“With My Son” is a seven-character quatrain written by the late Ming poet Jin Shengtan. The first two lines of the poem describe the relationship between himself and his son; the last two lines describe his deep love for his son and his reluctance to abandon him. The whole poem seems plain, but it is full of deep love, profound meaning, and touching.
与儿子雍
[清]金圣叹
与汝为亲妙在疏，
如形随影只于书[1]。
今朝[2]疏到无疏地，
无着天亲[3]果[4]宴如[5]。
注释：
[1]如形随影只于书：这句是说金圣叹父子在爱读书方面形影相随，亲密无间。
[2]今朝：金圣叹在狱中即将被处决之时。
[3]无着、天亲：两人是南北朝时印度的高僧。
[4]果：果真，的确。
[5]宴如：安然、安定、平静貌。
To My Son before My Death
Jin Shengtan[1]
Our blood relationship seems remote though it’s near;
You follow my shadow only when books appear.
Today we are as far apart as it could be,
But the belief in Buddhism would make me free.
注释：
[1]The poet was put to death because he was accused of weeping in the ancestral temple of the Ming emperors.
