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有的人

Some Are

臧克家

Zang Kejia

名篇Masterpiece 现代诗Modern Poetry 哲理诗Philosophical Poem 抒情诗Lyric Poetry

有的人活着，他已经死了；
有的人死了，他还活着。
有的人骑在人民头上：呵，我多伟大！
有的人俯下身子给人民当牛马。

Some are alive, yet they are already dead; some are dead, yet they still live.
Some ride upon the people's heads: ah, how great I am! Some bow down to be the people's oxen and horses.
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Meaning

The poem, written by Zang Kejia to commemorate Lu Xun, contrasts two kinds of people through the structure of 'some are...' Parallel oppositions—life and death, riding and bowing, greatness and oxen—reveal the truth that a person's worth lies in serving the people. In plain, compact, aphoristic language it extols Lu Xun's selfless spirit of 'bowing like an ox for the children' and flays the rulers who ride upon the people.

有的人活着，他已经死了；有的人死了，他还活着。有的人骑在人民头上：呵，我多伟大！有的人俯下身子给人民当牛马。

Appreciation

This is a philosophical poem Zang Kejia wrote in memory of Lu Xun. It unfolds through the contrasting structure of 'some are...': the oppositions of life/death, riding/bowing, greatness/oxen are set side by side, layer upon layer, exposing the truth that 'a person's value lies in whether they serve the people.' The language is plain and condensed, the phrasing neatly repetitive like an aphorism—typical of Zang's 'plain, profound, condensed' style.

【白话串讲】 臧克家写《有的人》纪念鲁迅：“有的人活着，他已经死了；有的人死了，他还活着”。“有的人骑在人民头上：呵，我多伟大！有的人俯下身子给人民当牛马”——“他活着为了多数人更好地活的人，群众把他抬举得很高，很高”——他写两种人。 【意象与手法】 此诗是臧克家为纪念鲁迅而作的哲理诗，全诗以「有的人」的对比结构展开：生与死、骑与俯、伟大与牛马，两两对举，层层对照，在反复的对比中揭示「人的价值在于是否为人民服务」的真理。语言朴素凝练，句式整齐复沓，如格言般斩钉截铁，是臧克家「朴素、深刻、凝练」诗风的典型。 【情感与主旨】 借「有的人」的对比，讴歌鲁迅「俯首甘为孺子牛」的牺牲精神，鞭挞骑在人民头上的统治者，揭示「把名字刻入石头的人，名字比尸首烂得更早；给人民当牛马的人，人民永远记住他」的永恒真理。 【名句点睛】 「有的人活着，他已经死了；有的人死了，他还活着」开篇即以生死的悖论点题，两句二十字写尽两种人生的本质区别，是现代诗中流传最广的开篇之一。

Background

Written on November 1, 1949, 'Some Are' was composed by Zang Kejia for the thirteenth anniversary of Lu Xun's death, published that year in the People's Daily, its subtitle 'Reflections on Commemorating Lu Xun.' Zang Kejia (1905–2004), from Zhucheng, Shandong, a renowned modern poet who debuted in 1933 with the collection Brand, an important representative of realist poetry outside the July School, known for rural themes and plain language, hailed as the 'earth poet.' In October 1949, just as New China was founded and Lu Xun's status as symbol of the 'national soul' was established, Zang, commemorating Lu Xun, was moved by the rise and fall of history—rulers riding on the people are ultimately spurned, those who gave themselves for the people live forever in their hearts—and wrote this poem. The 'some are' in the poem names no one specifically, but by typological contrast covers two kinds of people: those who ride on the people's heads (rulers of history, oppressors of the present) and those who bow to serve the people (Lu Xun and his spiritual heirs); 'bow down to be the people's oxen and horses' directly adapts Lu Xun's famous line from 'Self-Mockery,' 'Fierce-browed, I coolly defy a thousand pointing fingers; head bowed, like a willing ox I serve the children,' condensing Lu Xun's spirit into the poem's core. Published right after the founding ceremony, at the turning of old and new eras, its theme 'the people create history' matched the new age's values, and it quickly spread nationwide, becoming one of the most famous poems of early New China.

《有的人》作于1949年11月1日，是臧克家为纪念鲁迅逝世十三周年而作，发表于同年《人民日报》，副题即「纪念鲁迅有感」。臧克家（1905—2004），山东诸城人，现代著名诗人，1933年以诗集《烙印》登上诗坛，是「七月诗派」之外现实主义诗歌的重要代表，其诗以乡土题材与朴素语言著称，被誉为「泥土诗人」。1949年10月，新中国刚刚成立，鲁迅作为「民族魂」的象征地位确立，臧克家在纪念鲁迅之际，有感于历史兴亡——骑在人民头上的统治者终究被人民唾弃，为人民献身者永远活在人民心中——遂写下此诗。诗中「有的人」不作具体指认，而是以类型化的对比涵盖两类人：一类是骑在人民头上的统治者（历史上的帝王将相、现实中的压迫者），一类是俯下身子为人民服务的献身者（鲁迅及其精神传人）；「俯下身子给人民当牛马」直接化用鲁迅《自嘲》名句「横眉冷对千夫指，俯首甘为孺子牛」，把鲁迅精神凝为全诗的核心。此诗发表于开国大典之后，正是新旧时代交替之际，其「人民创造历史」的主题，与新时代的价值观高度契合，遂迅速传诵全国，成为新中国建立初期最著名的诗篇之一。

Art

The poem's art may be summed in three layers: contrasting structure, paradoxical premise, aphoristic language. First, contrasting structure: the whole unfolds in parallel lines led by 'some are,' two contrasts running through—the life/death contrast ('some alive, already dead; some dead, still live'), the posture contrast of 'ride/bow' (ride on heads / bow to be oxen), the value contrast of 'ah how great / be oxen' (the self-proclaimed great are tiny, the willing oxen are great). Layer on layer like a whetstone, sharpening the proposition of 'human worth' to a fine edge. Second, paradoxical premise: the opening rests on paradox—'alive' yet 'dead,' 'dead' yet 'alive,' a surface contradiction holding deep truth: bodily life/death and spiritual survival/perishing are not the same; those on heads live like walking corpses; those who gave for the people, though dead, live forever in the people's hearts. The paradox seizes the reader at once and lets the philosophy show itself without being stated. Third, aphoristic language: short, decisive lines like proverbs—'some alive, already dead' sets the tone in two clauses, twenty characters; all plain speech (alive, dead, ah, ride on heads, be oxen), no bookishness, yet every line lands like a stone, exactly Zang's realist poetics of 'refining language from life'—plainness is not flatness but condensation after a thousand hammerings. Fourth, elliptical apostrophe: the poem never names who 'some are,' using typological vagueness so both critique and praise are universal—the reader sees not a specific person but a type, which is why the poem transcends its moment to become 'eternal philosophical poetry.'

此诗的艺术，可括为「对比的结构、悖论的立意、格言的语言」三层。其一，对比的结构：全诗以「有的人」三字领起的平行句式展开，两组对比贯穿始终——「活着／死了」的生死对比（有的人活着，他已经死了；有的人死了，他还活着）、「骑／俯」的姿态对比（骑在人民头上／俯下身子给人民当牛马）、「呵，我多伟大／给人民当牛马」的价值对比（自诩伟大者实为渺小，甘为牛马者实为伟大）。层层对比如磨刀石，把「人的价值」这一命题磨得锋利无比。其二，悖论的立意：开篇即以悖论立骨——「活着」的已经「死了」，「死了」的还「活着」，表面矛盾的判断，实含深刻的真理：肉体的生死与精神的存亡不是一回事，骑在人民头上的，活着如行尸走肉；为人民献身的，死了仍在人民心中永生。悖论使全诗一开始就抓住读者，也让哲理不待说破而自明。其三，格言的语言：全诗句式短促、斩钉截铁，如格言警句——「有的人活着，他已经死了」两短句对举，二十字定下全诗基调；语言全用口语（活着、死了、呵、骑在头上、当牛马），无一书卷气，而句句掷地有声，正是臧克家「从生活里提炼语言」的现实主义诗学——朴素不是平淡，而是千锤百炼后的凝练。其四，呼告的省略：全诗不指认「有的人」是谁，以「有的人」的类型化模糊处理，使批判与歌颂都具有普遍性——读者在诗中看到的不是某个具体的人，而是一类人，这正是此诗超越一时一地、成为「永恒哲理诗」的原因。

Allusions

The poem's cultural meaning is rooted in the Chinese tradition of the 'view of life and death' and Lu Xun's 'willing-ox' spirit. First, 'some dead, still live': classical culture deeply pondered life and death—Sima Qian 'all men must die, some weightier than Mount Tai, some lighter than a feather' weighs life by death's weight; Wen Tianxiang 'since olden times who has not died? Keep a loyal heart to shine in the annals' surpasses bodily death with spiritual immortality; Zang's 'some dead, still live' is the modern expression of this 'spirit immortal' tradition: bodily death is not the end, spiritual continuance is eternal life, and whether spirit continues depends on being with the people—the 'weightier than Tai' who died for the people live on though dead. Second, adaptation of 'head bowed like a willing ox': Lu Xun's 'Self-Mockery' uses 'willing ox' (the Spring-Autumn duke Jing of Qi bit a rope to play ox for his son) to mean willing to be the ox for the common folk; Zang's 'bow down to be the people's oxen' directly inherits this, condensing Lu Xun's spirit into the core image—the ox, lowly, yet the willing ox is the noblest, a value reversal that is the poem's soul, also accord with Laozi's humble philosophy 'the sage puts himself last and so comes first.' Third, the image tradition of 'ride on the people's heads': the word 'ride' writes the ruler's arrogance—using the people as mount and servant, in sharp contrast with 'bow down'; this recalls satirical poems on corrupt officials (e.g. 'Behind the vermilion gates flesh and wine rot; on the road lie frozen bones'), yet Zang condenses class opposition into the simplest visual through the contrast of 'ride/bow,' realist poetry's method of 'writing essence through image.' Fourth, published at New China's birth, its 'people create history' theme is the poetic expression of the era's spirit.

此诗的文化意蕴，深植于「生死观」的中国传统与鲁迅「孺子牛」精神。其一是「有的人死了，他还活着」的生死观：中国古典文化对「生死」有深刻思考——司马迁「人固有一死，或重于泰山，或轻于鸿毛」以死的分量论人生的价值，文天祥「人生自古谁无死，留取丹心照汗青」以精神的不朽超越肉体的死亡；臧克家「有的人死了，他还活着」正是这一「精神不朽」传统的现代表达：肉体的死亡不是终结，精神的存续才是永生，而精神能否存续，取决于是否与人民同在——「重于泰山」者，为人民而死，虽死犹生。其二是「俯首甘为孺子牛」的化用：鲁迅《自嘲》「横眉冷对千夫指，俯首甘为孺子牛」，以「孺子牛」（春秋时齐景公衔绳装牛让儿子牵着走）自喻，表示甘为人民大众做牛马；臧克家「俯下身子给人民当牛马」直承此意，把鲁迅的精神凝为全诗的核心意象——牛马本是卑贱之物，甘为牛马者却是最高尚的人，这一价值反转正是全诗的灵魂，也暗合老子「圣人后其身而身先」的谦下哲学。其三是「骑在人民头上」的意象传统：「骑」字写统治者的骄横——把人民当坐骑、当奴仆，与「俯下身子」形成鲜明对照；这一意象令人想到历代讽刺贪官的诗文（如「朱门酒肉臭，路有冻死骨」的阶级对立），而臧克家以「骑／俯」两个动词的对照，把阶级对立凝为最简洁的视觉画面，正是现实主义诗歌「以形象写本质」的方法。其四，此诗发表于新中国成立之初，其「人民创造历史」的主题，正是时代精神的诗化表达。

Commentary

'Some Are' holds its place in modern Chinese poetry first by successfully handling the 'commemoration' theme as philosophical poetry: traditional memorial poems mostly voice grief, but Zang rests the poem on the philosophical contrast of life and death, raising the memory of Lu Xun into universal reflection on 'human worth,' making the poem transcend the timeliness of memorial verse to become 'eternal poetry'—the root of its seven-decade circulation. In thought, it poses and answers the fundamental question 'why live, what counts as living': bodily living is not true living, spiritual permanence is; and whether spirit endures depends on bowing for the people—a plain truth that is both the poetic summing-up of Lu Xun's 'fierce-browed / head-bowed' spirit and the modern transformation of the classical 'three immortalities' (virtue, deed, word): Zang makes 'the people' the standard of immortality, turning the classical 'three immortalities' into 'he who serves the people is immortal.' In poetics, it is the model of realist poetry's 'profundity within plainness': nothing obscure, nothing ornate, yet the precision of contrast, depth of premise, condensation of language all reach perfection—Zang said his poetics is 'refine language from life, show depth from plainness,' and this poem is its most successful practice. In influence, published in 1949 it quickly became one of New China's most recited poems, in textbooks for decades, and 'some alive, already dead' became Chinese readers' most familiar modern-poetry line; its 'life/death contrast' premise has influenced generations of poetry readers and writers.

《有的人》在中国现当代诗歌史上的地位，首在它以「哲理诗」的形式成功处理了「纪念」题材：传统纪念诗多抒哀思，臧克家却以生死对比的哲理立骨，把对鲁迅的纪念升华为对「人的价值」的普遍思考，使此诗超越纪念诗的时效性，成为「永恒的诗」——这正是它传诵七十余年而不衰的根本原因。就思想价值言，此诗提出并回答了「人为什么活着、怎样才算活着」的根本问题：肉体的活着不是真正的活着，精神的永存才是；而精神能否永存，取决于是否俯身为人民——这一朴素的真理，既是鲁迅「横眉冷对千夫指，俯首甘为孺子牛」精神的诗化总结，也是中国传统文化「立德立功立言」三不朽思想的现代转化：臧克家以「人民」为不朽的标准，把古典的「三不朽」落实为「为人民者不朽」。就诗学价值言，此诗是现实主义诗歌「朴素中见深刻」的典范：无一处晦涩，无一字华丽，而对比之精、立意之深、语言之凝，皆臻化境——臧克家自述其诗学「从生活里提炼语言、从朴素里见出深刻」，此诗正是这一诗学最成功的实践。就影响言，此诗发表于1949年，迅速成为新中国最广为传诵的诗篇之一，入选各级语文教材数十年，「有的人活着，他已经死了」更成为中国人最熟悉的新诗名句，其「生死对照」的立意，影响了一代又一代的诗歌读者与写作者。

Prosody

Form Modern free verse (anaphoric philosophical poem)现代自由诗（复沓体哲理诗）
Rhyme No rhyme, but the anaphora of 'some are' forms the main melody: 'some are' struck like a drum six times, lines set in antithetical phrasing (alive/dead, ride/bow, great/oxen) creating rhythmic symmetry, syllables short and forceful like aphorisms.不押韵，而以「有的人」的复沓构成主旋律：六次「有的人」如鼓点般反复敲击，句与句之间以对举的句式（活着／死了、骑／俯、伟大／牛马）构成节奏的对称，音节短促有力，如格言般斩钉截铁。
Tone pattern The whole tone is cold and firm: the opening 'some alive, already dead' states the paradox calmly, low and decisive; 'some dead, still live' rises slightly, like declaring truth; 'some ride on the people's heads: ah, how great I am!' turns to ironic mimicry of the rider's self-satisfaction, the 'ah' a sneer; 'some bow down to be the people's oxen' returns to solemnity, like praise of the self-giver, closing in low, deep resonance.全诗语调冷峻而坚定：开篇「有的人活着，他已经死了」以平静的陈述说出悖论，语调低沉而斩截；「有的人死了，他还活着」稍扬，如宣告真理；「有的人骑在人民头上：呵，我多伟大！」转以讽刺的腔调摹写骑者的自鸣得意，「呵」字如一声嘲讽；「有的人俯下身子给人民当牛马」转回庄重，如对献身者的礼赞，收束于低回深沉的余响。
Reading note As free verse, its rhythmic beauty lies not in rhyme but in 'the aphoristic rhythm formed by anaphora and antithesis.' The whole is led six times by 'some are,' like a main melody repeated, each appearance bringing a new contrast, layer upon layer, tightly linked, creating strong anaphoric beauty; the antitheses between lines (alive/dead, ride/bow, how great/be oxen) make syllables clang in symmetry—reading 'some alive, already dead,' two short clauses like two hammer blows; reading 'some dead, still live,' like an echo striking again; four short clauses in pairs, neat in syllable yet opposite in sense, exactly fitting 'write opposition through antithesis.' At 'some ride on the people's heads: ah, how great I am!' the tone suddenly turns—'ah' mimics the rider's self-satisfaction in colloquial cadence, like a jarring boast, in dramatic contrast with the prior coldness; 'some bow down to be the people's oxen' returns to solemn, slow dignity, 'bow down' low like a bowing posture, 'be oxen' short and final like an oath. When reciting, take 'some are' as the beat, one pause per line like striking a bell; contrast lines one low one high; irony cold, praise solemn—this 'anaphora as melody, antithesis as rhythm, coldness as tone' is the acoustic embodiment of Zang's 'plain, profound, condensed' style, and the textual reason the poem has sounded undimmed for seventy years.此诗作为自由诗，其韵律之美不在押韵，而在「复沓与对举所构成的格言式节奏」。全诗以『有的人』三字六次领起，如乐曲的主旋律反复奏响，每一次出现都带出一组新的对比，层层推进、环环相扣，形成强烈的复沓之美；而句与句之间的对举（活着／死了、骑在头上／俯下身子、我多伟大／当牛马），使音节在对称中产生铿锵的节奏——读『有的人活着，他已经死了』，两短句如两记重锤；读『有的人死了，他还活着』，如回声般再次叩击；四个短句两两对举，音节整饬而语义相反，正合『以对举写对立』的立意。至第二句『有的人骑在人民头上：呵，我多伟大！』，语调忽转——『呵』字以口语的腔调摹写骑者的自鸣得意，如一声刺耳的自我吹嘘，与前句的冷峻形成戏剧性的反差；『有的人俯下身子给人民当牛马』则转回庄重舒缓，『俯下身子』四字音节低回，如鞠躬的姿态，『当牛马』三字短促收束，如誓言落地。全诗诵读时，宜以『有的人』为顿点，一节一顿，如敲钟；对比句宜一抑一扬，讽刺处宜冷峻、礼赞处宜庄重——这种『以复沓为旋律、以对举为节奏、以冷峻为声调』的韵律设计，正是臧克家诗『朴素、深刻、凝练』风格的声学体现，也是此诗传诵七十余年而声情不衰的文本原因。

Line by line

有的人活着，他已经死了；有的人死了，他还活着。

Some are alive, yet they are already dead; some are dead, yet they still live. (Insight: the opening two lines are the backbone, writing the deepest view of life and death in the plainest twenty characters. The first 'alive' is bodily existence, the later 'dead' is spiritual death—those physically present yet walking corpses, opposed to the people, long dead in the people's hearts, satirizing the rulers; the second 'dead' is bodily death, the later 'alive' is spiritual immortality—those physically dead yet living in the people's hearts, praising Lu Xun and his heirs. The symmetrical yet opposite phrasing forms a neat paradox; its depth: it breaks common sense of life/death, makes 'the people' the judging subject, and transforms the classical 'spirit immortal' tradition by making 'the people' the standard of immortality.)

有的人虽然活着，但在人民心中他已经死了；有的人虽然死了，但他永远活在人民心中。开篇以生死悖论立骨，点出全诗主题。

Some are alive, yet already dead; some are dead, yet still alive.

「开篇两句是全诗的立骨之笔，以最朴素的二十个字写出最深刻的生死观。『有的人活着，他已经死了』——前一个『活着』是肉体的存在，后一个『死了』是精神的死亡：有的人虽然身体还在，但行尸走肉、与人民对立，在人民心中早已死了——这句写的是『活着的死人』，讽刺的是骑在人民头上、被人民唾弃的统治者；『有的人死了，他还活着』——前一个『死了』是肉体的死亡，后一个『活着』是精神的不朽：有的人虽然肉体已经死亡，但他的精神、他的事业活在人民心中，虽死犹生——这句写的是『死了的活人』，礼赞的是为人民献身的鲁迅及其精神传人。两句以『有的人』领起，句式完全对称而语义完全相反，构成工整的悖论：活着／死了、死了／活着，四个字两两换位，如骰子翻转，把『生死』的相对性写到极致。此句的深意有三：其一，它打破了对『生死』的常识理解——肉体的生死不是判断人存在的标准，精神的存亡才是；其二，它以『人民』为评判的主体——活着还是死了，不取决于自诩，而取决于在人民心中的位置，这正是『人民创造历史』的价值观的诗化表达；其三，它承司马迁『重于泰山、轻于鸿毛』与文天祥『留取丹心照汗青』的精神不朽传统，而把不朽的标准由『青史』落实为『人民』，是传统生死观的现代转化。两句二十字，如两句格言，开篇即把全诗的主题与高度立定。」

The paradox. Some are alive, yet already dead; some are dead, yet still alive. The alive-yet-dead and the dead-yet-alive are the opening. To have been alive yet dead would be a being; the some-are-alive-yet-already-dead-some-are-dead-yet-still-alive is the being.

有的人骑在人民头上：呵，我多伟大！有的人俯下身子给人民当牛马。

Some ride upon the people's heads: ah, how great I am! Some bow down to be the people's oxen and horses. (Insight: these two lines write the essence of two kinds of people through the most dramatic actions, the poem's most vivid imagery. 'Ride' is the sharpest verb—using the people as mount, writing the ruler's arrogance; 'ah, how great I am!' is the rider's boast, the 'ah' his complacency, the self-praise contrasting with the riding forms perfect irony. 'Bow down to be the people's oxen' directly inherits Lu Xun's 'head bowed like a willing ox'—the ox lowly, yet the willing ox is the noblest. The value reversal is the poem's core: the rider self-proclaims 'great' yet is tiny; the bower self-abases yet is great. The images 'ride' and 'bow,' one up one down, like two statues side by side, condense class opposition and value judgment into the most intuitive picture—Zang's realist method of 'writing essence through image.')

有的人骑在人民头上，得意地叫嚷：呵，我多么伟大！有的人俯下身子，心甘情愿给人民当牛马。次两句以「骑」与「俯」的对照，写两种人的姿态与价值。

Some ride on the people's backs: ah, how great I am! Some bow down to be oxen and horses for the people.

「次两句以两个最具戏剧性的动作写两种人的本质，是全诗意象最鲜明处。『有的人骑在人民头上：呵，我多伟大！』——『骑』字是全文最锋利的动词：把人民当坐骑、当奴仆，『骑在头上』写出统治者的骄横跋扈，居高临下、作威作福；『呵，我多伟大！』是骑者的自白，一个『呵』字写其得意忘形，『多伟大』的自诩与骑人的行径构成绝妙的讽刺——自以为伟大者，恰是最渺小的人。句中的冒号与叹号，如演出中的台词提示，把骑者的丑态写得声情毕现。『有的人俯下身子给人民当牛马』——『俯下身子』与『骑在头上』针锋相对：前者居高临下，后者俯首躬身；『给人民当牛马』直承鲁迅『俯首甘为孺子牛』，甘愿做人民的牛马——牛马本是卑贱之物，而甘为牛马者，正是鲁迅式的人民公仆，是最崇高的人。两句构成的价值反转是全诗的核心：骑在人民头上者自诩『伟大』而实为渺小，俯身为牛马者自甘卑下而实为伟大——『伟大』与『牛马』的错位，正是『有的人』两种人生的本质区别。这两句的意象选取尤见功力：不写抽象的口号，而取『骑』『俯』两个具体动作，一上一下、一骄一谦，如两尊雕塑并立，把阶级对立与价值评判凝为最直观的画面，正是臧克家『以形象写本质』的现实主义诗学的典范。」

The oxen. Some ride on the people's backs: ah, how great I am! Some bow down to be oxen and horses for the people. The ride-on-the-backs and the bow-down-as-oxen are the contrast. To have ridden the backs would be a riding; the some-ride-on-the-people's-backs-ah-how-great-i-am-some-bow-down-to-be-oxen-and-horses-for-the-people is the riding.

Study

Word focus

有的人 'Some are.' (Analysis: the most intriguing word and the structural key of the poem. 'Some are' is ordinary deixis, yet Zang uses it to lead every stanza without naming anyone—covering two types (rulers, self-givers). Its subtlety: universality—typological naming makes both critique and praise transcend time and place; suggestiveness—the vagueness is wisdom under pressure, the reader knows who is meant; anaphoric rhythm—'some are' six times like a main melody, giving aphoristic rhythm. Three plain words bear the deepest craft, the model of Zang's 'depth within plainness.') 「『有的人活着』之『有的人』，是全诗最耐人寻味的词，也是此诗结构的总机关。『有的人』本是极普通的指代词（一些人），臧克家却以它领起全诗每一节，并有意不作具体指认——不说是谁、不说哪类人，只以『有的人』的类型化称呼涵盖两类人：一类是骑在人民头上的统治者，一类是俯身为人民服务的献身者。此词之妙有三：其一，普遍性——不作具体指认，使批判与歌颂都超越一时一地：读者在诗中看到的不是某个具体的人，而是两类人、两种人生，诗中『有的人』可以是任何时代任何地方的统治者与献身者，全诗遂由纪念诗升华为哲理诗；其二，暗示性——『有的人』的含糊其辞，本身即是高压语境下的智慧：1949年前后，讽刺对象不必点名而读者自明，鲁迅式的『有的人』与反鲁迅式的『有的人』，尽在字里行间；其三，复沓的节奏——『有的人』六次出现，如乐曲的主旋律，每一次出现都带出一组对比，全诗在反复的『有的人』中层层推进，形成强烈的复沓之美，也使全诗获得格言般的节奏感。『有的人』三字，以最平淡的词承载最深的匠心，正是臧克家『于朴素中见深刻』诗学的典范。」
骑 'Ride.' (Analysis: the sharpest verb and the concentrated point of critique. 'Ride' originally means to sit astride a beast; Zang uses it for ruler-people relation—the people are history's masters, yet the ruler 'rides' their heads, making them mount and servant; one word writes the ruler's arrogance and the people's oppression. It contrasts sharply with 'bow down'—'ride' is up, 'bow' is down, like a tilting scale, writing the two postures and values distinctly: the rider high yet base, the bower low yet high. The concrete action lets the reader almost see the rider's ugly pose, matched with 'ah how great' like a caricature. This verb choice is Zang's realist poetics: seize a concrete action and let it speak—the word 'ride' out, the ruler's essence is clear, critique concentrated in one character.) 「『有的人骑在人民头上』之『骑』，是全诗最锋利的动词，也是批判力度最集中的一字。『骑』本义是跨坐于牲畜或器物之上，臧克家以『骑』写统治者与人民的关系，其妙有三：其一，以坐骑写统治——人民本是历史的主人，统治者却『骑』在人民头上，把人民当作坐骑、当作奴仆，一个『骑』字写尽统治者的骄横跋扈、居高临下，也写尽人民的屈辱受压——『骑』的对象是『人民头上』，这个宾语把统治的压迫性写得触目惊心；其二，与『俯下身子』针锋相对——『骑』是向上（居高临下），『俯』是向下（俯首躬身），两个动词一上一下，如天平的失衡，把两种人的姿态与价值写得泾渭分明：骑者虽高而实卑，俯者虽低而实高；其三，动作的戏剧性——『骑』是一个具体可感的动作，读者几乎能看见骑者翘腿而坐、扬鞭而行的丑态，与下文『呵，我多伟大！』的自我吹嘘相配合，如漫画般写尽统治者的可笑可憎。这个动词的选择，正是臧克家现实主义诗学的体现：不批判抽象的概念，而抓住一个具体的动作，让动作自己说话——『骑』字一出，统治者的本质已不言自明，批判的力度尽在这一字之中。」
牛马 'Oxen and horses.' (Analysis: the pivotal image of value judgment, directly adapting Lu Xun's 'Self-Mockery.' Ox and horse are the humblest draft beasts, willing and enduring; Zang uses them for the self-giver. Subtlety: value reversal—the lowly beast, yet the willing beast is noblest, condensing the poem's 'the bower is immortal' theme; tradition—'willing ox' from the Zuo Zhuan, Lu Xun's self-metaphor, Zang's 'be oxen' inherits it, also accord with Laozi's humble philosophy, the Chinese tradition of ox as diligence; contrast with 'ride on heads'—one uses the people as mount, one makes self the beast, who serves the people is plain. Two plain words bear the deepest value, the extreme of Zang's 'plain condensation.') 「『给人民当牛马』之『牛马』，是全诗价值判断的枢纽意象，直接化用鲁迅《自嘲》『俯首甘为孺子牛』。牛马是农耕时代最辛勤、最卑下的役畜，任劳任怨、供人驱使，臧克家以『牛马』写献身者，其妙有三：其一，价值的反转——牛马本是卑贱之物，甘为人民的牛马者却是最高尚的人，『牛马』一词在诗中完成了由卑到高的价值翻转：自甘卑下者实为崇高，自诩伟大者实为渺小，这一反转正是全诗『俯身者不朽』主题的凝缩；其二，传统的承续——『孺子牛』典出《左传》齐景公衔绳装牛戏于儿前，鲁迅借以自喻甘为人民之牛，臧克家『当牛马』直承鲁迅，把鲁迅精神凝为全诗核心，也暗合老子『圣人后其身而身先』『处众人之所恶』的谦下哲学——中国文化历来以牛为勤劳奉献的象征（牛郎织女、老黄牛精神），『当牛马』正是这一奉献传统的诗化表达；其三，与『骑在人民头上』对照——骑者以人民为坐骑，俯者以自身为牛马，一者役人、一者役己，对照之下，谁为人民、谁悖人民，一目了然。『牛马』二字，以最朴素的物象承载最深刻的价值观，正是臧克家诗『朴素凝练』的极致。」

Related Reading

老马 Old Horse 臧克家 · 同出臧克家之手，同为「牛马」意象，一写苦难一写奉献 Both by Zang Kejia, both use the draft-beast image: one writes suffering, one writes devotion

'Old Horse' (1932: 'The cart must be loaded full; he says not a word, the pressure bites into his flesh, he bows his head heavily') uses the old horse to liken the oppressed peasants of old China, somber and repressed, representative of Zang's rural poetry—the horse's silence and bowed head write the suffering and endurance of the oppressed. 'Some Are' (1949: 'bow down to be the people's oxen') uses oxen to liken the self-giver, solemn and lofty, representative of Zang's political lyric—the ox's bowing writes the devotee's humility and greatness. Read together they show Zang's evolution: from the people's suffering (old horse) to the people's liberation (oxen), the same draft-beast image shifting from sign of suffering to symbol of devotion, a microcosm of poet and age in step, and the trajectory of modern Chinese poetry from 'suffering narrative' to 'liberation hymn.'

《老马》与《有的人》同出臧克家之手，同以役畜为意象，而格调迥异：《老马》作于1932年（「总得叫大车装个够，它横竖不说一句话，背上的压力往肉里扣，它把头沉重地垂下」），以老马喻旧中国忍辱负重的农民，意象沉郁压抑，是「泥土诗人」臧克家乡土诗的代表——老马之「不说一句话」「沉重地垂下」，写尽被压迫者的苦难与坚忍；《有的人》作于1949年（「有的人俯下身子给人民当牛马」），以牛马喻为人民服务的献身者，意象庄严崇高，是臧克家政治抒情诗的代表——牛马之「俯下身子」，写尽奉献者的谦卑与伟大。二诗并读，可见臧克家诗歌的演进：由写人民的苦难（老马）到写人民的解放（牛马），同一「役畜」意象，一者是苦难的符号、一者是奉献的象征，正是诗人与时代同步的缩影，也是中国现代诗由「苦难叙事」走向「解放颂歌」的轨迹。

 春鸟 Spring Bird 臧克家 · 同为臧克家诗，一者沉郁现实一者明朗抒情 Both by Zang Kejia: one somber-real, one bright-lyric

'Spring Bird' represents another side of Zang's style: 'Spring bird, bringing the breath of spring, flying from the green, telling the good news to the world,' bright and cheerful, light and rising in tone, writing expectation of the new age through the spring bird—one of Zang's few bright works. 'Some Are' writes life/death contrast and bowing oxen, cold and solemn, with a settled, firm tone, his most famous philosophical poem. Difference in theme and tone: 'Spring Bird' is nature lyric, light as birdsong; 'Some Are' is social philosophy, cold as iron. Common ground: both write abstract themes through concrete images (bird/oxen), both plain and condensed, both practice Zang's 'refine language from life.' Together they show Zang's multifaceted style: bright as the spring bird, cold as life and death, with realist base and plain language constant throughout.

《春鸟》与《有的人》同出臧克家之手，代表其诗风的另一面：《春鸟》写「春鸟，带来了春的气息，从万绿丛中飞来，把好消息告诉人间」，意象明朗欢快，语调轻快昂扬，以春鸟报春写对新时代的期待，是臧克家少有的明丽之作；《有的人》写生死对比、俯身牛马，意象冷峻庄重，语调沉郁坚定，以生死悖论写对人生价值的思考，是臧克家最著名的哲理诗。差异在题材与声调：《春鸟》是自然题材的抒情，声调轻快如鸟鸣；《有的人》是社会题材的哲理，声调冷峻如铁。而共通之处在于：皆以具体物象（春鸟／牛马）写抽象主题（希望／价值），皆语言朴素凝练，皆是臧克家「从生活里提炼语言」诗学的实践。合观二诗，可见臧克家诗风的多面性：既能写春鸟的明朗，也能写生死的冷峻，而其现实主义底色与朴素凝练的语言，一以贯之。

 海燕 The Petrel 高尔基 · 同为革命精神礼赞，一者战斗一者奉献 Both praise revolutionary spirit: one fights, one devotes

Gorky's 'The Petrel' ('Over the vast sea, dark clouds driven by the gale. Between clouds and sea, the petrel flies like black lightning, proudly') and Zang's 'Some Are' are both classics of proletarian revolutionary literature, both writing the revolutionary's spirit differently: 'The Petrel' writes the fighter's combat—the petrel flying proudly through the storm, crying 'let the storm come fiercer'—an attitude of 'attack,' grand and sharp; 'Some Are' writes the devotee's value—bow down to be the people's oxen, dead yet living—an attitude of 'devotion,' plain and solemn. Difference in era and nation: Gorky wrote in 1901 pre-revolutionary Russia, calling to struggle; Zang wrote in 1949 at New China's birth, summing history through life/death. Both are models of 'writing spirit through image': the petrel a symbol of the fighter, the oxen a symbol of the devotee, one soaring in the storm, one bowing by the people—together the two faces of the revolutionary spirit: combat and devotion, the two most vital images in international proletarian literature.

高尔基《海燕》「在苍茫的大海上，狂风卷集着乌云。在乌云和大海之间，海燕像黑色的闪电，在高傲地飞翔」与臧克家《有的人》同为无产阶级革命文学的经典，同写革命者的精神而侧重不同：《海燕》写革命先驱的战斗精神——海燕在暴风雨中高傲飞翔，呼唤「让暴风雨来得更猛烈些吧」，是「进攻」的姿态，意象雄浑凌厉；《有的人》写革命献身者的价值——俯下身子给人民当牛马，虽死犹生，是「奉献」的姿态，意象朴素庄重。差异在时代与国别：高尔基作于1901年俄国革命前夜，以海燕号召斗争；臧克家作于1949年新中国成立之际，以生死之辨总结历史。而二诗皆为「以物象写精神」的典范：海燕是战斗者的象征，牛马是奉献者的象征，一个在暴风雨中翱翔，一个在人民身边俯首，共同构成革命者精神的两面——战斗与奉献，正是国际无产阶级文学中最具生命力的两个意象。