Soldier on the frontier by Tom Sharp

1. It’s May but the mountains are cloaked with snow. A flute plays an old song of spring but the landscape is locked in winter. I join a battle in the morning, marching and retreating to the gongs. Exhausted, I sleep at night with my head on my saddle. I wish I could pull my sword from the scabbard at my side and end this war with a single strike, but I can slaughter only snowflakes. 2. We are the army chosen by heaven, but we’ve been sent into the wilderness. Our horses are worn out; they want to drink clean water, not ice. I’ve fought in hundreds of battles and have slept in swamps and deserts. I don’t care about my own comfort; I’m just glad to be alive. I’ve tasted the deaths of many men and they don’t make me feel at peace. After we defeat the barbarian hoard, then I’ll sleep soundly. 3. My horse is like the wind that whips over southern rivers. When I shoot my arrows at the sky, fate bends its knees. Rebels scatter like the stars as I rush toward their camp. They’re confused, lost in the fog, and I’m the monsoon. When these battles are done, the victors won’t be soldiers like me. All the glory will be the emperor’s— safe in his palace. 4. My horse stands out, a golden mirror; my sword is like lightning. But I’m awakened from my dream by the misery of the people. Children are murdered. Cattle stolen. Families watch their homes burning. Embers rise in the night like fireflies, and the cold moon extinguishes them. How can the sycamore grow and put out its seeds when its limbs have been shredded? Alone, no one sees me crying.

塞下曲六首 by 李白 (Li Bai)

其一 五月天山雪,无花只有寒。 笛中闻折柳,春色未曾看。 晓战随金鼓,宵眠抱玉鞍。 愿将腰下剑,直为斩楼兰。 其二 天兵下北荒,胡马欲南饮。 横戈从百战,直为衔恩甚。 握雪海上餐,拂沙陇头寝。 何当破月氏,然后方高枕。 其三 骏马似风飙,鸣鞭出渭桥。 弯弓辞汉月,插羽破天骄。 阵解星芒尽,营空海雾消。 功成画麟阁,独有霍嫖姚。 其四 白马黄金塞,云砂绕梦思。 那堪愁苦节,远忆边城儿。 萤飞秋窗满,月度霜闺迟。 摧残梧桐叶,萧飒沙棠枝。 无时独不见,流泪空自知。 其五 塞虏乘秋下,天兵出汉家。 将军分虎竹,战士卧龙沙。 边月随弓影,胡霜拂剑花。 玉关殊未入,少妇莫长嗟。 其六 烽火动沙漠,连照甘泉云。 汉皇按剑起,还召李将军。 兵气天上合,鼓声陇底闻。 横行负勇气,一战净妖氛。