# Excellent Ancient Adages, Together with Notes on the Writings of Chinese Romanized in the Hokkien Dialect/(Poesy)

​The following poesy and poems are specially arranged in accordance with the Chinese reading idioms.
混太積受 hūn thài chek siū 一平德天 it pêng tek thien 傳基陰洪 toān ki im hông 書址功福 su chí kong hok 萬千射的 ban chhien siā tek 古年斗明 kór lién tór bêng 存永文君 chûn éng bûn kun
Vast happiness enjoyed in crowns of Glory stood,
Whose meritorious deeds to heaven’s favour, shoot,
Remarkable in the world, forever appears,
The Sovereign’s sacred fame to myriads of years.
​閑寥庭竹灃南到別 hân liân têng tiok hong lâm tō pĭet
坐寥昏覆水山來業 chō liâu hun hŏk suí san lâi gĭap
聽人未經映當生居 thèng jîn bī keng iàng tong seng ku
春境夕冬園戶穩幽 chhun kéng sĕk tong oân hōr ún iu
禽外陰雪林牖心處 khîm gōe im soat lîm iú sim chhù
Sweet rendering by Mr. J. E.
To a lonely country home, Seeking holiday I come,
Cherishing while none intrude, Thoughts in love with solitude,
Mountain scenery fronts my door, And the Hong flows on before,
In its waters deep I see, Images of house and tree.
Downward bending each bamboo, Still looks fresh the winter through,
Round my darkened cottage home, Long ere nightfall all is gloom, Far from men in this retreat, Freed from busy cares I sit,
Listening to the birds that sing, Hymns of welcome to the spring.
​同幾人多更寺月中 tông ki jîn to keng sî goăt tiong
與時無少深遠下秋 ú sî bû síau chhim oán hā chhiu
仙得我神方不彈佳 sien tek ngór sîn hong put tân ka
人到軰仙見聞琴景 jîn tò pòe sien kièn bûn khîm kéng
下桃不來斗鍾念正 hā thô put lâi tór chiong liām chèng
局源投聚星鼓古堪 kiŏk goân tôr chū seng kór kór kham
棋洞机會移便詩期 kî tōng ki hōe î piēn si kî
Literal translation of the above Poem.
| together | when | men | many | when night | monastery | moonlight | middle |
| with | th’ time | (or) not | (or) few | far advanced | remote | under | autumn (moon |
| Jinnee | (we) would | our | (of) jinn | we clearly | (we) cannot | to play | excellent |
| and fairy | arrive at | clan | (and) genii | perceive | hear | a harp | bright |
| to play | the peach | (we) cannot | come | (the) Ursa | the bell | & chant | just |
| a frolic | fountain | agree | to assemble | Major’s | (and) drum’s | ancient | in proper |
| chess(of safe) | cave | (in) opinion; | a band; | round | sound; | odes’ (delight) | height |
​冬秋夏春 tong chhiu hêy chhun
吟飲賞遊 gîm ím síang iû
白黃綠青 pĕk hông liŏk chheng
雪花荷草 soat hoa hô chhó
詩酒池地 si chíu tî tē
In the spring we ramble about over the meads merrily,
And in summer we admire the ponds of green water lily,
But in autumn, yellow stained wine we drink in our abode,
When winter begins we may jollily chant the white snow ode.
​成莫貧瘦 sêng bŏk pîn sór
龍道窮地 liông tō kiông tē
也蛇發花 iā siâ hoat hoa
未無達開 bī bû tăt khai
知角遲晚 ti kak tí bóan
A meager soil produces late flowers; “slow rises worth by poverty depressed;” but let no man despise the snake which has no horns, for who can say that it may not become a dragon?
​眼惟道僧 gán î tō cheng
前有說言 chiên íu soat gân
無孔蓬佛 bû khóng hông hŭt
日門⿺辶萊子 jĭt bûn lâi chú
不崇在在 put chông chāi chāi
春現海西 chhun hiēn hái se
風事東空 hong sū tong khong
The Bonzes say that Budh resides in western empty plain;
The Tō priests say, that Hong-laî bliss is in the eastern main;
But Confucian sect above adores things present with ease; And before their eyes are not a day without a spring breeze.
​北南西東 pok lâm se tong
閃閃閃閃 síam síam síam síam
猛長雨日 béng tiâng ú jĭt
南流重頭 lâm liû tiông thôr
風水重紅 hong suí tiông hông
Lightning in the East, foretells fine weather; In the West, a continued shower; In the South, prolong’d, drenching rain be more; And in the North, a southern gale will roar.
​子妻官國 chú chhe koan kok
孝賢清正 hàu hiên chheng chèng
父夫民天 hū hu bîn thien
心禍自心 sim hō chū sim
寬少安順 khoan siáu an sūn
Mongst virtuous wife and sons around; The main chance of people be found; And good judges in earn’st employ; The Monarch’s bosom-spring of joy.
Paraphrastic rendering by Mr. James Gray, Professor of Pali, Rangoon College.
The monarch’s glad, his mind at rest, While peace and good will reign; And judges by their upright acts, Can this same peace maintain;
Small is a husband’s surly care, If learned be his wife; And filial sons with loving hearts, Make glad a father’s life.