Memorial from Privy Councillor Yi Jeok (李勣) declining office李樞密勣讓官表
云云。寵踰涯分。器滿則傾。聲殷籲號。天高可聞。伏念臣孤寒寡援。頑鄙少能。幼不學書。莫擊蔽蒙之性。仕而爲吏。諒無緣飾之文。歷踐官司。訖微報效。頃優元戎之幕。出當強虜之兵。旣無勇力之褰旗。又乏奇籌之破的。尙蒙顯賞。超躡華資。以皤然白首之姿。侍赫若赭袍之側。進趨遲鈍。應對跌蹉。信難努力以勉居。方欲奉身而引退。敢圖異渥。復出常鈞。特宣綸綍之優詞。擢置樞機之密地。且無功虛受。已懷覆餗之虞。況居下越登。又懼積薪之誚。臣心猶愧。物議何如。伏望聖上陛下。照悉微悰。廓懷曠度。追寢殊尤之命。更推卓犖之才。世不乏人。有副求賢之意。臣能安分。免貽曠職之譏。云云。
And so forth. Favor has gone over the brim of my portion, and a vessel, once full, tips. My crying out is loud, and though heaven be high it may yet be heard.
Prostrate, I consider that your servant, lonely and poor, has few to help him, and being stubborn and base has little ability. As a boy I did not learn letters and never broke through a nature veiled and dark; and taking office I became a clerk, yet truly had no writing worth adorning myself with. I trod through office after office, and in the end the merit I repaid was little.
Of late, staying in the marshal's headquarters, I went out and met the troops of the stubborn barbarians. I had neither the courage and strength to pull up their banners nor any uncommon stratagem for breaking the enemy. Yet even so I was visited with a declared reward and leapt over ranks to tread upon a brilliant one. With the look of a head gone white, I attended at the shining side of the crimson dragon robe.
My going forward and drawing back are slow and dull, and my answering goes awry and stumbles. Truly hard put to stay on with any strength, I was just about to gather myself up and withdraw. How could I have thought that an uncommon favor would come down again beyond the ordinary, that you would unfold especially the ample words of a rescript and place me, chosen, in the secret seat of the privy councils?
Moreover, receiving it in vain and without merit, I already harbored the fear of upsetting the food in the cauldron; how much more, having leapt up from below, do I fear the reproach of piling firewood on top. Your servant's own heart is ashamed as it is — what then of the talk of the many?
Prostrate I hope that Your Majesty the Holy Sovereign will see clearly into this small inward heart and hold a broad measure, and will withdraw the uncommon command and choose and employ outstanding talent instead. The world does not want for men, so it will answer your purpose of seeking the worthy; and your servant, at ease in his portion, will leave behind no mockery of having left his charge empty.
Interlinear notes 2
中謝。
Here the words of thanks (中謝) are inserted.
初以軍功大捷。拜承宣。
At first, having won a great victory by military merit, he was appointed Royal Transmitter (承宣).