Red Cliff II: Duange xing （短歌行）- Cao Cao (曹操）

A very powerful moment in Red Cliff II, Cao Cao - known in popular Chinese folk as a villainous warlord, shows his talent for...poetry! This poem is called "A Short Song" or 短歌行.

I don't really agree with some of the translation in the subtitles, but I'm not confidant enough to translate Chinese poetry! So I'll trust the subtitles...for now. The full poem in Chinese is:

对酒当歌，人生几何？
譬如朝露，去日苦多。
慨当以慷，忧思难忘。
何以解忧，唯有杜康。
青青子衿，悠悠我心。
但为君故，沉吟至今。
呦呦鹿鸣，食野之苹。
我有嘉宾，鼓瑟吹笙。
明明如月，何时可掇。
忧从中来，不可断绝。
越陌度阡，枉用相存。
契阔谈宴，心念旧恩。
月明星稀，乌鹊南飞。
绕树三匝，何枝可依？
山不厌高，海不厌深。
周公吐哺，天下归心。


All Credit goes to John Woo, Lion Rock Entertainment, China Film Group. This is for promotional purposes only.