Song of Longxi: No. 2
They vowed to defeat the enemy without regard for their lives;
Five thousand richly equipped soldiers fell amid frontier dust.
Alas, the bones beside the Wuding River
Still belong to those remembered in dreams at home.
Notes
Longxi Song is an old Yuefu title. The poem uses ancient ethnic names as historical literary terms. Rich clothing stands for equipped soldiers; five thousand is a poetic number. The Wuding River runs through present-day Shaanxi. The final line refers to those dreaming at home.
Meaning
The poem contrasts soldiers’ deaths on the frontier with the dreams of those at home who still remember them.
Appreciation
The opening moves abruptly from resolve in battle to death.
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Bones by the river are placed beside a dream at home, contrasting what the reader knows with what the dreamer hopes.
The poem does not describe the moment news arrives; the separation of knowledge gives the ending its force.
Historical ethnic terms and the poetic number should not be treated as modern labels or verified casualty statistics.
About the poet
Chen Tao, courtesy name Songbo, was a Tang poet whose dates and place of origin are disputed.
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Chen Tao travelled through several regions and wrote on frontier life and landscapes. The second Longxi poem is well known for its contrast between the battlefield and a dream at home.