[updated September 2022]
Think A Lot of Us Making Six Character Poems, Send This Poem Back to You
余 思 未 尽 加 为 六 韵 重 寄 微 之
海 内 声 华 并 在 身
箧 中 文 字 绝 无 伦。
遥 知 独 对 封 章 草
忽 忆 同 为 献 纳 臣。
走 笔 往 来 盈 卷 轴
除 官 递 互 掌 丝 纶。
制 从 长 庆 辞 高 古
诗 到 元 和 体 变 新。
各 有 文 姬 才 稚 齿
俱 无 通 子 继 余 尘。
琴 书 何 必 求 王 粲
与 女 犹 胜 与 外 人。
Yu Si Wei Jin, Jia Wei Liu Yun Chong Ji Wei Zhi
Hai nei sheng hua bing zai shen
Qie zhong wen zi jue wu lun.
Yao zhi du dui feng zhang cao
Hu yi tong wei xian na chen.
Zou bi wang lai ying juan zhou
Chu guan di hu zhang si lun.
Zhi cong chang qing ci gao gu
Shi dao yuan he ti bian xin.
Ge you wen ji cai zhi chi
Ju wu tong zi ji yu chen.
Qin shu he bi qiu wang can
Yu nu you sheng Yu wai ren.
Think A Lot of Us Making Six Character Poems, Send This Poem Back to You
Whole world knows we create radiant verses
Unique box of poems without peers.
Know you are far away and alone, like me writing to the palace via wax-sealed documents
Recall we did these same things in our youth together.
Our busy brushes from different places filled up many scrolls
On imperial documents we transferred each other to the next position.
Writing these imperial edicts were done so elegantly in a modern style, our reputations grew
First poems written in this way beginning to be circulated.
We both have young and cultured daughters like Wenji
And continue to be without sons.
We hope young men talented with a qin and books like Wang Can will marry our girls
Maybe we can entrust our work to these in-laws to pass on.
Notes:
Cai Yong (12-192 AD): Astronomer, historian, politician and writer during the Eastern Han Dynasty. As a government official he was exiled for being too critical of the regime. Northern nomads captured his daughter, Wenji, and held her for twelve years.
Wang Can: (177-217) Famous Eastern Han Dynasty poet and politician. As a youth he impressed Cai Yong with his talents.
Qin: Stringed musical instrument.