One Thought, a Mortal Life · Stubborn and Foolish by Nature · 08 / 102
· Why Not Return?
Horns sound and frontiers open; banners blaze, sand flung across ten thousand li. The wide world shifts — jackals and wolves hold the road — one man, one horse. In the thick of battle he holds back the massed troops by sheer strength; he drinks life and death to the full, and the nation's shame weighs light. Waiting at the , in rusted armor he offers up a , the at his side.
Tear-filled eyes burn, the bowstring bites, grit lashes, straw sandals pinch. Beacon fires carry word to Qiuniang; her longing wears her thin. They burn the wreckage and throw themselves into wine and meat; the thick night screens their wavering. Gazing down the old road, counting on fingers for the swallows to come home to nest, he begs for strings and flutes.
Glossary—
Aozhan [áo zhàn]: fierce, prolonged fighting with an enemy;
Yumu [yú mù] ('fish eyes'): eyes full of tears;
Mángxié: straw sandals woven from the leaves or stalks of plants;
Qiūniáng: generally, a clever and gifted woman.
*This is an original work. If you reproduce it, please credit the original author Shixi Lin; 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.