古柏行 by 杜甫

孔明庙前有老柏，柯如青铜根如石。 霜皮溜雨四十围，黛色参天二千尺。 君臣已与时际会，树木犹为人爱惜。 云来气接巫峡长，月出寒通雪山白。 忆昨路绕锦亭东，先主武侯同閟宫。 崔嵬枝干郊原古，窈窕丹青户牖空。 落落盘踞虽得地，冥冥孤高多烈风。 扶持自是神明力，正直原因造化功。 大厦如倾要梁栋，万牛回首丘山重。 不露文章世已惊，未辞翦伐谁能送？ 苦心岂免容蝼蚁，香叶终经宿鸾凤。 志士幽人莫怨嗟：古来材大难为用

Ancient Cypress (literal translation of Du Fu’s poem)

There is an old cypress in front of Kongming Temple, its branches are like bronze and its roots are like stone. The frosty bark is forty feet around, and its dark green color is two thousand feet high. The king and his ministers have met the time, but trees are still cherished by people. The clouds come and the air connects to the long Wu Gorge, and the moon rises and the cold penetrates the white snowy mountains. Recalling the road around Jinting East yesterday, the first lord and Wu Hou were in the palace together. The towering branches are ancient in the suburbs, and the graceful and beautiful windows are empty. Although it has a place to sit, it is lonely and high in the dark. It is the power of the gods to support it, and the uprightness is the work of nature. The building is like a collapsed beam, and the ten thousand cows look back and see the hills and mountains. If you don’t show your writing, the world will be shocked, and who can send you off before you refuse to cut it down? How can you avoid ants with your hard work? The fragrant leaves will eventually stay with phoenixes. Don’t complain, men of ambition and hermits: since ancient times, it has been difficult to make use of great talents.