The
world cheats those who cannot read;
I,
happily, have mastered the script and pen.
The
world cheats those who hold no office;
I
am blessed with high official rank.
Often
the old have much sickness and pain,
With
me, luckily, there is not much wrong.
People
when they are old are often burdened with ties;
But
I have finished with marriage and giving marriage.
No
changes happen to jar the quiet of the mind;
No
business comes to impair the vigour of my limbs.
Hence
it is that now for ten years
Body
and soul have rested in hermit peace.
And
all the more, in the last lingering years
What
I shall need are very few things.
A
single rug to warm me through the winter;
One
meal to last me the whole day.
It
does not matter that my house is rather small;
One
cannot sleep in more than one room!
It
does not matter that I have not many horses;
One
cannot ride on two horses at once!
As
fortunate as me among the people of the world
Possibly
one would find seven out of ten.
As
contented as me among a hundred men
Look
as you may, you will not find one.
In
the affairs of others even fools are wise;
In
their own business even sages err.
To
no one else would I dare to speak my heart.
So
my wild words are addressed to my nephews and nieces.
~ Po Chii AD. 835.
