Losing a son, whom shall I blame?
I shall blame Heaven above.
You truly rule over mortals,
Yet your giving and taking are so biased.
What did he have against you,
That you let others prosper and thrive?
What crime did this one alone commit,
That life and death came within ten days?
My cries to Heaven go unheard,
Tears drip to the earth, reaching the springs.
The Earth Spirit grieves for him,
Shrinking in discomfort, long uneasy.
Then I call the great divine turtle,
To ride the clouds and knock at Heaven's gate.
I ask Heaven, ruler of mortals,
Why the treatment is so uneven, thin and thick?
Heaven says: Heaven, Earth, and Man,
Have never been connected from the start.
I hang the sun and moon,
I tether the stars and planets.
Sun and moon bite and gnaw each other,
Stars stumble and fall headlong.
It is not your crime I hold,
I know you are not the cause.
Moreover, all things have their lot,
Who can make it otherwise?
Having a son or having none,
Fortune and misfortune cannot be traced.
Fish eggs fill the mother's belly,
Each one—for whom to pity?
The slender-waisted wasp does not suckle its own,
The whole clan is often orphaned and widowed.
The owl pecks its mother's brain,
The mother dies, then the fledgling turns.
When the viper gives birth,
Its belly and liver split open.
A good son, though called good,
Has not repaid kindness and care.
A bad son is unspeakable,
Like the owl and the viper.
Having a son, do not rejoice;
Having none, surely do not sigh.
The highest sage needs no teaching,
The wise hear words and change.
The lowest fool hears and is confused,
Though taught, has no way to reform.
The great spirit bows its head in acceptance,
That very day returns the fate.
The Earth Spirit says to the great spirit,
You go and inform that man.
Meng Jiao at night gets a dream,
There is a man in dark clothes and headscarf.
Suddenly he enters his door,
Three times proclaims Heaven's words.
Twice he bows, thanks the dark-clad man,
Puts away sorrow, takes up joy.