十一月四日风雨大作(其一) - 陆游
On the Fourth Day of the Eleventh Month, a Great Storm Arose (No. 1) - Lu You
Where Storm Winds and a Patriot’s Heart Collide
【Original Chinese】
十一月四日风雨大作(其一)
僵卧孤村不自哀，
尚思为国戍轮台。
夜阑卧听风吹雨，
铁马冰河入梦来。
【Literal English Translation (Line by Line)】
On the Fourth Day of the Eleventh Month, a Great Storm Arose (No. 1)
Lying ill in a lonely village, I do not pity myself;
I still yearn to defend the frontier for my country at the Wheel Terrace.
Late at night, reclined, I listen to wind and rain—
In my dreams, armored cavalry cross frozen rivers.
十一月四日风雨大作(其一)
僵卧孤村不自哀，
尚思为国戍轮台。
夜阑卧听风吹雨，
铁马冰河入梦来。
【Literal English Translation (Line by Line)】
On the Fourth Day of the Eleventh Month, a Great Storm Arose (No. 1)
Lying ill in a lonely village, I do not pity myself;
I still yearn to defend the frontier for my country at the Wheel Terrace.
Late at night, reclined, I listen to wind and rain—
In my dreams, armored cavalry cross frozen rivers.
In “十一月四日风雨大作(其一)” (On the Fourth Day of the Eleventh Month, a Great Storm Arose, No. 1), Lu You captures his unwavering patriotic spirit even while bedridden in an isolated village. Composed during the Southern Song period, when the court had retreated to the south following invasions by the Jurchen-led Jin dynasty, the poem underscores the poet’s lifelong desire to see China reunified and its borders defended.
**Line-by-Line Commentary**
1. **“僵卧孤村不自哀”**
- Although the poet is “lying ill in a lonely village,” he refuses self-pity. This simple opening line establishes a tone of stoic resolve.
2. **“尚思为国戍轮台”**
- “I still yearn to defend the frontier for my country at the Wheel Terrace.” Wheel Terrace (轮台) is a symbolic reference to distant border outposts; by expressing a wish to serve there, Lu You highlights his unquenched patriotic fervor despite age or illness.
3. **“夜阑卧听风吹雨”**
- As night deepens, the poet listens to the tempest outside. The wind and rain become metaphors for turbulence—both internal (his frustrations) and external (the state’s precarious fortunes).
4. **“铁马冰河入梦来”**
- “In my dreams, armored cavalry cross frozen rivers.” In his imagination, the storm transforms into visions of warhorses charging across icy rivers, reflecting heroic campaigns he longs to join or witness. This final line is one of the most famous in Chinese literature for capturing a scene of grandeur amid personal constraint.
**Historical Context**
- Lu You (1125–1210) lived during a time of partial occupation of China by northern powers. His poetry frequently laments the South’s inaction or repeated peace treaties that postponed unification.
- The mention of border defense resonates with a generation of literati who felt keenly the loss of their northern homeland.
**Emotional Resonance**
- Despite physical confinement, the poet’s mind roams the battlefields. Illness and isolation do not curb his sense of duty—if anything, they sharpen it.
- The contrast between the quiet reality (a lonely, stormy night) and the explosive dream (armored horses thundering on frozen rivers) shows how deeply rooted Lu You’s patriotism is. Even in the most humbling circumstances, his martial spirit surges.
**Literary Significance**
- Often cited as a pinnacle of Chinese patriotic verse, the poem demonstrates Lu You’s capacity to unify personal struggle with collective ambition.
- The poem’s brevity intensifies its emotional impact: each line pivots from physical condition (isolation, storm) to mental grandeur (frontier defense, cavalry).
- The final image—“铁马冰河入梦来”—remains iconic in Chinese literature, encapsulating a warrior-poet’s longing to redeem the nation’s lost land.
Hence, “On the Fourth Day of the Eleventh Month, a Great Storm Arose (No. 1)” stands as a testament to Lu You’s indomitable resolve. Neither age, nor sickness, nor the relentless weather can vanquish his dream of restoring his nation’s pride and borders—a dream that gallops ceaselessly through his nightly visions.
Key points
• Centers on Lu You’s unyielding patriotic fervor despite personal illness and isolation.
• Balances vivid natural elements (wind, rain, storm) with heroic dream imagery (armored cavalry, frozen rivers).
• Embodies Southern Song loyalist sentiment: physical constraints cannot quell the longing to unify the country.
• Showcases concise, potent language that fuses personal predicament with national aspiration.
Comments
Dynamic MantaA middle reflection: each verse implies that, while nature’s fury rages, the poet’s spirit remains unbroken. The wind and rain become a mirror for illusions undone, overshadowing heartbreak with a vow to endure trials without losing faith.
Shadow FangCompared one final time with Lu You’s gentler heartbreak in '钗头凤(红酥手),' which focuses on personal longing overshadowed by parted illusions, '十一月四日风雨大作(其一)' harnesses an external tempest. Both revolve around heartbreak, but one features soft sorrow, the other fierce defiance in the face of storms—yet each hush-laden approach underscores parted hopes that never fully vanish, overshadowed by either mild acceptance or stormy perseverance.
Epic Neon WaveSometimes it recalls real-time streaming weather coverage—broadcasters overshadow illusions of safety in the face of surging storms, forging a vow that communities must unify. The poem’s hush-laden heartbreak parallels that sense of heartbreak overshadowed by urgent resilience, forging a vow to persevere.
Brave Red TigerA short note: illusions parted overshadow heartbreak in a swirl of wind-driven rain, forging a vow that personal sorrow merges with nature’s turbulence—neither overshadowed nor overshadowing, but coexisting in a wild hush.
SilverArroShort impression: illusions parted overshadow heartbreak in each gust, forging a vow of unstoppable grit. The poet stands at the window, battered by fierce rain, refusing to let heartbreak crumble his vow.
Wild GriffinShort but vivid: illusions once soared in calmer days, now overshadowed by a storm-laden vow that heartbreak merges with gusting winds rather than succumbing to tearful lament.
Neon Quantum VortexSometimes it parallels how modern headlines describe extreme weather events disrupting daily life—like illusions of stability overshadowed by storms. The poem’s hush-laden perseverance resonates with that sense of forging ahead, heartbreak subdued by unstoppable natural chaos.
Primal VectorA middle reflection: illusions soared in calmer seasons, overshadowed now by heartbreak that merges with gale and deluge—like forging a vow that sorrow won’t yield to defeat. The hush in each line resonates with controlled yet fervent resolve.
Crimson StarIn a mid commentary: each line surges with unstoppable energy—like illusions parted overshadow heartbreak, yet the poet’s spirit endures in the fierce hush of roaring winds. This vow anchors heartbreak in a broader fight against adversity rather than letting sorrow consume him.
Fierce Green WolfAnother nowaday angle might be how major coastal storms disrupt entire communities, illusions of normalcy overshadowed by severe conditions. The poem’s vow stands out as a call to press on with grit, heartbreak carried quietly even as storms rage, overshadowing illusions of calm predictability.
Silent Green WolfCompared anew with Li Qingzhao’s heartbreak-laden '声声慢(寻寻觅觅),' which soaks parted hopes in drifting gloom, here illusions overshadow heartbreak in an active, storm-lashed hush. Both revolve around sorrow, but Li Qingzhao fosters quiet reflection, while Lu You channels sorrow through a storm’s fierce impetus, overshadowing illusions with determined passion.
Mystic CircuitUltimately, the poem stands as a testament to heartbreak overshadowed by nature’s raging force, forging a vow of resolute spirit that neither illusions undone nor driving winds can fully break. In that swirl of storm and sorrow, heartbreak remains present but overshadowed by the poet’s unwavering will, forging acceptance not through gentle hush alone, but through a fierce synergy of heartbreak and storms, overshadowing illusions with a vow to persist, no matter how fierce the gale.
Nerdy Blue Owl NestComparing it with Lu You’s softer '示儿,' which quietly merges heartbreak with patriotic devotion, '十一月四日风雨大作(其一)' roars more fiercely. Both revolve around parted hopes, but here the poet battles a literal storm, overshadowing illusions with a dynamic vow that sorrow won’t yield to the tempest. The other poem’s hush is calmer, focusing on a near-death reflection, whereas this one stands amid swirling gusts in determined resilience.
AstralGuarA fierce hush grips every line, as if the wind and rain intensify the poet’s quiet resolve.
Swift Black TigerSometimes it’s reminiscent of how certain protest movements push on despite harsh crackdowns—like illusions overshadowed by adversity, forging a vow that heartbreak yields not to despair but to renewed determination. The poem’s storm-laden hush parallels that unstoppable push against formidable odds.
