My Name Missed The First Place Poem by East Sea Fairy Xing Yi

By LIU-YongTranslated by East Sea Fairy

Accidently my name missed the first place
on the Best Scholars list-board. Even in the Golden Age,
there was no lack of such a case.
Now coming down in the world as a derelict and deserted and sage,
In what then can I engage?
Now that to the civil service ladder I 've got no permit,
Why not forget losses and gains and up in a song-singing brothel I myself cage,
to live an untitled minister's life as a bel-esprit,
though for a minister's title I'm fit?

In the beauteous brothel and song-singing house
on the street where red light illumes
my cap I can freely douse
on entering a lot of entertainers' rooms.
Fortunately I've got a girl of my heart whose room smells fragrant fumes.
I can always snuggle up to her and closely by her myself sit
to enjoy the entertainments and hours of romance and the odor of her perfumes.
The prime of life will pass away in a twinkle of the eye, leaving never a whit.
I'd better trade futile fame for wine and sweet songs to my loving bit.