A Mortal Life, Born of One Thought · Stubborn and Foolish by Nature · 08 / 102
Man Jiang Hong · Why Not Return
Horns open new frontiers; the banners are fierce, sand flung ten thousand li. The grey world turns — jackals and wolves hold the road — one man, one horse. In furious battle he holds off the massed soldiers by raw strength; life and death taste full and free, and the nation's shame weighs light. Waiting at the Hu pass, rusted armor offers up a cinnabar heart, and the Qiang flute attends him.
Tear-filled eyes burn, bowstrings press, gravel strikes, straw sandals pinch. The beacon fires send word to the autumn beauty; her longing wastes away. They burn the wreckage and stake everything on wine and meat; the thick night screens off the wavering in them. Taking hold of the old road, counting on fingers until the swallows come home, begging for strings and flutes.
Glossary—
Aozhan [áo zhàn]: fierce, prolonged fighting with an enemy;
Yumu ('fish eyes'): eyes full of tears;
Mangxie: straw sandals woven from the leaves or stalks of plants;
Qiuniang: generally, a clever and gifted woman.
*This is an original work. If you reproduce it, please credit the original author Guang Zhi Shiyi; any infringement, once discovered, will be pursued for legal liability. In addition, the accompanying image comes from the internet and belongs to the original illustrator Yichui Wuyue.