Fan Zhongyan: Who Will Stand With Me?
Translated by Yiyan Han (c), last modified 2021-10-21
O yeah! I have studied the thoughts
of ancient people who were morally virtuous,
and they stood out from the rest. In what way?
The material possessions wouldn't make them happy,
nor they were self-pity. If rich and powerful,
they cared about the welfare of the people;
When not in power, they thought about the future for all.
In other words, they always cared about the community
no matter what role they played in the society.
So, when would they feel happy? They would say,
"Be the first to worry about the society,
and the last with lifeβs luxuries to enjoy."
O! Hard to find such a person nowadays in the society.
Who will stand with me today?
Footnote:
This poem is the last stanza of a long piece Memorial to Yueyang Towerγε²³ι½ζ¨θ¨γby Fan Zhongyan (θδ»²ζ·Ή, 989β1052). He was a renowned Chinese poet and politician in Song Dynasty. An appreciation in Chinese of this classic piece may be found at
- https://www.epochtimes.com/b5/12/1/9/n3481378.htm
The new title for this stanza is added by the translator.
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Comments
Sad but true...
Great writeΒ
So very true, what a great poem reminding of sad facts, humans were certainly better in the past and not so selfishly materialistic.Β Kudos!
plz also read and comment my newest poem too.