Listen to this article七言古詩
李頎
古意
男兒事長征， 少小幽燕客，
賭勝馬蹄下， 由來輕七尺；
殺人莫敢前， 鬚如蝟毛磔。
黃雲隴底白雪飛， 未得報恩不能歸。
遼東小婦年十五， 慣彈琵琶解歌舞，
今為羌笛出塞聲， 使我三軍淚如雨。
Seven-character-ancient-verse
Li Qi
AN OLD AIR
There once was a man, sent on military missions,
A wanderer, from youth, on the You and Yan frontiers.
Under the horses’ hoofs he would meet his foes
And, recklessly risking his seven-foot body,
Would slay whoever dared confront
Those moustaches that bristled like porcupinequills.
…There were dark clouds below the hills, there were white clouds above them,
But before a man has served full time, how can he go back?
In eastern Liao a girl was waiting, a girl of fifteen years,
Deft with a guitar, expert in dance and song.
…She seems to be fluting, even now, a reed-song of home,
Filling every soldier’s eyes with homesick tears.
