My heart sank when I headed north from Yan Country
To the camps of China echoing ith bugle and drum.
...In an endless cold light of massive snow,
Tall flags on three borders rise up like a dawn.
War-torches invade the barbarian moonlight,
Mountain-clouds like chairmen bear the Great Wall from the sea.
...Though no youthful clerk meant to be a great general,
I throw aside my writing-brush --
Like the student who tossed off cap for a lariat,
I challenge what may come.
Original Poem:
「望蓟门」
祖咏
燕台一去客心惊， 箫鼓喧喧汉将营。
万里寒光生积雪， 三边曙色动危旌。
沙场烽火侵胡月， 海畔云山拥蓟城。
少小虽非投笔吏， 论功还欲请长缨。
Interpretation:
In the Tang Dynasty, Jimen, or Fan Yang Road, commanded the sixteen states of Youyun, a major town in the northeastern frontier of the Tang Dynasty, mainly defending against the attacks of the Khitans, where the poet was traveling at the time of writing this poem.
The mountains and rivers are so dangerous that I can’t help but feel passionate, and the word “alarmed” points out this unique feeling. Why was the guest’s heart alarmed? First of all, it was because of the big camp of the Han generals and the sound of reed and drum, which resounded far and near.
Then he further wrote about the sound of reed and drum, showing that it was made at the early dawn of winter. The winter was already very cold, and there was a heavy snowfall, not to mention that it was the snow for many days, and it was the snow that stretched for thousands of miles, which was so cold that it was hard to describe. The cold light reflected on the snow alone is enough to make people’s eyes faint. This is the view from afar. Look high up, but see the dawn hazy, mountains and rivers fuzzy, only the flag of the city tower hanging high in mid-air fluttering. Such a quiet scene, of course, will make the poet’s mind for the shock.
Then write the border warriors will be high attitude. Beacon fire and moonlight, snow intertwined, magnificent exception, this is looking forward. Looking around, but see the Jimen fortress near the sea leaning against the mountains, natural arch, steady as a rock. The poet was infected by this, then from shock to not shock. These two lines directly express the feeling after “looking”, meaning: although I was not able to give up the pen to join the military like Ban Chao when I was young, but see the three sides of the strong gas, but also want to be like the final army to ask for help to go to the front line to meet the enemy.
The whole poem focuses on the word “look”, sketching the mountains and rivers of Jimen, with majestic imagery, and full of the “sound of Tang” which is full of vigorous and upward movement to build up one’s career.
Poem translator:
Kiang Kanghu
About the poet:
Zu Yong, 699-746 A.D., was a native of Luoyang, Henan Province, and a scholar. He was a friend of Wang Wei for thirteen years. Wang Wei gave him a poem with the phrase “the poor and sick son is both deep, and the deed is broad and the rest shallow”, from which it can be seen that he was probably a displaced and disillusioned person. Later, he lived in seclusion among the waters of the Ru River.
