"Ode to the Cold Kiln"

The sky is unpredictable, and people are prone to misfortune and fortune. A centipede with hundreds of legs cannot fly as fast as a snake; a rooster with two wings cannot fly as fast as a crow. A horse has a journey of a thousand miles, and it cannot go there without a rider; a man has aspirations to reach the sky, but he cannot go there without luck.

Gai Wen: In life, wealth cannot be immoral, and poverty cannot be changed. The article is unparalleled, Confucius was troubled by Chen Bang; the military strategy is outstanding, Taigong fished in the Wei River. Yan Yuan was short-lived, but he was not a vicious person; Robber Zhi was old, so he was not a kind person. Emperor Yao was a wise man, but he gave birth to an unfilial son; Gusou was foolish and stubborn, but he gave birth to a filial son. Zhang Liangyuan was a commoner, and Xiao He was called a county official. Yanzi, who was not five feet tall, was appointed prime minister of Qi; Kongming lived in a thatched hut and was able to serve as military advisor of Shuhan. Although the Chu Ba was powerful, he was defeated by the Wu River and committed suicide; although the Han king was weak, he actually had thousands of miles of territory. Li Guang has the power to shoot tigers, and he will never have a title until he is old; Feng Tang has the talent to ride a dragon, which he will never meet in his life. Before Han Xin met, he didn't have three meals a day. When he met, he had three jade seals hanging on his waist. Once the time expired, he died at the hands of the Yin people.

Some are poor first and then rich, some are old and strong but young and old. He is full of articles, but he is white-haired and misses the mark; he has little talent and little knowledge, and he passed the exam at a young age. The palace maids in the deep courtyards are destined to become prostitutes and concubines when they are out of luck; the romantic prostitutes come and become wives when they come.

A young and beautiful woman is married to a stupid husband; a handsome man is married to an ugly woman. The dragon has not been seen yet and dives among the fish and turtles; the gentleman loses his time and surrenders to the villain. Although the clothes are torn, the appearance of etiquette always remains; the face is sad, but the countenance of peace is in every embrace. When things go wrong, you should just live in poverty and keep your status; if you are not deceived, you will be proud and proud. A gentleman who is poor at first will have natural bones formed; a villain who is rich at first will not be able to get rid of poverty.

When the sky is out of season, the sun and moon will have no light; when the earth is out of season, vegetation will not grow; when the water is out of season, the wind and waves will be uneven; when people are out of season, luck will not flow. Blessings and fortunes have been arranged in the destiny. Who wouldn't want wealth? If a person does not follow the eight characters of his foundation, how can he be a minister to you?

I used to live in Luoyang, asking for monks' meals in the morning, and sleeping in a broken kiln in the evening. I thought that clothes could not cover my body, and I thought that food could not relieve my hunger. I was hated by the superiors, and disgusted by the inferiors. Humanity said that I was cheap, and I would not give up unless I was there. Now he is living in the court, his official position is the highest, and he is one of the three nobles. Although he is bowed below one person, he is ranked above tens of thousands of people. He has a staff to beat hundreds of officials, and a sword to cut off stingy people. When he thinks about clothes, he has thousands of boxes of brocade. When he thinks about food, he has delicious food and delicious food. When he goes out, he will be a strong man holding a whip, and when he comes in, a beautiful woman will hold a glass. He will be favored by superiors and supported by inferiors. It is not my ability to say that I am noble. This is due to time, luck, and fate.

Wow! In this life, you can’t use all your wealth, and you can’t deceive yourself about your poverty. Just let the cycle of heaven and earth happen again and again.

Translation of "Han Kiln Fu"

There are unpredictable changes in the sky, and people will also encounter disasters and joys sooner or later. Centipedes have hundreds of legs, but they can't walk as well as snakes. Although chicken wings are large, they cannot fly like birds. Although a horse can travel thousands of miles, it cannot reach its destination without a human driver. People have lofty ideals, but they cannot be realized without opportunities.

People often say: In life, wealth cannot be immoral, and poverty cannot be changed. Confucius wrote more articles than anyone else but was besieged by the state of Chen. Jiang Ziya, who had both literary and military skills, also fished in the Weishui River and waited for opportunities. Although Yan Hui, a student of Confucius, died young, he was by no means a vicious person. Although Robber Zhi lives a long life, he is not a kind person. Although Yao and Shun were wise, they gave birth to unworthy sons.

Shun’s father Gusou was stubborn and stupid, but he gave birth to a filial son like Shun. Zhang Liang turned out to be just an ordinary citizen, and Xiao He was just a county official. Yanzi was less than five feet tall, but he was named the prime minister of Qi. Kong Ming lived in a thatched house, but he was able to serve as the military advisor of Shu.

Although Xiang Yu was powerful, he was defeated and committed suicide in Wujiang River; although Liu Bang was weak, he finally gained state power. Although Han general Li Guang had the reputation of shooting tiger stones, he never received a title in his life. Although Feng Tang had the ability to govern the country and secure the country, he never saw the talent he had in his life. When Han Xin was in bad luck, he couldn't even eat. When luck came, he became a general in the palm of his hand. But once his luck failed, he died of a vicious man's plan.

Some people get rich first and then become poor, and some people decline in their old age, wealth and youth. A person who is full of splendid articles may not be admitted to the imperial examination until old age; a person with little talent and little knowledge may be awarded a gold medal at a very young age. The emperor's concubines may become concubines and prostitutes during the turmoil, but a romantic prostitute can become a noble lady as time goes by.

A young and beautiful woman marries a stupid husband, while a handsome young man finds an ugly wife. When a dragon has no chance, he can only hide among the fish and turtles. When a gentleman has no chance, he can only succumb to the villain. Although his clothes are shabby, he always maintains respect and etiquette, and his face is sad, but he may have the ambition to help the world.

When you have no ambition, you can only settle for poverty and duty, and be magnanimous in your heart that you will be proud one day. A gentleman can be proud even if he is poor, but a villain who suddenly gets rich cannot escape the poverty in his heart.

When the weather is bad, the sun and moon will not shine; when the land does not have suitable climate conditions, the vegetation will not grow. When water does not get the right environment, it will cause strong winds and huge waves; when people do not get opportunities, good luck will not flow smoothly. Wealth and glory are all arranged in life, who doesn't want it? If a person does not live according to the Eight Virtues, how can he become a high-ranking official or prime minister?

In the past, I was in Luoyang. I went to the temple to eat vegetarian food during the day and lived in a cold cave dwelling at night. The clothes you wear cannot protect you from the cold, and the porridge and rice you eat cannot ward off hunger.

The upper-class people hate me, the lower-class people hate me, and they all say that I am despicable because I have no opportunities. Now I have entered the court as an official. My official position reaches the highest level, and my status reaches that of the Three Dukes. I am only below the emperor and above tens of millions of people. I have the power to manage hundreds of officials and the power to punish despicable and stingy officials.

I wear silk and brocade, and eat delicacies from the mountains and seas. I am protected by warriors when I go out, and served by servants when I come home. The emperor loves me, and all the officials support me. Everyone says that I am noble, but it is not because of my real ability. This is because I have been favored by time and destiny.

Therefore, when people live in the world, they should not enjoy themselves when they are rich and powerful, and they should not give up on themselves when they are poor and humble. Just listen to the cycle of heaven and earth!