Page:A Hundred and Seventy Chinese Poems (1919).djvu/194

 THE PRISONER

led in chains, Tartars led in chains! Their ears pierced, their faces bruised — they are driven into the land of Ch'in. The Son of Heaven took pity on them and would not have them slain. He sent them away to the south-east, to the lands of Wu and Yüeh. A petty officer in a yellow coat took down their names and surnames. They were led from the city of Ch'ang-an under escort of an armed guard. Their bodies were covered with the wounds of arrows, their bones stood out from their cheeks. They had grown so weak they could only march a single stage a day. In the morning they must satisfy hunger and thirst with neither plate nor cup: At night they must lie in their dirt and rags on beds that stank with filth. Suddenly they came to the Yangtze River and remembered the waters of Chiao. With lowered hands and levelled voices they sobbed a muffled song. [ 188 ]