王昌齡：〈出塞〉
秦時明月漢時關，
萬里長征人未還。
但使龍城飛將在，
不教胡馬度陰山。
壓卷乎？第一乎？神品乎？
楊慎：此詩可入神品。「秦時明月」四字，橫空盤硬語也，人所難解。李中溪侍嘗問余，余曰：揚子雲賦云：「欃槍為闉，明月為堠。」此詩借用其字，而用意深矣。蓋言秦時雖遠征而未設關，但在明月之地，猶有行役不逾時之意；漢則設關而戍之，征人無有還期矣，所賴飛將御邊而已。雖然，亦異乎守在四夷之世矣。（《升庵詩話新箋證》）
王世貞：李于鱗言：「唐人絕句當以『秦時明月漢時關』壓卷。」余始不信，以《少伯集》中，有極工妙者。既而思之，若落意解，當別有所取。若以有意無意可解可不解間求之，不免此詩第一耳。（《藝苑卮言》）
王世懋：于鱗選唐七言絕句，取王龍標「秦時明月漢時關」為第一，以語人，多不服。于鮮意止擊節「秦時明月」四字耳。必欲壓卷，還當于王翰「葡萄美酒」、王之渙「黃河遠上」二詩求之。（《藝圃擷餘》）
胡應麟：楊用修絕唐絕，以王昌齡「秦時明月」為第一。（《詩藪》）初唐絕，「蒲桃美酒」為冠；盛唐絕，「渭城朝雨」為冠；中唐絕，「回雁峰前」為冠；晚唐紹，「清江一曲」為冠。「秦時明月」在少伯自為常調，用修以諸家不選，故《唐絕增奇》首錄之。所謂前人遺珠，茲則掇拾。于鱗不察而和之，非定論也。（《詩藪》）
Scholarly translations
1. An Anthology of Chinese Literature: Beginnings to 1911 by Stephen Owen
Out the Passes
Bright moon of the days of Qin, passes of the Han
on they marched for thousands of miles, the men did not return
If only that Flying General of Dragon Fort were here
he would not let the Turkish horses make the crossing of Shadow Mountain
2. How to Read Chinese Poetry Workbook By Jie Cui, Zong-qi Cai
Setting Out for the Frontiers
This bright moon, still that of Qin times, these passes, still those of Han times
From the thousand-mile expeditions: the troops are yet to return
If the captor of the Dragon City—the Flying General—were still here
He wouldn’t have let the Hun cavalries Pass through the Yin Mountains!
3. A History of Chinese Literature by Zhang Longxi
The bright moon of Qin and the mountain passes of Han
Men have not returned from those faraway campaigns
If only we had the Flying General from the Dragon City
We'd never let bararian horses cross the Yin mountains
4. "Frontier Poets: Gao Shi, Cen Shen, and Others" by Lucas Rambo Bender in Routledge Handbook of Traditional Chinese Literature
Going Out the Passes
In the moonlight of Qin times, through the passes of the Han
from long campaigns of ten-thousand miles no man has ever returned
If only the Flying General of Dragon fort were still around
he would not let Hu horsemen cross the Shadow Mountains
5. A Concise History of Chinese Literature, Volume 1 by Yuming Luo
Going out of the Fortress
Bright moon over castles: both go back to the ancient Qin and Han
Thousands of miles away at war, they have yet to return
As long as the Flying General from the Dragon City lives
He'd never allow the nomadic horsemen to get across the Yin mountains
6. The Banished Immortal: A Life of Li Bai (Li Po) by Ha Jin
Charging out of the Border
The bright moon of the Qin dynasty has seen the mountain pass of Han times
Thousands of miles away from home, the soliders haven't yet returned
So long as the Swift General stays at Dragon Fort
No barbarians' horse dare to pass Mount Yin
7. Wang Ch'ang-Ling by Joseph J. Lee
A Ch’in times moon and a Han times fortress
Fighting ten-thousand li away, the men have yet to go home
If only the Dragon City’s Winged General were here
No Tartar horses would be allowed past the Yin Mountains
