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67
孤 城 落 日 斗 兵 稀
身 当 恩 遇 常 轻 敌
力 尽 关 山 未 解 围
Lone tower, setting sun, fighting soldiers scarce.
When graciously recognized they always look down on
the enemy,
Their strength exhausted, the siege at the mountain pass
still unbroken.
铁 衣 远 戍 辛 勤 久
玉 箸 应 啼 别 离 后
少 妇 城 南 欲 断 肠
征 人 蓟 北 空 回 首
Coats of armour stationed far off toiling on and on,
Jade chopsticks 90 answer sobs after departing.
Young wife south of the city walls is about to break down,
A soldier on campaign north of Ji vainly turns back
his head.
边 庭 飘 飖 那 可 度
绝 域 苍 茫 无 所 有
杀 气 三 时 作 陈 云
寒 声 一 夜 传 刁 斗
Drifting with the wind, how can they cross the frontier,
Far remote region: vast, hazy and full of nothing.
Cold killing air 91 three seasons long forms into an array of
cloud,
Desolate sounds all night long convey the night watch
beat.
相 看 白 刃 血 纷 纷
死 节 从 来 岂 顾 勋
君 不 见 沙 场 征 战 苦
Facing one another white blades drip rivulets of blood,
A righteous death, how could they have ever cared
for merits.
Don't you know of battlefields, of the hardship of war?
至 今 犹 忆 李 将 军 To this day one still remembers General Li. 92
90
See earlier footnote where this portion of the poem is cited. Another more common interpretation of the “jade
chopsticks” is that of a twin stream of tears. See GSJJZ, p. 82. One such usage of this metaphor is found in Li Bai's 李 白
“Boudoir Feelings” (guiqing 闺 情 ): “Regretful that you have left for the flowing sands/Leaving me behind in
Yuyang/Jade chopstick tears flow down all night/twin streams down a lovely woman's face” 恨 君 流 沙 去 , 弃 妾 渔 阳 间 .
玉 箸 夜 垂 流 , 双 双 落 朱 颜 . See QTS 184.1880-1881.
91
Marie Chan translates 杀 气 (shaqi) as “murderous air” . See Marie Chan, Kao Shih, p. 102. My rendering of the term
as “cold killing air” is inspired by the Cihai 辞 海 explanation of 杀 气 as “ 寒 气 ”(hanqi, cold air) and “ 凶 恶 的 气 氛 ”
(malevolent atmosphere). See Cihai 辞 海 (Zhonghua shuju xiangganfenju 中 华 书 局 香 港 分 局 , 1965), p. 571. The
arctic bite of the following line's 寒 声 (hansheng, desolate (cold) sound) seems to build upon the hibernal mood already
established in the preceding parallel slot.
92
Speculation remains rife as to whether the final line is an allusion to Li Guang 李 广 or Li Mu 李 牧 , a skilled general
of Zhao 赵 noted for having delivered decisive attacks against the Xiongnu. The Tangyin 唐 音 , a Yuan 元 dynasty
anthology of Tang poetry, leaves the question open-ended, stating in the annotation to “Song of Yan” that “General Li
and the Zhao general Li Mu both defended the frontier for twenty years during which the Xiongnu did not dare attack”