Dong Chuan Tom Sharp

You learned more than the old scholar could teach you by having you sacrifice leaves of wood gourd for him. Instead, you filled your heart with poems and art. Everyone else who excelled at his exams was chosen by a minister to marry his daughter but you couldn’t afford a silk robe or a horse. You should be proud before the whole world. Your worth is from the understanding inside you, not from a royal appointment or high title.

和董传留别 苏轼

粗缯大布裹生涯，腹有诗书气自华。 厌伴老儒烹瓠叶，强随举子踏槐花。 囊空不办寻春马，眼乱行看择婿车。 得意犹堪夸世俗，诏黄新湿字如鸦。