Matching the Rhymes of the Poem Vice Minister (侍郞) Yi Sent, Turning "Singing of the White" Around into "Singing of the Black" — His preface said: "Since you, sir, are about to return to the plain substance, you sang of the white as suiting your mind; the black is my own lot, and so I sing of it." (次韻李侍郞翻詠白爲詠黑詩見寄。其序云。公將還質。以白爲愜志詠之。黑吾分也。故以爲詠云。)次韻李侍郞翻詠白爲詠黑詩見寄。其序云。公將還質。以白爲愜志詠之。黑吾分也。故以爲詠云。

From the first it lodged in the palace beneath the water, and it has already passed through the ashes of the kalpa fire (劫火). It showed a face like that of Liang Hong's (梁鴻) wife, and took after the form of Empress Jia (賈后). On Mount Mo (墨山) there is no bright slope, and the Ju River (沮水) is murky along the whole of its shore. In Yan Hui's (顔回) house the soot fell, and in the Yang house the charcoal dust flew about. Its force can rise past the station of Mars (火星), and its virtue answers of itself to Mercury (辰星). With the sheen of a wet crow a new edict is written, and as though flies had gathered, dots were wrongly set on the screen. The cloud-like coiled hair is just about to be done with combing, and flickering eyes are so dizzied they can hardly come awake. Hidden by leaves, the cicada cries in the tree; holding the shade, the black lizard plays in the yard. The brush flies, and the wielding of it is swifter still; when "Lu (盧)" leaps up, a shout is raised to make it stop. He went all through the inkstone pool to learn his writing, and what was buried deep was the "Inscription for the Tomb of Writings" (文塚銘). The creature called man is black on his head alone, while among the tribes of birds there are some whose plumes are black throughout. The 䃜 is the more beautiful among stones, and the lacquer tree is cut down of itself because it is of use. The evening smoke still caps the mountain peaks, and the evening moon has not yet risen from the sea. In the battles of Xia (夏) black horses were yoked to the chariots, and when King Tang (湯) arose, a swallow sent down its numen. The tall cap first had the iron pillar set up in it, and the burnished hat looks as though ground on a whetstone. The chart came forth borne on the back of a numinous tortoise, and when the zither is played, dancing cranes listen. For a gate it is fitting to make the threshold of iron, and for vessels one may make a bottle of earthenware. Do not laugh at the seal-cords of a Commandant (尉) or an Aide (丞): before long he will wear the green cord.