Change

Reading your two quatrains of mourning the deceased friend, I compose this short poem to express my sadness with no end. In vain I sigh over the diminishing of our friends in this world, To the anthology more and more funeral orations are added. New leaves in the wood urge the old ones to fall downward, Back waves in the river always push the front waves forward. Since ancient times, law of old and new remains unchanged, What we can do is to shed tears for our good friends departed. (Tran.)