《古谣谚》·卷十六
師曠為周太子晉歌
汲冢周書
國誠寧矣。 遠人來觀。 修義經矣。 好樂無荒。A song sung by Shi Kuang, the court musician, to Princess Jin of the Zhou kingdom. The words go like this: The kingdom is in such peaceful state that people come from afar to visit. We are working on some scriptures and yet we have not ignored music.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
時人為于公嚴延年語
前漢紀
于公高門以待對。 嚴母除地以望喪。Words referring to two different officials who had to do with criminal trials: Yu Ding Guo was good at serving justice, while Yan Yan Lian was always too apt at executing people.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
朝廷稱張釋之于定國語
前漢紀
張釋之為廷尉。天下無冤民。于定國為廷尉。天下自不冤。When Zhang Shi Zhi was the chief judge of the supreme court, there were no people who were framed. When Yu Ding Guo held the same job, the whole country never had any injustice.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
宛郡鄉里為茨充號
東觀漢記
一馬兩車﹑茨子河。Words referring to how Ci Chong gave his friend a ride in his own charriot after his friend’s horse died.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
逢萌哭言
東觀漢記
新乎。新乎。
Words cried out by Feng Meng, who was prophesying that Wang Mang’s Xin dynasty wouldcome to an end.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
漢明德皇后引俗語
東觀漢記
時無赭。澆黃土。
Since we do not have the mineral that is used for giving yellow color, we could use yellow sand instead. An idiom meaning that the replacement will not work as the original would.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
京師為楊政祁聖元號
東觀漢記
說經鏗鏗﹑楊子行。論難僠僠﹑祁聖元。
Words said in the capital city about two scholars of scripture, Yang Zi Xing, who was good at lecturing, and Qi Sheng Yuan, who was good at debating.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
人為陳嚚語
東觀漢記
關東說詩﹑陳君期。
In the Guang Dong area, there was Chen Jun Qi, who was good at explicating poems.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
更始時長安里閭語
東觀漢記
使兒居市決。 作者不能得。
Words said by people of Chang An about how Emperor Geng Shi was employing bad people.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
京師稱宋度語
謝承後漢書
宋叔平。 一史奏。 罷九卿。Words said by people in the capital city concerning Song Du, who proposed to impeach all the high-ranking officials in the court.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
蜀郡童為黃昌謠
謝承後漢書
兩日出。 天兵戢。A song sung by children in Si Chuan, predicting the arrival of a new governor named HaungChang.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
吳人為彭修歌
謝承後漢書
時歲倉卒。盜賊從橫。大戟強弩不可當。賴遇賢令子陽。A song sung by people in the southeast of China about Governor Peng Xiu, who was able to persuade a gang of pirates to leave his territory alone.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
京師為唐約謠
謝承後漢書
治身無嫌﹑唐仲謙。
A song sung in the capital city about the official Tang Zhong Lian could keep government secrets, and never took bribes, and never had anything to do with conflicts of interest.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
京師為張磐諺
謝承後漢書
聞清白。張子石。
Words said in the capital city about the official Zhang Qian, who would never take money that did not belong to him.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
蒼梧人為陳臨歌
謝承後漢書
蒼梧陳君恩廣大。令死罪囚有後代。德參古賢天報施。
A song sung by people of Cang Wu praising their governor, Chen Lin, who allowed conjugalvisits for a prisoner who had no son yet.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
鄉人為秦護歌
謝承後漢書
冬無褲。有秦護。
Qin Hu has no pants to wear in the winter. A song sung by his town’s people about how hewas clean on his job, never taking any bribes or gifts.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
諸儒為劉愷語
華嶠後漢書
難經伉伉﹑劉太常。
Words said by some scholars about Liu Kai, who was always referring to scriptures.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
桓帝時人為黨人謠
袁崧後漢書
九卿直言﹑有陳蕃。
天下好交﹑荀伯修。
天下冰楞﹑王秀陵。
天下忠平﹑魏少英。天下稽古﹑劉伯祖。
天下良輔﹑杜周甫。
天下英才﹑趙仲經。
Praises sung by people during Eastern Han’s Emperor Huan’s reign, concerning a group ofintellectuals who were talented and righteous.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
京師稱李膺陳蕃語
袁松後漢書
李元禮巖巖如玉山。 陳仲舉軒軒如千里驥。Words said inthe capital city, praising Li Ying and Chen Zhong Ju, who were the leaders of a group of intellectuals trying to reform the government.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
南陽為朱公叔語
袁松後漢書
朱公叔肅肅如松柏下風。
Words said by people of Nan Yang concerning Zhu Gong Shu, who was considered very righteous.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
時人為公沙氏兄弟號
袁松後漢書
公沙六龍。天下無雙。
Words said about the six outstanding sons of Gong Sha Mu.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
太原介休鄉里諺
後漢紀
欲作郭林宗耶。
Would you like to be Guo Lin Zong, who was always considerate and polite to others?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
王昶引諺
梁祚魏國統
知足不辱。 如不知足。 則失所欲。
Once one feels content about what one has, then humiliation does not arise. If one could never feel content, one would never even get what one wished to have.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
魏孝文帝菖蒲歌
後魏典略
兩菖蒲。 新野藥。
A song sung by Wei’s Emperor Xiao Wen praising the beauty of calamus.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
齊武成殂後謠
三國典略
千錢置果園。中有芙蓉樹。破券不分明。蓮子隨他去。
A song predicting the misfortune of the last emperor of Qi dynasty.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
京師為丁謂寇準語
東都事略寇準傳
欲得天下寧。當拔眼中釘。欲得天下好。莫如召寇老。Words said in the capital city about two court officials. If people want peace in the world, then Ging Wei should be gotten rid of, if people want a good world, then they need Kou Zhuan.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
益州人為王曙謠
東都事略王曙傳
蜀守之良。前張後王。惠我赤子。
而無流亡。何以報之。俾壽而昌。
A song sung by people of Si Chuan praising their good governor Wang Shu. The words said that Wang Shu gave them such good lives that the only way to pay him back was to wish him longevity and prosperity.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
京師為范仲淹謠
東都事略范仲淹傳
朝廷無憂有范君。京師無事有希文。
A song sung in the capital city praising the court official Fan Zhong Yan. The words said that as long as Fan was in the court, then there were no worries. As long as he was in the capital city, nothing would go wrong there.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
軍中為韓琦范仲淹語
東都事略范仲淹傳
軍中有一韓。西賊聞之心骨寒。軍中有一范。
西賊聞之驚破膽。
Words said in the military about two generals, Fan Zhong Yan and Han Qi. As long as they wereleading the army, the bandits from the west would be frightened.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
廣州為邵曄陳世卿歌
東都事略邵曄傳
邵父陳母。除我二苦。
A song sung by people of Guang Zhou, praising the fact that their two officials, Shao Ye andChen Shi Qing, were just as good as their parents at eliminating hardships from their lives.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
天祚時國人諺
契丹國志天祚皇帝紀上
五箇翁翁四百歲。南面北面頓瞌睡。自己精神管不得。有甚心情殺女直。
A song sung by people of the country Qi Dan (west of China), about how its emperor and his advisors were fairly incompetent in governing the country.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
天祚時狂人歌
契丹國志天祚皇帝紀上
遼國且亡。
A song sung by someone with a human head and the body of a beast. The song says that the Qi Dan nation will die out.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
明昌四年京師謠言
大金國志章宗皇帝紀上
東欲行。西欲飛。中間一路赤垂垂。我醉不醉知不知。A folk song sung in the capital about an uprising organized by Prince Zheng in order to take Jin dynasty Emperor Zhang’s throne. Prince Zheng and his people were arrested when they were all drunk and asleep.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
時人為來虞二氏子語
弘簡錄
護兒兒作相。世南男作匠。
The son of Hu Er (who was a general before he was executed) became the emperor’s chiefadvisor, while the son of Yu Shi Nan (who was the emperor’s chief advisor) became a craftsman.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
緱氏民為王旭謠
弘簡錄
永寧三钁。緱氏一縑。
Words said by people of Guo Shi county about their mayor Wang Xu concerning his self-discipline and honesty.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
禿刺引俗言
續弘簡錄
一箭中麋。毋曰自能。百兔未得。未可遽止。
If one shoots a deer with just one arrow, one should not boast about it. When one cannot shoot at one hundred rabbits, then own should start to be afraid of one’s incompetence.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
時人為吳烈婦謠
續弘簡錄
紅羊年。黑鼠月。張婦吳。儼遺烈。九山風酸泖波血。
二氣舛錯愁雲結。一樹梅花驚飄雪。
A song sung by the contemporaries of Ms. Zhang, Wu Miao Ling about their regret that she hadto kill herself because of her sense of guilt and her fear that her father’s legal trouble mightimplicate her husband and his family.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
方國珍未亂時台州童謠
續弘簡錄
楊嶼青。出海精。
A children’s song foretelling Fang Guo Zhen and his brothers’ uprising against governmentoppression.
