Don't read books, don't read books,
Hui Shi with his five cartloads, where is he now?
I beg you, burn for me the "Li Sao" elegy;
And I will smash for you the "Taiji" diagram, you see.
Come then, join me and drink a dipper of wine,
Listen to me singing "Wu Wu" to the sky, line by line.
In deep robes and broad belts, lecturing on Tang and Yu,
Is not as good as a long cord binding the Chanyu.
Sucking the brush, gripping the tube, composing "Zi Xu,"
Is not as good as a swift whip leaping on the "Dilu."
Have you not seen? Last year rebel troops broke through Ba and Yu,
This year rebel troops slaughtered Chengdu.
Dust and wind swirl wildly, jackals and tigers block the way,
Killing men like hemp, blood flowing into a lake, they say.
At Meishan Academy, whistling warhorses neigh,
In Huanhua Thatched Cottage, demon foxes make their stay.
Who will flog the traitor Zhonghang?
Who will bind the Khan?
Who will seal Hangu Pass with a pellet of clay?
Who will fix Tianshan with three arrows, they say?
Hats large as winnowing baskets, swords tall propping the chin,
Mornings discussing Hui and Ke, evenings Lian and Yi, within.
Ribbons flowing long, seals piled high,
The nine provinces vast, where will you go now, oh my?
If you have gold, shatter it to make arrows true;
If you have iron, cast it into caltrops, too.
I shall give you the swords Zhanlu or Qingping, bright,
You should repay me with the Taiyi White Magpie banner, a sight.
Better to kill the rebel slaves and seize the golden seal,
What use is there in trivial phrases, pray tell?
Zhuge dead could make Zhongda flee,
If not Confucius, who could repel the Laiyi?
Alas, singing "Wu Wu" makes my heart uneasy.
Don't read books, lest you become a book-addled fool.