All poems

汉 Han · 诗 Poem

咏史

On History

班固

Ban Gu

咏史/怀古history / nostalgia 隐逸/忧愤reclusion / indignation

三王德弥薄，惟后用肉刑。
太仓令有罪，就逮长安城。
自恨身无子，困急独茕茕。
小女痛父言，死者不可生。
上书诣阙下，思古歌鸡鸣。
忧心摧折裂，晨风扬激声。
圣汉孝文帝，恻然感至情。
百男何愦愦，不如一缇萦。

The virtue of the Three Kings thinned and grew faint; later ages took to the mutilating punishment.
The keeper of the great granary fell guilty, and was taken to Chang'an's walls.
He rued having no son; in his plight he stood alone, forlorn.
His little daughter grieved at her father's words — the dead cannot live again.
She sent a petition to the palace gate, and sang of the cock-crow of old.
Her anxious heart was rent and split, as the morning wind lifts its shrill voice.
The sage Han Emperor Wen was moved to the quick by such deep devotion.
A hundred sons — how muddled they, beside one Ti Ying.

Listen

Meaning

The virtue of the Three Kings dwindled until later ages resorted to mutilating punishments. The keeper of the great granary was found guilty and taken to Chang'an. He lamented having no son and stood alone in his desperate plight. His young daughter was grieved by his words, knowing the dead cannot return to life. She submitted a petition at the palace gate, recalling the ancient cock-crow admonition. Her anxious heart was torn asunder, like the morning wind raising a shrill cry. The sage Emperor Wen of Han was deeply moved by such devotion. A hundred sons — how benighted they are, beside a single Ti Ying.

三王之德渐趋浇薄，到了后世竟施用肉刑。太仓令获罪，被押解到长安城。他自恨没有儿子，困顿危急时孤单一人。小女儿痛心父亲的话，深知死者不可复生。便上书朝廷，思慕古风而歌咏鸡鸣之警。忧心如裂，如晨风扬起激越之声。圣明的汉孝文帝，被这至情深深感动。百个男儿何等昏昧，竟不如一个缇萦。

Appreciation

Ban Gu's 'On History' sings the Han story of the girl Ti Ying saving her father, drawn from the Records of the Grand Historian. Its art fuses narrative, feeling, and argument in the sparest strokes. The opening 'The virtue of the Three Kings thinned' launches a verdict on history and sets a reproachful key. The middle, 'the little daughter grieved at her father's words' and 'her anxious heart was rent', writes Ti Ying's filial urgency by plain description. It closes on the sharp retort 'a hundred sons — how muddled, beside one Ti Ying', where praise and blame show themselves. The whole neither sprawls nor buries itself in allusion; plain yet bony, it opens the road for Zuo Si's 'On History'.

【白话串讲】班固写缇萦救父的故事：太仓令淳于意获罪，小女儿缇萦上书求情。“小女痛父言，死者不可生”。“圣汉孝文帝，恻然感至情”——汉文帝被她的孝心感动，废除了肉刑。这是文人写咏史诗的开端。【意象与手法】其艺术在以极简笔墨熔叙事、抒情、议论于一炉。起二句“三王德弥薄，惟后用肉刑”凌空发论，定下讽世基调【情感与主旨】班固《咏史》咏汉文帝时少女缇萦救父事，典出《史记·扁鹊仓公列传》【名句点睛】常考要点：一、文学史地位，须答“现存最早文人五言咏史诗，咏史一体之祖”

Background

Ban Gu's 'On History' sings the tale of Ti Ying saving her father under Emperor Wen of Han, sourced in the 'Biography of Bian Que and Cang Gong' in the Records of the Grand Historian: the granary keeper Chunyu Yi was sentenced to mutilation; his daughter Ti Ying followed him to Chang'an and offered to become a palace slave to ransom him; Wen, moved, abolished the mutilating punishments. Ban Gu likely wrote it while serving at the Lantai archives compiling the Han history, turning the old tale to thoughts on punishment and kinship. It is honored as the earliest literati five-character history-poem, founding the 'topic on a history, feeling through the past' mode.

《咏史》是东汉史学家、文学家班固所作，是中国诗歌史上第一首以“咏史”为题的诗歌。班固（32—92），字孟坚，扶风安陵人，著《汉书》，是东汉最著名的史学家。此诗咏汉文帝时缇萦救父的故事：太仓令淳于意有罪当刑，就逮长安，其小女缇萦随父西行，上书文帝，愿入身为官婢以赎父刑，文帝感其至情，遂废肉刑。班固以史笔写此事，末以“百男何愦愦，不如一缇萦”作结，叹男儿不如弱女。此诗作于班固中年，其时他亦因罪入狱，以缇萦故事寄寓感慨，既是咏史，亦是自伤。全诗语言质直，叙事简洁，虽在艺术上尚显稚拙（故钟嵘《诗品》评其“质木无文”），但作为“咏史诗”的开山之作，其意义远超其艺术成就，开启了后世咏史诗的传统。

Art

Its art fuses narrative, feeling, and argument in the sparest ink. The opening 'The virtue of the Three Kings thinned; later ages took to mutilation' launches a verdict and sets a reproachful key; the middle 'the little daughter grieved at her father's words' and 'her anxious heart was rent' writes Ti Ying's filial urgency by white description; it closes on the sharp retort 'a hundred sons — how muddled, beside one Ti Ying', where praise and blame show. The whole neither sprawls nor buries itself in allusion; plain yet bony, it opens the road for Zuo Si's 'first state my own meaning'.

《咏史》艺术上以质直叙事见长，是早期咏史诗的朴拙之作。全诗以纪事为主：首二句“三王德弥薄，惟后用肉刑”以史论起——三王（夏商周）德薄，至汉初仍用肉刑，点出时代的残酷；“太仓令有罪，就逮长安城”写事件起因——太仓令淳于意有罪被逮；“自恨身无子，困急独茕茕”写其自叹无子——“茕茕”写孤独无援；“小女痛父言，死者不可生”写缇萦之痛——听父言而痛父将死；“上书诣阙下，思古歌鸡鸣”写缇萦上书——亲至宫阙上书，引古歌鸡鸣为喻；“忧心摧折裂，晨风扬激声”写其忧心如焚——“摧折裂”写忧心之碎，“晨风扬激声”以晨风之鸣写其悲声；“圣汉孝文帝，恻然感至情”写文帝之感——为至情所动；“百男何愦愦，不如一缇萦”以感叹作结——多少男儿懵懵懂懂，不如一个缇萦。全诗以史笔叙事，语言质直，不事雕琢，末以感叹点题，正是早期咏史诗“叙史实、发议论”的典型。钟嵘《诗品》评其“质木无文”，正指其质朴少文采，然作为咏史之祖，其开创意义远过其文采。

Allusions

The whole poem sings the very historical event of 'Ti Ying saving her father' — it is history-poem, not allusion. 'Sang of the cock-crow of old' quietly uses the admonition-to-dawn in the 'Cock-Crow' of the Book of Songs' Qi Airs, likening Ti Ying's urgent, upright petition; 'Three Kings' names the Xia-Shang-Zhou sage kings, set against later mutilation. The references are all clear-sourced, not erudite display; the piece uses history as body and argument as use, starting the later 'show the principle in the event' vein, its spare allusion worth savoring.

《咏史》以咏史事为主，本身即是一篇“用典”——所咏的缇萦救父故事，出《史记·扁鹊仓公列传》与《汉书·刑法志》。诗中“三王”指夏禹、商汤、周文王（武王），为上古圣王之代称；“肉刑”指墨、劓、刖、宫等残害肢体的刑罚；“鸡鸣”用《诗经·齐风·鸡鸣》之篇——缇萦“思古歌鸡鸣”，取鸡鸣警醒之意；“晨风”用《诗经·秦风·晨风》之篇——“钦钦”之鸣，写忧思之深。全诗以经史为典，一句一事，正是东汉文人的用典方式。尤其以《诗经》篇名为典，见出班固深厚的经学修养，也见出早期咏史诗“以史为诗、以经为诗”的特点。

Commentary

Zhong Rong's Shipin ranks Ban Gu's poetry at the source of 'old poems', calling it 'plain wood without ornament'. Yet the Ming critic Hu Yinglin says 'the name of history-poem begins with Mengjian (Ban Gu)'. Moderns agree this piece, though still plain in language, first opened literati feeling-through-history and preceded Zuo Si and Tao Yuanming; its standing should not be slighted for being light. Its plain, bony brush falls short of Zuo Si's later depth, yet as the unshiftable founder of five-character history-poems its pioneering merit is clear.

《咏史》是中国咏史诗的开山之作，其历史意义大于艺术成就。钟嵘《诗品》列班固于中品，评其“质木无文”，指其语言质朴、少文采；然正是这“质木无文”，奠定了咏史诗“以史笔写史事”的基调。后世咏史诗（如左思《咏史》八首）虽在文采上远超班固，然皆承其“叙史实、发议论”的传统而来。诗中“百男何愦愦，不如一缇萦”以弱女胜男儿作结，既是咏史之论，亦是班固自伤之语——其时班固亦以罪系狱，故于缇萦救父的故事别有会心。此诗虽质朴，而情真意切，作为咏史之祖，在中国诗歌史上具有不可替代的地位。

Prosody

Form Five-character ancient poem (literati history-poem)五言古诗（咏史诗）

Rhyme Level rhyme assonant, natural shifts《咏史》为五言古诗，用韵：城（耕部）、茕、生（耕部）、声（耕部）、萦（耕部），大体一韵到底（耕青部），音节整齐。五言句式平稳，宜于叙事说理。

Tone pattern Ancient form, no near-style level-oblique五言古诗以质直平稳为主，此诗音节整齐，声情朴拙。全诗以叙事为主，起以史论、中叙故事、末发感叹，声情随之起伏：叙史则平稳，写忧则顿挫（“忧心摧折裂”），发叹则激越（“百男何愦愦”）。五言的沉稳与咏史的质直相合，正是早期咏史诗的声情特征。

Reading note Even, plain, and bony; an early mature literati five-character poem, founder of the history-poem mode.《咏史》为五言古诗，是中国咏史诗的滥觞。五言诗自汉乐府而盛，班固以五言咏史事，把乐府的叙事传统与史家的议论精神结合起来，开创了“咏史”一体。此诗在艺术上尚显朴拙（钟嵘评“质木无文”），但其开创意义深远：其一，首次以“咏史”名篇，确立了咏史诗的体裁；其二，“叙史实、发议论”的结构，成为后世咏史诗的基本范式；其三，以经史为典、以史笔写诗，体现了东汉文人的学养。左思《咏史》八首虽远胜其文采，然皆承此传统而来。作为开山之作，此诗在中国诗歌史上的地位，远过其自身的艺术成就。

Line by line

三王德弥薄，惟后用肉刑。太仓令有罪，就逮长安城。

The virtue of the Three Kings dwindled; afterward they began to use mutilating punishments. The Prefect of Taicang was accused of a crime and arrested at the capital.

夏商周三代之君德业渐薄，后世才用上了肉刑。太仓令淳于意犯了罪，被逮捕到长安城。

The virtue of the Three Dynasties waned, and afterward mutilating punishments were used. The Prefect of Taicang committed an offense and was arrested in Chang'an.

起四句以史论引入故事，是咏史诗“先议后叙”的开篇。“三王德弥薄，惟后用肉刑”以史笔起——“三王”指夏商周圣王，“德弥薄”写其德业渐衰，“惟后用肉刑”写肉刑之起——以历史演进的视角点出肉刑的残酷性，为缇萦救父的故事设置背景；“太仓令有罪，就逮长安城”写事件之起——太仓令淳于意有罪被逮，引出下文。四句由远及近、由史入事，正是咏史诗“咏史事、发议论”的典型起法。以史论开篇，见出班固史家本色。

The setup. The virtue of the Three Kings dwindled; afterward mutilating punishments were used. The Prefect of Taicang was accused and arrested at the capital. The poem opens historically (the cruel punishments) before arriving at the event (the arrested official). To have summarized the historical background would be a preamble; the waned Three-Kings' virtue, the mutilating punishments, and the arrested Taicang Prefect are the preamble.

自恨身无子，困急独茕茕。小女痛父言，死者不可生。

He grieved he had no son, in his plight alone and helpless. His young daughter grieved at his words: the dead cannot come back to life.

（淳于意）自恨没有儿子，处境困急、独自孤独无援。小女儿痛惜父亲的话，父亲将死不可复生。

He regretted he had no son, alone in his dire straits. His young daughter, grieved by his words, knew the dead cannot return to life.

此四句写缇萦救父的起因。“自恨身无子，困急独茕茕”写淳于意之叹——犯法当刑而叹无子，“茕茕”写其孤独无援，汉代重男轻女，故以无子为恨；“小女痛父言，死者不可生”写缇萦之痛——听父言而痛父将死，“死者不可生”写肉刑之不可挽回。四句一写父之叹、一写女之痛，父叹无子而偏有弱女，女痛父死而誓救其生，一叹一痛之间，已见缇萦的过人之处。以“茕茕”写孤独，以“不可生”写绝望，正是朴拙而真切的笔法。

The father's grief. He grieved he had no son, alone in his dire straits. His young daughter grieved at his words: the dead cannot come back to life. The father's regret at having no son, and the daughter's resolve where a son was expected, are the poem's turn. To have said the father wished he had a son would be a fact; the self-blamed no-son and the young daughter's grief at the dead-not-returning are the fact.

上书诣阙下，思古歌鸡鸣。忧心摧折裂，晨风扬激声。

She went to the palace gate with her petition, thinking of the ancients and singing the Cock-a-Doodle-Doo. Her anxious heart was as if broken; she raised the urgent voice of the Morning Wind.

（缇萦）亲至宫阙上书，思念古人而歌《鸡鸣》之篇。忧心如同被摧折碎裂，如《晨风》之诗般扬起激越的悲声。

She carried her petition to the palace gate, thinking of the ancients and singing the Cock's Crow. Her anxious heart was as if shattered; she raised the urgent note of the Morning Wind.

此四句写缇萦上书的壮举与忧心。“上书诣阙下”写其亲至宫阙上书——“诣阙下”写其不畏艰难、直达帝廷；“思古歌鸡鸣”写其引古自励——“鸡鸣”取《诗经·鸡鸣》警醒之意，缇萦以此勉励自己；“忧心摧折裂”写其忧心如焚——“摧折裂”三字，把忧心写得如同被摧碎；“晨风扬激声”以《诗经·晨风》之篇写其悲声——“扬激声”写其激昂悲切。四句以上书写其勇，以忧心写其情，以歌古写其志，把一个弱女救父的壮举写得有声有色。以《诗经》篇名为典，正是东汉文人用典的特色。

The petition. She went to the palace gate with her petition, thinking of the ancients and singing the Cock's Crow; her anxious heart was as if broken; she raised the urgent note of the Morning Wind. The two Book of Songs titles (Cock's Crow, Morning Wind) are the young girl's moral references. To have said she petitioned the throne would be an action; the palace-gate petition, the remembered ancient songs, the broken anxious heart, and the raised urgent voice are the action.

圣汉孝文帝，恻然感至情。百男何愦愦，不如一缇萦。

The sage Emperor Wen of Han was moved to pity by her devotion. A hundred sons, for all their muddling, are not worth one Ti Ying.

圣明的汉孝文帝，恻然感动于这至真之情。多少男儿懵懵懂懂，竟不如一个缇萦。

The wise Emperor Wen of Han was moved to pity by her devotion. A hundred muddled sons are not worth one Ti Ying.

末四句写文帝之感与诗人之叹，是全诗的归结。“圣汉孝文帝，恻然感至情”写文帝之感动——“恻然”写其悲悯之态，“感至情”写其被缇萦的至情所动，遂废肉刑、赦淳于意；“百男何愦愦，不如一缇萦”以感叹作结——“愦愦”写男儿之懵懂愚钝，“不如一缇萦”以弱女胜男儿，是诗人对缇萦的最高礼赞。四句由文帝之感到诗人之叹，由叙事到议论，正是咏史诗“叙史实、发议论”的收束。以“百男”对比“一缇萦”，于史事中寄寓感慨，也是班固自伤之语。

The emperor and the verdict. The wise Emperor Wen of Han was moved to pity by her devotion. A hundred muddled sons are not worth one Ti Ying. The emperor's mercy and the poet's final contrast (a hundred sons versus one daughter) close the poem. To have said the emperor relented and the poet praised her would be a closing; the Emperor Wen's pity, the hundred muddled sons, and the not-worth-one-Ti-Ying are the closing.

Study

Word focus

茕茕 'Forlorn' — 'in his plight he stood alone, forlorn' writes the granary keeper with no son to lean on, one word exhausting the desolation of his straits. “困急独茕茕”之“茕茕”，写孤独无援之状，是写淳于意处境的关键词。“茕茕”叠字，本指孤独的样子（《诗经》“茕茕在疚”），此处写太仓令身陷囹圄、无子相救的孤独无助。“困急”写处境之危，“独茕茕”写无援之悲，三字把父亲的绝望写得真切。这一词也反衬出下文缇萦的挺身而出——父叹无子，而弱女偏能救父，正是“茕茕”之后的希望。

诣阙下 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. “上书诣阙下”之“诣阙下”，写缇萦亲至宫阙上书，是全诗写其勇气的一笔。“诣”本义到、往，用于“阙下”（宫阙之下），写其亲往帝廷，不畏艰险。一个“诣”字，写尽缇萦的决心与胆识——一个弱女，为救父命，竟敢直叩宫门、直达天听。此词虽朴素，而缇萦的英气已见。与后文“圣汉孝文帝，恻然感至情”相承，正是这“诣阙下”的勇气，感动了文帝。

愦愦 'Muddled' — a reduplicative blaming the hundred sons' incompetence, sharply against 'one Ti Ying', a biting, firm tone. “百男何愦愦”之“愦愦”，写男儿的懵懂愚钝，是诗人感叹的关键词。“愦愦”本指昏乱糊涂，此处写众多男儿遇事懵懂、无所作为。以“百男”之愦愦，反衬“一缇萦”之英烈——多少男儿浑浑噩噩，竟不如一个弱女。这“愦愦”既是咏史之论，亦是班固自伤——其时班固系狱，目睹世态，故以“愦愦”写世人之麻木，以“缇萦”寄己之感慨。叠字含情，正是朴拙中的深意。

至情 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. “恻然感至情”之“至情”，指至极真诚的情感，是文帝被感动的原因，也是全诗的题眼。“至”有极、最之意，“至情”即人伦之情的极致——缇萦救父，是孝之至情；文帝感之，是仁之至情。以“至情”写文帝之感动，点出这桩公案的核心不是法理，而是人情——正是缇萦的“至情”打动了文帝，遂废肉刑。一词之设，见出班固对“情”的推崇，也见出汉人以孝治天下的伦理观。

咏史