Drunken,I lit my lamp to see my glaive:
Awake,I heard the horns from tents to tents
Under the flags,beef grilled
Was eaten by our warriors brave
And martial airs were played by fifty instruments
'Twas an autumn manoeuvre in the field.
On gallant steed
Running full speed,
We'd shoot with twanging bows.
Recovering the lost land for the sovereign,
'Tis everlasting fame that we would win.
But alas!white hair grows!
醉里挑灯看剑，梦回吹角连营。
八百里分麾下炙，五十弦翻塞外声，沙场秋点兵。
马作的卢飞快，弓如霹雳弦惊。
了却君王天下事，赢得生前身后名。
可怜白发生！
If there is one poem that defines the "Haofang" (Heroic and Bold) style of the Song Dynasty, it is "Dance of the Cavalry" (破阵子) by Xin Qiji (1140–1207). Dedicated to his close friend and fellow patriot Chen Tongfu, this "Zhuang Ci" (heroic lyric) is a cinematic journey through a warrior's ultimate fantasy, abruptly shattered by the cruelty of time and political reality.
The poem opens in an intoxicated state: "Drunken, I lit my lamp to see my glaive." This sets a tone of suppressed energy. The transition to the military camp—the sounds of horns, the flags, the roasted beef, and the martial music—creates a deeply immersive and masculine atmosphere. Xin Qiji vividly recreates the camaraderie and the intense preparation of an "autumn manoeuvre," capturing the visceral reality of ancient Chinese military life.
The second stanza accelerates the tempo. The "gallant steed" (historically referencing the legendary horse Di Lu) and the "twanging bows" thrust the reader into the heart of a cavalry charge. The poet’s ultimate ambition is laid bare: "Recovering the lost land for the sovereign." This was the lifelong dream of Xin Qiji and his faction—to retake Northern China from the Jin dynasty. It represents the absolute peak of patriotic devotion and martial glory.
The brilliance of this poem lies in its final five characters: "But alas! white hair grows!" (可怜白发生). In an instant, the galloping horses, the roaring horns, and the dreams of victory vanish. The reader realizes that the entire poem was merely a drunken illusion or a fading memory. The harsh reality is that the hero is aging, marginalized by a pacifist government, and his sword remains unused. This sudden plunge from the heights of heroic fantasy to the abyss of personal tragedy is what makes Xin Qiji’s poetry immortal and profoundly moving.
Classical Chinese poetry thrives on Concision and Ambiguity. Without tense or number, the words create a timeless space where the reader becomes the co-creator of the poem's meaning.
Look for Contrasts: light and shadow, movement and stillness. Don't just translate the words; feel the Yijing (artistic conception) that lingers long after the last character.
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