Fish‑scrolled letters refer to an ancient practice of concealing messages inside fish bellies. Wild‑goose dispatches allude to the story of Su Wu of the Han Dynasty, in which family letters were tied to geese’s feet for delivery home. This line describes merchants trading in distant lands who, infatuated with courtesans, lose track of time and seldom send word to their families.
With their pre-heaven kidney water ruined, medicines avail them nothing once taken. Repenting only after sickness sets in, they find their prayers to the gods fall on deaf ears.
Pre‑heaven kidney water refers to human vital essence. The innate kidney‑water essence, depleted by lechery and lust, brings about haggard features and incurable illness. Medicines produce no effect. Repentance comes only at this late hour; even prayers and vows to the gods are in vain.
Now they weep toward the distant horizon — who will give them a glance of care?!
Distant horizon means far‑off lands at the edge of heaven. To give a glance of care means to visit and show concern. This describes one stricken by illness: though they weep facing the far horizon, there is no one to come and look after them.
After death they become ghosts of alien lands, souls remaining in foreign climes.
Having died in a strange land far from home, their ghosts and souls linger there for a long time without returning. Clime denotes place or land.
Across a thousand‑li stretch of rivers and hills, who will pity his bleached bones? Beneath a mound of wild weeds, no kin or friends can be found to offer sacrifices.
When their skeletal remains are buried a thousand‑li away from home, who will take pity on them and bring their bones back to his native soil? Their graves are covered only by tangled wild grass. No relatives or friends come to visit; there is no one to pity them, burn paper offerings, or keep cattle and horses from trampling their tombs. “To seek” means to look for.
Karmic retribution stands manifest, not the slightest deviation from what is due.