English中文
Breaking the Enemy Ranks: A Bold Song for Chen Tongfu
醉里挑灯看剑，
梦回吹角连营。
八百里分麾下炙，
五十弦翻塞外声，
沙场秋点兵。
Drunk, I trim the lamp and look upon my sword; in dreams I return to the bugle calls through camp on camp. Roast beef is shared among the ranks; fifty strings, the tunes of the frontier ring out—autumn review of the army upon the sandy field.
马作的卢飞快，
弓如霹雳弦惊。
了却君王天下事，
赢得生前身后名。
可怜白发生！
My horse runs swift as Dilu; my bow twangs loud as thunder. I would finish the king's great affair and win a name in life and after death. Pitiful—my hair has turned white!
Reading notes
Following the standard textbook interpretation, 八百里 alludes to the prized ox Babaili Bo and is translated here as roast beef shared with the troops. 的 in 的卢 is read dì. This page interprets 梦回 as returning to the camp in a dream; some annotations instead read it as awakening.