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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。 

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