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唐 Tang · 诗 Poem

古从军行

Old Song of the Army

李颀

Li Qi

边塞frontier 战争war

白日登山望烽火，黄昏饮马傍交河。
行人刁斗风沙暗，公主琵琶幽怨多。
野云万里无城郭，雨雪纷纷连大漠。
胡雁哀鸣夜夜飞，胡儿眼泪双双落。
闻道玉门犹被遮，应将性命逐轻车。
年年战骨埋荒外，空见蒲桃入汉家。

By day I climb the hill to watch the beacon fire;
At dusk I water the horses by the Jiao River.
The marching men beat the watch-drum; wind and sand dim;
The princess's pipa is full of lonely sorrow.
Wild clouds for ten thousand li, no walled town;
Rain and snow in sheets join the great desert.
The Hu wild geese cry night after night;
The Hu children's tears fall in pairs.
They say the Jade Gate is still blocked;
One must stake his life to follow the light-chariot lord.
Year after year the war bones are buried in the wilds—
Only to see the grapes enter the Han house.

Listen

Meaning

By day climb the hill to watch the beacon; at dusk water the horses by the Jiao River. The marching men beat the watch-drum, the wind and sand dim; the princess's pipa is full of lonely sorrow. Wild clouds for ten thousand li, no walled town; rain and snow in sheets join the great desert. The Hu wild geese cry night after night; the Hu children's tears fall in pairs. They say the Jade Gate is still blocked; one must stake his life to follow the light-chariot general. Year after year the war bones are buried in the wilds; only to see the grapes enter the Han house.

白日登山瞭望烽火，黄昏饮马傍着交河。征人敲刁斗，风沙昏暗；公主琵琶声幽怨几多。荒野万里无城郭，雨雪纷纷连大漠。胡雁夜夜哀鸣飞过，胡儿眼泪双双坠落。听说玉门关仍被阻隔，只得拼却性命追随轻车将军。年年征骨埋于荒外，只换得葡萄传入汉家。

Appreciation

A seven-character frontier song-poem of the yuefu "Army March" title, it is a rare clear anti-war voice among High-Tang frontier poems. Opening on a day of garrison—beacon by day, watering horses by dusk—it writes sorrow through sound: the watch-drum and the princess's lonely pipa. The middle widens the desolation of cloud and snow, then, strikingly, lets the grief reach even the enemy's wild geese and children, breaking the line between Hua and Yi to show war's shared pain. It closes by setting year after year of buried bones against the mere grapes brought home—a reverse contrast of crushing weight, quietly satiric and grave.

【白话串讲】 “白日登山望烽火，黄昏饮马傍交河”——李颀写从军：白天看烽火，黄昏饮马。“胡雁哀鸣夜夜飞，胡儿眼泪双双落”——连胡人的孩子都在哭。“年年战骨埋荒外，空见蒲桃入汉家”——年年白骨埋荒野，只换来葡萄进贡汉家。【意象与手法】开篇“白日”“黄昏”对举，写征人一日戍守；“行人刁斗”“公主琵琶”以声写哀【情感与主旨】李颀此篇为拟乐府《从军行》古题之作，约写于盛唐开元、天宝间。时唐王朝开边不已，将士远戍【名句点睛】重点在反战主旨与对比反结。必考尾联“年年战骨……空见蒲桃”的对比讽刺；亦考“胡儿眼泪”突破族群写共悲的匠心

Background

Li Qi's piece is in the old yuefu title "Song of the Army," likely written in the Kaiyuan–Tianbao years of the High Tang. Then the Tang court never ceased its frontier wars, and soldiers were sent far. The poet, shadowing with the Han Wudi's campaign against Dayuan and the getting of grapes and heavenly horses, writes the cold of the garrison and the cost of war, lodging a critique of the unjust frontier wars that only spend the people's lives—a rare, clear anti-war voice among High-Tang frontier poems.

《古从军行》为唐代李颀所作，是写从军边苦的长篇歌行。李颀（690？—751？），赵郡人，唐代诗人。此诗：白日登山望烽火，黄昏饮马傍交河。行人刁斗风沙暗，公主琵琶幽怨多。野云万里无城郭，雨雪纷纷连大漠。……年年战骨埋荒外，空见蒲桃入汉家。全诗写从军边苦、讽刺开边，是李颀诗的名篇。

Art

The open sets "by day" against "at dusk," writing one day of the garrison; "the marching men beat the watch-drum" and "the princess's pipa" write the sorrow through sound. The middle "wild clouds for ten thousand li" and "rain and snow in sheets" spread the desolation; "the Hu wild geese cry" and "the Hu children's tears" widen the sorrow even to the enemy, breaking the Hua-Yi line, writing the shared pain of war. The close "Year after year the war bones are buried in the wilds—only to see the grapes enter the Han house" sets the heavy cost against the small gain, a satiric reverse close, stirring for a thousand ages.

《古从军行》艺术上以边塞的荒苦与讽刺的深沉见长。全诗写从军边苦：首写边地之景——“白日登山望烽火，黄昏饮马傍交河”写登山望烽、饮马交河，“行人刁斗风沙暗，公主琵琶幽怨多”写刁斗风沙、琵琶幽怨；中写边地之荒——“野云万里无城郭，雨雪纷纷连大漠”写野云雨雪；末写讽刺——“年年战骨埋荒外，空见蒲桃入汉家”写战骨埋荒、空见蒲桃。全诗写边苦而讽开边，正是李颀边塞诗的笔法。

Allusions

"Jiao River" is an old Western-Region place-name. "The princess's pipa" uses the tale of the Han princess Liu Xijun, married far to Wusun, who played the pipa to ease her sorrow. "The Jade Gate still blocked" uses Han Wudi's order that at the Jade Gate "any soldier who enters is to be beheaded," barring deserters from home. "Grapes enter the Han house" uses Zhang Qian's journey to the Western Regions, bringing back grape and clover seeds to Han. The allusions pile up, shadowing Tang's endless wars with Han Wudi's frontier campaigns—borrow the past to warn the present.

《古从军行》用典在“公主琵琶”“蒲桃”。“公主琵琶”用乌孙公主、细君公主远嫁和亲弹琵琶之典，写边地幽怨；“蒲桃”用汉武伐大宛得葡萄种之典，写穷兵黩武而仅得异物。全诗以这些典故写边苦、讽开边，用典自然而深沉自见，正是李颀边塞诗的笔法。

Commentary

The Ming Tang Ruxun, in "Tang Poems Explained," said "this mocks the wrong of opening the frontier; closing on the grapes is the deepest meaning." Shen Deqian said "with the wild bones for a thing, only to get one thing—a grave word." Critics say Li Qi's frontier poems lean more to anti-war than Gao Shi's; this piece stands with Gao's "Song of Yan" yet differs in aim.

《古从军行》是李颀诗的名篇，也是唐代边塞诗中讽刺开边的代表作。此诗写从军边苦、讽刺开边，向为论者称道。论者多赏其边塞的荒苦——“白日登山望烽火，黄昏饮马傍交河”写登山望烽、饮马交河，边苦尽在其中；“年年战骨埋荒外，空见蒲桃入汉家”写战骨埋荒、空见蒲桃，更见讽刺之深。李颀为唐代边塞诗人，其诗以悲壮深沉著称，此诗正是其代表——以边苦写讽刺，正是其诗风。

Prosody

Form Seven-character song-poem (yuefu 'Army March' title)七言歌行（乐府）

Rhyme Level and oblique shift rhyme, song form not bound《古从军行》为七言歌行，押平声韵，随内容换韵。此诗用韵：河、多（歌部）……漠（药部）……家（麻部）等，随段换韵，音节悲壮。

Tone pattern Ancient song form, changing rhyme with feeling七言歌行以音节悲壮、气势苍凉见长。此诗写从军边苦、讽刺开边，音节悲壮而苍凉。全诗以七言贯底，随段换韵，声调与边苦讽刺的内容相合，是李颀边塞诗中悲壮的一路。

Reading note Li Qi's frontier song-poem, vast in scene, stirring in anti-war satire.《古从军行》为唐代李颀所作，是写从军边苦的长篇歌行。此诗以“白日登山望烽火，黄昏饮马傍交河”写边地军旅，以“野云万里无城郭，雨雪纷纷连大漠”写边地之荒，以“年年战骨埋荒外，空见蒲桃入汉家”写战骨埋荒、空见蒲桃。以边苦写讽刺开边，正是李颀诗的名篇。

Line by line

白日登山望烽火，黄昏饮马傍交河。行人刁斗风沙暗，公主琵琶幽怨多。

At dawn they climb the hill to watch the beacons; at dusk water the horses by the Jiao River. The watch's clappers are dim in the sandstorm; the princess's pipa is full of hidden grief.

白日登山望烽火，黄昏饮马于交河之傍。行人的刁斗在风沙中昏暗，公主的琵琶幽怨颇多。

By day they climb the hill to watch the beacon fires; at dusk water the horses beside the Jiao River. The soldiers' clappers are dim in the sandstorm; the princess's pipa holds much hidden grief.

前四句写边地之景，是全诗边苦的起点。“白日登山望烽火，黄昏饮马傍交河”写登山饮马——“白日登山望烽火”写白日登山望烽火，“黄昏饮马傍交河”写黄昏饮马于交河之傍——登山望烽，饮马交河；“行人刁斗风沙暗，公主琵琶幽怨多”写刁斗琵琶——“行人刁斗风沙暗”写行人的刁斗在风沙中昏暗，“公主琵琶幽怨多”用乌孙公主和亲之典写公主琵琶幽怨颇多——刁斗风沙，琵琶幽怨。四句写边地之景：白日登山望烽火、黄昏饮马傍交河，行人刁斗风沙暗、公主琵琶幽怨多。以“白日登山望烽火，黄昏饮马傍交河”写边地军旅之苦，以“行人刁斗风沙暗，公主琵琶幽怨多”写刁斗风沙、和亲幽怨，正是李颀诗写边地之景、边苦的起点——烽火刁斗，琵琶幽怨。

The first four lines write the border scene, the start of the border hardship. 'By day they climb the hill to watch the beacons; at dusk water the horses by the Jiao River' — climbing the heights for beacons, watering horses by the river; 'the watch's clappers are dim in the sandstorm; the princess's pipa holds much hidden grief' — the clappers in the dark storm, and the pipa adapting the legend of the Wusun princess sent in marriage, full of woe. The four lines lay out the border: beacons and clappers, sandstorm and pipa grief, the starting point of Li Qi's border suffering.

野云万里无城郭，雨雪纷纷连大漠。

Wild clouds on ten thousand li, no city or wall; snow and rain fall thick, joining the great desert.

野云万里，没有城郭；雨雪纷纷，接连大漠。

Wild clouds on ten thousand li, with no city wall; snow and rain fall thick, stretching to the great desert.

此二句写边地之荒，是全诗边苦的深化。“野云万里无城郭”写野云万里——“野云万里”写野云万里，“无城郭”写没有城郭——野云万里，无城郭；“雨雪纷纷连大漠”写雨雪大漠——“雨雪纷纷”写雨雪纷纷，“连大漠”写接连大漠——雨雪纷纷连大漠。二句写边地之荒：野云万里无城郭，雨雪纷纷连大漠。以“野云万里无城郭”写边地空旷无人、无城郭可依，以“雨雪纷纷连大漠”写雨雪连大漠之荒寒，正是李颀诗写边地荒苦的笔法——万里无城，雨雪大漠。

These two lines write the border's barrenness, deepening the hardship. 'Wild clouds on ten thousand li, no city wall' — ten thousand li of wild cloud, no wall to shelter by; 'snow and rain fall thick, joining the great desert' — snow and rain stretching across the desert. The barren vastness, no city, snow and desert cold, is Li Qi's way of writing the desolate border.

年年战骨埋荒外，空见蒲桃入汉家。

Year after year, soldiers' bones are buried beyond the wilds; in vain we see grapes brought back to Han.

年年战骨埋于荒外，只空见蒲桃传入汉家。

Year after year, battle bones are buried beyond the wilds; in vain grapes are brought into Han.

末二句写战骨埋荒、空见蒲桃，是全诗讽刺的归结。“年年战骨埋荒外”写战骨埋荒——“年年战骨”写年年战骨，“埋荒外”写埋于荒外——年年战骨埋荒外；“空见蒲桃入汉家”写空见蒲桃——“空见蒲桃”用汉武伐大宛得葡萄之典，写空见蒲桃，“入汉家”写传入汉家——空见蒲桃入汉家。二句写战骨埋荒、空见蒲桃：年年战骨埋荒外，空见蒲桃入汉家。以“年年战骨埋荒外”写士卒年年埋骨，以“空见蒲桃入汉家”用汉武得葡萄之典写穷兵黩武而仅得异物，正是李颀诗写讽刺开边的归结——战骨如麻，所得者唯蒲桃耳。

The last two lines write bones buried and grapes brought in, the closing of the satire. 'Year after year, battle bones are buried beyond the wilds' — soldiers' bones buried year after year; 'in vain grapes are brought back to Han' adapts the story of Emperor Wu's war on Dayuan that brought back grapes, showing that vast wars won only exotic fruits. Bones like fallen leaves, and all that was gained was grapes — the closing satire on expansionist war.

Study

Word focus

刁斗 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. “行人刁斗风沙暗”之“刁斗”，写军中刁斗（行军铜器，兼作炊具、报警），是全诗写边地军旅之音的关键词。“刁斗”写军中铜斗——行人的刁斗在风沙中昏暗。这一词写边地之音：不是升平之乐，而刁斗；不是安闲之响，而军中警器。以“行人刁斗风沙暗”写刁斗声与风沙、边地军旅之苦，正是李颀诗写边苦的笔法。

公主琵琶 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. “公主琵琶幽怨多”之“公主琵琶”，用乌孙公主和亲之典，写边地幽怨，是全诗写和亲之怨的关键词。“公主琵琶”写和亲公主之琵琶——公主的琵琶幽怨颇多。这一词以“公主琵琶”写和亲：不是军中之声，而公主琵琶；不是欢愉之音，而幽怨之曲。以“公主琵琶幽怨多”写和亲公主之幽怨，正是李颀诗写边地幽怨、反战之意的笔法。

野云万里 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. “野云万里无城郭”之“野云万里”，写野云绵延万里，是全诗写边地空旷的关键词。“野云万里”写野云绵延万里——野云万里，没有城郭。这一词写边地之旷：不是有城之野，而野云万里；不是有人之境，而无城郭之荒。以“野云万里无城郭”写边地空旷荒凉，正是李颀诗写边地之荒的笔法。

蒲桃 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. “空见蒲桃入汉家”之“蒲桃”，写葡萄，用汉武伐大宛得葡萄之典，是全诗讽刺的归结词。“蒲桃”写葡萄——只空见蒲桃传入汉家。这一词以“蒲桃”写开边之所得：不是功业之果，而蒲桃；不是万骨之偿，而仅得之异物。以“空见蒲桃入汉家”写穷兵黩武仅得葡萄，正是李颀诗写讽刺开边的归结。