韓碑 The Han Monument

李商隱 Li Shangyin

元 和 天 子 神 武 姿 ，
The Son of Heaven in Yuanhe times was martial as a god
yuán hé tiān zi shén wǔ zī ，
彼 何 人 哉 轩 与 羲 ，
And might be likened only to the Emperors Xuan and Xi.
bǐ hé rén zāi xuān yǔ xī ，
誓 将 上 雪 列 圣 耻 ，
He took an oath to reassert the glory of the empire,
shì jiāng shàng xuě liè shèng chǐ ，
坐 法 宫 中 朝 四 夷 。
And tribute was brought to his palace from all four quarters.
zuò fǎ gōng zhōng cháo sì yí 。
淮 西 有 贼 五 十 载 ，
Western Huai for fifty years had been a bandit country,
huái xī yǒu zéi wǔ shí zài ，
封 狼 生 䝙 䝙 生 罴 ；
Wolves becoming lynxes, lynxes becoming bears.
fēng láng shēng chū chū shēng pí ；
不 据 山 河 据 平 地 ，
They assailed the mountains and rivers, rising from the plains,
bù jù shān hé jù píng de ，
长 戈 利 矛 日 可 麾 。
With their long spears and sharp lances aimed at the Sun.
zhǎng gē lì máo rì kě huī 。
帝 得 圣 相 相 曰 度 ，
But the Emperor had a wise premier, by the name of Du,
dì dé shèng xiāng xiāng yuē dù ，
贼 斫 不 死 神 扶 持 。
Who, guarded by spirits against assassination,
zéi zhuó bù sǐ shén fú chí 。
腰 悬 相 印 作 都 统 ，
Hong at his girdle the seal of state, and accepted chief command,
yāo xuán xiāng yìn zuò dōu tǒng ，
阴 风 惨 澹 天 王 旗 。
While these savage winds were harrying the flags of the Ruler of Heaven.
yīn fēng cǎn dàn tiān wáng qí 。
愬 武 古 通 作 牙 爪 ，
Generals Suo, Wu, Gu, and Tong became his paws and claws;
sù wǔ gǔ tōng zuò yá zhǎo ，
仪 曹 外 郎 载 笔 随 。
Civil and military experts brought their writingbrushes,
yí cáo wài láng zài bǐ suí 。
行 军 司 马 智 且 勇 ，
And his recording adviser was wise and resolute.
xíng jūn sī mǎ zhì qiě yǒng ，
十 四 万 众 犹 虎 貔 。
A hundred and forty thousand soldiers, fighting like lions and tigers,
shí sì wàn zhòng yóu hǔ pí 。
入 蔡 缚 贼 献 太 庙 。
Captured the bandit chieftains for the Imperial Temple.
rù cài fù zéi xiàn tài miào 。
功 无 与 让 恩 不 訾 。
So complete a victory was a supreme event;
gōng wú yǔ ràng ēn bù zī 。
帝 曰 汝 度 功 第 一 ，
And the Emperor said: "To you, Du, should go the highest honour,
dì yuē rǔ dù gōng dì yī ，
汝 从 事 愈 宜 为 辞 。
And your secretary, Yu, should write a record of it."
rǔ cóng shì yù yí wèi cí 。
愈 拜 稽 首 蹈 且 舞 ，
When Yu had bowed his head, he leapt and danced, saying:
yù bài jī shǒu dǎo qiě wǔ ，
金 石 刻 画 臣 能 为 。
"Historical writings on stone and metal are my especial art;
jīn shí kè huà chén néng wèi 。
古 者 世 称 大 手 笔 ，
And, since I know the finest brush-work of the old masters,
gǔ zhě shì chēng dà shǒu bǐ ，
此 事 不 系 于 职 司 。
My duty in this instance is more than merely official,
cǐ shì bù xì yú zhí sī 。
当 仁 自 古 有 不 让 ，
And I should be at fault if I modestly declined."
dāng rén zì gǔ yǒu bù ràng ，
言 讫 屡 颔 天 子 颐 。
The Emperor, on hearing this, nodded many times.
yán qì lǚ hàn tiān zi yí 。
公 退 斋 戒 坐 小 阁 ，
And Yu retired and fasted and, in a narrow workroom,
gōng tuì zhāi jiè zuò xiǎo gé ，
濡 染 大 笔 何 淋 漓 。
His great brush thick with ink as with drops of rain,
rú rǎn dà bǐ hé lín lí 。
点 窜 尧 典 舜 典 字 ，
Chose characters like those in the Canons of Yao and Xun,
diǎn cuàn yáo diǎn shùn diǎn zì ，
涂 改 清 庙 生 民 诗 。
And a style as in the ancient poems Qingmiao and Shengmin.
tú gǎi qīng miào shēng mín shī 。
文 成 破 体 书 在 纸 ，
And soon the description was ready, on a sheet of paper.
wén chéng pò tǐ shū zài zhǐ ，
清 晨 再 拜 铺 丹 墀 。
In the morning he laid it, with a bow, on the purple stairs.
qīng chén zài bài pù dān chí 。
表 曰 臣 愈 昧 死 上 ，
He memorialized the throne: "I, unworthy,
biǎo yuē chén yù mèi sǐ shàng ，
咏 神 圣 功 书 之 碑 。
Have dared to record this exploit, for a monument."
yǒng shén shèng gōng shū zhī bēi 。
碑 高 三 丈 字 如 斗 ，
The tablet was thirty feet high, the characters large as dippers;
bēi gāo sān zhàng zì rú dòu ，
负 以 灵 鼇 蟠 以 螭 。
It was set on a sacred tortoise, its columns flanked with ragons....
fù yǐ líng áo pán yǐ chī 。
句 奇 语 重 喻 者 少 ，
The phrases were strange with deep words that few could understand;
jù qí yǔ zhòng yù zhě shǎo ，
谗 之 天 子 言 其 私 。
And jealousy entered and malice and reached the Emperor –
chán zhī tiān zi yán qí sī 。
长 绳 百 尺 拽 碑 倒 。
So that a rope a hundred feet long pulled the tablet down
zhǎng shéng bǎi chǐ zhuāi bēi dào 。
麤 沙 大 石 相 磨 治 。
And coarse sand and small stones ground away its face.
cū shā dà shí xiāng mó zhì 。
公 之 斯 文 若 元 气 ，
But literature endures, like the universal spirit,
gōng zhī sī wén ruò yuán qì ，
先 时 已 入 人 肝 脾 。
And its breath becomes a part of the vitals of all men.
xiān shí yǐ rù rén gān pí 。
汤 盘 孔 鼎 有 述 作 ，
The Tang plate, the Confucian tripod, are eternal things,
tāng pán kǒng dǐng yǒu shù zuò ，
今 无 其 器 存 其 辞 。
Not because of their forms, but because of their inscriptions....
jīn wú qí qì cún qí cí 。
呜 呼 圣 皇 及 圣 相 ，
Sagacious is our sovereign and wise his minister,
wū hū shèng huáng jí shèng xiāng ，
相 与 烜 赫 流 淳 熙 。
And high their successes and prosperous their reign;
xiāng yǔ xuǎn hè liú chún xī 。
公 之 斯 文 不 示 后 ，
But unless it be recorded by a writing such as this,
gōng zhī sī wén bù shì hòu ，
曷 与 三 五 相 攀 追 ？
How may they hope to rival the three and five good rulers?
hé yǔ sān wǔ xiāng pān zhuī ？
愿 书 万 本 诵 万 过 ，
I wish I could write ten thousand copies to read ten thousand times,
yuàn shū wàn běn sòng wàn guò ，
口 角 流 沫 右 手 胝 ；
Till spittle ran from my lips and calluses hardened my fingers,
kǒu jiǎo liú mò yòu shǒu zhī ；
传 之 七 十 有 二 代 ，
And still could hand them down, through seventy-two generations,
chuán zhī qī shí yǒu èr dài ，
以 为 封 禅 玉 检 明 堂 基 。
As corner-stones for Rooms of Great Deeds on the Sacred Mountains.
yǐ wèi fēng chán yù jiǎn míng táng jī 。

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