Sacrificial address offered to Yi Ryang, Drafter in the Secretariat祭李紫微諒文
月日。子壻某官謹以淸酌庶羞之奠。敬祭于亡外舅中書舍人李公之靈。嗚呼哀哉。公之德望。太山北斗。學士崔公諱詵。銘以覼縷。大手摛華。足爲不朽。英英我公。耿介自負。紫微掌制。居帝左右。驤首雲衢。逸足方驟。孰擠而排。暴躓其步。伊予不肖。早忝婚媾。一啜一飮。皆仰于舅。毫銖莫報。含玉在口。予昔與妻。提挈孩幼。女戲我膝。男哭母脰。予笑謂妻。速翼汝鷇。爾女旣長。爾男旣秀。歲時伏臘。皿肉舁酒。率爾孩息。拜爾父母。卷韝𦜕脚。奉觴上壽。爾子奉斝。我酌我手。爾與爾女。射受遽授。平生若此。何羡貴富。妻笑謂子是固予守。嗟乎痛乎。此志莫就。身後百饌。何益之有。聊以寓哀。一觴薄酒。嗚呼哀哉。
On such-and-such a day of such-and-such a month, his son-in-law, so-and-so of such-and-such office, having prepared the offerings of clear wine and dishes of many kinds, reverently makes sacrifice before the spirit of his late father-in-law, Lord Yi (李公), Drafter in the Secretariat.
Alas, how sad. The Lord's virtue and repute were Mount Tai and the Northern Dipper. The academician Lord Choe, whose name was Seon (詵), composed the inscription and set them out one by one. A great hand unfolded his fragrance, and it is fit never to rot away.
Our outstanding Lord was upright and firm and had confidence in himself. In the Jami Court he had charge of the royal edicts and stood at the ruler's right and left. He raised his head on the cloud-hung street and with his splendid hoofs was just about to run, when who was it that pushed and shoved him and brought that stride suddenly down?
Worthless as I am, I was presumptuous enough to be joined to you in marriage long ago, and for every single drink and every single meal I leaned upon my father-in-law. I had not repaid you by so much as a hair's tip when you lay down with jade held in your mouth.
Long ago, when my wife and I were bringing up our little ones, the girl played on my knee and the boy hung on her mother's neck and cried. I said to my wife with a laugh, "Be quick and raise your chicks under your wing. When your daughter is grown and your son has grown fine, then at the festivals and the dog days and the year-end rite we shall put meat in the dishes and carry wine on our backs, and lead your children to bow to your parents, and roll up our cuffs and hitch up our trousers and hold up the cups and pray that they live long. When your son holds up the cup I shall pour with my own hand, and you and your daughter shall vie to take it and pass it on quickly. If one whole life is like this, why should we envy rank and riches?" My wife laughed and said, "This is truly what I shall keep to."
Alas, how it hurts. This intent was never fulfilled. What good are a hundred dishes after your death? I merely entrust my sorrow to them. It is one cup of poor wine; alas, how sad.
Interlinear notes 1
代子壻崔君行
Written on behalf of the son-in-law, Choe.