Mao Zedong (1893–1976), the first Chairman of the Chinese Communist Party and leader of the People's Republic of China for nearly 30 years, wrote poetry, starting in the 1920s, during the Chinese Red Army's retreat during the Long March of 1934–1936, and after coming to power in 1949 following the Chinese Civil War. In spite of Mao's political radicalism he was artistically conservative, opting to use traditional Chinese forms.
Overview Mao's poems are in the classical Chinese verse styles, most commonly Ci and Lü, rather than newer Modern Chinese poetry styles. Like most Chinese intellectuals of his generation, Mao immersed himself in Chinese classical literature. His style was deeply influenced by the "Three Lis" of the Tang dynasty: poets Li Bai, Li Shangyin, and Li He. He is considered to be a romantic poet, in contrast to the realist poets represented by Du Fu.
Mao's poems are frequently quoted in popular culture, literature and daily conversations. Some of his most well-known poems are "Snow" (1936.02), "Changsha" (1925), "The Double Ninth" (1929.10), "Loushan Pass" (1935), "The Long March" (1935), "The PLA Captures Nanjing" (1949.04), "Reply to Li Shuyi" (1957.05.11), and "Ode to the Plum Blossom" (1961.12).
Themes in Mao's poetry include frequent use of the character 万 (wan), meaning 10,000 (and in the Chinese literary tradition, not necessarily the specific number but standing for something huge and plentiful). The character appears in various lines in his romantic revolutionary poetry such as "I see ten thousand crimsoned hills", "Ten thousand miles of whirling snow", an "Under the freezing sky ten thousand creatures contend in freedom".
Poems
Changsha (1925)
Source:沁园春·长沙
Informal Translation:The original poem written by Mao Changsha长沙 In the (rhyme) pattern of Qinyuanchun沁园春 沁園春·長沙 現代-毛澤東 獨立寒秋，湘江北去，橘子洲頭。 看萬山紅遍，層林盡染；漫江碧透，百舸爭流。 鷹擊長空，魚翔淺底，萬類霜天競自由。 悵寥廓，問蒼茫大地，誰主沉浮？
攜來百侶曾遊，憶往昔崢嶸歲月稠。 恰同學少年，風華正茂；書生意氣，揮斥方遒。 指點江山，激揚文字，糞土當年萬戶侯。 曾記否，到中流擊水，浪遏飛舟！
In the autumn cold alone I stand As Northward the Xiang river flow; Upon the tip of Orange Island. Ten thousand hills in a crimson glow By their serried woods deep-dyed, Hundreds of barges row upon row Over crystal clear waters they slide. High in the Heavens, Eagles sweep and soar In the limpid deep, fish glance and glide; Milliards of creatures fight to be free, Under the frosty skies, cold to the core. Into the boundless void, I despair, To this vast realm I implore upon thee, The fate of this land is in whose care?
I was here with a throng of peers Vivid yet those eventful months and years. Schoolmates, young as we were, At life's full blossoming, our destinies we fulfill; Scholars we were, of spirit and will Carefree with youthful vigour We point to our rivers and hills, Praise and denounce with our lettering skills, We cared not for fortune nor fame! Remember the time if you could, How in the midstream torrent we stood And thus the speeding boats we did tame?
Orange Island is an island in the middle of Xiang River, in Changsha, the capital of Hunan province. Mao attended Hunan First Normal University around 1912–1917.
Yellow Crane Tower (1927) Source:菩萨蛮·黄鹤楼
Yellow Crane Tower, a building at the bank of Yangtze River in Wuhan, is very famous in Chinese history and literary tradition. It is one of the Four Great Towers of China. Its fame mainly comes from one of 300 poems produced in an anthology by Cui Hao in the early Tang dynasty, which goes as follows:
唐詩三百首·黃鶴樓 唐朝-崔顥 昔人已乘黃鶴去，此地空餘黃鶴樓。 黃鶴一去不復返，白雲千載空悠悠。 晴川歷歷漢陽樹，芳草萋萋鸚鵡洲。 日暮鄉關何處是？煙波江上使人愁。
The yellow crane has long since gone away, All that here remains is Yellow Crane Tower. The yellow crane once gone does not return, White clouds drift slowly for a thousand years.
Mao wrote his poem in 1927 at Tortoise Mountain in Wuhan, following the failure of the Autumn Harvest Uprising. Mao later discussed the historical context of this poem's writing: "At that time, the Great Revolution failed, I was very depressed and didn't know what to do, so I wrote this poem". 菩薩蠻·黃鶴樓 現代-毛澤東 茫茫九派流中國，沈沈一線穿南北。 煙雨莽蒼蒼，龜蛇鎖大江。 黃鶴知何去？剩有遊人處。 把酒酹滔滔，心潮逐浪高！
China is vague and immense where the nine rivers pour. The horizon is a deep line threading north and south. Blue haze and rain. Hills like a snake or tortoise guard the river.
The yellow crane is gone. Where? Now this tower and region are for the wanderer. I drink wine to the bubbling water - the heroes are gone. Like a tidal wave a wonder rises in my heart.
Alternate translation: Vast and wide flow the nine streams through the realm headlong Dark and dim from south to north tracks steam strong. In the thick haze of the misty rain, the way ahead blurred and obscured The Giant Tortoise and Mighty Serpent has the Great River stocked and secured.
The Yellow Crane has long taken flight, who knows to whither? The Tower hath since stood alone for guests to come hither. As I pour my wine to the raging torrent flow, My blood wells with the waves as my heart gleam and glow!
Jinggang Mountain (1928) Source:西江月·井冈山
This poem was written in the Jinggang Mountains,井冈山 where Mao organized a Red Army to fight KMT forces after 1927. Jinggang Mountains is a mountain area at the border of Jiangxi province and Hunan province. It is there Mao began to experiment his theory of guerrilla war. He was quoted as: "When we can beat the enemy, we fight. When we can't beat them, we run".
西江月·井岡山 現代-毛澤東 山下旌旗在望，山頭鼓角相聞。 敵軍圍睏萬仟重，我自巋然不動。 早已森嚴壁壘，更加衆誌成城。 黃洋界上炮聲隆，報道敵軍宵遁。
Below the hills, our flags and banners fly Above the hilltops, our bugles and drums cry. Our foe besiege us in their thousands, they advance at us headlong, Steadfast like stone, we solidly stand strong Impregnable are our defences, already we dread nought, Now our wills unite, stubborn like our fort. Upon Huangyang Jie, guns boom with thunderous might, Word comes the enemy has fled into the night.
Huangyangjie黄洋界 is the place where the Red Army beat the KMT army after a fierce battle.
The Warlords Clash (1929) Source:清平乐·蒋桂战争
In 1929, Mao's Red Army left Jinggang Mountains and marched eastward to the western part of Fujian province and built their base there.
Line 3-4: The warlords are clashing anew -- Yet another Millet Dream.
In 1929 Chiang Kai-shek's KMT army began war with Feng Yuxiang and Yan Xishan's armies in north China. That's why Mao said "the warlords are clashing anew", and "Millet Dream" meant Jiang, Feng and Yan's ambitions were just dreams. And Mao thought he could take this opportunity to his advantage when most of KMT army went to fight elsewhere.
Line 5-6 : Ting River汀江 is a river in Fujian, both Longyan龙岩 and Shanghang上杭 are cities in Fujian.
The Double Ninth (October 1929) Source:采桑子·重阳
Double Ninth Festival, also called Chongyang,重阳 is a Chinese holiday. By tradition on September 9 (Chinese Lunar Calendar) each year, Chinese people would climb to the peaks of nearby mountains, looking far away, thinking about their family members who are travelling in other places.In addition, during that day, people will drink wine made from chrysanthemum to pray for longevity. Therefore, in 1980s, Chinese government set that day as old people's day as well to call on people to respect the senior.
New Year's Day (January 1930) Source:如梦令·元旦
Line 1: Ninghua,宁化 Qingliu,清流 Guihua归化 are all places in Fujian
Line 4: Wuyi Mountain武夷山 is a mountain in Fujian.
On the Guangchang Road (February 1930) Source:减字木兰花·广昌路上
Title: Guangchang广昌 is a city in Jiangxi, it was called the "North Gate" of CPC's Jiangxi Soviet.
Line 6: Gan River赣江 is a river flowing through Jiangxi.
Line 8: Ji'an吉安 is a city in Jiangxi.
March from Tingzhou to Changsha (July 1930) Source:蝶恋花·从汀州向长沙
Title: Tingzhou汀州 is a town in Longyan City, Fujian province, Changsha is the capital of Hunan province. At that time the Red Army tried to take Changsha, but they failed. Fujian is at the east, Hunan is at west, so Mao's army marched westward towards Nanchang. The resultant attack on Nanchang would later fail.
《蝶戀花·從汀州向長沙·毛澤東》 六月天兵征腐惡， 萬丈長纓要把鯤鵬縛。 贛水那邊紅一角， 偏師借重黃公略。
百萬工農齊踴躍， 席捲江西直搗湘和鄂。 國際悲歌歌一曲， 狂飆為我從天落。
In June our soldiers of heaven fight against evil and rot.
They have a huge rope to tie up the Kun and Peng.
On the far side of the Gan waters the ground turns red under the strategy of Huang Gonglüe.
A million workers and peasants leap up joyfully and roll up Jiangsi like a mat.
As we reach the rivers of Hunan and Hebei, we sing the Internationale. It pierces us like a whirlwind from the sky.
The poem is composed to the tune of by Ouyang Xiu of the Tang dynasty. Huang Gonglüe () was a leader in the Red Army; he was killed in action in 1931. The poem notably invokes the name of Peng, a giant fish-turned-roc mentioned in the opening rolls of Zhuangzi as a creature with an absurd lifecycle.
Against the First "Encirclement" Campaign (1931) Source:渔家傲·反第一次大“围剿”
During 1931-1934 Chiang Kai-shek's KMT government organized five so-called "Encirclement" campaigns on CPC's Jiangxi Soviet in Southeastern China. The first four all failed. Mao led the Red Army beating the first three campaigns, then he was relieved of leadership due to internal power struggles of the CPC. Zhou Enlai and Zhu De led the Red Army to beat the fourth campaign, but they failed the fifth time, and was forced to leave their base and began Long March.
Line 5: Zhang Huizan,张辉瓒 the KMT general who led the first "Encirclement" Campaign. He was killed after being captured by the Red Army.
Line 10: Buzhou Mountain,不周山 a legendary mountain in Chinese forklore. It is said Buzhou Mountain was one of the four pillars supporting the sky. A giant called Gong Gong共工 quarreled with the gods. He was very angry and banged his head against Buzhou Mountain. Buzhou Mountain was broken, thus the sky tilted and water poured from heaven, causing a huge flood on earth. Here Mao expressed his appreciation for Gong Gong's rebellious spirit.
Against the Second "Encirclement" Campaign (1931) Source:渔家傲·反第二次大“围剿”
Dabodi (1933) Dabodi is the site of a battle which actually took place at the beginning of 1929. The background: at that time, Mao's Red Army had left Jinggang Mountains to look for a new base. Red Army was beaten several time by the pursuing KMT army. They used up all ammunitions and were starved. Then on the New Year of 1929 they fought a desperate fight in the snow at Dabodi, using stones and bare hands, and beat their enemy. Mao revisited this place several years later and wrote this poem.菩萨蛮·大柏地
Huichang (1934) Huichang is a city in Jiangxi, "Yue" is another name of Canton.清平乐·会昌
Loushan Pass (1935)
Source:忆秦娥·娄山关
憶秦娥·婁山關 現代-毛澤東 西風烈，長空雁叫霜晨月。 霜晨月，馬蹄聲碎，喇叭聲咽。 雄關漫道真如鐵，而今邁步從頭越。 從頭越，蒼山如海，殘陽如血。
Fierce is the Westerly squall Under the frosty dawn moon, wild geese utter their call Under the frosty dawn moon Horses' hooves clatter, Buglers sound their horns, we remember those who fall.
Ardous as iron was our fight for Loushan Pass, mighty and vast. Now we surmount it finally, against all odds at long last. We surmount it finally, at long last. The rolling hills azure like the sea, The dying sun crimson like blood, of the fallen we march past.
This is a famous poem written during Long March. Loushan Pass is a place in Guizhou, where a fierce battle was fought.
Three Short Poems (1934–1935) Source:十六字令三首
This poem is also known as "the Three Songs."三首 It is written as three poems with sixteen characters each. This poem was written sometime between 1934 and 1935 during the Long March.
Mountain. I whip my quick horse and do not dismount and look back in wonder. The sky is three feet away.
Mountain. The sea collapses and the river boils. Innumerable horses race insanely into the peak of battle.
Mountain. Peaks pierce the green sky, unblunted.. The sky would fall but for the columns of mountains.
The Long March (1935) Source:七律·长征