1 In the year wu-ch 'en,
2 The month when the Dipper points
northwest,
3 A great thief stole the state;
4 The defenders of Chin-ling
scattered like tiles.
I then
5 Hid myself in Huang-ku, where
all were in mud and fire;
6 And went on a mission through
Hua-yang, from which there
was no return.
7 The restoration faltered,
8 And failed in chia-hsu.
9 I mourned three days in the city
hostel,
10 Was imprisoned three years in
a detached lodging.
11 The stars are completing their
cycles,
12 But the course of events moves
on.
13 Like Fu Hsieh, I can only lament
my fate, I cannot save myself,
14 Like Yuan An, thinking of the
royal house, I spontaneously
shed tears.
Already before me
15 The career of Huan T'an
16 The life of Tu Yii
17 Both were recounted
18 Both were retold.