Frontier song (Cicadas cry in empty mulberry trees)
塞下曲 (蟬鳴空桑林) · Three Hundred Tang Poems
Original Chinese text from Chinese Wikisource (public domain). The translation is machine-made and may contain errors. · Original text ↗
Frontier song (Cicadas cry in empty mulberry trees)
Cicadas cry in the empty mulberry grove—some versions say "among the mulberry trees"—on the Xiaoguan Road in the eighth month.
Leaving the passes, entering the passes, cold—some versions say "re-entering the passes"—everywhere, yellow reeds and grass.
The men of You and Bing from of old have all grown old together with the dust and sand—some versions say "facing the battlefield."
Do not take after the wandering knights, who boast and vaunt the beauty of their purple steeds.
塞下曲 (蟬鳴空桑林)
蟬鳴空桑林一作「桑樹間」，八月蕭關道。
出塞入塞寒一作「復入塞」，處處黃蘆草。
從來幽幷客，皆共塵沙一作「向沙場」老。
莫學遊俠兒，矜夸紫騮好。