In Memory of My Cousin Jingyuan
- Poetry of Tao Yuanming

岁在辛亥，月惟仲秋，旬有九日，从弟敬远，卜辰云窆，永宁后土。感平生之游处，悲一往之不返。情恻恻以摧心，泪湣湣而盈眼。乃以园果时醪，祖其将行。呜呼哀哉！

于铄吾弟，有操有概；孝发幼龄，友自天爱。少思寡欲，靡执靡介；后己先人，临财思惠。心遗得失，情不依世；其色能温，其言则厉；乐胜朋高，好是文艺。遥遥帝乡，爰感奇心；绝粒委务，考槃山阴。淙淙悬溜，暧暧荒林，晨采上药，夕闲素琴。曰仁者寿，窃独信之；如何斯言，徒能见欺！年甫过立，奄与世辞，长归蒿里，邈无还期。惟我与尔，匪但亲友，父则同生，母则从母。相及龆齿，并罹偏咎，斯情实深，斯爱实厚。念畴昔日，同房之欢，冬无缊褐，夏渴瓢箪；相将以道，相开以颜。岂不多乏，忽忘饥寒。余尝学仕，缠绵人事，流浪无成，惧负素志。敛策归来，尔知我意，常愿携手，置彼众议。每忆有秋，我将其刈，与汝偕行，舫舟同济。三宿水滨，乐饮川界，静月澄高，温风始逝。抚杯而言，物久人脆，奈何吾弟，先我离世！

事不可寻，思亦何极，日徂月流，寒暑代息。死生异方，存亡有域，候晨永归，指途载陟。呱呱遗稚，未能正言；哀哀嫠人，礼仪孔闲。庭树如故，斋宇廓然。孰云敬远，何时复还！

余惟人斯，昧兹近情，蓍龟有吉，制我祖行。望旐翩翩，执笔涕盈，神其有知，昭余中诚。呜呼哀哉！

On this day of August 19th of the seventh year of Yixi in the Jin Dynasty,my cousin Jingyuan is to be buried and lie for ever under the earth.The thought of our contact in the past makes me sadder for your eternal departure.The sorrow tears my heart apart and the grief fills my eyes with tears.I am here to see you off with fruits and melons from the garden and the newly brewed wine.Alas!What a great woe that is tormenting me!

Oh,my dear cousin!You were a man of integrity and tolerant bearing You were filial to the parents from early childhood and friendly to others by nature.You had a pure heart and few desires,neither stubborn nor eccentric.You gave priority to others in every case,practising philan-thropy when you had money.You never cared about personal gains and losses,never following the customs of the mundane world.You always carried a mild expression on your face and spoke in an earnest tone.You drew the greatest pleasure from making good friends and was devoted to writing.As the remote immortal lands roused your inspiration,you left the mundane world and lived in seclusion in the deep mountains,listening to the roaring torrents of the falls and wandering in the dim deep forests.

You collected herbal medicine in the morning and played the zither in the evening.I once believed Confucius'saying that man of virtue will enjoy longevity.However,why is this saying but a sheer deception!My cousin died when he was just over thirty years old.He will lie eternally in the grave,never to come to life again.

You and I are no ordinary relatives.Our fathers are brothers and our mothers are sisters.As both our fathers died when we were eight years old,we cherished a deep affection and friendship for each other.The happy days when we lived in the same room always linger in my memory.

When we were thinly dressed in winter and poorly fed in summer,we encouraged each other with moral support and consoled each other with soothing advice.Disturbances were legion,but we threw them in oblivion.

I once took up official career and got entangled in the trifles,travelling here and there but in vain,yet sticking to my former aspirations.When I made resignation and returned home,you were the only one that under-stood me,keeping me company and neglecting the sneers of the world.I still remember that at the harvest time one autumn I invited you to reap the crops and sail alongside with me.We stayed beside the water for three days,drinking side by side in a joyful mood.When the bright moon hung in the sky and the mild breeze abated without notice,we drank cup after cup and talked about the eternity of the universe and transience of life.Why on earth should my cousin pass away before me?

The past cannot be relived but my recollections rolled on and on.With the passage of time and shift of seasons,the alive and the dead live worlds apart with a distinctive demarcation.When the time for the burial arrives,I shall guide the way to your graveyard.Your orphan baby does nothing but cry,unable to utter his words clearly;your grievous widow is observing exact rituals of the funeral.While the trees in the yard remain the same,your study is vacant now.Who can tell when Jingyuanwill be back again?I do not think that the others will understand the intimacy between us.Only the prophecy of another day of good omen for the burial will delay my seeing you off today.At the sight of funeral flags fluttering in the breeze,I write the above piece with tears in my eyes.If your soul has consciousness,you will witness my sincere passions.Alas!

What a great woe that is tormenting me!