Gǔ Cóngjūn Xíng古从军行An Old Campaign Song

by 李颀(Lǐ Qí)

bái rì dēng shān wàng fēng huǒ, huáng hūn yìn mǎ bàng Jiāohé.
白日登山望烽火，黄昏饮马傍交河。
By day we climb the mountains to watch the beacon fires; at dusk we water our horses beside the Jiaohe River.

xíng rén diāo dǒu fēng shā àn, gōng zhǔ pí pá yōu yuàn duō.
行人刁斗风沙暗，公主琵琶幽怨多。
The soldiers’ watch vessels sound amid darkening wind and sand; the princess’s pipa carries endless sorrow.

yě yún wàn lǐ wú chéng guō, yǔ xuě fēn fēn lián dà mò.
野云万里无城郭，雨雪纷纷连大漠。
Wild clouds stretch for ten thousand miles with no city walls in sight; rain and snow fall thickly across the vast desert.

hú yàn āi míng yè yè fēi, hú ér yǎn lèi shuāng shuāng luò.
胡雁哀鸣夜夜飞，胡儿眼泪双双落。
The wild geese of the north cry mournfully as they fly night after night; the northern children’s tears fall in streams.

wén dào Yùmén yóu bèi zhē, yīng jiāng xìng mìng zhú qīng chē.
闻道玉门犹被遮，应将性命逐轻车。
I hear that the Yumen Pass is still blocked; men must risk their lives chasing the light war chariots.

nián nián zhàn gǔ mái huāng wài, kōng jiàn pú táo rù Hàn jiā.
年年战骨埋荒外，空见蒲桃入汉家。
Year after year, soldiers’ bones are buried beyond the desolate frontier; all we see is grapes brought back into the Han lands.