A Letter Sending Wine and Fruit to the Headquarters of the Mongol Marshal of Troops and Horse蒙古兵馬元帥幕。送酒果書。
某月日。右謹致書于某官幕下。早春。伏惟鈞候動止何若。瞻企瞻企。我國久爲契丹侵擾。病在腹心。不能自除。豈意元帥閣不將爲小邦。掃淸醜穢。擧義遠來。暴露草莽。其在小邦。職宜早致犒師之禮。少慰勤苦。然初不知大軍入境之日。且係寇賊梗道。由是稽延。不以時修問於尤右。竊思無狀。良用兢慙。惟大度寬之。始聞賊徒入江東城自保。小國乃以爲此已圈牢中物耳。不足患也。方遣人致謝。兼問起居。其使人未及上道。續有急報。果聞其黨出城自降。咸就梟俘。擧國快心。異手同抃。此實大邦扶弱恤隣之義。而小國萬世一遇之幸也。感荷大恩。罔知所報。今者伏承王旨。略備不腆酒果儀物等事。特差某某官等。齎押奉送。其數目具在別牋。幸勿以微薄却之。亦不以遲緩罪之也。惶恐惶恐。
On a certain day of a certain month, I respectfully submit a letter to the headquarters of such-and-such an officer.
It is early spring. I respectfully wonder how your honored person does. I look up to you in longing.
Our country has long been harried by the Khitan; the sickness entered our belly and we could not rid ourselves of it. How should we have known that His Excellency the Marshal, for the sake of a small country, would raise righteousness and come from afar and expose his person upon the grasslands, to sweep clean this foul rabble? As a small country we ought to have offered the rite of feeding your troops early, and comforted your labor at least a little. But at first we did not know the day on which the great army entered our borders, and moreover the brigands were blocking the roads. For this reason we were late and did not pay our respects to your attendance in good time. Considering it quietly, I am truly afraid and ashamed of our poor showing. Only look on us indulgently out of your large capacity.
At first we heard it said that the band of brigands had entered the fortress of Gangdong (江東城) and were holding it. Our small country took it that these were now beasts within our own fence and gave no cause for care. We were just about to send a man to thank you and to ask after your health as well; but before that man could set out upon the road, urgent word came one upon another. And in truth we heard that the band had come out of the fortress and surrendered of themselves, and were all cut down or taken captive. The whole country was relieved at heart, and though our hands differ we clapped them together. This is truly the righteousness of a great state in upholding the weak and caring for its neighbor, and for a small country it is a good fortune met once in ten thousand ages. We feel and bear your great kindness and do not know how to repay it.
Now, respectfully bearing our sovereign's intent, we have made ready in outline some poor wine and fruit and gifts, and send such-and-such officers in particular to bear them and present them to you. Their number is set out on a separate sheet. We beg that you will not refuse them as few and poor, and that you will not punish us for being slow. We are afraid, we are afraid.
Interlinear notes 2
都省行
It was sent in the name of the Chancellery (都省).
尤右 — the source text has 尤右, but it is taken as an error for 左右, that is, the term of address used in honoring the one addressed. ― translator