答原父

The sweltering heat gathers, steaming thick and dense,

The noon sun blazes with a fiery intensity.

Then you arrive, bringing a breeze so fresh and cool,

Rustling gently over mat and desk, a welcome rule.

It's like being drenched with nectar, rich and sweet,

Drunk eagerly, never sated, a repeated treat.

Alas, I began my studies far too late in life,

White-haired now, trapped by books, enduring strife.

In doubt and peril, where to seek the truth's foundation?

Confucius, Mencius long buried, their graves a distant station.

Most scholars are blocked by selfish, narrow thought,

Only you, sir, are broad and deep, with insight fraught.

Fortunate to glean some scraps from your surplus store,

Often fed when hungry, craving more and more.

Majestic is the Spring and Autumn Classic's text,

Its great principles—who dares to alter next?

When Heaven, Earth, and Man lost guiding thread,

The Five Dynasties reached chaos, darkness spread.

Thieves freely rifled through the boxes' hold,

Heroes fiercely vied, their sharpened swords bold.

Rise and fall both came in sudden, hurried plight,

Many deeds left unrecorded, lost from sight.

My talent can but note success or failure's end,

No leisure to condemn the traitor, foe, or friend.

My knowledge, sparse and lone, a cause for fear,

Who can attest to right and wrong, make matters clear?

I once rejoiced we shared likes and dislikes true,

And so I begged you point out flaws, my faults to view.

Instead, you praised me with robes of splendor bright,

As if calling Mother Mo a beauty of delight.

To correct wrongs, one must act early, at the start,

Once exposed, how can the violence depart?

If you can pity this chronic, stubborn ill,

Would it not be a shame to spare the healing skill?

Perhaps your wind-borne boat will grant an invitation,

While the lake's green waves shimmer in anticipation.