$PI "The Cold Kiln Ode" Original Text

With a heart content to be at peace, yet often faced with misfortune, one should accept poverty and remain true to one’s duties.
When heaven’s timing is not right, the sun and moon lose their light; when the earth’s timing is off, plants and trees do not grow; when water’s timing is wrong, storms and waves persist; when a person’s timing is unfavorable, good fortune and opportunities cannot be accessed.
Who among the wealthy and noble does not encounter setbacks? If a person does not rely on their roots and birth chart, how can they become a duke or prime minister?
I once lived in Luoyang, seeking food at temples in the morning, staying in a broken kiln at night. My clothes did not cover my body, and my food was barely enough to fill my stomach. People despised and rejected me; they said I was lowly. But it was not because of my inability—it's simply that the timing, luck, and destiny had not yet arrived.