Eighteen Songs of a Nomad Flute: Poems 13-18

[x_los]

 This week, we're reading poems 13-18 in, and thus finishing up, this collection. Because of the nature of the book in question, I'll ask you to refer here for Chinese and English copies of the poems and the images together.

You can view the scroll as a whole more easily and read some background on the Met's website; the Wiki page will also help orient you. In case it's useful, here is a plain-text version of the scroll. 

This is the final week we'll be spending on this poem cycle. Please check the previous two entries if you'd like further background information.

Comments

17. A Chinese City in View

[x_los]

第十七拍 (5 columns in standard script)
行盡胡天千萬里，唯見黃沙白雲起。
馬饑跑雪銜草根，人渴敲冰飲流水。
燕山髣髴辨烽戍，鼙鼓如聞漢家壘。
努力前程是帝鄉，生前免向胡中死。

We traversed thousands of miles under the nomads’ sky,
Seeing only yellow sands and white clouds rising.
The horses are starving; they race across the snow to feed on grass roots.
The men are thirsty; they break through the ice in order to drink the rung water.
At Yen-shan we begin to see bonfires and the garrison;
The sound of military drums tells us that we are hearing the forts of China.
We rally and make our way, assured that the Emperor’s land lies ahead.
Life lies ahead, and I have escaped death among the nomads.

Re: 17. A Chinese City in View

[x_los]

Figures her life there as a kind of death.

Man ARE these two populated areas really all that far apart? It’s striking that it’s so arduous and dangerous even to move between them.

Rung water?

Oh so all along the cake stand has been his official staff

Impressive city walls

The horses are often interestingly-coloured in this, but don’t have much personality

Re: 17. A Chinese City in View

[superborb]

I don't think the nomadic areas are densely populated? And it's desert-y in between.

Running in the PDF.