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227
逢 入 京 使
Encountering a Commissioner 20 on His Way to the Capital
故 园 东 望 路 漫 漫
双 袖 龙 钟 泪 不 干
马 上 相 逢 无 纸 笔
21
凭 君 传 语 报 平 安
Gazing east towards home, the road goes on and on;
Both sleeves soaked with tears that do not dry.
We encounter each other on horseback, no paper or brush;
I depend on you to pass along word that I'm doing well.
20 Commissioner (shi 使 ), “lit., sent as a representative, was one of the most common Chinese titles, almost invariably
found with a prefix suggesting his function or designating the agency he headed...In Tang times, the term was used
almost solely for duty assignments (chai qian 差 遣 ) of officials with regular status elsewhere in the officialdom”. See
Charles Hucker, A Dictionary of Official Titles in Imperial China, p. 421.
21 CSJJZ, p. 77.