The Emperor rules the earth, yet far from the people's plight,
Governing all lands, boundless, under heaven's light.
Myriad creatures thrive, dense and vast in sight,
The sun and moon revolve, stars wheel through the night.
Vastness must hold hidden darkness and deceit,
If none appeal above, how can the Emperor meet?
In the year Gengshen, when the Dipper points to Si,
Ten days pass and more, yet no rain from the skies.
The lush ones scorch, the fruitful ones decay,
Wheat fields lie barren, no sprouts break the clay.
Old grain consumed, new harvest waits to feed,
Hope snatched away, the people worry and bleed.
They drop plows for arms, stealing, plundering in dread,
Urgent, thoughtless, seeking life moment by thread.
People plead the Emperor: summon the Cloud Lord,
Let vapors rise at dawn, dim the sun's bright sword.
Who drums the wind, shaking rivers and peaks?
Dust whips upward, while all else cracks and breaks.
Clouds, though kind, cannot their bounty spread,
Fields lie bare, plants and trees are dead.
Dust clouds thicken, shrouding morning's glow,
Drifting densely, smothering all below.
Blind confusion reigns, vast and dimly felt,
The clear-sighted stumble, direction melt.
Roots and stems buried, blossoms rot to core,
World turns grim, marshes dry evermore.
Fiercely it invades every home and wall,
Dust and drought reign from dawn till nightfall.
People ask: what being presides this scene?
Its name is Ba, drought's overseer, mean.
It hates moisture, steals the sun's fierce might,
Glares at withered woods, scorns blossoms bright,
Detests fullness, envies hunger's plight, delights in people's blight.
Dryness unyielding, wind aids its flight,
Lushness smothered, dust blots out the light.
It brings blazing fire, dazzling and bright,
Drives the fire-god, with flame-birds in flight.
Red banners, crimson curtains, bold and grand,
Fearless, exultant, it rules the land.
Friends with plague and sickness, ally of despair,
Its faction fierce, its malice beyond compare.
Scorning imperial might, inflicting harm and strife,
Stealing prayers and rites, mocking sacred life.
People rely on Emperor's grace for food and dress,
God above is bright, no blame for their distress.
May the Emperor rage, on Ba his judgment press,
Banish it from earth to dark, drowning abyss.
Thunder drums, lightning flags unfurl on high,
Rain fills ravines, clouds drape the sky.
Marshes flood with sweet, abundant tide,
Reviving parched lands where life had died.
Grains grow lush, fruits and vegetables thrive,
Harvest abundant, people joyful and alive.
The Emperor's people prosper, grateful for his care,
But Ba, in darkness, finds no pardon there.