貧交行 杜甫

貧交行        杜甫 (712-770)

翻手作雲覆手雨，

紛紛輕薄何須數？
君不見管鮑貧時交，

此道今人棄如土。

A Ballad on Friends Made in Abject Poverty   Du Fu (712-770)

 

When one prospers friends gather around one like clouds,

When he is wretched gathered friends scatter like gusty squall,
Such drastic change takes place amidst a mere turning of one’s palm over,
This sort of friendship is not worth our call,
Bao Shu built his everlasting friendship with Guan Zhong when they were abjectly miserable,
Nowadays this sort of sublime spirit is discarded like mud and soil.