The northeast border of China is shrouded in smoke and dust. In order to repel the barbaric invaders, our generals left their families. Stride forward together, looking like heroes should watch, and received the emperor's most cordial favor. They walked through the elm pass between the flag stones with the sound of gongs and drums. Until their captain in Shahai gave the order with feathers, the hunting fire of the Tatar chieftain flashed along the Wolf Mountain.
The highlands and rivers on the outer border were cold and desolate, but soon the barbarians' horses ran wild in the wind and rain. Half of us were killed at the front, but the other half are still alive, and the beautiful girls are still singing and dancing for them at the camp. The desert is like poor autumn snow, and the moon outside the city is like frost. It has chilled the hearts of barbarian chiefs, and it is difficult to be a short soldier. Until the white sword is seen again, spattered with red blood, when death becomes a responsibility, who will stop to think about fame? How can you live alone as a general? You can't talk about lamentation on an empty stomach.
This poem mainly describes the scene of a war filled with smoke and dust on the northeast border of China. Many vivid description techniques are used in the poem, such as "the mountains and rivers in the border are cold and cold, and soon it will be rough." And "the desert is poor in autumn and sand is like snow, and the moon outside the city is like frost." And so on, vividly showing the tragic scene of the war.
The poem also mentions the surrender city, which was built in the Tang Dynasty to defend the Turks. In addition, the poem also mentions "Yan" many times, referring to today's Beijing, Hebei and other places.
The translation of this poem into modern Chinese roughly means:
The war of the Han family is burning in the northeast, and Han wants to leave home to defeat the remaining enemies. Men were supposed to run wild all over the world, and the emperor gave them great glory. Beating gongs and drums to March into Guan Yu, and flags winding among Jieshi.
A captain's feather book flies to the vast sea, and Khan's hunting fire illuminates the Wolf Mountain. The mountains and rivers are desolate to the extreme, and Hu rides like wind and rain. Soldiers are fighting for life and death in front of the army, and the beauty account is still singing and dancing.
In late autumn, the desert sand is like snow, and the moon outside the city is like frost. He should have been frightened when the enemy rode, but he knew that the short soldiers dared not resist. Sword shadows look at each other and never care about fame. Why are you innocent, general? No one sings elegies on an empty stomach.
This poem is full of antipathy and criticism to war and longing for peace. Through vivid language and image description, the author vividly shows the cruelty and desolation of war. At the same time, this poem also reflects the author's dissatisfaction with the society at that time and worries about the future of the country.
Generally speaking, Ge Yanxing is a poem with profound ideological connotation and distinctive characteristics of the times. By describing the cruelty and desolation of war, the author expresses his desire for peace and his concern for the future of the country. This poem still has high literary value and historical value, and has become an important material for studying the history and literature of the Tang Dynasty.