Zhuge's prestige transcends the earth;
There is only reverence for his face;
Yet his will, among the Three Kingdoms at war,
Was only as one feather against a flaming sky.
He was brother of men like Yi and Lu
And in time would have surpassed the greatest of all statesmen.
Though he knew there was no hope for the House of Han,
Yet he wielded his mind for it, yielded his life.
诸葛大名垂宇宙，宗臣遗像肃清高。
三分割据纡筹策，万古云霄一羽毛。
伯仲之间见伊吕，指挥若定失萧曹。
运移汉祚终难复，志决身歼军务劳。
Seven-character-regular-verse
This poem serves as the culminating masterpiece of Thoughts of Old Time and, like the third poem in the series, was composed in the autumn of 766 CE, during Du Fu's exile in Kuizhou. By this time, the poet was in his twilight years, plagued by poor health and drifting through the southwestern regions. Confronted with a declining nation fragmented by rebellious military governors, he personally visited the Temple of the Martial Marquis in Kuizhou to pay homage to the statue of Zhuge Liang. Zhuge Liang's loyalty, embodied in his commitment to "devote myself to the state until my heart ceases to beat," and the poignant tragedy of his "passing before his northern campaign could succeed," resonated profoundly with Du Fu, whose own life was marked by displacement and unfulfilled aspirations. This poem is not merely a tribute to a great historical figure; it represents a profound dialogue and spiritual resonance between a later poet and an ancient sage-minister within the hall of history.
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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