I heard your name for twenty years
but I couldn't imagine your life
until we met at South Palace one night
and briefly expressed our feelings
your perfect attire lit up our ranks
the officials at court extolled your fame
I went back to whitewashed halls
and employed my brush on assessments
at first I joined the literary outings
but I didn't last at the banquets
then I was wrongly sent off
while you were beset by illness
a summer and winter have passed since we parted
spring plants are flourishing again
my old garden is far away
and new birds are singing by the moat
there's never any work in this prefecture
but thoughts of going home fill my mind in vain