Author: CHUNG Yoon Ngan
Date: 02-26-12 23:18
唐朝詩 Poems from Tang Dynasty (618AD to 907AD) (01)
祖詠之詩 A poem by Zu Yong (699AD to 746AD)
望 薊門(*1A)
Gazing at Jimen
燕臺一去客心驚,---Yantai(*2B) yi qu4 ke4 xin jing,
笳鼓喧喧漢將營.---Jia(*3C) gu3 xuan xuan Han jiang ying2.
萬里寒光生積雪,---Wan4 li3 han2 guang sheng ji xue4,
三邊曙色動危旌.---San bian(*4D) shu3 se4 dong4 wei jing.
沙場烽火侵胡月,---Sha chang3 feng huo3 qin hu2 yue4,
海畔雲山擁薊城.---Hai3 pan4 yun2 shan yong4 Jicheng.
少小雖非投筆吏,---Shao4 xia3 sui fei tou2 bi3 li4(*5E),
論功還欲請長纓.---Lun gong hai2 yu4 qing3 chang ying(*6F).
..................................................................
The explanations in plain Chinese and English.
(1) 自從到燕臺之後, 客中的心緒, 有些驚恐起來,
Having arrived at Yantai, the guests are palpitated with anxiety and fear,
(2) 笳聲和鼓聲, 在漢將的軍營吹敲得很熱鬧.
The sound of busily beating drums and blowing hujia can be heard from the
Han army barracks.
(3) 有萬里寒冷的光芒, 從積雪裏生出來,
From the far distance the rays of light shining from the accumulated ice
can be seen.
(4) 三面的邊城中, 在天亮飄動著高高的旌旗,
In the morning, the banners and flags are raised up high fluttering on the
three sides of the walled city.
(5) 沙場上的烽火燒起來, 火光逼近胡地的月光,
The battle is about to begin and the flames of battle are pressing towards
the Xiongnu's land where the moon is shining.
(6) 海邊的雲山, 擁護著薊州城.
The clouds from the sea are protecting the walled city of Jizhou.
(7) 我少年時候, 雖然不能像班超一般的投筆從戎,
When I was young, although I was not like Ban Chao [*5E] giving up his study
to join the army,
(8) 卻想建立功勞, 還要學那漢朝的終軍, 向朝廷上領了勒馬頸的繩子, 去縛那南
越王啊.
Yet I want to learn from Zhong Jun [*6F] who wrote to the Emperor asking
for a strap that reined in a horse to tie the King of the Southern Kingdom
of Yue.
Notes:
(1A) 薊門 (Jimen)
Is a Pass in the county of Ji (薊縣) of Hebei province (河北省).
(2B) 燕臺 (Yantai)
Yan Zhao Wang (燕昭王 311BC to 279BCC), the King of the State of Yan (燕
國), spent a lot of money to build this tower. He invited all the nobles
and scholars under Heaven to meet in this tower.
(3C) 笳 or 胡笳 (jia or hujia)
Is a reed instrument used by the northern tribes in ancient China.
(4D) 三邊 (san bian)
means the three side of a walled-city.
(5E) 班超 (Ban Chao 32AD to 102AD)
不入虎穴,---Bu4 ru4 hu3 xue2,
焉得虎子.---Yan de2 hu3 zi3.
If you do not go inside the tiger den,
How can you get the tiger cubs.
This was what the people said about Ban Chao.
....................................................................
Ban Chao(班超) was a general and a diplomat during the Later Han Dynasty
(東漢 25AD to 220AD). In 73AD, during the reign of Emperor Ming Liu Zhuang
(明皇帝劉莊 58AD to 75AD), he was appointed as the leader of a delegation
of 36 members to visit many countries in the northwest.
He and the delegation first arrived in a country called Shanshan (鄯善國
). Knowing that Ban Chao was a Han general and a renowned diplomat, the
King of Shanshan gave Ban Chao and his delegation a warm welcome and a VIP
treatment. However, several days later, the King of Shanshan treated Ban
Chao and the delegates indifferently and the King was cold to the Han delegation.
Ban Chao called for a meeting with the 36 members of the delegation. Ban
Chao told the members that there was something wrong with the King of Shanshan
who had become cold and indifferent towards them. He suspected a delegation
of the Xiongnu (匈奴) from the north might have arrived in Shanshan. The
Xiongnu must have threatened the King that his country could be in trouble
if he were to have good diplomatic relation with the Han. Ban Chao told
every member to be careful and to inquire about what was happening to the
King.
After a day, members of the Han delegation discovered that, indeed, the
Xiongnu envoy and his bodyguards were in Shanshan and they were trying to
win over the King to support their country by hook or by crook. The King
was in a difficult position to make up his mind of either to support the
Han or the Xiongnu. Seeing that the King was indifferent to the Han delegation,
Ban Chao told his members that they were in danger and within a short period
the King might arrest them and gave them to the Xiongnu. Ban Chao continued,
"不入虎穴, 那能得到虎子. 現在唯一的辦法, 就是在今天夜裏火攻匈奴營地,
迅速把他們的使者殺了. 只有這樣, 鄯善國王才會誠心歸順漢朝.
If you do not go inside the tiger den, how can you get the tiger cubs?
Tonight, we will use fire to attack the Xiongnu camps and kill them all.
This is the only to make the King of Shanshan to come over and pledge
allegiance to Han Dynasty."
That night, Ban Chao, leading the 36 members of the delegation, went to
attack the Xiongnu camps. They killed all the Xiongnu and burned their camps.
That was the end of Xiongnu envoy to the Kingdom of Shanshan. After this
classic incident many countries in the northwest pledged allegiance to the
Later Han Dynasty.
Source:
後漢書, 班超傳
"不入虎穴, 焉得虎子."
(6F) 長纓 (chang ying)
Refers to the strap that a young Han soldier called Zhong Jun (終軍) who
wrote to the Emperor asking for the strap for reining the horse so that
he could use it to rein the neck of the King of the Southern Kingdom of
Yue (南越 in the present day provinces of Guangdong 廣東省 and Guangxi 廣
西省).
Posted to asiawind.com
By CHUNG Yoon-Ngan (鄭永元)
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