祭十二郎文 - 韩愈
悲痛綿延，親情永寄
天寶十二載，余自昌黎還藍關，未及家百里而得家書，知十二郎卒。
In the twelfth year of the Tianbao era, I was returning from Changli to Languan, less than a hundred li from home, when I received a letter informing me that my nephew, Twelve-lang, had passed away.
慟哭而遣之曰：嗚呼十二郎，汝死不幸，吾不得保汝以沒世。
Stricken with grief, I wailed and bade farewell: “Alas, Twelve-lang, your death is a cruel misfortune. I could not protect you until life’s end.”
汝雖死，而魂氣尚有不昧者耶？抑又從此永滅，不復見乎？
Though you have perished, does your spirit still endure, or is it forever extinguished and never to be seen again?
吾自今年始，十有三年矣，而無弟。弟死於是乎？其亦可以悲矣哉！
It has now been thirteen years since I was left without a younger brother. Must I bear yet another brother’s loss? How can my sorrow not be profound?
嗚呼！雖時日無多，而痛恨何極也！彼蒼者何不惠我，致吾父兄並棄我去？
Alas! Though my days may be numbered, my grief is boundless. Why does Heaven not show mercy? My father and elder brothers have abandoned me, one after another.
我少孤微，少長流落，未嘗一日保其天年，汝也憂艱。惟昔先君餘恩，庶兀存者，期互相守，庶可全吾閭閻。
From youth, I was orphaned and of humble means, drifting without surety. Not once did we rest safe for a single day, and you likewise suffered hardship. We relied on the lingering grace of our ancestors to survive, hoping to guard each other so that our ancestral home might endure.
乃今折頸，此從古皆然也，然吾心實痛焉。痛哉十二郎！
Now your life is cut short; though many have met such fate throughout time, my heart aches profoundly. Woe unto you, Twelve-lang!
遠客未返，悲風忽至；如或有靈，傷我孤棲，吾將奈何？
I am still a wanderer far from home, and this bitter wind arrives with sudden grief. If you have any spirit left, you must lament my lonely state. How can I bear this sorrow?
吾與汝別，汝魂未離我室；及吾歸而哭之，則汝氣已渺茫。
We parted, yet your soul still hovered in my abode. When I returned to mourn you, your essence had already drifted beyond reach.
哀哉十二郎！不得與汝相執手而淚下耳。雖慟莫及，言不盡悲。
Alas, Twelve-lang! I could not clasp your hand and weep with you. Though my grief is overwhelming, words cannot express it fully.
將何以歸爾？以吾友與信，以吾思與慕；惟汝有靈，聽吾此言。
What can I offer you now? Only my friendship and devotion, my longing and love. If your spirit lingers, heed these words of mine.
嗚呼哀哉，尚饗！
Alas! Grief overwhelms me. May your spirit receive my offering!
《祭十二郎文》是韓愈在得知侄子十二郎去世後，為寄託深沉哀痛而作的祭文。雖以「祭文」形式表達，卻具有鮮明的散文特質與強烈的情感力量。全文交織著悲痛、懊惱、自責與無奈等情緒：韓愈悲歎自己沒能在十二郎生前給予更多照顧，又感懷宗族凋零、血親相繼離去的沉痛。他以直白的語言與淚水般傾瀉的句子，將生死無常的人生感慨毫無保留地呈現出來。
文中多次呼喚「十二郎」，既有召喚亡靈的祭文特徵，也代表韓愈心中無法放下的執念。他從兩人共同經歷的艱苦歲月開始，憶及往昔互相扶持的親情，終至親人天人永隔的無奈，皆在句句淚痕中顯現。整篇雖言語質樸，卻直扣人心，讓讀者感受到「父兄、弟侄」之間難以割捨的羈絆。
從社會文化角度看，唐代以孝悌為核心倫理，宗族互助尤受重視。韓愈才華洋溢、仕途雖有波折但名望漸盛，卻頻遭家庭多舛的命運，使得本篇祭文中充滿人情悲苦的真摯與撕裂感。當這樣的情感透過他高超的文學表達能力傾瀉而出，遂成為傳世名作。
《祭十二郎文》不只是一篇私人的輓文，更是唐代散文的重要範本。其情感真誠、語言樸實有力，展現韓愈對生命的深刻洞察，也體現了對血脈親情的極度珍惜。後世讀者在品讀此文時，往往也會聯想到個人身邊的生死離別，於是產生強烈共鳴，感悟到家人與團聚的可貴。
重點
1. 本文彰顯了血親情誼的深厚與無可取代。韓愈對侄子的思念與痛惜，既展現古代文人對親情的凝視，也喚起後世對家庭連結的重要反思。
2. 文字直白卻深刻，鮮明地呈現哀慟情緒，突顯韓愈在遭逢喪親之痛時，難以抑制的悲懷與無奈。
3. 從文學角度看，《祭十二郎文》透過「召喚亡靈」「自責悼念」等手法，奠定了後世祭文體的創作典範，亦與唐代散文風格相輝映，為古文運動貢獻了情感濃郁、風格醇厚的名篇。