High in the faint moonlight, wildgeese are soaring.
Tartar chieftains are fleeing through the dark -
And we chase them, with horses lightly burdened
And a burden of snow on our bows and our swords.
Original Poem:
「塞下曲 · 其三」
卢纶
月黑雁飞高，单于夜遁逃。
欲将轻骑逐，大雪满弓刀。
Interpretation:
This is the third poem of the group, portraying the scene of soldiers bravely going to the frontier despite the hardships. Although Lu Lun is a poet of the Middle Tang Dynasty, his border poetry is still the weather of the Tang Dynasty, majestic and bold, full of heroic spirit between the lines, which is inspiring to read.
The first and second lines depict the retreat of the enemy army. The poet used the technique of first effect and then cause to write out the cold night of the borderland of the killing cold. The snowy sky is covered with clouds, obscuring the moonlight, and a line of geese, not knowing what disturbed them, flew through the night sky in a hurry. A “geese” word, both point out the season, at the same time but also let a person guess this heavy night may be hidden under the mystery of what. Who startled the original quiet flock of geese, the original is to take advantage of such a dark silent night, the enemy fled.
Despite the cover of night, our army discovered the enemy’s action. The third and fourth lines write about our army’s preparation for the pursuit, showing the generals’ mighty spirit. A cavalry is ready to go out, marching in the night, can not distinguish between men and horses, but can be seen bow and knife cold light flashing, the snow by the wind flying all over the sky, stained with weapons. This is a tense and heart-wrenching scene!
This poem is written to overcome the enemy’s triumph, but does not depict the battle positively, but only wrote the snowy night heard the police, ready to attack the scene. From this poem, the poet is very good at capturing images and timing. The poet not only captures the typical image, but also puts it into the most artistic moment to express. The poet uses one or two short shots to portray the boldness and bravery of the border generals that he wants to praise, and receives the effect of endless words and meaning.
Poem translator:
Kiang Kanghu
About the poet:
Lu Lun (卢纶), 748 – 798 A.D., was a native of Yongji, Shanxi Province, and was one of the “Ten Scholarly Men of the Dali Dynasty”. Lu Lun was a judge of the Marshal’s Office in Hezhong, and he served as the inspector of the Ministry of Revenue. His poems were more eloquent and liberal, with many works of farewells and rewards, as well as works reflecting the life of soldiers. Five volumes of his poems are recorded in Quan Tang Shi (All Tang Poems).
