[updated September 2022]
My Young Bird
吾 雏
吾 雏 字 阿 罗
阿 罗 才 七 龄。
嗟 吾 不 才 子
怜 汝 无 第 兄。
抚 养 虽 骄 騃
性 识 颇 聪 明。
学 母 画 眉 样
效 吾 咏 诗 声。
我 齿 今 欲 堕
汝 齿 昨 始 声。
我 头 发 尽 落
汝 顶 髻 初 成。
老 幼 不 相 得
父 衰 汝 孩 婴。
缅 想 古 人 心
兹 爱 亦 不 轻。
蔡 邕 念 文 姬
于 公 叹 缇 萦。
敢 求 得 汝 力？
但 未 忘 父 情。
Wu Chu
Wu chu zi e luo
E luo cai qi ling.
Jie wu bu cai zi
Lian ru wu di xiong.
Fu yang sui jiao ai
Xing shi po cong ming.
Xue mu hua mei yang
Xiao wu yong shi sheng.
Wo chi jin yu duo
Ru chi zuo shi sheng.
Wo tou fa jin luo
Ru ding ji chu cheng.
Lao you bu xiang de
Fu shuai ru hai ying.
Mian xiang gu ren xin
Zi ai yi bu qing.
Cai yong nian wen ji
Yu gong tan ti ying.
Gan qiu dei ru li?
Dan wei wang fu qing.
My Young Bird
Gave the nickname of “E Luo” to my young daughter
E Luo is now seven years old.
Sigh, too bad I do not have a son
Sympathize for her not having any brothers.
Shame on me for spoiling her during her upbringing
Her temperament is clever and clear.
Starting to learn from mom how to paint her eyebrows
She models on me to chant poetry sounds.
Now my teeth are beginning to fall out
Yesterday her adult teeth began to appear.
My hair has mostly fallen out
Her top hair now can be made into a bun.
Old and young appearances not moving the same
Too bad I am so old while she was so young.
Think of the ancient people’s hearts and minds
Their affection for young girls not trivial or superficial.
Cai Yong thought well of his daughter Wen Ji
Yu Gong praised his daughter Ti Ying.
How can I ask my daughter to help me like they did their fathers?
Do not forget how this old man’s feelings are for you.
Notes:
Cai Yong : (122-192 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.
Cai Yan (ca.178-?) Also known as Wenji. She was a composer and poet. Near the end of the Eastern Han, warlord Cao Cao paid a heavy ransom to free her from the Xiongnu. (northern nomads)
Yu Gong: Han Dynasty official praised having daughters instead of sons. He taught his daughter Ti Ying four hundred stories, which proved to be a life-saver for Yu.
Commentary:
Got to love the lines about teeth and hair falling out, while the daughter has them coming in.