Original text:
On the year, month and day, the more Ji's father heard that you had been mourning for seven days, the more he could express his grief and sincerity, so that the Central Plains could have a cup of shame wine and tell you the soul of Shiro:
Oh! I am lonely and long. I don't care what I have, but my brother and sister-in-law are dependent. Middle-aged, my brother died in the south, and I was young with you, and I was buried in Heyang from my sister-in-law. I will accompany you to eat Jiangnan. I am lonely and bitter, and I have never been apart for a day. I have three brothers in my life, all of whom are unfortunate.
Inheriting the latter, in, in-Wu. Two worlds together, alone. Sister-in-law tried to caress you and said to me, "Han Dynasty, that's all!" " "When you are young, you will lose your memory. Although I can remember, I don't know the sadness in his words.
I came to Beijing at the age of nineteen. I will come back to you in the next four years. Four years later, I went to the grave in Heyang Province and met you at my sister-in-law's funeral. In two years, I will assist Prime Minister Dong in Bianzhou, and you will save me. I'm only one year old, and I want it back. Next year, Prime Minister. If I had gone to Bianzhou, you wouldn't have come.
That year, I helped Rong Xuzhou to let the person who took you do it, but I stopped you, but you couldn't come. I think you are from the east, and the east is also a guest, which won't last long; Those who plan for a long time, just like going back to the west, will get married and lead you. Oh! What do you mean, you're dead!
You and I are both teenagers, thinking that although we have been apart for a while, we should get along for a long time. So, I left you, in order to win the prize, I traveled to eat in Beijing. Knowing this, I won't leave you for a day, although it is a common fact.
Last year, Meng Dongye went. My book says to you, "I'm not yet forty years old, but I look at the sky and my teeth are shaking." It is early to be healthy to miss your father and brother.
How long can my decline last? I can't go, if you don't come, you will die at dusk, with endless sadness! "What's missing, old, strong dead, sick all!
Oh! Its belief is evil? Its dream evil? Is it true or not? Believe me, my brother died of virtue? Are you clean, but not fooled? The young and strong die, but the old and weak survive? It can't be a letter.
The dream is not true, the book of Dongye and the newspaper of Genglan are by my side. Oh! Its letter is true! Brother's virtue is high, the heir is dead! Your purity suits his family, but you can't be fooled! The so-called unpredictable days, unpredictable gods! The so-called manager can't be pushed, and the longevity is unknown!
Although, this year, the gray people turned white, and the swingers took off and fell. Hair and blood are getting weaker and weaker, and geometry won't die from you. If you die, you know, its geometry is separated; Its ignorance, sadness for hours, not sad indefinitely.
Your son is ten and my son is five. A few and the strong can't guarantee it, so how can a child hope to build evil? Alas! Alas!
Last year, you wrote a book saying, "When your feet are weak, it is often a play." I said, "This is a disease, which is common in Jiangnan people." Before I started, I thought I was worried Oh! How can it ruin its life like this? Do you want to stop other diseases from coming to you?
Your book, June 17. Dongye Yun, you died on June 2nd; Even more, there is no sun, moon and sky. Gaidongye emissary, I don't know to ask his home when and when; For example, Geng Lan's newspaper, I don't know when it will be said. Dongye and I were asking the messenger, and the messenger pretended to respond. What is this? What else is there?
Today, I ask Jianzhong to make a sacrifice to you in memory of your orphans and your nanny. If he has food, he can keep it until the end of the mourning period, and then take it after the mourning period; If you can't keep the funeral, then accept it. The rest of the handmaiden, leave you in mourning. I can bury you again, I will bury you in the omen of my ancestors, and then I will do what I want.
Oh! When you are ill and don't know the sky, you can't live together in * * *, you can't caress you as much as you can, and you can't rely on its coffin to gather it, so you can't stay in its cave. I disobeyed God's will and let you die. Unfortunately and unkind, I can't live and die with you.
One is at the edge of the sky and the other is in the corner of the earth. The shadow of life does not depend on my shape, and the dead soul is not connected with my dream. I really did, but it didn't work! The sky is the sky, and it is extremely extreme! From now on, I have no intention of dying!
If you want a few hectares of land over an inch, you can teach my son all your life. My eldest daughter married your daughter, that's all.
Alas, the words are inexhaustible, do you know their evil? I wonder if it's evil? Alas! Shang Xiang! ?
Translation:
One year, one month, one day, on the seventh day after hearing the news of your death, my uncle Han Yu was able to express his sincerity with sadness and sent Jianzhong to prepare timely delicious food as a sacrifice in the distance to comfort you.
Alas, I lost my father when I was a child, and I don't know what my father is like when I grow up. I can only rely on my brother and sister-in-law. When my younger brother was in middle age, he was implicated because of his close relationship with the criminal prime minister, and was demoted to the secretariat of Shaozhou. The following year, he died in the demotion office.
You and I were young, so we followed our sister-in-law to send the coffin back to Heyang's hometown for burial. Then I went to Jiangnan with you to make a living. I was lonely and never separated for a day. There are three brothers above me, all of whom died unfortunately.
Inheriting the descendants of my late father, there are only you among my grandchildren and only me among my sons. There is only one person left in the Han family for two generations, and it is lonely. Sister-in-law once stroked your head and said to me, "There are only two generations in the Han family!"
At that time, you were younger than me, of course, I can't remember; Although I can remember the scene at that time, I still can't understand the sadness in her words!
When I was nineteen, I came to Beijing for the first time to take an exam. It was four years before I came back to see you. Four years later, I went to Heyang to worship my ancestors and visit the grave. I met your coffin and escorted my sister-in-law to be buried.
Two years later, I assisted Prime Minister Dong in Bianzhou. You came to see me and stayed for a year. You asked to go back and pick up your wife and children. The following year, when Prime Minister Dong died, I went out of Bianzhou, but you didn't arrive.
I assisted in military affairs in Xuzhou this year. I was fired as soon as the person sent to pick you up left, and you didn't come. I think you and I are both guests in Xuzhou, Bianzhou in the east, so it is impossible to stay long.
In the long run, I might as well go back to my hometown and pick you up after I settle down there. Alas! Who knew you would suddenly leave me and die? At the beginning, you and I were both young, and we always thought that although we were temporarily separated, we would be together for a long time after all.
So, I left you and lived in Chang 'an, looking for a meager salary. If I really knew this would happen, even if I were a senior official or prime minister, I wouldn't want to leave you for work for a day!
When Meng Dongye came to see you last year, I wrote to you and said, "I am not yet forty years old, but my vision is blurred, my hair is gray and my teeth are loose." I think of all my fathers and brothers who died young when they were healthy and strong. Can a weak person like me live long in the world?
I can't leave my job and you won't come. I'm afraid that if I die sooner or later, you will have endless sorrow. "Who would have thought that the young died first, while the old were still alive, the strong died early, and the weak were still alive.
Alas! Is it true?/You don't say. Or are you dreaming? Or is the news from here unreliable? If it is true, then, my brother has such a beautiful personality and died early? You are so pure and clever that you can't bear his goodness?
Should the young and the strong die young, and should the old and the weak live in the world? I really can't believe it! If it's a dream, the bad news is not true, but why is Nobuyoshi Toyo and Genglan's funeral home by my side?
Ah! It is probably true! My brother has a good moral character and lost his son in his early years. You are pure and smart, you should inherit the family business, but now you can't bear your father's kindness. This is the so-called heaven. It's really hard to guess. It's really hard to know God's will! The so-called nature is unpredictable, and the length of life is unpredictable!
Even so, since this year, my white hair has turned white, my loose teeth seem to have fallen off, my body is getting weaker and weaker, and my spirit is getting worse. It won't be long before I die with you
If you know after death, how long can you be apart? If I am ignorant after death, then I can't grieve for much time, but the time without sadness after death is infinite.
Your son is only ten years old, and my son is only five years old. Young adults are hopeless. How can you expect such a big child to grow up? Ah, sad, really sad!
Last year, you wrote: "I recently suffered from soft feet, and I often have severe pain." I said, "Jiangnan people often get this disease." There is nothing to worry about. Well, who knew it would kill him? Or is this misfortune caused by other diseases?
Your letter was written on June 17. Dongye said that you died on June 2, and Geng Lan didn't say the date when he sent him to the funeral home. Maybe the messenger of Dongye didn't know to ask your home date, and Geng Lan's funeral service didn't know to tell the date? Or did Dongye just ask the messenger when he wrote to me, and the messenger just said a date and dealt with it? Is that so? Is this still the case?
Now I send Jianzhong to pay homage to you and comfort your children and your wet nurse. They have food to mourn until the end of the mourning period, so they will wait until the end of the mourning period to get it;
If I can't stay until the mourning period is over, I'll get it right away. The remaining handmaiden, let them wake up together. If I have the ability to move and bury you, I will eventually bury you next to my ancestral grave, and then I will forget my wish.
Alas, I don't know when you are sick, when you are dead and when you are alive. You can't live together and take care of each other. I didn't touch the body and cry when I died. I didn't wake up in front of the coffin when I died, and I didn't go to the grave when I was buried.
My behavior failed the gods and made you die so early. I am unfilial to the superior and heartless to the inferior. I can neither take care of my life with you nor die with you. One is in the end of the world, and the other is in the corner.
You can't be with me when you are alive, and the soul doesn't appear in my dreams after death. This is all my disaster. Who can complain? God, when will my sorrow end? From now on, I have no mind to run around in this world!
Or go back to your hometown to buy a few hectares of land and spend the rest of your life. Educate my son and your son in the hope that they will become talents; Raise my daughter and your daughter until they get married. This is what I want.
Alas! When the words are finished, the sadness can't end, you know? I don't know yet. Sad! Hope to enjoy the sacrifice!
Extended data:
Creative background and appreciation:
Written in the 19th year of Zhenyuan (according to Huaying, Yuan Wen, it was written on May 26th, which should be a slip of the pen, because Shiro also wrote the letter in late June), in which Shiro refers to Han Yu's nephew Han Laocheng, and Han Xiangzi, the name of the Eight Immortals, is the eldest son Chen Ling.
Han Yu lost his father when he was young and was raised by his brother and sister-in-law. Han Yu and his nephew Shiro have been together since childhood and have experienced hardships. Their feelings are particularly deep. However, as an adult, Han Yu wandered around and rarely saw Shiro.
Just as Han Yu's official career was booming, it was possible to be with Shiro, when the bad news of Shiro's death suddenly came. Han Yu was particularly sad and wrote this eulogy.
The author combines lyricism with narration, linking family, life experience and trivial matters, and repeatedly expressing infinite grief for his dead nephew. At the same time, it is full of his own sad feelings about the ups and downs of his career.
The full text is written in the tone of telling the deceased, lamenting the decline of the family, mourning the premature death of the deceased, doubting the justice, doubting the number of life and death, and even doubting the establishment of the heir, which is extremely bitter and sad. The meaning of the article is repeated and coherent, which can best reflect the advantages and disadvantages of prose in a specific situation and has a strong lyrical color.
The purpose of Han Yu's writing this article is not to praise the dead, but to pour out his grief and place his grief. This is mainly manifested in three aspects: first, it emphasizes the kinship of flesh and blood. The author and his old age, named uncle, are like brothers. "The two worlds are one, and they are lonely."
Old age dies first, and children are young, which makes the family wither and there is no hope of revitalization. In ancient times, people paid attention to family ties, which naturally caused Han Yu's pain. Second, the death of outstanding age is an accident.
Old people are younger and stronger than the author, but "when the strong die, the sick are all"; Old age is just a common soft foot disease. The author was careless and unprepared, so he regretted his sudden death. The unexpected blow made him extremely sad. The third is to express the author's own ups and downs in his career and his sense of impermanence in life, thus deepening family ties.