The same memorial as the preceding, sent up in the name of the lady of the Im family任氏行同前表
云云。有命自天。過賁褒封之禮。措躬無地。實深慙赧之懷。伏念妾素乏蕙心。又無瓊質。藉世家之餘慶。幸適侯藩。遵閨壼之成規。虔共婦職。恩覃九族。寵集一門。玆已過於初心。本未期於顯賞。夫何異數。又曁微軀。驚金印之騰暉。昡泥函之煥彩。此蓋伏遇王太后殿下塗山翼夏。大姒興周。特崇定策之臣。優加體貌。燕及執巾之妾。俾玷榮光。妾敢不常鑑女箴。恪承慈範。寸心自誓。敢孤造化之私。頃步不違。永祝壽昌之慶。云云。
And so forth. The command came from heaven, and with the rite of a praising investiture you have adorned me far too much. There is nowhere to put my body, and truly the heart that reddens with shame runs deep.
Prostrate, I consider that your handmaid wants from the first a heart like the fragrant herb, and has besides no stuff like a gem. Leaning upon the blessing left over from a great house, I happily married into the house of a feudal lord, and following the law already made for the women's chamber, I reverently bore up a wife's charge. The grace has stretched to the nine degrees of kin and the favor has gathered upon one clan, so that this went already beyond my first heart, and from the first I never looked for a declared reward.
How then has an uncommon favor reached also to this mean body? I am startled as the golden seal gives out its light, and my eyes are dazzled as the sealed casket gives out its light.
This is because, prostrate, I have met with Her Highness the Queen Dowager, who is as the lady of Tushan (塗山) helping Xia and as Taisi (大姒) raising up Zhou, who, exalting especially the ministers who settled the plans, has amply added to the honors paid them, and whose ease has reached even to the handmaid who holds the towel, letting her presume to be visited with this glory.
How should your handmaid dare not take the admonitions for women always for her mirror and reverently bear up your loving example? Swearing it of myself with an inch of heart, how should I dare betray the grace you have made for me? Not transgressing by so much as a half-step, I shall pray for ever for the blessing of your long life and flourishing. And so forth.
Interlinear notes 1
中謝。
Here the words of 中謝, that is, the words of thanks, are inserted.