Ghost Gate Pass in Lang Son, NE Vietnam.

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Crossing Ghost Gate Pass

Nguyen De Darkness and gloom fill the sky          the smell of death abounds, An old villiager points          and says                    that is Ghost Gate Pass. In the haze of mountain mists          a thousand crags lie concealed, From the choked cries           of flowing water                  I feel a jolt of cold. A new bridge of bamboo          opens the way for travelers, An old temple encompassed by trees         holds down the various peaks. With my loyalty and trust at hand         there is no worry          of dangerous obstacles ahead, With a clear breeze          blowing through my sleeves                 I will go and return at will.

Guò Guǐménguān

Ruǎn De Yīn yì téngkòng shāqì màn, Cūn wēng zhǐ shì Guǐménguān. Míméng lán sè qiān yán yǐn, Wūyè quán shēng yī pài hán. Zhújià xīn qiáo tōng kè jìng, Shù hán gǔ miào zhèn qúnshān. Zhàng wú zhōngxìn wú yí xiǎn, Liǎng xiù fēng qīng rèn qù huán.

Translator:

Liam Kelley 翻譯者

Notes: From Liam Kelley's fascinating study of Vietnamese envoy poetry, Beyond the Bronze Pillars, Envoy Poetry And The Sino-Vietnamese Relationship, University of Hawaii Press, 2005

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