I. Original text
That night, the black geese flew very high, and Khan quietly escaped during the night.
I was about to lead the light cavalry to catch up when the snow fell full of bows and knives.
Second, translation.
In the dead of night, dark clouds covered the moon, and the geese on the horizon flew in surprise. Khan's army tried to sneak away at night. Just as I wanted to lead the light cavalry to chase all the way, the heavy snow fell on the bow and knife.
Third, the source
Xia Sai by Don Lulun.
Appreciation of Xia Sai Qu
The poem begins with a scene: "Wild geese are soaring in the bright moonlight". Such a scene is difficult to describe: "the moon is dark and the wind is high", then there is nothing to see; "Wild geese fly high", there is no trace to be found. Wild geese fly, high above. It is perceived by sound. Such a scene is not a scene in the eyes, but a scene in the heart. It is not the normal time for geese to fly when it is dark on a snowy night. Su Yan's surprise revealed that the enemy was moving. A few words not only showed the time, but also set off the tension before the battle, directly forcing out the next sentence, "Chief Tatar is fleeing through the darkness."
Khan was the monarch of the ancient Huns, referring to the enemy commander here. There should be various possibilities for the enemy to act at night. However, the poet is called "the Chief Tatar is fleeing from the darkness". Reading this, I have a sense of heroism. The enemy's action at night is not to lead the troops to attack, but to flee in panic under the cover of night. The tone of the poem is positive, the judgment is clear, and it is full of contempt for the enemy and the belief that our army will win, which makes readers excited and surprised by the mysterious atmosphere caused by the above sentence. The enemy leader escaped and our troops pursued him. This is a natural development.