙社灵」由荣遇转入议论，点出直言之难与任人之本，是诗中筋骨；「几为」「须凭」虚字呼应，见出语气之恳。颈联「武库神兵罗斧戟，大宫礼器列笾铏」以武库、大宫二处器物为对，喻范公文武兼备、礼乐兵刑皆有所本，意象堂皇而不堆垛。尾联「愿公早入当钧轴，重演三篇相武丁」以祝望收束，用商相典故，气脉完足。通篇以堂皇字面运对仗，却于第二联见理致，避免了纯颂体的空滑。细按章法，此诗四联可作「荣—论—才—望」四层解：首联写召对之荣、清风动阶，是「荣」；颔联写谠言、庙社，是「论」；颈联写武库神兵、大宫礼器，是「才」；尾联写早入钧轴、相武丁，是「望」。四层由近及远、由实入虚，层层推高，把对范公的颂美从当下的清望一路推向未来的相业，气脉贯注。其对仗尤见「堂皇而不堆垛」的功夫：颈联「武库神兵罗斧戟，大宫礼器列笾铏」，以武库之兵、大宫之器两组名物相对，一主武、一主文，一刚、一柔，合而见范公文武兼资；「罗」「列」二字作动词，使静态的器物有了陈设的秩序感，堂皇之中透出肃穆。又，首联「诏起东山」用谢安典，「对紫庭」直写召对，一典一实，虚实相生，起笔便稳。

Allusions

1. 'Eastern Mountain' refers to Xie An, who retired to the Eastern Mountain before returning to serve, implying that Fan is being summoned from seclusion. 2. 'Purple Court' denotes the imperial palace, where Fan responds to the summons. 3. 'Stair-side cassia' (mingjia) is a legendary herb that grew by Emperor Yao's stairs, signifying auspiciousness. 4. 'Upright words' comes from the Hanshu, meaning straightforward counsel. 5. 'Spirits of shrine and soil' means the ancestral temple and the altars of state, i.e., the nation's fortune. 6. 'Arsenal' is a metaphor for profound talent, as Du Yu was called a 'walking arsenal.' 7. 'Basket and tripod' are ritual vessels, representing knowledge of ceremonial propriety. 8. 'King Wuding' is the Shang ruler who found the minister Fu Yue, alluded to here as the model for Fan.

一、东山：谢安隐居东山、后出仕典故，「诏起东山」喻范公被召起复。二、紫庭：紫宫朝庭，指皇帝所居，「对紫庭」即应召对策。三、阶蓂：蓂荚，传说尧阶生蓂荚，随月生死，此处以「动阶蓂」写朝阶祥瑞、清风所及。四、谠言：正直之言，《汉书》有「谠言嘉谋」，指范公敢言。五、庙社：宗庙社稷，国之代称，「凭庙社灵」言大用系于国运。六、武库：藏兵之府，亦喻人之才略（如杜预称「武库」），「罗斧戟」状其兵谋。七、笾铏：祭器，笾盛果、铏盛羹，指礼乐，「列笾铏」喻其知礼。八、武丁：商高宗，用傅说为相而致中兴，「相武丁」即望范公如傅说之辅圣君。诸典由召对、直道、文武、相业层层递进。诸典虽繁，却有一条「由隐而显、由臣而相」的递进线索，不可散看。「东山」是谢安隐居之地，「诏起东山」写范公之起复，是「由隐而显」的起点；「紫庭」为帝居，「对紫庭」写其应召面圣，是「显」的落实；「阶蓂」为尧阶瑞草，「动阶蓂」写其清望上动天听，是「显」而致祥；「武库」「大宫」分喻文武之才，「罗斧戟」「列笾铏」写其才具之全，是「显」而见用；「钧轴」为宰辅之柄，「相武丁」用傅说辅高宗之典，是「由臣而相」的终极期待。一环扣一环，把范公从隐沦到登庸的轨迹，用一串典实勾连成线。又，「谠言」出《汉书》，「庙社」为国之代称，二者相联，暗含「直道系国运」的深意；「武库」之喻，本杜预「博学多通，朝野称曰武库」之典，用以称人之才略渊博，最切范公。诸典各司其职，密而不乱。

Commentary

Zhang Fangping's gift poems often contain a sincere hope that the recipient will be given great responsibility to help govern the realm. This piece, with its formal elegance, carries the common political aspiration of Northern Song scholar-officials that 'the state is well governed when worthy men are obtained.' The poet values Fan foremost for his upright speech, which matches Zhang's own character as a blunt remonstrator. Thus the poem is both praise and self-expression, a typical example of Song tai-ge (court) poetry that uses verse to discuss governance and recommend talent.

张方平赠大臣诗多含「望大用、图治道」之诚，此篇与《寄汾阳郭先生》（写隐者）恰成仕隐两极，一劝入朝、一慕高隐，合观可见其出处观之完整。与同集《送石曼卿赴阙》「宣室思贤方空席」相较，二诗皆以汉唐求贤故事勉人，本篇更用「相武丁」「重演三篇」正面许以相业，期待尤殷。宋人论张方平，重其「乐全」之号与直言本色，此诗「谠言几为忠邪发」正写其生平所重者——直道难行而必行之。历来选家于张方平诗著录甚少，然此等台阁赠答，恰是北宋大臣诗「以诗论政、以赠劝驾」的常态样本。其价值不在辞藻，而在以典雅之笔承载士林「得贤共治」的政治理想，可与当时士大夫奏议、上书互证。进一步看，此诗与张方平的奏议文字实可互相印证。方平在朝，屡上疏论任人之要，尝谓「为治之要，莫先于得人」，此诗「大用须凭庙社灵」「愿公早入当钧轴」诸句，正是其奏议中求贤若渴之情的韵语化。以诗论政、以赠劝驾，本是北宋台阁诗的传统，然方平此作尤见诚意：他推重范公，不惟称其才，更首重其「谠言」之直，这与其本人以直言敢谏立身的品格正相表里，故「谠言几为忠邪发」一句，既是颂人，亦是言志。历来论宋诗，多重欧、梅、苏、黄的革新，于台阁赠答一体多所轻忽；然若欲考见北宋士大夫「得贤共治」的政治理想与「以诗荐贤」的社交实践，则此类赠大臣诗恰是不可或缺的史料。此诗以七律之端重体格，承载士林公论，其价值不在辞藻之新，而在其「诗即公言」的郑重。

Prosody

Form Seven-character Regulated Verse (Qiyan Lüshi)七言律诗

Rhyme Rhymes on the level-tone qing [青] category: ting, min, ling, xing, ding, in a single rhyme throughout. The clear and soft rhyme matches the poem's dignified tone.押平声青韵（庭、蓂、灵、铏、丁），一韵到底，韵部清润，与清望颂美之调相协，读来温雅不躁。

Tone pattern Standard tonal pattern of the regulated verse; the middle two couplets are perfectly antithetical, with balanced level and oblique tones, and the syntax is stately.七律正格，中二联对仗精严：「谠言几为忠邪发，大用须凭庙社灵」「武库神兵罗斧戟，大宫礼器列笾铏」，平仄相俪、虚实相生，句式端重。

Reading note The poem selects the qing rhyme for a clear and elegant effect, fitting the warm voice of praise and expectation. Words like 'ting' and 'ling' carry a resonant nasal ending, giving a lingering quality. The use of virtual particles such as 'ji wei' and 'xu ping' in the second couplet creates a supple yet earnest tone, avoiding stiffness in a formal style.此诗音韵以「清润端雅」为尚，故择平声青部，收音不敞不促，恰合赠近臣、望大用的温厚语气，远异于壮别诗的钟韵酣畅。首联「清风萧洒动阶蓂」以平声收束，且「蓂」字清雅，先立景语之韵；颔联「谠言几为忠邪发」用上声「谠」字起句，微作顿挫，使议论有沉郁之姿，与首联的疏朗形成节奏对比；颈联斧戟、笾铏二句以器物对仗，平仄整饬，气势堂皇而不嚣。尾联「钧轴」「武丁」归向平和期望。整体依七律正格，对仗中二联皆工，且多用虚字（几为、须凭、早入、重演）斡旋气脉，使典重不至板滞。声律随情志由景入论、由论入祝而转，是北宋台阁赠诗「尚雅、尚稳、以虚字活局」的典型音韵策略。再就韵脚看，青韵「庭、蓂、灵、铏、丁」诸字清润而收鼻音，读来温雅绵长，正宜写「清风萧洒」的清望与「早入钧轴」的期许，声与义相得。

Line by line

诏起东山对紫庭，清风萧洒动阶蓂。

Summoned from the Eastern Mountain to the Purple Court, a clear breeze rustles the cassia ferns by the stairs: this opens with Fan's recall from seclusion, using Xie An's allusion, and the breeze suggests his pure reputation stirs the court's auspicious portents.

诏起东山以对紫庭，清风萧洒吹动阶蓂。

The edict raises you from the Eastern Mountain to face the purple court; the clear wind, free and light, stirs the omen-grass on the steps.

首联叙范公被召起复、应对称旨，而以景语写其清望，是颂美诗难得的含蓄之笔。「诏起东山」用谢安之典，点出范公本处闲隐而今蒙召，荣遇自见；「对紫庭」直写应召对策，交代事由。妙在次句「清风萧洒动阶蓂」不落「德望崇高」的套语，而借「清风」拟其人之清标，以「动阶蓂」写朝阶祥瑞因风而动——蓂荚本尧时瑞草，此处暗喻朝庭得贤之祥。二字「清风」既写物候，更写人品，景与人融会，使起笔堂皇而不板。此联奠定了全诗「荣而不谀、颂而含景」的基调，下联乃能顺势转入「谠言」的议论，章法由美而诚，层次分明。

The opening couplet narrates Lord Fan's recall and audience, yet writes his clear reputation through scenery, a rare restrained stroke in a praise poem. The edict raises you from the Eastern Mountain uses Xie An's allusion, pointing out that Lord Fan, lately in leisure and retirement, is now summoned, the honor plain. To face the purple court directly writes the audience in answer to the edict, stating the occasion. The beauty lies in the second line, the clear wind, free and light, stirs the omen-grass on the steps: it does not fall into the formula of lofty virtue, but borrows the clear wind to liken the man's clear standard, and writes the court's auspicious grass stirring in the wind - the ming pod was an omen-plant of Yao's time, here secretly the sign that the court has gained a worthy. The two words clear wind write both the season and the man's character, scene and person merged, so the opening is grand yet not stiff. This couplet fixes the poem's key of honored without fawning, praised through scenery, so that the next can turn to the discussion of upright words, the structure moving from praise to sincerity, layer by layer.

谠言几为忠邪发，大用须凭庙社灵。

Your upright words were spoken almost only to distinguish loyalty from treachery; great appointment must rely on the spirits of the ancestral shrine and the state: this couplet is the moral heart, emphasizing that straight talk invites suspicion and that the country's fate hinges on worthy men.

谠直之言几因忠邪而发，大用须凭社稷之灵。

Your upright words are often spoken to part the loyal from the wicked; your great employ must rely on the spirits of the altars.

颔联为全篇筋骨，由召对之荣转入对直道与任人的深沉议论。「谠言」者，正言也；「几为忠邪发」五字沉痛，道出正直之言往往因辨别忠奸、攻邪扶正而发，隐含直言者常遭疑忌的仕途实况，张方平以三朝老臣之眼，说得极恳。下句「大用须凭庙社灵」转一层：范公之能否大用，终系于宗庙社稷之灵、国运之机，非独人力。「几为」「须凭」两处虚字勾连，语气婉而意切。此联使一首颂美赠诗脱出空滑，显出其作为政治人物的识见——他推重范公，不只因其才，更因其敢言与国之需才。置于七律腹心，最见分量。

The jaw couplet is the poem's sinew, moving from the honor of the audience to the deep discussion of the straight way and the employment of men. Upright words are honest speech; the five words are often spoken to part the loyal from the wicked are sorrowful, saying that honest words are often issued in distinguishing the loyal from the wicked and attacking the crooked, secretly holding the official reality that the straight speaker is often suspected. Fangping, with the eye of a minister of three reigns, says it most earnestly. The second line turns a notch: your great employ must rely on the spirits of the altars, saying whether Lord Fan can be greatly employed finally depends on the spirits of the ancestral temple and the altars, the fortune of the state, not on human strength alone. The two empty words often and must rely link the lines, the tone gentle yet the meaning keen. This couplet lifts a praise-and-presentation poem out of emptiness, showing the discernment of him as a political figure: he esteems Lord Fan not only for his talent but for his daring speech and the state's need for worthies. Placed at the heart of the regulated verse, it carries most weight.

武库神兵罗斧戟，大宫礼器列笾铏。

The arsenal's divine weapons display axes and halberds; the grand temple's ritual vessels set out baskets and tripods: the imagery shows Fan as endowed with both martial strategy and ceremonial learning, a complete statesman.

愿公早登钧轴，重演贤相之业。

The martial storehouse ranks its divine axes and halberds; the great hall arrays its ritual dishes and tripods.

尾联以祝望收束，正面许范公以相业，期待殷切。「钧轴」喻宰辅之任，居枢要而运国政；「早入当钧轴」即望其早日入主中枢。下句「重演三篇相武丁」用商高宗武丁得傅说、作《说命》三篇而中兴之典，以武丁比当今、以傅说比范公，明确将其定位为可致中兴的贤相。炼字上「重演」二字尤重，含「盛世再现」之意，把个人荣遇升格为国之治道期盼。此联与颔联「大用须凭庙社灵」呼应：既然大用系国运，则贤相早登正是社稷之福。全诗至此由召对、谠言、文武，归结于「相业」一语，气脉完足，是北宋大臣赠诗「以赠劝驾」的典型收法。

The closing gathers the poem in blessing, openly promising Lord Fan a minister's career, the expectation earnest. The word axle compares the office of chief councillor, holding the pivot and moving the state; the wish that he soon enter the pivot hopes he will early enter the central power. The second line uses the allusion to Wu Ding of Shang gaining Fu Yue and composing the three pieces of the Charge to restore the dynasty, comparing the present ruler to Wu Ding and Lord Fan to Fu Yue, clearly placing him as the worthy councillor who can restore the age. The worked word repeat carries the meaning of a golden age returning, raising a personal honor to the hope of the state's governance. This couplet echoes the jaw couplet's great employ must rely on the spirits: since great employ depends on the state's fortune, then the worthy councillor's early ascent is precisely the blessing of the altars. By now the poem, moving from audience and upright words to civil and military, resolves in the words minister's career, the current complete, the typical closing of a Northern Song grandee's presentation poem that sends and urges.

Study

Word focus

蓂 A legendary auspicious herb said to grow on Emperor Yao's stairs, whose leaves waxed and waned with the moon; here it symbolizes good governance and worthies in court. 「蓂」在「清风萧洒动阶蓂」中指蓂荚，传说尧帝阶前生蓂荚，随月盈缩，为瑞草。张方平以此字写朝阶，既不直言「祥瑞」，又暗含得贤之庆，较「祥草」「瑞叶」典雅含蓄。炼字之妙在双关：表面写风吹阶前瑞草动摇，实则以瑞草之动喻朝庭因贤臣起复而生祥和。且「蓂」为生僻雅字，与「清风萧洒」的疏朗气息相称，避免台阁诗常见的金玉堆砌。音声上「蓂」为平声青韵，与「庭」「灵」「铏」「丁」同部押韵，读来清润。一字而兼用典、写景、押韵三用，最见作者于颂美体中仍求字法之雅的用心。

钧 In 'pivot of state' (junzhou), jun originally refers to the potter's wheel, extended to mean the central power of the prime minister; the word elevates Fan's expected role to the highest office. 「钧」在「愿公早入当钧轴」中喻国家枢要，「钧轴」本指制陶转轮与车轴，引申为宰相执政之柄。此字分量极重：全诗前文写召对、谠言、文武，至此以「当钧轴」一语点出终极期待——范公不当止于一介侍从，而当入主中枢。炼字之巧在「钧」与「轴」并置，既合典故又成双声对仗之稳，且「钧」为平声真韵，与全篇清润韵调协和。更紧要者，「钧轴」将个人荣遇升华为国之治道，使尾联的祝望脱离私谊而应酬，转为士林「得贤共治」的公共理想。一字立骨，收束全篇，是宋人赠大臣诗「以一字定方位」的炼字范例。

谠 Upright, honest; '谠言' means straightforward remonstrance. It is a classical term from the Hanshu, connoting moral courage in speaking truth to power. 「谠」在「谠言几为忠邪发」中指正直，「谠言」即正言直谏。此字是颔联、也是全诗的伦理核心：张方平推重范公，首重其「敢言」。炼字之妙在「谠」与下「邪」字形成忠奸对照，且「谠言」为固定雅词，源自《汉书》「谠言嘉谋」，用之于赠诗，立显庄重端雅，非「直言」「实话」等常语可及。音声上「谠」为上声养韵，置于句首顿挫有力，与「几为」虚字相承，语气恳切而不迫。更深层看，张方平以「谠」许人，亦是以此自道平生所守——他本人即以直言敢谏名世，故赠诗到此，似赞人而实言志，一字之中寄寓了作者的政治人格。