Send Off Huang Shishi, Doing His Circuit Magistrate Duties
送 黄 师 是 赴 两 浙 宪
世 久 无 此 士
我 晚 得 王 孙。
宁 非 叔 度 家
岂 出 次 公 门。
白 首 沉 下 吏
绿 衣 有 公 言。
哀 哉 吴 越 人
久 为 江 湖 吞。
官 自 倒 帑 廪
饱 不 及 黎 元。
近 闻 海 上 港
渐 出 水 底 村。
愿 君 五 袴 手
招 此 半 菽 魂。
一 见 剌 史 天
稍 忘 狱 吏 尊。
会 稽 入 五 手
镜 湖 小 于 盆。
比 我 东 来 时
无 复 疮 痍 存。
Song Huang Shi Shi Fu Liang Zhe Xian
Shi jiu wu ci shi
Wo wan de wang sun.
Ning fei shu du jia
Qi chu ci gong men.
Bai shou chen xia li
Lu yi you gong yan.
Ai zai wu yue ren
Jiu wei jiang hu tun.
Guan zi dao tang lin
Bao bu ji li yuan.
Jin wen hai shang gang
Jian chu shui di cun.
Yuan jun wu ku shou
Zhao ci ban shu hun.
Yi jian la shi tian
Shao wang yu li zun.
Kuai ji ru wu shou
Jing hu xiao yu pen.
Bi wo dong lai shi
Wu fu chuang yi cun.
Send Off Huang Shishi, Doing His Circuit Magistrate Duties
For a long time society without intellectuals
Late in life met you, a generational aristocrat.
Maybe you descended from famous western Han families
Or else from the virtuous Wangba eastern Han clan.
Till old age you have worked in lower level positions
Even my second wife questions why you have been treated so poorly.
Such a pity! The Wu people for a long time
Have had to deal with flooding rivers and lakes.
Selfish government officials drain the imperial treasury
Then the multitudes go hungry from depleted granaries.
Have heard that the river tributaries
Little by little have receded to relieve the water bank villages.
Hope we can use our special talents
To save the foodstuffs and souls that can still be saved.
I see you are a clean official doing heaven’s work
Then the people can forget those who were imprisoned.
When I go to your region again to work
The swelled lakes will have receded.
After having seen the eastern Zhejiang situation
Do not have to worry about devastation threatening people’s survival.
Notes:
Wu people: The Wu nation existed (12th century-473 BC) during the Western Zhou Dynasty. It was located east of the state of Chu in modern day Jiangsu and Zhejiang provinces.