Chinese Poems

上书谏猎 司马相如 相如从上至长杨猎。是时天子方好自击熊豕，驰逐野兽。相如因上疏谏曰： 臣闻物有同类而殊能者，故力称乌获，捷言庆忌，勇期贲、育。臣之愚，窃以为人诚有之，兽亦宜然。今陛下好陵阻险，射猛兽，卒然遇逸材之兽，骇不存之地，犯属车之清尘，舆不及还辕，人不暇施巧，虽有乌获、逢蒙之技不能用，枯木朽枝尽为难矣。是胡越起于毂下，而羌夷接轸也，岂不殆哉！虽万全而无患，然本非天子之所宜近也。 且夫清道而后行，中路而驰，犹时有衔橛之变。况乎涉丰草，骋丘墟，前有利兽之乐，而内无存变之意，其为害也不难矣。夫轻万乘之重不以为安，乐出万有一危之途以为娱，臣窃为陛下不取。盖明者远见于未萌，而知者避危于无形，祸固多藏于隐微而发于人之所忽者也。故鄙谚曰：“家累千金，坐不垂堂。”此言虽小，可以喻大。臣愿陛下留意幸察！ Against Hunting I had accompanied the Imperial hunt to Ch’ang-yang. At that time His Majesty (Wu Ti, 2nd century BC) was an ardent follower of the chase, and loved to slaughter bears and wild boars with his own hands. Therefore I handed in the following Memorial: May it please your Majesty. I have heard that although the human race is comprised under one class, the capabilities of each individual are widely different. Thus we praise the strength of this man, the swiftness of that, and the courage of a third. And I venture to believe that what is true of us in this respect is equally true of the brute creation. Now your Majesty enjoys laying low the fierce quarry in some close mountain pass. But one day there will come a beast, more terrible than the rest, driven from its lair; and then disaster will overtake the Imperial equipage. There will be no means of escape, no time to do anything, no scope for the utmost skills or strength, over the rotten branches and decaying trunk which help to complete the disorder. The Huns rising up under your Majesty’s chariot-wheels, the barbarians of the…...