The world bustles with treasures, gold and gem,
Try finding a moment of leisure—where to seek?
Heaven both envies and cherishes leisure, it seems,
As if wishing everyone to grow old in busyness, bleak.
On the roads of Chang'an, people swarm like smoke,
Truly, yin and yang confuse dusk and dawn.
For food and clothing, I'm like them, I invoke,
Jade belts and golden fish—for whose sake are they worn?
From dukes and ministers down to every official,
Burdened in body, their hair turns white and frail.
Facing the common folk, some wear a face artificial,
Returning to wife and children, still hot with travail.
Farmers, merchants, craftsmen, each has their role,
Not to mention actors, singers, and menial hands.
How unlike old Gong, who built a hut to view the knoll,
Renting land from neighbors, content to plant his stands.
A son willing to reap, a daughter skilled to spin,
Coarse cloth and vegetable soup serve the old pair.
Heaven pities old Gong, busy yet poor within,
Repays him with leisure, not careless, but fair.
Thus I know Heaven does not spare the rich and grand,
Leisure for idle men has been rare since time began.
I ask Gong why he dwells in leisure's land,
He answers: inner calm, with no outer bother or ban.
His family passed down tens of thousands of ancient books,
Filling the house, ivory labels on shelves all around.
When inspiration comes, he picks one, brushes off bookworms' looks,
When spent, leaves the rest, listening to birds' sound.
Sitting long in flower shade, he watches the sun turn,
Walking sparse on leaf-strewn paths, letting winds sweep.
Asked what leisure tastes like, what one can learn,
His mouth cannot speak, but his heart knows deep.
First, from Li Bai, he gained a subtle grace,
Later, with Tao Yuanming, he learned the Way full.
Petty plans and deliberations already leave no space,
Neither acting nor resting—this is his rule.
Hearing this, I sigh thrice in lament,
Bitterly regretting I did not return early, spent.
If you'd share the flavor of leisure with me,
I too would thatch a hut by Mirror Lake, small and free.