Written to Examiners in Joke
催试官考较戏作
On the mid-autumn night
Everywhere the moon is bright,
Over the thatched roof, over the city hall,
Over my mansion which looks like a fairy-land,
八月十五夜， 月色随处好。
不择茅檐与市楼， 况我官居似蓬岛。
O’er the Sword Pool where lotus blooms grow old in the fall,
O’er the Phoenix Beak where wild oranges fragrant stand.
On the eighteenth of the eighth moon,
Incomparable high tide at noon:
凤咮堂前野橘香， 剑潭桥畔秋荷老。
八月十八潮， 壮观天下无。
Like water spouted three thousand miles high by whales
Or the march of ten myriads of armored men.
Red flags and blue canopies furl and unfurl like sails;
Black sand and white waves swallow each other now and then
鲲鹏水击三千里, 组练长驱十万夫。
红旗青盖互明灭， 黑沙白浪相吞屠。
Tis hard for men to get together as of old,
Candidates would regret not to see such a scene.
I hope you will burn more candles as you are told,
For outdoors candidates craning their necks can be seen.
人生会合古难必， 此景此行那两得!
愿君闻此添蜡烛， 门外白袍如立鹄。