Duke Zhuang was ruler of Qi; Tang Jiang was the widow of minister Tang Gong. He was assassinated for his illicit affair with her. Duke Ling reigned over Chen; the Xia‑clan woman was the mother of minister Xia Zhengshu. He was slain on account of his liaison with her. Their ends were miserable, and the infamy too shameful to dwell upon.
As for such episodes recounted in New Terrace, Thorns on the Wall, and the verses of Pu‑shang and Sang‑jian: whoever reads those poems cannot but brand such men as beasts.
New Terrace from the Odes of Bei satirized Duke Xuan of Wei for taking his son’s bride for himself. Thorns on the Wall from the Odes of Yong censored Prince Wan for committing incest with the queen‑mother. Sang‑jian beside the Pu River in Wei was a place notorious for licentious customs devoid of propriety. Readers of these verses universally condemn such conduct as no better than that of brute beasts.
Such bygone deeds are worthy of reflection; vice once ran to such terrible extremes.
Bygone deeds refer to the stories of King Jie, King Zhou, the dukes of Qi and Chen recounted above. One may well look back and ponder how lechery drove men to behave like beasts.
Moreover, when I served the House of Han, every fibre of my heart might stand laid bare.
The Divine Sovereign speaks of his service as a Han subject, wholly devoted to upholding the Han dynasty. Every thought of his may be openly shown to all under heaven.
I held a candle and waited for dawn; I harbored no compliance toward Cao Cao.
Dawn means daybreak. The Ruler recounts how he once escorted the imperial sisters‑in‑law and was detained by Cao Cao’s troops. Cao Cao sought to drive a wedge between lord and vassal, locking him and the imperial sisters‑in‑law inside one chamber, hoping to tempt incest and make him betray his sworn lord. Refusing to sleep, he kept a candle burning, sat reading the Spring and Autumn Annals, and waited for sunrise. He would not fall for Cao Cao’s treacherous ploy, for he would never submit to him.
I slew enemy generals and forced passes open, to seek my elder brother and safeguard the imperial sisters‑in‑law.