Excellent! A Song (善哉行) by Han Yuefu · Chinese Poem Audio and Explanation

Meaning

Hard times may come, leaving mouth parched and lips dry. While we gather in joy today, let everyone be glad. I once wandered the famous hills and saw the spirit-grass flutter. The immortal Wang Qiao gave me a pellet of elixir. I only grieve my sleeves are too short, and tucking my hands in I feel the cold. Ashamed that, unlike Ling Zhe, I have no way to repay the grace of Lord Zhao Xuan.

来日或许有大难临头，口也燥来唇也干。趁今日相聚同乐，大家都该欢喜开颜。曾游历座座名山，见芝草翩翩翻翻。仙人王子乔，赐我一丸灵药。只惜衣袖太短，缩手才知天寒。惭愧自己没有灵辄那样的义举，无以为报赵宣子的恩典。

Appreciation

Excellent! A Song belongs to the Xianghe Songs of Han yuefu; the 'Music Commentary' says its old lyric 'Hard times may come, mouth parched and lips dry' means that days of joy are few and one should make merry in time. At banquets of the Han, this tune was sung for pleasure and blessing. This old lyric, beyond urging mirth, mixes the foreboding of 'hard times may come' and the gratitude of 'Ling Zhe repays Zhao Xuan,' reflecting the complex mind of men in troubled times—fond of the present joy yet mindful of duty and danger. It is a precious text for studying Han banquet poetry and the scholar's ethics. The whole is six four-character lines, its music stately, near the 'Ya' and 'Song' of the Shi Jing. It opens with 'hard times may come' to set off 'meet in joy today,' first worry then pleasure; 'spirit-grass flutters' and 'Wang Qiao gives elixir' deck the feast with the imagery of the immortals; 'short sleeves know cold' writes human intimacy in a small detail; it closes with the Ling Zhe allusion, turning from joy to gratitude, reserved and deep.

【白话串讲】 “来日大难，口燥唇干”——来日有大难。“今日相乐，皆当喜欢”——今天相聚，就该高兴。“仙人王乔，奉药一丸”——仙人王乔送我一丸药。“自惜袖短，内手知寒”——可惜袖子短，手伸进去才知道冷。【意象与手法】全诗六句皆四言，音节雍穆近于《雅》《颂》。起以'来日大难'反衬'今日相乐'，章法先忧后乐【情感与主旨】《善哉行》属汉乐府相和歌辞，《乐府解题》云'古辞云来日大难，口燥唇干，言欢日苦短，当及时为乐也' 【名句点睛】常考'来日大难，口燥唇干'与'今日相乐，皆当喜欢'的对比手法，以及'灵辄报赵宣'典故的含义

Background

Excellent! A Song belongs to the Xianghe Songs of Han yuefu; the 'Music Commentary' says its old lyric 'Hard times may come, mouth parched and lips dry' means that days of joy are few and one should make merry in time. At banquets of the Han, this tune was sung for pleasure and blessing. This old lyric, beyond urging mirth, mixes the foreboding of 'hard times may come' and the gratitude of 'Ling Zhe repays Zhao Xuan,' reflecting the complex mind of men in troubled times—fond of the present joy yet mindful of duty and danger. It is a precious text for studying Han banquet poetry and the scholar's ethics.

《善哉行》为汉乐府古辞，是写人生无常、及时行乐与报恩之心的诗。全诗：来日大难，口燥唇干；今日相乐，皆当喜欢；经历名山，芝草翻翻；仙人王乔，奉药一丸；自惜袖短，内手知寒；惭无灵辄，以报赵宣。全诗写人生无常而及时行乐、又念报恩之心，是汉乐府中写人生感慨的名篇。

Art

The whole is six four-character lines, its music stately, near the 'Ya' and 'Song' of the Shi Jing. It opens with 'hard times may come' to set off 'meet in joy today,' first worry then pleasure; 'spirit-grass flutters' and 'Wang Qiao gives elixir' deck the feast with the imagery of the immortals, airy and untrammelled; 'short sleeves know cold' writes human intimacy in a small detail; it closes with the Ling Zhe allusion, turning from joy to gratitude, reserved and deep. Image and allusion are used without seam, antique yet feeling.

《善哉行》艺术上以内容的转折与用典的含蓄见长。全诗六句，层层写来：前二句写来日大难——“来日大难，口燥唇干”写来日之难；三四句写今日相乐——“今日相乐，皆当喜欢”写今日行乐；五六句写游仙——“经历名山，芝草翻翻”写历名山采芝草；七八句写仙药——“仙人王乔，奉药一丸”写仙人奉药；末二句写报恩之惭——“自惜袖短，内手知寒”写袖短知寒，“惭无灵辄，以报赵宣”写无灵辄报恩之材。全诗由行乐写到报恩之惭，内容转折，用典含蓄，正是汉乐府写人生感慨的笔法。

Allusions

The poem uses two allusions: first 'the immortal Wang Qiao,' Prince of Zhou, who rode a crane to immortality from Mount Goushi; the elixir stands for immortal favour; second 'Ling Zhe repays Zhao Xuan,' from the 'Zuo Zhuan'—Ling Zhe collapsed of hunger at Yi-sang, and Zhao Xuanzi (Zhao Dun) fed him; later, when Ling Zhe was a guard of the Duke of Jin, he turned his spear to save Xuanzi. The poet compares himself to Ling Zhe and is ashamed he cannot repay, expressing a wish to requite kindness, giving the banquet song a loyal and generous air.

《善哉行》用典在“王乔”“灵辄”“赵宣”。“王乔”用仙人王子乔之典，写仙人奉药；“灵辄”用《左传》灵辄报赵宣子一饭之恩之典，写报恩之人；“赵宣”写赵宣子。全诗以这些典故写游仙与报恩之惭，用典含蓄而感慨深沉，正是汉乐府以典写情的笔法。

Commentary

The 'Yuefu Anthology' cites the 'Record of Ancient and Modern Music' for its tune; the 'Music Commentary' points directly to its 'make-merry-in-time' intent. Ming writers said the old Han yuefu lyrics 'carry the echo of the Airs and the Odes'; this piece's four-character warmth made later scholars call it 'banquet song yet with admonition'—wine and warning together, showing the depth of Han poetic teaching.

《善哉行》是汉乐府中的名篇，也是中国诗歌中写人生无常、报恩之心的代表作。此诗写来日大难、及时行乐与报恩之惭，向为论者称道。论者多赏其用典的含蓄——“仙人王乔，奉药一丸”写仙人奉药，游仙之思含蓄；“惭无灵辄，以报赵宣”写报恩之惭，更见其心。此诗由行乐写到报恩之惭，内容转折、用典含蓄，正是汉乐府写人生感慨的代表作。

Prosody

Form Han Yuefu · Xianghe Songs四言乐府（汉乐府）

Rhyme dry, glad, flutter, pellet, cold, Xuan—ancient rhymes in accord《善哉行》为汉乐府四言诗，押韵。此诗用韵：干、欢（元部）、翻、丸（元部）、寒、宣（元部），一韵到底，音节流转。

Tone pattern Not traceable (sung to music)汉乐府四言诗以音节质朴、情致深沉见长。此诗以来日大难起，以报恩之惭收，音节流转而感慨深沉。全诗以四言贯底，声调与人生感慨的内容相合，是汉乐府中写感慨的一路。

Reading note All six lines four-character, near the Shi Jing in form, antique and stately《善哉行》为汉乐府古辞，是写人生无常、及时行乐与报恩之心的诗。此诗以“来日大难”写人生无常，以“今日相乐”写及时行乐，以“仙人王乔，奉药一丸”写游仙之思，以“惭无灵辄，以报赵宣”写报恩之惭。由行乐写到报恩之惭，用典含蓄，正是汉乐府写人生感慨的代表作。

Line by line

来日大难，口燥唇干。今日相乐，皆当喜欢。

Hard are the days to come, the mouth dry and the lips cracked; today, while we share joy, let us all be glad.

来日有大难，口燥唇干。今日相聚行乐，都应当欢喜。

Hard are the days ahead, mouth dry and lips parched; today, in our shared joy, let us all be glad.

前四句写来日大难与今日相乐，是全诗行乐之情的起点。“来日大难，口燥唇干”写来日之难——“来日大难”写来日有大难，“口燥唇干”写口燥唇干——来日大难，口燥唇干；“今日相乐，皆当喜欢”写今日行乐——“今日相乐”写今日相聚行乐，“皆当喜欢”写都应当欢喜——今日相乐，皆当喜欢。四句写来日大难与今日相乐：来日大难，口燥唇干；今日相乐，皆当喜欢。以“来日大难”写人生无常，以“今日相乐，皆当喜欢”写及时行乐，正是汉乐府写行乐之情的起点——来日难测，今日当乐。

The carpe diem. Hard are the days ahead, mouth dry and lips parched; today, in our shared joy, let us all be glad. The dry-mouthed dread of the future is the reason for today's gladness. To have said enjoy today because tomorrow is hard would be a maxim; the days-to-come so hard the lips crack and the today-of-shared-joy to be glad in are the maxim.

经历名山，芝草翻翻。仙人王乔，奉药一丸。

I pass the famous mountains where the magic fungus spreads; the immortal Wang Qiao offers me a pill.

经历名山，芝草纷披。仙人王子乔，奉上一丸仙药。

Traversing famous mountains, the magic fungus spreads; the immortal Wang Qiao offers a single pill.

此数句写游仙之思，是全诗行乐之情的升华。“经历名山，芝草翻翻”写历山采芝——“经历名山”写经历名山，“芝草翻翻”写芝草纷披——经历名山，芝草翻翻；“仙人王乔，奉药一丸”写仙人奉药——“仙人王乔”用王子乔之典，“奉药一丸”写奉上一丸仙药——仙人王乔，奉药一丸。四句写游仙之思：经历名山、芝草翻翻，仙人王乔、奉药一丸。以“经历名山，芝草翻翻”写采芝求仙，以“仙人王乔，奉药一丸”写仙药之赐，正是汉乐府写游仙之思的笔法——行乐之余，思慕神仙。

The immortal. Traversing famous mountains, the magic fungus spreads; the immortal Wang Qiao offers a single pill. The journey to the sacred mountains and the pill from the famous immortal are the poem's fantasy of escape. To have described seeking immortality on famous mountains would be a quest; the traversed mountains, the spreading fungus, and Wang Qiao's offered pill are the quest.

自惜袖短，内手知寒。惭无灵辄，以报赵宣。

I grieve that my sleeves are short; thrusting my hands in, I feel the cold. I am ashamed I have no Ling Zhe to repay Lord Zhao Xuan.

自惜衣袖短，伸手进去才知寒冷。惭愧没有灵辄那样的才能，来报答赵宣子。

I pity my own short sleeves; thrusting my hands in, I feel the cold. I am ashamed I lack a Ling Zhe with whom to repay Lord Zhao Xuan.

末四句写报恩之惭，是全诗内容的转折与归结。“自惜袖短，内手知寒”写袖短知寒——“自惜袖短”写自惜衣袖短，“内手知寒”写伸手进去才知寒冷——自惜袖短，内手知寒；“惭无灵辄，以报赵宣”写报恩之惭——“惭无灵辄”用灵辄报赵宣子之恩之典，写惭愧没有灵辄那样的才能，“以报赵宣”写来报答赵宣子。四句写报恩之惭：自惜袖短、内手知寒，惭无灵辄、以报赵宣。以“自惜袖短，内手知寒”写己之贫寒，以“惭无灵辄，以报赵宣”写报恩之惭，正是汉乐府写人生感慨的归结——受人恩而无力报，正见其惭。

The shame. I pity my own short sleeves; thrusting my hands in, I feel the cold. I am ashamed I lack a Ling Zhe with whom to repay Lord Zhao Xuan. The short sleeves (too short to keep the hands warm) are the poverty; the allusion to Ling Zhe, who once repaid Lord Zhao Xuan, is the inability to return a kindness. To have said I was poor and could not repay a debt would be a confession; the short cold sleeves and the shame of lacking a Ling Zhe to repay Zhao Xuan are the confession.

Study

Word focus

来日大难 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. “来日大难”之“来日大难”，写来日有大难，是全诗写人生无常的关键词。“来日”写未来之日，“大难”写大灾难——来日有大难。这一词写人生之无常：不是今日之难，而是来日大难；不是可料之事，而是难测之变。以“来日大难”写人生无常，正是汉乐府写行乐之情的起点——来日难测，今日当乐。

翻翻 Fluttering, wavering; describes the spirit-grass swaying, what the poet saw roaming the hills—light and lively. “芝草翻翻”之“翻翻”，写芝草纷披，是全诗写游仙之景的关键词。“翻翻”写纷披翻动——名山之上，芝草翻翻。这一词写芝草之态：不是静止之草，而是翻翻；不是寻常之草，而是仙山之芝。以“翻翻”写芝草，正是汉乐府写游仙之景的笔法——芝草翻翻，仙景宛然。

王乔 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. “仙人王乔”之“王乔”，用仙人王子乔之典，是全诗写游仙的关键词。“王乔”写王子乔，相传为周灵王太子，得道成仙——仙人王乔，奉药一丸。这一词以“王乔”写仙人：不是泛称之仙，而是实有其名之王乔；不是虚构之仙，而是传说之仙。以“王乔”写仙人，正是汉乐府用典写游仙的笔法——仙人王乔，奉药相赐。

灵辄 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. “惭无灵辄”之“灵辄”，用《左传》灵辄报赵宣子之恩之典，是全诗写报恩之惭的关键词。“灵辄”写灵辄，春秋时晋人，受赵盾一饭之恩而报之——惭愧没有灵辄那样的才能。这一词以“灵辄”写报恩之人：不是虚构之报，而是实有其事之报；不是泛称之义，而是知恩图报。以“灵辄”写报恩之惭，正是汉乐府用典写情的笔法——受人恩而无以报，惭对灵辄。

善哉行