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唐 Tang · 诗 Poem

读张曲江集作

Reading, the, Collected, Works, of, Zhang, the, Qujiang

刘禹锡

Liu Yuxi

怀人Remembering someone 读后慨Theme 中唐Theme 忠恕Theme 贬谪Theme

圣言贵忠恕，至道重观身。
法在何所恨，色相斯为仁。
良时难久恃，阴谪岂无因。
寂寞韶阳庙，魂归不见人。

The, holy, words, value, the, loyalty, and, the, forgiveness,
The, highest, way, values, the, observing, of, the, self.
The, law, being, there, what, to, regret,
The, form, and, the, color, this, is, the, benevolence.
The, good, times, hard, to, be, relied, on, long,
The, hidden, demotion, how, could, it, be, without, the, cause.
Lonely, the, temple, of, the, Shaoyang,
The, soul, returned, no, one, to, be, seen.

Listen

Meaning

A poem of the reading and the reflection, written by Liu Yuxi. The holy words value the loyalty and the forgiveness, the highest way values the observing of the self — the doctrine of the opening. The law being there what to regret, the form and the color this is the benevolence — the reflection of the middle. The good times hard to be relied on long, the hidden demotion how could it be without the cause — the sigh of the middle. And the close's lonely the temple of the Shaoyang, the soul returned no one to be seen — the close's reflection. The poem is the reading and the reflection: the doctrine, the demotion, and the close's temple.

古圣先贤的教诲，最看重的是忠与恕。最根本的道理，重在返观内照、省察此身。他暗中所遭的贬谪，难道是没有原因的吗。魂魄归去之后，庙中已再看不到那个人了。

Appreciation

[Plain Paraphrase] The, holy, words, value, the, loyalty, and, the, forgiveness, the, highest, way, values, the, observing, of, the, self. The, law, being, there, what, to, regret, the, form, and, the, color, this, is, the, benevolence. The, good, times, hard, to, be, relied, on, long, the, hidden, demotion, how, could, it, be, without, the, cause. Lonely, the, temple, of, the, Shaoyang, the, soul, returned, no, one, to, be, seen. [Structure and Thought] The poem moves from the doctrine of the loyalty and the forgiveness, through the reflection of the law and the benevolence with the sigh of the good times and the demotion, to the close's the temple of the Shaoyang. [Key Technique] The poem's art is the close of the reflection: the hidden demotion how could it be without the cause, and the close's lonely the temple of the Shaoyang — the reading gathered in the reflection and the close's temple. [Emotional Tone] Reflective, sighing, and lonely: the poem is the doctrine, the demotion and the close's temple.

【白话串讲】刘禹锡读张九龄（曲江）的诗集：“圣言贵忠恕，至道重观身”。“良时难久恃，阴谪岂无因”——“寂寞韶阳庙，魂归不见人”——他悼念张九龄。【意象与手法】以「圣言」「至道」立骨，结以「阴谪」「魂归」，直抒胸臆而不事雕绘。【情感与主旨】追慕前贤风骨，借张九龄之遇暗写自身永贞贬逐的块垒，沉郁而见风骨。【名句点睛】「阴谪岂无因」五字沉痛，直臣见黜似有因实无辜，最见迁客之愤。

Background

Liu Yuxi (772-842), the poet of the Tang, wrote this 'Reading, the, Collected, Works, of, Zhang, the, Qujiang' of the reading and the reflection — the sympathy for the demoted minister. The doctrine of the loyalty and the forgiveness, the sigh of the hidden demotion, and the close's the temple of the Shaoyang — the poem gathers the reflection of the poet, the sympathy for the Zhang Jiuling. The poem is one of the works of the poet's poems of the reading.

刘禹锡，字梦得，洛阳人，中唐杰出诗人、哲学家，生于代宗大历七年，卒于武宗会昌二年。其一生两遭贬谪，参与永贞革新失败后被远放朗州、连州、夔州、和州等地凡二十余年，胸中块垒化作诗笔，风格雄迈而沉郁。张九龄，字子寿，韶州曲江人，世称张曲江，盛唐名相，开元后期为李林甫所谮，贬荆州长史，寻卒，谥文献，其《感遇》十二首开唐代士大夫抒怀组诗之先河，风骨高骞。刘禹锡此诗题作「读张曲江集作」，乃读张九龄文集后追慕前贤、借题抒慨之作。张九龄为岭南士族入中枢之代表，以直谏忤旨见黜，其事与刘禹锡自身因言获罪、远谪蛮荒的遭际遥相呼应，故诗中「阴谪岂无因」「魂归不见人」诸语，表面悼张，实亦自伤。中唐古文运动前后，士人重读开元治世之文献以寄兴亡之叹，此诗即此类「读集」题材中寄意深远的一篇。读懂它，须将刘之身世、张之遭遇与盛唐向中唐转折的历史一并纳入视野。

Art

The poem's art is the art of the reflection. The doctrine opens: the, holy, words, value, the, loyalty, and, the, forgiveness — the holy words of the loyalty and the forgiveness; the, highest, way, values, the, observing, of, the, self — the highest way of the observing. The reflection follows: the, law, being, there, what, to, regret — the law of the no regret; the, form, and, the, color, this, is, the, benevolence — the form and the color of the benevolence; the, good, times, hard, to, be, relied, on, long — the good times of the relied; the, hidden, demotion, how, could, it, be, without, the, cause — the hidden demotion of the cause. And the close gathers the temple: lonely, the, temple, of, the, Shaoyang — the temple of the Shaoyang; the, soul, returned, no, one, to, be, seen — the soul of the no one — the doctrine, the reflection and the close's temple, gathered in the poem.

此诗艺术之胜，在于以「读集」为题而能脱出寻常题咏，将哲学思辨、历史感怀与个人身世打成一片。全诗八句，属五言律诗，前四句「圣言贵忠恕，至道重观身。法在何所恨，色相斯为仁」直接提炼张九龄文集的思想内核：以「忠恕」「观身」「仁」诸儒学概念为纲，评述张氏之学以躬身自省、推己及人为归。后四句「良时难久恃，阴谪岂无因。寂寞韶阳庙，魂归不见人」转而写张九龄见黜身亡的悲剧，由思想评价滑入历史凭吊。章法上前论学、后伤遇，似分实合——正因其学行高洁，方见谗见黜更形冤痛，二者互为因果。中间「法在何所恨」一句，以反诘语气为张九龄的政治理念辩护，笔含不平。对仗上，中二联「圣言」对「至道」、「法在」对「色相」，虽非字字工对，而意脉相贯，有古文之气。语言则敛才就范，不事铺排，于沉静中见风骨，正合刘禹锡晚年「诗豪」之外的简古一面，与元稹、白居易之敷畅异趣。

Allusions

'The holy words' (sheng yan) are the holy words — the words of the holy, the doctrine of the opening; 'the Shaoyang' (shao yang) is the Shaoyang — the prefecture of the Shaoyang, the temple of the Zhang; 'the soul returned' (hun gui) is the soul returned — the soul of the returned, the no one of the close.

此诗用典虽不繁密，而儒释交融之思想脉络极可玩索。「忠恕」出自《论语·里仁》「夫子之道，忠恕而已矣」，是孔子一以贯之之教，张九龄《曲江集》中屡见以忠恕论政之语，刘禹锡拈出，正抓其学说主干。「观身」一词则兼涉佛理，《圆觉经》有「观身实相」之说，盛唐士人融通儒释，张九龄《感遇》「草木有本心」已带禅机，刘以「至道重观身」概括，可见其读集之细。「色相」本佛家语，谓万物外在形相，《楞严经》「离诸色相」是其本义，此处「色相斯为仁」以佛语说儒仁，显系中唐三教合流语境下的特殊表达，足证刘禹锡熔铸释典以论儒学的手腕。「韶阳」即韶州之别称，张九龄为韶州曲江人，其殁后乡人立庙祭祀，所谓「韶阳庙」即其祠，此用本土地理以寄托乡邦之思。综之，诗中「忠恕—观身—色相—仁」的概念序列，实勾勒出张九龄思想「以儒为本、旁参释理」的轮廓，是读集诗中最见学力的几处点穴，亦足补史传之未备。

Commentary

This poem is one of the works of Liu Yuxi's poems of the reading, quoted for the reflection of its doctrine and the loneliness of its close. The good times of the relied, and the temple of the Shaoyang, are among the admired passages of the poet's poems. Critics praise the poem's reflection: the reading gathered in the sigh, to the close's temple.

刘禹锡《读张曲江集作》在历代选本中虽不如其《石头城》《乌衣巷》之脍炙人口，然于研究刘诗思想面向与中唐「读集」题材颇具价值。宋人计有功《唐诗纪事》、尤袤《全唐诗话》皆著录此诗，已重其「借古人杯酒浇自己块垒」之旨。明人胡震亨《唐音癸签》论刘禹锡诗，谓其「英迈之气，老而不衰」，此诗沉静简古的一面恰可补「诗豪」之另一面。清人编《全唐诗》收刘诗十二卷，此章在列；近人瞿蜕园《刘禹锡集笺证》考张九龄卒谥及韶阳庙地理，于诗中「阴谪」「魂归」所指考索尤详，足资参证。今人卞孝萱《刘禹锡年谱》系此诗于刘氏贬谪后期，以为「读张曲江」实为「自况」，其说甚谛。要之，此诗表面评张，内里自伤，将盛唐名相的冤谪与中唐逐臣的悲愤叠印为一，思想评价与身世之感双线并进，是刘禹锡政治抒情诗中「以古证今」的范例，亦为中唐士人追摹开元、反思本朝的一面镜子，其价值实不亚于专论。

Prosody

Form A regulated poem of the reading (wu yan lü shi)五言律诗

Rhyme The poem rhymes on the level of the group — the cadence of the regulated poem that carries the reflective sympathy.平水韵上平十一真部（身、仁、因、人）

Tone pattern The cadence is that of the reflection: the level opening with the doctrine, the turning with the sigh, and the close's fall with the temple.五言律诗平起首句不入韵式，二四六八句押平声真韵，中间两联对仗

Reading note The poem's sound matches its reflection: the cadences of the regulated poem, and the close — 'hun gui bu jian ren' — falls with the temple, the sound of the sympathy of the reading poet.此诗为五言律诗，八句四十字，格律属「平起首句不入韵」体。首句「圣言贵忠恕」以仄声「恕」收，不入韵，为起手常格；自次句「至道重观身」起，二、四、六、八句「身、仁、因、人」皆押上平十一真部平声韵，一韵到底，声调温润而略带沉郁，与凭吊前贤的庄重基调相称。中间两联「圣言贵忠恕，至道重观身」「法在何所恨，色相斯为仁」及「良时难久恃，阴谪岂无因」，大致成对仗，尤以中二联意脉相贯见长——虽非字字工对，而「圣言」对「至道」、「法在」对「色相」，已有律诗法度。平仄方面，五律要求「二四分明」，本诗如「至道重观身」平仄约为「仄仄仄平平」，「阴谪岂无因」约为「平仄仄平平」，皆合律；惟「观身」之「观」当读去声（去声十五翰），以叶平仄，乃「一三五不论」中之活处。末联「寂寞韶阳庙，魂归不见人」以散句收束，不对而气完，尤得律诗「结以韵味」之诀。整体看，此诗虽为读集题咏，而声律精严、用韵疏朗，于简古中见风骨，是刘禹锡五律中敛才就范的佳作。

Line by line

圣言贵忠恕，

The sages' words prize loyalty and forbearance,

古圣先贤的教诲，最看重的是忠与恕。

The sages' teachings value loyalty and forbearance above all.

此句为全诗破题第一语，直入张九龄文集的思想核心。「圣言」泛指古圣先贤之训，此处特指孔子之道；「忠恕」出自《论语》，是孔子「一以贯之」的统摄性概念——「尽己之谓忠，推己及人之谓恕」。刘禹锡以「贵」字领起，判定张九龄学说最所看重者在此二字，等于先为张氏思想定调。值得玩味的是，刘禹锡本人是中原旧族出身、深受儒学熏陶的士大夫，却一生屡遭贬斥，正因他过于「忠」（尽言极谏）而少「恕」（容与时俗）之圆融；此处推崇张九龄之「忠恕」，未尝不是对自我命运的反思——张九龄以忠恕事君而终见黜，刘禹锡以忠直获罪而远投荒裔，二人之「忠」皆招祸。一句之中，既是客观的思想提炼，又暗含主观的身世共振。其用笔简劲，不言张之遭遇而先言张之学养，为后文「阴谪」之冤作反衬，章法上先立其学、后哀其遇，主次分明。

This line is the whole poem's theme-breaking first word, entering directly into Zhang Jiuling's collected works' thought core. The sages' words generically refer to ancient sages' instructions, here specifically Confucius's Way. Loyalty and forbearance comes from the Analects, Confucius's one-thread comprehensive concept - exhausting oneself is called loyalty; extending oneself to others is called forbearance. Liu Yuxi uses prize to lead off, judging Zhang Jiuling's learning most prizes these two characters, equivalent to first setting Zhang's thought tone. Worth savoring is, Liu Yuxi himself is from a central-plains old clan, a scholar-official steeped in Confucianism, yet his whole life repeatedly exiled, precisely because he was too loyal (speaking fully, remonstrating to the utmost) and lacked forbearance (harmony with the times)'s roundness; here praising Zhang Jiuling's loyalty-and-forbearance is not without reflection on his own fate - Zhang Jiuling served the lord with loyalty-and-forbearance yet ultimately dismissed; Liu Yuxi with loyalty-and-straightness offended and far-exiled to the wild; both their loyalty invited disaster. Within one line, at once objective thought-extraction, and subjective life-fate resonance hidden. Its brush concise and strong, not speaking Zhang's fate yet first speaking Zhang's learning; preparing the later hidden-exile's grievance as foil; craft first establishing his learning, then grieving his fate,主次 clear.

至道重观身。

the supreme Way values self-contemplation.

最根本的道理，重在返观内照、省察此身。

The highest Way weighs self-observation and inner turning.

此句承「圣言贵忠恕」而来，以「至道」对「圣言」、「观身」对「忠恕」，将张九龄之学由伦理层面推进到修身层面。「至道」犹言最根本的道理，语近《老子》「至道无难」而此处归诸儒门；「观身」则明显带有佛家色彩，意谓返观内照、省察此身之来由与归处。刘禹锡以「重」字点出张九龄为学尤重自我体认，这与张氏《感遇》诗「草木有本心，何求美人折」的内省基调一脉相承。尤为关键者，「观身」一词暴露了盛唐士大夫融通儒释的思想底色：以儒家忠恕立身于世，以释家观照安顿此心，二者在张九龄身上并不矛盾。刘禹锡读其集而能抉出此一层，足见其读解之深。就全诗结构言，此句与下二句「法在何所恨，色相斯为仁」共同构成对张氏学说的三段式评述（伦理—修身—本体），前四句因此形成完整的思想剖面，而非泛泛题咏。

This line carries on the sages' words prize loyalty and forbearance, using supreme Way against sages' words, self-contemplation against loyalty-and-forbearance, advancing Zhang Jiuling's learning from the ethics level to the self-cultivation level. Supreme Way means the most fundamental principle, near Laozi's supreme Way is not difficult, yet here attributed to the Confucian school. Self-contemplation then clearly carries Buddhist color, meaning turning inward to gaze, examining this body's origin and归宿. Liu Yuxi uses weight to point out Zhang Jiuling's learning especially valuing self-recognition; this is one vein with Zhang's Gan Yu poems plants have their own nature, why seek the beauty's plucking introspective keynote. Especially critical is self-contemplation's exposure of High-Tang scholar-officials' Confucian-Buddhist-fused thought ground: establishing oneself in the world with Confucian loyalty-and-forbearance, settling the mind with Buddhist contemplation; the two are not contradictory in Zhang Jiuling. Liu Yuxi reading his collection yet able to uncover this layer, fully showing his reading depth. As for the whole poem's structure, this line with the next two lines where-is-the-law's-regret, form-and-color-is-仁 together forms a three-part commentary on Zhang's doctrine (ethics - self-cultivation - ontology); the first four couplets hence form a complete thought cross-section, rather than generic theme-praise.

阴谪岂无因。

Was this secret exile really without cause?

他暗中所遭的贬谪，难道是没有原因的吗。

Was his hidden exile truly without cause?

此句为后半篇转入历史凭吊的关节，由论学陡折为伤遇，是全诗情绪的最低点之一。「阴谪」谓暗中之贬谪，特指张九龄为李林甫所谮、外放荆州并终于贬所的政治悲剧；「阴」字极沉痛，点出谗毁之幽暗、君听之蒙蔽，非明罚而实冤谴。「岂无因」以反诘出之，表面问「难道没有原因吗」，实则以愤激之辞暗示：张之见黜，正因其忠直不阿、不肯附丽权奸，此即「因」之所在——忠诚反成罪状，岂非时代之荒诞？刘禹锡于此句中悄然移入自我投射：他本人永贞败后之远谪，又何尝「无因」？其「因」亦在直言获咎。一个「阴」字，把盛唐转向中唐的政治阴霾一笔写出；一个「岂」字，把千古逐臣的不平倾泻无余。此句在律诗中居于腹联下句，承上启下，将前面高悬的「忠恕」「观身」之理想，猛然拽入血淋淋的现实贬谪，理想与遭遇的落差，正是全诗最撼人的张力。

This line is the second half's joint turning to historical mourning, from learning-discussion abruptly folding into injury-by-fate, one of the whole poem's emotional lowest points. Hidden exile means secret demotion, specifically Zhang Jiuling slandered by Li Linfu, sent out to Jingzhou and ultimately dying in exile's political tragedy. Hidden is most poignant, pointing out the slander's dimness, the lord's hearing's obstruction; not open punishment but secret wrongful condemnation. Was it without cause? comes in rhetorical question, on the surface asking was there no cause? in truth using indignant words to hint: Zhang's dismissal precisely because his loyalty-and-straightness would not bend, refusing to attach to power-treachery; this is precisely the cause - loyalty becoming a crime, is that not the age's absurdity? Liu Yuxi in this line quietly moves in self-projection: his own far-exile after the Yongzhen defeat, was it without cause? Its cause also in straight-speech-offense. One hidden character writes in one stroke the High-Tang-to-mid-Tang political gloom. One how character pours out the thousand-year exiled officials' resentment without remainder. This line in the regulated verse's belly couplet lower line, carrying above and opening below, dragging the previously lofty loyalty-and-forbearance, self-contemplation ideal suddenly into the bloody real exile; the ideal-and-fate gap is precisely the whole poem's most striking tension.

魂归不见人。

His soul returns, yet no man is seen.

魂魄归去之后，庙中已再看不到那个人了。

His soul has returned, but no one is there to see.

此句为全篇之结穴，收束于对张九龄身后的凭吊，语极平淡而悲不可抑。「魂归」谓张九龄既殁，魂魄归于何处；「不见人」则写出祭庙之中的空寂——韶阳庙中虽有祀享，而当年那位风骨嶙峋的曲江公已杳不可见，唯有后来读者（如刘禹锡）在集册中与之神交。这一结法，与杜甫「出师未捷身先死，长使英雄泪满襟」同属「以不见写永诀」的悲挽笔调，而更添一层「读集怀人」的孤迥：刘禹锡与张九龄隔世相望，既无面契之缘，惟有文字之契，故「不见人」三字，既是写张之殁，也是写自己读集时的茕独。从声情看，末句以平声「人」字收韵，声韵悠长，余悲不尽。合观八句：前赞其学，中伤其遇，终吊其魂，由思想而命运而永恒之寂灭，层层递降，是刘禹锡怀古伤今一体中收敛悲怀的绝佳标本。

This line is the whole piece's knot, closing in the mourning of Zhang Jiuling's posthumous fate; words most plain yet grief irrepressible. Soul returns means Zhang Jiuling already dead, whither the soul returns. No man is seen then writes the sacrifice temple's emptiness - in the Shaoyang temple though there are offerings, yet that year's bony-spined Qujiang Gong already vanished from sight; only later readers (like Liu Yuxi) in the collection having spiritual communion with him. This closing method, with Du Fu's uncompleted-the-expedition-yet-died-in-battlefield, forever making heroes' tears wet their lapels, both belonging to the write-eternal-farewell-through-not-seeing grief-mourning tone, yet adding a layer of reading-the-collection-to-think-of-man's loneliness: Liu Yuxi and Zhang Jiuling gazing across generations, neither face-to-face affinity, only the writing affinity; hence no man is seen three characters, at once writing Zhang's death, and writing himself reading-the-collection solitude. From sound-feeling, the last line closes the rhyme in the level tone man, sound-rime long, after-grief endless. Reading the eight lines together: first praising his learning, middle grieving his fate, finally mourning his soul; from thought to fate to eternal extinction, layer by layer descending; Liu Yuxi's historical-mourning-present-grief integrated style's restrained-grief superb specimen.

Study

Word focus

忠恕 'The, loyalty, and, the, forgiveness' — the loyalty and the forgiveness, the doctrine of the opening. 「忠恕」二字是此诗提炼张九龄思想的第一关键词，分量系于「恕」字的古典本义。「在《论语》语境中，「忠」是尽己心力、「恕」是推己及人，合为孔子之道的全体大用；张九龄为相，常以忠恕推诚待下、宽简为政，其《曲江集》奏议中「推心置腹」「体物恕人」之语屡见。刘禹锡以「贵」字标举，实则是把张氏政治哲学的核心一语道破。炼字之妙，在「贵」而非「宗」或「尚」：「贵」有「以之为重、视之最要」的权衡意味，暗示在张氏诸多主张中，忠恕最为刘氏所激赏。又，「忠恕」置于首句开篇，先立其人之学养根基，与后文「阴谪」之冤形成「有学而无命」的反差。这一词的选用，使一首读集诗免于空泛题咏，直抵古人心魂，亦见刘禹锡论学之能抓大要。若易「忠恕」为「仁义」等泛词，则张九龄的精神指纹便模糊了。

阴谪 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「阴谪」二字是全诗最沉痛的一处炼字，其力量全在「阴」字。「谪」本指古代官吏因罪被贬，自贾谊《吊屈原赋》「遭世罔极兮，乃殒厥身」以来，成为逐臣文学的核心语汇；而「阴」字加于「谪」前，点明此贬非明正典刑，而是谗人交构、君上暗惑之下的冤谴——张九龄之罢相外放，史载李林甫「尤忌之」，巧言构陷，玄宗惑而听之，正是典型的「阴谪」。炼字之要，在「阴」与「岂无因」的配合：明明是光明正大的忠直招祸，却被置于幽暗的政治操作之中，「阴」字写出了大唐盛世表象下的权力黑箱。刘禹锡自身两度远谪，深谙「阴谪」之味，故下笔字字带血。若将「阴谪」改为「远谪」「贬谪」，则失其冤曲幽暗之痛；惟「阴」字，既状谗谤之隐，亦喻时代之晦，是五律腹联中最见风骨的两个字，足与杜甫「艰难苦恨繁霜鬓」之「艰难」并看。

色相 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「色相」一词置于「斯为仁」之前，是全诗最具思想张力的一处炼字，因其本为佛家术语而被刘禹锡用以说儒。「色相」原指万物外在的形相差别，《楞严经》《金刚经》「凡所有相，皆是虚妄」即此「相」之意；盛唐三教合流，士人常以释典语汇论说儒家心性，张九龄《感遇》已开其端。刘禹锡「色相斯为仁」五字，意谓：于森然差别的色相之中，正见仁体之流行——这既是对张氏「即事而仁」修养法的概括，也折射出中唐思想家「援佛入儒」的时代风气。炼字之妙，在以佛语证儒理，使「仁」不再仅是伦理规范，而具现象学的敞开之义。二字置于第四句句首，与「法在何所恨」对举，构成「法—色相」「恨—仁」的辩证：执法则无恨，观色相则见仁。这种跨语际的熔铸，非深于三教者不能道，亦使此读集诗超越寻常题咏，成为一篇微型的思想评传。其用字之大胆与贴切，正见刘禹锡「诗豪」之外「学人之诗」的一面。