Matching Deputy Censor Cui, Wei Tuo

Around 795, Cui Zixiang was assigned to the southern regions. Ascending Yuewang Terrace, it affected him that the grave there was neglected and decayed, and he inscribed a poem sighing in sorrow. Provincial Governor Xu Shen read his poem, and undertook its renovation. When Zixiang died, his son Wěi wandered about the south. He once accidentally lost his footing and fell down a shaft, and from there entered the burial chamber of Wèi Tuo. Tuo matched his father’s poem and presented him a “precious pearl” by marrying Lady Tian off to him. As a result, after he left the hole, he sent for the lady to come to him, and married the surprised Tian Heng. They used Tuo’s place for burials.

A thousand years the lonely terrace crumbled by the road.
It wholly vexed the governor, repeated cleaning and painting.
I think that you might wonder, what’s the point of wiping it off?
I now present to you a beautiful wife and brilliant pearl.

和崔侍御
作者：尉佗
〈贞元中，有崔子向者，从事南海。登越王台，感其墓荒颓，题诗感慨。刺史徐绅读其诗，为之修葺。子向卒，子炜流落南中，偶失足坠井，从中行入尉佗墓室。佗和其父诗，赠之宝珠，以田夫人嫁之。后出穴，果送夫人至，盖田横女。佗所用为殉者也。〉
千岁荒台隳路隅，
一烦太守重椒涂。
感君拂拭意何极，
赠尔美妇与明珠。

Because the tropics are just filled with tombs you can stumble into and find treasure—I knew Indiana Jones uses old tropes, but not that they’re this old. You “match” someone’s poem (sometimes translated “harmonize” with it) by replying to it, typically using the same rhyme words. Yuewang (“Yue king”) Terrace is in Guangzhou, Guangdong. Tone marks are added to clarify that Wěi the son (炜) and Wèi the ghost (尉) have different names; I’ll make this standard practice for similar situations in the future. Lady Tian Heng is presumably Wèi Tuo’s widowed daughter, given the different surname.

—L.