讲武池和师厚

The vast pool rivals the ocean, deep and wide;

Its boundless waves split the thick earth open far and wide.

Our divine ancestor made it, so they say,

And such grandeur is fitting in every way.

When the land was not yet unified under the sky,

He trained troops here, sending elite forces to vie.

The sovereign descended in his yellow-canopied car,

Solemnly riding the aura of metal from afar.

A hundred ships flew over the surging waves,

Sweeping swift as falcon wings over watery graves.

Banners raised, ten thousand troops roared with might;

Drums beaten, the ninefold deeps boiled in frenzied fight.

Their advance swift as heaven's turning wheel,

Their halt profound as darkness that makes one feel.

Truly, a royal army this was, beyond doubt,

Sufficient to make the defiant submit throughout.

Since then, long peace has prevailed over the years,

And the place, with warfare, disappeared.

Autumn winds grow reeds and rushes tall,

Luxuriantly covering islets, losing all.

Only on Jinming Pond, one sees still,

Pavilions adorned, though embroidered splendor grows nil.

Imperial tours halted here in spring's delight,

All nations came to feast, a joyous sight.

Clangorous drums and bells resound clear,

A motley of feathered banners, splendid and dear.

Not just sharing joy with the people, in sum,

It extended even to fish and birds, however small some.

Grand, indeed, was that arduous enterprise,

Bringing joy and ease to ten thousand ages that rise.