Seeing Off Secretary Gao Shi
On Mount Kongtong the wheat is ripe,
I wish the king’s army would rest for a while.
I pray you ask the commanding general—
what use in going to the far ends of wilds?
The starving hawk has not had his fill of flesh and,
Tilting[1] his wing, flies along after the person.
Mr. Gao makes his saddled horse prance[2],
looking rather like a lad of Youzhou or Bingzhou.
You escaped clerkship and the post of sheriff[3],
for the first time leaving the cane and scourge[4].
And I ask: “What office do you have now,
that, braving the heat, you head to Wuwei?”
You answer and say: “A secretary’s post—
recognition by a knight of the realm does me too much honor.”
Truly men are not easy to know,
you must keep on taking care in your bearing.
If you stay out in headquarters for ten years,
you yourself can carry a banner.
Since this journey marks singular success,
it can console[5] me in my concerns.
A man’s fulfillment of deeds and glory
can also come when one is old.
I will always regret that our joys were so brief,
each of us will be past the other’s horizon.
It is also like the stars Shen and Shang,
gloomy I feel sorrow at heart.
A blast of wind blows the wild swans,
and they do not get to fly together.
Brown dust veils the desert,
and I brood[6] on when you will return.
Should you have strength left in that frontier fort,
send me an “Army Poem” as soon as you can.
单词释义
[1] tilt [tɪlt] v. (使) 倾斜,倾侧; 使倾向于; 使向…倾斜; 偏向;
[2] prance [prɑːns] v. 阔步行走; 神气地快速走动; 腾跃; 腾跳;
[3] sheriff [ˈʃerɪf] n. 县治安官; 郡督;
[4] scourge [skɜːdʒ] n. 祸害; 祸根; 灾害; (旧时用作刑具的) 鞭子;
[5] console [kənˈsəʊl] v. 安慰; 抚慰; 慰藉;
[6] brood [bruːd] v. 焦虑,忧思(使人厌烦、担忧或不安的事);