Mount Zhong’s winds and rains stir in sudden turmoil;  We should press on with our remaining might to crush the fleeing foe.   A million valiant troops have crossed the great river.  Let us not seek fame by imitating Xiang Yu, the Hegemon-King.   Like a tiger crouching and a dragon coiled, this city now surpasses its past;  If Heaven had feelings, even it would grow old;   Earth has been turned upside down—how stirring and uplifting!   The true path of humanity lies in vicissitudes.

 [Commentary]
 On April 23, 1949, the People’s Liberation Army liberated Nanjing, which had been held by the Kuomintang reactionaries for twenty-two years. To commemorate this momentous occasion, amid the people’s “universal jubilation,” Mao Zedong penned this poem.

 [Notes]
 (1) Winds and rains: Refers to the war situation.
 (2) Turmoil: Sudden and drastic change.
 (3) Now surpasses the past: Today is better than before.
 (4) Feelings: Acting out of personal sentiment or for the sake of reputation.
 (5) Grow old: Become decayed.
 (6) Vicissitudes: By extension, revolution.

 [Appreciation]
 This poem not only chronicles the PLA’s capture of Nanjing—their great historic achievement—highlighting its profound significance and conveying the exhilaration of the moment, but also exhausts reason, fact, and emotion. Moreover, it reveals the poet’s far-sighted vision, bold innovation, effortless fluency, and vigorous spirit, showcasing his talent, courage, insight, and strength. Indeed, it embodies the principle that “the writer’s composition arises from the harmonious interplay of four internal qualities and three external elements.”