–Mao Zedong, 1935
Heaven-piercing, primeval, vast Kunlun stands,
Bearing all the springs of mortal lands.
Three million jade dragons soar on high,
Chilling all the sky to ice and sky.
Summer thaws; floods o’er rivers swell,
Men to fishes’ prey in depths may dwell.
Who has dared judge, through ages old,
Thy good and ill, thy story untold?
Now I say to thee, Kunlun: be not so high,
Nor let thy snow so thickly lie.
Could I but draw heaven-supported blade,
And cleave thee into three parts laid?
Give thy crest to Europe’s shore,
Thy breast to America’s floor,
Leave thy rest in Orient’s store.
A world at peace, all heat and cold
Shall equally to all unfold!
Note
Composed in October 1935, right after the Red Army crossed the Min Mountains (a branch of Kunlun) near the end of the Long March. First published in Poetry Monthly (January 1957). Mao’s 1958 note clarified: “The theme is anti-imperialism, nothing else”. He revised “leave in China” to “leave in the Orient” to include Japan.
Nian Nu Jiao (Charm of a Singer)
A classic 100-character ci (song lyric) form, named after a famous Tang Dynasty singer. Known for bold, heroic tone – Su Shi’s Chibi Huai Gu is the most famous example.
Kunlun Mountains
A 2,500-km mountain range in western China, source of the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers. Seen as a sacred, cosmic mountain in Chinese culture. To Mao, it symbolized both natural grandeur and oppressive forces (floods, imperialism).
Revolutionary Romanticism
Mao blends realistic hardship (floods, Long March) with cosmic imagination (slicing Kunlun). Merges classical Chinese poetic grandeur with modern revolutionary idealism.
“Heaven-piercing, primeval Kunlun”
Evokes primordial majesty, Kunlun as a timeless witness to human history.
“Three million jade dragons soar”
Borrowed from Song poetry: “Three million jade dragons defeated, scales and armor fill the sky”. Mao reinterprets it as snow-capped peaks like flying white dragons.
“Men to fishes’ prey”
Classic metaphor for flood disaster, showing Kunlun’s destructive power.
“Draw heaven-supported blade”
From classical heroism: a giant sword leaning on heaven, symbolizing revolutionary will to conquer nature and imperialism.
“Cleave into three: Europe, America, Orient”
Mao’s bold vision: redistribute Kunlun’s power, ending imperialist domination. “Orient” includes China and Japan.
“Global shared warmth/cold”
Ultimate ideal: a peaceful, equal world, transcending nations and climates. It expresses universal justice – ending imperialism, equal prosperity for all nations.
念奴娇-昆仑
毛泽东，一九三五年十月
横空出世，
莽昆仑，
阅尽人间春色。
飞起玉龙三百万，
搅得周天寒彻。
夏日消溶，
江河横溢，
人或为鱼鳖。
千秋功罪，
谁人曾与评说？
而今我谓昆仑：
不要这高，
不要这多雪。
安得倚天抽宝剑，
把汝裁为三截？
一截遗欧，
一截赠美，
一截还东国。
太平世界，
环球同此凉热。
Leave a Reply