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Humorous "historical record" of Gate's China visit, in old Chinese

siegecrossbow

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Very scholarly written "historical tract" about Gate's visit. I wish I could translate it into old-English:

文帝合缬九年一月,米使盖氏轻车简从,兀然来朝,临行,欲恫之,乃手持巨瓮,人皆奇;盖氏曰:蔑吾邦者众,已为垢,尽入此瓮矣.至中国,太尉梁公光烈甚恭;盖氏意发,见一峰,示之曰:此山雄,吾可登而望乡.梁公从之,旬日方至,盖氏眺毕,遂曰:此山若总统峰矣,何名?梁公默,答曰:垢峰。

宴之。酒过三巡,盖氏诈醉曰:珍馐玉液,枉受无礼。吾善击缶,愿和歌为将军寿。梁氏称善。盖氏遂令取缶。未几,从者负巨瓮至堂前。梁氏甚异之,然声色未动。盖氏长笑而起,拔剑鈼瓮,慨然而歌曰:瓮兮瓮兮镇我邦,使庶民健兮国安康。枉轻我者兮不可计,历历白骨兮此中藏。其声凄厉可怖,闻者皆骇然。独梁氏私哂之,以为米使力尽。狼儒曰:上古夏禹尝铸九鼎,峥嵘冷峻,沉静威严。以之镇九州,或曰传世两千余岁。至今九鼎湮没,杳然不可寻其迹,而九州犹在。故曰有质者终不免毁其形,长寿者皆难逃亡其命,健强者必终以销其迹,刚愎者尽毙于树其敌。惟以天地为炉,阴阳为炭,疆土为凭,黎庶为功,铸九州为鼎,终可与天地同寿,与万物归一。米帝敝,安知其妙?
 
Very scholarly written "historical tract" about Gate's visit. I wish I could translate it into old-English:

文帝合缬九年一月,米使盖氏轻车简从,兀然来朝,临行,欲恫之,乃手持巨瓮,人皆奇;盖氏曰:蔑吾邦者众,已为垢,尽入此瓮矣.至中国,太尉梁公光烈甚恭;盖氏意发,见一峰,示之曰:此山雄,吾可登而望乡.梁公从之,旬日方至,盖氏眺毕,遂曰:此山若总统峰矣,何名?梁公默,答曰:垢峰。

宴之。酒过三巡,盖氏诈醉曰:珍馐玉液,枉受无礼。吾善击缶,愿和歌为将军寿。梁氏称善。盖氏遂令取缶。未几,从者负巨瓮至堂前。梁氏甚异之,然声色未动。盖氏长笑而起,拔剑鈼瓮,慨然而歌曰:瓮兮瓮兮镇我邦,使庶民健兮国安康。枉轻我者兮不可计,历历白骨兮此中藏。其声凄厉可怖,闻者皆骇然。独梁氏私哂之,以为米使力尽。狼儒曰:上古夏禹尝铸九鼎,峥嵘冷峻,沉静威严。以之镇九州,或曰传世两千余岁。至今九鼎湮没,杳然不可寻其迹,而九州犹在。故曰有质者终不免毁其形,长寿者皆难逃亡其命,健强者必终以销其迹,刚愎者尽毙于树其敌。惟以天地为炉,阴阳为炭,疆土为凭,黎庶为功,铸九州为鼎,终可与天地同寿,与万物归一。米帝敝,安知其妙?

Nice text :D The text is little bit too "strong" for my taste.
"健强者必终以销其迹,刚愎者尽毙于树其敌". Irony...
But it would need quite some time if this is to be translated to english,and also it's would lost many it's flavor.
 
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Nicely done but still it talks too much of nothing, basically it just tries to say that the US doesn't need to kill off/threaten all its opposers, just properly look after and manage well what is in your own borders then you will enjoy prosperity for a long time to come.

If I may say so -- this logic can also be used to remind our chinese compatriots, no need to get too worked up on what other countries have to say, manage our own business well and things will eventually work out.
 
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explain this

it is a parody about Gate's recent visit to china composed in classic chinese not modern chinese.

it took me a long time to understand though written in very basic level. i guess you guys have similar feeling when read sanskirt.

the author try to imitate the style of a chinese history book in Han dynasty - Shiji

Records of the Grand Historian - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

i believe PDF is not the right place to post these stuffs
 

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