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唐 Tang · 诗 Poem

征人怨

The, Complaint, of, the, Soldier

柳中庸

Liu Zhongyong

岁岁金河复玉关，朝朝马策与刀环。
三春白雪归青冢，万里黄河绕黑山。

Year, after, year, the, Golden, River, and, then, the, Jade, Pass,
Morning, after, morning, the, horse, whip, and, the, knife, ring.
In, the, three, springs, the, white, snow, returning, to, the, Green, Tomb,
Ten, thousand, miles, the, Yellow, River, winding, around, the, Black, Mountain.

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Meaning

A poem of the frontier and the complaint, written by Liu Zhongyong. Year after year the Golden River and then the Jade Pass, morning after morning the horse whip and the knife ring — the frontier of the opening. In the three springs the white snow returning to the Green Tomb, ten thousand miles the Yellow River winding around the Black Mountain — the desolation of the close. The poem is the frontier and the complaint: the passes, the whip, and the close's desolation.

年年岁岁转战于金河与玉关之间，朝朝暮暮不离马策与刀环。三春时节白雪却落向青冢，万里黄河滔滔环绕着黑山。

Appreciation

[Plain Paraphrase] Year, after, year, the, Golden, River, and, then, the, Jade, Pass, morning, after, morning, the, horse, whip, and, the, knife, ring. In, the, three, springs, the, white, snow, returning, to, the, Green, Tomb, ten, thousand, miles, the, Yellow, River, winding, around, the, Black, Mountain. [Structure and Thought] The poem moves from the frontier of the Golden River and the Jade Pass with the whip and the knife, through the white snow of the three springs, to the close's the Yellow River winding around the Black Mountain. [Key Technique] The poem's art is the close of the desolation: in the three springs the white snow returning to the Green Tomb, and the close's the Yellow River winding around the Black Mountain — the frontier gathered in the toil and the close's desolation. [Emotional Tone] Weary, desolate, and complaining: the poem is the passes, the snow and the close's winding.

【白话串讲】柳中庸写《征人怨》：“岁岁金河复玉关，朝朝马策与刀环”——“三春白雪归青冢，万里黄河绕黑山”——他写征人怨——岁岁金河复玉关。【意象与手法】前两句以“岁岁”“朝朝”写征人转战之无休无止；后两句以青冢之白、黑山之黑与黄河之黄对举，写边塞之荒寒与征人漂泊之无归。以地名对地名、以颜色对颜色。【情感与主旨】柳中庸写征戍之怨，通篇不着一“怨”字，而怨意弥满，是唐代边塞诗中“怨而不怒、以物写心”的名篇。【名句点睛】常考“岁岁金河复玉关，朝朝马策与刀环”写征人转战无休；“三春白雪归青冢，万里黄河绕黑山”写边塞荒寒。

Background

Liu Zhongyong (c. 8th century), the poet of the Tang, wrote this 'The, Complaint, of, the, Soldier' of the frontier and the complaint — the weariness of the frontier soldier. The Golden River with the Jade Pass, the whip and the knife, and the close's the Yellow River winding around the Black Mountain — the poem gathers the complaint of the poet, the desolation of the frontier. The poem is one of the famous works of the poet's poems of the frontier.

《征人怨》为唐代诗人柳中庸所作七言绝句。柳中庸，名淡，字中庸，河东（今山西永济）人，盛唐诗人柳宗元之族，生平事迹记载甚少，以诗名于大历年间，与卢纶、李端等有交游。此诗题曰「征人怨」，写戍边征人长年转战、有家难归的悲怨。诗中「金河」「玉关」「青冢」「黄河」「黑山」皆为唐代西北边塞地名：金河在今内蒙古呼和浩特一带，玉关即玉门关，在今甘肃敦煌西北，青冢为昭君墓，在今内蒙古呼和浩特南，黑山即今呼和浩特之杀虎山一带。诗人将这些边塞地名一一罗列，并以「岁岁」「朝朝」写其往复不已，复以「三春白雪」「万里黄河」写其荒寒壮阔，把征人年年岁岁、朝朝暮暮困于边地的苦况，浓缩于二十八字之中。此诗与一般慷慨激昂的盛唐边塞诗不同，不写立功报国的豪情，而专写久戍不归的悲怨，风格苍凉沉郁，是唐代边塞诗中「以怨入诗」的代表作。此篇《征人怨》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 poem's art is the art of the complaint. The frontier opens: year, after, year, the, Golden, River, and, then, the, Jade, Pass — the Golden River of the Jade Pass; morning, after, morning, the, horse, whip, and, the, knife, ring — the horse whip of the knife ring. The desolation follows: in, the, three, springs, the, white, snow, returning, to, the, Green, Tomb — the white snow of the Green Tomb; ten, thousand, miles, the, Yellow, River, winding, around, the, Black, Mountain — the Yellow River of the Black Mountain — the frontier, the toil and the close's desolation, gathered in the poem.

此诗艺术上以「通篇对仗、以物写心」见长。全诗四句二十八字，句句相对、字字相映：首句「岁岁金河复玉关」，以「岁岁」写时间之长，以「金河」「玉关」两地名写征戍之远；次句「朝朝马策与刀环」，以「朝朝」写劳作之勤，以「马策」「刀环」两器物写征战之苦。两句一写地、一写器，一写岁岁、一写朝朝，往复回环，已把征人年复一年、日复一日困于战场的处境和盘托出。后两句「三春白雪归青冢，万里黄河绕黑山」更为工整奇绝：「三春」与「万里」相对，「白雪」与「黄河」相对，「青冢」与「黑山」相对，白、黄、青、黑四色交错，色彩斑斓而意境悲凉。三春本是万物复苏的暖季，边地却飞白雪，落于青冢之上；黄河万里，绕着黑山奔流，征人却无家可归。诗人不直写「怨」，而以这些苍凉壮阔的边地景物写征人之境，怨意尽在景中，含蓄蕴藉，是唐人七绝中「以对句写怨情」的典范之作。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 Golden River' (jin he) is the Golden River — the river of the gold, the frontier of the west; 'the Jade Pass' (yu guan) is the Jade Pass — the pass of the jade, the frontier of the march; 'the Green Tomb' (qing zhong) is the Green Tomb — the tomb of the Green, the tomb of the Wang Zhaojun; 'the Black Mountain' (hei shan) is the Black Mountain — the mountain of the black, the winding of the close.

诗中「青冢」一词，典出汉代王昭君事。昭君名嫱，南郡秭归人，汉元帝时以良家子选入掖庭，后匈奴呼韩邪单于入朝求亲，昭君自愿请行，出塞和亲。相传塞外多白草，独昭君墓上草色常青，故称「青冢」，在今内蒙古呼和浩特市南郊。历代诗人咏昭君者极多，青冢遂成为和亲女子远嫁绝域、埋骨异乡的象征。柳中庸此处写「三春白雪归青冢」，以三春之白雪落于昭君墓上，既写边地气候之酷寒——三春犹见白雪，更以昭君远嫁绝域、终老塞外的悲剧，暗衬征人久戍边地、埋骨他乡的共同命运。此典之用不着痕迹，却于苍凉景物中寄托了深沉的悲悯，使这首写征人之怨的小诗，平添了一层历史的厚重与沧桑。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

This poem is one of the famous works of Liu Zhongyong's poems of the frontier, quoted for the repetition of its opening and the desolation of its close. The year after year of the passes, and the Yellow River winding around the Black Mountain, are among the admired passages of the poet's poems. Critics praise the poem's desolation: the frontier gathered in the toil, to the close's winding.

这首边塞小诗之所以动人心魄，在于它以极工整的笔法，写出了征人极深沉的悲怨。诗人不作一句直白之语，不写一个「怨」字，而怨情自字里行间涌出。「岁岁金河复玉关，朝朝马策与刀环」，年年岁岁辗转于两处边关，朝朝暮暮不离马鞭与刀环——一个「复」字，写尽了转战之无休止；马策与刀环的并置，更见出征人除了征战还是征战的单调生涯。后两句境界陡然开阔：「三春白雪归青冢，万里黄河绕黑山」，三春而飞雪，已是反常之极，何况此雪还落向青冢——那本是和亲女子埋骨之所；黄河万里、黑山重重，征人却不知归期何日。诗人以色彩对比写边地之荒寒，以空间之辽远写归家之无望，怨而不怒，哀而不伤，悲凉之中自有一种苍茫的壮美。全诗二十八字，无一句言情，而字字皆情，堪称唐代边塞诗中以景写怨、以工对写悲情的上乘之作。综观全诗，情真、景切、理深，三者浑融无迹，故能于短短数语之中寄无限深意，令人百读不厌。其含蓄蕴藉之处，正是中国古典诗歌以少总多、言有尽而意无穷的美学精神的生动体现。

Prosody

Form A quatrain of the frontier (qi yan jue ju)七言绝句（近体绝句，平起式）

Rhyme The poem rhymes on the level of the group — the cadence of the quatrain that carries the weary desolation.全诗押平声韵「环」「山」，韵脚同属删寒类（环、山），一韵到底，韵部宽舒而音调朗畅。七绝以平韵谐畅为常，此诗「环」「山」二韵音色宏亮，正与边塞题材的壮阔气象相称；而「环」谐「还」，暗含还乡之思，韵脚亦与诗旨暗合，声情与辞情相凑。

Tone pattern The cadence is that of the complaint: the level opening with the frontier, the turning with the snow, and the close's fall with the Black Mountain.句式上，首句「岁岁金河复玉关」平起平收，声调舒徐，以「岁岁」开篇如长叹；二句「朝朝马策与刀环」仄起平收，「朝朝」与「岁岁」呼应，音节回环；三四句「三春白雪归青冢，万里黄河绕黑山」对仗工整，平仄交错，前句「白」「冢」仄声顿挫，后句「黄」「山」平声舒缓，声调随景物之苍凉而起伏。全诗以对句写怨情，音节铿锵而不失沉郁，正合边塞诗苍凉悲壮的声情。

Reading note The poem's sound matches its desolation: the cadences of the quatrain, and the close — 'wan li Huang He rao hei shan' — falls with the mountain, the sound of the complaint of the weary soldier.此诗为七言绝句，是唐代边塞诗中以「怨」为主题的典型之作。全诗最显著的艺术特色是通篇对仗：四句两两相对，句内复有「岁岁」「朝朝」「金河」「玉关」「马策」「刀环」「白雪」「黄河」「青冢」「黑山」等词两两相映，音节铿锵、意象密集，却不见堆砌之弊，反因对仗而更显征人处境之困顿。其怨情不着一字，而由三方面自然流出：一以「岁岁」「朝朝」写时间之无休止，二以「马策」「刀环」写征战之劳苦单调，三以「三春白雪」「万里黄河」写边地之荒寒与归家之无望。尤为精妙的是「青冢」之典，以昭君埋骨塞外暗衬征人难归之悲，使景语中含历史之痛。全诗怨而不怒、哀而不伤，苍凉之中自有壮美，正体现了唐代边塞诗「悲而不颓」的美学品格，与高适、岑参的雄浑豪放，王昌龄的慷慨深婉，各成一格，而皆足千古。

Line by line

岁岁金河复玉关，朝朝马策与刀环。

Year, after, year, the, Golden, River, and, then, the, Jade, Pass, morning, after, morning, the, horse, whip, and, the, knife, ring.

年年岁岁辗转于金河与玉门关之间，朝朝暮暮不离马鞭与刀环，征战不休。

Year after year, the Jin River then the Jade Gate; day after day, horse whip and knife ring.

开篇两句以工整的对仗，写尽征人转战之无休止。「岁岁」与「朝朝」相对，写时间之漫长往复，「金河」「玉关」相对，写地域之辽远，一个「复」字，更把年复一年、从此关到彼关的辗转写得触目惊心；「马策与刀环」则以器物写征战生活——征人朝夕相伴的，唯有马鞭与刀剑，其劳苦与单调尽在其中。「刀环」二字尤堪玩味，环与「还」谐音，古人有以刀环寄还乡之思的习俗，此暗含征人欲归不得之意。两句一写地、一写器，往复回环，已将征人年年岁岁困于边地的处境和盘托出，为后文写怨蓄足了势。

The opening two lines use refined parallel to exhaust the frontier soldier's unceasing campaigning. Year after year set against day after day, writing the long, recurring time; the Jin River and the Jade Gate set against each other, writing the vast distance; one again writes the year-after-year, from this pass to that pass's辗转 startling. Horse whip and knife ring then use objects to write the campaigning life - the soldier's daily companions are only whip and sword; his toil and monotony all within. Knife ring is most worth savoring: ring is a homophone for return; ancients had the custom of using the knife ring to send the return-home thought; here secretly holds the soldier's wishing-to-return yet unable. The two lines one write place, one object; recurring and looping, already laying out the soldier's year-after-year trapped in the frontier, storing full force for the later resentment.

三春白雪归青冢，万里黄河绕黑山。

In, the, three, springs, the, white, snow, returning, to, the, Green, Tomb, ten, thousand, miles, the, Yellow, River, winding, around, the, Black, Mountain.

三春时节边地却飞着白雪，飘落向那昭君的青冢；万里黄河滔滔，环绕着苍莽的黑山奔流。

In third spring, white snow falls on Green Mound; ten thousand li, the Yellow River winds around Black Mountain.

末两句笔势一转，由写征人生活转入写边地景物，而怨意愈深。「三春白雪」写边地气候之酷寒，三春本是大地回春之时，此地却仍见飞雪，已是反常之至；此雪偏偏「归青冢」——青冢为昭君埋骨之所，诗人以和亲女子终老塞外的悲剧，暗衬征人同困绝域、终老难归的命运，寄托深沉。「万里黄河绕黑山」则以空间之壮阔写归家之无望：黄河万里、黑山重重，皆是阻隔，征人置身其中，正如置身于无边的牢笼。两句以白、青、黄、黑四色相对，色彩斑斓而意境苍凉，不着一「怨」字而怨情满纸，正是以景写情的极致。

The last two lines' brush turns, from writing the soldier's life to writing frontier scenery, yet the resentment all the deeper. In third spring, white snow writes the frontier's bitter cold: third spring is when the earth returns to spring, yet this place still sees flying snow, already abnormal to the utmost. This snow precisely falls on Green Mound - Green Mound is Wang Zhaojun's burial place; the poet uses the marriage-alliance woman's dying-old-in-the-frontier tragedy to secretly set off the soldier's similarly trapped in the far wilderness, dying-old-hard-to-return fate, lodging deep feeling. Ten thousand li, the Yellow River winds around Black Mountain then uses space's grandeur to write return's hopelessness: the Yellow River ten thousand li, Black Mountain upon mountain, all barriers; the soldier placed among them is precisely placed in a boundless cage. The two lines set white, green, yellow, black four colors against each other, colorful yet realm bleak; not one word of resentment yet resentment fills the page - precisely the extreme of writing feeling through scenery.

Study

Word focus

岁岁复 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「岁岁」写年复一年，「复」字写往复无已，两词连用，把征人转战之无休无止写得触目惊心。岁月本是一去不复返的，征人却「岁岁」重复着同样的征战生涯，「复」字更见其辗转往复、永无了期。二字看似平易，实为全诗怨情之根，为后文「三春白雪」的反常景象与「万里黄河」的无望空间，都埋下了伏笔。「岁岁复」一字之用而全篇生色，与诗中情韵相为表里，正见诗人炼字之精与匠心之独运。读者于此等处若细细体会，自能领会其于平淡之中见功力、于寻常处见神奇之妙。

马策与刀环 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「马策」即马鞭，「刀环」即刀柄上的铜环，二者皆是征人朝夕不离的征战之物，并置一处，便见出征人除了征战的单调生涯。「刀环」尤含深意：环与「还」谐音，古人常以刀环寄还乡之思，此暗含征人盼归而不得之意。诗人不写征人如何思乡，只写其「朝朝」相伴的器物，而乡愁自见，是以物写情的妙笔。「马策与刀环」一字之用而全篇生色，与诗中情韵相为表里，正见诗人炼字之精与匠心之独运。读者于此等处若细细体会，自能领会其于平淡之中见功力、于寻常处见神奇之妙。

三春白雪 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「三春」即暮春，本应是草长莺飞、春和景明的时节，边地却见「白雪」，时间与景象的强烈反差，写尽了边塞气候之酷寒与征戍生活之艰苦。诗人不直说边地苦寒，只将「三春」与「白雪」并置，便见反常之极、苦寒之至，而征人年年岁岁身陷其中的无奈，也尽在其中，是四字写尽边塞之寒的警句。「三春白雪」一字之用而全篇生色，与诗中情韵相为表里，正见诗人炼字之精与匠心之独运。读者于此等处若细细体会，自能领会其于平淡之中见功力、于寻常处见神奇之妙。

青冢 'The, Green, Tomb' — the tomb of the Green, the tomb of the Zhaojun. 「青冢」指昭君墓，典出汉代王昭君出塞和亲、终老匈奴之事。诗人写「白雪归青冢」，以昭君远嫁绝域、埋骨他乡的悲剧，暗衬征人久戍边地、终老难归的共同命运，使眼前之景平添历史的沉重。着一「归」字，尤堪玩味：白雪落向青冢曰「归」，而征人何时能归？以雪之归反衬人之难归，怨意更深一层，是诗中用典而不着痕迹的佳例。

征人怨