Qiang Village (3)

 Flock chickens now disorder call
 Guests arrive chicken fight
 Drive chickens on tree
 Begin listen knock wicker tree
 Elders four five people
 Ask me long far travel
 Hand in each have carry
 Pour jug cloudy combine clear
 Bitter decline wine taste thin
 Millet field no person farm
 Soldier transform already no rest
 Children furthest east campaigning
 Ask for elders sing
 Difficult ashamed deep feeling
 Song finish face heaven sigh
 Everyone present cry freely  


 The flock of chickens starts to call wildly,
 As guests arrive, the chickens begin to fight.
 I drive the chickens up into the tree,
 And now I hear the knock on the wicker gate.
 Four or five elders from the village,
 Ask how long and far I have been travelling.
 Each of them brings something in his hands,
 We pour the clear and thick wine in together.
 They apologise because it tastes so thin,
 There's no-one left to tend the millet fields.
 Conscription still continues without end,
 The children are campaigning in the east.
 I ask if I can sing a song for the elders,
 The times so hard, I'm ashamed by these deep feelings.
 I finish the song, look to heaven and sigh,
 Everyone around is freely weeping.

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