Cen Shen: Don't You See? By Th' Snow Sea Flows Galloping-Horse River Wide; 岑參 君不見, 走馬川行雪海邊, 平沙莽莽黃入天 Poem by Frank Yue

Marching from the Galloping-Horse River,
Respectfully Seeing Off Marshall Feng's West-Bound Expeditionary Armies
-- CEN SHEN (715-770)
-- Translated by Frank C Yue

Don't you see? By th' snow sea flows Galloping-Horse River wide;
The level, boundless, yellow sand embraces the low sky.

At Luntai the relentless Autumn winds howl day and night,
Along the river rocks large as dippers come into sight;
Driven by gusts of wind, stones roll in disarray in fright.

The Hun's pastures are ripe and their fighting horses strong,
Smoke and dusts obscure the view west of Jinshan before long;
Westwards marches the great army with loud war drums and gong.

Throughout the night, the General's golden armour is unshed,
At midnight the army marches, spears clanking over-head;
Freezing winds blow like knives, faces are cut as if by shred.

Snow -- on the horse hair melted by the animal's hot sweat --
Becomes ice on dappled hide as horses gallop and fret;
In my tent, the ink for writing as solid ice is set.

Fearing a great battle, the barb'rous horsemen would have fled;
The wild hordes will not dare to fight in close-quarters instead.
At Jushi, we await arrival of the Huns' Chief and thoroughbred.


【走馬川行奉送封大夫出師西征】 唐 • 岑參


君不見, 走馬川行雪海邊, 平沙莽莽黃入天。

輪臺九月風夜吼, 一川碎石大如斗, 隨風滿地石亂走。

匈奴草黃馬正肥, 金山西見煙塵飛, 漢家大將西出師。

將軍金甲夜不脫, 半夜軍行戈相撥, 風頭如刀面如割。

馬毛帶雪汗氣蒸, 五花連錢旋作冰, 幕中草檄硯水凝。

虜騎聞之應膽懾, 料知短兵不敢接, 車師西門佇獻捷。