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Cover of Horses Neigh, the Wind Sighs

Classical Chinese-style Ballad · AI music creation

Horses Neigh, the Wind Sighs

Ku Wuji · AI Music · 3 reads

Inspired by Du Fu's “Five Later Poems on Going Beyond the Frontier.” A young man dreams of winning a noble title, buys a saddle, straps on a sword, and joins the army, experiencing the grandeur of military life firsthand: great banners against the setting sun, horses neighing, and winds sighing. Over twenty years, his commander rises in rank and arrogance, while those who speak out die in the streets. At last he sees Youzhou's armored cavalry drive deep into the lands of the Yellow and Luo Rivers. In the middle of the night, he escapes home along back paths, only to find his native place an empty village overgrown with weeds. One song recounts the rise and collapse of a dream of military glory in a flourishing age. Male and female vocal versions use the same lyrics.

A line from the song

The great banner burns in the setting sun

Warhorses neigh and the wind moans

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Music in the words

Lyrics

[Intro]

[Verse 1]

A man born into this world

Always thinking of winning a noble title while still young

A thousand gold pieces buy a fine saddle

A hundred gold pieces to fit out the saber's hilt

The neighbors see me off at the village entrance

Relatives crowd the roadside smiling

[Pre-Chorus]

In the morning I entered the East Gate camp

By evening we had crossed Heyang Bridge

[Chorus]

The great banner burns in the setting sun

Warhorses neigh and the wind moans

The bright moon hangs overhead and shines

Orders stand firm as mountains, the night lies desolate

悲笳数声动,壮士惨不骄 (A few mournful notes of the reed pipe sound, the warriors are sorrowful and subdued)

借问大将谁,恐是霍嫖姚 (May I ask who the great general is? Perhaps Huo Qubing, the famed Piaoyao commander)

[Verse 2]

The gray-haired sit in the seats of honor

When the wine has warmed us, fine dishes are served

A young man gives me a curved Wu blade

Smiling, I hang it at my waist

The recruitment papers have arrived

The war drums of Jimen beat again and again

[Pre-Chorus]

Ten thousand tents are pitched on the level sands

At roll call, the troops answer each name aloud

[Chorus]

The great banner burns in the setting sun

Warhorses neigh and the wind moans

The bright moon hangs overhead and shines

Orders stand firm as mountains, the night lies desolate

悲笳数声动,壮士惨不骄 (A few mournful notes of the reed pipe sound, the warriors are sorrowful and subdued)

借问大将谁,恐是霍嫖姚 (May I ask who the great general is? Perhaps Huo Qubing, the famed Piaoyao commander)

[Instrumental]

[Verse 3]

The commander grows more and more arrogant

So arrogant he dares look down on the emperor himself

Processions bearing news of victory come day after day

The victory songs rise ever higher in pitch

The people of the frontier dare not speak their minds

To speak of it is to take the road to death

[Bridge]

I have ridden into battle for twenty years

My military achievements are nothing to boast of

Yet the commanders grow ever more arrogant and overbearing

So troubled I cannot sleep at night

Until the armored cavalry of Youzhou

Smoke and dust sweep straight toward the ancient roads of Heluo

Only then do I understand that this army

Means to burn this peaceful, flourishing age to ashes

[Verse 4]

I take the little path at midnight

Secretly fleeing toward home

By the time I reach the village entrance, dawn is breaking

The village is so still that only wild grass remains

By luck, I shed that evil reputation

No children or grandchildren making noise beside me

[Final Chorus]

The great banner burns in the setting sun

Warhorses neigh and the wind moans

The bright moon hangs overhead and shines

Orders stand firm as mountains, the night lies desolate

悲笳数声动,壮士惨不骄 (A few mournful notes of the reed pipe sound, the warriors are sorrowful and subdued)

借问大将谁,恐是霍嫖姚 (May I ask who the great general is? Perhaps Huo Qubing, the famed Piaoyao commander)

[Outro]

The village back home stands empty

In dreams, horses still neigh and the wind sighs

Classical poetic imagery and original lyrics · AI music creation

The lyrics below are translated. The recording remains the original performance; no new audio has been generated.

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Horses Neigh, the Wind Sighs

Ku Wuji · AI Music

Rendition 1 · Male vocal

4:32

Rendition 1 · Female vocal

4:58

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