(Translator’s preface: Chinese poetry written in traditional forms often takes short-cuts with grammar and sentence constructions. It is therefore difficult to translate, and at the risk of embarrassing myself, I have attempted a translation of this poem, written by Mao Zedong in 1971 after the discovery of Lin Biao’s attempted assassination of Mao and coup. Here Mao uses a seven character per line structure that he had previously only used twice, in 1961 (Inscription on a Photograph of Militia Women, and The Immortal’s Cave. In case any native speaker of Chinese comes across this translation, I have included the Chinese original which itself is not widely available in China. It has not, as far as I can tell, been published there in any collection of Mao’s poems. If someone proficient in Chinese can improve on my translation, please use the Comments box below to do so. I have also added footnotes as background to my translation.)
A Play on Li Panlong's 'Huai Mingqing'[1]
- to the tune of Seven-Character Jue Ju
(1971)
Looking west at the colourful clouds[2]
in Yuzhang[3],
The nine rivers[4]
and nine mountains[5],
There is no need to look into the stone mirror when lying
high[6],
The autumn breeze[7]
is angry at the traitor's face.
……………….
七绝。戏改李盘龙《怀明卿》
（1971年）
豫章西望彩云间，
九派长江九叠山，
高卧不须窥石镜，
秋风怒在叛徒颜。
[1] Li
Panlong (1514-1570) was a native of Licheng (now Jinan) in Shandong. He was
called Cangming. He was a scholar in the 23rd year of Jiajing (1544). He took
over from Li Mengyin, He Jingming and the other "former seven sons"
and advocated the restoration of the ancient times, and established a group of
collaborators called the “later seven sons” to pursue restorationist activity.
One of the reasons for the campaign to criticise Lin Biao being at the same
time a campaign to criticise Confucius was the discovery among Lin Biao’s
personal effects of references to “restoring the rites” of Confucianism. Mao
equated Lin Biao with Li Panlong in this poem.
[2] The
three-character phrase used by Mao to refer to the clouds also appears in the
poem Early Departure from Baihuang City by the Tang Dynasty poet Li Bai.
[3] Yuzhang
was the name of an ancient administrative division where the Jiangxi Province
capital Nanchang is located. Today Nanchang is celebrated as the site of the
August 1 Uprising credited as marking the beginnings of the PLA. Mao probably
visited Nanchang on his 1971 southern inspection tour, which was when Lin Biao
planned to have him assassinated.
[4] The
Changjiang (Yangtze River) has nine main tributaries. Collectively they suggest
the vastness of Chinese territory. Mao had opened his 1927 poem Yellow Crane
Tower with the line “Wide, wide flow the nine streams through the land”.
[5] The
“nine mountains” refers to the nine main peaks of Mt Lu (Lushan), an area which
is close to Nanchang and Jiujiang (“nine rivers”). It complements the reference
to “nine rivers” in suggesting the vastness and majesty of China. Lushan was
also the site of three major Party Conference, in 1959, when Peng Dehuai was
purged, 1961, and 1970 when there were increasing signs of a rift between Mao
and Lin Biao. [See: Talks
With Responsible Comrades At Various Places During Provincial Tour
(marxists.org) ]
[6] This
line is directed at Lin Biao. The “stone mirror” refers to a round stone in the
east of Lushan, smooth as a mirror, that is said to be able to illuminate the
human shadow. Li Bai's 'Ballad of Mount Lushan for Imperial Servant Lu Xuzhou' reads:
'At leisure, I peer into the stone mirror to clear my mind”. “Lying high”
refers to sleeping on a high pillow, to sleeping leisurely; it is also a
metaphor for someone who keeps to himself. Mao Zedong is saying here that Lin
Biao should not have to peer into the stone mirror because his plot to usurp
the leadership of the Party and the country at the Lushan meeting has been
exposed. He should no longer pretend to be aloof and above plotting to achieve
his ambitions.
[7] Often used in poetry for a variety
of purposes; suggestions of helplessness and desolation are common.
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