Malignant forces, dark and bright,
Assaulted Xiang in their might.
They breached the outer wall,
Waves sharp as blades did fall.
Crashing against heights, breaking defenses down,
No barrier could their fury drown.
Terrified, the banks gave way,
Ten thousand homes in ruins lay.
Crocodiles climbed on stoves,
Sturgeons gathered in halls, a dire sight.
Kindness turned to hate overnight,
Mothers could not protect their child.
The great flood receded, leaving a void,
Gates and arches destroyed.
Our walls were toppled, our homes stripped bare,
Gazing in sorrow, a scene of despair,
As if treading on a barren mound.
The Emperor sighed with a mournful sound,
"Daily I look south with care.
Why does Heaven unleash this wrath, this snare?"
The vast Xiang suburbs, submerged and tossed,
Our infants and children, utterly lost.
Surviving commoners, left in this plight,
Starving, gasping, a pitiful sight.
Such deep wounds, this widespread blight,
Who will come to soothe and make things right?
You, chief ministers, in your wisdom profound,
All recommended a sage to be found.
Our Duke, in harmony, took command,
With ritual staff and oath in hand.
He came to see the people of Xiang,
Comforting, lifting, helping them stand.
Not counting days or months, in joy they'd expand,
Laughing and clapping, a happy band.
They swam to the old dike, buried in sand,
Gaps and collapses across the land,
From east to west, a ruined strand.
The Duke cried, "Alas! The Han's dike, so grand,
Was truly Xiang's fate, a divine command.
If you do not exert your strength with might,
Disaster will strike you, day and night.
Take spades and baskets, tools in hand,
Make the Han dike new and grand!"
The imperial granaries have grain,
The imperial treasury, coins to obtain.
Complete your dike, and you shall gain
Rewards for your labor and pain."
The people of Xiang, cheerful and bright,
Heeded the call by the Xiang water's light.
Carrying baskets, shouldering poles, they ran,
Dancing and rushing, a united clan.
Divided into squads, under drum's command,
Measured by feet, the work was planned.
Days and months could be counted as planned.
Thump, thump, crash, crash, the sounds so grand,
Up and down they moved across the land.
Clearing hills, cutting brambles, a determined band,
Flying stones, hauling earth, by hand.
Raising mallets, thunderous sounds expand,
Sweat like rain, a mighty stand.
The weak, the sick, the widowed, the alone,
Summoned their sinews, strength they'd shown.
"Heave-ho!" they came to help, their zeal grown,
With baskets and hampers, their help was known.
Not shirking toil, with laughter's tone,
In a bustling, joyful drone.
All said, "Duke Lu, you give us life anew.
This dike, once built, will stretch straight and true,
Winding yet level, a stable view.
Firm as a mountain, steadfast through and through,
Towering like a cloud, a majestic hue.
Though the Han's current runs wild and free,
Solid it stands, no erosion we'll see.
For generations, millennia to be,
Eternal as heaven, for all to see."
The Duke's dike first lived in the people's mind,
Built and fortified, a southern line.
The Meng Islet not steep, this gate not deep,
Now it stands here, where the Han's shadows creep.
This dike now lofty, these people blessed,
Children and elders celebrate with zest.
Homes restored to wealth, at their behest.
Left to Xiang's people, a legacy to keep,
May they preserve their lives, in safety sleep.
Ah, the Duke's merit, shining bright as day,
Warding off great disaster, holding sway,
Towering like a capital mound, come what may.
The Son of Heaven bestows his grace,
The common people embrace his place.
A clansman composes this verse,
To illuminate the future's course.