ENTERTAINING LITERARY MEN IN MY OFFICIAL RESIDENCE ON A RAINY DAY
Outside are insignia, shown in state; But here are sweet incense-clouds, quietly ours. Wind and rain, coming in from sea, Have cooled this pavilion above the lake And driven the feverish heat away From where my eminent guests are gathered. ...Ashamed though I am of my high position While people lead unhappy lives, Let us reasonably banish care And just be friends, enjoying nature. Though we have to go without fish and meat, There are fruits and vegetables aplenty. ...We bow, we take our cups of wine, We give our attention to beautiful poems. When the mind is exalted, the body is lightened And feels as if it could float in the wind. ...Suzhou is famed as a centre of letters; And all you writers, coming here, Prove that the name of a great land Is made by better things than wealth.