汉 Han · 诗 Poem
羽林郎
The Royal Guardsman
昔有霍家奴，姓冯名子都。
依倚将军势，调笑酒家胡。
胡姬年十五，春日独当垆。
长裾连理带，广袖合欢襦。
头上蓝田玉，耳后大秦珠。
两鬟何窈窕，一世良所无。
一鬟五百万，两鬟千万余。
不意金吾子，娉婷过我庐。
银鞍何煜爚，翠盖空踟蹰。
就我求清酒，丝绳提玉壶。
就我求珍肴，金盘脍鲤鱼。
贻我青铜镜，结我红罗裾。
不惜红罗裂，何论轻贱躯。
男儿爱后妇，女子重前夫。
人生有新故，贵贱不相逾。
多谢金吾子，私爱徒区区。
Relying on the general's power, he teased the hu-barmaid.
The hu-girl is fifteen, in spring alone tending the wine-shop.
Long skirt with a twin-bough sash, wide sleeves and a joyful short coat.
On her head Lantian jade, behind her ear Great-Qin pearls.
Her two coils how lovely — none such in a lifetime.
One coil worth five million, two coils over ten million.
Unexpectedly the gold-army gentleman, graceful, passed my door.
His silver saddle how brilliant, his green canopy lingered in vain.
He came to me for clear wine, with a silk cord lifting the jade pot.
He came to me for rare meat, on a gold plate sliced carp.
He gave me a bronze mirror, and tied my red-silk skirt.
I grudge not the red silk torn, much less my cheap, low body.
The man loves the new wife; the woman holds the former husband.
Life has its new and old; rank and low may not cross.
Many thanks, gold-army gentleman; your private love is but in vain.
Meaning
Long ago there was a slave of the Huo house, surnamed Feng, named Zidu. Relying on the general's power, he teased the hu wine-seller. The hu girl is fifteen, in spring alone tending the wine shop. Long skirt with twin-bough sash, wide sleeves and a joyful short coat. On her head Lantian jade, behind her ear Great-Qin pearls. Her two coils how lovely — such none in the world. One coil worth five million, two coils over ten million. Unexpectedly the gold-army gentleman, graceful, came to my door. His silver saddle how brilliant, his green canopy lingered in vain. He asked me for clear wine, lifting the jade pot with a silk cord. He asked me for rare food, on a gold plate sliced carp. He gave me a bronze mirror, and tied my red-silk skirt. I grudge not the red silk torn, how much less my cheap, low body. The man loves the new wife; the woman holds the former husband. Life has its new and old; rank and low may not cross. Many thanks, gold-army gentleman; your private love is but vain.
从前有个霍家的奴才，姓冯名子都。倚仗将军权势，调戏卖酒的胡姬。胡姬年纪十五，春日独自当垆卖酒。长衣襟系着连理带，宽袖穿着合欢短袄。头上戴蓝田玉，耳后垂大秦珠。两边发鬟何等窈窕，世间少有。一鬟值五百万，两鬟千万有余。不料那金吾子，娉婷地来到我门前。银鞍何等辉煌，翠盖空自徘徊。向我讨清酒，用丝绳提着玉壶。向我讨佳肴，金盘切鲤鱼肉。赠我青铜镜，系结我红罗衣襟。我不惜扯裂红罗，哪还顾念轻贱之身。男儿喜新欢，女子重故夫。人生有新旧，贵贱不可逾越。多谢金吾子，你这片私情只是徒劳。
Appreciation
'The Royal Guardsman' was written by the Eastern-Han poet Xin Yannian (some say an anonymous yuefu), in the 'miscellaneous tunes'. It tells of Feng Zidu, a slave of the Western-Han powerful minister Huo Guang, who, relying on his master's might, teases a hu (Western-region) wine-girl, and is sternly refused. In the Eastern Han, consort and eunuch factions were mighty and arrogant slaves bullying the common folk were common; the poet uses the past (Western Han) to sting the present (Eastern Han), setting the hu girl's chastity against the powerful man's arrogance. Along with 'Mulberry by the Path', where Luofu refuses the governor, it is a twin jewel of Han poetry's 'refusal of seduction', and also reflects the social scene of Hu-Han mingling and thriving trade. The poem's famous line 'rank and low may not cross' gathers its defiant weight, and it is a high-frequency item in high-school comparison reading.
【白话串讲】 霍家的奴才冯子都仗势调戏酒家女子胡姬，胡姬一口回绝：“不惜红罗裂，何论轻贱躯”——不惜撕破衣裳，也不会从你。汉代一个卖酒姑娘的骨气，比贵族还硬。 【意象与手法】 诗以叙事为主，层次分明：先点冯子都「依倚将军势，调笑酒家胡」，揭其仗势凌人；继以浓墨铺写胡姬的服饰之美，极尽繁华，反衬其人格之高洁；再写冯子都调戏纠缠，逼胡姬表态；末以胡姬一长段斩钉截铁的拒绝收束，刚烈凛然。铺陈与对话结合，人物声口毕肖，讽刺藏于对比之中，极见汉诗「敷陈其事而直言之」的赋体之长。 【情感与主旨】 《羽林郎》为东汉诗人辛延年所作（一作无名氏乐府），属「杂曲歌辞」。诗写西汉权臣霍光家奴冯子都倚主子之势调戏当垆卖酒的胡姬，遭胡姬严词拒绝的故事。东汉外戚宦官势盛，豪奴仗势凌辱平民的现象普遍，诗人借古（西汉）刺今（东汉），以胡姬的坚贞反衬权豪的骄横。 【名句点睛】 本诗是高考古诗鉴赏与「比较阅读」的高频篇目：常考胡姬形象与拒绝言语的刚烈；铺陈夸饰手法的效果；与《陌上桑》罗敷拒使君的「拒诱双璧」比较。
Background
'The Royal Guardsman' was written by the Eastern-Han poet Xin Yannian (or an anonymous yuefu), belonging to the 'miscellaneous tunes'. The poem tells of Feng Zidu, a slave of the Western-Han powerful minister Huo Guang, who relied on his master's power to tease a hu wine-seller, and was sternly refused by the girl. In the Eastern Han, consort and eunuch factions were mighty, and the arrogant slaves who bullied common folk were common; the poet uses the past (Western Han) to sting the present (Eastern Han), using the hu girl's chastity to set off the arrogance of the powerful. This poem, with 'Mulberry by the Path' where Luofu refuses the governor, forms a pair of 'refusal-of-seduction' masterpieces of Han poetry, and also reflects the scene of Hu-Han mingling and thriving trade in the society of the time.
《羽林郎》为东汉诗人辛延年所作（一作无名氏乐府），属汉乐府「杂曲歌辞」。《乐府诗集》收入《杂曲歌辞》，题辛延年。诗写西汉权臣霍光家奴冯子都（名殷，字子都，见《汉书·霍光传》「光爱幸监奴冯子都」）倚主子之势，调戏当垆卖酒的胡姬，遭胡姬严词拒绝的故事。值得注意的是，羽林郎本为汉代皇家禁卫军官名，诗中「金吾子」即借执金吾（禁军长官）之称以刺豪奴，皆属借题发挥。东汉时期，外戚宦官交替专权，豪门贵戚豢养奴仆，豪奴仗势凌辱平民的现象十分普遍，诗人借古（西汉）刺今（东汉），以胡姬的坚贞反衬权豪的骄横。此诗与《陌上桑》罗敷拒使君一脉相承，是汉代诗歌中写女性抗暴拒诱、维护人格尊严的名篇，亦折射出当时胡汉杂处、商贸繁荣的社会风貌，胡姬当垆卖酒的形象正是汉世西域商贸生活的生动写照。东汉自和帝以后，外戚窦氏、邓氏、梁氏相继专权，宦官亦乘势而起，豪门豢养宾客奴仆，其家奴依仗主势，横行街市，欺压良善，史不绝书，如梁冀家奴乘势横暴、妻略妇女即其例。辛延年借西汉冯子都之故事以讽当世，正是借古讽今的曲笔；而诗中「金吾子」本为执金吾（禁军长官）之称，用以称豪奴，亦见其讽刺之深。又东汉胡汉杂处，西域商胡多在内地经商，当垆卖酒之胡姬，正是这一社会风貌的写照，此诗亦为研究汉代民族关系与商业形态的珍贵史料。
Art
The poem is mainly narrative, clearly layered: first it names Feng Zidu 'relying on the general's power, teasing the hu wine-seller', exposing his bullying; then it spreads in heavy ink the hu girl's beauty — 'long skirt with twin-bough sash', 'on her head Lantian jade', 'one coil worth five million' — to the utmost splendor, setting off the loftiness of her character; then it writes Feng Zidu's teasing entanglement, 'he gave me a bronze mirror, and tied my red-silk skirt', pressing her to respond; it closes with the hu girl's long, firm refusal — 'I grudge not the red silk torn', 'rank and low may not cross' — stern and bright. Spreading and dialogue combine; the characters' voices are lifelike, the narrative has an aftermath, and the satire hides in the contrast — fully showing the Han poem's strength of 'spreading out the matter and speaking it straight', the fu-mode length.
诗以叙事为主，层次分明，章法井然。开篇「昔有霍家奴，姓冯名子都。依倚将军势，调笑酒家胡」四句点题，揭其仗势凌人，一「依倚」一「调笑」，豪奴之骄横轻薄立现。继而以浓墨铺写胡姬之美：「长裾连理带，广袖合欢襦」「头上蓝田玉，耳后大秦珠」「一鬟五百万，两鬟千万余」，极尽繁华夸饰，正以服饰之美反衬人格之高洁——愈写其美，愈见其拒诱之可贵。再写冯子都调戏纠缠：「贻我青铜镜，结我红罗裾」，逼胡姬表态。末以胡姬一长段斩钉截铁的拒绝收束：「不惜红罗裂，何论轻贱躯」「人生有新故，贵贱不相逾」，刚烈凛然，掷地有声。全诗铺陈与对话结合，人物声口毕肖，叙事有余波，讽刺藏于对比之中，极见汉诗「敷陈其事而直言之」的赋体之长，亦为后代叙事诗树立了范本。又此诗人物形象之塑造，最见匠心：冯子都只以「依倚」「调笑」四字勾其形，以「娉婷」「银鞍」「翠盖」写其骄，活画豪奴之态；胡姬则以铺陈写其美、以对话写其贞，美与贞相映，愈美愈见拒诱之可贵。且全诗以「我」（胡姬）之口吻叙事，自述见闻与拒词，声口毕肖，如闻其声，正是汉乐府叙事诗「代言体」的典范。末段一连串「男儿」「女子」「人生」「贵贱」之论，以议论入叙事，说理之中见深情，刚烈之中见尊严，为后世叙事诗树立了范本。
Allusions
The poem is tinted from history: Feng Zidu truly refers to Huo Guang's house-slave, from the Han Shu 'Huo Guang Biography' — 'Guang loved and favored the slave-manager Feng Zidu'. 'Gold-army gentleman' originally means the commander of the gold-army (palace guard), here borrowed to call the arrogant slave, with hidden sting. In the dress description, 'Lantian jade' (jade from Lantian in Shaanxi) and 'Great-Qin pearls' (pearls from Rome) are both real Western-region trade goods of the Han, realistic rather than allusive. 'Twin-bough sash' and 'joyful coat' write the girl's beauty with auspicious patterns, also carrying the intent of 'twin bough' and 'joy' to set off her later refusal of seduction. The whole uses history as bone and spreading as flesh; the allusion melts into the narrative, leaving no trace of piling.
本诗据史事点染，兼采汉世风物。「冯子都」实指霍光家监奴，见《汉书·霍光传》：「光爱幸监奴冯子都，常与计事。」「金吾子」本指执金吾，汉代禁军长官，掌宫外戒司非常水火之事，诗中借称豪奴，以尊者称贱者，暗含讥刺。服饰描写中「蓝田玉」（陕西蓝田所产美玉）、「大秦珠」（罗马帝国所产珍珠）皆为汉代西域贸易的实物，属写实而非用典，正见汉世「殊方异物，四面而至」的商贸盛况。「连理带」为绣有连理纹样的衣带，「合欢襦」为绣有合欢纹样的短袄，皆以吉祥纹样写胡姬之美，而「连理」「合欢」之名，又暗含对后文拒诱的反对——越是「合欢」之衣，越见其守身如玉。全诗以史事为骨、以铺陈为衣，典故化于叙事，不露堆垛之迹，是文人拟乐府中「以赋为诗」的典范。又「大秦」即罗马帝国，《后汉书·西域传》载大秦与安息、天竺交市于海中，大秦珠即罗马所产玻璃珠或珍珠，汉代经丝绸之路传入中国，为西域珍宝之代表；「蓝田玉」为关中蓝田所产美玉，亦为汉世名品。二物并置，写胡姬服饰之华贵，兼见汉世中外贸易之盛。又「连理带」「合欢襦」皆绣吉祥纹样之衣饰，「连理」「合欢」本喻夫妇和合，用之写胡姬之衣，正与其拒诱守贞形成反讽，衣之合欢而人之守贞，尤见其品格之高。全诗用事皆切汉世风物，写实而不堆垛，正见汉乐府「缘事而发」的精神。
Commentary
The Yue Fu Shi Ji records it under miscellaneous tunes, attributed to Xin Yannian. The Ming critic Hu Yinglin in 'Poetry Criticism' says 'though The Royal Guardsman comes from a literatus, its feeling and words are lush, near the Han yuefu'. It is paired with 'Mulberry by the Path' as the Han 'twin jewels of refusal'. The modern Yu Guan Ying in 'Selected Yuefu Poems' says: 'The hu girl's refusal is straight and righteous; the line "rank and low may not cross" equals many an argument.' Contemporary scholars praise it 'using fu as poetry, spreading yet bony'. The hu girl image deeply influenced later 'steadfast-woman-refuses-violence' themes (such as Liu Lanzhi in 'The Peacock Flies Southeast'), enough to show its model meaning.
《乐府诗集》收入《杂曲歌辞》，题辛延年。明人胡应麟《诗薮》谓「《羽林郎》虽出自文人，而情词秾至，几于汉乐府」，正见其得汉乐府之神。与《陌上桑》并称汉代「拒诱双璧」：罗敷以夸夫智拒使君，胡姬以直言勇拒金吾子，一智一勇，双璧同辉。近人余冠英《乐府诗选》评：「胡姬的拒绝，理直气壮，『贵贱不相逾』一句，抵得许多议论。」当代学者更赞其「以赋为诗，铺张扬厉而骨力遒上」。诗中胡姬形象对后世「烈女拒暴」题材影响深远，汉乐府《孔雀东南飞》之刘兰芝、唐传奇之霍小玉，皆承其坚贞刚烈一脉，足见此诗在中国叙事诗传统中的典范意义，亦为考察汉代女性观与伦理观的重要文本。又《羽林郎》与《陌上桑》并称「拒诱双璧」，而二诗之笔法有异：罗敷之拒，以夸夫之辞出之，谐趣横生；胡姬之拒，以守分之论出之，义正词严。一智一勇，各极其致，正见汉乐府写女性之丰富。近人余冠英、逯钦立诸家编选汉诗，皆收此诗，评其「情词秾至，骨力遒上」。又此诗以文人拟乐府，而能得乐府之神，正见辛延年之才；其题材上承《陌上桑》，下启唐传奇《霍小玉传》之拒暴题材，为「女性抗暴」文学传统的重要一环，亦为考察汉代社会伦理与女性观念的关键文本。
Prosody
Line by line
依倚将军势，调笑酒家胡
Relying on the general's power, he teased the hu wine-seller.
倚仗将军的权势，调戏卖酒的胡姬。
Leaning on the general's power, he makes eyes at the Hu wine-seller.
开篇揭恶，是全诗批判的基点。「依倚将军势」写冯子都倚仗霍光的权势，「依倚」二字写尽狐假虎威之态——本人无势，所倚者主子之势，一个「依倚」已含轻蔑；「调笑酒家胡」写其调戏当垆卖酒的胡姬，「调笑」二字写尽轻薄无赖之态。此句之妙有三：一是开门见山，不写冯子都之貌、之行迹，只写其「依倚」与「调笑」，两笔勾出豪奴仗势凌人的丑态；二是以「势」与「调笑」对举，权势本应用于正途，却用来调笑弱女，权势之恶由此见出；三是为后文胡姬的拒绝张本——豪奴之骄与胡姬之贞，正于此句埋下对比的伏笔，批判的基调由此奠定。
The opening. Leaning on the general's power, he makes eyes at the Hu wine-seller. The two verbs (leaning on power, making eyes) are the whole complaint: a bully backed by his master harasses a helpless woman. To have said a powerful man harassed a wine-seller would be a summary; the leaning-on-the-general's-power and the flirting-with-the-Hu-wine-girl are the summary.
头上蓝田玉，耳后大秦珠
On her head Lantian jade, behind her ear Great-Qin pearls.
头上戴着蓝田美玉，耳后垂着大秦珍珠。
On her head Lantian jade, behind her ears pearls from Da Qin.
此句以珍饰铺写胡姬之美，是全诗「铺陈夸饰」手法的典型。「蓝田玉」为陕西蓝田所产美玉，「大秦珠」为罗马帝国所产珍珠，皆汉世西域贸易的珍品，以此写胡姬服饰之华贵，亦暗示其当垆生涯之富庶；「头上」「耳后」写佩戴之位置，精细入微，如工笔描绘。此句之妙有三：一是以物写人，不写胡姬之容貌，而以其佩饰之华贵见其人之美，正合「赋」体铺陈之法；二是以华反衬贞，服饰愈华贵，愈见其人格之不可轻侮——美人如斯而守身如玉，拒诱愈显可贵；三是异域色彩，蓝田玉、大秦珠皆异域珍奇，为胡姬形象平添一层殊方风韵，也见出汉代商贸之盛。
The jewels. On her head Lantian jade, behind her ears pearls from Da Qin. The distant luxuries (Lantian jade, Roman pearls) adorn the barmaid. The finer her dress, the more striking her refusal will be. To have described her jewelry would be a description; the Lantian jade on her head and the Da Qin pearls behind her ears are the description.
不惜红罗裂，何论轻贱躯
I grudge not the red silk torn, how much less my cheap, low body.
我不惜扯裂红罗衣襟，哪里还顾念我这轻贱之身。
I care not if the red silk is torn—how much less my worthless body!
此句以决绝动作写刚烈，是全诗情感的第一个高峰。「红罗」即金吾子所结之红罗裾，是金吾子「结我红罗裾」强加的纠缠之物；「裂」字写扯裂红罗之动作，决绝有力，如见胡姬断然扯裂衣襟、与纠缠者划清界限之态；「不惜」写其不惜此衣，更不惜与此纠缠决裂；「何论轻贱躯」递进一层——连轻贱之身尚且不顾，何况区区红罗？宁可玉碎，不为瓦全。此句之妙在于以动作写心理：不写胡姬如何怒斥，而写其「裂罗」之决绝动作，掷地有声，刚烈形象立现，为下文「贵贱不相逾」的正面宣言蓄足了气势。
The tearing. I care not if the red silk is torn—how much less my worthless body! The tearing of the silk robe he has grabbed is the physical boundary. The worthless-body self-deprecation strengthens rather than weakens the stand. To have said she tore his hand away would be an action; the not-caring-if-the-red-silk-tears against the how-much-less-this-worthless-body is the action.
男儿爱后妇，女子重前夫
Men love the later wife; women hold fast to the former husband.
男儿喜新厌旧爱后娶的妇人，女子却珍重前夫旧情。
Men love the later wife; a woman holds dear her former husband.
此句以议论说理写胡姬的坚贞，是全诗由叙事转议论的枢纽。「男儿爱后妇」写男子之喜新厌旧，斥金吾子之轻薄；「女子重前夫」写女子之珍重旧情，明胡姬之坚贞。一男一女、一爱后一重前，两两对举，以世情之常理驳金吾子之妄念。此句之妙有三：一是以理服人，不待怒斥，先陈常理，男儿之薄情与女子之重义对比鲜明，金吾子之调笑在其面前顿显无聊；二是人物声口毕肖，此语正合市井酒家女的口吻，质直而有力，是「如闻其声」的对话描写；三是为下句「贵贱不相逾」张本——重前夫而后拒新欢，是情义；守本分而不逾贵贱，是名节，情理相承，胡姬形象至此完满。
The contrast. Men love the later wife; a woman holds dear her former husband. The two clauses (men's fickleness, women's constancy) are her argument: the courtier's world does not apply to her. To have said men remarry but women stay faithful would be a saying; the men-love-the-later-wife against the women-hold-the-former-husband are the saying.
人生有新故，贵贱不相逾
In life there are old ties and new; the noble and the base do not overstep.
人生有新旧之分，贵贱之间不可逾越。
In life there are old ties and new; noble and base do not overstep.
此句是全诗的点睛之笔，以斩钉截铁的说理收束胡姬的拒绝。「人生有新故」写人情有新旧之别，胡姬既有前夫故情，自不能因新欢而移志；「贵贱不相逾」写贵贱之间有不可逾越的界限——金吾子虽贵，胡姬虽贱，而贵者不能以势凌贱，贱者亦不以贵易志。此句之妙有三：一是义正辞严，「不相逾」三字斩钉截铁，如金石之声，余冠英谓此句「抵得许多议论」；二是超越男女之情而及于人格尊严，胡姬之拒，非止守情，更是守节守分——贵贱不相逾，正是平民对权贵的庄严宣示，人格之尊严凛然不可犯；三是收束全诗，由叙事、铺陈而议论，层层推进，至此完成胡姬形象的塑造，刚烈凛然，掷地有声。
The principle. In life there are old ties and new; noble and base do not overstep. The final line states the social boundary: the noble man cannot overstep into the base woman's life, and she will not step across. To have said social ranks must not mix would be a principle; the new-and-old ties against the noble-and-base-not-overstepping are the principle.
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Paired as the 'twin jewels of refusal'; compare Luofu's praising-her-husband versus the hu girl's straight refusal.
《陌上桑》写罗敷采桑陌上，使君邀其共载，罗敷盛夸夫婿以拒之，以「夸夫」智退使君，笔调诙谐从容；《羽林郎》写胡姬当垆，冯子都调笑纠缠，胡姬直言「贵贱不相逾」以拒之，以「直拒」勇退豪奴，语气刚烈凛然。二诗同写女性拒诱，同为汉乐府叙事名篇，而罗敷以智胜，胡姬以勇胜；罗敷之拒含蓄幽默，胡姬之拒斩钉截铁。并读可见汉乐府写女性反抗的两种笔法，亦见汉代平民女性对人格尊严的共同坚守——无论采桑女还是卖酒女，皆凛然不可犯，此正是汉乐府「缘事而发」、贴近民间的精神所在。
孔雀东南飞 The Peacock Flies Southeast 汉乐府 · 同写汉代女性刚烈形象，一拒外诱一抗内迫 Same (Eastern-Han stern-woman image)The hu girl's sternness and Liu Lanzhi's chastity intertextual — compare the writing of Han women.
《孔雀东南飞》写刘兰芝被婆母驱遣、与焦仲卿殉情的故事，兰芝「君当作磐石，妾当作蒲苇」的坚贞与「举身赴清池」的刚烈，感人至深；《羽林郎》写胡姬拒豪奴之诱，「不惜红罗裂，何论轻贱躯」的决绝与「贵贱不相逾」的宣言，凛然生威。二诗同写汉代女性的刚烈，而胡姬拒的是外来的权贵之诱，兰芝抗的是家庭内部的逼迫；胡姬之烈在守节守分，兰芝之贞在殉情守诺。并读可见汉代女性书写的丰富面向，亦见汉乐府塑造女性形象从短篇到长篇、从单一到复杂的演进轨迹。