I've heard that at the dawn of life,
No likes or dislikes yet were rife.
The Lord endowed us ears and eyes,
Then wise and foolish came to rise.
A thousand years have passed since then,
The change grows worse among all men.
Fathers and sons deal and betray,
Who can discern the false display?
The monkey stares with tasseled crown,
The rat sleeps wild in holes dug down.
The vast sea fears to meet its fate,
Who cares if fish and turtles hate?
The owl's cry is considered vile,
But change comes when it eats mulberry's smile.
Alas! Who's tasked to teach and guide,
And lets this trend so long abide?
Calmly they watch, no rescue planned,
Squandering the grain from the state's hand.
From youth, I've been naive and true,
A love for ancient ways my due.
Seeing these customs fall apart,
How dare I rest with peaceful heart?
Sometimes my anger cannot cease,
Grief steals my appetite and peace.
Only you share my deep distress,
And sometimes tears your robe caress.
You say that I can understand,
And send your poems, close at hand.
Your brilliant words fill up the sheet,
Like autumn water rinsing silk, so neat.
Your earnest thoughts I contemplate,
And ponder them with solemn state.
Poor and lowly, to save the age,
Is like retrieving spilled broth, I presage.
In hardship, one might build a wall,
Or cook like Yi Yin, giving his all.
If times are right, why be cast aside?
To shun the vulgar, silence I'll abide.
The year is not yet at its end,
This resolve I'll strive to defend.