魏晋 Wei-Jin · 诗 Poem
咏史·吾希段干木
On History: I Admire Duan Gan-mu
吾希段干木，偃息藩魏君。
吾慕鲁仲连，谈笑却秦军。
当世贵不羁，遭难能解纷。
功成耻受赏，高节卓不群。
临组不肯绁，对珪宁肯分。
连玺曜前庭，比之犹浮云。
I revere Lu Zhong-lian, who with talk and laughter turned back the Qin army.
What the age honours is the unbound; in trouble he can untie the tangle.
His deed done, he is shamed to take reward; his high principle stands alone, apart.
Before the ribbon he will not tie; before the jade seal would he divide?
A chain of seals shines the front court — to him they are but floating clouds.
Meaning
I admire Duan Gan-mu, who rested and shielded the lord of Wei. I revere Lu Zhong-lian, who with talk and laughter turned back the Qin army. What the age honours is the unbound spirit; in trouble he can untie men's quarrels. His deed done, he is shamed to take reward; his high principle stands alone, apart from the crowd. Before the ribbon he will not tie it; facing the jade seal, how could he divide it? A chain of seals shines the front court — to him they are but floating clouds.
我仰慕段干木，安卧而屏卫魏君。我钦慕鲁仲连，谈笑之间退却秦军。当世所贵在于不羁之节，遭逢患难却能解人之纷。功成而耻于受赏，高洁之节卓然不群。面对组绶不肯系结，对着玉珪岂肯分取。连串印玺照耀前庭，在他看来犹如浮云。
Appreciation
Zuo Si came from a humble house; learned and able yet of low family, his official advance was much blocked, and so he voiced his pent-up grievance in eight 'On History' poems. This one ('I admire Duan Gan-mu') sings of the Warring-States lofty men Duan Gan-mu and Lu Zhong-lian: Duan lived in retreat in Wei; Marquis Wen of Wei honoured him, and Qin, fearing his worth, dared not attack. Lu Zhong-lian turned back the Qin army and refused the title. Zuo Si takes the two as his model precisely because he himself, with talent, sank among low offices, and so admires their 'deed done, not dwelling on it; high principle apart' — a passionate answer to the cold scholar's lot under the great clans.
【白话串讲】 “吾希段干木，偃息藩魏君”——左思仰慕段干木：隐居也能保卫魏国。“吾慕鲁仲连，谈笑却秦军”——仰慕鲁仲连，谈笑退秦军。“功成耻受赏，高节卓不群”——功成不受赏。左思写古人，是写自己的抱负。 【意象与手法】 此诗以‘吾希’‘吾慕’直抒企慕，开阖爽利。中四句议论：‘当世贵不羁’‘功成耻受赏’‘高节卓不群’层层揭橥士节内核 【情感与主旨】 左思出身寒门，博学能文而门第不显，仕进多阻，乃借《咏史》八首发胸中块垒 【名句点睛】 本诗宜从‘用典明志与咏史寄托’角度命题。考点一：指出段干木、鲁仲连二典及其共同精神（功成不居、高节不群）；考点二
Background
Zuo Si came from a humble house; learned and able yet of low family, his official advance was much blocked, and so he voiced his pent-up grievance in eight 'On History' poems. This one ('I admire Duan Gan-mu') sings of the Warring-States lofty men Duan Gan-mu and Lu Zhong-lian: Duan lived in retirement in Wei; Marquis Wen of Wei honoured him, and Qin, fearing his worth, dared not attack. Lu Zhong-lian turned back the Qin army and refused the title. Zuo Si takes the two as his model precisely because he himself, with talent, sank among low offices, and so admires their 'deed done, not dwelling on it; high principle apart' — a passionate answer to the cold scholar's lot under the great clans.
《咏史·吾希段干木》为西晋左思所作，是咏史言志之诗。左思（约250—约305），字太冲，临淄人，西晋诗人。此诗：吾希段干木，偃息藩魏君。吾慕鲁仲连，谈笑却秦军。当世贵不羁，遭难能解纷。功成耻受赏，高节卓不群。临组不肯绁，对珪宁肯分？连玺曜前庭，比之犹浮云。全诗咏段干木、鲁仲连之高节，是左思诗的名篇。
Art
The poem opens with 'I admire' and 'I revere', stating admiration directly, open and brisk. The middle four lines argue: 'what the age honours is the unbound', 'his deed done, shamed to take reward', 'his high principle stands alone' — layer on layer laying bare the core of the scholar's principle. 'Before the ribbon he will not tie; facing the jade seal would he divide' writes his purity by the resolute act of refusal. It closes on 'a chain of seals shines the front court — to him but floating clouds', taking wealth as floating clouds, turning the Confucius line on 'wealth and rank unright' to a stronger air. The whole uses the past to prove the present, carries argument through allusion, bone firm and grey — Tai-chong's true colour.
《咏史·吾希段干木》艺术上以咏史之辞的激昂与高节之慕的深婉见长。全诗十句，层层写来：前四句咏段干木、鲁仲连——“吾希段干木，偃息藩魏君。吾慕鲁仲连，谈笑却秦军”写希段干木、慕鲁仲连；中四句写高节不羁——“当世贵不羁，遭难能解纷”写贵不羁、能解纷，“功成耻受赏，高节卓不群”写功成耻受赏、高节不群；末四句写不慕爵禄——“临组不肯绁，对珪宁肯分”写临组不肯绁、对珪宁肯分，“连玺曜前庭，比之犹浮云”写连玺曜庭、比之浮云。全诗以咏史写高节，正是左思诗激昂的笔法。
Allusions
The allusions all come from Warring-States lofty men. 'Duan Gan-mu' is from the Shi Ji's 'Houses of Wei' — Marquis Wen honoured him, Qin dared not raise arms. 'Lu Zhong-lian' is from the Zhan-guo Policy and Shi Ji — he turned back the Qin army then refused the fief. 'Before the ribbon he will not tie' and 'facing the seal' mean the official ribbon and jade seal, ribbons to tie the seal. 'Floating clouds' transforms the Analects' 'wealth and rank unright are to me as floating clouds' and the old poem's 'floating clouds hide the white sun'. All take the high meaning of 'deed done, not dwelling on it', stirred against Zuo Si's grievance of the unmet cold scholar — a model of allusion to state one's intent.
《咏史·吾希段干木》用典在“段干木”“鲁仲连”“临组不肯绁”“对珪宁肯分”。“段干木”用段干木逾垣避魏文侯、文侯敬之之典；“鲁仲连”用鲁仲连谈笑却秦、功成不受之典；“临组不肯绁”写临印绶不肯系（受官）；“对珪宁肯分”写对珪璧宁肯分受。全诗以这些典故咏高节，用典自然而激昂自见，正是左思诗的笔法。
Commentary
The Gradings of Poets says of Zuo Si 'his diction is allusive and resentful, quite exact, with the grace of admonition'. The Qing commentator Shen De-qian in Source of Ancient Poetry praises this piece for 'a heroic, soaring air, outstanding and apart from the crowd'. Modern readers hold that Tai-chong's 'On History' 'spreads old events to build his own vast breast'; this piece, closing on wealth as floating clouds, most shows his bone of integrity.
《咏史·吾希段干木》是左思诗的名篇，也是西晋咏史诗的代表作。此诗咏段干木、鲁仲连之高节，向为论者称道。论者多赏其咏史之辞的激昂与高节之慕的深婉——“吾希段干木，偃息藩魏君。吾慕鲁仲连，谈笑却秦军”写希慕高士，激昂之极；“功成耻受赏，高节卓不群”写功成耻受赏、高节不群，更见其志；“连玺曜前庭，比之犹浮云”写视爵禄如浮云，尤见其高。左思《咏史》以咏史言志著称，此诗正是其代表——以咏史写高节，正是其诗风。
Prosody
Line by line
吾希段干木，偃息藩魏君。吾慕鲁仲连，谈笑却秦军。
I admire Duan Ganmu, who, idling at rest, guarded the lord of Wei; I revere Lu Zhonglian, who, in talk and laughter, turned back the Qin army.
吾希慕段干木，偃息而藩卫魏君。吾仰慕鲁仲连，谈笑之间却退秦军。
I esteem Duan Ganmu, who in retirement served as a shield to the lord of Wei; I admire Lu Zhonglian, who in easy conversation drove off the Qin army.
前四句咏段干木、鲁仲连，是全诗高节之慕的起点。“吾希段干木，偃息藩魏君”写希段干木——“吾希段干木”用段干木逾垣避君之典写吾希慕段干木，“偃息藩魏君”写偃息而藩卫魏君——希段干木，偃息藩魏；“吾慕鲁仲连，谈笑却秦军”写慕鲁仲连——“吾慕鲁仲连”用鲁仲连却秦之典写吾仰慕鲁仲连，“谈笑却秦军”写谈笑之间却退秦军——慕鲁仲连，谈笑却秦。四句咏段干木、鲁仲连：吾希段干木偃息藩魏君，吾慕鲁仲连谈笑却秦军。以“吾希段干木，偃息藩魏君”写希慕段干木之隐而卫君，以“吾慕鲁仲连，谈笑却秦军”写仰慕鲁仲连之谈笑却秦，正是左思诗写高节之慕、所慕高士的起点——所慕者，隐而济世之高。
The first four lines praise Duan Ganmu and Lu Zhonglian, the starting point of the poem's admiration for lofty principle. 'I admire Duan Ganmu, who, idling at rest, guarded the lord of Wei' uses the allusion to Duan Ganmu climbing over a wall to avoid the ruler, yet his very reclusion served as a bulwark for Wei. 'I revere Lu Zhonglian, who, in talk and laughter, turned back the Qin army' uses the allusion to Lu Zhonglian dissuading Qin from declaring itself emperor, repelling its army in casual conversation. The two pairs write the kind of man the poet admires—the recluse who yet saves the age—and are the starting point of Zuo Si's praise of high character.
当世贵不羁，遭难能解纷。功成耻受赏，高节卓不群。
They prize an untrammeled spirit, and in trouble can resolve disputes; when the work is done they are ashamed to take reward, their lofty principle towering above the crowd.
当世贵不羁，遭难能解纷。功成耻受赏，高节卓不群。
The age values the untrammeled spirit; in adversity he can untangle disputes. When merit is achieved he is ashamed of reward, his lofty integrity standing alone and apart.
中四句写高节不羁，是全诗高节之慕的深化。“当世贵不羁，遭难能解纷”写贵不羁、能解纷——“当世贵不羁”写当世贵不羁（不羁之才），“遭难能解纷”写遭难能解纷——当世贵不羁，遭难解纷；“功成耻受赏，高节卓不群”写功成耻受赏——“功成耻受赏”写功成而耻受赏，“高节卓不群”写高节卓然不群——功成耻受赏，高节不群。四句写高节不羁：当世贵不羁遭难能解纷，功成耻受赏高节卓不群。以“当世贵不羁，遭难能解纷”写贵在不受羁束、遇难能解纷，以“功成耻受赏，高节卓不群”写功成而耻于受赏、高节卓然，正是左思诗写高节之慕、高士之德的深化。
The middle four lines write the untrammeled, lofty character, deepening the poem's admiration. 'The age values the untrammeled spirit, in trouble he can resolve disputes': the prizing of the unfettered talent, the ability to settle crisis when it comes. 'When the work is done he is ashamed of reward, his lofty principle towering above the crowd': ashamed to accept recompense for achievement, his integrity outstanding and set apart. The lines write what is admirable—the refusal to be bound, the readiness to resolve crisis, the shame at reward, the lofty and lonely principle—and deepen the portrait of the noble recluse Zuo Si admires.
临组不肯绁，对珪宁肯分？连玺曜前庭，比之犹浮云。
Faced with the silk cord of office, he would not tie it; offered the jade tablet, how could he accept it? Though stacked seals gleamed in his courtyard, he would account them no more than floating clouds.
临组（印绶）不肯系，对珪（玉圭）宁肯分？连玺曜前庭，比之犹浮云。
When the official seal-cord was offered he refused to tie it; faced with the jade gui, how would he accept its division? Though linked seals shone in his front court, he took them as no more than floating clouds.
末四句写不慕爵禄、视如浮云，是全诗高节之慕的归结。“临组不肯绁，对珪宁肯分”写不肯受印——“临组不肯绁”写临印绶不肯系（受官），“对珪宁肯分”写对珪璧宁肯分受——临组不肯绁，对珪宁肯分；“连玺曜前庭，比之犹浮云”写视爵禄如浮云——“连玺曜前庭”写连玺曜前庭，“比之犹浮云”写比之犹浮云——连玺曜庭，比之浮云。四句写不慕爵禄、视如浮云：临组不肯绁对珪宁肯分，连玺曜前庭比之犹浮云。以“临组不肯绁，对珪宁肯分”写临印绶不肯系、对珪璧不肯分，以“连玺曜前庭，比之犹浮云”写连玺曜庭而视之如浮云，正是左思诗写高节之慕、超然爵禄的归结——功成不受，视爵禄如浮云。
The last four lines write the refusal to covet rank and salary, accounted as floating clouds, the resolution of the poem's admiration. 'Faced with the silk cord of office, he would not tie it; offered the jade tablet, how could he accept it?' means, before the seal's cord he would not tie it on, and before the jade tablet he would not accept its grant. 'Though stacked seals gleamed in his courtyard, he would account them no more than floating clouds' means, even if linked seals shone in his forecourt, he would weigh them as floating clouds. The lines write the refusal to take office and the dismissal of rank as clouds, the conclusion of Zuo Si's praise of a character above salary: achievement without reward, eminence held as lightly as clouds.
Study
Word focus
Related Reading
'The lush pine at the gully's foot' pricks the nobility; 'I admire Duan Gan-mu' admires the lofty man — positive and negative views of the cold scholar's anger and intent.
左思《咏史·郁郁涧底松》“郁郁涧底松，离离山上苗”慨门第之见、才士失位，与本首同为左思咏史。差异在情致：咏史·吾希段干木咏高节；咏史·郁郁涧底松慨失位。一写“慕”之志，一写“慨”之愤。两者并读，可见左思咏史诗的两种情致。
咏史·其一 On History 左思 · 同为左思咏史写高节，一咏段干木鲁仲连一咏冯唐之遇，皆激昂 Same (author / form: both in Zuo Si's On History group)'At twenty I plied the soft brush' writes the talent's self-confidence; 'I admire Duan Gan-mu' writes the high principle apart — compare the group's allegories.
左思《咏史》其他篇写冯唐白首之遇，与本首同为左思咏史。差异在对象：咏史·吾希段干木咏高士高节；咏史其他篇咏怀才不遇。一写“节”之高，一写“遇”之叹。两者并读，可见左思咏史诗的两种对象。
招隐诗 Summoning the Recluse 左思 · 与本首相关联的同类或同作者作品，供对比阅读 Related readingCompare this related work with the poem above through theme, imagery, tone, and emotional movement.
此处关联左思《招隐诗》，与本首在主题、体裁或作者上相关联，可对比阅读以见其同异。