The War Chariots - Du Fu
/兵车行 - 杜甫/
A Stark Lament for Conscription and Loss
车辚辚，马萧萧，
Chariots rattle, horses neigh,
行人弓箭各在腰。
Travelers carry bows and arrows at their waist.
耶娘妻子走相送，
Fathers, mothers, wives, and children rush to bid farewell,
尘埃不见咸阳桥。
Dust so thick, the Xianyang Bridge is lost from view.
牵衣顿足拦道哭，
They tug sleeves, stamp feet, and cry in the middle of the road,
哭声直上干云霄。
Their wailing pierces the clouds on high.
道旁过者问行人，
Passersby inquire of these departing soldiers,
行人但云点行频。
They reply only that more must join the ranks.
或从十五北防河，
Some at fifteen guard the northern river,
便至四十西营田。
Until forty, they camp and farm in the west.
去时里正与裹头，
When they left, the village chief wrapped their heads,
归来头白还戍边。
They return white-haired, yet still garrison the frontier.
边庭流血成海水，
Blood on the borderlands accumulates into a sea,
武皇开边意未已。
Yet the Emperor’s thirst for expansion knows no end.
君不闻汉家山东二百州，
Have you not heard of the two hundred districts east of the mountains?
千村万落生荆杞？
Thousands of villages lie overgrown with thorny scrub.
纵有健妇把锄犁，
Even if strong wives still wield hoes and plows,
禾生陇亩无东西。
Grain sprouts haphazardly, fields left in disarray.
况复秦兵耐苦战，
Moreover, the soldiers of Qin endure endless hardship,
被驱不异犬与鸡！
Driven as though they were dogs or chickens!
长者虽有问，
Although elders wish to inquire,
役夫敢伸恨？
The drafted dare not voice their resentment.
且如今年冬，
Now, this winter,
未休关西卒。
The western troops still find no respite.
县官急索租，
Local officers hurry to demand taxes,
租税从何出？
But from where can the levy be paid?
信知生男恶，
Indeed, to bear sons seems a curse,
反是生女好；
Better instead to have daughters.
生女犹得嫁比邻，
A daughter can at least wed a neighbor,
生男埋没随百草。
A son is buried in war among weeds and thorns.
君不见青海头，
Do you not see by the shores of Qinghai,
古来白骨无人收？
Where ancient bones lie unclaimed through the ages?
新鬼烦冤旧鬼哭，
Fresh ghosts lament, old ghosts wail,
天阴雨湿声啾啾！
In dark skies and drizzling rain, their cries echo endlessly.
“The War Chariots” is among Du Fu’s most gripping commentaries on the human cost of relentless military campaigns. Composed during the Tang Dynasty’s conflicts, it gives voice to soldiers coerced into endless service, as well as the families they leave behind. The poem begins with rattling chariots and tearful farewells, underscoring the despair that clings to each forced departure. Du Fu laments how youthful dreams wither into old age on the battlefield, conveying that the cycle of conscription spares neither the young nor the aging.
He juxtaposes the cruelty of war—blood turning borderlands into seas—with the Emperor’s unceasing ambitions, vividly portraying a realm ravaged by expansionist aims. Civilians, starved of labor, find their fields overtaken by weeds and thorns. Perhaps the poem’s most poignant lines concern the futility of bearing sons, only to see them sacrificed as nameless casualties. Ultimately, Du Fu’s vivid portrayal of soldiers as nothing more than beasts of burden resonates through time, challenging readers to question the reasons behind warfare and power’s often callous grip. Even centuries later, “The War Chariots” remains a testament to the misery inflicted upon innocent lives by distant, unyielding authority.
Key points
Du Fu’s poem is a powerful indictment of militarism, underscoring how battlefield glory exacts a devastating price. It highlights the heartbreak of families, the forced sacrifices of common folk, and the tragic waste of human life. Though set in a different era, the emotions it conveys—fear, anger, grief, and resignation—reflect universal human responses to war’s unending demands.