Near Mt. Ji As a Farmer
稽 山 农
华 胥 氏 之 国
可 以 卜 吾 居。
无 怀 氏 之 民
可 以 为 吾 友。
眼 如 岩 电 不 看 人
腹 似 鸱 夷 惟 贮 酒。
周 公 礼 乐 寂 不 传
司 马 兵 法 亡 亦 久。
赖 有 神 农 之 学 存 至 今
扶 犁 近 可 师 野 叟。
粗 缯 大 布 以 御 冬
黄 梁 黑 黍 身 自 舂。
园 畦 剪 韭 胜 肉 美
社 翁 拔 醅 如 粥 醲。
安 得 天 下 常 年 丰
老 死 不 见 传 边 烽。
利 名 画 断 莫 挂 口
子 孙 世 作 稽 山 农。
Ji Shan Nong
Hua xu shi zhi guo
Ke yi bu wu ju.
Wu huai shi zhi min
Ke yi wei wu you.
Yan ru yan dian bu kan ren
Fu si chi yi wei zhu jiu.
Zhou gong li yue ji bu chuan
Si ma bing fa wang yi jiu.
Lai you shen nong zhu xue cun zhi jin
Fu li jin ke shi ye sou.
Cu zeng da bu yi yu dong
Huang liang hei shu shen zi chong.
Yuan qi jian jiu sheng rou mei
She wen ba pei ru zhou nong.
An de tian xia chang nian feng
Lao si bu jian chuan bian feng.
Li ming hua duan mo gua kou
Zi sun shi zuo ji shan nong.
Near Mt. Ji As a Farmer
Legendary Hua Xu in her nation
She can use divination to site my dwelling.
King Wu Huai and his people
Can be my friends.
My eyes were like rocks, not able to see certain people
Stomach like hawk skin, only have ramie cloth wine.
Zhou Wugong died, I do not need to be involved in making a new regime
Si Ma wrote on the arts of war, these can disappear into the passing of time.
We here have still relied on Shen Nong to survive until now
Nearby rural old men can teach any one how to sow and reap.
Know how to thicken silk fabrics to control the cold winters
Yellow fine millet and black broomcorn millet naturally require pounding.
Rectangular and ridged plots of land, scissors to cut the chives better than meat
Earth deity earthen jars, pull up the unfiltered wine flavored like porridge.
Below Heaven, with peace and blessings we have plenty all year long
All life until death, do not want to see any border beacon fires of war.
Draw a sharp line to not talk about the chaos outside
Our children and grandchildren should live in a farming society like here in Mt. Ji.
Notes:
Mt. Ji: Mountain located near Shaoxing, Zhejiang Province.
Hua Xu: Goddess, nation’s grandmother, and mother of the heavenly twins Nuwa and Fuxi. These twins were the creators of humankind, inventors of music, hunting, fishing and cooking. Nuwa also repaired the Pillar of Heaven that held up the sky.
King Wu Huai: (r. ca. 1046-1043 BC) First king of the Zhou Dynasty.
Zhou Wugong: (r. 1042-1035 BC) Zhou Dynasty emperor who elaborated the doctrine of Mandate of Heaven, as well as serving as an example of virtue.
Si Ma: (c. 145-c. 86 BC) Famous as the Grand Historian who wrote of two thousand years of Chinese history, and was a model for subsequent historians.
Shen Nong: Known as the “Divine Farmer” . Mythological ruler turned deity that introduced agriculture and herbal medicines into the Chinese culture. He also taught the practices of farm tools and irrigation.