In ancient times, people were poor and could not support themselves. They carried the classics with them while hoeing, or recited the books while hauling firewood. Today, people eat plenty, dress warmly, and have abundant free time. This is the first lament.

In ancient times, people did not feel it too far to come from a thousand li carrying their books on their back, looking for a teacher. Today, people have worthy fathers and elder brothers to teach them and yet they do not listen to those. Or they have a worthy teacher in the village and yet they do not know of his vicinity. This is the second lament.

In ancient times, people copied manuscripts themselves, day into the night, and were constantly suffering from the lack books. Today, people have ready-made printed books and they store ten thousand fascicles piled up without ever reading them. This is the third lament.

In ancient times, people spent three years learning a single classic. They were thirty by the time they've established themselves in the five classics. Since they were children, their only goal was to study. Today, people have books at early age but don't read them. Meanwhile, the days and months are flashing by. This is the fourth lament.

In ancient times, people read by gathering fireflies or under the light reflected from snow. Today, people can open up their scrolls near the light of the lantern, but they just happily engage themselves in pointless talk, and amuse themselves by playing chess. This is the fifth lament.

There have been people who could not see the sun and the moon, who could not hear the sound of thunder. Students of our age are have clear eyesight and acute hearing, they all receive the instructions of wisdom. Yet, because they do not study, they know not where they going and they disregard proper conduct and the rituals. Truly, they are nearly the same as being deaf and blind. This is the sixth lament.

When a man has a body, he has a register, when he has a register, he has duties. The students of our age have their parents to work for them or because of their family's long-standing merits are exempt from service. They have books but do not read them, being the same as the people outside the gates and on the fields. This is the seventh lament.

People used to suffer because of their heritage, never hearing the sayings of the Book of Poetry and the Books of Rites, they either became farmers and gardeners or artisans and merchants. Today, people are born into Confucianist families and start to carry on their father's profession from an early age. They have books but do not read them, they simply continue their ancestors' venture. This is how far they go before they crash. This is the eighth lament.

People used to suffer because there was no place they could retreat to and cultivate themselves. Today there are academies and local schools where they can pursue teachers. So they put on the Confucianist tall hat and wide clothes and parade around happily calling themselves "scholars". But in reality, they do not know a single classic, cannot compose a single poem; they are a disgrace to the sages of the past. This is the ninth lament.

There used to be the great ties between the lord and his minister, between the father and his son, there used to be the great conducts of loyalty and filial piety, of benevolence and propriety. The students of our age do not study and practice, so the great ties and the great conducts are used to sweep the floor. Yang Xiong said, "If a man does not study, even though he has no worries but he won't he be like the birds?" This is the tenth lament.

Translated by Imre Galambos