To Ding Ling

The red banners on the wall flutter in the sinking afterglow,
Over the solitary town whirls sweepingly the westerly blast.
The characters in Bao'an are at once jubilant.
In the cave dwelling is tended a banquet,
To regale the very soul who was once imprisoned as a convict.

Who bear comparison with the slender pen?
Three thousand crack troops with mausers as their equipment.
The planned battle array is deployed toward the east on the Long Mount.
A literate lady yesterday,
And a martial general at the present.