Translation
By Wang Changling (690?-757?) | 王昌齡 |
Frontier Song II | 塞下曲 |
My horse drinks, crossing through autumn water, | 飲馬 渡秋水 |
The cold water, and knife-like wind. | 水寒 風似刀 |
The sun hasn’t sunk yet into desert sand— | 平沙 日未沒 |
And it’s dark and dreary on approaching the town of Lintao. | 黯黯 見臨洮 |
In days of past by the Great Wall there was a battle | 昔日 長城 戰 |
And everyone was high in will and spirit | 咸言 意氣高 |
But as in all ages, abundant is the dust and sand | 黃塵 足 今古 |
And the white bones mixed among the weeds | 白骨 亂蓬蒿 |
Notes:
1. 5th verse (Xī rì cháng chéng zhàn): in 714, Tang soldiers won a major battle against Tibet. Thousands were killed or injured. Scholars assume that’s the battle Wang referred to.
2. In the history, many poems of this genre, 樂府 (Folk-song-styled-verse), reveal the cruelty of war.
Original Chinese
Traditional | Simplified | Pronunciation |
王昌齡 | 王昌龄 | Wáng Chāng Líng |
塞下曲 | 塞下曲 | Sài xià qǔ |
飲馬渡秋水， | 饮马渡秋水， | Yìn mǎ dù qiū shuǐ, |
水寒風似刀。 | 水寒风似刀。 | Shuǐ hán fēng shì dāo. |
平沙日未沒， | 平沙日未没， | Píng shā rì wèi mò, |
黯黯見臨洮。 | 黯黯见临洮。 | Àn àn jiàn lín táo. |
昔日長城戰， | 昔日长城战， | Xī rì cháng chéng zhàn, |
咸言意氣高； | 咸言意气高; | Xián yán yì qì gāo; |
黃塵足今古， | 黄尘足今古， | Huáng chén zú jīn gǔ, |
白骨亂蓬蒿。 | 白骨乱蓬蒿。 | Bái gǔ luàn péng hāo. |
Literal Notes
王昌齡 | King Prosperous Age =Wang Changling(690?-757?) |
塞下曲 | Strategic-pass/stronghold under/down tune |
飲馬渡秋水， | Drink horse cross/pass through autumn water |
水寒風似刀。 | Water cold/freeze wind as/like knife |
平沙日未沒， | Flat/level sand sun not-yet sink [Flat/level sand = desert ] |
黯黯見臨洮。 | Dark/dim dark see close cleanse [Dark/dim dark = a dare scene], [close cleanse = Lintao, a place name, it’s in Gansu Province, near the source of Yellow River.] |
昔日長城戰， | Past day long wall battle/war/fight |
咸言意氣高； | All say desire air/vital breath high [desire air/vital breath=will and spirits] |
黃塵足今古， | Yellow dust sufficient today ancient [Yellow dust=sand], [today ancient=in all ages] |
白骨亂蓬蒿。 | White bone messy/mix up grass wormwood [grass wormwood=crown daisy, here referred to weeds] |
Notes and character tables prepared with the assistance of Liane Rui of Shanghai, China.
Year:
2012
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