Sand of Silk – In Reply to Mr. Liu Yazi (Two Versions) [Mao’s Poems]

Version 1 (Oct 1950 – National Day)

Long night shrouded China’s dark, unbroken sky;
A century of fiends ran wild, passed by.
Five hundred million people torn, denied.
One cock’s crow bursts – day breaks, all darkness flies;
From every land, sweet songs from Khotan rise.
Poets’ joy soars high, unmatched, unties.

Version 2 (Nov 1950 – Korean War Victory)

Yan Chu bade king advance; king bade him go;
Old feuds stretched wide, endless, long and slow.
All swept away – new era’s dawn does glow.
Thy noble verse arrives, my heart’s delight;
It chimes with front’s first triumph, shining bright.
On Myohyang Hills, war flags glow in light.

Note

Historical Background

• Version I (Oct 3, 1950): Composed at Zhongnanhai during a National Day gala. Liu Yazi improvised a Huanxisha; Mao replied in the same rhyme scheme, contrasting old China’s suffering with newfound unity.
• Version II (Nov 1950): Written after Liu sent another poem. Mao linked it to the first victory of Chinese People’s Volunteers in Korea at Mount Myohyang.

Huanxisha (Sand of Silk – Washing stream)

A concise ci (lyric) form: 6 lines, fixed tonal/rhyme pattern, used for lyrical/occasional verse.

Responsive Poem

Classical tradition: reply in the same form/rhyme to express friendship, agreement, or response.

Liu Yazi (1887–1958):

Prominent modern poet, leader of the Southern Society, leftist intellectual. Mao’s close friend and poetic partner.

Yan Chu, Warring States: Scholar who told King Xuan of Qi: “You come to me – you honor scholars; I go to you – I flatter power.” Mao uses King = Chiang Kai-shek, Yan Chu = Liu Yazi.

• Chixian: Ancient name for China.
• fiends: Metaphor for imperialists, warlords, reactionaries (1840–1949).
• From Tang poet Li He; Mao redefines it as the CCP’s victory ending darkness.
• Khotan: Ancient kingdom (modern Hotan, Xinjiang); symbol of ethnic unity, border harmony.
• Myohyang Hills: In North Korea; site of early Korean War victories.
• new era: Birth of People’s Republic of China.

浣溪沙-和柳亚子先生 一

毛泽东，1950年10月

长夜难明赤县天，
百年魔怪舞翩跹，
人民五亿不团圆。
一唱雄鸡天下白，
万方乐奏有于阗，
诗人兴会更无前。

浣溪沙-和柳亚子先生 二

毛泽东，1950年11月

颜斶齐王各命前，
多年矛盾廓无边，
而今一扫新纪元。
最喜诗人高唱至，
正和前线捷音联，
妙香山上战旗妍。