南嶽總勝集 3.45

3.45

周琬。湘中人。艤舟南沙。夢二吏引入南嶽廟內陞殿。王起接之曰。知入京銓。欲率留在此。亦與人世之樂不殊。琬曰。名宦未達。且欲赴銓王曰。如此則不敢奉縻也。乃作詩送周琬曰。住此既非樂。捨此去何圖。若問青氈事。惟留一角書。至京調中牟尉。忽臥病旅中且慮不起。作妻子書一角封畢而卒（此一段與陳良卿事類辭殊。今兩存之。出洞微志）。

Zhou Wan was a native of the Xiang region. Mooring his boat at Nansha, he dreamed that two clerks led him into the Temple of Nanyue, ascending the hall. The King arose to receive him, saying, 'I know you are entering the capital for official selection. I wish to keep you here; it will be no different from the pleasures of the mortal world.' Wan said, 'My career in office has not yet flourished, and for now I wish to attend the selection.' The King said, 'If so, I dare not detain you.' He then composed a poem to see Zhou Wan off: 'Dwelling here is not your pleasure; / Abandoning this and departing, what do you seek? / If you ask of inheriting officialdom, / Only a single letter will remain.' Arriving at the capital, he was assigned as the sheriff of Zhongmou. Suddenly falling ill at an inn and fearing he would not recover, he wrote a letter to his wife and children; as soon as it was sealed, he passed away. (This account is similar in event to that of Chen Liangqing but differs in words; both are preserved here now. It is drawn from the Records of Penetrating the Subtleties).