Liangzhou Song I
Grape wine glows in a luminous cup;
Just as we drink, a pipa urges us on from horseback.
If I lie drunk upon the battlefield, do not laugh;
Since ancient times, how many return from war?
Notes
Liangzhou Song is a title associated with a frontier tune. A luminous cup was said to glow at night; the pipa is a stringed instrument. The “sandy field” refers to a battlefield.
Meaning
Wine and music open a frontier scene. The speaker asks not to be laughed at if lying drunk on the battlefield, then questions how many soldiers return from war.
Appreciation
Wine and music open the poem, while the final question turns toward war and return, giving the lively scene a more complicated feeling.
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The cup, grape wine and pipa create a frontier gathering through objects and sound.
The closing question acknowledges the danger of war beneath the bold tone.
Find the objects and sounds first, then consider how the final question changes the mood.
About the poet
Wang Han, courtesy name Ziyu, was a Tang poet from the Taiyuan area. His exact birth and death years are uncertain; Liangzhou Song is among his best-known works.
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Life: Wang held office during the Tang dynasty, though reliable details of his dates are limited.
Works: His Liangzhou Song is often read alongside frontier poems bearing the same title.
Sources
Poem and reading reference: Shicile · Poet biography reference · poems-db
Translation and explanations by Poetry Buds; review ongoing.