The new emperor's reign, five years, the year Gengyin.
The Dipper's handle points north, the pitch-pipe's note is Huangzhong.
Countless trees stand stiff in night, cold heavy, no wind.
A silver plate rises from sea's depths, shines east on my thatched hut.
Sky's deep blue smooth congeals, ice-light crisscrosses cold haze.
First I think white lotus, floating from Dragon King's palace.
Mid-autumn night's moon, none can compare.
Then strange things occur: something comes to devour.
Wheel like strong man's axe-chop ruined, cassia like snow mountain wind-torn.
Hundred-refined mirror shows its guts.
Flat ground buries cold ash, fire-dragon pearl.
Flies from brain, enters clam's womb.
Rings break, jade shatters before eyes, a coal-smudge stains the sky.
Grinds tracks, erases traces in moments, as if sealed for eternity.
Who'd think such divine thing could be so disgraced.
Stars like scattered sand vie for light.
Servants light dim lamps, cover with rush like tortoiseshell.
Tonight flames long as rainbows, thousand rays shoot outdoors.
Master Jade Stream, tears stream down.
Walks alone in courtyard, pondering sun and moon.
Essence of moon and sun, Heaven must know things.
Sun and moon transform, toil through sky, weary limbs.
Heaven's eyes bringing light, these eyes not self-preserved.
How can Heaven's way proceed? I hear Yin-Yang masters say:
Full moon eclipsed, moonlight dies; new moon masks sun, sunlight lacks.
Two eyes don't attack each other—this theory I reject.
Confucius learned from Laozi: five colors blind the eye.
I fear Heaven like man: love of beauty loses sight.
Luckily not spring, all things not lush.
Green hills broken tile hue, green water ice jagged.
Flowers withered, no feminine charm; birds dead, songs sunk.
Stubborn winter, what's to like? It blinds one eye.
Old tales say: eclipse from toad spirit.
Thousand-mile round enters your belly—who birthed you, stupid bones?
Maybe from sea-cave, knows to climb blue void.
Perhaps between eyelashes, blockage formed.
Yellow Emperor had two eyes, Emperor Shun double pupils.
Two emperors hung four eyes, all lands shone bright.
I never met them, vastness unknowable.
Why must my pupils suffer insect-bully?
Sigh long: Jade Rabbit pounds elixir, as if guarding against evil.
Elixir done, mortar not full—why trust the Rabbit?
Recall Yao ruled heaven, ten suns scorched nine lands.
Gold melted, quicksilver flowed; jade burned, cinnabar charred.
All realms baked kiln-like, Yao's heart a hundred worries.
God saw Yao's worry, burst anger, unleashed flood.
Set to drown nine sun-demons, sky high, suns fled, flood missed.
Only saw all nations' infants fish-headed.
Then nine guides led nine suns, holding banners, canopies.
Chariots drawn by fifty-four horned dragons.
Lightning nine-fire shafts—if you bite jagged wheel,
Reins ropes claw-hooks, push roar into your throat.
Red-scale flame-bird burns mouth swift, feathers slant, sound grating.
Gut-propped, belly-propped, lumpy as hills, could die full, never steal.
Not just fill hunger-pit, also ease Yao's heart.
Hate you: when should eat, hide head, refuse.
When shouldn't, open lips, gorge nonstop.
Eat Heaven's eye, feed rebellion—how get God to execute you?
Alas! Man feeds tiger, bitten by tiger.
Heaven fawns on toad, blinded by toad.
Thus know kindness to wrong kind—each makes own disaster.
I see eye-sufferers seek skilled doctor's method.
Think Heaven no different, loves eyes surely same.
How get Lady Chang'e to learn Bian Que's art?
Hand hold pestle-throat spear, remove this eye-thing.
At first still hazy, later like lacquer-black.
But fear task done, it won't be spat out.
Master Jade Stream tears again, prays, forehead in sand.
Earth's flea-subject Lu Tong tells Heaven Emperor:
My heart has iron inch, can gouge demon-toad's stupid gut.
Heaven builds me no ladder; my flesh-body can't fly up.
Spread Heaven's light—entrust words to careful wind.
Whirl open celestial gates, enter purple palace,
Near jade table, split open, present my stubborn fool breast.
Dare die, offend Heaven, plan for Heaven's long term.
East's Azure Dragon horn, halberd-tail sweeps wind,
At heart opens bright hall, leads three-sixty scale-creatures,
Rules East Palace—eclipse no rescue, why East Dragon?
South's fire-bird red splashed blood, long neck, short tail, clumsy flight.
Head wears well-crown high, eclipse bird-palace thirteen degrees.
Bird as host unaware, greedy whose house?
Go red-mouth poison-tongue, poison insect eats moon.
Not peck-kill, vain blink ghost-eye bright hollow.
Bird's crime unforgivable. West's grab-tiger stands skewed.
Axe as fang, chisel as tooth, steal sacrifices, eat boars.
Big toad one slice surely soft tasty—see as unseen, what logic?
Claws root sky, forget sky; Heaven if plans, errs plans.
North's cold turtle bound by snake, head in shell like jail.
Snake-tie tight breaks shell, cold turtle summer turtle same taste.
Use flesh for stew, dead shell no use,
Only prop bed, can't drill-burn for Heaven's divination.
Jupiter rules fortune, ranks given to Dong Qin.
How bear Qiang Lou born, corpse covered no cloth?
Heaven blind, no pity; Jupiter why so kind?
Mars old vigorous, law-enforcement much unfair.
Moon bright no fault, not punish eclipse insect.
Yearly tenth month court Taiwei, Zhi Lu punished—what disaster?
Saturn and earth-nature clash, feeds fortune, breeds harm.
Reach man's head, die ruined. Tonight's eclipse how understood?
Venus true general, anger stirs blade-edge born.
Hengzhou battle beheaded Li Dingjin, neck-bone crisp spring turnip.
Heaven two eyes lose one—general, where march Heaven's troops?
Mercury as chief judge, Heaven's law self-held.
Human life at basin's bottom, should joy see Heaven blind.
If Heaven won't believe, call Gaoyao ghost ask.
Like today: Three Terraces, Wenchang Palace, Heaven's discipline.
Ring sky twenty-eight constellations, stalwart secretaries.
Arrange ranks, swords held by others.
One four sun's side, one four market beside.
Wield axe for great craftsman, hands unafraid hurt.
Bow drawn full shoots back, Sirius gapes bright.
Silly ox, dumb girl, won't farm hard.
Vain lustful thoughts, dawn dusk gaze far.
Chiyou waves flags months, first beats Heaven's drum clang.
Crooked arrow snakes, bleary eyes wide.
Heaven-dog licks ground, blood flows torrential.
Deceitful millions, frame-up unbearable.
Blinded, crime done, harms light king.
Keep North Star one by pole, command all nations hung center.
Else all sweep, pile like hills.
Redeem my parents' light. Then constant stars fell,
Meteor rain like splashing pulp, as if Heaven meeting held.
Scold punish evil strong—why halfway quit, leave today's woe?
Good good, evil evil—Duke Guo thus fell.
May Heaven's holy heart trust no other's loyalty.
Master Jade Stream words done, wind tight clatter.
Near moon dark edge, like swords moved.
Soon stupid toad spirit, two lips split self,
First shows half jade, then spits full wheel.
All stars pardoned, one toad executed.
Belly suddenly drops, still hangs azure vault.
Light not revived, bleak white sheet.
But how ten-thousand-mile light suffers this swallow-spit?
See Heaven's eye again, thank Heaven-Earth force.
Some ask Master Jade Stream: Confucius wrote Spring Autumn,
Two hundred forty years, eclipses not recorded.
Now your urgent words match Confucius' intent?
Master Jade Stream smiles: listen stay.
Confucius parents Lu, avoid Lu not Zhou.
Record outside great evil, so eclipses not kept.
I born Tang sky, eat Tang soil.
Tang rites past three, Tang music past five.
Small not told, big uncountable, disaster no big small cure.
How cite declined Zhou, examine if right?
Sun rules day, moon rules night, tell cold heat.
One governs punishment, two governs virtue, rule then lifts.
Who on man's face can remove one eye?
May Heaven keep two eyes, shine on all lands.
Ten-thousand ages not blind, ten million ages.
Not blind, shine ten-thousand ages.