第86部分(第5/7 页)

up　his　steed　and　rode　through。　The　guards　at　the　gate　ran　off　to　report　to　Cai　Mao；　who　quickly　went　in　pursuit　with　five　hundred　soldiers。

As　has　been　said　Liu　Bei　burst　out　at　the　west　gate。　Before　he　had　gone　far；　there　rolled　before　him　a　river　barring　the　way。　It　was　the　Tan　Torrent；　many　score　spans　in　width；　which　pours　its　waters　into　the　River　Xiang。　Its　current　was　very　swift。

Liu　Bei　reached　the　bank　and　saw　the　river　was　unfordable。　So　he　turned　his　horse　and　rode　back。　Then；　not　far　off；　he　saw　a　cloud　of　dust　and　knew　that　his　pursuers　were　therein。　He　thought　that　it　was　all　over。　However；　he　turned　again　toward　the　swift　river；　and　seeing　the　soldiers　now　quite　near；　plunged　into　the　stream。　A　few　paces；　and　he　felt　the　horse's　fore　legs　floundering　in　front；　while　the　water　rose　over　the　skirt　of　his　robe。

Then　he　plied　the　whip　furiously；　crying；　〃Dilu；　Dilu；　why　betray　me？〃

Whereupon　the　good　steed　suddenly　reared　up　out　of　the　water　and；　with　one　tremendous　leap；　was　on　the　western　bank。　Liu　Bei　felt　as　if　he　had　e　out　of　the　clouds。

In　after　years　the　famous　court　official；　Su　Dongpo；　wrote　a　poem　on　this　leap　over　the　Tan　Torrent：

I'm　growing　old；　the　leaves　are　sere；

My　sun　slopes　westward；　soon　will　sink；

And　I　recall　that　yesteryear

I　wandered　by　Tan　River　brink。

Irresolute；　anon　I　paused；

Anon　advanced；　and　gazed　around；

I　marked　the　autumn's　reddened　leaves；

And　watched　them　eddying　to　the　ground。

I　thought　of　all　the　mighty　deeds

Of　him　who　set　the　House　of　Han

On　high；　and　all　the　struggles　since；

The　battlefields；　the　blood　that　ran。

I　saw　the　nobles　gathered　round

The　board；　set　in　the　Banquet　Hall；

Am