The Qin Dynasty (221 BCE – 206 CE) established the Yuefu as an institution to record and preserve folk songs and poems of the era. After the overthrow of the Qin and the subsequent start of the Han Dynasty, the Yuefu ministry was lost. This changed upon the succession of Emperor Wu of the Han (156 BCE – 87CE) to the throne. Under Emperor Wu’s rule, the Yuefu was reestablished, and the government’s collection of Chinese poetry and local songs resumed. It is thanks to the surviving Yuefu collection that poems such as this one are available to us today: 

十五 從軍 征 

shíwǔ cóngjūn zhēng

At fifteen I joined the army on expedition

八十 始得 歸

bāshí shǐdé guī 

Only at eighty did I finally return

道 逢 鄉里 人 

dào féng xiānglǐ rén

On the way I met a villager

家中 有 阿誰 

jiāzhōng yǒu āshuí

“Who is left in my home?” 

遙 看 是 君 家 

yáo kàn shì jūn jiā

“See there in the distance is your home”

松柏 冢 纍 纍 

sōngbǎi zhǒng léi léi

“Among the pine, cypress and grave mounds piled high”

兔 從 狗竇 入 

tù cóng gǒudòu rù

Rabbits enter through the dog hole

雉 從 樑 上 飛 

zhì cóng liáng shàng fēi

Pheasants fly from the rafters

中庭 生 旅 谷 

zhōngtíng shēng lǚ gǔ

In the parlor grows wild grain

井上 生 旅 葵 

jǐngshàng shēng lǚ kuí

Upon the well grows wild vegetables

舂 谷 持 作 飯 

chōng gǔ chí zuò fàn

I grind the grain for a meal

採 葵 持 作 羹 

cǎi kuí chí zuò gēng

I pick the vegetables for the broth

羹 飯 一時 熟 

gēng fàn yìshí shú

Meal and broth are ready in an instant

不知 貽 阿誰 

bùzhī yí āshuí

But I know not whom to serve

出門 東 向 看 

chūmén dōng xiàng kàn

As I step out and look east

淚 落 沾 我 衣

lèi luò zhān wǒ yī 

Falling tears soak my clothes

• Han Dynasty (206 BCE -220 CE) folk song and poem 

Original Text

Pinyin Source

Modern Spoken Audio

After 200 years of disunity, in what is known as the Warring States Period, the Qin Dynasty unified all of China. Shortly after, the rebellion broke out against the Qin. The Han were the dominant force in the fall of the Qin, but they struggled during the Chu-Han Contention for China. After their victory against the Chu,  the Han mobilized to expand its territory in all directions. In the East against the state of Joseon, in the South against the southern Viet states, in the West against the Sogdian, and in the North against the Xiongnu nomads. The empire expanded on all sides but collapsed from within. After over 400 years of Han rule, the Yellow Turban Rebels, motivated by decades of mismanagement of the countryside and a bloate,d corrupt bureaucracy, cried for a new world order. The rebels initially overwhelmed imperial garrisons and were only able to be subdued when local lords were called to mobilize personal forces against the rebellion. In authorizing local lords to amass armies, the central Han government conceded too much power, and the local states began fighting for dominance over the collapsing Han empire. This failure spelled the end for the Han Dynasty and marked the beginning of the Three Kingdoms Period.

“The empire long divided, must unite; long united, must divide!” 

• The Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Luo Guanzhong (ca. 1330-1400 CE)  

The Three Kingdoms Period is remembered by many as a time of legendary warriors and statesmen, where many competing factions struggled in epic battles and used brilliant deceptions to defeat their enemies. This is best presented in the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, written by Luo Guanzhong during the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644); the first printed edition of it is dated to 1522.  It is upon this background of expansionist wars, rebellions, and imperial collapse that this 2000-year-old Yuefu poem preserves the grief of one anonymous soldier’s loss. 

“At 15 I joined the army, only at 80 did I finally return” is a lament of a life wasted on war set in the ancient 5-syllable verse style. Its most disheartening feature is its anonymity. It allows the reader to envision this nameless soldier participating in countless wars and engaging in meaningless fighting. This soldier is not a celebrated general, nor is he returning to a gracious capital to enjoy a victorious retirement. It is not even known if the side the soldier fought for won. Because it does not matter. What is known is that this man spent 65 years of his life as a conscript soldier. He endures a lifetime apart from his home and family, and nevertheless, by the end of his service, he has nothing other than the hope of returning to the village he left. He returns to his childhood home and finds it all overgrown and dilapidated from years of disuse. It’s not clear what happened to his family. Despite the dreariness, the unnamed veteran tries to use the wild grains and vegetables that have taken over his home. He prepares these ingredients but realizes he has no one to share the meal with. He cries. 

Countless soldiers across the endless epic of history have fought for nothing and, worse, returned to nothing but misery. Their victories, their defeats, and the glory all amounted to nothing in the end. “Dulce et decorum est Pro patria mori”, “It is sweet and proper to die for one’s country”, but what happens to those who survive? Throughout history, soldiers have been mistreated, abused, killed, and made to kill for some grand plan unknown to them. It is no different now. Even in the wealthiest and most powerful nation in history, 25.8% of active duty service members are food insecure, defined by the USDA as having “access by all people at all times to enough food for an active, healthy life.” Furthermore, an average of 17.5 veterans commit suicide every day, 57.3% higher than nonveterans. There are also an estimated 35,574 homeless veterans. Alcoholism is rampant in the armed forces, particularly for those who have seen combat; more than 20% of service members report drinking heavily. These are the numbers they don’t show on their patriotic advertisements and misleading contracts. 

The tale of the lonely veteran is as old as history itself. But the misery of the past is ruthlessly obscured by the shadow of the next war. The next warmonger is already drawing up his plans. He is ready and willing to sacrifice our generation’s vitality, to divide our families, and to use our bodies to mercilessly slaughter an unknown enemy. 
In the 21st century, the whole world is held captive by these warmongers. At younger and younger ages, children are made aware of the violence around them and fed gross lies and perverted histories to further cruel agendas. Merchants of war circle around us like vultures, screeching their propaganda from high above. The world is infested with their dangerous interstate espionage and strange strings of alliances that divide billions of people. Warhawks, death vendors, and dictators are chomping at the bit to declare their wars. Yet, this 2000-year-old poem tells us that, after the heat of the last battle sizzles to silence, after all our wars are fought, after the passion of our youth is wasted, we will return to the quiet, empty, and overgrown homes of our childhood and cry.