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南北朝 Northern and Southern Dynasties · 诗 Poem

咏怀·楚材

Singing My Heart - Chu Timber

庾信

Yu Xin

咏史History 怀才memory 忧愤Theme 感时Theme

楚材称晋用，秦臣即赵冠。
离宫延子产，羁旅接陈完。
寓卫非所寓，安齐独未安。
雪泣悲去鲁，凄然忆相韩。
唯彼穷途恸，知余行路难。

The timber of Chu was used by Jin;
The minister of Qin wore Zhao's cap.
The far palace welcomed Zichan;
The wanderer met Chen Wan.
To lodge in Wei was not his lodging;
To rest in Qi alone he found no rest.
With snow-tears he wept to leave Lu;
Desolate, he recalled serving Han.
Only he who wailed at the road's end
Knows how hard has been my way.

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Meaning

The timber of Chu was used by Jin; the minister of Qin wore the cap of Zhao. The detached palace welcomed Zichan; the wandering guest met Chen Wan. To lodge in Wei was not where he would lodge; to rest in Qi alone he was not at rest. Weeping with tears of snow he sorrowed to leave Lu; desolate, he recalled serving Han. Only that one who wept at the end of the road knows how hard my journey has been.

楚国的材干被晋国任用，秦国的臣子竟戴上赵国的冠冕。离宫延请郑国贤相子产，羁旅之客交接齐国田完。寄寓卫国并非所愿寄寓之处，安身齐国却独独未能心安。雪涕悲泣为离别鲁国而伤怀，凄然追忆张良为韩国复雠之事。唯有那穷途痛哭的阮籍，才知道我行路之艰难。

Appreciation

This poem runs wholly on allusion yet its breath flows through, a model of Yu Xin's 'using affairs without a trace'. The first couplet 'The timber of Chu was used by Jin; the minister of Qin wore Zhao's cap' sets the theme in an antithetical line, pointing to the idea that 'talent is used by another state'. The middle two couplets spread the ancient men - Zichan, Chen Wan, Confucius, Zhang Liang - who served other states or left their homelands; 'lodge in Wei', 'rest in Qi', 'leave Lu', 'serve Han' turn layer upon layer, writing the utter rootlessness of 'nowhere to rest'. The closing couplet 'Only he who wailed at the road's end knows how hard my journey has been' suddenly moves from the ancient to the present, from allusion back to feeling, closing on Ruan Ji's wail at the road's end, with grief and indignation bursting forth. The whole is tightly antithetical, weighty with allusion yet deep in feeling, sombre and desolate.

【白话串讲】 “楚材称晋用，秦臣即赵冠”——庾信写自己：楚国的才子被晋国用。他本是南朝人，却被留在了北方。“雪泣悲去鲁，凄然忆相韩”——他哭着想起故国。【意象与手法】全诗纯用典故而气脉贯通，是庾信「使事无迹」的典范。首联以对句立纲，点明「才为他国用」之旨；中间两联铺陈历代羁旅他乡、身不由己的贤臣旧事，「寓卫」「安齐」「去鲁」「相韩」层层递转，写尽「无所安处」的飘零；尾联忽由古入今、由典归情，以阮籍穷途之恸收束，悲慨喷薄而出。全诗对仗精严，典重而情深，沉郁苍凉。【情感与主旨】庾信（513—581），字子山，南阳新野人，初仕梁朝，后出使西魏被留，历仕西魏、北周，官至骠骑大将军。其《咏怀二十七首》作于北朝，多写乡关之思与仕宦北地之愧。此首以「楚材」为题，暗喻己本南朝之才却被北方政权所用，连举历代羁旅贤臣实为自我处境之投影，折射乱世文人去国怀乡、进退维谷的共同悲剧。【名句点睛】中高考若选此诗，多考用典手法与情感主旨。要点：一、首联「楚材称晋用」的典故出处与比喻义；二、「寓卫非所寓，安齐独未安」的反复申说；三、尾联「唯彼穷途恸，知余行路难」以阮籍穷途之典收束的悲慨之力。

Background

Yu Xin (513-581), courtesy Zishan, from Xinye in Nanyang, first served Liang, then was sent as envoy to Western Wei and detained, serving in turn Western Wei and Northern Zhou, rising to grand general of the agile cavalry. His 'Twenty-Seven Songs of My Heart' were written in the Northern court, mostly on homesick thought and the shame of serving in the north. This one takes 'Chu timber' as its title, drawing on the 'Zuo Zhuan' saying 'though Chu has timber, Jin in fact uses it', hinting that he himself, a man of the south, was employed by the northern regime. Southern scholars who went north mostly kept a divided heart; Yu Xin felt the pain of the lost homeland most keenly, and the poem lines up one worthy after another who wandered in a foreign land and was master of his own fate - a projection of his own state, reflecting the shared tragedy of scholars in a troubled age who left their state and mourned their homeland, caught between advance and retreat.

庾信（513—581），字子山，南阳新野人，南朝梁代著名宫体诗人庾肩吾之子，与徐陵齐名，世称「徐庾体」。梁元帝承圣三年（554），庾信奉命出使西魏，适逢西魏攻陷江陵，梁亡，遂被强留长安，历仕西魏、北周，官至骠骑大将军、开府仪同三司，世称「庾开府」。留北之后，他虽位望通显、备受礼遇，然身仕敌国、故乡难归，深怀失节之痛与乡关之思，后期诗风由前期绮艳转为苍凉沉郁，《咏怀二十七首》即此期代表作，多写羁宦北地、故国沦亡之悲。本首以「楚材」为题，取《左传》「虽楚有材，晋实用之」之语意，自喻本为南朝之才，却被北朝强留任用，身份错置、进退失据。诗中连举子产、陈完、孔子、张良等历代羁旅他乡、身不由己之贤臣，皆为自身处境之投影。当时南朝士人入北者甚众，多有贰心与隐痛，庾信此诗实为一代「北漂」文士之共同心声，折射出乱世文人去国怀乡、仕隐两难的普遍悲剧，其深层则是中国士人在政权更迭、家国破碎的时代里忠孝两全无门的永恒困境。此外，此诗作于庾信羁北后期，其时北周吞并北齐、南北对峙之势渐成，南朝梁陈相继苟安，诗人归乡之望已绝，故诗中悲慨愈转愈深，由一己身世之感上升为对一代士人共同命运的总结，非徒为一人之叹，其格局正与《哀江南赋》「虽借路于江关，实行吟于泽畔」之叹相表里。

Art

This poem runs wholly on allusion yet its breath flows through, a model of Yu Xin's 'using affairs without a trace'. The first couplet 'The timber of Chu was used by Jin; the minister of Qin wore Zhao's cap' sets the theme in an antithetical line, pointing to the idea that 'talent is used by another state'; the middle two couplets spread the ancient men - Zichan, Chen Wan, Confucius, Zhang Liang - who served other states or left their homelands, 'lodge in Wei', 'rest in Qi', 'leave Lu', 'serve Han' turning layer upon layer, writing the utter rootlessness of 'nowhere to rest'; the closing couplet 'Only he who wailed at the road's end knows how hard my journey has been' suddenly moves from the ancient to the present, from allusion back to feeling, closing on Ruan Ji's wail at the road's end, with grief and indignation bursting forth. The whole is tightly antithetical, weighty with allusion yet deep in feeling, sombre and desolate.

本诗在章法上以「用典」为骨、以「情」为脉，是庾信「使事无迹」的典范。首联「楚材称晋用，秦臣即赵冠」以工对立纲，一用《左传》「楚材晋用」之典，一用「秦臣赵冠」之喻，两句并提，径直点出「才为他国所用、身份错置」的题旨，开门见山，气局阔大。中间两联铺陈四组古事：子产以郑国贤相历聘列国而受尊礼，陈完以陈国公子羁旅奔齐而为田氏之祖，「寓卫」「安齐」则暗用孔子周游列国无所容身之意，四事并列而层层递转，写尽「无所安处」的飘零。颈联「雪泣悲去鲁，凄然忆相韩」一悲一去国之痛，一忆复雠之志，情感渐深。尾联「唯彼穷途恸，知余行路难」忽由古入今、由典归情，以阮籍穷途之哭收束，将前此压抑的悲慨一朝喷发。全诗五联十句，前四联用事如积薪，尾联点铁成金，使事而无堆垛之感；对仗精严而不失气韵流转，典重苍凉，深得汉魏咏怀之遗意，而开唐人用典抒情之先声。尤可注意者，全诗以古事为镜而不点破，直到尾联方以「知余行路难」五字点题，使前此一切典故皆有归落，其蓄势之深、放笔之猛，正见庾信晚年笔力之「老成」。此诗遂成咏怀组诗中结构最谨严、用事最浑然、抒情最喷薄的一首，其连章用事、以典抒愤之法，亦开杜甫《咏怀古迹》连章组诗之先河。

Allusions

The first line 'The timber of Chu was used by Jin' comes from the 'Zuo Zhuan': 'though Chu has timber, Jin in fact uses it', figuring talent flowing out to serve another state. 'The minister of Qin wore Zhao's cap' uses the tale of a Qin minister serving Zhao or a change of cap-rite, writing a displaced identity. 'Zichan' was the worthy prime minister of Zheng; 'Chen Wan' fled to Qi and founded the Tian clan - both examples of wanderers who rose high. 'Lodge in Wei' and 'rest in Qi' hint at such 'nowhere-to-rest' states as Confucius' wandering and Guan Zhong serving Qi. 'Leave Lu' uses Confucius' sigh 'it flows away like this'; 'serve Han' uses Zhang Liang's avenging of Han. The last 'wail at the road's end' uses Ruan Ji's weeping where the road ends. The whole poem uses history as metaphor, its meaning deeply coiled.

本诗几乎句句用典，而以史为喻、寄慨遥深。首句「楚材称晋用」出《左传·襄公二十六年》「虽楚有材，晋实用之」，原谓楚国人才多被晋国任用，庾信借以自比才为北朝所用。次句「秦臣即赵冠」用战国冠制错置之典，喻身份颠倒、名实乖离。「离宫延子产」用《左传》郑国子产相郑、历聘诸国之事，子产名侨，贤而有礼，屡受列国尊礼；「羁旅接陈完」用《左传》陈厉公之子陈完奔齐、其后代田氏篡齐之典，喻羁旅之客虽得显达终非其乡。「寓卫非所寓」暗指孔子厄于陈蔡、周游不遇，「安齐独未安」或指管仲相齐而身世多舛，皆写「求安而不得安」。尾联「穷途恸」用《晋书·阮籍传》阮籍「时率意独驾，不由径路，车迹所穷，辄恸哭而反」之典；「相韩」则用《史记》张良五世相韩、韩亡后散家财求刺客为韩报仇之事。全篇古事连缀，如贯珠而下，而一以「去国怀乡」之情贯之，可谓以史为心、以典为貌。此外，「离宫延子产」之「延」与「羁旅接陈完」之「接」，一为尊礼之词，一为接纳之词，皆写异国之君对来奔贤才的礼遇，与庾信在北朝所受之高官厚禄暗中相应，反衬出「礼遇愈厚、乡思愈深」的悖论。庾信用典之妙，不在堆砌故实，而在使每一个典故都成为自己身世的注脚，故能使事如己出、浑化无迹，此即倪璠所谓「全以古事自况」的深意所在。

Commentary

Du Fu's 'Six Quatrains' says 'Yu Xin's writing grows more ripe with age, his lofty brush free in every direction' - exactly such sombre works. Ni Fan's commentary on the 'Collected Works of Yu Zishan' says this piece 'uses all ancient affairs as self-portrait'. Modern readers say Yu Xin's later poetry 'turned ornate into strong'; this piece strings together old facts with grief and indignation pouring forth, opening the Tang manner of using allusion to voice feeling, and influencing Du Fu's sombre style most - a rear-guard of Six Dynasties heart-singing poems.

杜甫《戏为六绝句》称「庾信文章老更成，凌云健笔意纵横」，正谓此类入北以后沉郁之作，一改前期「徐庾体」之绮艳，转出苍劲悲凉。清人倪璠注《庾子山集》谓此首「全以古事自况」，点出其借古写心之旨。近人论庾信羁北之作，谓其「虽号绮丽，实多哀感」，盖以宫体之才写乱离之悲，遂成六朝诗史之殿军。此诗于文学史之价值，一在以咏怀组诗承阮籍《咏怀》之余绪而变其体，由玄思转入身世之感；二在以连用典故抒写深层隐痛，开后世杜甫「使事精切」、李商隐用典而神完气足之先河；三则以「才为他国用」之主题，触及乱世士人普遍的存在困境，其典型意义远超个人。后世论六朝诗，每以「庾信文章老更成」为定评，此篇足为代表。读此诗者，当于密集典故之后，看见一个失国失乡的文人独自站在北地黄昏里的身影。今人论六朝文学之终局，多谓庾信以一人之力收束六朝骈俪之局、开启唐人沉郁之风，此诗即其枢纽之作。清人沈德潜《古诗源》选庾信诗，亦以此类「老成」之作入选，足见其历代不衰之生命力。要之，此诗之难能，在能以十句五联之短章，承载一个时代文人的全部悲慨，故读之者愈深，味之者愈久。

Prosody

Form Five-character ancient poem (a song of my heart, in the manner of Ruan Ji)五言古诗（《咏怀二十七首》组诗之一，拟阮籍《咏怀》体）

Rhyme Level and oblique alternate, rhyme every other line (cap, Wan, rest, Han, hard - the han rhyme)隔句押韵，韵脚为冠、完、安、韩、难，属平水韵上平十四寒韵，一韵到底

Tone pattern Five-character ancient tone; antithesis neat yet not bound by tonal rules五言古调，不拘近体平仄，然对仗工整、节奏沉缓，气格苍老

Reading note A 'ripe' later work of Yu Xin, weighty and desolate, opening the Tang heart-singing manner.此诗为五言古诗，体制上继承阮籍《咏怀》的组诗传统而加以变化。全诗十句五联，隔句押寒韵，一韵到底，韵脚疏朗，正合古体「转韵自由、押韵疏阔」之格；庾信却以律诗式的精严对仗入古体，每联皆工对，「楚材」对「秦臣」、「称晋用」对「即赵冠」、「雪泣」对「凄然」、「去鲁」对「相韩」，属对精切而气脉不断，形成「以律入古、古律相济」的独特声情。节奏上，前四联用事密集、语势平稳，如履冰而行，步步沉重；尾联陡转直抒，语势一扬，如长叹一声。平仄虽不严究，然「称晋用」「即赵冠」等句读顿挫分明，诵读时自有一种沉郁顿挫的苍老之感。倪璠谓庾信入北诸作「老成」，「老成」二字正可移评此诗之声调——不事雕饰而气格自高，开唐人五古咏怀、以典抒愤之先声，杜甫「庾信文章老更成，凌云健笔意纵横」之评，于声律层面亦完全适用。

Line by line

楚材称晋用，秦臣即赵冠。

The timber of Chu was used by Jin; the minister of Qin wore Zhao's cap.

楚国的材干被晋国任用，秦国的臣子竟戴上赵国的冠冕。

Chu's talents were used by Jin; a Qin official put on a Zhao cap.

首联以两典对举立纲，「楚材称晋用」直用《左传》「虽楚有材，晋实用之」之语，「秦臣即赵冠」则以冠制错置喻身份颠倒。两句合观，其义双关：字面是历叙春秋战国人才外流、名器乱用之史实，骨子里却是庾信自伤自嘲——自己本为南朝之才，出使西魏竟被强留，成了「楚材晋用」的现实注脚；身在北朝而心系故国，恰似秦臣误戴赵冠，名实乖离、身不由己。此联之妙在「称」「即」两个虚字：「称」字写时论如此之无奈，「即」字写变故如此之突兀，皆以平静口吻说出最沉痛的处境，为全诗定下「才为他国用」的基调，也使以下各联的古人古事有了统一的抒情指向，使事无迹而用意精深，是庾信用典艺术开门见山之作。

The cap. Chu's talents were used by Jin; a Qin official put on a Zhao cap. The Chu-talents-Jin-used and the Qin-official-Zhao-cap are the opening. To have been used by Jin would be a being-used; the chu's-talents-were-used-by-jin-a-qin-official-put-on-a-zhao-cap is the being-used.

寓卫非所寓，安齐独未安。

To lodge in Wei was not his lodging; to rest in Qi alone he found no rest.

寄寓卫国并非所愿寄寓之处，安身齐国却独独未能心安。

Dwelling in Wei was not a chosen dwelling; settled in Qi, alone I am not settled.

此联以两个「寓」字与两个「安」字回环往复，极写「无所安处」的飘零。字面言孔子周游列国、管仲相齐之事——孔子虽居卫而不以卫为家，管仲虽相齐而身世多憾；骨子里仍是自况：自己羁留北朝，位至开府，看似「安」于新朝，实则心系江南故国，身安而心不安，位显而志不遂。「非所寓」「独未安」六个字中，「非」「独」两个虚字最见功力：「非」字否定寓居之愿，「独」字点出众人皆安而我独不安的孤绝。这种以肯定句写否定、以重复字眼制造回环的句式，把「身在异乡、心在故国」的两难处境写得步步紧逼、层层加深，与首联的「称」「即」遥相呼应，是庾信将身世之感织入典故肌理的代表笔墨，读来如闻叹息之声。

The dwelling. Dwelling in Wei was not a chosen dwelling; settled in Qi, alone I am not settled. The dwelling-in-Wei-not-chosen and the settled-in-Qi-alone-not-settled are the unease. To have dwelt in Wei would be a dwelling; the dwelling-in-wei-was-not-a-chosen-dwelling-settled-in-qi-alone-i-am-not-settled is the dwelling.

雪泣悲去鲁，凄然忆相韩。

Wiping tears, I grieve to leave Lu; desolate, I recall the service to Han.

雪涕悲泣为离别鲁国而伤怀，凄然追忆张良为韩国复仇之事。

Wiping away tears, I grieve to leave Lu; desolate, I recall those who served Han.

此联由「无所安处」的飘零转写「去国之悲」与「复雠之志」，情感由隐转显。「雪泣」即拭泪，暗用孔子去鲁「迟迟吾行也」之典，写离别故土时泪如雨下、行步踌躇的情态，一个「悲」字直揭去国之痛；「相韩」用张良五世相韩、韩为秦灭后倾家求士为韩报仇之典，写故国沦亡后犹怀复雠之志。两句对举，一写别离之悲，一写忠义之思，深见庾信心灵的两重撕扯：他既悲故国之沦亡、愧身仕二朝，又不能如张良般为故国复仇，只能「凄然」追忆，徒唤奈何。对仗上，「雪泣」对「凄然」，一为动作一为神情；「去鲁」对「相韩」，一为离别一为忠事，工整中见波澜。此联是庾信羁北诸作中最具人格张力的一笔，将忠义与屈辱、悲慨与无奈熔铸于十字之内。

The tears. Wiping tears, I grieve to leave Lu; desolate, I recall the service to Han. The wiping-tears-grieve-leave-Lu and the desolate-recall-service-Han are the grief. To have wiped the tears would be a wiping; the wiping-tears-i-grieve-to-leave-lu-desolate-i-recall-the-service-to-han is the wiping.

唯彼穷途恸，知余行路难。

Only he who wailed at the road's end knows how hard my journey has been.

唯有那穷途痛哭的阮籍，才知道我行路之艰难。

Only he who wept at the road's end knows how hard my journey is.

尾联是全诗点睛之笔，前四联连用古人古事，至此忽由古入今、由典归情，以阮籍穷途之哭收束全篇，悲慨如决堤之水喷薄而出。「穷途恸」用《晋书·阮籍传》阮籍「率意独驾，不由径路，车迹所穷，辄恸哭而反」之典——阮籍因魏晋之际名士少有全者，故以纵酒佯狂避祸，穷途之哭实是哭世道之艰险、人生之无路。庾信引此自况，妙在一个「唯」字与一个「知」字：「唯」字断言天下知己唯此一人，将阮籍引为隔代知音；「知」字则把阮籍之恸与己之「行路难」直接等同，行路之难既指羁旅飘零之途，更指仕隐两难、去留失据的人生绝境。全诗至此，由密集的典故突然转为直白的抒情，如积薪点火、一触即燃，而「行路难」三字又与首联「楚材晋用」遥相呼应，首尾圆合，沉郁顿挫，堪称六朝咏怀诗压卷之笔。

The weeping. Only he who wept at the road's end knows how hard my journey is. The only-he-wept-road's-end and the knows-how-hard-my-journey is the close. To have wept at the road's end would be a weeping; the only-he-who-wept-at-the-road's-end-knows-how-hard-my-journey-is is the weeping.

Study

Word focus

楚材 From the 'Zuo Zhuan' saying 'Chu timber, Jin uses it'; it fits the title and also figures the poet himself, a man of the south serving the north - a double meaning, a sorrowful self-portrait. 「楚材」二字是全诗之眼，一语双关，既切诗题，又自况身世。字面用《左传·襄公二十六年》「虽楚有材，晋实用之」之典，本谓楚国人才为晋国所用，暗讽楚之不能用人；庾信却反其意而用之，以「楚材」自喻——自己本为南朝之才，却因出使被留，成了北朝的「晋用」之材。这个称呼里含有三层深意：一是自嘲，嘲己之才不为其国所用反为敌国所用；二是自怜，怜己如楚材之离乡背井、漂泊无依；三是自辨，辨己之仕北非出本心，实乃身不由己。与次句「秦臣」对举，一「材」一「臣」，由人才流动写到身份错置，层层逼出「才为他国用」的沉痛主题。一个出自经典的两字词语，负载了庾信羁北一生最深的隐痛，故以之为题、立为纲领，可谓字字千钧。

穷途恸 Uses Ruan Ji's allusion of weeping where the road ends; comparing his own fate to that ancient worthy's grief, it pushes the pain of his life to the extreme, with a desolate aftertaste. 「穷途恸」三字出自《晋书·阮籍传》阮籍穷途痛哭之典，是庾信为全诗设计的感情出口。阮籍生于魏晋易代之际，名士少有全者，故常率意独驾、不由径路，车迹所穷则恸哭而返，其哭非哭途穷，实哭世途之险、人生之迫。庾信以此自况，妙在三层：其一，阮籍哭于魏晋易代，庾信哭于南北朝更迭，同为乱世文人，处境天然相通；其二，阮籍以佯狂避祸，庾信以屈仕存身，皆为保全性命而失却节操，心中有愧；其三，「穷途」二字正写庾信「行路难」之极境——南归无路、北居非愿、进退失据，人生的道路走到尽头。故「穷途恸」不仅是典故，更是庾信全部悲慨的凝结点，由此三字，前此压抑的典故群忽然都有了归宿，全诗情感如决堤之水，一发而不可收，苍凉之气直贯篇末。

独未安 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「独未安」三字见于「安齐独未安」一句，是全诗写「身安而心不安」的关键笔墨。字面用管仲相齐之典，谓齐虽可安居而心独不安；骨子里是庾信自况羁北之窘境：北朝待他以高位厚禄，表面看来他比大多数人都「安」，可偏偏只有他「独未安」——因为心之所安在江南故国，不在长安朝堂。「独」字是全句之眼，它在「众人皆安」的背景下格外刺眼，写出庾信在异国朝堂上的孤绝感：同僚皆以仕新朝为荣，唯他一人以仕新朝为耻、为愧、为痛。这种以「独」字标出的精神孤岛，正是庾信羁北诗最动人的内核。与前句「非所寓」的「非」字相应，「非」写居处非愿，「独」写心安无人，一外一内，把身世两难写到了极致，也为尾联「穷途恸」的爆发蓄足了势。