ChineseStudy

244. Song Below the Pass, III | Lu Lun

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Text

English translation

In a moonless night, wild geese fly high; the enemy chieftain slips away under cover of darkness.

Chanyu was originally a title for a Xiongnu ruler and in Tang verse often stands for a northern enemy leader. The disturbed geese become a visible sign of movement in the dark.

Just as the commander is about to lead light cavalry in pursuit, heavy snow fills bows and blades.

Jiang means to lead, and ji refers to mounted troops. The chase has barely begun when snow covers the weapons, holding the scene at its most tense moment before departure.

赏析 · Commentary

黑夜里先看见雁 · The Geese Reveal What Darkness Hides

月黑时很难直接发现远处人马，飞起的雁群却暴露了地面动静。第一句不是单纯写景，而是侦察线索。诗从雁飞推到敌逃，再推到骑兵将追，四句像连续判断，动作一层接一层。

In moonless darkness, distant riders are hard to see, but rising geese expose movement below. The opening is therefore not decorative scenery but a clue. From geese in flight the poem infers escape, then pursuit, each action following the last like a rapid sequence of judgments.

大雪没有让追击停下来 · Snow Does Not Cancel the Pursuit

末句只说雪落满弓刀，没有说部队因天气退回。风雪增加的是行动难度，也是军情急迫的尺度。诗到这里突然结束，骑兵是否追上、战斗结果如何都不交代。留下来的，是人在恶劣天气中仍准备出发的瞬间。

The last line says only that snow covers bows and blades, not that the troops turn back. Weather measures both difficulty and urgency. The poem stops before telling whether the cavalry catches the fugitives or how the encounter ends. What remains is the moment of readiness under severe conditions.

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