Battle

Chu’ü Yüan
translated by Arthur Waley
 

         “We grasp our battle-spears: we don our breast-plates of hide.

         The axles of our chariots touch: our short swords meet.
         Standards obscure the sun: the foe roll up like clouds.
         Arrows fall thick: the warriors press forward.
         They menace our ranks: they break our line.
         The left-hand trace-horse is dead: the one on the right is smitten.
         The fallen horses block our wheels: they impede the yoke-horses!”
 
         They grasp their jade drum-sticks: they beat the sounding drums.
         Heaven decrees their fall: the dread Powers are angry.
 
         The warriors are all dead: they lie on the moor-field.
         They issued but shall not enter: they went but shall not return.
         The plains are flat and wide: the way home is long.
 
         Their swords lie beside them: their blacks bows, in their hands.
         Though their limbs were torn, their hearts could not be repressed.
         They were more than brave: they were inspired with the spirit of “Wu.”
         Steadfast to the end, they could not be daunted.
         Their bodies were stricken, but their souls have taken Immortality –
         Captains among the ghosts, heroes among the dead.
 Yu Xiuhua
translated by Ming Di
 
       And I see sparrows fly over. They look around
       as if it’s inappropriate to stop for just any grain of rice.
       They have clear eyes, with light from inside.
       Starlings also fly over, in flocks, bewildered.
       They flutter and make a sound that seems to flash.
       When they’re gone, the sky gets lower, in dark blue.
       In this village deep in the central plain
       the sky is always low, forcing us to look at its blue,
       the way our ancestors make us look inside ourselves,
       narrow and empty, so we look out again
       at the full September –
       we’re comforted by its insignificance but hurt by its smallness.
       Living our life this way, we feel secure.
       So much rice. Where does it come from?
       So much gold color. Where does it come from?
       Year after year I’ve been blessed, and then deserted.
       When happiness and sadness come in the same color code,
           I’m happy
       to be forgotten. But who am I separated from?
       I don’t know. I stay close to my own hours.

A. Exercises

Compare the work of Chu’ü Yüan with the work of Yu Xiuhua. Consider the similarities
and differences in subject matter, imagery, and style in your comparison. Then, Fill in
the Venn Diagram with the similarities and differences of the two poems. 
 
 Battle by Chu’ü Yüan Similarities On The Threshing Floor, I Chase
Chickens Away by Yu Xiuhua

 
Exercise 3. Assessment:

Read each statement carefully. Highlight the letter of the correct answer.
1. Confucius is a famous ____ in ancient Chinese history.
A. historian               B. poet               C. philosopher     D. emperor
 
2. Name the mystic philosophy inspired by Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu.
A. Daoism                 B. Confucianism  C. Taoism           D. Buddhism
 
3. The great poets Li Po and Tu Fu became popular during this dynasty.
A. Shang Dynasty     B. Ming Dynasty  C. Tang Dynasty D. Han Dynasty
 
4. What is the subject matter of the poem “Battle” by Chu’ü Yüan?
A. nationalism           B. patriotism       C. independence D. loyalty
 
5. Chinese literature has very _____beginnings.
A. new                      B. ancient           C. recent            D. contemporary
 
6. Which of the following is the oldest collection of Chinese poetry?
A. Book of Psalms        B. Book of Songs C. Book of poetry D. Book of old
 

7. Who was the first writer in Chinese to win the Nobel Prize for literature?
A. Li Po                    B. Du Fu             C. Lu Xun         D. Mo Yan
 
8. Which of the following imagery is used in “On the Threshing Floor, I Chase
   Chickens Away?
A. arrows fall thick
B. the virtual spring in the flowering
C. starlings also fly over, in flocks, bewildered
D.the axles of our chariots touch: our short swords meet
 
9. The poet who centers his works on A war and bitter experience.
A. Du Fu                   B. Lu Xhun          C. Mo Yan          D. Chu’ü Yüan
 
10. Who is commonly considered the greatest Chinese writer of the 20 century?
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A. Mo Yan                B. Du Fu             C. Yu Xiuhua       D. Lu Xhun