Armor of rhino hide
swinging halberds of Wu,
Wheel hub scrapes on wheel hub,
short swords clash.
Banners block sunlight,
enemy like a cloud,
Warriors pushing to be first
in the crisscross rain of arrows.
They trampled our positions,
broke through our ranks,
Horse dead in the left harness
while another bleeds in the right.
But you trammeled the horse teams,
and planted the cartwheels
To block your own retreat,
and when the jade mallets struck the echoing drums,
You charged.
But even stars fall,
and the daunting gods grow angry.
Brutally slaughtered, all of you
abandoned on the wild plain,
You who went out will not come in,
you who departed will not return,
For the plain is too far
and the road, too long.
Bows of Qin at your sides,
long swords on your belts,
Heads severed
but hearts unshaken,
You are the truly brave—
the finest warriors,
Steadfast to the last breath
in your invincible honor.
When your bodies died,
your spirits found their power.
Your souls are now heroes
in another world.