Main page                 Mao Tse-tung archive

THREE SHORT POEMS

--to the tune of Shih Liu Tzu Ling

1934-1935

I

Mountains!

I whip my swift horse, glued to my saddle.

I turn my head startled,

The sky is three foot three above me!*

II

Mountains!

Like great waves surging in a crashing sea,

Like a thousand stallions

In full gallop in the heat of battle.

III

Mountains!

Piercing the blue of heaven, your barbs unblunted!

The skies would fall

But for your strength supporting.

*AUTHOR'S NOTE:

A folk song runs:

Skull Mountain up above,

Treasure Mountain down below,

The sky is only three foot three away.

Bend your head if you go by foot,

Dismount if you go by horse.


Scanned and formatted by the Maoist Documentation Project

Previous poem            Next poem