Along the wall of the Capital a white-headed crow
Flies to the Gate where Autumn Enters and screams there in the night,
Then turns again and pecks among the roofs of a tall mansion
Whose lord, a mighty mandarin, has fled before the Tartars,
With his golden whip now broken, his nine war-horses dead
And his own flesh and bone scattered to the winds....
There's a rare ring of green coral underneath the vest
Of a Prince at a street-corner, bitterly sobbing,
Who has to give a false name to anyone who asks him-
Just a poor fellow, hoping for employment.
A hundred days' hiding in grasses and thorns
Show on his body from head to foot.
But, since their first Emperor, all with hooknoses,
These Dragons look different from ordinary men.
Wolves are in the palace now and Dragons are lost in the desert --
O Prince, be very careful of your most sacred person!
I dare not address you long, here by the open road,
Nor even to stand beside you for more than these few moments.
Last night with the spring-wind there came a smell of blood;
The old Capital is full of camels from the east.
Our northern warriors are sound enough of body and of hand --
Oh, why so brave in olden times and so craven now?
Our Emperor, we hear, has given his son the throne
And the southern border-chieftains are loyally inclined
And the Huamen and Limian tribes are gathering to avenge us.
But still be careful-keep yourself well hidden from the dagger.
Unhappy Prince, I beg you, be constantly on guard --
Till power blow to your aid from the Five Imperial Tombs.
Original Poem:
「哀王孙」
杜甫
长安城头头白乌，夜飞延秋门上呼。
又向人家啄大屋，屋底达官走避胡。
金鞭断折九马死，骨肉不待同驰驱。
腰下宝玦青珊瑚，可怜王孙泣路隅。
问之不肯道姓名，但道困苦乞为奴。
已经百日窜荆棘，身上无有完肌肤。
高帝子孙尽隆准，龙种自与常人殊。
豺狼在邑龙在野，王孙善保千金躯。
不敢长语临交衢，且为王孙立斯须。
昨夜东风吹血腥，东来橐驼满旧都。
朔方健儿好身手，昔何勇锐今何愚。
窃闻天子已传位，圣德北服南单于。
花门剺面请雪耻，慎勿出口他人狙。
哀哉王孙慎勿疏，五陵佳气无时无。
Interpretation:
This poem is written by the poet in the city of Chang’an saw in the past pampered princes and nobles of the children and grandchildren, in the An Shi rebels after the occupation of the city of Chang’an’s miserable encounter.
The poem’s emotion is very complex, both vulgar loyalty to the idea of the king, but also for the weak in a special historical situation of compassion, this time should be out of a kind of humane sympathy.
It turns out that the kings and grandchildren of the nobles who lived in the high halls of Huatang had already fled out of Chang’an and fled all the way out, fleeing for their lives in such a panic that they broke all the gold-decorated horsewhips and killed nine horses, which is a kind of exaggeration to illustrate the terrified state of the fleeing, and they were in a special hurry to escape so fast that they were not able to take away all their own children, and so there was something like “Pity the king’s grandchildren weeping at the corner of the road”, because they had lost their parents and were abandoned by them in the city of Chang’an, weeping by the side of the road.
Du Fu asked these kings and grandchildren their names, these children and grandchildren of the former princes and nobles did not dare to say their names, for fear of being known by the hu soldiers to be taken as prisoners, but only told the poet that he was now in dire straits, and that he would be willing to do even to be a slave of someone else’s house, as long as he could live. Look at his body has been a hundred days scurrying thorns, there is no complete skin, this child has been hiding in the thorns for many days, there is not a piece of complete skin on the body, there are injuries everywhere. But it is so, the poet still want to comfort these children, let them good to protect the body of a thousand gold, believe that the Tang soldiers will definitely fight back.
The kingly spirit in Chang’an still exists, and the country will not die. The country will not die. The prosperity of the past will definitely come back. It can be seen that although Du Fu was in the middle of the chaos and was in Chang’an, he still cared about the country and was still full of confidence that he would win. Moreover, although the poet was blocked in Chang’an, he still cared about the current situation of the war at that time through different channels and many relationships.
In the poem, the author emphasizes that the princes, kings and grandchildren were displaced and suffered all kinds of pains during the war, which not only sends deep sympathy, but also implicitly advises that the rulers should be vigilant in times of peace and danger, and should not be greedy for enjoyment, which would make it impossible for their children and grandchildren to take care of themselves, which is pathetic and lamentable.
The whole poem is ancient in color and grand in spirit. All the scenes and feelings are witnessed and heard by the poet, and he personally feels them, so they are true to life. The narrative is clear and concise, and the tone is real and friendly. Write sympathy to see its God, write a conversation to see its feelings, write a discussion to see its true, write a hope to see its cut.
Poem translator:
Kiang Kanghu
About the poet:
Du Fu (杜甫), 712 – 770 AD, was a great poet of the Tang Dynasty, known as the “Sage of Poetry”. Born into a declining bureaucratic family, Du Fu had a rough life, and his turbulent and dislocated life made him keenly aware of the plight of the masses. Therefore, his poems were always closely related to the current affairs, reflecting the social life of that era in a more comprehensive way, with profound thoughts and a broad realm. In his poetic art, he was able to combine many styles, forming a unique style of “profound and thick”, and becoming a great realist poet in the history of China.
