Who is the one punished for his remonstrance?
All under heaven compose poems for Tang Jie.
Vulgar mouths are narrow, words fragmented and small,
Trying to describe his deeds, their language falls low.
Alas, I too am of Jie's kind, a follower true,
This regret fuels my anger, makes my eyebrows rise.
At midnight the lamp dies, a hundred worries cease,
Eyelids won't meet, both eyes are sore and bleary.
Pushing pillow, sitting up, I admire Jie's firm stance,
Hand on my chest, I ponder Jie's unwavering will.
Truly, Jie was a man of valor, strong and bold,
Able to make his liver and spleen hard as metal.
The wrath of thunder weighs ten thousand jun, immense,
Yet the sovereign's majesty surpasses even this.
A single word offended, a hundred deaths deserved,
His neck could be severed, his clan exterminated.
Magnificent Jie, a man rare among mankind,
Fearing not what others fear, holding fast his ground.
Holding the memorial, he entered the court, prostrate,
Facing death as if tasting sweet syrup, calm and straight.
Confronting the emperor in hall, his speech was sharp,
Tongue of iron, unyielding, never bending an inch.
The Son of Heaven raged, scolded his ministers loud,
Many court tablets pointed, rivaling spears in crowd.
How could he face them smiling, not blinking an eye?
Breath unshaken, countenance peaceful, standing high.
That very day, the verdict came: exile far away,
Palace envoys sent to oversee wife and child's stay.
But alas, those left and right, their mouths spewed venom deep,
Only pleas for death, no words for pardon to keep.
Yet now the Son of Heaven is wise and bright,
Though briefly furious, he finally restored the right.
Oh! He who can mirror order and chaos in sight,
Jie could wipe away the flaws, make the blemish light.
It's said: of five remonstrances, I follow the indirect,
Even Confucius was stirred to act when circumstance direct.
Later generations, timid, clinging to rank and pay,
Use this to whitewash incompetence, day by day.
Surely, when matters reach a point of no return,
One should strive unto death, never letting concern.
Great indeed is Jie, his name will never decay,
Sun and moon his words, the sky his monument's stay.
A message to the petty slanderers, mean and base:
Even if Jie met death, why should I mourn his case?