漢代詩(shī)歌 Poems of the Han Dynasty
劉邦(前256或前247—前195),字季,沛縣(今屬江蘇?。┤恕T芜^(guò)鄉(xiāng)間小吏(泗水亭長(zhǎng))。公元前209年,秦二世當(dāng)政,在暴政和窮困的壓力下,爆發(fā)了陳勝領(lǐng)導(dǎo)的農(nóng)民大起義。劉邦(當(dāng)時(shí)人稱“沛公”)也起兵響應(yīng),并不斷壯大自己的隊(duì)伍。公元前206年,他率兵首先攻占秦國(guó)首都咸陽(yáng),推翻了秦朝的統(tǒng)治。由于項(xiàng)羽領(lǐng)導(dǎo)的另一支起義軍勢(shì)力更加強(qiáng)大,劉邦不得不暫時(shí)退守巴蜀、漢中地區(qū),稱漢王,開(kāi)始了與項(xiàng)羽之間長(zhǎng)達(dá)五年的楚漢戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)。于公元前202年戰(zhàn)勝項(xiàng)羽,建立漢朝,即皇帝位,史稱漢高祖。
Liu Bang(256 B.C.or 247 B.C.-195 B.C.),whose courtesy name was Ji,was a native of Pei County(now in Jiangsu Province).He was once a low-ranking village official.During the reign of the second Emperor of the Qin Dynasty,a great peasant uprising led by Chen Sheng broke out in 209 B.C.due to the Emperor’s despotic rule and the poverty of the working class.In response,Liu Bang also rose in rebellion and his ranks were growing steadily.In 206 B.C.Liu Bang was the first to capture Xianyang,the capital of Qin,overthrowing the rule of the Qin Dynasty.Since another insurrection army led by Xiang Yu was more powerful,Liu Bang had to withdraw his troops temporarily and stand on the defensive in the present day’s Sichuan and southern Shaanxi Province.He proclaimed himself King of Han,starting the five-year-long war with Xiang Yu.At last Liu Bang defeated Xiang Yu in 202 B.C.a(chǎn)nd established the Han Dynasty.He ascended the throne and became the Emperor,known as the Great-Great-Grand father of the Han Dynasty.
大風(fēng)歌
〇劉邦
大風(fēng)起兮云飛揚(yáng)(1),
威加海內(nèi)(2)兮歸故鄉(xiāng)。
安得猛士兮守四方(3)!
【注釋】
(1) 大風(fēng)起兮云飛揚(yáng):這句話的表面意思是刮起了大風(fēng),天空的濃云也翻滾動(dòng)蕩;暗指的含義是天下大亂,群雄爭(zhēng)斗,國(guó)家的形勢(shì)動(dòng)蕩不安。兮(xī):語(yǔ)氣詞,相當(dāng)于現(xiàn)代漢語(yǔ)中的“啊”。
(2) 威加海內(nèi):加是施加、力量可以達(dá)到的意思。海內(nèi)是四海之內(nèi),即全國(guó)的意思。古代人認(rèn)為陸地周圍都是海,四海之內(nèi)即所有的土地。劉邦寫(xiě)此詩(shī)時(shí)已即皇帝位,所以他認(rèn)為自己的威力無(wú)比巨大,震懾管轄著全國(guó)所有的地方。
(3) 安得猛士兮守四方:怎樣才能得到許許多多勇猛的將士,幫助我鎮(zhèn)守國(guó)土的四面八方?安:怎樣才能。猛士:勇猛的將士。
Song of the Great Wind
by Liu Bang
A great wind rises,oh!clouds are driven away.
Home am I,oh!now the world is under my sway.
Where are brave men,oh!to guard my four frontiers today!
【賞析】
劉邦是中國(guó)歷史上第一個(gè)時(shí)間長(zhǎng)、版圖大的封建王朝——西漢政權(quán)的創(chuàng)立者。他讀書(shū)不多,文化程度不高,但少有大志,胸懷謀略,從一個(gè)鄉(xiāng)村的亭長(zhǎng),經(jīng)過(guò)千難萬(wàn)險(xiǎn),擊敗眾多敵手,特別是擊敗了不可一世的西楚霸王項(xiàng)羽,最終登上大漢皇帝的寶座。他不是文人,不擅詩(shī)歌,但很喜歡家鄉(xiāng)的音樂(lè)。在公元前195年10月,他親自率兵擊敗英布叛軍后,回到自己的家鄉(xiāng)沛縣,召集父老鄉(xiāng)親、好友賓朋歡聚一堂。在酒席宴上,他做了這首短詩(shī),并讓一百二十個(gè)孩子和著家鄉(xiāng)音樂(lè)的曲調(diào)同聲歌唱,他自己還離席起舞。回想自己艱難的一生,感謝父老鄉(xiāng)親們的深情厚誼,劉邦竟不覺(jué)淚流滿面,全場(chǎng)人為之唏噓。做此詩(shī)后不久,劉邦即逝世。
這首詩(shī)的第一句用“風(fēng)起”和“云飛”作比喻,寫(xiě)出了秦朝末年天下大亂的政治形勢(shì),簡(jiǎn)練形象,氣勢(shì)磅礴,顯示出一位大政治家、軍事家的胸懷。第二句寫(xiě)自己統(tǒng)一天下,做了皇帝,現(xiàn)在又衣錦還鄉(xiāng),顯示出勝利者的得意和滿足。最后一句寫(xiě)出了作者的愿望和理想,就是在打下江山之后希望能永久地守住江山。然而“安得”兩個(gè)字在希望的同時(shí)隱含著深深的憂慮。俗話說(shuō)“創(chuàng)業(yè)難,守業(yè)更難”,劉邦對(duì)此深有體會(huì)。全詩(shī)短短的三句話,分別寫(xiě)了創(chuàng)業(yè)、成功和守業(yè)三個(gè)階段的情況,可謂充實(shí)、完整、言簡(jiǎn)意賅(gāi);更加上語(yǔ)言淺顯易懂,感情誠(chéng)懇真摯,氣魄博大宏偉,使此詩(shī)歷經(jīng)兩千年而不衰,至今受到人們的喜愛(ài)?,F(xiàn)代人喜歡用“風(fēng)起云涌”來(lái)形容政治形勢(shì)的變幻正是源于這首詩(shī)。
Interpretation
Liu Bang was the founder of the Western Han,the first long-lasting dynasty with a vast territory in the Chinese history.Being a man of resources and astuteness,he was ambitious even when young though he was not well educated.From a low-ranking village official to the Emperor of the great Han Dynasty eventually,Liu Bang had gone through innumerable hardships and defeated many enemies,especially the overweeningly arrogant Hegemon King Xiang Yu.He was not a man of letters,nor was he good at composing poems,but he liked the music of his hometown very much.In October,195 B.C.a(chǎn)fter he led his troops himself and defeated Ying Bu’s rebel army,Liu Bang returned to his hometown Pei County convening the elders and fellow villagers,and they gathered happily.He composed this short poem at the banquet and had 120 children sing it in chorus in tune with the music of his hometown,and he himself left his seat dancing.Recalling his life full of hardships and feeling indebted to his villagers for their profound sentiments of friendship,he couldn’t help shedding tears with all those present sobbing for this.Liu Bang died not long after the composition of this poem.
Using“a gale rising”and“clouds surging”as metaphors to describe the political situation of the great confusion in the last years of the Qin Dynasty,the poet starts his poem with a succinct and vivid line full of power and grandeur,displaying a great statesman and strategist’s broad vision.The second line demonstrates his pride and contentedness as a victor,who had unified the whole empire and become the emperor,and now he was back to his native place after acquiring wealth and honor.The last line voices Liu Bang’s aspirations.Now that he had won the state power,he hoped to keep it forever.However,“where will I find”also implies his deep worries.As the saying goes“if it is difficult for a man to set up a business,it is even more so for his heirs to keep it”,and Liu Bang had a deep understanding of this.The three short lines of the poem have described respectively the situation of the three stages:building of state power,winning success,and safeguarding of the state power,and can be viewed as substantial,complete and compendious.Moreover,the poem is plain and easy to understand,sincere with feelings and of imposing grandeur,and it has thus existed for 2000 years and has been liked by people up to the present days.“Feng Qi Yun Yong”or“winds rising and clouds scudding”used today to describe the constant changes of political situation just originated from this poem.
樂(lè)府詩(shī)“樂(lè)府”是由官府設(shè)立的專門(mén)管理音樂(lè)的機(jī)關(guān)。西漢漢武帝時(shí)機(jī)構(gòu)擴(kuò)大,人員增多,它的任務(wù)是搜集整理民間各地的音樂(lè)和歌辭,同時(shí)也制作和排演各種音樂(lè)歌曲節(jié)目,供朝廷典禮和宴會(huì)時(shí)演唱。后來(lái),人們把這個(gè)機(jī)關(guān)搜集來(lái)準(zhǔn)備配曲的詩(shī)辭統(tǒng)稱為樂(lè)府詩(shī)。魏晉以后歷代文人又仿照樂(lè)府詩(shī)的形式創(chuàng)作了大量詩(shī)歌。到了南宋后期,郭茂倩把從上古到唐五代的各種樂(lè)章、歌詞、歌謠以及歷代文人創(chuàng)作的樂(lè)府詩(shī)匯總成集,編成《樂(lè)府詩(shī)集》100卷。全書(shū)分成十二大類,對(duì)各種曲調(diào)和歌詞都作了注解,介紹它們的起源和發(fā)展,內(nèi)容十分豐富,成為記錄和介紹我國(guó)古代音樂(lè)、詩(shī)歌的重要史料。遺憾的是對(duì)所有樂(lè)曲或歌詞都沒(méi)有說(shuō)明它們的作者。本書(shū)所選《上邪》《長(zhǎng)歌行》《敕勒歌》和《木蘭詩(shī)》即出自《樂(lè)府詩(shī)集》。
An Introduction to
Yuefu Poetry
Yuefu,Music Bureau,was a government office established during the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty,whose mission was to collect folk songs and music,and compose and rehearse them for ceremonial occasions and banquets at court.Such folk songs are generally called yuefu poetry.Literary men after Wei and Jin Dynasties composed a great number of poems in imitation of yuefu.In the late Southern Song Dynasty,Guo Maoqian collected various kinds of music,songs,ballads and yuefu poems of the past dynasties,compiling a 100-volume Collections of Yuefu Poetry.The collection is classified into 12 categories with notes on each kind of music and songs to introduce their origins and development.The collection is very rich in content,but has not given the name of the author of each piece of music or song.The present poem and other three poems in this book are from Collections of Yuefu Poetry.
上邪
〇漢樂(lè)府詩(shī)
上邪(1)!
我欲與君(2)相知(3),
長(zhǎng)命無(wú)絕衰(4)。
山無(wú)陵(5),
江水為竭(6),
冬雷震震(7),
夏雨雪(8),
天地合(9),
乃敢與君絕(10)!
【注釋】
(1) 上邪:“上”指天和天上主宰人們命運(yùn)的神靈。邪(yé):語(yǔ)氣詞,相當(dāng)于“啊”。
(2) 君:古代對(duì)男子的尊稱,這里指姑娘所愛(ài)的人。
(3) 相知:這里指相愛(ài),并永遠(yuǎn)廝(sī)守在一起。
(4) 長(zhǎng)命無(wú)絕衰:(我對(duì)你的愛(ài)情)天長(zhǎng)地久永不衰(shuāi)竭(jié)。
(5) 山無(wú)陵:山?jīng)]有了尖峰,變成平地。陵(líng):山陵。
(6) 江水為竭:江水變枯干。竭(jié):完結(jié),耗盡。
(7) 冬雷震震:冬天出現(xiàn)夏天才有的震雷。
(8) 夏雨雪:夏天下起冬天才有的大雪。雨(yù):這里是動(dòng)詞,表示落下。
(9) 天地合:天和地合在一起。
(10) 乃敢與君絕:(我)才能與你斷絕感情。乃:才。敢:敢于,能夠。絕:斷絕、絕交。
The Pledge
Yuefu Poetry in Han Dynasty
Oh,Heaven high!
I will love him forever till I die,
Till mountains crumble,
Rivers run dry,
In winter thunder rumble,
In summer snow fall far and nigh,
And the earth mingle with the sky,
Not till then will my love die.
【賞析】
這是一首著名的古代愛(ài)情詩(shī)歌,詩(shī)中主人公是一位年輕女子,她向天發(fā)誓,要永生永世追隨自己所愛(ài)的人,永遠(yuǎn)不變心。
詩(shī)的第一句是發(fā)誓前向上天的高聲呼喊,既引起神靈的注意,也表達(dá)了主人公的決心,可以理解為:“天上的神靈啊,你們聽(tīng)著!”
詩(shī)的二、三句從正面寫(xiě),直言要與心上人相愛(ài),絕不變心。
從詩(shī)的第四句開(kāi)始,作者采用了“反證”的手法。她告訴神靈,只有當(dāng)某些特殊情況發(fā)生時(shí),她才會(huì)離開(kāi)自己心愛(ài)的人,而這些特殊情況是:高山變?yōu)槠降兀又萁?,冬夏氣候混亂,天地合為一體。在古代科學(xué)技術(shù)不發(fā)達(dá)的時(shí)候,自然界的種種現(xiàn)象是人力無(wú)法改變的,因而詩(shī)中列舉的特殊情況是根本不可能發(fā)生的。既然這些情況不會(huì)發(fā)生,她就永遠(yuǎn)不會(huì)離開(kāi)自己所愛(ài)的人。
這首詩(shī)感情熾烈,直率開(kāi)放,沒(méi)有含羞柔曼的作風(fēng),沒(méi)有婉轉(zhuǎn)悲哀的情調(diào),表達(dá)了中國(guó)古代女子對(duì)愛(ài)情執(zhí)著的追求,對(duì)幸福生活的向往。主人公的愛(ài)情,結(jié)果究竟是成功還是失敗,后人不得而知;但從全詩(shī)堅(jiān)定的語(yǔ)氣中,可以體會(huì)出主人公“不幸福,毋寧死”的決心,而這一決心又出自一位女子之口,更令人敬佩。它反映出古代婦女不屈從于命運(yùn)的安排,不甘受他人的擺布,為追求幸福而勇敢斗爭(zhēng)的精神。
這首詩(shī)語(yǔ)句長(zhǎng)短不齊,每一句有二、三、四、五、六字不等,音韻也不十分講究,說(shuō)明古代詩(shī)歌語(yǔ)言藝術(shù)還處在萌芽時(shí)期,尚未成熟,或許這是一首民間流傳的詩(shī)歌,沒(méi)有經(jīng)過(guò)后世文人刻意的修飾,因而還保持著人民大眾粗獷(guǎng)樸實(shí)的文風(fēng)。
這首詩(shī)感情的熱烈和對(duì)愛(ài)情的堅(jiān)定使它廣為流傳,膾炙人口,影響著后世幾千年中的青年男女,今天人們還常用“山盟海誓”、“海枯石爛心不變”等類似的語(yǔ)言來(lái)表示對(duì)愛(ài)情的忠貞。
Interpretation
This is a well-known love poem in the ancient China.The heroine in the poem was a young woman who swore to heaven that she would follow her beloved forever and never change her mind.
The first line is her pleading to heaven before making a pledge to draw the God’s attention and express her determination,which can be understood as“please listen to me,my God on heaven!”
In the second and third lines she directly states that she would never change her love for her beloved.
From the fourth line,“counterevidence”is used.The heroine tells God that only in some special circumstances can she leave her beloved.These exceptional cases are:high mountains turn into flat ground;water in rivers has dried up;the four seasons are confused and heaven and earth merge into an organic whole.In ancient times when science and technology were not well-developed,natural phenomena were beyond the control of human beings,thus it was simply impossible for the above cases to occur.Now that they could not occur,she would never leave her beloved.
This poem conveys passionate feelings and its way of expression is frank and open,without implicit or sad sentimentalism.It fully expresses an ancient Chinese woman’s persevering pursuit for love and her expectation for a happy life.Later generations are unable to find out whether the heroine’s love was a success or not,but from the firm speaking manner of the entire poem,one can feel the heroine’s determination,“I’d rather die than live unhappily,”which is really admirable.It reflects ancient women’s spirit and courage of not yielding to their set destiny,not willing to be at the mercy of others and their brave striving for happiness.
This poem consists of lines varying in length from 2 to 6 characters,and its tonal pattern and rhyme scheme are not very strict,which shows that the linguistic skill of the ancient poetry was still in its embryonic stage and not very sophisticated.Or perhaps this is a folk song without any polish by later literary men,therefore maintaining a bold and simple writing style of the people.
This poem has spread far and wide and enjoys great popularity for its enthusiasm and faithful love.It has had great influence on young people for thousands of years.Today people often use“Shan Meng Hai Shi”(make a solemn pledge of love)and“Hai Ku Shi Lan Xin Bu Bian”(the seas may run dry and the rocks may crumble,but our hearts will always remain loyal)and the like to express loyal love.
長(zhǎng)歌行
〇漢樂(lè)府詩(shī)
青青園中葵(1),
朝露待日晞(2)。
陽(yáng)春布德澤(3),
萬(wàn)物生光輝。
??智锕?jié)至(4),
焜黃華葉衰(5)。
百川東到海(6),
何時(shí)復(fù)西歸(7)?
少壯不努力(8),
老大徒傷悲(9)。
【注釋】
(1) 青青園中葵:園中生長(zhǎng)著青綠色的葵花??╧uí):葵花,一年生大型草本植物。
(2) 朝露待日晞:清晨花葉上的露珠等到太陽(yáng)出來(lái)就曬干了。朝(zhāo):早晨。待:等待,待到。晞(xī):曬干,干燥。
(3) 陽(yáng)春布德澤:春日燦爛的陽(yáng)光給予所有的生命以無(wú)限的恩澤和好處。陽(yáng)春:陽(yáng)光燦爛、氣候和暖的春天。布:廣施,散布。德澤:恩德和光輝。
(4) ??智锕?jié)至:經(jīng)常擔(dān)心和懼怕秋天會(huì)到來(lái)。秋節(jié):秋天的時(shí)節(jié)。
(5) 焜黃華葉衰:焜(kūn):明亮。衰:一讀為shuāi,衰老;另一讀為cuī,減少。華葉:有人認(rèn)為“華”同“花”;有人認(rèn)為“華”是因華茂、光澤而顯得朝氣蓬勃的樣子。本句意為植物葉子變黃,逐漸衰老以致枯萎。
(6) 百川東到海:大大小小的河流向東流入大海。
(7) 何時(shí)復(fù)西歸:什么時(shí)候才能重新回到西邊?言外之意,河水流入大海后永遠(yuǎn)也不會(huì)回來(lái)了,時(shí)間如河水一樣,只能向前,不能倒退。
(8) 少壯不努力:少年壯年時(shí)不努力上進(jìn)。
(9) 老大徒傷悲:年老力衰時(shí)再悲哀后悔年輕時(shí)沒(méi)有珍惜時(shí)光就沒(méi)有用了,來(lái)不及了。徒:白白地,空空地。老大:年老力衰、歲數(shù)越來(lái)越大的時(shí)候。
A Long Song
Yuefu Poetry in Han Dynasty
Sunflowers in the garden green in hue
Wait for the sun to dry the morning dew.
The radiant spring spreads its nourishing light
And everything becomes then fresh and bright.
I dread the coming of the autumn drear
When leaves turn yellow and red flowers sear.
Hundreds of streams flow eastwards to the sea.
When to return westwards can they be free?
If one does not make the most of his youth,
In vain will he pass his old age in ruth.
【賞析】
這首詩(shī)是一首民歌,中心思想是告誡人們要珍惜時(shí)間、珍惜生命;特別是在年輕的時(shí)候更要抓緊時(shí)間學(xué)習(xí),力求有所作為,不要虛度一生、老時(shí)后悔。
詩(shī)的前半部分,借助敘述向日葵的生長(zhǎng)過(guò)程來(lái)說(shuō)明生命的短暫和可貴。詩(shī)的第一、二句寫(xiě)青綠初生的向日葵,盼望著清晨的陽(yáng)光。這里用來(lái)比喻年輕的生命,美好、向上、充滿希望。第三、四句寫(xiě)在陽(yáng)光雨露的呵護(hù)下,生命茁壯成長(zhǎng)。第五、六句寫(xiě)秋天到來(lái)時(shí),綠色的葉子就會(huì)變黃,向日葵的生命也就快結(jié)束了,用來(lái)比喻人到暮年。寫(xiě)到這里,讀者可以深深地體會(huì)到生命就是這樣一代又一代快速地更替著。然而,作者仍然擔(dān)心讀者不能完全理解他的用心,于是又用“百川東到海,何時(shí)復(fù)西歸”的反問(wèn)句,直言地告訴人們,時(shí)間就如同奔瀉的流水,一去不復(fù)回。最后兩句,作者點(diǎn)明主題,人在年輕時(shí)不努力去實(shí)現(xiàn)自己的理想,年老時(shí)后悔也無(wú)濟(jì)于事。本詩(shī)用比喻手法說(shuō)理,具體生動(dòng),耐人尋味,以小喻大,打動(dòng)人心。主題內(nèi)容更是健康向上,催人奮進(jìn)。因此,這首詩(shī),特別是詩(shī)的最后兩句“少壯不努力,老大徒傷悲”,幾乎為所有中國(guó)人所熟知,并且成為不少人時(shí)時(shí)激勵(lì)自己的座右銘。
Interpretation
The main idea of this folk song is to admonish people to value time and treasure life,and make the best use of time to accomplish as much as possible.The man who does not work hard in his youth will be grievous when he grows old.
The first half of the poem,by way of narrating the growing process of the sunflower,shows how short and valuable life is.The first and second lines depict the newborn green sunflower expecting the sun in the morning,and the sunflower is likened to young lives which are happy,vigorous and full of hope.The third and fourth lines describe all the lives thriving in the sunshine.The fifth and sixth lines convey the idea that the green leaves will turn yellow at the coming of autumn and the sunflower will grow old before long,which is likened to man’s old age.Reading this poem,one can deeply feel the rapid supersession of life.For feaving that he could not be understood completely,the writer used a rhetorical question line,“hundreds of rivers flow east and seawards,when can we see them return westwards?”to tell people directly that time is just like the flowing water,and once gone,it will never return.In the last two lines,the writer revealed the subject of the poem,that is,it’s of no use regretting in old age if one hasn’t worked hard to realize his ideal when young.The way that the poet used metaphors to illustrate truth is vivid and moving.Moreover,its theme is sound and rousing.Therefore,the poem,especially the last two lines,is almost known to all the Chinese and has become the impelling motto of many people.