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唐 Tang · 诗 Poem

早朝

Morning Audience at Court

韩愈

Han Yu

宫廷唱和Courtly Responsorial Verse 太平盛世Age of Great Peace

天仗宵严建羽旄，春云送色晓鸡号。
金炉香动螭头暗，玉佩声来雉尾高。
戎服上趋承北极，儒冠列侍映东曹。
太平时节难身遇，郎署何须叹二毛。

Imperial guards, night-long arrayed, set up plumed banners high;
Spring clouds bring their hues, dawn cocks cry.
Golden censer-incense stirs, dimming the carved chi-heads;
Jade pendants' sounds arrive, pheasant plumes tower high.
In battle robes they hasten forward to the Northern Pole;
In scholar caps they stand in ranks, brightening the Eastern Bureau.
An age of great peace—rarely met with in a lifetime;
Why in the Lang office need one sigh for two-colored hair?

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Meaning

This poem depicts the grand imperial court audience held at dawn, celebrating the majesty of the court and the blessings of a peaceful era. It closes by urging a fellow official not to lament old age, since such an age of peace is rarely encountered.

帝王的仪仗彻夜森严，竖起饰羽的旌旗；春云舒展送来清光，晓鸡声声报晓。金炉香烟袅袅，缭绕着螭头殿阙；玉佩叮咚传来，雉尾仪仗高高耸立。武官身着戎服小步趋前，恭拜北极般的君王；文臣戴着儒冠列队侍立，映衬着东曹官署。太平时世难得亲身遇见，郎署之中，又何必为鬓发斑白而叹息。

Appreciation

A formal and stately seven-character regulated verse, this piece is a masterful example of courtly responsorial poetry. It opens with the night-long array of imperial guards and the dawn crow of the cock, moves through the incense-laden dimness of the palace and the jingling of jade pendants, then contrasts military and civil officials in ordered rows. The final couplet turns from spectacle to sentiment, offering a warm and measured consolation. The poem's controlled parallel structure and rich imagery embody the dignified aesthetics of Tang court poetry.

【白话串讲】 “天仗宵严建羽旄，春云送色晓鸡号”——韩愈写早朝：天仗森严。“金炉香动螭头暗，玉佩声来雉尾高”——“太平时节难身遇，郎署何须叹二毛”——他劝自己莫叹白头。韩愈写朝会的威严。【意象与手法】首联“天仗宵严建羽旄，春云送色晓鸡号”写帝王仪仗彻夜戒备、晓鸡报春；颔联“金炉香动螭头暗，玉佩声来雉尾高”以香雾、玉佩、雉尾仪仗写宫阙朦胧与朝仪威严；颈联“戎服上趋承北极，儒冠列侍映东曹”分写武弁趋拜、文官列侍；尾联“太平时节难身遇，郎署何须叹二毛”由景入情。七律工稳，铺排典重、色泽富丽。【情感与主旨】奉和友人卢汀之作，写元日宫廷朝会之盛，借铺陈朝仪表达对太平盛世的珍惜并劝慰同僚莫叹衰老。属馆阁应酬雅诗，可觇中唐朝会仪轨与文化气象。【名句点睛】常考“金炉香动螭头暗，玉佩声来雉尾高”以香雾玉佩写朝仪威严；“太平时节难身遇，郎署何须叹二毛”以叹二毛写珍惜太平。

Background

This poem was composed as a matching response (和) to a poem by Han Yu's colleague, Lu Ting (卢汀). It depicts the imperial audience held on New Year's Day or a spring morning. Han Yu, then a court official, used the occasion to praise the splendor of court ceremony and to encourage a fellow official not to lament aging. Tang poets commonly composed matching poems on early-morning court audiences; Jia Zhi's original inspired celebrated responses by Wang Wei, Cen Shen, and Du Fu. Although Han Yu is better known for his prose and his striking, unconventional verse, this piece shows his ability to write in the ornate, decorous style expected at court.

此诗为韩愈奉和友人卢汀（卢给事）之作，写元日或春日宫廷朝会之盛。韩愈时任朝官，借唱和铺陈朝仪、表达对太平盛世的珍惜，并劝慰同僚莫叹衰老。唐人多有早朝唱和之制，中书舍人贾至首唱，王维、岑参、杜甫皆有和作，蔚为馆阁雅事；韩愈此篇即其一种，属应酬唱和之雅诗。中唐以来，藩镇虽跋扈、朝局多艰，然国家表面尚称承平，元日大朝会仍是彰显君权与礼制的重要典礼。韩愈以古文运动领袖著称，其诗风奇崛横肆，然此篇却一反平日瘦硬，写出堂皇典重的应制体，可见其诗风之多样。诗中北极指君王，东曹指官署，二毛指鬓发斑白，皆用典或雅语。读此诗，须把它放回中唐馆阁唱和的风气里，理解它既是对太平的礼赞，也是士大夫在朝堂上彼此勖勉、安顿身心的文字仪式，不宜以韩诗本色苛求，而当观其铺陈之工与气象之雍容，以及一代朝仪礼文在诗句中的留存。

Art

The poem is notable for its meticulous arrangement and rich visual-auditory imagery. The first couplet establishes time and mood from night to dawn; the second interweaves scent, sound, and sight, with incense smoke dimming the carved chi-heads and jade pendants heralding the raised pheasant plumes. The third couplet sets military and civil officials in balanced rows, evoking hierarchical order. The final couplet dissolves the pageantry into personal warmth. Throughout, the language is opulent yet controlled, with every detail deepening the atmosphere of courtly dignity.

首联天仗宵严建羽旄，春云送色晓鸡号，写帝王仪仗彻夜戒备、晓鸡报春，铺陈朝会前的庄严，时空由宵及晓，色彩由森严转清朗；颔联金炉香动螭头暗，玉佩声来雉尾高，以香雾、玉佩、雉尾仪仗，写宫阙朦胧与朝仪威严，视听交织，富丽而不浮靡。颈联戎服上趋承北极，儒冠列侍映东曹，分写武弁趋拜、文官列侍，一文一武，秩序井然，北极喻君，东曹指署，礼制森然。尾联太平时节难身遇，郎署何须叹二毛，由景入情，劝友珍视太平、勿叹衰老，收束得体。全诗的工稳，铺排典重，色泽富丽，得应制雅诗之体；其艺术之要，在于以细节描写见宫廷礼制，对仗工整而气象雍容，于韩诗中别具一种堂皇，是中唐馆阁诗的典型面目，亦足以补韩愈诗风多样之一面，使读者得窥其不仅能以文为诗，亦能作堂皇之章。其铺陈之工、色泽之丽，于韩诗中别出一格，足补其诗风多样之一面。

Allusions

The poem employs several classical and institutional allusions. 'Northern Pole' (北极) refers to the Pole Star, a traditional symbol for the emperor (Confucius, Analects: 'Governing by virtue is like the Pole Star, which remains in place while all other stars revolve around it'). 'Eastern Bureau' (东曹) is an institutional term for a government office. 'Two-colored hair' (二毛) comes from the Zuozhuan, meaning hair that is half black and half white, i.e., aging; Pan Yue's 'Autumn Inspirations' also laments it. 'Pheasant plumes' (雉尾) and 'chi-head' (螭头) are ceremonial and architectural details of the Tang palace, lending authenticity to the court scene.

诗中用典与雅语，集中在北极、东曹、二毛数处。北极，本指北辰、北极星，《论语·为政》为政以德，譬如北辰，居其所而众星共之，后世以北极喻帝王之尊、居中以临四方；韩愈承北极，言武官趋拜如众星拱卫君王，既写朝仪之肃，亦暗颂君德。东曹，本指汉代官署名，后泛称官署，诗中与儒冠对举，指文臣列侍之所，是典制雅称。二毛，语出《左传》不禽二毛，指鬓发斑白、黑白相杂，潘岳《秋兴赋》亦叹二毛；韩愈郎署何须叹二毛，以二毛写同僚渐老，劝其莫因衰老自伤。羽旄，本指饰羽的旌旗，《孟子》言羽旄之美，诗中建羽旄写仪仗之盛。螭头，殿前螭首，唐制朝官立螭头之下，诗中螭头暗写殿阙阴影。这些语汇，皆出经史与唐制，非徒丽辞，而是把一场朝会写得有典有则，使富丽中见礼文，正见韩诗应制一体之讲究，亦见唐人朝会诗必以经史雅言为骨的惯例。此皆经史雅言之活用，使富丽之中自见礼文。

Commentary

This poem is an unusual piece within Han Yu's corpus, standing out as a courtly regulated verse. Critics have traditionally emphasized Han Yu's ancient-style prose and his unconventional poetic diction, but this work reveals his fluency in the grand, decorous mode of court poetry. The couplet '金炉香动螭头暗，玉佩声来雉尾高' is often singled out for its masterful blending of sensory experience and courtly atmosphere. The conclusion, urging contentment in a peaceful age, elevates the poem from court formality to a genial reflection on human life. As a record of Tang court ritual and literati fellowship, it offers valuable insight into the social world of middle-period Tang officials.

此诗为韩诗中少见的宫廷唱和七律，向与王维、岑参、杜甫诸家早朝名篇并观。宋人论韩诗，多重其古文气格与奇崛一面，对此类应制雅诗或略而不详；然近人治中唐诗者，渐重其多样面目，以为正可见韩愈不仅以文为诗，亦能作堂皇典重之篇章。此诗之妙，论者多在铺陈之工与气象之雍容——金炉香动、玉佩声来一联，视听相生，最见馆阁风华；太平时节难身遇一结，由颂转劝，情味温厚，非徒颂圣。亦有学者指出，相较王维之清丽、岑参之富艳、杜甫之沉雄，韩愈此诗重在铺陈仪制、秩序井然，较少个人抒情，恰见其兼擅馆阁应制之一体。读此诗，当于其典重字面下，见中唐士大夫在朝堂唱和中彼此勖勉、安顿身心的礼文之乐，亦足补韩集风貌之全，弥足珍视，足资玩味，亦可见中古士大夫庙堂情怀之一斑。读此诗可见中唐馆阁气象之一斑，亦足资治礼文者参酌。

Prosody

Form Seven-character regulated verse (七言律诗; 8 lines in 4 couplets, with parallel couplets in lines 3-4 and 5-6)七言律诗（七律，八句四联，中二联对仗）

Rhyme Rhyme scheme: 旄, 号, 高, 曹, 毛 (all in level tone, rhyme category XIAPING '四豪'); a single rhyme throughout, with an open and resonant timbre suitable for the courtly praise.押平水韵下平四豪：旄、号、高、曹、毛，一韵到底，音色洪亮开阔，恰配朝会雍容、太平颂扬的堂皇基调。

Tone pattern Tonal pattern: the poem follows the standard rules of regulated verse, with antithesis and tonal contrast in the middle couplets. Example first line: 平仄平平仄仄平; second: 平平仄仄仄平平. The alternating rising and falling tones produce a dignified cadence.天仗宵严建羽旄，平仄平平仄仄平；春云送色晓鸡号，平平仄仄仄平平；金炉香动螭头暗，平平平仄平平仄；玉佩声来雉尾高，仄仄平平仄仄平；戎服上趋承北极，平仄仄平平仄仄；儒冠列侍映东曹，平平仄仄仄平平；太平时节难身遇，仄平平仄平平仄；郎署何须叹二毛，平仄平平仄仄平。中二联基本相对，合七律正格。

Reading note The poem is a strict lüshi with eight lines and four couplets. The middle two couplets (lines 3-4 and 5-6) are perfectly parallel in syntax and meaning. The rhyme words all belong to the same rhyme group, reinforcing the sonorous, stately quality appropriate to a court poem. Han Yu exhibits complete mastery of the form, even though his personal style often departs from it.此诗体为七律，八句四联，中二联金炉香动螭头暗，玉佩声来雉尾高、戎服上趋承北极，儒冠列侍映东曹皆两两对仗，属近体正格。韵脚旄、号、高、曹、毛同属平水韵下平四豪，一韵到底，豪韵发音开阔洪亮，恰配朝会雍容、太平颂扬的语气，也与诗中羽旄、雉尾的轩昂气象相称。声调上，首联由宵及晓、铺陈时空，颔联视听交织、富丽堂皇，颈联文武对举、秩序森然，尾联由颂转劝、温厚收束，形成严整而流丽的章法。律诗贵浑成，韩愈此作以应制之体行之，对仗工稳而不板，用典雅正而不僻，结句以人情熨帖堂皇，使七律的庄重与士大夫的交游温厚相得益彰，正见韩诗兼擅馆阁一体之能。

Line by line

天仗宵严建羽旄，春云送色晓鸡号。

The imperial guard, solemn through the night, sets up feathered banners; spring clouds bring color and the dawn cock crows. This opening line sets the scene from night to dawn, emphasizing the gravity and anticipation before the audience.

帝王的仪仗彻夜森严，竖起饰羽的旌旗；春云舒展送来清光，晓鸡声声报晓。

The imperial guards stand vigilant through the night; feathered banners are raised. Spring clouds send color, and dawn cocks crow.

首联写朝会前的时空与气氛，是全诗铺陈之始。天仗宵严建羽旄，言帝王仪仗彻夜戒备，羽旄高建，一个宵严，把从昨夜到拂晓的森严守住，写出大礼将至的庄重；春云送色晓鸡号，则把镜头从夜的森严推向晨的清朗，春云送色是天光渐明，晓鸡报号是时辰已至。两句由宵及晓、由严转明，色彩与节奏都跟着朝会临近而醒过来。韩愈不急着写人，先写仪仗与天色，是把太平盛世的体面从环境里烘托出来——连云色、鸡声都像是被礼制安顿好的。这一联看似平铺，实则为后文的金炉、玉佩、戎服、儒冠铺好了雍容的底色。

The opening couplet writes the time and atmosphere before the audience, the start of the poem's铺陈. The imperial guards stand vigilant through the night; feathered banners are raised says the imperial retinue on night-long alert, feathered standards erected; one night-vigilant holds the stern watch from last night to dawn, writing the solemnity before the great rite. Spring clouds send color, and dawn cocks crow pushes the lens from night's sternness to dawn's clearness: spring clouds send color means the light gradually brightening; dawn cocks crow means the hour has come. The two lines pass from night to dawn, from stern to bright; color and rhythm both wake as the audience approaches. Han Yu does not hurry to write people, first writes the retinue and the sky, bringing out the prosperous age's dignity from the environment - even the cloud hue and cockcrow seem arranged by ritual. This couplet seems flatly laid out, yet in reality prepares the graceful ground for the later golden censer, jade pendants, martial dress, and scholar's cap.

金炉香动螭头暗，玉佩声来雉尾高。

Golden censer incense stirs, darkening the carved chi-heads; jade pendants' sound approaches, pheasant plumes are high. This couplet blends scent, sound, and sight to evoke the luxurious, solemn interior and the towering ceremonial regalia.

金炉香烟袅袅，缭绕着螭头殿阙；玉佩叮咚传来，雉尾仪仗高高耸立。

Incense from the golden censer stirs about the dragon-head eaves; jade pendants sound, and pheasant-tail plumes stand high.

颔联是全诗最富丽的一联，视听交织，把宫阙的朦胧与朝仪的威严写活。金炉香动螭头暗，是嗅觉兼视觉：炉香袅袅，绕着殿前螭首，烟影里殿阙显得幽暗，富贵中带一层神秘；玉佩声来雉尾高，是听觉兼视觉：玉佩叮咚由远及近，雉尾仪仗高高耸立，声与形一同涌来。暗与高相对，一低一昂，恰好写出殿宇的深邃与仪仗的轩昂。这一联的妙处，在动字与来字——香是动的，声是来的，静的宫阙因香声而活，朝会已在不知不觉中开场。韩愈以文为诗的手脚，在这里化作对细节的精准捕捉，富丽而不浮靡，最见馆阁风华。

The second couplet is the poem's most gorgeous, sight and sound interwoven, making the palace's dimness and the audience's majesty alive. Incense from the golden censer stirs about the dragon-head eaves is smell plus sight: censer incense curling around the dragon heads before the hall; in the smoke-shadow the palace dim, wealth holding a layer of mystery. Jade pendants sound, and pheasant-tail plumes stand high is hearing plus sight: jade pendants tinkling from afar, pheasant-tail retinues standing high; sound and form together surging. Dark against high, one low one lofty, precisely writing the hall's depth and the retinue's loftiness. This couplet's subtlety lies in stir and come - the incense stirs, the sound comes; the static palace comes alive through incense and sound; the audience has already begun unawares. Han Yu's turning prose into poetry here becomes precise capture of detail; gorgeous yet not gaudy, most showing the academy office's elegance.

太平时节难身遇，郎署何须叹二毛。

An age of great peace is hard to encounter in one's lifetime; why need one sigh at graying hair in the Lang office? The final couplet turns from pageantry to personal consolation, urging a colleague to cherish the peaceful times and not lament old age.

太平时世难得亲身遇见，郎署之中，又何必为鬓发斑白而叹息。

Times of peace are hard to meet in person; why, in my humble office, sigh at graying hair?

尾联由景入情，收束全篇，是唱和诗中劝慰同僚的一笔。太平时节难身遇，先正面点出太平之可贵——生逢承平、亲见大礼，是士大夫难得的福分，一句把前面的铺陈都收归感恩；郎署何须叹二毛，转而劝卢汀莫因郎署闲曹、鬓发斑白而自伤，太平既遇，衰老何憾。二毛用《左传》鬓白之典，温厚而不滥情。这一结，使全诗从颂礼升为勖友，堂皇中见人情，正是应制唱和得体处。韩愈借朝会写太平，又借太平慰老友，礼文与交情两相成，读来雍容而熨帖，亦见中唐朝官在礼制中安顿身心的一种从容。

The closing couplet passes from scenery to feeling, resolving the whole poem, the consoling stroke among companion-poems for a fellow official. Times of peace are hard to meet in person first positively points out peace's preciousness - being born in an age of tranquility, personally witnessing the great rite, is the rare blessing of scholars; one line gathers all the previous铺陈 into gratitude. Why, in my humble office, sigh at graying hair? then turns to urge Lu Ting not to grieve himself over the idle office and graying hair; since peace is met, what regret in aging? Graying hair uses the Zuo Tradition's white-temple allusion, warm without excess. This close makes the whole poem rise from praising the rite to encouraging a friend; grandeur holding human warmth, precisely the proper manner of official-chanted companionship. Han Yu uses the audience to write peace, and uses peace to comfort the old friend; ritual text and friendship both fulfilled; reading it, graceful and soothing, also showing the mid-Tang court official's composure in settling mind and body within ritual.

Study

Word focus

宵严 solemn through the night; night-long rigorous guard 宵严是全诗第一个重音，也是朝会庄严的时间锚点。宵，指昨夜；严，指戒备整肃。二字合说，写仪仗自前夜便已森严列布，到大明方歇，把一个大礼之前的郑重拉满了时间的长度。寻常写朝会多从拂晓起笔，韩愈偏从宵夜落墨，使人先感到一种不容轻慢的肃穆，再随春云晓鸡转入清朗，张弛之间，太平的体面更显厚重。宵严之妙，在不写人而写时，不写威而写备，以时间的严整暗示礼制的不可侵犯，是铺陈中极见经营的一处，也替全诗的典重定下了基调。

暗 / 高 A key expression in this poem; read it with the Chinese note below. 暗与高是颔联一对反义词眼，一写殿宇之低回，一写仪仗之轩昂，共同撑起宫禁的空间感。螭头暗，是炉香绕殿、烟影沉沉，富贵里透出幽深，写出禁中之秘与威仪之重；雉尾高，是仪仗矗立、羽饰凌空，写出朝会之盛与百官之肃。暗不高亢，高不轻浮，二者一抑一扬，恰好对应殿内与仗外、静穆与昭明两种气象。韩愈以二字调控光影与高低，使富丽的场面有了层次，而非一味堆金砌玉。这一对字眼，最见其应制诗虽铺陈而自有章法，雍容中暗含对空间秩序的敏感。

二毛 two-colored hair; graying hair, a sign of age 二毛是尾联的劝慰之眼，也是全诗唯一落到个人身上的词。典出《左传》不禽二毛，指鬓发黑白相杂、渐入老境；潘岳《秋兴赋》亦以二毛自叹。韩愈郎署何须叹二毛，以同僚渐老为名，劝其莫因闲曹衰老自伤——太平既遇，浮名何计。二毛在此既是实写卢汀年迈，也是士大夫共通的迟暮之感，韩愈轻轻一提，便把宏大的朝会收束到人情温厚处。一词之中，有经史之雅、有同僚之谊、有知足之劝，使应制诗不落于空洞颂圣，而见出处交游的本色，是结句最耐寻味的一粒种子。

早朝