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lnhammerOn Hearing Government Forces Captured the Lands South and North of the [Yellow] River, Du Fu
Past Jianmen Pass a sudden dispatch: Jibei’s been recaptured.
The moment I hear, I’m crying tears that soak through all my clothes.
I turn to see my wife and children, worried: “What is it?”
I sloppily roll my scroll of poems, happy, wanting to dance.
In bright sunlight, I loudly sing—I must indulge in wine.
The green spring keeps me company—it’s good to go back home
Immediately, from Qutang Gorge, then passing through Wu Gorge—
An easy descent to Xiangyang town, then heading towards Luoyang.
闻官军收河南河北
剑外忽传收蓟北，
初闻涕泪满衣裳。
却看妻子愁何在？
漫卷诗书喜欲狂。
白日放歌须纵酒，
青春作伴好还乡。
即从巴峡穿巫峡，
便下襄阳向洛阳。
Culture/language neep: Chinese has several characters with a base meaning “river,” one of which (江) when used alone often means specifically the Yangzi, while another (河) when used alone often means specifically the Yellow. That latter’s in the title.
Written 763 after the defeat of the main remaining army of the An Lushan Rebellion—though there was much mopping up to do.* The reclaimed territories correspond to eastern Henan (“south of the river”) and Hebei (“north of the river”). Jianmen Pass is through the mountains between Shaanxi and Sichuan (see #71). Jibei was An Lushan’s base of operations (same Ji as #172, part of modern Beijing). Qutang is upper of the Three Gorges (here called Ba aka Sichuan Gorge), and Wu is the middle one. Xiangyang, Hubei, was where you’d leave a boat to start the overland trip to Luoyang, his birthplace. Despite the last two lines, he didn’t sail down the Gorges till five years later and never made it home. Compare #149.
* Too much: the Tang regime never did regain full control of the empire, and slowly over the next 150 years lost what control it had till the dynasty finally fell.
---L.
Past Jianmen Pass a sudden dispatch: Jibei’s been recaptured.
The moment I hear, I’m crying tears that soak through all my clothes.
I turn to see my wife and children, worried: “What is it?”
I sloppily roll my scroll of poems, happy, wanting to dance.
In bright sunlight, I loudly sing—I must indulge in wine.
The green spring keeps me company—it’s good to go back home
Immediately, from Qutang Gorge, then passing through Wu Gorge—
An easy descent to Xiangyang town, then heading towards Luoyang.
闻官军收河南河北
剑外忽传收蓟北，
初闻涕泪满衣裳。
却看妻子愁何在？
漫卷诗书喜欲狂。
白日放歌须纵酒，
青春作伴好还乡。
即从巴峡穿巫峡，
便下襄阳向洛阳。
Culture/language neep: Chinese has several characters with a base meaning “river,” one of which (江) when used alone often means specifically the Yangzi, while another (河) when used alone often means specifically the Yellow. That latter’s in the title.
Written 763 after the defeat of the main remaining army of the An Lushan Rebellion—though there was much mopping up to do.* The reclaimed territories correspond to eastern Henan (“south of the river”) and Hebei (“north of the river”). Jianmen Pass is through the mountains between Shaanxi and Sichuan (see #71). Jibei was An Lushan’s base of operations (same Ji as #172, part of modern Beijing). Qutang is upper of the Three Gorges (here called Ba aka Sichuan Gorge), and Wu is the middle one. Xiangyang, Hubei, was where you’d leave a boat to start the overland trip to Luoyang, his birthplace. Despite the last two lines, he didn’t sail down the Gorges till five years later and never made it home. Compare #149.
* Too much: the Tang regime never did regain full control of the empire, and slowly over the next 150 years lost what control it had till the dynasty finally fell.
---L.
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Date: 4 August 2022 22:33 (UTC)no subject
Date: 4 August 2022 22:36 (UTC)