A man’s life is a hundred years' constant vexation;
Ten thousand affairs all bring anxious thoughts.
The sun sets when it wants to set,
The river flows following its inclinations.
Ritual and music imprisoned Tan of the Chi clan,
And K'ung Ch'iu was hamstrung by Songs and Documents.
It would be better to rest on a high pillow
And occasionally take to drunkenness to let sorrow dissipate.