A Funeral Oration for My Twelfth Younger Cousin - Han Yu
/祭十二郎文 - 韩愈/
A Heartfelt Farewell: Mourning Family and Reflecting on Impermanence
【原文】
岁在甲子，余奉敕抚州。抚之去江陵千有余里，是时十二郎新阙，家问未报。
When the year was Jiazi, I was sent by imperial decree to Fuzhou. It lay more than a thousand li from Jiangling, and at that time, my Twelfth Younger Cousin had just passed away. I had not yet received the message from home.
予心火然，忘寝食，将抵抚，忽奉追至袁州，有顾复之命；
My heart was aflame with anxiety, leaving me sleepless and without appetite. Just as I was about to reach Fuzhou, I was suddenly summoned back to Yuanzhou and ordered to resume other duties.
前既不得从十二郎之丧于江陵，后又不得一拜其坟而哭也。
Thus, I could not attend my cousin’s funeral in Jiangling before, nor could I later visit his grave to mourn.
十二郎少时孤弱，同居于吾之家；
When Twelfth Younger Cousin was young—fatherless and frail—he stayed in my household.
即长，抱质纯孝，事亲甚谨。
Upon growing up, he proved himself thoroughly filial and served his elders with utmost care.
然厄于数奇，未盛年而终。
Yet ill fate pursued him, and he passed away before reaching his prime.
呜呼哀哉！吾今而后，魂梦所归，唯有长号以寄矣！
Alas! From now on, when I reach out in spirit and dream, I can only pour out my grief in wails!
【以下为节选，原文更长】
(The above is an excerpt of the full text, which is considerably longer.)
Although often called a “funeral oration,” Han Yu’s “祭十二郎文” is more a personal lament than a structured elegy. Written to commemorate the passing of his Twelfth Younger Cousin, the piece reveals profound sorrow, regret, and guilt that he could not attend the funeral or even pay final respects.
Through impassioned language, Han Yu underscores how his cousin was both physically and emotionally vulnerable, having grown up fatherless in Han Yu’s own household. The essay then transforms into a heartfelt meditation on fate, duty, and human mortality. Despite the cousin’s diligent filial piety—an esteemed virtue in Confucian culture—he died at a tragically young age, leaving the author devastated and powerless.
Beyond eulogizing a loved one, the work reflects on broader themes of impermanence and the unpredictability of life. Han Yu’s failure to be present for his cousin’s final rites weighs heavily on him, highlighting the interplay of personal responsibility and uncontrollable circumstance—particularly in an era when official appointments dictated one’s location and obligations.
At its core, “祭十二郎文” demonstrates how literary expression becomes a means of catharsis. By transforming private grief into eloquent text, Han Yu both honors the memory of the deceased and grapples with his own sense of loss. The piece endures as a masterful example of Tang-dynasty prose, valued for its authenticity, emotional depth, and the timeless human insight that no rank or duty can exempt one from the pain of separation. In its careful phrasing and heartfelt tone, readers can glimpse universal truths about family bonds, regret, and the struggle to say goodbye.
Key points
• Han Yu’s oration highlights the deep sorrow of being unable to mourn a loved one in person.
• Filial piety and familial devotion stand at the emotional core of the piece.
• Through raw, powerful language, the text exemplifies how personal grief can transcend into universal insight on impermanence.
• “祭十二郎文” remains a classic of Chinese prose, cherished for its elegance and depth of feeling.
