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唐 Tang · 诗 Poem

南园十三首·其五

South Garden, Thirteen Songs · Fifth

李贺

Li He

言志aspiration 从军military 愤激indignation

男儿何不带吴钩，收取关山五十州。
请君暂上凌烟阁，若个书生万户侯。

Why does a man not buckle on the Wu-hook blade,
And reclaim the fifty frontier provinces of pass and mountain?
Pray step for a moment into the Lingyan Gallery,
And tell me which scholar was ever made a lord of ten thousand households.

Listen

Meaning

A blunt, two-question outburst: why does a man not take up arms to recover the lost provinces, and—look at the gallery of heroes—which scholar was ever enfeoffed? The surface bravado hides a bitter dead end.

男子汉大丈夫为什么不佩带吴钩宝刀，去收复关山那五十个州郡呢？请你且登上凌烟阁去看一看，那上面哪里有一个书生被封为万户侯的？

Appreciation

Four lines, two questions, each sharper than the last. The first stirs to action, the second burns with indignation. The 'Wu-hook' is a weapon, the 'Lingyan Gallery' a symbol of honor, the 'scholar' the poet's own self—three images form one chain: for honor, join the army; the army's men are painted, the scholar gets nothing. Li He came from a fallen royal house and was barred from the exams by a naming taboo on his father; 'which scholar was ever made a lord' is angry talk that learning is useless, and a bloody accusation of his own fate. It sounds bold but is despair underneath—it speaks of throwing down the brush, yet really there is no road left.

【白话串讲】 “男儿何不带吴钩，收取关山五十州”——李贺说：男儿为什么不带上吴钩，去收复那五十州？“请君暂上凌烟阁，若个书生万户侯”——看看凌烟阁上，有几个书生封侯？【意象与手法】全诗四句，两次发问，一句比一句锋利。前一问是激励，后一问是激愤。“吴钩”是武器，“凌烟阁”是功名的象征，“书生”是诗人自己的身份——三个意象构成一条完整的逻辑链：要功名，须从军；从军者得画像，书生什么也没有。【情感与主旨】李贺出身没落宗室，因父名晋肃犯“进士”嫌名，被迫弃考，终身不得应进士试。此诗的“若个书生万户侯”，是对读书无用的愤激之言，更是对自身遭遇的血泪控诉。表面豪迈，底子是绝望；说的是投笔从戎，实则是无路可走。【名句点睛】 “请君暂上凌烟阁，若个书生万户侯”——不作正面议论，只请人去看一眼那面墙。事实胜于雄辩，反问强于痛斥，是唐诗中最冷峻的两句愤语之一。

Background

The 'Thirteen Songs of the South Garden' were written after Li He left his post as a ritual officer and retired to his home Changgu (present-day Yiyang, Henan); this is the fifth. In the mid-Tang, regional warlords held the northeast in defiance of the court; the 'fifty provinces of pass and mountain' refers to the prefectures they seized that the court could not control. The Lingyan Gallery was built by Emperor Taizong in 643, painting twenty-four meritorious officials—the highest symbol of martial honor. Barred by the father-taboo, Li He never sat the exam and wrote this in frustration.

《南园十三首》为李贺辞去奉礼郎之职、退居故乡昌谷（今河南宜阳）时所作的组诗，此为其五。李贺，字长吉，中唐浪漫主义诗人，人称「诗鬼」，出身唐宗室远支，父名晋肃。因「晋肃」之「晋」与「进士」之「进」同音，时人援「嫌名」之礼阻其应进士试，贺遂被迫弃考，终身坎坷，仅作过奉礼郎这样的小官，二十七岁抑郁而终。此诗正作于失意家居之时。中唐藩镇割据，河朔诸镇（河北、山东一带）久不奉朝命，朝廷姑息，所谓「关山五十州」即指被藩镇割据、中央不能有效控制的州郡，非实数而言其多。凌烟阁为唐太宗贞观十七年所建，图画长孙无忌、尉迟敬德等二十四位功臣像于其上，为唐代武人功业的最高象征。李贺以宗室子而困于场屋、阻于仕进，满腔报国之志无处施展，遂借南园闲居发此愤激之鸣——表面豪迈投笔，底子却是无路可走的血泪控诉。李贺以宗室子困于场屋，满腔报国之志无处施展，遂借南园闲居发此愤激之鸣，表面豪迈投笔，底子却是无路可走之血泪控诉。

Art

The poem is two rhetorical questions: 'why not buckle on the Wu-hook' provokes, 'which scholar was ever a lord' retorts, one provoking, one refuting, pressing forward. The finest stroke is the closing 'let the fact speak'—no argument, just go look at those twenty-four portraits on the wall, let the images speak for themselves. This evidentiary rhetorical question is more convincing, and more desolate, than any grand speech. The language is vigorous, the rhythm short—unlike Li He's usual cold strangeness, opening a bold, direct path.

全诗以两个反问句构成，第一问「男儿何不带吴钩」是激将，第二问「若个书生万户侯」是反诘，一激一诘，层层推进。艺术上最见功力的是末句的「以事实作结」——诗人不发任何正面议论，只请人「暂上凌烟阁」去看那二十四幅功臣图，让墙上的画像自己说话：图上尽是提刀跃马的武夫，何曾有一个执卷的书生？这种举证式的反问，比任何慷慨陈词都更有说服力，也更显悲凉。全诗语言劲健、节奏短促，一改李贺惯有的幽冷奇诡、秾丽雕琢，别开雄直一路，二十八字中豪气逼人而怨气潜涌。章法上，前两句由「男儿」起、以「收取五十州」承，写理想之壮；后两句由「凌烟阁」转、以「书生万户侯」收，写现实之酷，理想与现实两相对照，转折斩截，是唐人绝句「以问代议」的佳例，亦可见李贺笔力之全面——不仅能写幽怪，亦能写沉痛。全诗两问一激一诘，理想与现实两相对照，转折斩截而悲凉潜涌，末以举证式反问代正面抒愤，更显无路可走之绝望，章法之妙在收束有力。

Allusions

Three apt allusions: the 'Wu-hook,' a curved blade forged by King Helü of Wu, later a general name for a fine sword, standing for war; the 'fifty provinces of pass and mountain,' the prefectures seized by warlords in Hebei and Shandong, not a real count but 'many'; the 'Lingyan Gallery,' where Taizong painted twenty-four heroes, symbol of enfeoffment by arms. The three form the full path of taking up arms, winning merit, being painted—contrasting the scholar's roadlessness.

诗中三处用典皆切功名之路，构成一条完整的逻辑链。其一「吴钩」，春秋吴王阖闾所造的弯刀，锋利无比，《吴越春秋》载其令国中作金钩，后遂为宝刀通称，诗词中多代指从军征战、建功立业（如李百药「磊磊落落吴钩」）。其二「关山五十州」，指唐代被藩镇割据的河北、山东等地州郡，《资治通鉴》载会昌年间朝廷讨伐泽潞，所谓「五十州」即当时割据之数，非实数而言其广，点明时代之乱与恢复之志。其三「凌烟阁」，唐太宗图画二十四功臣之所，杜如晦、魏徵、尉迟敬德等皆在其列，为武功封侯的最高象征，太宗题赞，后遂成「立功画像」的代称。三典由执兵（吴钩）、立功（收取州郡）到画像（凌烟阁）一气贯通，正写「男儿」应走之路，反衬书生（诗人自身）被摒于此路之外的荒诞，用典之密而意脉之清，于此可见。吴钩关山五十州凌烟阁三典由执兵立功到画像一气贯通，正写男儿应走之路，反衬书生被摒门外之荒诞，用典之密而意脉之清于此可见。

Commentary

Yao Wenxie's 'Changgu Collected, Annotated' says 'He, a royal clansman stuck in the exam hall, hence the thought of throwing down the brush—the words seem bold but the meaning is truly sad.' Later readers note his pent-up feeling lodged in bold talk, a clear break from his usual cold style.

清人姚文燮《昌谷集注》评「贺以宗室子而困于场屋，故有投笔之思，词若壮而意实悲」，一语道破此诗外壮内悲的底色。近人论李贺，每注意其幽冷奇艳一面，而此首劲直如刀，正可见其豪宕之气的另一副笔墨。沈德潜《唐诗别裁》虽未专评此首，而论李贺诗「设色浓妙」，而此篇独去秾丽、取雄直，足征才力不拘一格。尤可注意者，末句「若个书生万户侯」以事实反诘，较之正面抒愤更为沉痛——它不喊冤，只请你去看一眼那面墙，让图像作证。这种「以不言言之」的手法，使愤懑在克制中更显磅礴。在唐代投笔从戎主题中，此诗与杨炯「宁为百夫长，胜作一书生」同调而异代：初唐者昂扬自信，中唐者激愤沉痛，时代气象之由盛转衰，于此二句可窥一斑。李贺以二十七岁之夭年，留此一声金石之鸣，足为后世志士同悲。此篇外壮内悲，与杨炯投笔之叹同调而异代，初唐昂扬、中唐激愤，时代气象之迁变于此二句可窥，诚李贺七绝中之金石之鸣。

Prosody

Form Seven-character quatrain (level-tone opening, first line rhyming)七言绝句（平起首句入韵）

Rhyme Rhymes on the you category of the eleventh rhyme group: gou, zhou, hou.押平水韵下平十一尤韵：钩、州、侯。尤韵悠长沉郁，与激愤而悲凉的声情相称；三韵一脉平顺，末字「侯」以平声收束，语调上扬而意绪下沉，愈见其不能自已。

Tone pattern Four lines in one breath, no pause; the two questions sit at head and tail, echoing; the last line ends on a level tone, the voice rising while the mood sinks.全诗四句气脉直下，无一顿挫；两个反问分置首尾（何不……若个……），遥相呼应，如两拳相击。首句「男儿何不带吴钩」平起入韵，起调峭健；次句「收取关山五十州」承以斩截；三句「请君暂上凌烟阁」以平声舒缓作转；末句「若个书生万户侯」以平收而意尽，节奏外松内紧。平仄工稳而气势不受拘，正宜发愤激之音。

Reading note Li He's verse is often cold and strange, but this one is keen as a knife, showing his full range. Of twenty-eight characters, two questions—one provoke, one refute—a fine Tang quatrain that 'argues by questions.'李贺诗多幽冷奇艳、雕琢秾丽，此首却劲直如刀、以问代议，可见其笔力之全面与情感之沉痛。二十八字中两问一激一诘：前问逼人投笔，后问以事实反诘，理想（收取五十州）与现实（书生无封侯）两相对照，转折斩截而悲凉潜涌。其章法要点在末句「以不言言之」——不辩说而请人看凌烟阁画像，让图像作证，这种举证式反问比正面抒愤更有力，也更显无路可走的绝望。在唐代「投笔从戎」主题中，此诗与杨炯「宁为百夫长，胜作一书生」同调而异代：初唐昂扬自信，中唐激愤沉痛，时代气象之迁变，于此二句可窥一斑。要之，此篇以雄直之貌写困顿之实，外壮内悲，诚李贺七绝中不可多得的金石之鸣，亦为研究其中唐士人心态的重要文本。

Line by line

男儿何不带吴钩，收取关山五十州。

Why should a young man not buckle on the Wu hook and win back the fifty provinces of mountain pass?

男子汉大丈夫为什么不佩带吴钩宝刀去从军，去把被藩镇割据的五十州关山收复回来？

Why should a young man not buckle on the Wu-hook saber and take back the fifty mountain provinces held by the rebels?

起联以劈空一问振起全篇，气势陡健，是唐人绝句中罕见的雄直之音。「男儿」二字先立主体，「何不」二字反诘而出，如当头棒喝，逼人作答；「带吴钩」以宝刀代从军，把抽象的报国志写得具体而凛然。下句「收取关山五十州」紧承，以「收取」这一斩截有力的动词，把豪情落到收复藩镇的实际功业上——中唐河朔割据、中央孱弱，此句正戳中时代痛点。两句一激一承，理想之壮已极，而读者若知李贺本是困于场屋、终身未第的书生，便知这「男儿何不」实是诗人自己的呐喊与自嘲：他何尝不想带钩收取，奈何无路请缨。表面豪迈，底子是绝望；说的是投笔从戎，实则是无路可走。起手即把个人身世与时代乱局熔铸为一，雄健中已伏悲凉。

The opening couplet rises with a sweeping question, the spirit suddenly strong, a rare stern, direct voice among Tang quatrains. 'A young man' first sets the subject, 'why not?' the counter-question like a blow, forcing an answer; 'buckle on the Wu hook' taking the saber for the army, writing the abstract will to serve the state as something concrete and stern. The next line, 'and win back the fifty provinces of mountain pass' follows, the decisive verb 'win back' landing the elan on the real achievement of recovering the rebel-held provinces — mid-Tang, the regions north of the Yellow River were warlord-held, the central court weak, and this line strikes the age's raw nerve. Two lines, one challenge one follow-through, ideal at its height; yet the reader who knows that Li He was a scholar trapped in the examination rooms, never passing the exam in his life, knows that this 'why not, young man' is really the poet's own cry and self-mockery: how he longed to buckle on the hook and win the provinces, yet had no road to volunteer. Bold on the surface, despair at the root; speaking of laying aside the pen for the sword, really of no road to take. From the first stroke, personal lot and the age's disorder are fused, and the boldness already hides grief.

请君暂上凌烟阁，若个书生万户侯。

Go up, I pray, and look at the Lingyan Pavilion; which of those portraits is a scholar made lord of ten thousand households?

请你姑且登上凌烟阁去看一看，那上面哪里有一个书生被封为万户侯的？

I pray you, go up and look at the Lingyan Pavilion; which scholar there is made a lord of ten thousand households?

后联以前联的豪情骤转，由理想坠入现实，是全诗最沉痛的落点。「请君暂上凌烟阁」语气从容如邀人闲步，实则把人引向一个残酷的证据现场——凌烟阁上二十四功臣，尽是提刀跃马的武夫。「若个书生万户侯」以「若个」（哪一个）反诘收束，不作正面议论，只让墙上的画像自己作答：图上从无书生。这一「以事实作结」的手法，比任何痛斥都更有力，因为事实胜于雄辩。而事实恰恰证明：书生（即诗人自己）被彻底摒于功名之门之外。李贺因父讳被阻进士，连「书生」进阶之路都被堵死，此句正是对自身遭遇的血泪控诉。激愤在外、悲凉在内，反问强于痛哭。两句与起联呼应：前说男儿当带钩收取，后说书生终无封侯——理想与现实的两道闸门轰然合拢，遂成唐人绝句中冷峻至极的愤语。

The closing couplet turns abruptly from the opening elan, falling from ideal to reality, the bitterest landing of the poem. 'Go up, I pray, and look at the Lingyan Pavilion' the tone as easy as asking a man for a stroll, yet leading him to a cruel court of evidence — on the Lingyan Pavilion, the twenty-four portraits are all warriors with blades and horses. 'Which of those portraits is a scholar made lord of ten thousand households?' closes in counter-question, no direct argument, letting the portraits on the wall answer for themselves: never a scholar among them. This method of 'ending in fact' is stronger than any invective, because fact outranks eloquence; and the fact proves precisely this: the scholar — the poet himself — is utterly barred from the gate of fame. Li He, blocked from the jinshi examination by his father's naming taboo, had even the scholar's road closed; this line is the blood-and-tears indictment of his own lot. Indignation without, grief within, the counter-question stronger than weeping. The two lines echo the opening: first, the young man should buckle on the hook and win back the provinces; now, the scholar ends with no fief — the two floodgates of ideal and reality crash shut, forming the coldest, angriest quatrain of Tang verse.

Study

Word focus

收取 Compared with 'recover,' 'reclaim' is more colloquial and more resolute, carrying a done-in-one-stroke decisiveness. The two words make the boldness of the first two lines concrete rather than empty shouting. 「收取关山五十州」的「收取」二字，较之常见的「收复」更为口语、也更为决绝，带有一举而定、不容置疑的果断气概。它使前句「何不带吴钩」的豪情立刻落到实处——不是空喊从军，而是真要去把沦陷的州郡夺回来。「收」与「取」同义复用，语气斩截，见少年意气与家国之志的合一，毫无书生议政的吞吐。更妙在它与尾联「若个书生万户侯」形成隐性对照：嘴上说得「收取」如此轻快，现实中书生却连「收取」的资格都被剥夺，这一个爽利的动词愈显后文反诘的残酷。炼字之妙在俗中见力，以最寻常的「收取」举起了最重的报国无门之痛，是李贺此类雄直诗中少见的干脆笔墨。

若个 'Which' is Tang colloquial, meaning 'which one.' A slang word in the poem, the tone is like a face-to-face challenge, no evasion; more urgent than the literary 'who.' One colloquial word states the pent-up grievance with finality. 「若个书生万户侯」的「若个」是唐代口语，意为「哪一个」「谁个」。以俚语入诗，语气如当面质问、不容回避，较之文言的「孰」「何人」更显激切亲切。诗人不引经据典地辩说，只甩出一句市井般的反问，把满腔愤懑说得斩钉截铁。它也是末句「以事实作结」的关键：不答「没有」，而问「哪一个」，把论证权交还给凌烟阁的画像，让观者自己得出结论，含蓄中藏雷霆。一个口语词，既破除了七言绝句的雅驯气，又强化了冷峻的反诘力度，使全诗在雄直之外更见生辣。李贺善用古诗俚字入律绝，此「若个」正是一例，可见其诗风虽奇诡，而愤悱之时亦能出以痛快之语。

暂 A key expression in the poem. Read it as an image, mood, or grammar point in context. 「请君暂上凌烟阁」的「暂」字，看似极轻极淡，实则是全联乃至全诗的机锋所在。「暂」者，姑且、稍作之意，诗人以邀人闲步的从容口吻说「您不妨上去瞧一眼」，把引向残酷证据现场的动作写得漫不经心，反差愈大、讽刺愈深。它把凌烟阁这座象征功名顶峰的圣殿，降格为随脚可上的寻常楼阁，暗示那二十四功臣像不过是一面供人证伪的墙。一个「暂」字举重若轻，把沉痛的控诉包装成随意的提议，冷峻之极。若去掉「暂」而直说「请君上凌烟阁」，便少了这份举重若轻的俏皮与寒意。虚字之工，正在这种于不经意处藏刀的分寸，足见李贺炼字不止于奇丽，亦能于平淡虚词中见筋骨。