<Header>
<Author: 杜甫>
<Title: 新安吏>
<Format: 格式不明>
<Year: 1952>
<BookName: TUFU China's Greatest Poet>
<Translator: William Hung>
<TranslatedTitle: THE RECRUITING OFFICER AT HSIN-AN>
<BookPage: 140>
<UsedPage: 1>
<Feature: 1>
<End Header>
<Poem>
客行新安道，
喧呼聞點兵。
借問新安吏，
縣小更無丁。
府帖昨夜下，
次選中男行。
中男絕短小，
何以守王城。
肥男有母送，
瘦男獨伶俜。
白水暮東流，
青山猶哭聲。
莫自使眼枯，
收汝淚縱橫。
眼枯即見骨，
天地終無情。
我軍取相州，
日夕望其平。
豈意賊難料，
歸軍星散營。
就糧近故壘，
練卒依舊京。
掘壕不到水，
牧馬役亦輕。
況乃王師順，
撫養甚分明。
送行勿泣血，
僕射如父兄。
<End Poem>
<Translation>
I travel on the road through Hsin-an, And hear the roaring voices of an
army's roll call. The officer of Hsin-an tells me: "In this small district, 
all men over twenty-two have gone. Last night an order came down from
the prefecture, Making us take the boys over seventeen. These boys are
short and slight; How can they defend His Majesty's cities?" I notice the 
stout youths have mothers to see them off, Only the thin boys are lonely
and forlorn. In the evening, I watch the clear water run eastward; I still
hear the sound of weeping in the green hills. O mothers, stop those
streaming tears, More weeping will only wither your eyes. Though your
eyes are dried to the bone, Neither heaven nor earth will do anything for
you. Our armies were beseging the city of Yeh, We expected its fall
almost any time. Who could have foreseen that the rebels would be so
unpredictable, And that our forces would return in scattered battalions?
They are now by the old rampart to defend the provisions; They are in
the neighborhood of the Eastern Capital to train new soldiers. Trenches 
are dug, but not deep enough to reach water, And the work of pasturing
horses is not too hard. Moreover, the royal armies are good armies; The
soldiers are clearly well fed and provided. Seeing your sons off, you need
not cry your hearts out; General Kuo Tzu-i treats his men like his own
children.
<End Translation>
<Formatted Translation>
I travel on the road through Hsin-an, 
And hear the roaring voices of an army's roll call. 
The officer of Hsin-an tells me: 
"In this small district, all men over twenty-two have gone. 
Last night an order came down from the prefecture, 
Making us take the boys over seventeen. 
These boys are short and slight; 
How can they defend His Majesty's cities?" 
I notice the stout youths have mothers to see them off, 
Only the thin boys are lonely and forlorn. 
In the evening, I watch the clear water run eastward; 
I still hear the sound of weeping in the green hills. 
O mothers, stop those streaming tears, 
More weeping will only wither your eyes. 
Though your eyes are dried to the bone, 
Neither heaven nor earth will do anything for you. 
Our armies were beseging the city of Yeh, 
We expected its fall almost any time. 
Who could have foreseen that the rebels would be so unpredictable, 
And that our forces would return in scattered battalions?
They are now by the old rampart to defend the provisions; 
They are in the neighborhood of the Eastern Capital to train new soldiers. 
Trenches are dug, but not deep enough to reach water, 
And the work of pasturing horses is not too hard. 
Moreover, the royal armies are good armies; 
The soldiers are clearly well fed and provided. 
Seeing your sons off, you need not cry your hearts out; 
General Kuo Tzu-i treats his men like his own children.
<End Formatted Translation>