Matching a Poem by Magistrate Liu of Chaisang
和刘柴桑
The lakes and mountains called me long ago;
Why have I tarried and refrained to go?
It's for the sake of my dear kith and kin
That I have lived with them through thick and thin
山泽久见招，胡事乃踌躇？
直为亲旧故，未忍言索居。
When I am stirred by weather at its best,
I take my stick and go home to the west.
No passers-by are witnessed on the way,
With broken houses lying in decay.
良辰入奇怀，挈杖还西庐。
荒塗无归人，时时见废墟。
When I have repaired my thatched roof now,
I put more wasteland under ox and plough.
As the eastern wind is blowing cold and hard，
I drink tasty spring liquor in the yard.
茅茨已就治，新畴复应畲。
谷风转凄薄，春醪解饥劬。
Although your dainty daughter is not a boy，
She also gives you much relief and joy.
As time goes on，the busy world affair
Loosens its hold on me through wear and tear.
弱女虽非男，慰情良胜无。
栖栖世中事，岁月共相疏。
I have enough to eat and wear indeed;
What else on earth is there that I still need?
For years and years the time keeps going on
And then, my fame and body will be gone.
耕织称其用，过此奚所须！
去去百年外，身名同翳如。