Last year you went with your troops to Tibet;
And when your men had vanished beyond the city-wall,
News was cut off between the two worlds
As between the living and the dead.
No one has come upon a faithful horse guarding
A crumpled tent or torn flag, or any trace of you.
If only I knew, I might serve you in the temple,
Instead of these tears toward the far sky.
Original Poem:
「没蕃故人」
前年戍月支，城下没全师。
蕃汉断消息，死生长别离。
无人收废帐，归马识残旗。
欲祭疑君在，天涯哭此时。
Interpretation:
An old friend of the poet Zhang Ji was killed in the battle of Yuezhi, and his whereabouts are unknown. Therefore, the poem is titled “Mofan” to express his sadness.
The first couplet explains the time and place when the whole army was wiped out. The time is “the year before last”, the year before the defeat, and only now is the poem written. This is because the author is waiting for the exact news of life and death. In this battle, the whole Tang army was wiped out, and the poet did not dare to write the poem because he could not be sure whether his friend was alive or dead as the news was cut off. This kind of feeling is very common among close friends. However, no news of the old friend has been heard.
The news between the Chinese and the foreigners has been completely cut off, and nothing has been found in two years, so whether the friend is dead or alive, it means eternal parting. Dead, it goes without saying; alive, is also a slave of the tomatoes, can not return. The sorrowful feeling is overwhelming.
Zhang Ji (张籍, c. 767 – c. 830 A.D.) was a poet of the Tang Dynasty, a Han Chinese, and a native of Wujiang, Hezhou (present-day He County, Anhui Province, China).
Zhang Ji’s poetry was composed in three periods: the early period before the age of 40, the middle period between the ages of 40 and 50, when most of his excellent music and song works were written, and the late period after the age of 50, when his life gradually settled down and he wrote more poems in recent styles, in addition to still writing music and song. He was an active supporter and promoter of the new music movement in the Middle Tang Dynasty. Many of his poems reflected the social reality of the time and showed his sympathy for the people. His poems are characterized by their concise and easy-to-understand language and naturalness. He was known as “Zhang Wang” because he was on a par with Wang Jian at that time. The poems widely and deeply reflect various social conflicts and sympathize with the people’s hardships, such as “Song under the Seas” and “Grievances of the Women”, while another category depicts rural customs and life, such as “Song of Cai Lian” and “Song of Jiangnan”.
According to Feng Zhi’s “Yun Xian San Lu”, Zhang Ji, a poet in the late Tang Dynasty, was obsessed with Du Fu’s poetry and burned his famous poems one by one, mixing the ashes with honey and eating three spoons of them one morning. One day, Zhang Ji’s friend came to visit him and was puzzled to see Zhang Ji mixing the ashes, so he asked, “Zhang Ji, why did you burn Du Fu’s poems and mix them with honey to eat them?” Zhang Ji said, “If I eat Du Fu’s poem, I will be able to write as good as Du Fu’s poem!” His good friend laughed at this.
Poem translator:
Kiang Kanghu
