Poem on the Chestnut — With a Preface栗詩幷序
1Preface
栗實利人多矣。非若楂梨橘柚之特一時解煩而已。然古人詩集中。賦者蓋寡。予爲賦之。
The chestnut benefits people in many ways. It is not like the haw, the pear, the tangerine, or the pomelo, which only relieve a moment's oppression. And yet among the poetry collections of the ancients, few have sung of it. Therefore I sing of it.
葉生朱夏候。實熟素秋時。罅發呀鈴口。苞重祕玉肌。饋籩兼棗設。女贄與榛隨。不但供來客。偏工止哭兒。堪將千戶等。足濟萬人飢。握重緣貪味。牙銛易褫皮。煨憑爐底火。烹代竈中炊。始拾遭猿奪。收藏杜鼠窺。莫嫌攢刺棘。聊愛蘊甘飴。品入三秦錄。名標五苑奇。尙宜方穀粒。詎可譬楂梨。遺殼蝟毛積。薪樵尙可期。
The leaves come forth in the crimson season of summer, and the fruit ripens in the white time of autumn. The burst cleft gapes like the mouth of a bell, and the layered husk hides flesh like jade. Set in the sacrificial basket, it is laid together with jujubes; in a woman's bridal gift, it follows along with hazelnuts. Not only does it serve the guest who comes — it is especially skilled at stopping a crying child. It is fit to be ranked with a fief of a thousand households, and ample to relieve the hunger of ten thousand people. That the hand grasps them heavily comes of coveting the taste; when the teeth are sharp, the peeling of the skin is easy. Buried beneath the brazier's fire, it is roasted; in place of the cooking of rice in the kitchen, it is boiled. When first gathered, they are snatched away by monkeys; when stored away, one guards against the peering of mice. Do not loathe the clustered thorns; only love that it holds a sweetness like malt-syrup. Its grade entered the records of the Three Qin (三秦), and its name was marked among the marvels of the Five Parks (五苑). It is rather fit to be matched with grains of corn — how should it be likened to the haw and the pear? The leftover shells pile up like a hedgehog's bristles, so even as firewood it may be counted on.