Beating the drum

I’d rather march with my fellow soldiers, beating the drum, but I’ve been ordered south to mediate the peace between Chen and Song. The walls and moat around the city are strong, but there’s no rest here for me. It will be a long time before I’ll see my wife again. During a battle, if you lose your horse, there’s no way out of it but to prevail or die. I feel as though I’ve lost my horse in a forest. I made a vow to stand by my wife to live together and grow old together, but now I feel lost and helpless. I’m afraid that she’ll lose faith in me. Our separation seems as great as death and it grows wider every day.