English Rendering
High in the faint moonlight, wildgeese are soaring.
Tartar chieftains are fleeing through the dark --
And we chase them, with horses lightly burdened
And a burden of snow on our bows and our swords.
Border-songs III
- Poetry of Lu Lun
《塞下曲 · 其三》
Original Text (中文原文)
月黑雁飞高，单于夜遁逃。
欲将轻骑逐，大雪满弓刀。
Analysis & Context
Folk-song-styled-verse
This third poem in the series, composed during mid-Tang Dynasty, preserves the heroic spirit of High Tang frontier poetry despite its later era. It captures a tense snowbound night pursuit, sculpting warriors' fearless valor in sparse yet potent strokes, radiating unyielding heroism.
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.
- A Night-mooring at Wuchang
- A Farewell To Li Duan
- Border-songs IV
- Border-songs III
- Border-songs II
- Border-songs I
- The Summit Temple
- <Prelude to Water Melody> Sent to Ziyou on Mid-autumn Festival
- Invitation to Wine
- Question and Answer in the Mountains
- Cold sheet
- Coming Home ( Returning Home )
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