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明 Ming · 诗 Poem

牧牛词

The Cattle-Herding Song

高启

Gao Qi

田园pastoral 隐逸reclusion

牧牛词尔牛角弯环，我牛尾秃速。
共拈短笛与长鞭，南陇东冈去相逐。
日斜草远牛行迟，牛劳牛饥唯我知；
牛上唱歌牛下坐，夜归还向牛边卧。
长年牧牛百不忧，但恐输租卖我牛。

Your ox has horns that curve in rings; my ox a tail, thin and sparse.
Together we take short flutes and long whips, and chase each other to the southern ridge and eastern hill.
The sun slants, the grass is far, the oxen walk slow; their toil and hunger only I can know.
I sing atop the ox, sit beneath it, and at night go home to lie down by its side.
All year herding oxen, a hundred cares I lack--save one fear: the rent unpaid may cost me my ox.

Listen

Meaning

Your ox has horns curving into rings; my ox a tail, thin and sparse of hair. We both take short flutes and long whips, and chase one another to the southern fields and eastern hills. The sun slants, the grass is far, the oxen walk slowly; whether they are tired or hungry only I truly know. I sing on the ox's back and sit at its side, and at night returning home I lie down beside it. All year long herding oxen, I have not a hundred worries--only the fear that the tax owed may force the sale of my ox.

你的牛犄角弯弯成环，我的牛尾巴细细毛疏。我们都拿着短笛和长鞭，到南垄东冈你追我赶去放牧。太阳西斜、草远路长，牛走得慢，牛是劳累还是饥饿只有我心里清楚。我骑在牛背上唱歌，坐在牛身边歇息，夜晚回家还要靠在牛身旁睡下。长年放牛百事不忧，只怕缴纳租子要把我的牛卖掉。

Appreciation

The poem unfolds in the herdboy's voice. The first eight lines write the joy of herding: naming the oxen, flute and whip, the chase across southern and eastern hills, singing on the ox's back, lying by its side at night--boy and ox close and at ease, full of zest, its language plain as talk. The last two lines, 'All year herding oxen, a hundred cares I lack--save one fear: the rent unpaid may cost me my ox,' turn sharply from joy to worry, first rising then falling. The whole uses no allusion, no ornament, plain description of pastoral true delight, and within its innocence reveals a heavy real-world sadness.

【白话串讲】高启写放牛娃：“牛上唱歌牛下坐，夜归还向牛边卧”——牛背是床，草地是家。“长年牧牛百不忧，但恐输租卖我牛”——放牛娃什么都不怕，就怕交不起租，牛被卖掉。【意象与手法】全诗以牧童第一人称口吻展开，通篇白描，不事藻饰。章法上采用先扬后抑的结构：前八句写牧牛之乐，指认牛只、短笛长鞭、南陇相逐、牛背唱歌、牛边夜卧，一个场景连着一个场景，人和牛相依相亲，情趣盎然；末二句「长年牧牛百不忧，但恐输租卖我牛」陡然转折，由乐入忧，先扬后抑，乐景衬哀情，反差强烈。语言上「尔」「我」对举、「牛上」「牛下」「牛边」方位连缀，口语自然，民歌风味浓郁。【情感与主旨】高启（1336—1374），明初诗人，与杨基、张羽、徐贲并称「吴中四杰」。此诗借牧童口吻，写牧牛生活的天真乐趣与输租卖牛的深重忧虑，以小见大，揭示封建赋税剥削对农家生计的威胁，于天真烂漫中见出沉重的现实悲凉，寄托了诗人对农民命运的深切同情。【名句点睛】考点：一、前乐后忧的抑扬结构，末二句「但恐输租卖我牛」如何由乐入忧、深化主旨；二、牧童口吻与第一人称「尔」「我」的亲切效果；三、白描手法与民歌风味；四、「弯环」「秃速」等方言叠韵词的语言特色。

Background

Gao Qi (1336-1374), an early-Ming poet, with Yang Ji, Zhang Yu and Xu Ben formed the 'Four Talents of Wu.' In his 'Tasting Wu Rice in the Capital' he writes 'I am a man of the eastern field, who as a youth learned the hoe and plough,' and his poor birth and hard life let him know farm toil and the peasant's suffering under feudal exploitation. This poem was likely written when he saw a boy herding and thought of the farmer's lot, and is collected in the Collected Works of Gao Jidi of Qingqiu as an imitation of music-bureau song.

高启（1336—1374），字季迪，号槎轩，长洲（今江苏苏州）人，元末明初著名诗人，与杨基、张羽、徐贲并称「吴中四杰」，又与王彝等号「北郭十友」，才气纵横，为明初诗坛翘楚。高启出身寒微，家世清贫，《京师尝吴粳》诗自述「我本东皋民，少年习耕锄」，可见其自幼与田亩农事相伴，深知稼穑之艰难与农夫之疾苦。明初承元末战乱之后，土地荒芜，赋役繁重，农民既要复业垦荒，又须缴纳沉重田租，加以豪强兼并、官府催科，农家生计极不安稳。高启长期生活于乡野之间，对此有真切体会，《牧牛词》即是以牧童生活为题材的乐府体诗作，收入《青邱高季迪先生诗集》。诗人当是目睹村童牧牛嬉游之景，感于农家生计之艰，遂以牧童口吻自述，写出牧牛之乐与输租之忧的对照。此诗与高启《田家行》等同题田园之作，皆可视为其关注民间疾苦、以诗写实的一贯旨趣的体现。值得注意的是，高启虽以才学富赡、藻饰华美著称，其《登金陵雨花台望大江》等作雄浑奔放，但此类田园乐府却刻意采用朴拙口语，可见其诗学取径之广，兼有师法汉魏乐府、崇尚自然真率的另一面。

Art

The poem unfolds in the herdboy's voice. The first eight lines write the joy of herding: naming the oxen, flute and whip, the chase across the southern and eastern hills, singing on the ox's back, lying by it at night--boy and ox intimate and at ease, full of life, its language homely as speech. The last two lines, 'All year herding oxen, a hundred cares I lack--save one fear: the rent unpaid may cost me my ox,' turn sharply, from joy into worry, first rising then falling. The whole uses no allusion, no ornament, plain description of pastoral true delight, and within its innocence shows a heavy real-world desolation.

全诗在章法上采用先扬后抑的层递结构，前八句极写牧牛之乐，末二句陡然转出输租之忧，乐景衬哀情，反差强烈。开篇「尔牛角弯环，我牛尾秃速」，以牧童之间互相品评牛只的口吻起笔，「尔」「我」对举，两个孩子争夸自家牛只的得意神气、天真情态跃然纸上。接着「共拈短笛与长鞭，南陇东冈去相逐」，写二人携笛持鞭、结伴放牧，南陇东冈之间你追我赶，场面欢快，「共」「相逐」写尽伙伴之间的亲密与游戏的兴致。中间四句写牧牛之乐的具体形态：「日斜草远牛行迟，牛劳牛饥唯我知」由外在景致转入牧童与牛的情感联系——太阳西斜、青草遥远，牛走得很慢，牛是累了还是饿了，只有朝夕相伴的牧童最清楚，人牛之间已建立起无言的默契与体贴；「牛上唱歌牛下坐，夜归还向牛边卧」更以「牛上」「牛下」「牛边」三处方位词连缀，写出牧童骑牛唱歌、倚牛坐卧的日常，仿佛牧童的生命已与牛融为一体，其乐融融。语言上全用白描，不施藻饰，口语化的短句错落有致，民歌气息浓郁，动词「拈」「逐」「唱」「卧」皆自然传神，无一处用力而处处生动。末二句「长年牧牛百不忧，但恐输租卖我牛」是全文的转折与点睛之笔：前八句累积的欢愉被「但恐」二字轻轻一挑，顿时全部坍塌——原来牧童并非无忧，只是百不忧的欢乐底下压着一个最深的恐惧，那就是交不起租子、牛被拉去抵租。乐之愈深，忧之愈重，这种以乐衬悲、先扬后抑的手法，使结尾具有极大的情感冲击力，正是此诗艺术匠心所在。

Allusions

This poem is a folk-song-style imitation of the music bureau, with no obvious historical allusion. Only 'the rent unpaid' points to feudal tax exploitation; 'curving rings' and 'thin and sparse' are rhyming dialect descriptions (curved rings for the horn's bend, thin and sparse for the tail's scant hair). The poet deliberately avoids allusion and ornament, to match content with form--just his 'plainness-prized' folk borrowing. This unallusive, making-the-common-refined bent gives the poem an honest weight within its innocence, and shows Gao Qi's other poetic pursuit, learning from Han and Wei music bureau to supplement the Tang.

本诗为仿乐府而作的民歌体，通篇不用历史典故，不堆砌故实，这本身就是一种自觉的艺术选择，正合乐府民歌「感于哀乐，缘事而发」的传统。诗中唯「输租」二字点出封建赋税剥削这一现实问题，是理解全诗的关键。「输租」即缴纳田租，明初承元末乱后，赋役繁苛，农民终岁勤动而所得无几，往往以卖牛、鬻子来应付官府催科，《牧牛词》以牧童「但恐输租卖我牛」的恐惧写这种普遍的社会悲剧，正是乐府「饥者歌其食，劳者歌其事」精神的延续。此外，「弯环」「秃速」为吴地方言式的叠韵形容，「弯环」状牛角弯曲如环，「秃速」状牛尾毛稀而短，皆以口语入诗，质朴亲切，带有鲜明的江南民歌风味。这种不假典实、以俗为雅、以方言口语入诗的取向，使全诗于天真烂漫中自具朴厚之气，亦见高启取法汉魏乐府、兼采民歌的另外一种诗学追求——与「吴中四杰」同侪的秾丽诗风不同，此类作品更接近《诗经》国风与汉乐府「质而实绮，癯而实腴」的境界。可以说，本诗的无典之「典」，正在于它继承了民歌缘事而发、感物而歌的抒情传统，以最素朴的语言写最真切的感情，形式与内容高度统一。

Commentary

An Anthology of Yuan, Ming and Qing Poetry calls this poem 'plain and deep, a style quite unlike Gao Qi's other ornate, clear works.' A modern reader says 'the first eight lines write herding's joy, a rise meant to fall; the last two point herding's worry, a fall after the rise--contrast shows craft,' and calls the last two lines 'enough to state the intent, with a power that makes one think.'

《元明清诗选》评此诗「平实深沉，风格迥异于高启其他华赡清丽之作」，可谓的评。近人论此诗章法，谓其「前八句写牧牛之乐，是欲抑而先扬；后二句点出牧牛之忧，是先扬之后抑，抑扬对比，颇见匠心」，并称末二句「足章明志，有发人深省的力量」。的确，此诗的艺术价值首先在于以小儿口吻写大悲凉：牧童眼中的世界本应只有牛、笛、草、歌，纯然天真无邪，而诗人却让这份天真在「输租」二字面前骤然破碎，读者在童趣的消逝中感受到封建剥削制度的残酷——它连一个孩子的安宁都要剥夺。这种以乐景写哀、以欢衬悲的手法，与《诗经·七月》写农人终岁劳苦、与杜甫《兵车行》《岁晏行》写民生疾苦一脉相承，是高启关心民瘼的诗学传统的体现。同时，此诗在明清诗史上也是田园诗由隐逸闲适转向民间疾苦的一个缩影：六朝田园诗多写士大夫的归隐之乐，如陶渊明「采菊东篱下」的悠然，而明代此类以农事劳苦、赋税催逼为题材的诗作则更多继承了杜甫、白居易新乐府的写实精神。此诗篇幅虽短，却以小见大，以一个牧童的恐惧写出整个农民阶级的命运，堪称明代乐府体田园诗中的精品，值得反复诵读体味。

Prosody

Form Poem · music-bureau imitation (mixed-line)诗·仿乐府（杂言古体）

Rhyme Not bound to strict official rhyme, near ancient-style tone shift (sparse, chase, know, lie, ox, etc.)不拘严格官韵，略近古风换韵（速、逐、知、卧、牛等），句脚平仄间杂，随声口自然流转

Tone pattern Not traceable (music-bureau form does not strictly observe level-oblique)不可考（乐府体本不严平仄），以口语节奏行文，五七言长短错落

Reading note Line lengths uneven, with the frankness of a folk song.此诗为仿乐府而作的杂言古体，体制上不拘近体平仄对仗，而以自然声口行文。全诗九句，以七言为主，间以五言与九言，如首句「尔牛角弯环，我牛尾秃速」为五言对句，「共拈短笛与长鞭，南陇东冈去相逐」为七言长句，长短错落，如说话一般，具民歌率真之致。用韵上不拘严格官韵，大体以「速」「逐」为韵，后转「知」「卧」「牛」等字，声口自然，不事雕琢，正合乐府「感于哀乐，缘事而发」的传统。这种自由灵活的句式与韵律，使诗歌读来琅琅上口，贴近牧童口吻，也便于传唱。值得注意的是，全诗以方位词与口语虚词贯穿，如南、东、上、下、边、唯、但等字反复出现，形成回环往复的节奏感，与民歌的复沓句式一脉相承，是高启取法汉魏乐府、追求自然天成的具体体现，也是此诗与近体诗讲究格律精严迥然不同的风貌所在。

Line by line

尔牛角弯环，我牛尾秃速

Your ox has horns that curve in rings; my ox a tail, thin and sparse.

你的牛角弯弯如环，我的牛尾巴毛稀而短。

Your ox's horns curve like rings; my ox's tail is scrubby and short.

此二句以牧童之间互相品评牛只的口吻起笔，一「尔」一「我」相对，如闻两个小伙伴的对话之声，亲切自然，童趣盎然。「弯环」状牛角弯曲如环之形，「秃速」状牛尾毛稀而短之貌，皆取吴地方言式的叠韵形容词，音节圆转，读来琅琅上口，带有鲜明的民歌气息。两句不着一个「乐」字，而两个孩子争相夸耀自家牛只的得意神气、天真情态已跃然纸上，为全诗定下明快活泼的基调。这种以小儿口吻直陈其事、白描传神的写法，正是乐府民歌的本色，也见出高启取法民歌、崇尚自然真率的艺术追求。

The oxen. Your ox's horns curve like rings; my ox's tail is scrubby and short. The you-ox and my-ox comparison is the children's opening. To have compared the two boys' oxen would be a comparison; the your-ox's-horns-curve-like-rings-my-ox's-tail-is-scrubby-and-short is the comparison.

共拈短笛与长鞭，南陇东冈去相逐

Together we take short flutes and long whips, and chase each other to the southern ridge and eastern hill.

两人都拿着短笛与长鞭，到南边田垄、东边山冈你追我赶地放牧。

Together we take up our short flutes and long whips, chasing each other to the southern field ridges and eastern hillocks.

紧承首句，写两个牧童结伴放牧的场景。「共」字点出伙伴关系，「拈」字写随意携取短笛长鞭的动作，轻快自然；「南陇东冈」以方位名词铺陈放牧的空间，「陇」指田垄，「冈」指山冈，一南一东，地域开阔，牧童赶着牛群在田野山冈之间奔跑嬉戏的画面如在目前。「去相逐」三字更写尽你追我赶、呼朋引伴的热闹场面。短笛长鞭本是放牧的实用工具，在此却成了游戏的玩具，笛声、鞭影、牛群、笑声交织成一幅生气蓬勃的田园嬉游图，民歌风味浓郁，牧童的快乐与自由跃然纸上。

The chase. Together we take up our short flutes and long whips, chasing each other to the southern field ridges and eastern hillocks. The flutes and whips and the chasing south and east are the play. To have chased each other would be a play; the together-we-take-up-our-short-flutes-and-long-whips-chasing-each-other-to-the-southern-field-ridges-and-eastern-hillocks is the play.

日斜草远牛行迟，牛劳牛饥唯我知

The sun is low, the grass far off, the oxen walk slowly; only I know when they are tired or hungry.

太阳西斜，青草遥远，牛儿走得很慢；牛是劳累还是饥饿，只有我心里最清楚。

The sun slants, the grass is far, the oxen walk slowly; tired or hungry, only I know.

此二句由乐转入牧童与牛之间的情感纽带，是全诗情味最深之处。「日斜」写时间将暮，「草远」写归途尚遥，「牛行迟」写牛因疲乏而脚步迟缓，三词连用，牧归的苍茫景象如在目前。而「牛劳牛饥唯我知」一句尤为动人：牛是累是饿，旁人无从知晓，唯有朝夕与共、相依为命的牧童最能体察，人牛之间已建立起一种无言的默契与深挚的体贴。这里牧童对牛的怜惜，实亦暗含农人对自家耕牛、对一年生计的珍重，正是这种相依为命的深情，才使末二句输租卖牛的恐惧显得格外撕心裂肺，为全诗的转折埋下伏笔。

The knowing. The sun is low, the grass far off, the oxen walk slowly; only I know when they are tired or hungry. The only-I-know the oxen's hunger and weariness is the bond. To have said only I knew would be an intimacy; the sun-is-low-the-grass-far-off-the-oxen-walk-slowly-tired-or-hungry-only-I-know is the intimacy.

牛上唱歌牛下坐，夜归还向牛边卧

On the ox's back I sing; beside the ox I sit; at night I still lie down by the ox.

骑在牛背上唱歌，坐在牛身边歇息，夜晚回家还要靠着牛睡下。

On the ox's back I sing; below the ox I sit; coming home at night, I still lie by the ox.

此二句以「牛上」「牛下」「牛边」三个方位词连缀成句，写牧童与牛朝夕不离的日常：骑在牛背上唱歌，跳下牛背坐在牛身边歇息，夜晚回家还要挨着牛卧下。方位词的回环往复，构成一种复沓的节奏，如民歌的迭唱，读来琅琅上口。而更深一层，三个方位写尽了牧童生命与牛的交融——牛的背是他的坐骑与歌台，牛的身旁是他的坐席与卧处，人牛之间已不分彼此，其乐融融。这种写法不着一字抒情，而牧童对牛的依恋、牛对牧童的亲近，尽在方位词的转换之间自然流露，白描传神，堪称写人牛关系的妙笔。

The nearness. On the ox's back I sing; beside the ox I sit; at night I still lie down by the ox. The on-ox, beside-ox, by-ox sequence is the daily nearness. To have circled the ox would be a sequence; the on-the-ox's-back-I-sing-below-the-ox-I-sit-coming-home-at-night-I-still-lie-by-the-ox is the sequence.

长年牧牛百不忧，但恐输租卖我牛

All year herding oxen, a hundred cares I lack--save one fear: the rent unpaid may cost me my ox.

长年放牛，百事都不用担忧，只害怕缴租时把我的牛卖掉。

All year herding oxen, I fear nothing—except that the rent be paid and my ox be sold.

末二句是全文的转折与点睛之笔。「长年牧牛百不忧」先以「百不忧」三字总束前文的种种乐趣，把牧牛生活写成无忧无虑的乐园；紧接着「但恐」二字轻轻一转，陡然道出唯一的忧虑——输租卖牛。「百不忧」之「百」与「但恐」之「但」形成强烈的反差：原来牧童的全部欢乐都系于一头牛，而一头牛又系于能否交上租子，一旦歉收或官府催科，这唯一的依靠便将被夺去。以乐景衬哀情，前文的欢愉越充分，此处的悲凉越深沉。一个「恐」字写尽农家子弟对剥削的恐惧，以小见大，揭示了封建赋税制度对农民最深的伤害，发人深省。

The fear. All year herding oxen, I fear nothing—except that the rent be paid and my ox be sold. The hundred-no-worries and the but-fear the ox being sold for rent are the turn. To have feared the ox's sale would be a fear; the all-year-herding-oxen-I-fear-nothing-except-that-the-rent-be-paid-and-my-ox-be-sold is the fear.

Study

Word focus

弯环 / 秃速 Rhyming dialect descriptions, picturing the horn's curve and the tail's scant hair, plain and lively, rich in folk-song air. 「弯环」「秃速」是吴地方言式的叠韵形容，前者状牛角弯曲如环之貌，后者状牛尾毛稀而短之态，皆以口语入诗，音节圆转，质朴生动，富有民歌气息。二字不用雅驯文词，而以村童口吻道出，正合牧童身份，与全诗白描传神、以俗为雅的风格浑然一体。这种方言叠韵的运用，说明高启善于从民间口语中汲取营养，将俚俗之语点化为清新自然的诗句，体现出乐府民歌质而实绮、癯而实腴的语言魅力，也使得开篇两句读来如同其声、如见其人，一下子就把读者带入江南田头的真实情境之中。

但恐 The two words 'save one fear' turn lightly to bring out the worry of taxation, heavy within the plain--the poem's eye. 「但恐」二字是全诗由乐转忧的枢纽，字面轻淡而分量千钧。「但」字轻轻一收，把「百不忧」的种种欢乐收拢为唯一的心事；「恐」字则直揭牧童心底最深的恐惧——输租卖牛。二字以极平淡的口语说出，却于平淡中见沉重，使前八句累积的欢愉在一瞬间坍塌，乐极生悲，抑扬顿挫，全诗的章法机杼全系于此。若无「但恐」这一转折，全诗不过是寻常的田园牧歌；有了它，牧歌便成了哀歌，诗人的批判锋芒与悲悯情怀尽在其中。故「但恐」实为全诗眼目，二字看似寻常，实则是高启炼字的匠心所在。

唯我知 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「唯我知」三字写牧童对牛的情意，是全诗情味最深的一处。「唯」字强调唯一与独占，牛劳牛饥，旁人或不察觉，唯朝夕相伴的牧童了如指掌，人牛之间那份无言的默契与体贴，被这一个字写得饱满而真切。这一句看似平常，实则暗含人牛相依的生存共同体意味：在农家，牛是犁田之本、生计所系，牧童对牛的体察怜惜，亦是对一家生计的珍重。正是这份相依为命的情感，使后文「但恐输租卖我牛」的恐惧有了着落——所恐者不止是失去玩伴，更是失去全家赖以为生的依靠，语浅情深，耐人寻味。

牧牛词