Drinking with Friends at Night in Liangzhou
- Poetry of Cen Shen

《送李副使赴碛西官军》

English Rendering

The crescent moon rises and hangs on city wall;

The rising moon on city wall shines over all.

There're a thousand homes in seven districts on frontier;

Half of the Tartars play pipa for us to hear.

The heart would be broken to hear the pipa song,

When the wind sheds leaves in showers and night is long.

West of the River I have so many compeers;

Many friends are separated from me for many years.

Before the flowery gate we see autumn grass.

Could we bear to see friends grow old like it? Alas!

How many times can we laugh in a life so fleet?

So let us drink our fill till drunken, now we meet!

Drinking with Friends at Night in Liangzhou by Cen Shen
Drinking with Friends at Night in Liangzhou by Cen Shen

Original Text (中文原文)

火山六月应更热,赤亭道口行人绝。

知君惯度祁连城,岂能愁见轮台月。

脱鞍暂入酒家垆,送君万里西击胡。

功名祗向马上取,真是英雄一丈夫。

-- Poem translator: Xu Yuan-chong (许渊冲)

Analysis & Context

This poem by Cen Shen was composed in 754 during his journey to Beiting. While passing through Liangzhou, he gathered with old friends serving at the Hexi Military Headquarters. Liangzhou, a vital city on the Tang dynasty's northwestern frontier, was both a military stronghold and a hub of cultural exchange. The poem depicts the borderland scenery, local customs, and the lively banquet, reflecting the prosperity of the Tang dynasty and the poet's optimistic spirit.

Reader's Companion

The Essence of the Verse

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.

Reading Between the Lines

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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