All poems

唐 Tang · 文 Prose

吊古战场文

A Elegy on an Ancient Battlefield

李华

Li Hua

散文Prose 反战Anti-war 凭吊Elegiac meditation 骈文Parallel Prose

浩浩乎，平沙无垠，夐不见人。
河水萦带，群山纠纷。
黯兮惨悴，风悲日曛。
蓬断草枯，凛若霜晨。
鸟飞不下，兽铤亡群。
亭长告余曰：此古战场也，常覆三军。
往往鬼哭，天阴则闻。
伤心哉！

Show full original poem

浩浩乎，平沙无垠，夐不见人。
河水萦带，群山纠纷。
黯兮惨悴，风悲日曛。
蓬断草枯，凛若霜晨。
鸟飞不下，兽铤亡群。
亭长告余曰：此古战场也，常覆三军。
往往鬼哭，天阴则闻。
伤心哉！
秦欤汉欤？
将近代欤？
吾闻夫齐魏徭戍，荆韩召募。
万里奔走，连年暴露。
沙草晨牧，河冰夜渡。
地阔天长，不知归路。
寄身锋刃，腷臆谁愬？
秦汉而还，多事四夷，中州耗斁，无世无之。
古称戎夏，不抗王师。
文教失宣，武臣用奇。
奇兵有异于仁义，王道迂阔而莫为。
呜呼噫嘻！
吾想夫北风振漠，胡兵伺便。
主将骄敌，期门受战。
野竖旌旗，川回组练。
法重心骇，威尊命贱。
利镞穿骨，惊沙入面。
主客相搏，山川震眩。
声析江河，势崩雷电。
至若穷阴凝闭，凛冽海隅。
积雪没胫，坚冰在须。
鸷鸟休巢，征马踟蹰。
缯纩无温，堕指裂肤。
当此苦寒，天假强胡，凭陵杀气，以相剪屠。
径截辎重，横攻士卒。
都尉新降，将军覆没。
尸填巨港之岸，血满长城之窟。
无贵无贱，同为枯骨，可胜言哉！
鼓衰兮力竭，矢尽兮弦绝。
白刃交兮宝刀折，两军蹙兮生死决。
降矣哉，终身夷狄。
战矣哉，骨暴沙砾。
鸟无声兮山寂寂，夜正长兮风淅淅。
魂魄结兮天沉沉，鬼神聚兮云幂幂。
日光寒兮草短，月色苦兮霜白。
伤心惨目，有如是耶！
吾闻之：牧用赵卒，大破林胡。
开地千里，遁逃匈奴。
汉倾天下，财殚力痡。
任人而已，其在多乎？
周逐猃狁，北至太原。
既城朔方，全师而还。
饮至策勋，和乐且闲。
穆穆棣棣，君臣之间。
秦起长城，竟海为关。
荼毒生灵，万里朱殷。
汉击匈奴，虽得阴山，枕骸遍野，功不补患。
苍苍蒸民，谁无父母？
提携捧负，畏其不寿。
谁无兄弟？
如足如手。
谁无夫妇？
如宾如友。
生也何恩，杀之何咎？
其存其没，家莫闻知。
人或有言，将信将疑。
悁悁心目，寤寐见之。
布奠倾觞，哭望天涯。
天地为愁，草木凄悲。
吊祭不至，精魂何依？
必有凶年，人其流离。
呜呼噫嘻！
时耶命耶？
从古如斯！
为之奈何？
守在四夷。

How vast, how boundless, the level sands,
Stretching afar, no human trace in sight.
The river winds like a silken band,
Mountains crowd in tangled disarray.
Dim and dreary, the scene grows bleak,
The wind wails, the sun is dusky pale.
Wormwood snapped, grass withered,
Chill as a frost-laden dawn.
Birds fly but will not alight,
Beasts dash about, their herds scattered.
The bailiff tells me: This is an ancient battlefield,
Where whole armies have often been annihilated.
Often ghostly wailing is heard,
When the sky turns overcast.
How heartbreaking!
Was it the Qin? Was it the Han?
Or perhaps the more recent age?

Listen

Meaning

Li Hua surveys a desolate ancient battlefield, evoking the suffering of countless conscripts and soldiers throughout history. He laments the futility and horror of war, ultimately urging the ruler to cultivate virtue and guard the frontiers peacefully rather than wage aggressive campaigns.

辽阔啊，无边无际的旷野，极目远望不见人影。河水如带萦绕，群山交错纵横。天色昏暗凄凉，风声悲号、日色昏沉。蓬草折断、草木枯萎，寒气凛冽如同霜降的清晨。飞鸟盘旋不肯落下，野兽狂奔失群。亭长告诉我说：这里就是古战场啊，常常全军覆没。每逢阴天，往往能听到鬼哭之声。真是令人伤心！这是秦朝、汉朝，还是近代的战场呢？我听说，战国时齐魏征发百姓守边，楚韩招募士兵从军。万里奔波，连年露宿野外。清晨在沙草中放牧，夜里踏过结冰的河流。天地辽阔，不知归途。性命寄托在刀锋之上，满腔悲愤向谁诉说？秦汉以来，频繁征讨四方外族，中原凋敝破败，没有一个朝代能够幸免。古时外族与中原，不与帝王之师对抗。后来礼乐教化不再宣扬，武将崇尚奇谋诡诈。奇兵诡道违背仁义，王道被认为迂腐而不被施行。唉，可悲啊！我想象那北风席卷沙漠，胡兵伺机进犯。主将骄傲轻敌，在营门接战。原野上旌旗竖立，江河间士卒往来。军法森严、人心惶恐，将帅威严、士兵性命轻贱。利箭穿骨，飞沙扑面。敌我厮杀，山川震动。呐喊声可撕裂江河，气势如雷霆闪电。至于严冬阴沉、天地闭塞，海边凛冽至极。积雪没过小腿，冰凌挂在胡须。猛禽归巢不出，战马徘徊不前。绵衣无温，冻裂肌肤。当此苦寒，上天助强胡，凭仗杀气，相互屠戮。截断辎重，横攻士卒。都尉新近投降，将军已然覆没。尸骨填满巨港之岸，鲜血灌满长城之窟。无论贵贱，同成枯骨，怎可言尽！鼓声衰微啊气力耗尽，箭矢射尽啊弓弦断绝。白刃相交啊宝刀折断，两军迫近啊生死决战。投降吗？终身沦落夷狄。死战吗？尸骨曝露沙石。鸟雀无声啊山野寂寂，长夜正漫啊风声淅淅。魂魄郁结啊天色沉沉，鬼神聚集啊云层幂幂。日光凄寒啊草色短促，月色苦涩啊霜华洁白。伤心惨目，竟有如此景象吗！我听说：李牧统率赵国士卒，大破林胡。拓地千里，使匈奴逃遁。汉朝倾天下之力争战，财物耗尽、民力疲敝。任用在人，岂在兵多？周朝驱逐猃狁，北至太原。既筑朔方城，全军而还。庆功饮宴、记功行赏，和乐安闲。君臣之间，端庄和穆。秦筑长城，沿海为关。荼毒生灵，万里血染。汉击匈奴，虽得阴山，却枕骸遍野，功不抵患。芸芸众生，谁无父母？抚养背负，唯恐其不寿。谁无兄弟？如手如足。谁无夫妇？如宾如友。生养他们有何恩德，杀害他们有何罪咎？他们是存是殁，家中无从知晓。偶有人言，将信将疑。忧心忡忡，梦中相见。设奠倾觞，哭望天涯。天地为之愁惨，草木为之悲凄。吊祭不至，魂魄何依？必降凶年，百姓流离。呜呼噫嘻！是时运还是命数？自古如此！又能如何？唯有修明仁德、守御四夷。

Appreciation

This celebrated parallel-prose piece by Tang writer Li Hua, composed around the Tianbao era, condemns militarism and yearns for benevolent governance during an age of relentless frontier wars. The opening depicts a vast, desolate battlefield, then moves through historical conscription, imagined combat, bitter cold, and carnage, before reflecting on the proper way to govern—'guarding the Four Barbarians' through moral cultivation. Its emotional power, vivid imagery, and rational conclusion have made it a timeless masterpiece.

【白话串讲】 “浩浩乎，平沙无垠，夐不见人”——李华写吊古战场：平沙无垠，不见人影。“河水萦带，群山纠纷”——“亭长告余曰：此古战场也，常覆三军”——“往往鬼哭，天阴则闻”——古战场的鬼哭。“伤心哉！秦欤汉欤”——他凭吊战场的亡灵。千古第一吊古战场文。【意象与手法】以“浩浩乎，平沙无垠，夐不见人”的苍凉景象开篇；继而追述历代征戍之苦，设想两军交锋的惨烈场面；再借李牧、周王、秦汉之例对比说明用仁德则安、穷兵则患。骈散结合，讲求对仗声律而气势流转，融写景、叙事、抒情、议论于一炉。【情感与主旨】唐代骈文名篇，借凭吊古战场谴责穷兵黩武、呼唤仁政和平，“苍苍蒸民”一段叩问战争对普通生命的摧残，以“守在四夷”收束点明弭兵之本在于修德。上承庾信《哀江南赋》，是唐代骈文由浮华走向质实的标志之作，为《古文观止》所收录。【名句点睛】常考“浩浩乎，平沙无垠，夐不见人”以平沙无垠写战场荒寂；“往往鬼哭，天阴则闻”以鬼哭写古战场之惨烈。

Background

Li Hua (c. 715–774), courtesy name Xianshu, was a native of Zhaojun (present-day Zanhuang, Hebei). A jinshi of the 23rd year of Kaiyuan (735), he served as a court official and was a forerunner of the Classical Prose Movement, along with Xiao Yingshi. This piece was likely written during the Tianbao era, when Emperor Xuanzong's frontier generals constantly launched costly campaigns, draining the treasury and sacrificing countless lives. Through the ancient battlefield, Li Hua indirectly criticizes contemporary policy, giving the work both historical depth and urgent relevance.

李华字遐叔，赵郡赞皇人，开元二十三年进士，累官至检校吏部员外郎，是盛唐向中唐过渡之际重要的文章家。他的《吊古战场文》约作于天宝年间，其时唐玄宗倦于政事，边将恃宠生骄，开边之役连年不息，从高仙芝、哥舒翰到安禄山，拓边与黩武并行，无数丁壮暴骨绝域，中原户口为之凋耗。李华以文章名世，与萧颖士同为古文运动前驱，此文借凭吊一处古战场，实则是面向当世的谏书。他没有直接指斥朝政，而是把目光投向历史深处，让秦、汉、近代的征戍尸骨自己说话，这种以古讽今的笔法，既避开了直谏的凶险，又使批判获得了超越一朝一代的普遍重量。文中写到的亭长，是汉代地方小吏，李华借其口点出战场之古远，也暗示这种惨状并非一时一地之偶然，而是贯穿历代的常态。要读懂这篇文章，先要明白它写在盛唐光环最盛之时，而作者已经看见光环下的白骨。正因如此，它比事后追痛之作更显沉痛，也更具胆识。唐代骈文至此时已由六朝浮艳转为质实，李华此文正是这一转折中的标杆，它将骈俪的形式用于最沉郁的内容，证明华美的句法也能承载最沉重的忧思。

Art

The work exemplifies the fusion of parallel prose and free rhythm. It employs the four-six sentence patterns typical of pianwen, but uses loose phrasing at emotional peaks, creating a flowing vitality. Vivid antitheses such as 'sharp arrows pierce bones, gritty sand lashes faces' intensify the horror, while hyperbolic similes like 'sounds split rivers, momentum crushes thunder' convey visceral impact. The piece interweaves description, narration, lyricism, and argument, always driven by a profound compassion for the common people.

此文最突出的艺术特征是骈散相生。通篇以四六句式为骨，却并非六朝那种堆砌典故、雕琢辞采的呆板骈偶，而是随情感起伏而时骈时散，句式长短错落，读来有流动之气。开篇「浩浩乎，平沙无垠」以散句起势，气象开阔，随即转入「河水萦带，群山纠纷」的整齐对仗，写景如画。文中大量运用对偶，如「利镞穿骨，惊沙入面」「主客相搏，山川震眩」，以两极相对的意象强化战争的惨烈；又善以声色渲染，「声析江河，势崩雷电」以夸张的比喻写两军厮杀的声势，极具视听冲击力。其次是写景、叙事、抒情、议论四者交融，不主故常：前幅写古战场之景，中幅想交锋之状，后幅论用兵之道，末幅抚苍生之情，层层推进而浑然一体。再次是想象奇崛，作者并未亲历战场，却能以「北风振漠」「积雪没胫」等逼真细节重构惨状，使虚拟之景直逼目前。最后是感情的浓度，全文以「伤心哉」「呜呼噫嘻」等嗟叹贯穿，结以「守在四夷」的沉静收束，由悲愤归于理性，议论而不失抒情之厚，是骈文抒情达于极致的范例。

Allusions

Li Hua weaves historical allusions to argue his case. The victory of Li Mu, the Zhao general, over the Linhu and his expansion of territory illustrates the effectiveness of choosing the right commander. The Zhou dynasty's expulsion of the Xianyun and the fortress at Shuofang exemplifies a campaign that ended in safe return and celebration. In contrast, the Qin's Great Wall and the Han's campaigns against the Xiongnu, though gaining the Yin Mountains, left fields strewn with bones, 'the merit not outweighing the harm.' The closing 'guarding the Four Barbarians' (shou zai si yi) derives from the Zuo Zhuan, advocating moral authority over military conquest.

文中用典与征引，多本于史册而意在讽时。李牧破林胡、拓地千里，是用《史记·廉颇蔺相如列传》中赵将李牧大破匈奴之事，意在说明任人将得其效；周逐猃狁、城朔方而还，本于《诗经·小雅·出车》与《史记》所记周宣王北伐，写王者之师全师而返；秦汉长城与击匈奴，则综括《史记》《汉书》所载，指出虽得阴山而枕骸遍野，功不补患。最要紧的是结句「守在四夷」，语出《左传》「天子守在四夷」，原指帝王修德以服远人，不事征伐，李华拈出此语作全篇眼目，把前面铺陈的惨状一笔收束到为政之本上，足见其以古制讽今政的用心。「牧用赵卒」「周逐猃狁」诸例，无一不是以古之善战者反衬今之黩武者，典故在文中不是装饰，而是论证的支柱。此外「提携捧负」「如宾如友」等语，化用《诗经》《礼记》中言伦理之常的句子，与后文「谁无父母」呼应，使战争之恶落在每一个普通家庭身上，典故由此获得人伦的温度。

Commentary

Since its appearance, this essay has been praised as one of the finest Tang parallel-prose works. It was included in the Guwen Guanzhi and compared to Yu Xin's 'Lament for the South.' Critics have long admired its 'compassion for the people and condemnation of war.' Its merger of beautiful form and weighty content marks a shift in Tang prose, influencing the later Classical Prose Movement of Han Yu and Liu Zongyuan. The passage beginning 'The vast, teeming people—who has no parents?' remains especially moving, transforming a grand anti-war theme into an intimate lament for ordinary families.

此文自面世便负盛名，被后人誉为唐代骈文压卷之一，清代吴楚材、吴调侯编《古文观止》即收录之，与六朝庾信《哀江南赋》前后辉映。古人论文，多重其忧民之怀与贬战之识，明人评李华文「尚古质，老于文者」，正道出此文去浮返朴的特质。它上承庾信以赋体写亡国之痛的传统，下启中唐韩愈、柳宗元古文运动「文以载道」之绪，在骈文尚浮的惯性里率先以充实的内容压住形式，实为文体变革之先声。宋代以降，论兵论政者多引此文为戒，苏轼、辛弃疾辈虽风格迥异，而悯生民、戒穷兵之意与之相通。近人论唐代散文，亦以此文为盛中唐转折处的重要标本，认为它把宫廷应制的骈文拉回关切现实的轨道。其价值早已溢出辞章而及于政理，故能历千载而为士林共读。文中「苍苍蒸民」一段，尤为后世传诵，因为它把宏大的反战主题收束到「谁无父母」的朴素叩问，使任何读者都无法置身事外。这种以情统理、以古证今的笔法，正是中国抒情议论文最可贵的传统。

Prosody

Form Parallel Prose (pianwen), primarily four- and six-character phrases interspersed with free lines, featuring antithesis and rhythmic balance rather than the strict tonal rules of regulated verse.骈文（以四六句式为主，间以散句，讲求对仗与声律，非近体诗之平仄格律）

Rhyme Not strictly rhymed, though the piece uses interjections and exclamatory phrases at paragraph ends to modulate the dense parallelism and create cadence.此文虽为骈体，并不严格押韵，而于段落收束处多用虚字与嗟叹收气，如「伤心哉」「呜呼噫嘻」「可胜言哉」，以散文化的叹词调节骈句之密，读来顿挫有致。

Tone pattern Parallel phrases often contrast oblique and level tones, but the piece prioritizes rhythmic variation over fixed tonal patterns.四六句式平仄相对，如「利镞穿骨，惊沙入面」仄仄平仄对平平仄仄，「主客相搏，山川震眩」平仄平仄对平平仄仄，于对称中求变化；散句则不受拘，随气而走。

Reading note The beauty of this pianwen lies in its freedom within form: it alternates parallel and loose sentences, allowing the heavy content to breathe. The use of exclamatory phrases like 'Shangxin zai!' and 'Wuhu yixi!' breaks the monotony, creating a sobbing rhythm. This work demonstrates how ornate style can carry profound political and human concern.骈文之「律」本不在押韵，而在对仗与节奏。李华此文的可贵，正在于不被格式束缚：该散处散，该骈处骈，长短句交错，使沉重的内容有呼吸的空间。若一味求偶求工，反会把这个题材写轻。清代古文家推重此文，正是看中它「以藻丽写沉痛」而能不流于靡。此文多用四六句式为骨，而于对仗中暗藏变化，如「利镞穿骨，惊沙入面」以仄仄平仄对平平仄仄，于对称中求跌宕；「主客相搏，山川震眩」亦复如是。散句如「亭长告余曰」则全然不受拘，随气而走，使叙事有顿挫。更值得注意的是文中嗟叹虚字的运用：「伤心哉」「呜呼噫嘻」「可胜言哉」，这些散文化的叹词在段落收束处调节骈句之密，读来如泣如诉，顿挫有致。整体声情由平缓而入激楚，再由激楚归于理性，与「由景及史、由情及理」的文脉同频。骈文至李华，已从六朝浮艳转为质实，此文的声律正是这一转折的例证：它证明华美的句法，只要节奏得当，亦能承载最沉重的忧思与最深远的讽谕。

Line by line

浩浩乎，平沙无垠，夐不见人。河水萦带，群山纠纷。黯兮惨悴，风悲日曛。蓬断草枯，凛若霜晨。鸟飞不下，兽铤亡群。亭长告余曰：此古战场也，常覆三军。往往鬼哭，天阴则闻。伤心哉！秦欤汉欤？将近代欤？

The opening paints a boundless desert, empty of people. The river and mountains seem entangled like grief. The wind wails, the sun is dim. Birds won't land, beasts flee their herds. A bailiff identifies the place as an ancient battlefield where armies were destroyed; ghostly cries are heard on cloudy days. The poet's questions—'Qin? Han? Or modern times?'—make the tragedy timeless.

Vast, the level sand without bound, far off and not a man. The river winds like a girdle, the hills tangled. Dismal, forlorn, the wind grieves, the sun dim. The reed breaks, the grass withers, the chill as on a frosty dawn. Birds fly on and do not alight, beasts race, strayed from their herd. The warden tells me: this is the ancient battlefield; here an army is often wiped out. Often ghosts are heard weeping, when the sky is overcast. Heartrending! Is it Qin? Is it Han? Or is it nearer our own times?

这一段是全篇的起手，也是中国文学里写古战场最负盛名的开篇之一。作者先以「浩浩乎，平沙无垠」铺开空间，一个「浩浩」写旷野之无涯，「无垠」写边界之消失，人立其间顿显渺小。继而「河水萦带，群山纠纷」以带、纠二字的柔曲反衬大漠的硬冷，山水本无心，却被写得像纠缠不清的愁绪。「黯兮惨悴，风悲日曛」把天色与风声都人格化，风而曰悲，日而曰曛，物色即心情。最精采的是「鸟飞不下，兽铤亡群」，以飞禽走兽的失常反写此地凶气之重——连鸟兽都不敢停留，可知此处曾发生何等惨事。最后借亭长之口点破「此古战场也」，又用「秦欤汉欤，将近代欤」把时间推得模糊而悠远，暗示这类惨剧自古皆然，不独一朝。起笔即把读者带入一片无声的悲凉，为后文的铺陈定下基调。

This passage is the opening of the whole, and one of the most renowned openings of an ancient battlefield in Chinese letters. The author first spreads the space with vast, the level sand without bound, the word vast writing the wilderness's shorelessness, without bound the vanishing of the boundary, the man standing within at once small. Then the river winds like a girdle, the hills tangled uses the girdle and tangle to set off the desert's hard cold, the water and hills originally heartless, yet written as if tangled grief. Dismal, forlorn, the wind grieves, the sun dim personifies the sky and wind, the wind called grieving, the sun called dim, the outward hue the inner mood. The most brilliant is birds fly on and do not alight, beasts race, strayed from their herd, using the fowls and beasts' abnormal conduct to write backward the place's fierce air - even the birds and beasts dare not stay, one may know what horrors passed here. At last, through the warden's mouth, the point is broken: this is the ancient battlefield; and the question is it Qin? is it Han? or nearer our own times? pushes the time vague and far, hinting that such horrors have been since of old, not one dynasty alone. The opening at once leads the reader into a soundless desolation, fixing the key for the later unfolding.

吾闻夫齐魏徭戍，荆韩召募。万里奔走，连年暴露。沙草晨牧，河冰夜渡。地阔天长，不知归路。寄身锋刃，腷臆谁愬？秦汉而还，多事四夷，中州耗斁，无世无之。古称戎夏，不抗王师。文教失宣，武臣用奇。奇兵有异于仁义，王道迂阔而莫为。

From the Warring States to the Qin and Han, Li Hua recounts endless conscription and exposure. Soldiers graze at dawn among sand and grass, cross frozen rivers at night, far from home, with no one to tell their grief. He criticizes the abandonment of culture and education in favor of military cunning.

我听说，战国时齐魏征发百姓守边，楚韩招募士兵从军。万里奔波，连年露宿野外。清晨在沙草中放牧，夜里踏过结冰的河流。天地辽阔，不知归途。性命寄托在刀锋之上，满腔悲愤向谁诉说？秦汉以来，频繁征讨四方外族，中原凋敝破败，没有一个朝代能够幸免。古时外族与中原，不与帝王之师对抗。后来礼乐教化不再宣扬，武将崇尚奇谋诡诈。奇兵诡道违背仁义，王道被认为迂腐而不被施行。

I have heard that of old Qi and Wei pressed men into garrison duty, Jing and Hu recruited. They tramped ten thousand li, year after year exposed to the elements. At dawn they pastured among the sandy grass, at night they crossed the frozen river. The earth broad, the sky long, they knew not the way home. Their lives entrusted to spear and edge, to whom could they pour out their hearts? Since Qin and Han, there has been much war on the four barbarian borders; the central plains wasted, no age has been free of it. Of old, it is said, the tribes did not withstand the royal host. When civil teaching ceased to be proclaimed, the captains resorted to stratagems. The ruse-warrior's way is other than benevolence and right; the royal way was held remote and left undone.

这一段由景入史，由「吾闻夫」领起，转入对历代征戍的追述。作者先列齐魏荆韩之例，点出征发与召募两种役使百姓的方式，随即以「万里奔走，连年暴露」八字写尽戍卒之苦：空间上是万里，时间上是连年，一个「暴露」道出风餐露宿、无遮无蔽的处境。「沙草晨牧，河冰夜渡」以对偶写行役之艰，晨与夜相对，沙草与河冰相对，把奔波的辛劳凝成两幅画面。「寄身锋刃，腷臆谁愬」是这一段的最沉痛处：性命托于刀锋，悲愤向谁倾诉？一个「愬」字写出有苦无处诉的孤绝。后半段落到「秦汉而还，多事四夷」，指出穷兵黩武非一时之失，而是代代相承的痼疾；「文教失宣，武臣用奇」更直指本原——教化不修，则武人用诡道，仁义与王道皆被弃置。这一段表面叙史，实则句句刺向当世。

This passage moves from scenery to history, led by I have heard, turning to the chronicle of the age-long garrisoning. The author first lists Qi, Wei, Jing, and Han, pointing the two ways of pressing the people - the forced garrison and the voluntary recruiting; then in eight characters tramped ten thousand li, year after year exposed to the elements writes to the full the conscript's hardship: in space ten thousand li, in time year after year, the word exposed uttering the wind-and-rain, shelterless lot. At dawn they pastured among the sandy grass, at night they crossed the frozen river writes the toil of service in parallel, dawn against night, sandy grass against river ice, condensing the tramping to two pictures. Their lives entrusted to spear and edge, to whom could they pour out their hearts? is the passage's most bitter: life entrusted to the blade, to whom to pour out the grief? the single word pour writing the isolation of grievance with no outlet. The latter half settles on since Qin and Han, there has been much war on the four barbarian borders, pointing that the reckless warmaking is not a moment's fault but an age-long inherited ill; when civil teaching ceased to be proclaimed, the captains resorted to stratagems points straight at the root - when teaching is not cultivated, the warriors use the deceitful way, benevolence and the royal way both cast aside. The passage on the surface narrates history, yet every line stabs the present age.

至若穷阴凝闭，凛冽海隅。积雪没胫，坚冰在须。鸷鸟休巢，征马踟蹰。缯纩无温，堕指裂肤。当此苦寒，天假强胡，凭陵杀气，以相剪屠。径截辎重，横攻士卒。都尉新降，将军覆没。尸填巨港之岸，血满长城之窟。无贵无贱，同为枯骨，可胜言哉！

Amid extreme cold, snow buries the shins and ice hangs from beards. Even beasts and birds retreat. Natural conditions seem to hand the battlefield to the fierce Hu. Bodies fill the harbor shores and blood soaks the Great Wall's caves. Death makes nobles and commoners equal.

至于严冬阴沉、天地闭塞，海边凛冽至极。积雪没过小腿，冰凌挂在胡须。猛禽归巢不出，战马徘徊不前。绵衣无温，冻裂肌肤。当此苦寒，上天助强胡，凭仗杀气，相互屠戮。截断辎重，横攻士卒。都尉新近投降，将军已然覆没。尸骨填满巨港之岸，鲜血灌满长城之窟。无论贵贱，同成枯骨，怎可言尽！

Or when the deep sky closes in, the bitter cold grips the coast. The piled snow rises to the calves, hard ice hangs on the beard. The fierce bird keeps its nest, the war horse hesitates. Silk and wadding give no warmth, fingers drop, skin cracks. In such bitter cold, heaven aids the strong barbarian, who rides the killing air to cut down and butcher. They cut the supply trains, they charge the ranks. The commandant has but newly surrendered, the general is wiped out. Corpses choke the banks of the great river, blood fills the caverns of the Long Wall. Noble and base alike, all become dry bones - can it be told?

这一段专写苦寒中的厮杀，是全篇最具画面感的部分。「至若穷阴凝闭，凛冽海隅」以气候开题，阴凝、凛冽写出天地如僵。「积雪没胫，坚冰在须」是极具质感的细节：雪没小腿，冰挂胡须，寒冷被写到可触可感。「鸷鸟休巢，征马踟蹰」再以物之畏寒衬人之受虐。「缯纩无温，堕指裂肤」写衣裘失其用，肢体受其苦，绵衣而曰无温，反差愈显其寒。至此，作者笔锋一转，「天假强胡，凭陵杀气，以相剪屠」，把自然之寒与人事之残叠合，突出绝境中的屠戮。「尸填巨港之岸，血满长城之窟」以「填」「满」二动词写死伤之巨，巨港、长城本宏大，却被尸血填满，惨烈惊心。「无贵无贱，同为枯骨」收束于平等之死，最见战争抹平一切身份的冷酷。

This passage writes peculiarly the slaughter in the bitter cold, the most pictorial part of the whole. Or when the deep sky closes in, the bitter cold grips the coast opens with the climate, the closing in and the bitter writing heaven and earth as stiff. The piled snow rises to the calves, hard ice hangs on the beard is a detail of palpable texture: snow to the calves, ice on the beard, the cold made touchable. The fierce bird keeps its nest, the war horse hesitates again uses the creatures' dread of cold to set off man's suffering. Silk and wadding give no warmth, fingers drop, skin cracks writes the robes' uselessness and the limbs' pain, the wadding yet called no warmth, the contrast the more showing the cold. At this the author's pen turns: in such bitter cold, heaven aids the strong barbarian, who rides the killing air to cut down and butcher, overlaying the natural cold and the human cruelty, highlighting the slaughter in the desperate pass. Corpses choke the banks of the great river, blood fills the caverns of the Long Wall uses the two verbs choke and fill to write the enormity of the dead and wounded, the great river and the Long Wall originally vast, yet choked and filled with corpses and blood, the horror startling. Noble and base alike, all become dry bones closes in the equal death, the coldness of war leveling every status to the utmost.

苍苍蒸民，谁无父母？提携捧负，畏其不寿。谁无兄弟？如足如手。谁无夫妇？如宾如友。生也何恩，杀之何咎？其存其没，家莫闻知。人或有言，将信将疑。悁悁心目，寤寐见之。布奠倾觞，哭望天涯。天地为愁，草木凄悲。吊祭不至，精魂何依？必有凶年，人其流离。呜呼噫嘻！时耶命耶？从古如斯！为之奈何？守在四夷。

The final paragraph addresses the universal human bonds—parents, brothers, spouses. The dead are killed without offense, their families wait in vain, dreaming of them. With no sacrifice, their souls have no resting place. The only solution is for the sovereign to practise virtue and keep all within the realm content, so the four barbarians will not invade.

芸芸众生，谁无父母？抚养背负，唯恐其不寿。谁无兄弟？如手如足。谁无夫妇？如宾如友。生养他们有何恩德，杀害他们有何罪咎？他们是存是殁，家中无从知晓。偶有人言，将信将疑。忧心忡忡，梦中相见。设奠倾觞，哭望天涯。天地为之愁惨，草木为之悲凄。吊祭不至，魂魄何依？必降凶年，百姓流离。呜呼噫嘻！是时运还是命数？自古如此！又能如何？唯有修明仁德、守御四夷。

Innumerable are the people; who has not parents? Carried in arms, borne on the back, they feared lest he should not live. Who has not brothers? Like feet and hands. Who has not wife and husband? Like guest and friend. For what grace were they born? For what fault are they slain? Whether they live or fall, the home knows not. If some rumor comes, they half believe, half doubt. Their hearts and eyes ache, waking and sleeping they see him. They spread the offering, pour the cup, weeping toward the edge of the sky. Heaven and earth grieve for them, the plants and trees mourn. The sacrifice never reaches them, on what do their spirits rest? There must follow a year of dearth, and men shall wander homeless. Alas! Is it the age? Is it fate? From of old it has been so! What can be done? Guard it on the four borders.

这是全篇的结穴，也是最催人泪下的一段。作者由战场回到人世，以「苍苍蒸民，谁无父母」的连问起势，连用三问叩击读者：谁无父母，谁无兄弟，谁无夫妇？每一问都以最寻常的人伦关系，逼出战争最不寻常的残忍。「提携捧负，畏其不寿」写父母抚育之艰，「如足如手」「如宾如友」写兄弟夫妇之亲，越是写其亲，越显杀之酷。「生也何恩，杀之何咎」是两段诘问后的总断：生养他们并无大恩，杀害他们又有何罪？这一问把战争的非理性推到极致。其后写家人「将信将疑」「寤寐见之」「哭望天涯」，把后方望归的痴情写得历历在目，而「吊祭不至，精魂何依」则揭出死者连祭祀都无着的凄凉。末以「守在四夷」收束，由悲愤归于政理，点出弭兵之本在修德不在征伐，全文至此完成从景到史、从情到理的闭环。

This is the close of the whole, and the passage most moving to tears. The author returns from the battlefield to the human world, opening with the innumerable are the people; who has not parents? and striking the reader with three questions: who has not parents, who has not brothers, who has not wife and husband? each question using the most ordinary human bond to force out war's most extraordinary cruelty. Carried in arms, borne on the back, they feared lest he should not live writes the parents' toil of rearing; like feet and hands and like guest and friend write the brothers' and spouses' closeness, the more the closeness is written, the more the killing is shown cruel. For what grace were they born? For what fault are they slain? is the total judgment after the two questions: they were reared with no great grace, for what fault are they killed? this question pushes war's unreason to the utmost. Afterward the family's half believe, half doubt; waking and sleeping they see him; weeping toward the edge of the sky writes the rear's痴情 of waiting for return, vivid; the sacrifice never reaches them, on what do their spirits rest? reveals the desolation of the dead with even the sacrifice nowhere. The close guards it on the four borders returns from grief and indignation to the polity, pointing that the root of ending war lies in cultivating virtue, not in campaigning; the essay here completes the closed loop from scenery to history, from feeling to reason.

Study

Word focus

浩浩乎 Expansive interjection; 'how vast'—sets the tone of awe and sorrow. 「浩浩乎」三字是开篇的声气，也是全文情感的基调。「浩浩」本形容水势或空间之大，此处移用来形容平沙，写出旷野的无边无际与人的渺小无助。更妙在加一「乎」字，这是文言的叹词，等于今天的「啊」，它把叙述变成了慨叹，使写景中自带一声长叹。骈文起笔多用此类虚字振起气象，《吊古战场文》以此开端，先声已带悲凉。一个「乎」字，看似不经意，却让整段文字从冷静的描写转为含情的凭吊，是全篇情绪的总开关。

亭长 Bailiff or village headman from Han dynasty; a local official who knows the land's history. 「亭长」是汉代十里一亭、设亭长以理民事的低级乡官，李华借这个底层小吏之口说出「此古战场也」，用意极深。亭长最接近土地与往事，他的指认比史官的记载更有泥土气，也更有说服力。更关键的是，「亭长告余曰」把作者从旁观者变成了听者，使古战场的惨状经由一个活人的口传来，真实感顿生。这个细节还暗示：此类惨剧当地人口耳相传，已成集体记忆，非书册所能尽录。

守在四夷 A quotation from the Zuo Zhuan meaning 'to keep watch over the barbarians'—i.e., to guard the frontiers by virtue, not invasion. 「守在四夷」是全篇的文眼，语出《左传》「天子守在四夷」。原意是帝王修明德政，使远人自服，不烦征伐。李华把它放在全文结尾，等于把前面所有铺陈的惨状一笔提炼为为政之训：与其穷兵远讨、暴骨异域，不如修德安内、使四夷自来归附。四个字收束千言，由悲愤归于理性，是议论文「卒章显志」的典范，也显出作者并不只停留在伤感，而要开出救弊之方。

荼毒生灵 A phrase meaning 'to poison and harm the people'; here describes the cruelty of the Qin Great Wall. 「荼毒生灵」出自本篇写秦筑长城一段，荼、毒皆苦物，以之苦喻残害，生灵即万民。这四个字把长城这一宏大工程背后的血泪一语道尽：「万里朱殷」写血染之广，「荼毒生灵」写受害之深。作者以极简的二字并列，将帝王的功业与百姓的苦难并置，使赞叹与控诉同时成立。此语后成成语，足见其概括力之强，也证明好的炼字能穿越千年仍为今人所用。