編撰／劉宋 劉義慶（403～444）

文學篇（節錄）

文帝嘗令東阿王七步作詩，不成者行大法。應聲便為詩曰：「煮豆持作羹，漉菽以為汁；萁在釜下燃，豆在釜中泣。本自同根生，相煎何太急！」帝深有慚色。

——選自《世說新語》

Selections from A New Account of the Tales of the World

Edited by Liu Yiqing

(403 - 444, Liu Song Dynasty)

Literature (Excerpt)

English translation: Hsin-Yu Huang

Emperor Wen commanded the Prince of Dong’e to write a poem while he took seven steps. Failure to do so would mean execution. Upon hearing this, the Prince composed the following poem:

Boiling the beans to make soup,

Filtering its pulp for pure juice.

Under the cauldron, its stalks are burnt,

While the beans weep from the cauldron.

Originally grown from the same root,

Why torture the beans so hardly?

The Emperor then felt deeply ashamed.

── from Shishuo Xinyu

(A New Account of the Tales of the World)