One Thought, a Mortal Life · Stubborn and Foolish by Nature · 23 / 102
· A Thousand Armies, Ten Thousand Horses
Arrows shot at the sun, the are lost; armored teams of four run down the enemy tents. darts in every direction; gongs and drums are struck, the war banners sway. Slaughter in the ranks, crows shrieking on the walls; look up — the flying arrowheads bury all. Ten thousand years flung away; in the flash of blades and shadow of swords, the blood still runs hot.
Under orders to guard the frontier passes, the armor is laid down. A short life, rising and falling; fame is thin, the general's spirit vast. Strong wine tempers a lone courage; in the bitter fighting, home is forgotten. Up the vermilion stair, the wind's voice chokes as it bows before the .
Glosses—
Armored team of four (sì jiè): a war chariot drawn by four horses in armor;
Chuāng: to strike;
Gongs and drums: the gongs and drums are the four metals and the six drums. The four metals are the chun, the zhuo, the nao, and the duo. The six drums are the thunder drum, the spirit drum, the road drum, the fen drum, the gao drum, and the jin drum. The gongs and drums stand for the signals of marching and of battle;
City crows: the crows on the city wall;
War banner (róng huī): the flag of the army;
Flying arrowhead (fēi dí): an arrow in swift flight.
*This work is original. If you repost it, please credit the original author Shixi Lin; any infringement, once discovered, will be pursued to the full extent of the law. In addition, the accompanying image comes from the internet and belongs to the original artist He He Wu.