唐 Tang · 诗 Poem
哀王孙
Lament for a Prince
长安城头头白乌，夜飞延秋门上呼。
又向人家啄大屋，屋底达官走避胡。
金鞭断折九马死，骨肉不得同驰驱。
腰下宝玦青珊瑚，可怜王孙泣路隅。
问之不肯道姓名，但道困苦乞为奴。
已经百日窜荆棘，身上无有完肌肤。
高帝子孙尽隆准，龙种自与常人殊。
豺狼在邑龙在野，王孙善保千金躯。
不敢长语临交衢，且为王孙立斯须。
昨夜东风吹血腥，东来橐驼满旧都。
朔方健儿好身手，昔何勇锐今何愚。
窃闻天子已传位，圣德北服南单于。
花门剺面请雪耻，慎勿出口他人狙。
哀哉王孙慎勿疏，五陵佳气无时无。
Again they peck the great roofs of the houses, where beneath, the high officials flee to escape the barbarians.
Golden whips are snapped, nine horses lie dead; kin cannot flee together in the same chariot.
Beneath your waist a precious jade ring and green coral—poor prince, you weep at the roadside.
Asked, you will not tell your name, only that you are in distress and beg to be a slave.
A hundred days you have skulked in the thorns; your body bears not one whole patch of skin.
The descendants of the High Emperor all have lofty noses; dragon's seed is different from common men.
Jackals and wolves are in the city, the dragon is in the wild—prince, keep safe your body of a thousand gold.
Dare not speak long at the crossroads; I stand a moment with you, prince.
Last night the east wind carried the smell of blood; camels from the east fill the old capital.
The warriors of Shuofang are skilled in arms—once how brave, now how foolish.
I hear privately the Son of Heaven has already passed the throne; his sacred virtue subdues the southern Chanyu in the north.
The men of Huamen gash their faces and beg to wipe out the shame—take care not to speak, lest others lie in wait.
Alas, prince, take care not to be careless; the auspicious air of the Five Tombs never fails.
Meaning
A long ballad Du Fu wrote in 756 as the An Lushan rebels took Chang'an and Tang princes were slaughtered or scattered. It opens on ominous crows and fleeing officials, shows a fallen prince weeping by the road, and closes by urging the prince to keep safe and trust that the dynasty's fortune will return. Narrative and pitiful, it is a centerpiece of Du Fu's realist witness.
长安城头，白头的乌鸦，夜飞延秋门上鸣呼。又向人家啄大屋，屋底的达官，走避胡兵。金鞭断折，九马皆死，骨肉不得一同驰驱。腰下佩着宝玦与青珊瑚，可怜的王孙，泣于路隅。问之不肯道出姓名，但道困苦，乞为奴仆。已经百日窜于荆棘，身上没有一块完好的肌肤。高帝的子孙皆是隆准，龙种自与常人不同。豺狼在邑，龙在野，王孙啊，善保千金之躯。不敢长语于交衢，且为王孙，立此须臾。昨夜东风吹来血腥，东来的橐驼，满于旧都。朔方的健儿好身手，昔何勇锐，今何愚钝。窃闻天子已传位，圣德北服南单于。花门剺面，请雪国耻，慎勿出口，他人狙击。哀哉王孙，慎勿疏忽，五陵的佳气，无时无之。
Appreciation
[Plain Paraphrase] White crows cry at Yanqiu Gate as officials flee; the emperor's chariot broke, kin scattered; a prince weeps by the road in jade and coral, begging to be a slave, his skin unwhole after a hundred days in thorns. The High Emperor's seed is lofty-nosed; jackals hold the city while the dragon is in the wild. The poet stands a moment, warns of blood and camels, notes the throne has passed and Huamen vows revenge, and ends: take care, prince—the Five Tombs' air never fails. [Structure] Omen and fall, then the prince's plight, then counsel and hope—a public lament with a private voice. [Imagery] The weeping prince in fine ornaments against his unwhole skin is the poem's piercing image. [Tone] Narrative, pitiful, weighty.
【白话串讲】 杜甫写《哀王孙》：“长安城头头白乌，夜飞延秋门上呼”——“金鞭断折九马死，骨肉不得同驰驱”——“腰下宝玦青珊瑚，可怜王孙泣路隅”——“已经百日窜荆棘，身上无有完肌肤”——他写安史之乱中的王孙——可怜王孙泣路隅。 【意象与手法】 长安城头头白乌、屋底达官走避胡，写乱起之景；金鞭断折九马死、可怜王孙泣路隅，写王孙之惨；高帝子孙尽隆准、龙种自与常人殊，写王孙之贵；结以“哀哉王孙慎勿疏，五陵佳气无时无”慰其自保、期其复振。以叙事写实、悲悯深沉。 【情感与主旨】 杜甫在安史之乱中哀叹落难王孙之作，写乱世中王孙流离之惨与劝其自保、期其复振之情，是杜甫写安史之乱的名篇。 【名句点睛】 常考“金鞭断折九马死，骨肉不得同驰驱”写王孙落难；“哀哉王孙慎勿疏，五陵佳气无时无”以五陵佳气期复振。
Background
Du Fu (712–770) wrote this in 756, the year Chang'an fell to An Lushan. 'Yanqiu Gate' was the western palace gate Emperor Xuanzong fled through; 'golden whips snapped, nine horses dead' pictures the hurried flight and scattered kin. With the capital taken, many Tang princes were killed or left to wander; Du Fu laments one such fugitive and urges him to survive. The poem is a pillar of the 'Poet Sage's' realist record of the rebellion.
《哀王孙》为唐代诗人杜甫所作歌行体长诗。杜甫（712—770），字子美，自号少陵野老，河南巩县人，唐代伟大的现实主义诗人，世称「诗圣」。此诗作于唐肃宗至德元载（756），安史之乱爆发、长安陷落之时。诗中「长安城头头白乌，夜飞延秋门上呼」写乱起之景（延秋门为长安宫西门，玄宗出奔即由此门）；「金鞭断折九马死，骨肉不得同驰驱」写玄宗仓皇出逃、骨肉离散；「腰下宝玦青珊瑚，可怜王孙泣路隅」写落难王孙；「高帝子孙尽隆准，龙种自与常人殊」写王孙之贵胄；「豺狼在邑龙在野，王孙善保千金躯」慰其自保；「哀哉王孙慎勿疏，五陵佳气无时无」期其复振。安史之乱中，唐宗室王孙多遭杀戮流离，杜甫此诗哀其遭遇、慰其自保，悲悯深沉，是杜甫写安史之乱的名篇，也是「诗圣」现实主义精神的体现。此篇《哀王孙》在历代选本中多被收录，其艺术价值与流传之广，正可见此诗在同类题材中的重要地位。诗人以匠心独运之笔写寻常之情事，遂使此作历千载而犹有生气，为后人所称赏不绝。
Art
The art is 'narrative realism, pitiful and deep.' Twenty-six lines fall into three movements: omen and fall (white crows, fleeing officials, broken flight), the prince's plight (weeping, begging slavery, a hundred days in thorns, unwhole skin, lofty-nosed seed), and counsel and hope (keep safe, blood and camels, passed throne, Huamen's vow, the Five Tombs' air). The 'hundred days in thorns, skin unwhole' contrasts hard with 'lofty-nosed dragon's seed,' sharpening the grief. The close turns lament into comfort—the dynasty's air never fails—typical of Du Fu's 'weighty and halted' balladry.
此诗艺术上以「叙事写实、悲悯深沉」见长。全诗二十六句，前八句写乱起之景与王孙之惨，中十句写王孙之贵与乱中之况，后八句写劝慰与期望。前段「长安城头头白乌，夜飞延秋门上呼。又向人家啄大屋，屋底达官走避胡」写乱起之景：头白乌夜飞延秋门，达官走避胡兵；「金鞭断折九马死，骨肉不得同驰驱。腰下宝玦青珊瑚，可怜王孙泣路隅」写王孙之惨。中段「问之不肯道姓名，但道困苦乞为奴。已经百日窜荆棘，身上无有完肌肤」写王孙流离之惨；「高帝子孙尽隆准，龙种自与常人殊」写王孙之贵。后段「豺狼在邑龙在野，王孙善保千金躯。不敢长语临交衢，且为王孙立斯须」写劝慰；「哀哉王孙慎勿疏，五陵佳气无时无」写期望。全诗叙事写实，悲悯深沉，是杜甫写安史之乱的名篇。通篇以少总多之法出之，章法严谨而用意深曲，意象凝练而情韵悠长，读之愈久，愈觉其构思之精与笔力之健，堪称同类诗作中不可多得之佳篇，足见诗人炉火纯青的艺术功力。
Allusions
The terms carry historical weight. 'Yanqiu Gate' is the palace gate of the flight; 'jade ring and green coral' mark the prince's rank; 'lofty nose' cites the Histories' portrait of Gaozu (the High Emperor) as lofty-nosed and dragon-faced, here marking Tang royal blood; 'jackals and wolves in the city, the dragon in the wild' figures rebels versus the Tang house; 'Huamen' names the Uighurs (their Huamen hills), who gashed faces to vow aid; 'Five Tombs' the Han imperial tombs, standing for the Tang dynasty's lingering fortune. Du Fu folds these allusions in without seam, making the turmoil and the prince's rank tangible.
诗中「延秋门」「宝玦」「隆准」「豺狼在邑龙在野」「花门」「五陵」等语，皆含典故故实。「延秋门」为长安宫城西门，天宝十五载玄宗出奔蜀即由此门，故「夜飞延秋门上呼」写乱起；「宝玦」为佩玉，王孙腰下佩宝玦青珊瑚，写其贵胄之饰；「隆准」为高鼻，史载汉高祖刘邦隆准龙颜，「高帝子孙尽隆准」以汉高祖之隆准写唐宗室王孙之贵相；「豺狼在邑龙在野」以豺狼喻叛乱之胡、以龙喻唐室，写豺狼据城而龙在野外；「花门」指回纥（其地有花门山），「花门剺面请雪耻」写回纥请助平乱；「五陵」指西汉五帝之陵（长陵、安陵、阳陵、茂陵、平陵），后以五陵代指帝王陵寝，「五陵佳气无时无」以五陵佳气写唐室之气运未绝。诗人以延秋门、隆准、豺狼龙、花门、五陵等典入诗，不着痕迹，而把乱世之景与王孙之贵、唐室之气写得真切可感，是善于熔铸典故的体现。此等用典之法，熔铸古今而不着痕迹，既不炫博以示学，亦不拘泥于旧解，正见诗人学养之深与运思之巧。读者于此等处尤当细心玩味，方能领会其言外之旨与味外之味。
Commentary
A pillar of Du Fu's rebellion poetry, 'Lament for a Prince' opens with ominous crows at Yanqiu Gate and fleeing officials, then the broken flight and the weeping prince in jade and coral, his skin unwhole after a hundred days in thorns. The middle weighs his royal seed against his present wretchedness; the close counsels survival and trusts the dynasty's return. Narrative and pitiful, it is the very model of the 'Poet Sage's' realist compassion and one of his most concentrated witnesses to the age's suffering.
这首《哀王孙》，是杜甫在安史之乱中哀叹落难王孙之作，写乱世中王孙流离之惨，悲悯深沉。开篇写乱起之景：「长安城头头白乌，夜飞延秋门上呼。又向人家啄大屋，屋底达官走避胡」——长安城头，白头的乌鸦，夜飞延秋门上鸣呼；又向人家啄大屋，屋底的达官，走避胡兵。以头白乌之凶兆、夜飞延秋门之景写乱起，以达官走避胡写长安之陷落，起笔即见乱世之象。接着写王孙之惨：「金鞭断折九马死，骨肉不得同驰驱」——金鞭断折、九马皆死，骨肉不得一同驰驱，写玄宗出逃、骨肉离散；「腰下宝玦青珊瑚，可怜王孙泣路隅」——腰下佩着宝玦青珊瑚，可怜的王孙，泣于路隅。这腰下宝玦、路隅哭泣的王孙，正是乱世中落难的贵胄，令人哀悯。中段写王孙流离之惨与贵胄之身：「问之不肯道姓名，但道困苦乞为奴。已经百日窜荆棘，身上无有完肌肤」——问之不肯道姓名，但道困苦乞为奴；已经百日窜于荆棘，身上没有一块完好的肌肤。写王孙不敢道姓名、窜于荆棘百日、身上无完肤之惨；「高帝子孙尽隆准，龙种自与常人殊」——高帝的子孙皆是隆准，龙种自与常人不同。以高帝隆准写其贵胄之身，更衬其今日之惨。后段写劝慰与期望：「豺狼在邑龙在野，王孙善保千金躯」——豺狼在邑，龙在野，王孙啊，善保千金之躯。以豺狼、龙写乱世之局，劝其自保；「不敢长语临交衢，且为王孙立斯须」——不敢长语于交衢，且为王孙，立此须臾。写其谨慎，不敢多言；「昨夜东风吹血腥，东来橐驼满旧都。朔方健儿好身手，昔何勇锐今何愚」——写乱后之景；「窃闻天子已传位，圣德北服南单于。花门剺面请雪耻，慎勿出口他人狙」——写天子传位、回纥请助平乱，劝其慎言；「哀哉王孙慎勿疏，五陵佳气无时无」——哀哉王孙，慎勿疏忽，五陵的佳气，无时无之。以五陵佳气期唐室气运未绝，慰其自保、期其复振。全诗叙事写实，悲悯深沉，正是「诗圣」写安史之乱、哀民生多艰的典范，也是杜甫现实主义精神最集中的体现之一。
Prosody
Line by line
长安城头头白乌，夜飞延秋门上呼。
White crows wheel above the walls of Chang'an, at night they fly to Yanqiu Gate and cry.
长安城头，白头的乌鸦，夜飞延秋门上鸣呼。
On the wall of Chang'an, a white-headed crow flies at night, crying above the Yanqiu Gate.
首二句写乱起之景，起笔即见凶兆。「长安城头头白乌」写长安城头有白头的乌鸦，「头白乌」为不祥之鸟，白乌夜鸣为凶兆；「夜飞延秋门上呼」写夜飞延秋门上鸣呼，「延秋门」为长安宫城西门，玄宗出奔即由此门，「夜飞延秋门上呼」写白乌夜飞延秋门而鸣呼，正应乱起之兆。两句以白乌夜鸣之凶兆写长安将陷之乱象，以「延秋门」暗含玄宗出奔之事，起笔便是乱世之象，含蓄而有力，是「以象起兴」的妙笔。
These opening two lines write the scene of the rising disorder, the ominous sign at once. On the wall of Chang'an, a white-headed crow, the white-headed crow an inauspicious bird, its night cry an ill omen; flying at night, crying above the Yanqiu Gate - the Yanqiu Gate the west gate of the Chang'an palace city, through which Emperor Xuanzong fled, the crow's cry above it exactly answering the omen of disorder. The two lines write the chaos of Chang'an's fall through the ill omen of the white crow's night cry, and through the Yanqiu Gate secretly allude to Xuanzong's flight, the opening at once the image of the disordered age, reserved yet powerful, the fine brush of rising through imagery.
金鞭断折九马死，骨肉不得同驰驱。
Golden whips are snapped, nine horses lie dead; kin cannot flee together in the same chariot.
金鞭断折，九马皆死，骨肉不得一同驰驱。
The golden whip is broken, the nine steeds are dead; flesh and blood could not flee together.
此二句写玄宗仓皇出逃、骨肉离散，是全诗写乱的关键。「金鞭断折九马死」写金鞭断折、九马皆死，「金鞭断折」写其仓皇出逃之狼狈，「九马死」写其奔逃之惨烈；「骨肉不得同驰驱」写骨肉不得一同驰驱，「骨肉」指玄宗之亲属，「不得同驰驱」写其仓皇出逃、骨肉离散，来不及一同走。两句一写其出逃之惨、一写其骨肉之散，以「九马死」写奔逃之烈、以「骨肉不得同驰驱」写离散之惨，写尽安史之乱中玄宗出奔、骨肉离散之乱象，是「以实写乱」的妙笔。
These two lines write Xuanzong's hasty flight and the scattering of flesh and blood, the key of the whole's writing the disorder. The golden whip is broken, the nine steeds are dead writes the plight of the hasty flight and the fierceness of the escape; flesh and blood could not flee together writes the scattering of the kin, unable to go together. One writing the misery of flight, one writing the scattering of kin, writing to the full the chaos of Xuanzong's flight and the kin's scattering in the An Lushan disorder, the fine brush of writing the disorder through the real.
已经百日窜荆棘，身上无有完肌肤。
A hundred days you have skulked in the thorns; your body bears not one whole patch of skin.
已经百日窜于荆棘，身上没有一块完好的肌肤。
For a hundred days now he has hidden in the thorns; on his body there is no whole skin.
此二句写王孙流离之惨，是全诗哀悯的关键。「已经百日窜荆棘」写已经百日窜于荆棘，「百日」写其流离时日之久，「窜荆棘」写其窜伏于荆棘丛中；「身上无有完肌肤」写身上没有一块完好的肌肤，「无完肌肤」写其遍体鳞伤。两句一写其流离之久、一写其体肤之伤，以「百日」写其流离之苦、以「无完肌肤」写其受难之惨，写尽落难王孙窜伏荆棘、遍体鳞伤的惨状，令人不忍卒读，正是全诗「哀」字的所在，是「以实写哀」的典范之笔。
These two lines write the misery of the prince's wandering, the key of the whole's pity. For a hundred days now he has hidden in the thorns writes the length of the wandering days; on his body there is no whole skin writes the wounds all over. One writing the length of wandering, one writing the wounds of the flesh, writing to the full the wretched sight of the fallen prince hiding in thorns, wounded all over, unbearable to read to the end, exactly the seat of the whole's word pity, the model brush of writing pity through the real.
哀哉王孙慎勿疏，五陵佳气无时无。
Alas, prince, take care not to be careless; the auspicious air of the Five Tombs never fails.
哀哉王孙，慎勿疏忽，五陵的佳气，无时无之。
Alas, young prince, guard yourself and do not be careless; the bright aura of the Five Tombs never departs.
尾二句劝王孙自保、期唐室复振，是全诗立意的落点。「哀哉王孙慎勿疏」写哀哉王孙、慎勿疏忽，「哀哉」以叹起，「慎勿疏」劝其小心自保、勿生疏忽；「五陵佳气无时无」写五陵的佳气无时无之，「五陵」指汉代五帝之陵，代指帝王陵寝，「佳气」为帝王气运之象，「无时无」写唐室之气运未绝。两句一劝其自保、一期其复振，以「五陵佳气无时无」慰其唐室气运未绝、王孙当存希望，在沉痛之中给以慰藉与期望，是全诗「哀」而「慰」的归结，含蓄而深挚，是「以慰作结」的妙笔。
The closing two lines exhort the prince to keep himself and hope for the revival of the Tang house, the landing of the whole's bent. Alas, young prince, guard yourself and do not be careless opens in a sigh, and the guard yourself exhorts caution; the bright aura of the Five Tombs never departs uses the Five Tombs of the Han emperors to mean the imperial mausoleums, the bright aura the image of the imperial fortune, never departing writing that the Tang fortune is not yet cut off. One exhorting self-preservation, one hoping for revival, comforting him that the Tang fortune is not cut off and the prince should keep hope, giving comfort and expectation within the pain, the landing of the whole's pity and comfort, reserved and deep, the fine brush of closing in comfort.
Study
Word focus
Related Reading
Du Fu's 'Spring View' ('the state broken, hills and rivers remain… feeling the times, flowers shed tears') mourns the fallen capital; this poem laments a fugitive prince. Together they show the 'Poet Sage' on the rebellion from city and prince.
杜甫《春望》「国破山河在，城春草木深」「感时花溅泪，恨别鸟惊心」，写安史之乱中望春城之悲，是写国破之痛的名篇；《哀王孙》则以「已经百日窜荆棘，身上无有完肌肤」「哀哉王孙慎勿疏，五陵佳气无时无」写落难王孙之流离与慰勉。两诗同写安史之乱中国破之痛：一写望春城之悲、感时恨别、深沉蕴藉，一哀落难王孙之惨、叙事写实、悲悯恳切；一写国破之全景、一写乱世之一隅，并读正可见「诗圣」从「国破」到「王孙」两重视角写安史之乱的史诗笔法。
石壕吏 The Old Man of Shihao 杜甫 · 同写安史之乱中百姓之难，一写老妪代征之惨、一写王孙流离之哀，皆以写实之笔写乱世之悲 Both record the people's suffering in the rebellion: one a conscript's home, one a prince.Du Fu's 'The Old Man of Shihao' ('at dusk I lodged at Shihao village; an official came by night to press men') records a commoner's loss; this poem a prince's flight. Together they show the rebellion's toll on high and low alike.
杜甫《石壕吏》写「暮投石壕村，有吏夜捉人」「老妪力虽衰，请从吏夜归」，写安史之乱中老妪代子出征之惨，是写乱世民生的名篇；《哀王孙》则以「已经百日窜荆棘，身上无有完肌肤」「可怜王孙泣路隅」写落难王孙之流离。两诗同写安史之乱中百姓之难：一写老妪之惨、以叙事写实、沉郁，一写王孙之哀、以写实兼劝慰、悲悯；一写平民之难、一写贵胄之哀，并读正可见「诗圣」写安史之乱「三吏三别」之外的另一视角——无论贵贱，乱世皆难，其现实主义之笔触所及，遍于各阶层。