A late lament for the departed Royal Secretary (承宣) Choe Jongbeon (崔宗蕃)追哭故承宣崔宗蕃
1Preface
庚寅十一月二十一日。予南流。是日交友崔承宣卒。至宿亭聞訃。未暇爲詩哭之。明年還京輦。於文字間。偶見所署姓字。惻然傷心。以詩追哭。
On the twenty-first day of the eleventh month of the gyeongin year I was banished to the south. On that same day my friend Royal Secretary Choe departed this life. I heard the notice of his death when I reached the post station where I lodged, but had no leisure to make a poem and lament him. The next year I returned to the capital, and happening among some papers to see the surname and name he had signed, I was stricken with grief, and with this poem I lament him late.
Interlinear notes 1
幷序
A preface is joined to it.
交分嘗投密。芳塵幸獲陪。予曾流瘴海。君亦向仙臺。行到孤亭宿。方聞遠訃來。未成金鼎用。先折玉林材。伊昔深論契。同時又被災。死生雖異矣。患故殆幾哉。奄忽天扃逝。倉皇驛道催。我躬猶不恤。當日未遑哀。舊蹟今還覩。悲腸不奈摧。涕淫飄似霰。聲放殷於雷。無復開懷抱。將誰擧酒杯。知音今已喪。空恨鼻墁堆。
Our friendship was close from early on And I was fortunate to attend upon his fragrant steps I was banished to the miasmal (瘴氣) seacoast And you too went away to the terrace of the immortals On the way, lodging at a lonely post station I first heard the notice come from far off The use of the golden cauldron was never fulfilled And the timber of the jade grove was broken first In the old days we spoke of a deep friendship And at the same time we met with disaster too Dying and living are different, to be sure But were our sorrows and causes not nearly the same Suddenly you departed by the gate of heaven And I in haste pressed on along the post road Unable even to look to my own body I had no leisure that day for grieving Now I see the old traces once more And how can I help my grieving bowels breaking The tears flow and scatter like sleet And I let out a cry louder than thunder There is no way again to open my heart And with whom shall I lift the cup hereafter Now that the one who knew my music (知音) is lost I resent in vain the plastering at the nose's tip
Interlinear notes 1
予與公結四人交契。
I and the Duke, four of us, had bound ourselves in friendship.