Li Bai (701–762), also known as Li Po, was a Chinese poet living during the Tang Dynasty.

 

战城南

去年战,

桑干[1]源;

今年战,

葱河[2]道。

洗兵[3]条支[4]海上波,

放马天山雪中草。

万里长征战,

三军尽衰老。

匈奴以杀戮为耕作,

古来惟见白骨黄沙田。

秦家筑城备胡处,

汉家还有烽火燃。

烽火燃不息,

征战无已时。

野战格斗死,

败马号鸣向天悲。

乌鸢[5]啄人肠,

衔飞上挂枯树枝。

士卒涂草莽,

将军空尔为。

乃知兵者是凶器,

圣人不得已而用之。

天宝年间(742—756),唐玄宗轻启战端,给百姓带来深重的灾难。有人说李白的写作风格是开门见山,在此诗中的确是这样,开篇即以战始,直接抨击了当权者穷兵黩武,好杀伐之功,以致连年征战。左思《魏都赋》描写曹操讨灭群雄、威震寰宇的气势时说:“洗兵海岛,刷马江洲。”李白借用其意,说明军队征讨太远。不敢想象,等这些远征万里的青壮年两鬓斑白回到家中时,家中还有几人。而比起那永远没有机会回来的人,即使“归来头白还戍边”,他们也还算幸运的。匈奴人不务耕作,专事征战掠夺。秦时防备匈奴的长城,汉代仍然烽火常燃。长久的军事斗争,使大量的青壮年白白牺牲,残尸曝烈日,流血涂野草,换来的只是“将军空尔为”,揭露了为官者为博取功名不惜“一将功成万骨枯”的残酷本性。诗以《六韬》“圣人号兵为凶器,不得已而用之”做结尾,来总结历史经验,劝当道者不要滥用武功。

注释:

[1]桑干:即桑干河,为今永定河之上游,于今河北省西北部和山西省北部。

[2]葱河:葱河即葱岭河。今有南北两河。南名叶尔羌河,北名喀什噶尔河。

[3]洗兵:洗去战斗后兵器上的污秽。

[4]条支:汉西域古国名。在今伊拉克底格里斯河、幼发拉底河之间。此泛指西域。

[5]鸢(yuān):即老鹰,属于鹰科的一种小型的鹰,常啄食腐尸烂肉。

Fighting South of the Town

Last year we fought

At River’s source;

This year we fight

Along its course.

We’ve washed our swords in Parthian seas off bloody stains,

And grazed our horses on the grass in mountain’s snow.

For miles and miles we made campaigns

Till weak and old our warriors grow.

The Tartars live on killing as on ploughing land,

Bleach’d bones of olden times are buried in the sand.

Under the Qin[1]against the foe Great Wall was raised;

Under the Han[2]the beacon fires still blazed.

See beacon fires on the frontier!

Till warriors fight from year to year.

In wilderness the fighters die,

Riderless horses neigh toward the sky;

Crows pecking human entrails flee

And hang them on a withered tree.

The blood of soldiers smears the grass.

Without them what could generals do?

War is a fearful thing,alas!

For rulers wise,’twould be the last means resorted to.

注释:

[1]The Qin Dynasty(221–207 B.C.).

[2]The Han Dynasty(206 B.C.–220 A.D.).