鐔津文集 10.44

10.44

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.