History & Politics
The Scholar Recruit
Translated by Arthur Waley (1918) · From A Hundred and Seventy Chinese Poems (1918)
History & Politics
Now late
I follow Time’s Necessity:
Mounting a barricade I pacify remote tribes.
Discarding my sash I don a coat of rhinoceros-skin:
Rolling up my skirts I shoulder a black bow.
Even at the very start my strength fails:
What will become of me before it’s all over?
Cite this poem
MLA
Chao, Pao. “The Scholar Recruit.” Translated by Arthur Waley. Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/pao-chao/0/.
Chicago
Chao, Pao. “The Scholar Recruit.” Translated by Arthur Waley. Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/pao-chao/0/.
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