Gazing at the Gate of Ji, Zu Yong (300 Tang Shi #172)
Yan Terrace—a departure scares this traveler:
Clamoring fifes and drums—Han soldiers heading to camp.
Cold light gives birth to snow that covers ten-thousand li.
Dawn tints the waving banners raised on all three borders.
Battlefields and beacons—months of Hu attacks.
Sea-lanes and cloudy mountains both embrace Ji City.
There’s few enough officials who throw down their brushes,
But by their merit, I still want to request long tassels.
望蓟门
燕台一去客心惊，
箫鼓喧喧汉将营。
万里寒光生积雪，
三边曙色动危旌。
沙场烽火侵胡月，
海畔云山拥蓟城。
少小虽非投笔吏，
论功还欲请长缨。
Ji, located what’s now in the southwest quarter of Beijing, was the capital of the Warring States kingdom of Yan; in Tang times, renamed Fanyang (also sometimes Yuyang), it was an important frontier commandery. (Historical footnote: This was one of the commands of An Lushan, who started his 755 rebellion there. The author died ten years beforehand, so that event isn’t shading his responses.) The commandery was something of a salient, supporting operations on the empire’s borders to the east, north, and west. The “sea-lanes” are the Sea of Bohai, to the south of Hebei. The last two lines allude to incidents from Han Dynasty history: a secretary who, during an invasion, threw down his writing brush to take up the sword, and a general who, before a campaign, requested as an incentive that he be allowed to wear longer than regulation tassels on his uniform.
Just for fun, compare this to #164.
—L.
Clamoring fifes and drums—Han soldiers heading to camp.
Cold light gives birth to snow that covers ten-thousand li.
Dawn tints the waving banners raised on all three borders.
Battlefields and beacons—months of Hu attacks.
Sea-lanes and cloudy mountains both embrace Ji City.
There’s few enough officials who throw down their brushes,
But by their merit, I still want to request long tassels.
望蓟门
燕台一去客心惊，
箫鼓喧喧汉将营。
万里寒光生积雪，
三边曙色动危旌。
沙场烽火侵胡月，
海畔云山拥蓟城。
少小虽非投笔吏，
论功还欲请长缨。
Ji, located what’s now in the southwest quarter of Beijing, was the capital of the Warring States kingdom of Yan; in Tang times, renamed Fanyang (also sometimes Yuyang), it was an important frontier commandery. (Historical footnote: This was one of the commands of An Lushan, who started his 755 rebellion there. The author died ten years beforehand, so that event isn’t shading his responses.) The commandery was something of a salient, supporting operations on the empire’s borders to the east, north, and west. The “sea-lanes” are the Sea of Bohai, to the south of Hebei. The last two lines allude to incidents from Han Dynasty history: a secretary who, during an invasion, threw down his writing brush to take up the sword, and a general who, before a campaign, requested as an incentive that he be allowed to wear longer than regulation tassels on his uniform.
Just for fun, compare this to #164.
—L.