Alone I went a thousand miles long,long ago
To serve the army well at the frontier.
The fortress town in dreams I could not go,
Dusty and outworn my sable-coat of cavalier.
The foe not beaten back,
My hair no longer black,
My tears have flowed in vain.
Who could have thought that in this life I would remain
With a mountain-high aim
But an old mortal frame!
当年万里觅封侯，匹马戍梁州。
关河梦断何处？尘暗旧貂裘。
胡未灭，鬓先秋，泪空流。
此生谁料，心在天山，身老沧洲。
In 1172 the patriotic poet served in th e army stationed in Liangzhou (present-day Shaanxi Province)on the northwest frontier,with the high aim of repelling the Jurchen invasion and recovering the lost territory,but his dream was not realized even when he grew old.
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