鐔津文集 10.44

10.44

某啟。自湖旁冒雪相適已數月矣。別後但眷眷然。仲秋時接所示書。乃知令舉至官甚善。不以遷謫介意。公餘揭窓對雲而坐。道情清勝。乃下視塵俗。超然自樂。雖白樂天九江之時。何以過之。風聞人但景服不暇。令舉當世賢豪更以外物自如此。其清規素德益絕人遠矣。老弊浮雲落葉飄泊。尚若不定。雖有陪三峽五老之興。安得遂之。猶遠高論。萬乞善保尊履。不宣。

I, [Qisong], state: Since we braved the snow by the lake to meet, several months have passed. After our parting, I have felt only lingering affection. In mid-autumn, when I received the letter you showed me, I learned that your arrival at your post went very well, and that you do not mind your demotion. In your leisure from public duties, opening the window and sitting opposite the clouds, your feelings for the Dao are pure and superior, looking down upon the worldly dust and enjoying yourself in transcendence. Even Bai Letian in Jiujiang, how could he have surpassed this? Hearing of your style, people have no time for anything but admiration. You, a worthy and heroic figure of the age, look upon external things in this manner; your pure standards and immaculate virtue surpass others all the more distantly. Old and worn out, drifting like floating clouds and falling leaves, my state remains unsettled. Though I share the desire to accompany you to the Three Gorges and the Five Old Men Peaks, how could I fulfill it? Still distant from your lofty discourses, I pray above all that you take good care of your honorable self. Respectfully submitted.