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Sending General Feng off at the River of Galloping Horses as He Led Troops Westward to Battle

Ts'en, Shen       (717 A.D.-770 A.D.)

The River of Galloping Horses flows along the south side of the Snow Sea 1.
The expanse of yellow sand extends to the clouds and the sky.
Lun T'ai's 2 September wind recently howled at night.
The large stones along the shore were blown about by the strong wind.
When the pasture grew yellow and the horses became fat,
The enemy invaded China's border.
West of Altai Mountain smoke rose and dust flew.
The Chinese commander led troops westward to fight against the invaders.
During the night the general did not take off his armor.
As the soldiers marched at night, their lances bumped against one another.
The wind cut their faces as though it were a sharp knife.
The snow flakes on the coat of the horses were slightly vaporized by their perspiration.
In a moment, the snow on the white-green spotted horses became a layer of ice.
The ink in the camp used to write the denunciation of the enemy was frozen.
The enemy should become scared after they hear the arrival of our troops.
I expect they will not dare confront our army.
At the west door of the commander's headquarters I wait for the news of victory.




1 The Snow Sea refers to Lake Ysyk-kö l in Kyrgyzstan. It belonged to China at that time.

2 Lun T'ai is the name of a city in Xinjiang Province.