Fu Ge Song (Ode to Fu Ge) 郙閣頌. The full name is Li Xi Xi Li Bridge Fu Ge Song 李翕析里橋郙閣頌. The stele is 171 cm in height, 126 cm in width, characters in 19 columns and each column holds 27 characters. The stele was made in 172 CE.  It was erected in the west bank of Jialing River 嘉陵江, Lueyang County 略陽縣, Shannxi Province 陝西縣. The place was formerly called Xili (析里).

 

As the stele has been severely corroded, most of the characters are blurry and some characters have been missing.

Xili (析里) was a town located to the west of the Han River (漢水). The currents here were fast and the roads were always flooded especially during the autumn rainy seasons. Water surged and the turbulent waves blocked the roads. Xili (析里) was situated between two provinces Liangzhou (凉州) and Yizhou (益州). Travellers had to pass through Xili to go to the state capital (州府) to pay taxes or to do other businesses. Their trips are hazardous.

The road (or more precisely the passage way) called Fu Ge (郙閣) was the most hazardous. The roads were made up of old plank passage ways, as high as 300 metres above the river, carved along the steep cliffs. Bridges were supported by as many as 10,000 pillars. Some parts of the precipitous plank road were so narrow that carriages with their horses could hardly pass through. Travelers needed to get off the carriages and walk cautiously to avoid falling down to the water below. The roads were always congested with carriages as many as a few thousand. Accidents did happen, carriages together with the goods fell into the river causing the loss of lives and commodities. The situation was tragic and painful.

At that time, the prefect of Wudu County (武都郡太守), Li Xi (李翕) took office in 170 AD. He was dedicated to the welfare of the people and he looked after the poor and the needy. He ordered Chou Shen(仇審) to upgrade the hazardous roads to make them safe and stable. He also built the Xili (析里) Bridge which was a meticulous project involving precise craftsmanship. Prefect Li Xi also ordered to abandon the old, dangerous, plank road with thick canopy that passed through the Sanguan (散關) and to open up a new road which was dry, flat, paved and without covered with thick canopy.

Before Prefect Li arrived as the administrator, life was hard because the land was hilly, barren and not fertile. Moreover, the town was often invaded by foreigners and people lost their properties. People have been displaced and many people lived in poverty. Prefect Li Xi looked after the welfare of the people. Under his good and effective administration, the standard of living of the citizen has greatly been improved. The treasury of the country was full, and the people rejoiced and enjoyed peace and prosperity.

 

惟斯析里，處漢之右。溪源漂疾，橫柱於道。涉秋霖漉，盆溢滔湧。濤波滂沛，激揚絕道。漢水逆讓，稽滯商旅。路當二州，經用䘢沮。沮縣士民，或給州府。休謁往還，恒失日晷。行理咨嗟，郡縣所苦。斯谿既然，郙閣尤甚，緣崖鑿石，處隱定柱。臨深長淵，三百餘丈。接木相連，號為萬柱。過者慄傈，載乘為下。常車迎布，歲數千兩，遭遇隤納，人物俱隋。沈沒洪淵，酷烈為禍。自古迄今，莫不創楚。於是大守漢陽阿陽李君諱翕字伯都，以建寧三年二月辛巳到官，思惟惠利，有以綏濟。聞此為難，其日久矣。嘉念高帝之開石門，元功不朽。乃俾衡官掾下辨仇審，改解危殆，即便求隱。析里大橋，於今乃造。挍致攻堅，□□工巧。雖昔魯班，亦其儗象。又醳散關之嶃漯，從朝陽之平燥。減西□□高閣，就安寧之石道。禹導江河，以靖四海。經記厥續，艾康萬里。臣□□□，勒石示後，乃作頌曰：□□□□，降茲惠君。克明俊德，允武允文。躬儉尚約，化流若神。愛氓如□，□□平均。精通皓穹，三納苻銀。所歷垂勳，香風有鄰。仍致瑞應，豊稔□□，□□□樂，行人夷欣。慕君靡已，乃詠新詩：□□□□兮，坤兌之間。高山崔㠕兮，水流蕩蕩。地既瘠确兮，與寇為鄰。□□□□□兮，□以析分。或失緒業兮，至於困貧。危危累卵兮，聖朝閔憐。□艾究□兮，幼□□□。□□救傾兮，全育□遺。劬勞日稷兮，惟惠勤勤。黃邵朱龔兮，蓋不□□。□□充贏兮百姓歡欣，僉曰太平兮，文翁復存。

 

Scholars added characters to the gaps. The characters in orange are the suggested missing characters.

惟斯析里，處漢之右。溪源漂疾，橫柱於道。涉秋霖漉，盆溢滔湧。濤波滂沛，激揚絕道。漢水逆讓，稽滯商旅。路當二州，經用䘢沮。沮縣士民，或給州府。休謁往還，恒失日晷。行理咨嗟，郡縣所苦。斯谿既然，郙閣尤甚，緣崖鑿石，處隱定柱。臨深長淵，三百餘丈。接木相連，號為萬柱。過者慄傈，載乘為下。常車迎布，歲數千兩，遭遇隤納，人物俱隋。沈沒洪淵，酷烈為禍。自古迄今，莫不創楚。於是大守漢陽阿陽李君諱翕字伯都，以建寧三年二月辛巳到官，思惟惠利，有以綏濟。聞此為難，其日久矣。嘉念高帝之開石門，元功不朽。乃俾衡官掾下辨仇審，改解危殆，即便求隱。析里大橋，於今乃造。挍致攻堅，□□窮極工巧。雖昔魯班，亦其儗象。又醳散關之嶃漯，從朝陽之平燥。減西□□狹之高閣，就安寧之石道。禹導江河，以靖四海。經記厥續，艾康萬里。臣□□□功，勒石示後，乃作頌曰：□□□□嵩嵩維岍，降茲惠君。克明俊德，允武允文。躬儉尚約，化流若神。愛氓如□子，□□布政平均。精通皓穹，三納苻銀。所歷垂勳，香風有鄰。仍致瑞應，豊稔□□洊臻，□□□民安以樂，行人夷欣。慕君靡已，乃詠新詩：□□□□惟斯析里兮，坤兌之間。高山崔㠕兮，水流蕩蕩。地既瘠确兮，與寇為鄰。□□□□□民不聊生兮，□東/遂以析分。或失緒業兮，至於困貧。危危累卵兮，聖朝閔憐。□髦艾究□兮，幼□弱□□。□□振敝救傾兮，全育□孑遺。劬勞日稷兮，惟惠勤勤。黃邵朱龔兮，蓋不□□遠人。□□倉庾充贏兮百姓歡欣，僉曰太平兮，文翁復存。

 

The following is from Feng Yunpeng & Feng Yunxuan’s Jin Shi Suo 馮雲鵬(晏海)、馮雲鹓(集軒) 金石索 

 

The ‘Ode to Shimen’石門頌, ‘Ode to Xi Xia’西狹頌 and ‘Ode to Fu Ge’郙閣頌 are known as the ‘Three Odes’ of Han Dynasty calligraphy. Both Ode to Xi Xia and ‘Ode to Fu Ge’ praised the administration and construction of roads and bridge of Prefect Li Xi. The original stone inscriptions of Fu Ge Song has been badly eroded and many characters were  lost. The characters are quaint (古樸) and the style is plain (簡樸) and unrefined (粗糙). At the first glance, people may not like the style, but over time, people would appreciate its uniqueness and aesthetic values.

The following is my copy of the Fu Ge Song. Some missing characters have also been added to the best of my knowledge. Each of those characters in small red regular scripts are enclosed by a square □ . Those substitute characters may be far from perfect, but I will keep trying to improve and update those missing characters.

The following is a glossary of the characters according to their radicals (部首)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank Mr Jerry Li for his invaluable advice and his kind support and encouragement.

 

Bibliography

https://baike.baidu.hk/item/%E9%83%99%E9%96%A3%E9%A0%8C/5820575

http://collection.sina.com.cn/jczs/20140507/0908151052.shtml

https://www.sohu.com/a/251068379_183308

馮雲鵬(晏海)、馮雲鹓(集軒) 金石索 

黃公渚 (1966) 兩漢金石文選評注 香港太平書局

俞丰 (2009) 經典碑帖釋文譯注, 上海書畫出版社 , ISBN 978-7-80725-846-9

Ouyang Z S, W C Fong, Y F Wang (2008) Chinese Calligraphy, Yale University, ISBN 978-0-300-12107-0