On Wheel Tower parapets night-bugles are blowing,
Though the flag at the northern end hangs limp.
Scouts, in the darkness, are passing Quli,
Where, west of the Hill of Gold, the Tartar chieftain has halted
We can see, from the look-out, the dust and black smoke
Where Chinese troops are camping, north of Wheel Tower.
...Our flags now beckon the General farther west-
With bugles in the dawn he rouses his Grand Army;
Drums like a tempest pound on four sides
And the Yin Mountains shake with the shouts of ten thousand;
Clouds and the war-wind whirl up in a point
Over fields where grass-roots will tighten around white bones;
In the Dagger River mist, through a biting wind,
Horseshoes, at the Sand Mouth line, break on icy boulders.
...Our General endures every pain, every hardship,
Commanded to settle the dust along the border.
We have read, in the Green Books, tales of old days-
But here we behold a living man, mightier than the dead.
Original Poem:
「轮台歌奉送封大夫出师西征」
岑参
轮台城头夜吹角， 轮台城北旄头落。
羽书昨夜过渠黎， 单于已在金山西。
戍楼西望烟尘黑， 汉兵屯在轮台北。
上将拥旄西出征， 平明吹笛大军行。
四边伐鼓雪海涌， 三军大呼阴山动。
虏塞兵气连云屯， 战场白骨缠草根。
剑河风急雪片阔， 沙口石冻马蹄脱。
亚相勤王甘苦辛， 誓将报主静边尘。
古来青史谁不见？ 今见功名胜古人。
Interpretation:
This poem is an ancient masterpiece about the border wars of the Tang Dynasty. The poem describes the battle scene directly, and depicts the whole process of the war although the main subject is the sending off.
The first six lines of the poem describe the tension between the two armies before the battle. The two consecutive lines of “Luntai City” make the tempo very tight, which emphasizes the tense atmosphere before the battle.
Then, the reason for the tension is explained, the Han army is in Luntai City, which portrays the tension and solemnity of the confrontation between the two armies. Immediately after that, it describes the departure of the army and the intensity of the battle. The words “the sea surges” and “the mountains move” are both written in a false sense, and they fit well with Cen Shen’s elegant, handsome, and exaggeratedly curious poetic style.
It is impossible for the remains of a fallen warrior to turn into white bones immediately, but where do these white bones come from? It turns out that what Cen Sen saw here and wanted to imply is not simply a war, a campaign, his sight has been put into the border of the countless war years, what he saw before him is the border of the countless battles and killings, so the two armies are also in the ancient battlefield where countless nameless generals fell, a careful taste, the vicissitudes of history comes to life.
Finally, the poet echoes the theme again, using the words “who has not seen the history” and “fame is better than the ancients” to praise General Feng’s bravery and invincibility, and the whole poem has a successful ending.
The poem combines tension and relaxation in artistic techniques, rhythmic staccato, and structural rigor and perfection. It is full of deep historical feeling and romanticism. There are descriptions, foils, imaginations and exaggerations, and the techniques are extremely diverse.
Poem translator:
Kiang Kanghu
About the poet:
Cen Shen(岑参), 715-770 AD, was a native of Jingzhou, Hubei Province. He studied at Mt. Songshan when he was young, and later traveled to Beijing, Luoyang and Shuohe. Cen Shen was famous for his border poems, in which he wrote about the border scenery and the life of generals in a majestic and unrestrained manner, and together with Gao Shi, he was an outstanding representative of the border poetry school of the Sheng Tang Dynasty.
