A divine whip lashes the cosmos,
A jade whip lashes fine steeds.
The tight-knit wild-knot whip,
Was made to lash the mighty turtle.
Your whip, sir, is very long,
Your horse, sir, is also swift.
The Marshal rides alongside,
The Marshal's horse is gaunt.
A short whip cannot be used,
No way to achieve a fast pace.
You halt your horse and say,
Wishing to give me your long whip.
This gift is no common thing,
This whip is no easy gain.
Hard as gold, without tangles,
Smooth as jade, without grime.
Like a green snake splitting living rock,
Not scratching the mountain's side.
Like a turtle's swirling eye-mark,
Not stained by riverbank tears.
Long bearing marks of thunder and rain,
Unwilling to test on nags.
I'll use it to exchange what I hold,
Not letting it be idly cast aside.
I reply, 'Sir, how strange you are,
Giving me what you hold dear.
My use of it will also be noble,
I'll preserve its bright virtue all my life.
I vow to whip the wicked and stubborn,
Not to whip the stumbling and hindered.
To point out the cunning hare's tracks,
To decisively flog the strange sleeping dragon.
I'd regret letting it break inch by inch,
Each section falling not in vain.'
Thus I compose this 'Whip Exchange' poem,
The poem done, I tell my comrade.
And when I heard of this,
I laughed at your youthful intent.
What use is exchanging a long whip?
What is the purpose of a whip so long?
I have a whip over a foot long,
Mud-splattered, soaked by wind and rain.
I don't plan to idly gift it for journeys,
Only to boast wildly while drunk.
When spring comes, I trust my horse's head,
Loosen the reins before the flowers.
I wish my slowness to be like lameness,
Spare your speed like wings.