Sh i P oe t ry : musiC bur e au P oe m s 91but other commentators take it as a content word meaning “bridges.” Also, many
translators of the poem have adopted the third-person narrative voice, thereby ren-
dering the poem a narrative told by an observer. I take it as spoken by the dead sol-
dier because of the voice in line 4. This reading also creates a more dramatic effect
than a third-person narrative. The world depicted in the poem is remote from that
of the imperial rhapsodies and ritual hymns. Instead of employing ornate or ar-
chaic expressions, the language of the poem is straightforward and powerful. The
stark misery of war is brought out by the soldier’s pitiable request to the crows
to mourn for him and his fellow soldiers. The word ke (line 5) refers to a person
far from home. The fact that the soldiers have traveled far away from their homes
and died in a strange place without a proper burial would have been regarded as
a great tragedy by the Chinese. It deeply touches Chinese sensibilities, since the
ancient Chinese longed to grow old and die in their native place. That the corpses
cannot run away but will surely decay and be eaten by the crows (line 7) is uttered
in a heartrending voice with a bitter, sarcastic tone. Lines 13 and 14 describe the
soldier’s loss of direction, illustrating his confusion and suffering in the cruel
battlefield at the last moments of his life. Yet, despite the horrors, the poem has a
patriotic element. The soldier expresses his wish to serve his lord with loyalty, de-
spite his untimely death. The last four lines seem to be a response to the speaker’s
patriotic wish and, at the same time, convey the poet’s sympathy toward the sol-
diers. The abrupt transition between lines 14 and 15 seems to indicate a corrupted
text, but some scholars think that abruptness is one of the features of a folk song.
A ballad of folk provenance implies an oral composition and transmission. In the
process of transmission, the singer-poets could change the wording or phrasing to
suit their own purposes, hence some texts may appear garbled and incoherent.18
Like that of “We Fought South of the Walls,” the theme of “Song of the East
Gate” is related to social hardships:
C 4. 5
Song of the East Gate 出東門 (chū dōng mén)Leaving by the East Gate 出東門 (chū dōng mén)
2 He did not look back. 不顧歸 (bú gù guī)
Coming through the door, 來入門 (lái rù mén)
4 He was melancholy and miserable. 悵欲悲 (chàng yù bēi)
In the basket there was not even a peck of rice in
reserve! 盎中無斗儲 (àng zhōng wú dŏu chú)
6 He looked back at the rack, no clothes hanging. 還視桁上無縣衣 (huán shì hàng shàng wú xuán yī)
He drew out a sword and leaves for the East Gate, 拔劍出門去 (bá jiàn chū mén qù)
8 At home his children and their mother clung to his
clothes weeping. 兒女牽衣啼 (ér nǚ qiān yī tí)
“Other families only wish for wealth and position,” 它家但願富貴 (tā jiā dàn yuàn fù guì)
10 Your humble wife will share with you her gruel. 賤妾與君共餔糜 (jiàn qiè yŭ jūn gòng bū mí)
I will share gruel with you. 共餔糜 (gòng bū mí)