The Emperor's Poems, 1st Year of Shaozhi

Below is a collection of the poems written by the Shaozhi Emperor, in the 1st year of his reign. Besides being a skilled calligrapher, the Shaozhi Emperor is also a poet, with at least sufficient training from cultured tutors to understand the ins and outs of Chinese poetry.

Regular Poems
These poems have lines of regular length, and often have 4 or 8 lines.

To Lanzhen, in Response
Written on the 3rd of 4th

The man seeks and fumbles in the foggy mountains;

The gate to his desired village is firmly locked.

There's nowhere for him to put his iron key,

How is it right to send a man to this?

To Lanzhen, as an Invitation
Written on the 3rd of 4th

Orchids grow thickly by the southern fence,

The flowers turned to the rising sun.

Reclining by the stream outside the door,

I await the breeze to bring me the orchids' scent.

Watching Swallows and Geese at a Mountain Cabin
Written on the 3rd of 4th

The swallows circling the maples tend their own young,

Paying no heed to the geese returning amidst the clouds.

The awakening insects sing from the warming earth,

And from the stove-house drifts the aromas of meat and rice.

I would lay out a table to welcome a distant guest,

But they flap by, far too high to see the dishes and wine.

They who have two homes are akin to those with none,

And who knows if they were met with wastelands in the south?

For Fu Han, after hearing a Tale at a Zezhou Temple
Written on the 12th of 4th

The Yongli era incidents are briefly recounted;

The Shaozhi era listener nods along.

Ought I recount the ghoulish fanged grin,

Knowing I will frighten the sweet canary?

At Zezhou, after a Banquet
Written on the 14th of 4th

In the garden, the moon still shines on the calm;

The jade goblets carelessly scattered lie.

The many-coloured robes that whirled and swayed,

Are now draped over the seats inside.

In the Temple of the Martial Sage at Dingzhou
Written on the 22nd of 4th

定州孤杉立，环抱不可及.

武圣静坐观，堂前众子弟.

大业初兴始，官兵未东进.

田中杆锄举，团练守家门.

忠贞应久记，国祚乃夫责.

喝声犹绕杉，吾国复何惧？

In Dingzhou a lone cedar stands,

Too wide for one to embrace.

Before it in the silent square,

The Martial Sage looks upon his disciples.

When the Great Work was first begun,

The official troops had yet to head east;

Wielding poles and mattocks from the fields,

The menfolk trained to guard their homes.

Loyalty deserves long remembrance,

As are those who shoulder the duty of their lands.

In Dingzhou the militias' echoes still resound:

With men like these, what have we to fear?

On a Painting of Dingzhou through the Mountains
Written on the 5th of 5th

日起初春寒未驱，

柳柯轻拂道上骑.

穿山河渊唯隼游，

蜿蜒平原边城立.

The sun shines on the early spring and the cold is not dispersed,

And willows lightly brush the riders riding along the path.

The river threads the mountains, and but eagles seem to roam,

But one more bend to the flats, and the border fortress stands.