念奴娇·赤壁怀古

念奴娇·赤壁怀古
作者: 苏轼

　　大江东去，浪淘尽，千古风流人物。
　　故垒西边，人道是，三国周郎赤壁。
　　乱石穿空，惊涛拍岸，卷起千堆雪。
　　江山如画，一时多少豪杰！
　　遥想公瑾当年，小乔初嫁了，雄姿英发。
　　羽扇纶巾，谈笑间，樯橹灰飞烟灭。
　　故国神游，多情应笑我，早生华发。
　　人生如梦，一樽还酹江月。

Background
This poem recalls the battle of Red Cliffs that occurred in Romance of Three Kingdoms. In this historical battle, the famous generals Zhou Yu and Zhu Ge Liang joined forces to conquer their common enemy, Cao Cao whose army greatly exceeds those of Zhou and Zhu combined. Zhou and Zhu's men are from the south and are well trained in sailing and swimming. However, Cao's army is from the North and fears water. Hence, they tied their boats together to help the soldiers adapt to the water battle. Knowing this fact, Zhou exploited their weakness and shot arrows of fire towards Cao's boats. As a result, all of Cao's boats were burnt and his army was completely defeated.

Line by Line Translation

大江东去，浪淘尽，千古风流人物。
The turbulent waves move toward the East, carrying all the historical heroes.

故垒西边，人道是，三国周郎赤壁。
There are remnants in the West. People think that it's Zhou Yu's Red Cliff.

乱石穿空，惊涛拍岸，卷起千堆雪。
The waves that hit the shore resemble a thousand piles of snow.

江山如画，一时多少豪杰！
The country scenery is like a classical painting. There once lived many heroes here.

遥想公瑾当年，小乔初嫁了，雄姿英发。
In his prime, Zhou Yu married the beautiful Xiao Qiao. He was handsome and charismatic, full of youth.

羽扇纶巾，谈笑间，樯橹灰飞烟灭。
Zhou Yu held a majestic plume fan and was embellished with jewels. He easily burned his enemy's boats.

故国神游，多情应笑我，早生华发。
I take a tour of the past in my mind. Being too sentimental makes my hair turn gray early.

人生如梦，一樽还酹江月。
Life is like a dream. Let's take a cup of wine and drink with the moon.


Here is a song about Cao Cao sang by the famous pop star, Lin Jun Jie.