Paragraph 13: Dongfang Shuo (東方朔) (1/4)
In the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, there came a scholar from the Qi (齊) Dukedom. His surname was Dongfang (東方); his given name, Shuo (朔). He was an avid reader of antique works, a devoted savant of classics, and a polymath of all schools of philosophy. In high repute was his erudition. When Dongfang first set foot in the Capital, Chang-An (長安), he paid his visit to the Imperial Post (公車 gong1 jü1) to submit his memorial of political advice. The memorial ran for 3,000 scrolls (奏牘 zou4 du2, scrolls made of wooden splints strung together). The Postmaster had two couriers deliver his memorial; they could barely manage the weight. Emperor Wu started reading Dongfang's memorial in the Palace, and the Emperor marked where he stopped so that he could get back to it. The reading went on for two months. Upon finishing the memorial, the Emperor conferred on Dongfang an office of Lang (郎 lang2), a royal consultant-in-ordinary. Dongfang had often been called upon for his advice, and all meetings delighted the Emperor. Once, he was rewarded with a royal feast to dine with the Emperor. At the end of the feast, he packed home the rest of the meat in his clothes, which were smeared and stained accordingly. Several times, he was rewarded with reels of fine silks, which he never hesitated to carry home, despite the burden of weight. All the time, he spent his rewarded wealth to wive the most attractive women in the Capital. Every year, he divorced one and married another. All his gain of wealth has lost to his whims about women. Among the courtiers, he earned his reputation as the "Madman." When his reputation reached the Emperor, the Emperor said, "If Dongfang had served the court without such a flaw, who among you deserved to work as his peers?" Dongfang recommended his own son for a Lang position. His son assumed the position, went on to serve as a royal messenger, and was often assigned to emissary missions. One day in the palace, a colleague told him, "People call you the Madman." Dongfang replied, "People like me are hermits at the court, unlike the ancient hermits who sought hermitage in the mountains." Still one time at a banquet, drunk under the table, he started singing:
Floating with the flow,
I am a hermit at the Gold Horse Gate.
The Palace is my shelter.
Why in the mountains seek another?
Why a shanty alone should a hermit harbor?
The Gold Horse Gate referred to buildings of high offices. Statues of brass horses were positioned at the gates, hence the synecdoche.
*武帝時，齊人有東方生名朔，以好(hao4)古傳(zhuan4)書，愛經術，多所博觀外家之語。朔初入長安，至公車(jü1)上書，凡用三千奏牘。公車令兩人共持舉其書，僅然能勝(shen1)之。人主從上方讀之，止，輒乙其處，讀之二月乃盡。詔拜以為郎，常在側侍中。數召至前談語，人主未嘗不說(yue4)也。時詔賜之食於前。飯已，盡懷其餘肉持去，衣盡汙。數賜縑(jian1)帛，檐揭(dan4 ye1)而去。徒用所賜錢帛，取少婦於長安中好(hao3)女。率(shuo4)取婦一歲所者即棄去，更(geng1)取婦。所賜錢財盡索之於女子。人主左右諸郎半呼之「狂人」。人主聞之，曰：「令朔在事無為是行(xing2)者，若等安能及之哉！」朔任其子為郎，又為(wei2)侍謁(shi4 ye4)者，常持節出使。朔行殿中，郎謂之曰：「人皆以先生為狂。」朔曰：「如朔等，所謂避世於朝廷間者也。古之人，乃避世於深山中。」時坐席中，酒酣，據地歌曰：「陸沈於俗，避世金馬門。宮殿中可以避世全身，何必深山之中，蒿(hao1)廬之下！」金馬門者，宦者署門也，門傍有銅馬，故謂之曰「金馬門」。
**The original paragraph in Chinese is taken from: Sima Qian. Ed. Han Zhaoqi. New Translation Shiji. vol.VIII. Taipei: Sanmin, 2008. 4958-4959. (司馬遷. 韓兆琦 注譯. 新譯史記, 第八冊. 臺北市：三民, 2008. 4941頁. ISBN: 978-95-14-5001-8). All translation is based upon the text, annotations, and the Modern Chinese translation thereof (4958-4959, 4961-4962, 4965-4966).
***All English translation is mine.
