Stone Drum Song - Han Yu
/石鼓歌 - 韩愈/
A Tribute to Ancient Inscriptions and the Rise and Fall of Empires
周宣中兴文物盛，
When King Xuan of Zhou revived the realm, culture flourished;
散在荒郊如断绠。
Yet now these relics lie scattered in the wild fields, like a severed rope.
千载无言江汉老，
A thousand years pass in silence—rivers age beneath the sky;
寂寞空山见遗影。
Amid lonely mountains, only their faint shadows remain.
秦皇汉武符事业，
Qin Shihuang and Emperor Wu of Han sealed their grand ambitions;
车碾兵屯苦不识。
But with armies and chariots rolling by, none could recognize these stones.
岂知向背事翻覆，
Who could foretell how fortunes reverse, how loyalties turn?
留此漫漫谁复测？
They left these stones behind, vast in meaning—who can fully comprehend?
我来思古心茫然，
I come here, pondering the ancients, my heart at a loss;
石上题诗字独传。
Only the words chiseled in stone endure across time.
天低云暗海日远，
The sky hangs low, clouds dim—beyond, the sun meets the sea in the distance;
风雨萧萧倍惨然。
Wind and rain moan together, redoubling my melancholy.
帝王虽盛皆成梦，
Though emperors reach lofty heights, all becomes a dream in the end;
忧乐人情盍可定？
Our joys and sorrows—who can keep them fixed or unchanging?
拔剑四顾叹无言，
I draw my sword, gaze in all directions, and sigh without words;
但见荒冈虎狼行。
Only on the barren ridges do tigers and wolves roam.
我愿获兹石鼓归，
I wish I could bring these Stone Drums back with me;
置在显处常摩围。
Set them where all can see, forever tracing their inscriptions.
使知盛衰理不常，
Then we’d know that prosperity and decline obey no fixed law;
令人生死如长悲。
And life and death would stir in us an unbroken lament.
浩叹六朝如过客，
I heave a deep sigh for the Six Dynasties—like travelers, they come and go;
一片微风谁与期？
A faint breeze passes over these stones—who could have foreseen it all?
When King Xuan of Zhou revived the realm, culture flourished;
散在荒郊如断绠。
Yet now these relics lie scattered in the wild fields, like a severed rope.
千载无言江汉老，
A thousand years pass in silence—rivers age beneath the sky;
寂寞空山见遗影。
Amid lonely mountains, only their faint shadows remain.
秦皇汉武符事业，
Qin Shihuang and Emperor Wu of Han sealed their grand ambitions;
车碾兵屯苦不识。
But with armies and chariots rolling by, none could recognize these stones.
岂知向背事翻覆，
Who could foretell how fortunes reverse, how loyalties turn?
留此漫漫谁复测？
They left these stones behind, vast in meaning—who can fully comprehend?
我来思古心茫然，
I come here, pondering the ancients, my heart at a loss;
石上题诗字独传。
Only the words chiseled in stone endure across time.
天低云暗海日远，
The sky hangs low, clouds dim—beyond, the sun meets the sea in the distance;
风雨萧萧倍惨然。
Wind and rain moan together, redoubling my melancholy.
帝王虽盛皆成梦，
Though emperors reach lofty heights, all becomes a dream in the end;
忧乐人情盍可定？
Our joys and sorrows—who can keep them fixed or unchanging?
拔剑四顾叹无言，
I draw my sword, gaze in all directions, and sigh without words;
但见荒冈虎狼行。
Only on the barren ridges do tigers and wolves roam.
我愿获兹石鼓归，
I wish I could bring these Stone Drums back with me;
置在显处常摩围。
Set them where all can see, forever tracing their inscriptions.
使知盛衰理不常，
Then we’d know that prosperity and decline obey no fixed law;
令人生死如长悲。
And life and death would stir in us an unbroken lament.
浩叹六朝如过客，
I heave a deep sigh for the Six Dynasties—like travelers, they come and go;
一片微风谁与期？
A faint breeze passes over these stones—who could have foreseen it all?
Han Yu’s “Stone Drum Song” (《石鼓歌》) is an ode to the so-called Stone Drums—ancient relics dating back to the time of King Xuan of the Zhou Dynasty. These drums, engraved with early Chinese characters, were discovered centuries later in a state of disrepair and dispersal. In composing this poem, Han Yu laments the passing of time, the collapse of once-mighty dynasties, and the transience of human ambition.
Throughout the poem, images of desolate fields, lonely mountains, and ceaseless wind and rain emphasize how all things—no matter how powerful—succumb to history’s indifference. Even the grand achievements of figures like Qin Shihuang and Emperor Wu of Han, who embodied imperial might, cannot eclipse the quiet testament of these ancient stones. The poet underscores the theme that emperors, armies, and peoples all must inevitably fade, leaving only cryptic traces on stone for later generations to puzzle over.
Yet Han Yu’s lament is not wholly despairing. He yearns to gather the Stone Drums, to bring them where people can observe their inscriptions and learn from the cyclical nature of rise and fall. By setting them ‘in a prominent place,’ Han Yu seeks to offer a lesson for all who gaze upon them: prosperity and decline follow one another, and no worldly glory endures forever. The poem’s concluding sigh for the Six Dynasties further reminds us that even great cultural flourishes are but moments in the endless flow of time.
In many ways, “Stone Drum Song” aligns with the broader Confucian worldview that urges moral reflection on history’s lessons. The poet’s personal longing and existential contemplation stand as a cautionary tale against arrogance: if the mightiest rulers become only an echo in the mountains, how can any individual trust in permanence? For readers today, the poem resonates as a meditation on impermanence, urging humility, historical awareness, and reverence for what remains of the distant past.
Key points
• Han Yu’s poem reflects on how powerful empires and achievements ultimately fade into history.
• The Stone Drums serve as silent witnesses to vanished dynasties, reminding us of life’s transience.
• Classical images of mists, emptiness, and drifting clouds reinforce the theme of impermanence.
• Despite his lamentation, Han Yu proposes preserving historical relics so that future generations might learn from both triumphs and defeats.
