廣弘明集 23.18

23.18

元嘉十一年冬十一月辛未。法綱法師卒。嗚呼哀哉。夫峭立方矯既傷於通任。卑隨圓比又虧於剛絜。山居協枯槁之弊。邑止來囂湫之患。酌二情而簡雙事者。法師其有焉。少遊華京長栖幽麓。樂志入出乘情去來。瀆厭人流就閑於木石。欝寂丘壑求觀於物類。人以為無特操。我見其師誠矣。天性膚敏陶漸風味。從容情理賞託文義。交遊敦亮盡之契。進趣慕復永之道。理身法服。朱纓之累早絕。抗趾神疆。丹墀之閡夙判。況乃桑門矯拂之跡。徒倚伏之數者哉。昔因邂逅傾蓋著交。同以剪落。夷契群萃布懷舒憤。以寄當年。遂携手遊梁比翼栖鄧。飡風虛岫𭡑道玄津。比樂齊讌千載一時。自林傾鳥散奄忽盈紀。子薄高柯予淪泥滓。常冀曾卜索居之遇。遂成梁高山海之別。東瀾弗復西景莫收。致盡川征歸骨曾丘。嗚呼哀哉。誄曰厥族氏殷。寔湯之裔。榮聲中微。源流昭晰。少遭閔凶。宗無緦繐。慈姑經營。託是養衛。爰逮三五。聰韻特挺。雙奇比秀。偶羅齊頴。志陋中區。思擢神境。脫落生延。耽慕緣永。既遵玄轍。洞曉名跡。仁義之外。通非所惜。室欲靡遂。坐以會適。弗依朱扉。考卜巖壁。來不濡足。去不絕翮。頡頏升萃。進退損益。予惡浮波。爾能即心。俱翔道澤。同集德林。齊拂和風。共聆玄音。自宮徂國。在目在衿。往化綿邈。遺思沈吟。亦既離逖。天道明誓。爾出舊山。予反遐裔。庶乘和運。同蔭共憩。寒灰弗烟。落葉離綴。睽願莫從。子遂下世。人之云亡。風懷揜翳。嗚呼哀哉。玄冬凄烈。江滸蕭條。寒風颺幕。飛霰入艘。命有近止。歸塗尚遙。憫憫即盡。寂寂哀號。孤旅如薄。均化無褒。嗚呼哀哉。懷遊居之虎丘。悼冥滅之廬嶺。惟採錄於中京。念提携於番境。情飄颻於雙巒。思纏綿於兩省。何綢繆兮無極。心所存兮腷臆。閱嚴冬兮已謝。籍隆暑兮既息。四運紛其邅迴。情期窅以長匿。苟來緣之匪亡。眷生平以增惻。嗚呼哀哉。

In the eleventh month, winter, on the xinwei day, in the eleventh year of the Yuanjia reign era, Dharma Master Fagao passed away. Alas, how grievous!
Now, unyielding rectitude and rigid obstinacy do harm to broad-minded ease; while humble compliance and round accommodating compromise defile firm purity. Dwelling in the mountains brings the distress of withered isolation; residing in towns invites the affliction of clamour and quagmires. One who could weigh both sensibilities and dispense with both extremes—Dharma Master [Fagang] was such a man! In his youth he frequented the splendid capital, and in maturity he dwelt on secluded slopes. Delighting in his intention, he entered and departed; following his disposition, he went and came. Wearying of the worldly throng, he sought leisure amidst trees and stones; brooding in the stillness of hills and ravines, he observed the varieties of living things. Others considered him to lack a single set principle, yet I saw his masterly sincerity.
By endowed nature he was clear-sighted and quick, gradually cultivated in taste and air. At ease in sentiment and reason, he entrusted his delight to literary meaning. In his associations he was sincere, bright, and utterly genuine in covenant; in his advancement he admired the way of returning to eternity. Putting his person in order through the Dharma robes, the entanglements of vermilion tassels had long been severed; lifting his feet to the divine realm, the impediments of the imperial halls were early dissolved. How much more so the tracks of a śramaṇa's austere disciplines, compared to the mere shifts of worldly fortune!
Formerly, encountering each other by chance, we formed a friendship as carriages brushed; both having shaved our heads, our natural dispositions gathered in harmony, pouring out our hearts and venting our griefs to entrust our fleeting years. We then joined hands to travel to Liang, and wing to wing we perched at Deng. Feasting on the winds of empty peaks, and bathing in the Dao of the mysterious ford, matching our joys and sharing our banquets, it was a once-in-a-thousand-years moment.
Since the forest fell and the birds scattered, more than a decade swiftly passed. You brushed against high boughs, while I sank into the mire. Ever hoping for the chance to meet in secluded dwelling, it turned out to be the separation of Liang's high mountain and the sea. The eastern waves do not return; the western shadows cannot be gathered up. Reaching the end of your river voyage, your bones returned to the layered mounds. Alas, how grievous!
The eulogy says:
His clan and surname derived from Yin,
Truly the lineage of King Tang.
His illustrious fame faded in the middle period,
Yet its origin and flow were brightly manifest.
In his youth he met with sorrow and disaster;
His clan lacked even the mourning of fine hemp.
His benevolent aunt took charge,
And relying on her, he was nurtured and protected.
When he reached fifteen years of age,
His brilliant talent was uniquely prominent.
Two wonders paired in elegance,
A rare match, even in excellence.
His aspiration disdained the central realms;
He thought to ascend to the spiritual domain.
Casting off prolonged earthly life,
He earnestly longed for eternal conditions.
Having followed the mysterious tracks,
He thoroughly understood names and vestiges.
Apart from humaneness and righteousness,
He begrudged none of the mundane.
Desires of the household were not pursued;
Quietly sitting, he found his ease.
Not relying on vermilion doors,
He divined his dwelling on craggy walls.
In coming, his feet were not dampened;
In leaving, his wings were not broken.
Soaring and descending, flocking together,
Advancing and retreating, diminishing and augmenting.
I abhor the floating waves;
You could align directly with mind.
Together soaring over the marshes of the Way,
Both gathering in the forest of virtue.
Equally brushing the gentle breeze,
Together listening to the mysterious voice.
From the palace to the state,
Ever before our eyes, ever in our bosoms.
Past transformations stretch far away;
Remaining thoughts linger in melancholy.
Having already been drawn far apart,
The Way of Heaven bears clear witness.
You departed your former mountain;
I returned to distant frontiers.
Hoping to ride the harmonious turn of fate,
To share shade and rest together.
Cold ashes yield no smoke;
Fallen leaves are severed from their stems.
Our conflicting hopes could not be fulfilled;
You thereupon departed this world.
A man has passed away;
His lofty sentiments are eclipsed and darkened. Alas, how grievous!
Deep winter is bitterly cold;
The riverbank is desolate.
Freezing wind flutters the tent;
Flying sleet enters the boat.
Your life reached its near end;
The journey home remains distant.
Sorrowful, reaching the end;
In stillness, lamenting and crying out.
A lone traveler, fragile indeed;
Equal in transformation, with no special praise. Alas, how grievous!
Remembering your sojourn at Tiger Hill (Huqiu),
Grieving over the extinguishing at the peaks of Lu;
Recalling our gatherings in the central capital,
Thinking of our companionship in foreign borders.
My feelings flutter over the twin peaks;
My thoughts linger tenderly across two provinces.
How entwined and endless!
What is kept in heart brings grief and choking.
Watching the severe winter already pass,
Relying on the great heat now stilled.
The four seasons turn in chaotic cycles;
Our anticipated meeting is dark and eternally hidden.
If future conditions are not extinguished,
Looking back on our lives only increases sorrow. Alas, how grievous!