Hearing That the Imperial Army Has Retaken Henan and Hebei
Beyond Jianmen comes sudden news that Ji’s north is recovered;
At first hearing it, tears fill my clothes.
I turn to my wife and children: where has their sorrow gone?
I roll up poems and books, almost wild with joy.
In daylight we should sing and drink freely;
With spring for company, it is good to return home.
At once I would pass from Ba Gorge through Wu Gorge,
Then go down to Xiangyang and on toward Luoyang.
Notes
The imperial army is the Tang army. Jianwai refers to the region south of Jianmen; Ji’s north is in the northern region. Wife and children are both included in qizi. “Youth” means spring here. The named gorges and cities form an imagined route home.
Meaning
Sudden news of military recovery brings tears and joy; the poet imagines travelling home with his family through the gorges toward Luoyang.
Appreciation
Sudden news and immediate tears establish the strength of the response.
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Looking at family and gathering books make joy visible through action.
Song, wine and spring accompany the imagined return; “youth” means the season.
The final places form an eager imagined journey, not proof that the route had already been completed.
About the poet
Du Fu (712–770), courtesy name Zimei, was a major Tang poet.
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His poetry records personal experience and the upheaval of his age, including the An Lushan rebellion.
He lived in Kuizhou in later years; his works include Spring View and Ascending the Heights.