[updated September 2022]
Poetic Reply to the Pine Trees
和 松 树
亭 亭 山 上 松
一 一 生 朝 阳。
森 耸 上 参 天
树 条 百 尺 长。
漠 漠 尘 中 槐
两 两 夹 康 庄。
婆 婆 低 覆 地
枝 干 亦 寻 常。
八 月 白 露 降
槐 叶 次 第 黄。
岁 暮 满 山 雪
松 色 郁 青 苍。
彼 如 君 子 心
秉 操 贯 冰 霜。
此 如 小 人 面
变 态 随 炎 凉。
共 知 松 生 槐
诚 欲 栽 道 旁。
粪 土 种 瑶 草
瑶 草 终 不 劳。
尚 可 以 斧 斤
伐 之 为 栋 梁。
杀 身 获 其 所。
为 君 构 明 堂。
不 然 终 天 老
老 死 在 南 冈。
不 愿 亚 枝 叶
低 随 槐 树 行。
He Song Shu
Ting ting shan shang song
Yi yi sheng chao yang.
Sen song shang can tian
Shu tiao bai chi chang.
Mo mo chen zhong huai
Liang liang jia kang zhuang.
Po po di fu di
Zhi gan yi xun chang.
Ba yue bai lu jiang
Huai ye ci di huang.
Sui mu man shan xue
Song se yu qing cang.
Bi ru jun zi xin
Bing cao guan bing shuang.
Ci ru xiao ren mian
Bian fai sui yan liang.
Gong zhi song sheng huai
Cheng yu zai dao pang.
Fen tu zhong yao cao
Yao cao zhong bu lao.
Shang ke yi fu jin
Fa zi wei dong liang.
Sha shen huo qi suo
Wei jun gou ming tang.
Bu ran zhong tian lao
Lao si zai nan gang.
Bu yuan ya zhi ye
Di sui huai shu hang.
Poetic Reply to the Pine Trees
Tall and erect mountaintop pine trees
One by one growing up to face the sunlight.
Branches a hundred feet long
Very thick and rising up to reach the sky.
In the middle of misty and vast acacia trees
Paired with each other across the narrow lane to a rich village.
Soft and rotten cores inside acacia trees
Their limbs are merely ordinary.
Mists moving low and slow covering the earth
Eighth month of the lunar year
Early autumn between the White Dew and Frost Descend times of year
Acacia leaves turning yellow one by one.
At year’s end all of the mountains filled with snow
Pine trees strong with lush greens and blues.
Like those with hearts of virtue
Their nature and intent can penetrate the ice and frost.
These acacia trees like under-handed people
Change their values and conduct to follow influence and power.
It is common knowledge that pine trees are better than the acacia
Sincerely wish we should plant these pines along the roadsides.
A special jade-like grass grows up from the pine needle compost
Under the pines, the grass throughout it’s life never has to struggle or suffer.
You can even trim the branches
Cut down whole trees for posts and beams.
Value the axes than can fall trees
Whole trees for posts and beams used to construct a light-filled main house.
It not, they will grow naturally, to die on southern hillsides
Not like the inferior acacia limbs and leaves from planted rows, with their depreciating value.