For My Children
示 儿
死 去 元 知 万 事 空
但 悲 不 见 九 州 同。
王 师 北 定 中 原 日
家 祭 无 忘 告 乃 翁。
Shi Er
Si qu yuan zhi wan shi kong
Dan bei bu jiang jiu zhou tong.
Wang shi bei ding zhong yuan ri
Jia ji wu wang gao nai weng.
For My Children
At my death and departure, know that the ten thousand things are empty
Yet in sorrow, for I was not able to see all nine of the provinces.
Some day I wish the imperial army would fight to recover our lost lands
Only then on this day when visiting our ancestral shrine, come and tell this old man this good news.
Notes:
The ten thousand things: The innumerable people, things and events that can be perceived and conceived of. This term was used by Laozi in the first chapter of the “Dao De Jing“. It can be found on this website.
Empty: A word, concept, and state of being that is foundational to both Daoism and Buddhism. Discussion of emptiness can also be found on this website under the categories :”Artistic and Philosophical Foundations” for the Dao De Jing, and “Other Asian Philosophies” for the “Heart Sutra”.
The nine provinces: This refers to China in the early and ancient days of recorded history.