汉 Han · 诗 Poem
四愁诗
Four Sorrows (Si Chou Shi)
我所思兮在泰山。
欲往从之梁父艰，侧身东望涕沾翰。
美人赠我金错刀，何以报之英琼瑶。
路远莫致倚逍遥，何为怀忧心烦劳。
我所思兮在桂林。
欲往从之湘水深，侧身南望涕沾襟。
美人赠我琴琅玕，何以报之双玉盘。
路远莫致倚惆怅，何为怀忧心烦伤。
我所思兮在汉阳。
欲往从之陇阪长，侧身西望涕沾裳。
美人赠我貂襜褕，何以报之明月珠。
路远莫致倚踟蹰，何为怀忧心烦纡。
我所思兮在雁门。
欲往从之雪雰雰，侧身北望涕沾巾。
美人赠我锦绣段，何以报之青玉案。
路远莫致倚增叹，何为怀忧心烦惋。
The beauty gave me a gold-inlaid knife; what shall I send back? A bright jade, qiong-yao.
The road is far, I cannot deliver it; I lean and wander—why this anxious, troubled heart?
The one I love is at Guilin. I would go to her but the Xiang runs deep; I turn south and gaze, tears wetting my collar.
The beauty gave me a lang-gan jade zither; what shall I send back? A pair of jade trays.
The road is far, I cannot deliver it; I lean and pine—why this anxious, grieving heart?
The one I love is at Hanyang. I would go to her but the Long slope is long; I turn west and gaze, tears wetting my robe.
The beauty gave me a sable coat; what shall I send back? Bright-moon pearls.
The road is far, I cannot deliver it; I lean and hesitate—why this anxious, tangled heart?
The one I love is at Yanmen. I would go to her but snow falls thick; I turn north and gaze, tears wetting my kerchief.
The beauty gave me a length of brocade; what shall I send back? A green-jade tray.
The road is far, I cannot deliver it; I lean and sigh the more—why this anxious, rueful heart?
Meaning
Zhang Heng of the Eastern Han, in the 'Wen Xuan' vol. 29. His own preface says: 'the world was growing rotten, I was gloomy and unfulfilled, so I made Four Sorrows.' He also says he follows Qu Yuan in taking the beauty as the gentleman, the treasure as rightness, the deep water and snow as the small man. So the poem wears the form of man-woman longing yet carries the reality of ruler-subject meeting and the scholar's grief at the times—the four directions' blocked roads figure the petty men in power and the lord a myriad li away; the beauty's gifts figure rightness pledged.
我所思念的人在泰山。想要去追随他却受阻于梁父山的艰险，侧身向东眺望，泪落沾湿了衣袖。美人赠我镶金错彩的佩刀，我拿什么回报？唯有美玉琼瑶。路途遥远无法送达，唯有徘徊逍遥，为何满怀忧愁心绪烦劳。 我所思念的人在桂林。想要去追随他却隔着湘水的深深，侧身向南眺望，泪落沾湿了衣襟。美人赠我琅玕美玉之琴，我拿什么回报？一双玉盘。路远难致，唯有惆怅，为何满怀忧愁心绪伤悲。 我所思念的人在汉阳。想要去追随他却受阻于陇阪的漫长，侧身向西眺望，泪落沾湿了衣裳。美人赠我貂皮短衣，我拿什么回报？明月之珠。路远难致，唯有踟蹰，为何满怀忧愁心绪郁结。 我所思念的人在雁门。想要去追随他却逢大雪雰雰，侧身向北眺望，泪落沾湿了佩巾。美人赠我锦绣一段，我拿什么回报？青玉之案。路远难致，唯有长叹，为何满怀忧愁心绪怅惋。
Appreciation
This poem first made the seven-character line a standalone piece (though 'xi' sits between lines, already the seven-character embryo), breaking the earlier habit of seven-character lines mostly in yuefu mixed songs. Four stanzas ordered by east, south, west, north, symmetrical and refrained; each opens 'the one I love is at X,' continues 'I would go to her but X is hard,' turns 'I turn X and gaze, tears wetting my X,' closes 'the road is far, I cannot deliver it; I lean and X—why this anxious heart X,' the form song-like, plaintive. The comparisons layer, the feeling long and far.
【白话串讲】 张衡思念的人分别在泰山、桂林、汉阳、雁门——想去，路太难。“美人赠我金错刀，何以报之英琼瑶”——你送我宝刀，我拿美玉回赠。中国第一首七言诗，原来藏着这样的深情。 【意象与手法】 此诗首创七言独立成篇（虽句间用「兮」，已具七言雏形），四章以东西南北方位为序，章法对称、回环复沓；每章起以「我所思兮在×」，承以「欲往从之×艰」，转以「侧身×望涕沾×」，合以「路远莫致倚×，何为怀忧心×」，句式如歌如诉，比兴层叠，情致绵邈。 【情感与主旨】 《四愁诗》为东汉张衡所作，载《文选》卷二十九。张衡自序云：「时天下渐弊，郁郁不得志，为《四愁诗》。」又谓「依屈原以美人为君子，以珍宝为仁义，以水深雪雰为小人」，知诗托男女相思之形，寄君臣遇合、志士伤时之实，是汉末政治抒情诗之杰构。 【名句点睛】 常考其「美人香草」的比兴寄托（结合张衡自序），或分析重章叠句、方位排列的结构之妙。
Background
'Four Sorrows' is by Zhang Heng of the Eastern Han, in the 'Wen Xuan' vol. 29. His own preface says: 'the world was growing rotten, I was gloomy and unfulfilled, so I made Four Sorrows.' He also says he follows Qu Yuan in taking the beauty as the gentleman, the treasure as rightness, the deep water and snow as the small man. So the poem wears the form of man-woman longing yet carries the reality of ruler-subject meeting and the scholar's grief at the times—the four directions' blocked roads figure the petty men in power and the lord a myriad li away; the beauty's gifts figure rightness pledged. A masterwork of late-Han political lyric.
《四愁诗》为东汉张衡所作，见录于《文选》卷二十九，是文学史上最早的七言抒情诗之一。张衡（78—139），字平子，南阳西鄂（今河南南召）人，东汉伟大的科学家、文学家，发明地动仪、浑天仪，又善辞赋，作《二京赋》《归田赋》。据张衡自序，此诗作于汉顺帝时：「时天下渐弊，郁郁不得志，为《四愁诗》……思以道术相报，贻于时君，而惧谗邪不得以通。」诗中自谓「依屈原以美人为君子，以珍宝为仁义，以水深雪雰为小人」，明言其托男女相思之形，寄君臣遇合、志士伤时之实。当时东汉朝政日坏：外戚宦官交相擅权，谗邪蔽贤，贤士之路壅塞。张衡虽怀济世之才，然身处浊世，欲报效君国而不得其门，遂以四方之思写「欲往从之而路阻」的苦闷，借美人赠答写「以道术相报」的志愿，四章分咏东西南北，正是「四愁」之名的由来。此诗是汉末政治抒情诗之杰构，上承《楚辞》香草美人传统，下开文人七言抒情之先河。
Art
This poem first made the seven-character line a standalone piece (though 'xi' sits between lines, already the seven-character embryo), breaking the earlier habit. Four stanzas ordered by east, south, west, north, symmetrical and refrained; each opens 'the one I love is at X,' continues 'I would go to her but X is hard,' turns 'I turn X and gaze, tears wetting my X,' closes 'the road is far… why this anxious heart X'—the form song-like, plaintive. Comparisons layer, feeling long and far.
此诗艺术上最显著的特点是重章叠句的结构与方位排列的匠心，以及「美人香草」的比兴寄托。四章以东西南北方位为序，章法完全对称、回环复沓：每章起句「我所思兮在×」点所思之地，承句「欲往从之×艰」写途阻之艰（梁父艰、湘水深、陇阪长、雪雰雰），转句「侧身×望涕沾×」写遥望垂涕之态（涕沾翰、涕沾襟、涕沾裳、涕沾巾），合句「路远莫致倚×，何为怀忧心×」写路远难致之忧（心烦劳、心烦伤、心烦纡、心烦惋）。四章仅易数字而情致递进，如歌如诉，一唱三叹。全诗以「我所思」领起，以「何为怀忧」收束，反复咏叹求而不得的惆怅；四方之思、四样之赠（金错刀、琴琅玕、貂襜褕、锦绣段）、四样之报（英琼瑶、双玉盘、明月珠、青玉案），一一对应，回环往复，比兴层叠，把「欲报君国而路阻谗邪」的苦闷写得缠绵深婉。再就句法言，全诗以「我所思兮在×」的复沓句式领起四章，每章七句，前四句写「思—往—阻—望」，后三句写「赠—报—愁」，句句相衔、环环相扣；「欲往从之」「侧身×望」「路远莫致」「何为怀忧」等句法反复出现，唯易地名、易赠物、易报物、易涕处、易愁字，形成「同构异文」的复沓之美，如织锦回文，愈读愈见匠心，正是重章叠句体在文人诗中的极致运用。
Allusions
The whole uses the Chu-ci 'beauty and fragrant herb' as its master allusion: the beauty figures the gentleman (ruler or fellow way), the treasure (qiong-yao, jade trays, bright pearls, green tray) figures rightness and loyalty, the deep water and snow figure the petty men's blockage—all from Qu Yuan's 'Li Sao' tradition of 'fearing the herb's falling, I grieve the beauty's lateness.' 'Liangfu,' 'Long slope,' 'Yanmen' are real far, hard places, also writing the blocked official road, using the 'Shang Shu' and 'Shi Ji' place-names without a trace.
此诗以《楚辞》「美人香草」为总典，寄托深远。「美人」喻君子——屈原《离骚》「惟草木之零落兮，恐美人之迟暮」以美人喻君主或修洁之士，张衡承之，以美人喻时君或同道；「珍宝」喻仁义忠信——琼瑶、玉盘、明月珠、青玉案皆珍贵之物，喻诗人愿以道术仁义相报之诚；「水深雪雰」喻小人壅蔽——湘水深、雪雰雰喻谗邪阻隔、贤路不通，正合《离骚》「路幽昧以险隘」之意。「梁父」「陇阪」「雁门」皆实指险远之地——梁父为泰山下小山，陇阪为陇山险道，雁门为北方边塞，兼写仕途之阻，用《尚书》《史记》地望而不着痕迹。「金错刀」为汉代错金佩刀，「琴琅玕」为琅玕美玉饰琴，皆实有其物，以实写虚。全诗用典融化于结构之中，不堆垛而深婉，是汉诗用典的典范。又，「美人赠我」之「赠答」模式，承《诗经》「投我以木桃，报之以琼瑶」的赠答传统（《卫风·木瓜》），而张衡更以「金错刀—琼瑶」「琴琅玕—玉盘」「貂襜褕—明珠」「锦绣段—青玉案」的等值相报，写「以德报德」之义，珍宝的逐级珍重正喻道义之不可轻弃，使赠答模式兼具礼教内涵与政治寓意，是「借男女以喻君臣」的典范。
Commentary
Liu Xie: 'Zhang Heng's grievance pieces are clear and classical, worth savoring.' Shen Deqian: the lines 'why this anxious heart' are 'words of utmost feeling.' Modern readers hold Four Sorrows carries the 'Li Sao' comparison above and opens the seven-character song below; in poetic-form evolution and the entrust tradition its place is outstanding.
历代评家于此诗评价极高，尤重其在诗体演进与寄托传统上的地位。刘勰《文心雕龙·明诗》称「张衡怨篇，清典可味」，又《才略》篇谓「张衡通赡」，正指其诗辞清典赡丽、怨而不怒。沈德潜《古诗源》录此诗，谓「心烦惋」等语为「情至之语」，推为汉诗中之杰作。近人论中国诗歌体式，多举此诗为七言诗之祖：此诗虽句间用「兮」字，尚带骚体痕迹，然已是独立成篇的七言诗雏形，打破了此前七言多入乐府杂歌的局面，对后世曹丕《燕歌行》等七言诗影响深远。在寄托传统上，此诗上承《离骚》比兴、下启阮籍《咏怀》之遥深寄托，是「美人香草」传统由楚辞入汉诗的关键一环。诗中「四愁」之结构、方位之铺排，更为后世「四时」「四景」组诗提供范式，足见其在文学史上的枢纽地位。从接受史看，此诗在六朝即受重视——《文选》收录，《文心雕龙》称许，昭明太子编《文选》以「张衡怨篇」入诗类，可见其在六朝人心目中的地位；唐人亦多拟作，李白《长相思》、张籍《节妇吟》皆承其「美人香草」与「赠答」之法。至近现代，学者更以「四愁」为文人七言诗确立的标志，其文学史意义由「怨诗」升华为「诗体里程碑」，评价愈高，愈见其地位之重。
Prosody
Line by line
我所思兮在泰山。欲往从之梁父艰，侧身东望涕沾翰。
My heart's desire is on Mount Tai. I would go to him, but the Liangfu slopes are hard; I turn east and gaze, my tears wetting my sleeve.
我所思念的人在泰山。想要去追随他却受阻于梁父山的艰险，侧身向东眺望，泪落沾湿了衣袖。
My heart's beloved is on Mount Tai. I long to go to him, but the Liangfu pass is hard; I turn east and gaze, my tears wetting my sleeve.
首章起句定全诗基调，以「所思在泰山」点出东方之思。泰山为五岳之首、东方之镇，所思之人在此，暗喻贤君或至道所在；「欲往从之梁父艰」写途阻——梁父为泰山下之小山，欲往泰山必先过梁父之艰，喻谗邪阻路、贤路壅塞；「侧身东望涕沾翰」写遥望垂涕——「侧身」见其欲往不能、只能侧身以望的无奈，「涕沾翰」（翰即衣袖）写泪落沾袖之悲。三句由思到行到望，层层递进，把「求之不得」的苦闷写得缠绵悱恻，为后三章立下范式，重章之首，如乐之起调。
The eastern longing. My heart's desire is on Mount Tai. I would go to him, but the Liangfu slopes are hard; I turn east and gaze, my tears wetting my sleeve. The Chuci beauty-parlance (the desired one as sage or ideal) is set in the east: Mount Tai, the mountain of the east. The difficult approach (the lesser Liangfu peak blocks the way) is the blocked path to favor. To have said I longed for someone in the east but could not reach him would be a longing; the desire on Mount Tai, the hard Liangfu slopes, and the tear-wet eastward gaze are the longing.
美人赠我金错刀，何以报之英琼瑶。
The beautiful one gave me a gold-inlaid knife; with what shall I repay her? With gleaming jade.
美人赠我镶金错彩的佩刀，我拿什么回报？唯有美玉琼瑶。
The beautiful one gave me a gold-inlaid knife; what can I give in return? Only the finest jade.
两句写赠答之思，是「美人香草」比兴的集中体现。「美人赠我金错刀」：美人之赠，喻时君（或同道）之知遇——金错刀为汉代错金佩刀，华贵而实用，喻恩遇之厚；「何以报之英琼瑶」：我拿什么回报？唯有美玉琼瑶——琼瑶为美玉，喻仁义忠信之德，诗人愿以道术德行相报，正合自序「思以道术相报」之志。一赠一报，问而不答而自答，既见感恩之诚，又见报效之切；而「何以报之」的设问，更暗含「欲报而无路」的隐忧——赠可得而报难达，为下句「路远莫致」张本。两句以珍宝写情谊，寄托深远。
The gift and repayment. The beautiful one gave me a gold-inlaid knife; with what shall I repay her? With gleaming jade. The gold-inlaid knife is the prince's favor; the jade is the poet's virtue offered in return. The unanswered question (what can I give?) is the worry of requiting grace. To have exchanged gifts would be an exchange; the gold-inlaid gift and the proposed gleaming jade repayment are the exchange.
路远莫致倚逍遥，何为怀忧心烦劳。
The road is far and I cannot send it; oh, I wander. Why should I harbor sorrow, my heart weary with care?
路途遥远无法送达，唯有徘徊逍遥，为何满怀忧愁心绪烦劳。
The road is far and I cannot reach him; oh, I wander at a loss. Why do I harbor sorrow, my heart worn with care?
两句收束首章，写路远难致之悲，是全诗反复咏叹的「愁」之所在。「路远莫致」直承前句：琼瑶虽美，路远难致，喻报效君国之道阻且长；「倚逍遥」之「倚」通「猗」，为语助，逍遥写徘徊彷徨之态——欲往不能、欲报无路，只能徘徊其间；「何为怀忧心烦劳」以问作结：为何满怀忧愁、心绪烦劳？明知故问，正见其愁之不可解、不可说。两句由叙事转入抒情，以问句收束，言尽而情不尽。此后三章皆以「路远莫致倚×，何为怀忧心×」作结，唯易数字（逍遥—惆怅—踟蹰—增叹，烦劳—烦伤—烦纡—烦惋），一唱三叹，愁情层层加深，重章之妙尽显。
The blocked road. The road is far and I cannot send it; oh, I wander. Why should I harbor sorrow, my heart weary with care? The jade cannot reach the beloved: the road's distance defeats the repayment. The final rhetorical question is the poem's recurring refrain. To have said the road was too far to send the gift would be a difficulty; the road-that-cannot-reach and the wandering, the why-am-I-sorrowful refrain are the difficulty.
我所思兮在雁门。欲往从之雪雰雰，侧身北望涕沾巾。
My heart's desire is at Yanmen. I would go to him, but the snow falls thick; I turn north and gaze, my tears wetting my kerchief.
我所思念的人在雁门。想要去追随他却逢大雪雰雰，侧身向北眺望，泪落沾湿了佩巾。
My heart's beloved is at Yanmen. I long to go to him, but the snow flies thick; I turn north and gaze, my tears wetting my kerchief.
末章写北方之思，是四章之收束与总结。「我所思兮在雁门」：雁门为北方边塞、险要之地，所思在此，仍喻贤君至道所在；「欲往从之雪雰雰」：北往雁门，恰逢大雪纷纷——雪雰雰既写北地苦寒之实景，又喻谗邪蔽路之艰险，正合自序「以水深雪雰为小人」之明言；「侧身北望涕沾巾」：向北遥望，泪落沾巾，与首章「涕沾翰」遥相呼应。四章分咏东西南北，至此四方皆思、四方皆阻、四望皆涕，「四愁」之义至此圆满。末章以「心烦惋」收束，其愁较「烦劳」「烦伤」「烦纡」更进一层，怅惋之情，余韵悠悠，全诗如环无端，首尾呼应。
The northern longing. My heart's desire is at Yanmen. I would go to him, but the snow flies thick; I turn north and gaze, my tears wetting my kerchief. The four stanzas move east, west, south, north; this northern one is blocked by the snow. The tear-wet kerchief repeats the tear-wet sleeve of the first. To have said I longed for someone in the north but could not reach him would be a longing; the desire at Yanmen, the thick-falling snow, and the tear-wet northward gaze are the longing.
Study
Word focus
Related Reading
Zhang Heng's comparison-entrust opens the way; Ruan Ji's Singing of My Heart follows—compare the open vs hidden entrust.
阮籍《咏怀诗》八十二首与此诗同属「托物寄慨、伤时抒怀」的文人抒情诗传统，而一为汉代七言、一为魏代五言，一显一隐：张衡《四愁诗》以美人香草明写君臣遇合，虽有寄托而自序明言，尚属「显」；阮籍身处司马氏高压之下，《咏怀》「厥旨渊放，归趣难求」，寄托深隐难测，属「隐」。两诗并读，可见中国文人政治抒情诗由汉入魏的演变：张衡开「比兴寄托」之端，阮籍踵其后而更趋隐晦，正反映东汉末至正始年间政治环境愈趋险恶、诗人愈趋含蓄的历史轨迹。
明月何皎皎 How Bright the Bright Moon 古诗十九首（无名氏） · 异，一为政治寄托、一为游子思妇 Different (one political entrust, one traveler and wife)Both write 'sorrow' yet different aims; compare the breadth of Han lyric faces.
《古诗十九首·明月何皎皎》「明月何皎皎，照我罗床帏……客行虽云乐，不如早旋归」与此诗同写「愁」而旨趣不同：张衡之愁是「欲报君国而路阻」的政治之愁，托男女相思以写之，愁在「道」之不通；《明月何皎皎》之愁是游子思妇的怀乡之愁，写实而真挚，愁在「归」之不得。一以寄托见深、一以真情见切，一为士人之愁、一为常人之愁，合观可见汉诗抒情面向之广——既有政治寄托的深婉，亦有民间真情的质朴，正是汉乐府与文人诗并兴的体现。