Bei Shan

Bei Shan

Preface: "Bei Shan" is a poem in which a grandee satirizes King You of Zhou. The distribution of labor is unjust; he himself toils at official duties but cannot support his parents.

I climb that northern hill,

To pick the wolfberries there.

Stalwart and strong are the officers,

Busy from dawn to dusk.

The king's tasks are endless—

They make me grieve for my parents.

Under the vast heaven,

There is no land that is not the king's domain;

Within the four seas,

There is no subject who is not the king's servant.

The grandees distribute duties unfairly—

Alone I bear a particularly heavy burden.

Four stallions gallop without rest,

The king's affairs press urgently.

They praise me as not yet aged,

They call me in my prime.

My strength is still vigorous—

I can rush about managing all quarters.

Some sit idle and rest at home,

Some exhaust their hearts in state affairs;

Some lie supine on their beds,

Some toil ceaselessly on the road.

Some know not the toil of shouting and calling,

Some are anxious and distressed;

Some live at ease and leisure,

Some are entangled in endless official duties.

Some indulge in drinking and pleasure,

Some fear calamity and sorrow;

Some come and go, speaking grandly,

Some must handle every task themselves.

"Bei Shan" has six stanzas: the first three stanzas each have six lines, and the last three stanzas each have four lines.