79

Tu Fu (712–770) wrote this poem in 759 after resigning his post near Huashan and moving briefly to Tienshui (Chinchou), before continuing on to Chengtu to escape the chaos that followed the An Lu-shan Rebellion. Fenglin and Yuhai were border posts west of Tienshui, under attack by the Turks. The Northern Court (Peiting) was the name of a major Chinese garrison that had already fallen on the Silk Road near Urumuchi. Signal towers burned straw at night and wolf dung, which emitted an intense black smoke, during the day. Li Kuang was a hero of China’s earlier conquest of this region and was known as the Flying General. Tu Fu suggests placating his maligned spirit might help the country overcome its current crisis. The reference here is an oblique one to Kuo Tzu-yi, who defeated the armies of An Lu-shan but suffered the slander of jealous officials at court.

Miscellaneous Poem at Chinchou

TU FU

The fighting goes on in Fenglin

the road to Yuhai is still blocked

signal fires fill the sky with smoke

troops in the field find only dry wells

the wind shakes even the Western stars

the moon turns cold above the Northern Court

an old man recalls the Flying General

when will they build him an altar