On a part of a spear still unrusted in the sand
I have burnished the symbol of an ancient kingdom...
Except for a wind aiding General Zhou Yu,
Spring would have sealed both Qiao girls in CopperBird Palace.
Original Poem:
「赤壁」
杜牧
折戟沉沙铁未销，自将磨洗认前朝。
东风不与周郎便，铜雀春深锁二乔。
Interpretation:
The poet passed by the ancient battlefield of Red Cliff on his way to his appointment, and wrote this poem with a feeling for the success or failure of the heroes of the Three Kingdoms.
The first two lines: In the mud and sand of the Red Cliff, there is a broken halberd that has not rusted out. After scrubbing the halberd myself, I realized that it was a remnant of the Battle of Red Cliff.
The poem opens with an ancient halberd, leading to a lamentation of the ancients and ancient events. In the Red Cliff War was abandoned a broken halberd, sunk in the sand underwater for more than 600 years, has not been rusted off, was found. After some of their own scrubbing, finally recognized as a relic of the year, so sigh. By the halberd associated with the end of the Han dynasty split turmoil, think of the significance of the battle, but also think of the important characters of the battle. The first two lines are written to express the sigh of relief. In the first two lines, the reason for sighing is clear.
In the last two lines, if the east wind hadn't made it easier for Zhou Yu, I'm afraid Cao Cao would have won, and Er Qiao would have been imprisoned in the Bronze Sparrow Tower.
In the Battle of Red Cliff, Zhou Yu defeated Cao Cao's army, which was several times larger than his own, by mainly using fire attacks. The reason why the fire attack worked was because of the strong east wind that blew at the time of the battle. Therefore, to comment on the reasons for the success or failure of this battle, the author chose to write only about the winner and the reason for his victory, the east wind. Why Du Mu attributes Zhou Yu's great victory in the Battle of Red Cliffs to the fortuitous east wind is that “there are no heroes in our time”.
The poet points out that the Battle of Red Cliff is related to the survival of the country, and at the same time, he alludes to the fact that he was not utilized for his great ambition, and he uses history to spit out his depression and injustice in his chest.
Poem translator:
Kiang Kanghu
About the poet:
Du Mu (杜牧), 803-853 AD, was a native of Xi'an, Shaanxi Province. Among the poets of the Late Tang Dynasty, he was one of those who had his own characteristics, and later people called Li Shangyin and Du Mu as "Little Li and Du". His poems are bright and colorful.
