EnglishTranslation
In the ninth year of Yonghe, at the beginning of the late spring, we have gathered at the Orchid Pavilion in the North of Kuaiji Mountain for the purification ritual. All the literati, the young and the old, have congregated. This area has high mountains and steep hills, dense wood and slender bamboos, as well as a limpid flowing stream reflecting the surrounding. We sit by a redirected stream with floating wine goblets. Although short of the company of music, the wine and poems are sufficient for us to exchange our feelings. As for this day, the sky is clear and the air is fresh; the mild breeze greets us. Hanging high is the immense universe. Around us is the myriad variety. As our eyes wander, so do our minds too. Indeed, it is a pure delight for all our senses. Acquaintance will quickly span a lifetime. Some would share their ambitions in a chamber; others may indulge into diverse interests and pursuits. The choices are plenty and our temperaments vary. We enjoy the momentary satisfactions when pleasures regale us,
but we hardly realize how fast we will grow old. When we become tired of our desires and the circumstances change, grief will arise. What previously gratified us will be in the past, we cannot help but to mourn. Whether life is long or short, there is always an end. As the ancients said, "Birth and death are two ultimate events." How agonizing! Reading the past compositions, I can recognize the same melancholy from the ancients. I can only lament without being able to verbalize my feelings. It is absurd to equate life and death, and it is equally foolish to think that longevity is the same as the short-lived. The future generations will look upon us, just like we look upon our past. How sad! Hence, we record the people presented here today and their works; Even though time and circumstances will be different, the feelings expressed will remain unchanged. The future readers shall also empathize the same by reading this poems collection.
Lost and Unfound
According to legend, the original copy was passed down to successive generations in the Wang family in secrecy until the monk Zhi Yong (智永), dying without an heir, left it to the care of a disciple monk, Bian Cai (辯才). Emperor Tai Zong of Tang Dynasty (唐太宗) (599 CE to 649 CE) heard about this masterpiece. He sent messengers on three occasions to retrieve the text, but each time Bian Cai responded that it had been lost. Finally Tai Zong dispatched Xiao Yi (蕭翼) who, disguised as a wandering scholar, gradually gained the confidence of Bian Cai and persuaded him to show him the Preface of the Orchid Pavilion. Thereupon, Xiao Yi seized the work, revealed his identity, and took it back to Tai Zong. Tai Zong loved this masterpiece very much and ordered the top calligraphers such as Yú Shì-nán (虞世南), Chǔ Suì-liáng (褚遂良), Féng Chéng-sù (馮承素), and Ouyáng Xún (歐陽詢) to trace, copy, and engrave into stone for posterity. Tai Zong treasured the work so much that he had the original interred in his tomb, Zhao lin (昭陵), after his death. The authentic Lanting Xu has not been seen since then.
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