[updated October 2022]
Send Off Mr. Tan Who Matches Government Officials With an Appropriate Location and Position
送 别 覃 孝 廉
思 亲 自 当 去
不 第 未 蹉 跎。
家 住 青 山 下
门 前 芳 草 多。
秭 归 通 远 徼
巫 峡 注 惊 波。
州 举 年 年 事
还 期 复 几 何。
Song Bie Qin Xiao Lian
Si qin zi dang qu
Bu di wei cuo tuo.
Jia zhu qing shan xia
Men qian fang cao duo.
Zi gui tong yuan jiao
Wu xia zhu jing bo.
Zhou ju nian nian shi
Huan qi fu ji he.
Send Off Mr. Tan Who Matches Government Officials With an
Appropriate Location and Position
You should have a chance to go visit your relatives
You wasted your time by not passing a higher imperial exam.
Your house is below green mountains
Many fragrant grasses in front of your door.
From a nearby city, Zigui, it is easy to go to remote border areas
The Wu Gorge empties a lot of water here.
Every year you waited in the capital for an assignment
Wonder how many summers you will have to wait to return.
Notes:
Zigui: City on the eastern banks of the Changjiang River gorges in western Hubei Province.
Wu Gorge: Second of the Three Gorges of the Changjiang.