Song of the Governor of Yanmen (雁门太守行) by Li He

Meaning

Black clouds roll and press toward the city wall, the wall seems about to be crushed; the soldiers' armour, in the sunlight, shines and spreads like golden scales. The horn-calls echo through the sky within the autumn air; the frontier's blood has congealed in the night to a purple-dark hue. Red banners half-furled, the great army nears the Yi River; the frost is heavy, the war-drum cold, its sound cannot be sounded. To repay the lord's favour of the golden tower's summons, I would lift my sword and die for you on the field.

黑云滚滚，压向城头，城墙仿佛要被压塌；将士的铠甲在阳光下，如金色的鱼鳞般闪耀展开。号角声回荡在漫天秋色之中，边塞的鲜血在夜里凝结成紫暗的颜色。红旗半卷，大军逼近易水；霜气浓重，战鼓寒冷，声音也擂不响。为报答君王在黄金台上招贤的知遇之意，我愿手提宝剑，为你拼死沙场。

Appreciation

The first couplet 'Black clouds press the city, the city seems to break; armour's gleam meets the sun, golden scales unfold' sets dark cloud against golden armour, writing the enemy pressing the border and the defenders in strict array, with strong colour and full tension. The second 'Horn-calls fill the sky... the rouge has congealed to night-purple' writes the sound to show the force, the blood-colour to show the carnage. The third 'Red banners half-furled approach the Yi River; the frost is heavy, the drum cold' writes the advance in the cold with grandeur. The last 'To repay the lord's favour... I die for you' points the resolve to die for the state. The whole excels in dense colour (black, gold, purple, red), leaping camera, and synesthesia; the imagery strange and splendid, the mood solemn and heroic—most Li He's own 'deep, strange, cold, and lovely' character.

【白话串讲】 “黑云压城城欲摧，甲光向日金鳞开”——李贺写雁门关大战：黑云压城，铠甲闪着金光。“角声满天秋色里，塞上燕脂凝夜紫”——“报君黄金台上意，提携玉龙为君死”——为报君恩，血战到底。李贺写战争，像泼了一幅浓墨重彩的画。【意象与手法】首联“黑云压城城欲摧，甲光向日金鳞开”以黑云与金甲明暗对照，写敌军压境与守军严阵，色彩强烈、张力十足【情感与主旨】《雁门太守行》为乐府旧题（属《相和歌·瑟调曲》），多写边塞征战【名句点睛】中高考常赏其“色彩描写”“战争场面”与“用典”。常考

Background

Song of the Governor of Yanmen is an old yuefu topic (under the Xiang-He songs, Se tunes), mostly writing frontier war. Li He's poem was likely written in the Yuanhe years of Emperor Xianzong; the exact occasion is hard to fix, perhaps an archaizing frontier piece, not necessarily a specific battle. In the poem, 'Yi River' and 'golden tower' are both Yan-place names, darkly using the Warring-States tale of King Zhao of Yan building a tower to summon worthies, and Jing Ke crossing the Yi River to assassinate Qin. The whole uses dense colour and strange imagery to write the bitter border war and the soldiers' dying for honour—a model of Li He's 'hard words circling the sky' and his fondness for splendid frontier poetry.

《雁门太守行》为中唐诗人李贺所作。李贺（约790—816），字长吉，福昌人，中唐诗人，有“诗鬼”之称。此诗写边城苦战之壮烈：黑云压城城欲摧，甲光向日金鳞开；角声满天秋色里，塞上燕脂凝夜紫；半卷红旗临易水，霜重鼓寒声不起；报君黄金台上意，提携玉龙为君死。全诗以黑云、甲光、角声、燕脂、红旗、霜鼓等意象，写边城战事之危急与将士报国之志，是李贺诗风“奇峭”的代表作。李贺诗想象奇诡、语言瑰丽，此诗正是其“诗鬼”风格的体现。

Art

The first couplet 'Black clouds press the city, the city seems to break; armour's gleam meets the sun, golden scales unfold' sets dark cloud against golden armour, writing the enemy pressing the border and the defenders in strict array, with strong colour and full tension. The second 'Horn-calls fill the sky... the rouge has congealed to night-purple' writes the sound to show the force, the blood-colour to show the carnage. The third 'Red banners half-furled approach the Yi River; the frost is heavy, the drum cold' writes the advance in the cold with grandeur. The last 'To repay the lord's favour... I die for you' points the resolve to die for the state. The whole excels in dense colour (black, gold, purple, red), leaping camera, and synesthesia; the imagery strange and splendid, the mood solemn and heroic—most Li He's 'deep, strange, cold, and lovely' character.

《雁门太守行》艺术上以意象的奇诡与色彩的交织见长。全诗八句，层层写来：首联写敌势之危——“黑云压城城欲摧”写敌兵压境，“甲光向日金鳞开”写己军之盛；颔联写战场之景——“角声满天秋色里”写角声悲壮，“塞上燕脂凝夜紫”写血染凝紫；颈联写进军之急——“半卷红旗临易水”写红旗半卷，“霜重鼓寒声不起”写鼓声低咽；尾联写报国之志——“报君黄金台上意”写感君之遇，“提携玉龙为君死”写誓死报国。全诗以黑云、甲光、角声、燕脂、红旗、霜鼓、玉龙等意象，写边城苦战之壮烈，色彩浓烈而想象奇诡，正是李贺“奇峭”的风格。

Allusions

'The golden tower' uses the Warring-States tale of King Zhao of Yan building a tower and setting gold to summon worthies (Guo Wei, Yue Yi), allegorizing the lord's seeking of talent and the vassal's grateful death in return. 'The Yi River' uses Jing Ke's assassination of Qin, 'the wind sighs sighs, the Yi River is cold', crossing the river to take leave—landmark of solemn parting and going to death. 'Rouge' (yan-zhi) means the soldiers' blood, taking the image of frontier blood congealing purple. The three allusions are all Yan-place histories, fused by the poet to write the soldiers' dying for the state; the allusion is apt and the air deep and heroic, not mere strangeness.

《雁门太守行》用典在“黄金台”与“玉龙”。“黄金台”为战国燕昭王所筑，置千金于台上以招贤士，写君主之礼遇；“玉龙”指宝剑，传说宝剑化为龙，写将士之利器；“易水”用荆轲刺秦王之别“风萧萧兮易水寒”，写将士之悲壮；“临易水”写进军之决绝。全诗以这些典故写将士报国：黄金台写君恩之重，玉龙写利器之利，易水写别离之悲。以典写志，正是李贺“奇峭”风格的体现——以瑰丽的意象与典故写悲壮的报国之情。

Commentary

Li He's poetry is always known for its 'strangeness', and this piece especially shows his 'deep, strange, cold, and lovely'. Earlier critics often push 'Black clouds press the city, the city seems to break' as a startle-fine strange line; Song notes also record Wang Anshi's deep admiration of his poetry. Moderns often read it beside Gao Shi's 'Song of Yan', one writing the High-Tang garrison's desolation, one writing the Middle-Tang imagination's splendour—both ranked as Tang frontier wonders, each with its own face.

《雁门太守行》是李贺诗风“奇峭”的代表作，也是唐代边塞诗中的名篇。此诗以奇诡的意象写边城苦战之壮烈，向为论者称道。论者多赏其“黑云压城城欲摧，甲光向日金鳞开”的起笔——以黑云写敌势、以金鳞写甲光，色彩强烈而气势逼人，遂为千古名句；“塞上燕脂凝夜紫”写血染之惨烈，更见奇峭。此诗相传为李贺见韩愈时所作，韩愈读之大为惊叹，可见其诗才。李贺以“诗鬼”著称，其诗想象奇诡、语言瑰丽，此诗正是其风格的代表，也是唐诗中写边塞悲壮的绝唱。

Prosody

Form Seven-character ancient poem (yuefu Song of the Governor of Yanmen)七言古诗（乐府旧题）

Rhyme Tone-change within the lines (break, unfold; sky, purple, river, rise, intent, die)《雁门太守行》为七言古诗，八句，押仄声韵。此诗用韵：摧、开（灰部）、里、紫（纸部）、水、起（纸部）、意、死（纸部），大体随段落换韵，音节奇峭。七言古诗句式整饬，宜于写铺陈叙事。

Tone pattern Yuefu song-form, not bound by near-style level-oblique七言古诗以音节奇峭、气势逼人见长。此诗首联写敌势，音节紧迫，如黑云压城；颔联写战场，音节浓烈，如血染燕脂；颈联写进军，音节低咽，如霜重鼓寒；尾联写报国，音节激昂，如提剑报君。全诗以仄韵换韵，声调随战事之起伏而起伏，是七言古诗中奇峭悲壮的风格。

Reading note Song of the Governor of Yanmen is a Se-tune yuefu; Li He writes it as seven-character ancient with some regulated lines, strange and leaping, hence many tone-changes.《雁门太守行》为乐府旧题，是李贺诗风“奇峭”的代表作。此诗以黑云、甲光、角声、燕脂、红旗、霜鼓、玉龙等奇诡意象，写边城苦战之壮烈与将士报国之志：黑云压城写敌势之危，金鳞开写军容之盛，燕脂凝紫写血染之惨，黄金台玉龙写报国之志。全诗色彩浓烈而想象奇诡，正是李贺“诗鬼”风格的体现。相传此诗为李贺谒见韩愈时所作，韩愈读之惊叹其才，可见此诗在当时的影响。

Line by line

黑云压城城欲摧，甲光向日金鳞开。

Black clouds press down on the city; the city seems about to crumble. Armor glints in the sun, golden scales unfolding.

黑云压城，城仿佛要被摧毁；甲光向着太阳，如金色鳞片般闪开。

Black clouds press upon the city as if it will crumble; armor in the sunlight flashes like golden scales.

首联写敌势之危与己军之盛，是全诗最著名的起笔。“黑云压城城欲摧”写敌兵压境——“黑云”喻敌兵之众，“压城”写其压境之势，“城欲摧”写城之将摧，敌势之危急如在目前；“甲光向日金鳞开”写己军之盛——“甲光”写甲胄之光，“向日”写其映日，“金鳞开”写如金色鳞片般闪烁，军容之盛。二句以黑云与甲光相对：黑云写敌之暴，甲光写我之壮；黑云压城写危急，金鳞闪开写雄壮。以“黑云”喻敌、以“金鳞”写甲，色彩强烈而气势逼人，正是李贺“奇峭”的起笔。

The opening couplet writes the enemy's peril and our army's splendor, the poem's most famous opening. Black clouds press down on the city; the city seems about to crumble writes the enemy pressing the border - black clouds metaphor for the massed foe; press the city their onrush; the city about to crumble the city's imminent ruin, the crisis as if before the eyes. Armor glints in the sun, golden scales unfolding writes our army's splendor - armor's light; facing the sun; golden scales flashing. The two lines set black clouds against armor's light: black clouds the enemy's violence, armor's light our strength; pressing clouds the crisis, unfolding scales the grandeur. Using black clouds for the foe, golden scales for armor, color intense and momentum pressing - precisely Li He's strange, sharp opening.

角声满天秋色里，塞上燕脂凝夜紫。

Bugle fills the sky within autumn's hues; on the frontier, the blood-deep crimson congeals into night purple.

号角声满天回荡在秋色之中，塞上的燕脂色凝成夜间的紫色。

Bugle notes fill the autumn sky; on the frontier, blood-red hue congeals into the purple of night.

颔联写战场之景，是全诗色彩最浓的联。“角声满天秋色里”写角声之悲——“角声”写号角之声，“满天”写其回荡四野，“秋色里”写其悲壮苍凉；“塞上燕脂凝夜紫”写血染之惨——“燕脂”本指胭脂，此处写血染如燕脂，“凝夜紫”写夜色中凝成紫色。二句以角声写战场之声、以燕脂写战场之色：角声满天，写其悲壮；燕脂凝紫，写其惨烈。以“燕脂”写血、以“夜紫”写色，色彩浓烈而意象奇诡，正是李贺“奇峭”的笔法——以秾丽的色彩写惨烈的战争。

The second couplet writes the battlefield's scenery, the poem's richest color couplet. Bugle notes fill the autumn sky: the bugle's mournful sound; filling the sky its echo over the wilds; within autumn's hues its solemn desolation. On the frontier, blood-red hue congeals into the purple of night: rouge originally means rouge, here blood-stained like rouge; congealing night purple the purple congealed in darkness. The two lines use the bugle for the battlefield's sound, rouge for its color: bugle filling the sky, its solemnity; rouge congealing purple, its slaughter. Using rouge for blood, night purple for color, color intense and imagery strange - precisely Li He's strange, sharp brush: using gorgeous color to write bitter war.

半卷红旗临易水，霜重鼓寒声不起。

Half-furled red banners approach the Yi River; frost heavy, drums cold, their sound will not rise.

红旗半卷，临近易水；霜重鼓寒，战鼓声低咽不起。

Red banners half furled, they reach the Yi River; frost heavy, drums cold, the beat will not rise.

颈联写进军之急，是全诗写悲壮的名联。“半卷红旗临易水”写进军之态——“半卷红旗”写红旗半卷（行军时卷旗），写其轻装急进，“临易水”用荆轲之别“风萧萧兮易水寒”，写其悲壮决绝；“霜重鼓寒声不起”写战鼓之低——“霜重”写霜之浓重，“鼓寒”写鼓因寒而声咽，“声不起”写鼓声低沉。二句以红旗半卷写进军之急、以霜重鼓寒写战场之惨：临易水而进，是悲壮的决绝；霜重鼓寒，是战事的艰辛。以“临易水”用典写悲壮，以“声不起”写战局之艰难，正是李贺写边塞苦战的笔法。

The third couplet writes the hasty advance, the poem's famous solemn-suffering couplet. Red banners half furled, they reach the Yi River: half-furled red banners (furled on the march), their light haste; reaching the Yi River uses Jing Ke's farewell - the wind shrill, the Yi River cold - their solemn resolve. Frost heavy, drums cold, the beat will not rise: heavy frost; the drum hoarse with cold; sound will not rise, the drumbeat low. The two lines use half-furled banners for the march's haste, heavy frost and cold drums for the battlefield's suffering: reaching the Yi, a solemn resolve; heavy frost, cold drums, the campaign's hardship. Using reaching the Yi as allusion for solemnity, sound will not rise for the hard struggle - precisely Li He's brush for frontier bitter war.

报君黄金台上意，提携玉龙为君死。

To repay the lord's favour from the golden tower, I lift the jade dragon and die for you.

为报答君王在黄金台上招贤的厚意，我提着玉龙宝剑，誓为君王而死。

To repay your grace at the Golden Tower, I grip the jade-dragon sword and die for you.

尾联写报国之志，是全诗情感的归结。“报君黄金台上意”写感君之遇——“报君”写报君之恩，“黄金台”用燕昭王筑台招贤之典，写君恩之重；“提携玉龙为君死”写誓死报国——“提携”写手提，“玉龙”写宝剑，“为君死”写誓死报国。二句由战场的悲壮写到报国之志：感君黄金台之遇，誓提玉龙以死报。以“黄金台”写君恩之重，以“玉龙”写利器之利，以“为君死”写报国之志，把将士的忠义写到极处。这一收束，正是全诗的归结——黑云压城、角声满天、霜重鼓寒，皆因“报君”而战、为君而死，悲壮而忠烈。

The closing couplet writes the will to serve the country, the poem's emotional resolution. To repay your grace at the Golden Tower writes the grateful encounter: repay your grace; the Golden Tower uses King Zhao of Yan's tower for talent-recruiting, the weight of royal favor. I grip the jade-dragon sword and die for you writes the sworn death: grip; the jade dragon the sword; die for you. The two lines pass from the battlefield's solemnity to the will to serve: grateful for the Golden Tower encounter, swearing to grip the jade dragon and repay with death. Using the Golden Tower for royal favor, the jade dragon for the sharp blade, die for you for patriotism, writing the officers' loyalty to the utmost. This closing is the poem's resolution: pressing clouds, filling bugles, heavy frost, cold drums - all fought for repaying your grace, dying for you; solemn and loyal.

Study

Word focus

压城 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. “黑云压城城欲摧”之“压城”，写黑云压城之态，是全诗写敌势之危的关键词。“压”写其压迫，“城”写所压之城——黑云压城，城欲摧。这一词以“压”写敌势之暴烈：不是逼近，而是压迫；不是围城，而是欲摧。以“压城”写敌势，正是李贺“奇峭”的笔法——一个“压”字，写尽危急之势。

金鳞 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. “甲光向日金鳞开”之“金鳞”，以金色鳞片喻甲光，是全诗写军容之盛的关键词。“金”写其金色，“鳞”写甲片如鳞——甲光向日，如金鳞闪开。这一词以金鳞写甲光：甲胄映日，光如金色鳞片，写军容之壮。以“金鳞”写甲，正是李贺以瑰丽意象写军事的笔法——以金色鳞片写甲光之灿烂，见军容之盛。

燕脂 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. “塞上燕脂凝夜紫”之“燕脂”，以胭脂写血染，是全诗色彩最浓的词。“燕脂”即胭脂，本为女子妆饰之红，此处写战场上血染如燕脂——塞上将士之血，如燕脂般凝于夜色中成紫色。这一词以胭脂写血，色彩浓烈而意象奇诡：以妆饰之美写战争之惨，正是李贺“奇峭”风格的极致。以“燕脂凝夜紫”写血染，遂成千古名句。

玉龙 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. “提携玉龙为君死”之“玉龙”，以龙喻宝剑，是全诗写报国之志的关键词。“玉”写其珍贵，“龙”写其如龙——玉龙指宝剑，传说宝剑化龙。这一词以玉龙写剑，既是写利器之利，亦是写报国之志：提携玉龙，为君而死。以“玉龙”写剑，正是李贺以瑰丽意象写忠义的笔法——宝剑如玉龙，报国如龙腾。

雁门太守行