Classic and Contemporary Poetry
THE RED HILLS, by PAO CHAO First Line: Red hills lie athwart us as a menace in the west Last Line: Can he hope that his soldiers will give what is hardest to give? Alternate Author Name(s): Ming-yuan; Bao Zhao Subject(s): China - Middle Ages (600 B.c.- 618 A.d.); Soldiers | ||||||||
RED hills lie athwart us as a menace in the west, And fiery mountains glare terrible in the south. The body burns, the head aches and throbs: If a bird light here, its soul forthwith departs. Warm springs Pour from cloudy pools And hot smoke issues between the rocks. The sun and moon are perpetually obscured: The rain and dew never stay dry. There are red serpents a hundred feet long, And black snakes ten girths round. The sand-spitters shoot their poison at the sunbeams: The flying insects are ill with the shifting glare. The hungry monkeys dare not come down to eat: The morning birds dare not set out to fly. At the Ching river many die of poison: Crossing the Lu one is lucky if one is only ill. Our living feet walk on dead ground: Our high wills surmount the snares of Fate. The Spear-boat General got but little honour: The Wave-subduer met with scant reward. If our Prince still grudges the things that are easy to give, Can he hope that his soldiers will give what is hardest to give? | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...ALL ARMIES ARE THE SAME by ERNEST HEMINGWAY ABSENT WITH OFFICIAL LEAVE by RANDALL JARRELL PORT OF EMBARKATION by RANDALL JARRELL THE CONFESSION OF ST. JIM-RALPH by DENIS JOHNSON OPERATION MEMORY by DAVID LEHMAN THE SCHOLAR RECRUIT by PAO CHAO |
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