豫章故郡，洪都新府。星分翼軫，地接衡廬。襟三江而帶五湖，控蠻荊而引甌越。物華天寶，龍光射牛斗之墟;人杰地靈，徐孺下陳蕃之榻。雄州霧列，俊采星馳。臺隍枕夷夏之交，賓主盡東南之美。都督閻公之雅望，棨戟遙臨;宇文新州之懿范，襜帷暫駐。十旬休假，勝友如云;千里逢迎，高朋滿座。騰蛟起鳳，孟學士之詞宗;紫電青霜，王將軍之武庫。家君作宰，路出名區;童子何知，躬逢勝餞。

　　時維九月，序屬三秋。潦水盡而寒潭清，煙光凝而暮山紫。儼驂騑于上路，訪風景于崇阿。臨帝子之長洲，得仙人之舊館。層臺聳翠，上出重霄;飛閣流丹，下臨無地。鶴汀鳧渚，窮島嶼之縈回;桂殿蘭宮，列岡巒之體勢。

　　披繡闥，俯雕甍，山原曠其盈視，川澤紆其駭矚。閭閻撲地，鐘鳴鼎食之家;舸艦迷津，青雀黃龍之舳。云銷雨霽，彩徹區明。落霞與孤鶩齊飛，秋水共長天一色。漁舟唱晚，響窮彭蠡之濱，雁陣驚寒，聲斷衡陽之浦。

　　遙吟俯暢，逸興遄飛。爽籟發而清風生，纖歌凝而白云遏。睢園綠竹，氣凌彭澤之樽;鄴水朱華，光照臨川之筆。四美具，二難并。窮睇眄于中天，極娛游于暇日。天高地迥，覺宇宙之無窮;興盡悲來，識盈虛之有數。望長安于日下，目吳會于云間。地勢極而南溟深，天柱高而北辰遠。關山難越，誰悲失路之人;萍水相逢，盡是他鄉之客。懷帝閽而不見，奉宣室以何年?

　　嗟乎!時運不齊，命途多舛。馮唐易老，李廣難封。屈賈誼于長沙，非無圣主;竄梁鴻于海曲，豈乏明時?所賴君子安貧，達人知命。老當益壯，寧移白首之心?窮且益堅，不墜青云之志。酌貪泉而覺爽，處涸轍以猶歡。北海雖賒，扶搖可接;東隅已逝，桑榆非晚。孟嘗高潔，空余報國之情;阮籍猖狂，豈效窮途之哭!

　　勃，三尺微命，一介書生。無路請纓，等終軍之弱冠;有懷投筆，慕宗愨之長風。舍簪笏于百齡，奉晨昏于萬里。非謝家之寶樹，接孟氏之芳鄰。他日趨庭，叨陪鯉對;今茲捧袂，喜托龍門。楊意不逢，撫凌云而自惜;鐘期既遇，奏流水以何慚?

　　嗚乎!勝地不常，盛筵難再;蘭亭已矣，梓澤丘墟。臨別贈言，幸承恩于偉餞;登高作賦，是所望于群公。敢竭鄙懷，恭疏短引;一言均賦，四韻俱成。請灑潘江，各傾陸海云爾：

　　滕王高閣臨江渚，佩玉鳴鸞罷歌舞。

　　畫棟朝飛南浦云，珠簾暮卷西山雨。

　　閑云潭影日悠悠，物換星移幾度秋。

　　閣中帝子今何在?檻外長江空自流。

　　A Tribute to King Teng's TowerWang Bo

　　Nanchang, which was the capital of Yuzhang Prefecture during the HanDynasty, now falls under the jurisdiction of Hongzhou. It straddles the borderof the influence of the Ye and Zhen constellations (1), and is adjacent to theHeng and the Lu mountains (2). The three rivers (3) enfold it like the frontpart of a garment (4) and the five lakes encircle it like a girdle (5). Itcontrols the savage Jing area (6) and connects Ou (7) and Yue (8), and itsproducts are nature’s jewels. The radiance of its legendary sword shootsdirectly upward between the constellations Niu and Dou (9). Its talented peopleare outstanding, and the spirit of intelligence pervades the place. This wasthe place where Xu Ru spent the night on his visit to Chen Fan (10). The mightyHongzhou spreads out immensely amid the fog, and the intellectual luminariesare as numerous as meteors chasing one another. It borders both the unculturedand the civilized areas, and its host and guests are all prominent people fromthe East and the South. Under the escort of guard of honor with halberds intheir hands, Governor Yan, a man of high repute, comes to attend this eventfrom afar. Prefect Yuwen (11), a model of virtue, stops his carriage on the wayto his new appointment. On this official holiday, which falls on every tenthday, good friends gather together, and a galaxy of distinguished guests fromdistant places fill the hall. Also present at the gathering are Master Meng ,whose literary grace is as imposing as a dragon soaring and a phoenix dancing,and General Wang, who has weapons as sharp as the famous swords “PurpleLightning” and “Blue Frost” in his armory. I, an ignorant boy, have the goodfortune to take part in this grand banquet on my journey to visit my father,who is a magistrate of a county.

　　It is September, the third month of autumn. The puddles on theground have dried up, and the water in the pond is cool and translucent. Atdusk the rays of the setting sun, condensed in the evening haze, turn themountains purple. In the stately carriages drawn by the horses we make our wayahead, visiting the attractive scenic spot in the mountains. Soon we arrive atthe river bank, where the King Teng’s Tower beckons, then we ascend the towerwhere the fairy once dwelled (12). Ranges upon ranges of green mountain rise ashigh as the sky. The red glow in the water is the reflection of the richlypainted tower that seems hovering in the air. From its heights no land isvisible. Circling around are the wild ducks on the sand-bars. Cassia-wood courtsand magnolia-wood halls rise and fall like mountain ranges. Pushing open thedoor carved with decorative patterns, I look down upon endless waves ofbrightly tinted roof tiles, each elaborately engraved with lovely etchings. Apanorama of mountains and plains stretches beneath me, and I am mesmerized bythe mighty scene of the winding rivers and big lakes. In the city there arehouses everywhere. There are families of great affluence, whose meals areserved with many cooking tripods of food and to the accompaniment of music.Massive ships and fierce war vessels are densely moored at the ports. On thesterns of many ships are carved designs of blue birds and brown dragons. Therain has just let up and the rainbow has vanished. The sunlight shoots throughthe rosy clouds, and the autumn water is merged with the boundless sky into onehue. The fishermen can be heard singing the evening songs, their voicesdrifting as far as the banks of the Poyang Lake. Even the wild geese feel thechill of dusk settling upon them, and they cry all the way while flyingsouthward, disappearing around the south bend of the Heng Mountain.

　　Looking afar and chanting, and then looking downward and singing, Ifeel a sudden rush of ecstasy soaring up in me. The music of the panpipe islike a gentle cool breeze. The soft singing lingers on; it is so soothing thateven the passing white clouds seem to come to a halt. The gathering here can becompared to the banquet in the bamboo garden hosted by Prince of Xiao of theLiang State (13), and many a guest is a greater drinker than Tao Yuanming (14).It is also like the feast at River Ye where Cao Zhi (15) composed the poem inpraise of the lotus flower. Present are many talented scholars who are asgifted as Xie lingyun of Linchuan (16). It is not an easy thing to have fourexcellent things all at once, that is, good weather, beautiful scenery, fullenjoyment and heartfelt happiness, and it is even more difficult to have agenerous host and honored guests. I look into the vast expanse of the sky andamuse myself to my heart’s content on this festive day. The sky is high and theland is boundless; I cannot but feel the immensity of the universe. Sadnessfollows happiness. I am aware that success and failure are predestined. I lookinto the distance, but Chang’an, the capital of the country, is far beyond thesetting sun in the west, and Wuhui (17) is unapproachable somewhere amid theclouds. At the farthest end of the south are the depths of the South Sea, andfar away in the north is the pillar that upholds the sky, but the Polestar isstill farther. Since the mountains and passes are hard to travel over, whowould sympathize with the disappointed ones? The people I meet here are allpolitically frustrated, drifting together like duckweeds. I pine for theEmperor but am not summoned. How long should I wait before I am called to thecourt again like Jia Yi (18)?

　　Alas! I am ill fated, and my life is full of frustrations. Feng tanggrew old quickly (19) and Li Guang had difficulty getting promoted (20). Jia Yiwas unjustly exiled to Changsha. Was it because there was no wise emperor onthe throne? Liang Hong had to seek refuge at the seaside (21). Was it becausethere was no good government in his time? Fortunately what supports one is thebelief that a man of noble character always contented with his lot. Old as oneis, he gains vigor with age and by no means wavers in his aspiration. Poor asone is, he is all the more determined in adversity and by no means gives up hisambition. One keeps his integrity even if he has drunk the water of the springof Avarice (22) and is cheerful even is he is confronted with misfortune.Though the North Sea is far away, one can still get there with the help of thestrong wind. Though the morning is gone, it is not too late to make up the lossin the evening. Meng Chang was noble and honest, but his devotion to thecountry was futile (23). Ruan Ji was unruly and untrammeled, but he burst outcrying when in dire straits (24). How can we learn from him?

　　I am an insignificant scholar of a low official position and am ofthe same age as Zhong Jun (25), but unlike him, I have no opportunity to servein the army. I will follow the example of Ban Chao (26), who threw aside thewriting brush to enlist in the armed services and I admire Zong Que (27) whomade up his mind to seek a military career by braving the wind and waves. I amdetermined not to accept the offer of a lifelong government position by wearinga hair dress and holding a tablet before the chest as court officials do.Rather, I will travel thousands of li to go home to wait on my parents, payingrespect to them morning and evening. As a son I am not as good as Xie Xuan (28)but in my early years I had the fortune to have men of virtue as my neighbors.In a few days I will be with my father and I will take care of him and receiveinstructions from him as did Kong Li (29). On this day I have the honor to beinvited by Governor Yan to this grand occasion. I am as blissful as if I hadleaped over the Dragon’s Gate (30). Since I do not have someone like Yang Yi torecommend me (31), I can only sigh with grief and caress this piece of writingwhich expresses my lofty aspiration. Now that I have met a bosom friend likeZhong Ziqi (32), why should I be ashamed of presenting this writing of mine?

　　Ah! A beautiful scenic spot is rarely seen, and a sumptuous banquetlike this one is even less likely to be held again. The grand gathering at theOrchid Pavilion (33) is an event in history and the famous Jinggu Garden (34)is now in ruins. I have the good fortune to attend this feast and I would liketo leave this farewell message at the time of paring. I count on all thegentlemen here to ascend the tower and contribute their writings. I humblycompose this short piece in all sincerity. Since every one of us is required towrite a poem, the following is what I write:

　　The lofty King Teng’s Tower Overlooks the River.

　　The jade pendants (35) tinkle, andthe carriage bells jingle.

　　The banquet’s over, the guests are leaving, andthe singing and the dancing have stopped.

　　In the morn the rosy clouds fromthe southern shore flit across the painted pillars.

　　In the eve the rain in the westernmountains are drawn in by the red curtains.

　　The lazy clouds are reflected inthe water and the days pass in leisure.

　　Things change and stars move; howmany years have passed since the building of the Tower?

　　Where is its builder, King Teng?

　　Only the River outside the railingflows to the east all by itself.

　　(1)In old times the sky was divided into 28 constellations, and eachconstellation had influence on a certain area on the earth. Nanchang was underthe influence of the Ye and the Zhen constellations.

　　(2)The Heng Mountain is located to the southwest of Nanchang and theLu Mountain to its north.

　　(3)The three rivers are the Jing, the Song, and the Zhe rivers.

　　(4)In old times there was a piece of cloth in the upper part of along gown, with which people used to wrap things.

　　(5)The five lakes are the Tai, the Poyang, the Qingcao, the Danyang,and the Dongting lakes.

　　(6)The Jing area was the Chu area prior to the Qin Dynasty. It wasless developed than the rest of the country.

　　(7)It now mainly refers to Zhejiang Province.

　　(8)The name of a kingdom during the Zhou Dynasty (1046B.C.- 256B.C.) , mainly referring to the east of Zhejiang Province, Jiangsu Province,and part of Anhui Province.

　　(9)It was said that during the Jin Dynasty, there appeared a purplevapor between the Niu and the Dou constellations. Later people discovered aprecious sword in Hongzhou.

　　(10)Xu Ru was a poor scholar in the Eastern Han Dynasty. Despitepoverty, he declined to be a government official. When Chen Fan was the prefectof Yuzhang County, he received no guests except Xu Ru, for whom a bed wasalways prepared in his home.

　　(11)It refers to Yuwen Jun, who was newly appointed as prefect ofLizhou.

　　(12)It refers to King Teng’s Power.

　　(13)Prince of Xiao of the Liang State of the Western Han Dynastyoften entertained scholars in the bamboo garden by the Sui River.

　　(14)Tao Yuanming was the author of “A Tale of the Fountain of thePeach Blossom Spring”.

　　(15)Cao Cao and his son Cao Zhi often entertained guests by RiverYe. Cao Zhi had written a poem in praise of the lotus flowers.

　　(16)Xie Lingyun was an official in Linchuan Prefecture, JiangxiProvince. Another interpretation is that Wang Xizhi is referred to here,because he was also an official in Linchuan.

　　(17)Wuhui is today’s City of Suzhou in Jiangsu Province.

　　(18)During the reign of Emperor Wen of the Han Dynasty, Jia Yi wasexiled to Changsha and was called back to the court four years later.

　　(19)Feng Tang was an official of a low rank in the Han Dynasty.During the reign of Emperor Wu, he was recommended to a high-ranking official.But it was too late, as he was already over ninety and could no longer servethe emperor.

　　(20)Li Guang, a military man during the reign of Emperor Wu of theHan Dynasty. He had performed many military exploits but had never been fullyrewarded.

　　(21)Liang Hong was a scholar during the Eastern Han Dynasty. Hewrote a satirical song to criticize the noblemen and offended the emperor. Hehad to escape to the Qi and the Lu areas, which were near the sea.

　　(22)It was believed that on the outskirts of Guangzhou there was theSpring of Avarice. People became avaricious after drinking its water.

　　(23)Meng Chang was an upright official during the Eastern HanDynasty, but he never got a high position.

　　(24)Ruan Ji was a scholar in the Wei and the Jin dynasties. He wasangry with the rotten politics of his time and often went out in his carriage.When the road was blocked, he would cry and turn back.

　　(25)Zhong Jun was a young man living in the Western Han Dynasty. Hemade up his mind to capture the king of the enemy when he was about twentyyears of age.

　　(26)Ban Chao was a scribe during the Eastern Han Dynasty. He laterperformed military exploits and was rewarded.

　　(27)Zong Que was a young man during the Southern Dynasty (420-589).When asked what he would do in the future, he answered that he would go to thefront and “brave the wind and waves”. Later he became a general.

　　(28)Xie Xuan, a young man during the Eastern Jin Dynasty. His unclepraised him as “the treasure tree of the Xie family.”

　　(29)Kong Li was the son of Confucius.

　　(30)The Dragon’s Gate is a narrow pass in the shape of a gate in theLongmen Mountain where the Yellow River flows through. It was believed that ifa carp leaped over the gate, it would turn into a dragon.

　　(31)Yang Deyi recommends Sima Xiangru, a great poet, to Emperor Wuof the Han Dynasty.

　　(32)Zhong Ziqi, a man living the Spring and Autumn Period. It wassaid that he was a master in playing the qin, a seven-stringed plucked musicalinstrument. Bo Ya regarded him as his bosom friend because he understood themusic Bo Ya played.

　　(33)See “Prologue to the Collection of Poems Composed at the OrchidPavilion”.

　　(34)See “Entertainment Given in the Peach and Plum Garden on aSpring Evening”.

　　(35)In old times people wore a jade pendant to the body and it gavea tinkling sound when the person moved.