Lu Yu: Mountaintop Deer

 

Mountaintop Deer

 

山 头 鹿
呦 呦 山 头 鹿
毛 角 自 媒 好。
渴 饮 涧 底 泉
饥 啮 林 间 草。
汉 家 方 和 亲
将 军 灞 陵 老。
天 寒 弓 力 劲
木 落 霜 气 早。
短 衣 日 驰 射
逐 鹿 应 弦 倒。
金 褩 犀 箸 命 有 系
翠 壁 苍 崖 迹 如 扫。
何 时 诏 下 北 击 胡
却 起 将 军 远 征 讨。
泉 甘 草 茂 上 林 中
使 我 母 子 常 相 保。
Shan Tou Lu

You you shan tou lu
Mao jue zi mei hao.
Ke yin jian di quan
Ji nie lin jian cao.

Han jia fang he qin
Jiang jun ba ling lao.
Tian han gong li jin
Mu man shuang qi zao.

Duan yi ri chi she
Zhu lu ying xian dao.
Jin pan xi zhu ming you xi
Cui bi cang ya ji ru sao.

He shi zhao xia bei ji hu
Que qi jiang jun yuan zheng tao?
Quan gan cao mao shang lin zhong
Shi wo mu zi chang xiang bao.

 

Mountaintop Deer

Wow, these mountaintop deer
Antlers and skin naturally fine and attractive.
Thirsty, they drink spring water from the bottom of a ravine
Hungry, they graze upon the forest grasses.

Han dynasty regimes offered gifts of pretty ladies to the northern nomads
But General Li Guang ended up in the Baling tombs.
Cold skies harden bowstrings for more power
Early morning air frosty, leaves fall down.

Daily many wear short clothes to shoot these animals
Pursuing deer, their bowstrings should collapse.
Fate of the deer is to wind up on golden plates with rhinoceros bone chopsticks
Emerald green walls, bluish-green cliffs with no signs of deer.

When will there be an imperial edict sending these hunters north to the nomads                                                                                                                                    Army generals to lead them on a long journey to suppress our enemies?
Send the deer to the middle of imperial forests of lush sweet spring water grasses
Here the parents and children can easily protect and defend each other.

 

Notes:

General Li Guang:  (?-119 BC) Famous Western Han dynasty general. He was nicknamed the “Flying General” by the northern nomads, and “On the Frontier” by the Chinese.