<Header>
<Author: 王維>
<Title: 老將行>
<Format: 七言古詩>
<Year: 1987>
<BookName: 300 Tang Poems: A New Translation>
<Translator: 許淵冲, 陸佩弦, 吳鈞陶>
<TranslatedTitle: The Old General>
<BookPage: 60-63>
<UsedPage: 4>
<Feature: 1, 3>
<End Header>
<Poem>
少年十五二十時，
步行奪得胡馬射。
射殺中山白額虎，
肯數鄴下黃鬚兒。
一身轉戰三千里，
一劒曾當百萬師。
漢兵奮迅如霹靂，
虜騎崩騰畏蒺藜。
衞青不敗由天幸，
李廣無功緣數奇。
自從棄置便衰朽，
世事磋跎成白首。
昔時飛箭無全目，
今日垂楊生左肘。
路傍時賣故侯瓜，
門前學種先生柳。
蒼茫古木連窮巷，
寥落寒山對虛牖。
誓令疏勒出飛泉，
不似潁川空使酒。
賀蘭山下陣如雲，
羽檄交馳日夕聞。
節使三河募年少，
詔書五道出將軍。
試拂鐵衣如雪色，
聊持寶劒動星文。
願得燕弓射天將，
恥令越甲鳴吳軍。
莫嫌舊日雲中守，
猶堪一戰取功勳。
<End Poem>
<Translation>
At fifteen or twenty, he was unhorsed.
In his keen mind, thoughts of rescue took shape.
He feigned death and surprised his capturer;
Seized the latter's horse; made good his escape.

In a sense, he is another Zhou Chu.
With a single shot, a tiger, he fells.
In muscular strength, he exceeds Gao Zhang;
"The brown whiskered lad", whose every shot tells.

In battle, he was found ubiquitous.
Front or rear, he was seen fighting his way.
Armed with nothing more than a scimitar,
He had held a million men at bay.

Under him, Han soldiers with stout courage,
Went to battle with the might of thunder claps.
Enemy troops collapsed; fled for dear life,
Their cavalry – in fear of Han's hoof-traps.

General Wei Qing didn't suffer defeat,
Because, by and large, luck was on his side.
General Li Guang didn't gain his knighthood
Because of age, the command he's denied.

Since our hero was given up as unfit,
He's shown signs of rapid senile decay.
Meanwhile, the world has changed; time has whirled off.
His hair has turned white; he's pining away.

He used to bring down birds with both eyes gone,
As a crack shot, so exact was his aim.
Nowadays, with his muscles out of tune,
A sore festering on his arms: For shame!

As a means of earning a livelihood,
On the wayside, he sells gourds from Dong-ling.
Before his gate, he plants five willow trees,
After the style of the famed Tao Yuan-ming.

A shapeless green expanse of ancient trees –
About the blind alley where to reside.
A few dismal-looking, forbidding hills –
He can watch from his door with little pride.

Like Geng-gong, he would call a spring to flow.
Be its source blocked by Huns, it didn't refuse.
He would not act like Guan-fu of Yingchuan,
O'er wine to release a torrent of abuse.

Below Helanshan, like gathering clouds,
Units were deployed in battle array.
Urgent orders flashed across the whole land.
Such things we were given to know, night and day.

Ministers at Henei, Henan, Hedong –
Were to carry out vast recruiting plans.
An edict commissioned five generals –
To take command against the foe's advance.

Our hero shook the dust off his armor,
And donned it, which was now glistening white.
He took up his scimitar; flourished it.
Under starlight, the blade gleamed in the night.

'Twas his wish to be given a special bow,
With which he'd pot at generals alone;
And, with the assistance of troops from Yue,
Redeemed the honor we owe to the Throne.

As a soldier, he would still play his part,
As the restored Wei-shang did for his town.
He could stand a single battle as test.
He would win honors for himself and Crown.
<End Translation>
<Formatted Translation>
At fifteen or twenty, he was unhorsed.
$(In his keen mind, thoughts of rescue took shape.)$
$(He feigned death and surprised his capturer;)$
Seized the latter's horse; made good his escape.

In a sense, he is another Zhou Chu. With a single shot, a tiger, he fells.
In muscular strength, he exceeds Gao Zhang;
"The brown whiskered lad", whose every shot tells.

In battle, he was found ubiquitous. Front or rear, he was seen fighting his way.
Armed with nothing more than a scimitar, He had held a million men at bay.

Under him, Han soldiers with stout courage, Went to battle with the might of thunder claps.
Enemy troops collapsed; fled for dear life, Their cavalry – in fear of Han's hoof-traps.

General Wei Qing didn't suffer defeat, Because, by and large, luck was on his side.
General Li Guang didn't gain his knighthood Because of age, the command he's denied.

Since our hero was given up as unfit, He's shown signs of rapid senile decay.
Meanwhile, the world has changed; time has whirled off. His hair has turned white; he's pining away.

He used to bring down birds with both eyes gone, As a crack shot, so exact was his aim.
Nowadays, with his muscles out of tune, A sore festering on his arms: For shame!

As a means of earning a livelihood, On the wayside, he sells gourds from Dong-ling.
Before his gate, he plants five willow trees, After the style of the famed Tao Yuan-ming.

A shapeless green expanse of ancient trees – About the blind alley where to reside.
A few dismal-looking, forbidding hills – He can watch from his door with little pride.

Like Geng-gong, he would call a spring to flow. 
$(Be its source blocked by Huns, it didn't refuse.)$
$(He would not act like Guan-fu of Yingchuan,)$
$(O'er wine to release a torrent of abuse.)$

Below Helanshan, like gathering clouds,
$(Units were deployed in battle array.)$
$(Urgent orders flashed across the whole land.)$
Such things we were given to know, night and day.

Ministers at Henei, Henan, Hedong – Were to carry out vast recruiting plans.
An edict commissioned five generals – To take command against the foe's advance.

Our hero shook the dust off his armor, And donned it, which was now glistening white.
He took up his scimitar; flourished it. Under starlight, the blade gleamed in the night.

'Twas his wish to be given a special bow, With which he'd pot at generals alone;
And, with the assistance of troops from Yue, Redeemed the honor we owe to the Throne.

As a soldier, he would still play his part, 
$(As the restored Wei-shang did for his town.)$
He could stand a single battle as test. He would win honors for himself and Crown.
<End Formatted Translation>