Ancient Ideas and Intentions
古 意
千 金 募 战 士
万 里 筑 长 城。
何 时 青 冢 月
却 照 汉 家 营？
夜 泊 武 昌 城
江 流 千 丈 清。
宁 为 雁 奴 死
不 作 鹤 媒 生！
Gu Yi
Qian jin mu zhan shi
Wan li zhu chang cheng.
He shi qing zhong yue
Que zhao han jia ying?
Ye bo wu chang cheng
Jiang liu qian zhang qing.
Ning wei yan nu si
Bu zuo he mei shang!
Ancient Ideas and Intentions
One thousand in gold to recruit soldiers
Constructed the Great Wall for thousands of miles.
When was Wang Zhaojun buried at Qing Zhong,
And when will the moon shine bright again on the Han households?
Evening drop anchor near the city walls of Wuhan
River flows for miles are clean and pure.
Unlike the geese on Ning Wei, I would not desert the battlefield for safety
Do not be like those who bait the cranes closer in order to kill them!
Notes:
Wang Zhaojun: (ca. 50 BC-?) One of the Four Beauties of ancient China. Over the years hundreds of poems, as well as many stories, folktales, TV programs, and movies have been told of her life and fame.