Yang Wanli: Just Beginning to Enter the Huai River No. 2

 

Just Beginning to Enter the Huai River: Four Four-Line Poems: No. 2

 

初 入 淮 河: 四 绝 句
刘 岳 张 韩 宣 国 威
赵 张 二 相 筑 皇 基。
长 淮 咫 尺 分 南 北
泪 湿 秋 风 欲 怨 谁!
Chu Ru Huai He: Si Jue Ju

(2)

Liu yue zhang han xuan guo wei
Zhao zhang er xiang zhu huang ji.
Chang huai zhi chi fen nan bei
Lei shi qiu feng yu yuan shei!

 

Just Beginning to Enter the Huai River: Four Four-Line Poems: No. 2

Our nation was strong when Liuqi, Yuefei, Zhangjun and Han Shizhong were the army generals in charge
Government ministers Zhao Ding and Zhangjun built a large foundation for the Northern Song Dynasty.
Northern and southern riverbanks of the Changjiang are separate countries
Wonder who can I hate as the tears dampen me in the autumn wind.

 

Notes:

The army generals mentioned all fought against the Jin Dynasty to the north during the end of the Northern Song Dynasty, and beginning of the South Song.
The two most famous were Yuefei (1103-1142) and Han Shigong (1089-1151)  who was also a noted military inventor. He made improvements to the bows and armor, and developed training techniques for the cavalry and archers.