潼关吏 by 杜甫

士卒何草草，筑城潼关道。 大城铁不如，小城万丈余。 借问潼关吏，修关还备胡？ 要我下马行，为我指山隅。 连云列战格，飞鸟不能逾。 胡来但自守，岂复忧西都？ 丈人视要处，窄狭容单车。 艰难奋长戟，万古用一夫。 哀哉桃林战，百万化为鱼。 请嘱防关将，慎勿学哥舒。

Tongguan Official (literal translation of Du Fu’s poem)

Why are the soldiers so careless in building the city on the Tongguan Road? The big city is not as good as iron, and the small city is more than ten thousand feet. May I ask the Tongguan official, are you repairing the pass to prepare for the Hu? You want me to dismount and walk, and point out the corner of the mountain for me. The clouds are lined up in battle formations, and birds cannot fly over. If the Hu come, just defend yourself, why worry about the Western Capital? The old man looked at the key point, which was narrow enough for a single bicycle. It was difficult to swing the long spear, and only one man was used for eternity. Alas, the battle in Taolin, millions of people turned into fish. Please ask the generals guarding the pass to be careful not to learn from Geshu.