国初已来画鞍马，神妙独数江都王。
　　将军得名三十载，人间又见真乘黄。
　　曾貌先帝照夜白，龙池十日飞霹雳。
　　内府殷红马脑盘，婕妤传诏才人索。
　　盘赐将军拜舞归，轻纨细绮相追飞。
　　贵戚权门得笔迹，始觉屏障生光辉。
　　昔日太宗拳毛騧，近时郭家狮子花。
　　今之新图有二马，复令识者久叹嗟。
　　此皆骑战一敌万，缟素漠漠开风沙。
　　其余七匹亦殊绝，迥若寒空动烟雪。
　　霜蹄蹴踏长楸间，马官厮养森成列。
　　可怜九马争神骏，顾视清高气深稳。
　　借问苦心爱者谁，后有韦讽前支遁。
　　忆昔巡幸新丰宫，翠华拂天来向东。
　　腾骧磊落三万匹，皆与此图筋骨同。
　　自从献宝朝河宗，无复射蛟江水中。
　　君不见金粟堆前松柏里，龙媒去尽鸟呼风。

　　Throughout this dynasty no one had painted horses
　　Like the master-spirit, Prince Jiangdu --
　　And then to General Cao through his thirty years of fame
　　The world's gaze turned, for royal steeds.
　　He painted the late Emperor's luminous white horse.
　　For ten days the thunder flew over Dragon Lake,
　　And a pink-agate plate was sent him from the palace-
　　The talk of the court-ladies, the marvel of all eyes.
　　The General danced, receiving it in his honoured home
　　After this rare gift, followed rapidly fine silks
　　From many of the nobles, requesting that his art
　　Lend a new lustre to their screens.
　　...First came the curly-maned horse of Emperor Taizong,
　　Then, for the Guos, a lion-spotted horse....
　　But now in this painting I see two horses,
　　A sobering sight for whosoever knew them.
　　They are war- horses. Either could face ten thousand.
　　They make the white silk stretch away into a vast desert.
　　And the seven others with them are almost as noble
　　Mist and snow are moving across a cold sky,
　　And hoofs are cleaving snow-drifts under great trees-
　　With here a group of officers and there a group of servants.
　　See how these nine horses all vie with one another-
　　The high clear glance, the deep firm breath.
　　...Who understands distinction? Who really cares for art?
　　You, Wei Feng, have followed Cao; Zhidun preceded him.
　　...I remember when the late Emperor came toward his Summer Palace,
　　The procession, in green-feathered rows, swept from the eastern sky --
　　Thirty thousand horses, prancing, galloping,
　　Fashioned, every one of them, like the horses in this picture....
　　But now the Imperial Ghost receives secret jade from the River God,
　　For the Emperor hunts crocodiles no longer by the streams.
　　Where you see his Great Gold Tomb, you may hear among the pines
　　A bird grieving in the wind that the Emperor's horses are gone.

【白话文】 开国以来善画鞍马的画家中，画技最精妙传神只数江都王。
曹将军画马出名已有三十载，人间又见古代真正神马“乘黄”。
他曾描绘玄宗先帝的“照夜白”，画得象池龙腾飞十日声如雷。
皇宫内库珍藏的殷红玛瑙盘，婕妤传下御旨才人将它取来。
将军接受赐盘叩拜皇恩回归，轻纨细绮相继赐来快速如飞。
贵戚们谁得到曹将军亲笔迹，谁就觉得府第屏障增加光辉。
当年唐太宗著名宝马“拳毛”。近代郭子仪家中好驹“狮子花”。
而今新画之中就有这两匹马，使得识马的人久久感慨赞夸。
这都是战骑以一胜万的好马，展开画绢如见奔马扬起风沙。
其余七匹也都是特殊而奇绝，远远看去象寒空中飘动烟雪。
霜蹄骏马蹴踏在长楸大道间，专职马倌和役卒肃立排成列。
可爱的九匹马神姿争俊竞雄，昂首阔视显得高雅深沉稳重。
请问有谁真心喜爱神姿骏马？后世韦讽前代支遁名传天下。
想当年玄宗皇上巡幸新丰宫，车驾上羽旗拂天浩荡朝向东。
腾飞跳跃精良好马有三万匹，匹匹与画图中马的筋骨雷同。
譬如河宗献宝之后穆王归天，唐玄宗再也不能去射蛟江中。
你没看见金粟堆前松柏林里，良马去尽徒见林鸟啼雨呼风。

【注释】 １、江都王：李绪，唐太宗之侄，故云“国初”。
２、支遁：东晋名僧，字道林，本姓关。
３、翠华：皇帝仪仗中用翠鸟羽毛作装饰的旗帜。

【赏析】 此诗是在代宗广德二年作于成都。时诗人经历了玄宗、肃宗、代宗三朝，自有人世沧桑，浮生若梦之感。因而在诗中明以写马，暗以写人。写马重在筋骨气概，写人寄托情感抱负。赞九马图之妙，生今昔之感，字里行间流露作者对先帝忠诚之意。
在章法上错综绝妙。第一段四句先赞曹氏画技之高超。第二段八句追叙曹氏应诏画马时所得到荣誉和宠幸。第三段十句，写九马图之神妙及各马之姿态。第四段八句是照应第二段“先帝”的伏笔，从而产生今昔迥异之感。
诗以奇妙高远开首，中间翻腾跌宕，又以突兀含蓄收尾。写骏马极为传神，写情感神游题外，感人至深，兴味隽永。浦起龙《读杜心解》说：“身历兴衰，感时抚事，惟其胸中有泪，是以言中有物。”此言极是。