Inscribed on the Child-Stone Inkstone of Ham Jajin, Collator題咸校勘子眞子石硯
子石乃石中之石。精潤可愛。宜潑墨。江南人有以此作硯。寄玉堂李眉叟者。眉叟得之。輟贈咸公。咸公請予作詩。
The child-stone (子石) is the stone within a stone. It is fine and glossy and lovely, and ink grinds well upon it. There was a man of Gangnam who made an inkstone of it and sent it to Yi Misu (李眉叟) of the Jade Hall (玉堂). Misu, having got it, passed it on to Master Ham (咸公). Master Ham asked me to make a poem upon it.
Interlinear notes 1
幷序
A preface (序) is appended as well.
君不見虎昌貞女眞可怜。一登蒼巘望夫廻。夫竟不廻身漸槁。化爲頑石立崔嵬。聞導當時抱兒去。兒應驚入阿孃懷。苔侵土蝕喪素質。歲久羌難辨頸腮。一夜雷公忽劃裂。中有麽石眞嬰孩。津津尙有流乳痕。縠理瓊肌宜硯材。南人斵作蟾蜍樣。題封寄與謫仙才。謫仙不忍自秘蓄。輟贈芸閣文章魁。謫仙此意似難負。君欲剩報宜何哉。濡毫潑墨贈之詩。一篇一字眞瓊瑰。
Have you not seen how pitiful indeed was the chaste woman (貞女) of Hochang (虎昌) who once climbed the green peak and hoped for her husband's return The husband never came back at all, and her body wasted away until she became hard stone and stood up tall I hear that she went up holding a child at the time and the child too must have started and gone into its mother's breast Moss encroached and earth ate away, and the first substance was lost the years grew long, and neck and cheek are hard to make out One night the Thunder God split it suddenly apart and within was a small stone, truly an infant Moist, it still bore the trace of flowing milk and its silken grain and jade-like flesh were fit stuff for an inkstone A man of the south carved it into the shape of a toad wrote the wrapper, and sent it to a man of gift like an immortal in exile The exiled immortal could not bear to hide it away alone and passed it on to the foremost writer of the Ungak (芸閣) This intent of the exiled immortal seems hard to disappoint and though you would repay it amply, with what will you do it? Wet your brush, scatter ink, and give him a poem one piece, one character, is truly a beautiful gem
Interlinear notes 1
武昌記云。有女抱兒望夫。因化石。
The Record of Wuchang (武昌記) says that there was a woman who waited for her husband holding a child, and who turned to stone just as she was.