The Moon at the Fortified Pass -- Li Bai

The bright moon lifts from the Mountain of Heaven
In an infinite haze of cloud and sea,
And the wind that has come a thousand li
Beats at the Jade Pass battlements.
China marches its men down Baideng Road
While Tartar troops peer across blue waters of the bay,
And since not one battle famous in history
Sent all its fighters back again,
The soldiers turn round, looking toward the border,
And think of home, with wistful eyes,
And of those tonight in the upper chambers
Who toss and sigh and cannot rest.

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Poem selected by Dawn Stanton, translator unknown.

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The great Tang Dynasty poet Li Bai (701-762) was born in Suiye, China. His family moved to Jiangyou (170 km from Chengdu) when he was 5 years old. Li Bai left Jiangyou at the age of 20 and traveled throughout much of his life.

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