Dead lotus on desolate West Lake in winter

Slideshow  Google Map  Timeline  Timemap  Text Mode  Comments (0)

Leaving Sea of Desolation

Wen Tianxiang 1236-1282 All the suffering I've encountered         beagan with one classic, Weapons in short supply         four years of war under the stars. Mountains and rivers ravished         wind blown cotton catkins, My life jounced and jolted          rain spatterd duckweed. On fearful beachheads         I spoke of fear, On desolate seas         I sighed in desperation. Since ancient times         who has not met death? Let my loyal heart         illuminate history.

Guō Língdīngyáng

Wén Tiānxiáng 1236-1282 Xīnkǔ zāoféng qǐ yī jīng, Gāngē luòluò sìzhōu xīng. Shānhé pòsuì fēng pāo xù, Shēnshìpaiōyáo yǔ dǎ píng. Huáng kǒng tāntóu shuō huáng kǒng, Língdīngyáng lǐ tàn língdīng. Rénshēng zìgǔ shuí wú sǐ, Liúqǔ dānxīn zhào hànqīng.

Translator:

Dongbo 東波

Notes: Written by Wen Tianxiang 1236-1283, the Song Prime Minister and loyalist who died a martyr's death by order of Mongol Emperor Kublai Khan. Perhaps the Sea of Desolation is West Lake in the Song capital of Linan (Hangzhou) which Wen viewed one last time as he was led into captivity.

Related Items:

Běijīng 北京

Hángzhōu 杭州

Xīhú 西湖

Zhènjiāng 鎮江