Happy to Put Up Zu the Third For the Night
喜 祖 三 至 留 宿
门 前 洛 阳 客
下 马 拂 征 衣。
不 枉 故 人 驾
平 生 多 掩 扉。
行 人 返 深 巷
积 雪 带 余 晖。
早 岁 同 袍 者
高 车 何 处 归？
Xi Zu San Zhi Liu Su
Men qian luo yang ke
Xia ma fu zheng yi.
Bu wang gu ren jia
Ping sheng duo yan fei.
Xing ren fan shen xiang
Ji xue dai yu hui.
Zao sui tong pao zhe
Gao che he chu gui ?
Happy to Put Zu the Third Up for the Night
At the front door, a Luoyang visitor
After a long journey, dismount your horse and shake the dust off your clothes.
Seeing an old friend was well worth the trip
For most of my life, the doors are closed for long periods of time.
People on foot return deep inside the narrow streets
Past drifts of accumulated snow in the dusk.
In our early years we played together
Where does your fancy carriage travel to next?
Notes:
Zu the Third: A man’s position within his extended family is determined by his birth order. Zu is therefore the third son to be born within his clan.