Wang Wei: Longxi Journey
陇西行
十 里 一 走 马
五 里 一 扬 鞭.
都 护 军 书 至
匈 奴 围 酒 泉.
关 山 正 飞 雪
烽 戎 断 无 烟.
Long Xi Xing
Shi li yi zou ma
Wu li yi yang bian.
Dou hu jun shu zhi
Xiong nu wei jiu quan.
Guan shan zheng fei xue
Feng rong duan wu yan.
Longxi Journey
Every four miles, one change of horses
Every two miles, time to go to the whip.
Communique from the brigade commander arrives
The Xiongnu have surrounded and besiege Jiuquan.
Snow flying in the mountains and frontier passes
Beacon fires for military operations abruptly without smoke.
Notes:
Longxi: Area located in western Gansu province.
Courier horses changed every ten li, and after five li they loose their freshness and need to be spurred onward. One li is half a kilometer, or about one third of a mile.
Xiongnu: Ancient federation of Mogolian nomadic people of north of China.
