The epitaph of Yuan Yan, the governor of Wei Liangzhou

[The epitaph of Yuan Yan, the governor of Wei Liang State]

The epitaph of Yuan Yan, the governor of Wei Liang State, is 65 cm high and 59 cm wide in the Northern Wei Dynasty
In the second year of Yanchang in the Northern Wei Dynasty (513), the epitaph is engraved with 18 lines of 391 characters, in official script. Yuan Yan, with the word Zhixing, is the descendant of Tuoba Jian, Emperor Daowu of the Northern Wei Dynasty, the grandson of Tuoba Jun, Emperor Wencheng, and the eldest son of Tuoba Jian, the posthumous king of Jizhou, the governor of Qi County, Taibao. The biography of the Five Kings of Wencheng in the Book of Wei contains the resume of Tuoba Jian, another son of Tuoba Jian, the governor of Jingzhou, Tuoba You (also known as Bo Shou), but does not contain the deeds of Yuan Yan. The epitaph of Yuan Yan can fill the gaps in historical records. Unearthed in Sanli, northwest of Zhangyang Village, north of Luoyang City, Henan Province
Recorded text: the epitaph of Shaoqing, the late guard of the Emperor Wei Dynasty, the posthumous general Zhenyuan, and the Emperor Yuanjun of Liangzhou. You should refrain from acting, and your words should be wise. The Mu people in Luoyang, Henan Province, Sizhou are also. Yin of Emperor Daowu, the grandson of Emperor Wencheng, and the eldest son of Emperor Shun of Qi County, the governor of Jizhou Prefecture, Taibao. The natural disposition is intelligent and exquisite according to the capacity; The gauge moves smoothly, square and dense; Don’t be disorderly in your words; Although the cloud is far away, it is hidden in the heart; You know how to handle it. It is to step into the Chinese Dynasty early, step into the current politics early, wash the horse after the first removal of the crown prince, and make a noise in the Eastern Dynasty; Turn to worship the general in the middle base, and scatter to ride the chamberlain, and praise the west ban; He sought to confer the rank of the guard, and repeated his loyalty. It can be used to promote virtue in the distance of Jiufu, and the sound is strong and light is strong in the cultivation of the Eight Wastes. Although Jidan has a picture of the wings around it, how good it is to praise the seal script of the Han Dynasty, which is accurate to the ancient and modern times, and despise it. However, the sky does not repay the good, and it is destroyed by the fire. There are five in the spring and autumn, and five in the second year of Yanchang’s life. On the sixth day of the new moon in February, Xinyou Hong was on the throne and presented to the governor of Liangzhou. On the seventh day of the second lunar month of March, Xinyou was buried in the omen of Emperor Xiaowen, the ancestor of Emperor Gaozu in the Western Tombs. Its words say: divide the waves into Hongyuan and inherit Rui Rui Rui Rui Rui Rui Rui Rui Rui Rui Rui Rui Rui; Gouji Tianzong, Shaohuang VII; King Jue Koi, Emperor Jue Zuwei; The powerful and powerful work is a good example of Taoism; All weapons are cut down and all articles are made up; The bandits are virtuous and the bandits are close; The British died alone, and came from the vulgar; We will plant orchid and osmanthus forever; The bright sky does not hang, life and glory will never die; Second, the sun shines with shame, and the stars are dim in the daytime; Clouds and birds are sad; The jade defiles the sad flow, and the good mountain is sour; Think of benevolence at the acupoint, and lose soul and soul; Life can also be redeemed, and people are ruined; There is no name for destroying the fragrant chrysanthemum. Therefore, the carved stone is beautiful, and the fragrance flows from generation to generation. alas!

魏梁州刺史元演墓志拓片