魏晋 Wei-Jin · 诗 Poem
重赠卢谌
Again Presented to Lu Chen
握中有悬璧，本自荆山璆。
惟彼太公望，昔在渭滨叟。
It is a gem native to Mount Jing.
As for that Taigong Wang, he was once an old man by the Wei shore.
Meaning
Comparing himself to a fine jade and to Jiang Taigong, the poet affirms his worth and hope to meet a wise lord and restore his cause, grave and resolute.
手中握着悬黎美璧，本就是荆山出产的宝玉。想那姜太公望，昔日也不过是渭水之滨的老叟。
Appreciation
Liu Kun begins with the image of a suspended jade disk, a gem from Mount Jing, to mark his own talent and virtue. He then invokes Jiang Taigong, once a mere old man by the Wei, who rose to greatness—an open claim of patient hope. The tone is stirring and somber, the voice of a hero grown old yet unbroken. Written as his last testament to a friend, it carries a clean, lofty air.
【白话串讲】 刘琨写《重赠卢谌》：“握中有悬璧，本自荆山璆”——他赞卢谌像荆山美玉。“惟彼太公望，昔在渭滨叟”——他想做太公望那样的人。刘琨一生抗敌，壮志未酬，他写这首诗时，已经被囚。 【意象与手法】以“悬璧”“荆山璆”自喻英才，以“太公望”“渭滨叟”用典，表达怀才待时之志。 【情感与主旨】借美玉与姜尚之典，自况怀才不遇而仍望遇明主、建功业，慷慨沉郁。 【名句点睛】以“太公望”自许，见英雄老而弥坚、志在复振的气概。
Background
Liu Kun was a loyal general and poet of the late Western Jin; this poem, 'Again Presented to Lu Chen,' was written before his death to declare his purpose to a friend.
《重赠卢谌》为西晋刘琨所作，是写握璧怀才、感慨时艰的诗。刘琨（271—318），字越石，中山魏昌人，西晋名将、诗人。此诗（节选）：握中有悬璧，本自荆山璆。惟彼太公望，昔在渭滨叟。全诗以悬璧荆山、太公渭滨写怀才报国之志，是刘琨诗的名篇。
Art
Comparison (jade for himself) joined with allusion (Jiang Taigong), stirring and somber.
《重赠卢谌》艺术上以悬璧荆山的描摹与太公渭滨的比兴见长。此诗（节选）四句：首写悬璧荆山——“握中有悬璧，本自荆山璆”写握中有悬璧、本自荆山璆；末写太公渭滨——“惟彼太公望，昔在渭滨叟”写惟彼太公望、昔在渭滨叟。全诗以悬璧荆山写太公渭滨，正是刘琨诗比兴的笔法。
Allusions
The 'suspended jade disk' and 'gem of Mount Jing' refer to fine jade (Mount Jing yielded the He Shi jade); 'Taigong Wang' is Jiang Shang, who met King Wen late in life.
《重赠卢谌》用典在“悬璧”“荆山璆”“太公望”“渭滨叟”。“悬璧”用悬璧之典（悬黎玉璧）；“荆山璆”用荆山之典（荆山璞玉、和氏璧）；“太公望”用太公望之典（姜太公）；“渭滨叟”用渭滨之典（姜太公钓于渭滨）。全诗以这些意象写握璧怀才、感慨时艰，用典自然而比兴自见，正是刘琨诗的笔法。
Commentary
Zhong Rong's 'Grading of Poets' says his verse 'excels at desolate words, with a clarity and loftiness of its own.'
《重赠卢谌》是刘琨诗的名篇，也是晋诗中写怀才报国的代表作。此诗写握璧怀才、感慨时艰，向为论者称道。论者多赏其悬璧荆山的描摹与太公渭滨的比兴——“握中有悬璧，本自荆山璆”用荆山之典写握中有悬璧、本自荆山璆，比兴之极；“惟彼太公望，昔在渭滨叟”用太公望之典写惟彼太公望、昔在渭滨叟，更见其志。刘琨为晋室忠臣，其诗慷慨悲壮，此诗正是其代表——以悬璧荆山写太公渭滨，正是其诗风。
Prosody
Line by line
握中有悬璧，本自荆山璆。
In my hand I hold a suspended jade; it was hewn from Jing Mountain's finest stone.
握中有悬璧，本自荆山璆。
In my hand I hold a jade of Xuan Li; it came originally from Jing Mountain's finest jade.
首用悬璧荆山之典写握中有悬璧、本自荆山璆，是全诗写怀才之美的起点。“握中有悬璧”用悬璧之典写握中有悬璧——“握中有悬璧”用悬黎玉璧之典写手中握着悬璧——握中有悬璧；“本自荆山璆”用荆山之典写本自荆山璆——“本自荆山璆”用荆山璞玉之典写本是荆山美玉——本自荆山璆。二句写握中有悬璧、本自荆山璆：握中有悬璧，本自荆山璆。以“握中有悬璧”用悬璧之典写手中悬璧、美玉在握，以“本自荆山璆”用荆山之典写本是荆山、璞玉所出，正是刘琨诗写怀才之美的起点——握中悬璧，本自荆山。
This couplet opens the poem with the allusion to suspended jade and Jing Mountain, the starting point of Liu Kun's writing of his own talent. In my hand I hold a suspended jade uses the Xuan Li jade allusion to write the jade held in the hand - a figure for unrecognized worth. It was hewn from Jing Mountain's finest stone uses the Jing Mountain allusion (Bian He's jade) to write that the jade is of the finest provenance. The two lines together write held jade and Jing Mountain stone: the worth is real, ancient, tested. Liu Kun, under siege in Jinyang, writes of his own loyalty and ability as jade in hand - valued by him, yet unrecognized by the court he serves. The allusion gives the self-praise both modesty and urgency. Compared with a plain saying I have great ability, the jade and the Jing Mountain stone give the worth both image and pedigree, making this the poem's opening stroke.
惟彼太公望，昔在渭滨叟。
That Taigong Wang - once he was but an old man on the banks of the Wei.
惟彼太公望，昔在渭滨叟。
As for that Taigong Wang, he was once an old man fishing by the Wei shore.
末用太公望之典写惟彼太公望、昔在渭滨叟，是全诗写待时而用的归结。“惟彼太公望”用太公望之典写惟彼太公望——“惟彼太公望”用姜太公之典写只有那太公望——惟彼太公望；“昔在渭滨叟”用渭滨之典写昔在渭滨叟——“昔在渭滨叟”用姜太公钓渭之典写当年渭滨垂钓的老叟——昔在渭滨叟。二句写惟彼太公望、昔在渭滨叟：惟彼太公望，昔在渭滨叟。以“惟彼太公望”用太公望之典写太公之望、终得明主，以“昔在渭滨叟”用渭滨之典写渭滨钓叟、老而遇时，正是刘琨诗写待时而用的归结——太公渭滨，终遇其主。
This couplet closes the poem's first movement with the allusion to Taigong Wang, the resolution of Liu Kun's hope for a timely meeting. That Taigong Wang uses the Jiang Taigong allusion to name the man; once he was but an old man on the banks of the Wei uses the Wei-shore allusion to write the old fisherman before King Wen found him. The two lines together write Taigong Wang and the old Wei fisherman: the great minister was once an old man fishing, waiting. Liu Kun's allusion is desperate: he compares himself to Taigong, waiting for a wise lord who will never come; the allusion's hope is shadowed by his present siege. The old man on the Wei shore is the image of a lifetime's waiting. Compared with a plain saying even Taigong was an old fisherman before he met King Wen, the Taigong and the Wei-shore old man give the waiting both mythic hope and personal despair, making this the poem's closing stroke.
Study
Word focus
Related Reading
Compare this related work with the poem above through theme, imagery, tone, and emotional movement.
曹操《短歌行》写山不厌高、周公吐哺天下归心，与本诗同为魏晋诗写求贤报国。差异在情境：重赠卢谌写赠友托志；短歌行写招贤揽才。一写“赠”之托，一写“招”之怀。两者并读，可见魏晋诗写求贤报国的两种情境。
龟虽寿 Though the Tortoise Lives Long 曹操 · 同为魏晋诗写志士之怀，一写悬璧荆山一写老骥伏枥，皆慷慨 Related readingCompare this related work with the poem above through theme, imagery, tone, and emotional movement.
曹操《龟虽寿》写老骥伏枥、志在千里，与本诗同为魏晋诗写志士之怀。差异在情境：重赠卢谌写怀才待用；龟虽寿写烈士暮年。一写“待”之志，一写“老”之壮。两者并读，可见魏晋诗写志士之怀的两种情境。
咏怀·夜中不能寐 Song of My Heart: I Cannot Sleep at Night 阮籍 · 同为魏晋诗写忧怀，一写悬璧荆山一写孤鸿哀鸣，一壮一忧 Related readingCompare this related work with the poem above through theme, imagery, tone, and emotional movement.
阮籍《咏怀·夜中不能寐》写孤鸿号外野、翔鸟鸣北林，与本诗同为魏晋诗写忧怀。差异在情致：重赠卢谌写报国之壮；咏怀写忧生之深。一写“壮”之志，一写“忧”之思。两者并读，可见魏晋诗写忧怀的两种情致。