A Letter of Anger
书 愤
白 发 萧 萧 卧 泽 中
只 凭 天 地 鉴 孤 忠。
厄 穷 苏 武 餐 毡 久
忧 愤 张 巡 嚼 齿 空。
细 雨 春 芜 上 林 苑
颓 垣 夜 月 洛 阳 宫。
壮 心 未 与 年 俱 老
死 去 犹 能 作 鬼 雄。
Shu Fen
Bai fa xiao xiao wo ze zhong
Zhi ping tian di jian gu zhong.
E qiong su wu can zhan jiu
You fen zhang xun jiao chi kong.
Xi yu chun wu shang lin yuan
Tui yuan ye yue luo yang gong.
Zhuang xin wei yu nian ju lao
Si qu you neng zuo gui xiong.
A Letter of Anger
White hair sparse, lie down in the middle of a coiled dragon tail
Alone I rely on heaven and earth to reflect my devotion.
Felt for a long time I can be like Su Wu who ate hardship and poverty
Concerned and angry that we are like Zhang Xun who held out and then starved to death.
Light spring rains increase the palace weeds inside forest groves
Luoyang palace walls collapse under evening moonlight.
Still my heart-mind is strong, old age far away
Even with the departure of death, my spirit powerful enough to arise.
Notes:
Su Wu: (140-60 BC) Western Han dynasty politician and diplomat. During a foreign mission he was captured and held for nineteen years. Throughout he remained faithful to mission and country. By tradition he survived early captivity by eating some of his blankets. Then he had to endure long years of herding sheep.
Zhang Xun: (709-757 AD) Tang Dynasty general who defended Yongqiu and Suiyan, east of the capital Luoyang, in 755 and 756 during the An Lushan Rebellion. He was executed by rebel forces after being overwhelmed by superior numbers at the battle of Suiyan. Known, in part, within Chinese history for his loyalty and righteousness.