Wen Zhengming: Upon Winning, Always Killed Are Ablest Men Clever - 文徵明 果是功成身合死 可憐身去言難贖 Poem by Frank Yue

TUNE: MAN JIANG HONG (ALL RED THE RIVER!)
- by WEN ZHENGMING (1470－1559)
- Translated by Frank C Yue

After cleaning up the old broken tablet,
Royal decree for General Yue faintly can be read.
Pity! He was relied on so heavily before;
Afterwards, the General was forsaken all the more!
Upon winning, always killed are ablest men clever -
Fait accompli and no words can redeem them e'er!
So innocent, piteous, worthy of adoration -
O! The General's wrongful, woeful incarceration!

How can one e'er ignore the Middle Kingdom's plight?
How can one forget: for th' abducted Sov'reigns' fight?
However, were the two ex-Emperors back to power,
The incumbent would certainly lose his finest hour!
So, ne'er talk of any wrongful southern-crossing,
Nor re-taking lost land, lest there'll be throne-tossing!
At this all I can only laugh -
What could a mere Prime Minister do
But biding on the Emp'ror's behalf!



【滿江紅】 明 • 文徵明


拂拭殘碑，敕飛字，依稀堪讀。
慨當初、倚飛何重，後來何酷！
果是功成身合死，可憐身去言難贖。
最無辜、堪恨更堪悲，風波獄。

豈不念、中原蹙？豈不念、徽欽辱？
念徽欽既返，此身何屬？
千載休談南渡錯，當時自怕中原復。
笑區區，一檜亦何能，逢其欲。