Skip to main content

The Han Stele (韓碑) by Li Shangyin


元和天子神武姿， 彼何人哉軒與羲， 
誓將上雪列聖恥， 坐法宮中朝四夷。 
淮西有賊五十載， 封狼生貙貙生羆； 
不據山河據平地， 長戈利矛日可麾。 

 The Yuanhe Emperor: divine, mighty, refined.  His rivals are what men? -- Only Xuan and Xi.  As snow covers men's tracks, he swore he'd cover up his predecessors' shame. In the Palace of Laws before his throne, the Four Barbarians would bow.  To the west of River Huai there had been bandits fifty years -- the wolves that set up shop bore beasts, and then the beasts bore bears.  No more content with hills and streams, they'd occupy the plains -- with long spear and sharp lance they'd vie against the sun.

 帝得聖相相曰度， 賊斫不死神扶持。 
腰懸相印作都統， 陰風慘澹天王旗。 
愬武古通作牙爪， 儀曹外郎載筆隨。 
行軍司馬智且勇， 十四萬眾猶虎貔。 


The emperor found a wise general, the general called "Du" -- the bandits slashed but didn't kill -- the gods attended him.

 入蔡縛賊獻太廟。 功無與讓恩不訾。 
帝曰汝度功第一， 汝從事愈宜為辭。 
愈拜稽首蹈且舞， 金石刻畫臣能為。 
古者世稱大手筆， 此事不係於職司。 


當仁自古有不讓， 言訖屢頷天子頤。 
公退齋戒坐小閣， 濡染大筆何淋漓。 
點竄堯典舜典字， 塗改清廟生民詩。 
文成破體書在紙， 清晨再拜鋪丹墀。 


表曰臣愈昧死上， 詠神聖功書之碑。 
碑高三丈字如斗， 負以靈鼇蟠以螭。 
句奇語重喻者少， 讒之天子言其私。 
長繩百尺拽碑倒。 麤沙大石相磨治。 


公之斯文若元氣， 先時已入人肝脾。 
湯盤孔鼎有述作， 今無其器存其辭。 
嗚呼聖皇及聖相， 相與烜赫流淳熙。 
公之斯文不示後， 曷與三五相攀追？ 
願書萬本誦萬過， 口角流沫右手胝； 
傳之七十有二代， 以為封禪玉檢明堂基。 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Autumn Rain Is When the Wutong Sheds Its Leaves

Wutong trees in a Chinese garden 春風桃李花開日， 秋雨梧桐葉落時。 西宮南內多秋草， 落葉滿階紅不掃。 梨園子弟白髮新， 椒房阿監青娥老 夕殿螢飛思悄然， 孤燈挑盡未成眠。 遲遲鐘鼓初長夜， 耿耿星河欲曙天。 鴛鴦瓦冷霜華重， 翡翠衾寒誰與共？ In a spring breeze it's true that peach and pear both flower in the sun -- but autumn rain is when the Wutong sheds its leaves. In the Southern Sanctum of the Palace of the West, the autumn grass abounds; shed leaves brim over steps from which red cannot be swept. The disciples of Pear Garden have newly grown white hair; the ladies of the Pepper Room -- their youth all is now old. In the Western Hall the buzzing flies stir sorry thoughts; the lonely lamp has used its wick and still he has not slept. The hesitation of the bell begins the lengthy night; the stars of the Milky Way, twinkling, herald now the dawn. The dove-tailed bricks are chilled with heavy frost -- with whom to share the quilt which, though of eiderdown, is cold?
Post a Comment
Read more

Interpretation: "Leda" by H.D.

Where the slow river meets the tide, a red swan lifts red wings and darker beak, and underneath the purple down of his soft breast uncurls his coral feet. Creature of the sea, made from the deep, Not its darkness where the hundred monsters Sleep but from a deeper still, where pearls And other jewels their corazón await, A depth so clear, so still, Deeper than the deep, about its treasures Clinging like a sheet, edge upon the edge Of what is seen, a flicker and a sweep. This way to emerge! Royally too evident become And darker darkness radiate, to sweep and fly, Ever in the way things underneath Have shown themselves And wear the world as a wreath, Oblivious to any demand, "Why?" Through the deep purple of the dying heat of sun and mist, the level ray of sun-beam has caressed the lily with dark breast, and flecked with richer gold its golden crest. Gold on gold more gilded, on the other hand, recedes Into a darkness and stillness, leads The mi...
Post a Comment
Read more

Once Mysterious...

From the subjective side, consciousness presents no mystery.  Consciousness is found to exist not just among its other objects but even as the a priori  possibility of finding such objects.  Consciousness is a given whose structure and elements present themselves to consciousness.  Consciousness knows itself and, for itself, is objective. The mystery of consciousness is only discovered from the objective side.  Through an eternity (which means through the progress of a world order) there was only motion and mobile, a universe of pure and unreflective impulse. Then, one day, as if a spark were struck, awareness flamed into existence. Was this extra existence, which is admittedly so different from matter (as different as we believe life to be from death) a possibility of that same matter all along?  This mystery is felt in the question, "Where did it come from?"  The thought that it could arise through some coincidence, a brute coordination in the na...
Post a Comment
Read more