Tomb of Three Persons

　　The Tomb of Three Persons is situated on the mountainside of Wugongpo in Shang Village, Gubao Township, Xiuwen County, 12 kilometers from the county seat. The ancient post road from Longchang Post (established by Lady She Xiang) to Liuguang Post passes by the tomb. The burial mound is constructed of block stones, with an earthen mound 1.6 meters high and 3 meters in diameter. Wugongpo is majestic and steep, covered with ancient trees and thick brambles. Wang Yangming once composed the famous verse here: “Peaks connect to the sky where birds cannot fly; Wanderers long for home yet know not east from west. Though lost in direction, the sky remains the same; In distant lands, we’re all encircled by the sea.”

　　In the autumn of 1509 during the Ming Dynasty’s Zhengde era, an official, his son, and a servant traveled from the capital to take up a post in the south. When they reached Longchang (now the county seat of Xiuwen), continuous drizzle and approaching dusk led them to seek lodging at a local Miao family's home. The next morning, Wang Yangming intended to inquire about news from the capital, but the three had already left their lodging and continued on their journey.

　　Due to the long and arduous journey, exposure to wind, rain, hunger, thirst, exhaustion, and physical fatigue—coupled with miasmic illnesses—the official died at the foot of Wugongpo by noon. By evening that day and again the following morning, his son and servant also died on Wugongpo. Upon hearing this, Wang Yangming, moved by compassion at the thought of the three exposed corpses left unburied, took two young attendants with baskets and shovels, personally went to Wugongpo, buried the three bodies, and wrote the “Eulogy for the Burial of the Travelers” in their honor. The text expresses deep sympathy for the deceased master and servants who perished by the roadside, as well as profound lamentation over his own fate. However, Wang Yangming believed that one should live righteously, fearlessly, and without selfishness. Life should not be spent chasing wealth and status, nor lost for material gain. No matter the hardships faced, one must not be disheartened or discouraged, but strive to maintain self-reliance and integrity. The “Eulogy for the Burial of the Travelers” is written in poignant, sorrowful, and deeply moving language, stirring deep emotions and bringing tears to readers. The essay is simple yet profound, widely celebrated, and deeply touching. It has been included by earlier scholars as a famous piece of classical prose in the “Guwen Guanzhi” (Models of Ancient Prose), and together with Li Hua’s “Lament for the Ancient Battlefield” and Han Yu’s “Eulogy for Twelve Lang,” it is hailed as one of the “Three Masterpieces of Memorial Texts,” widely recited through the ages.

　　In the eighth year of the Qing Qianlong era (1743), Sun E, a Tongpan official from Shandong, came to Xiuwen on official business and, together with Wang Kenggu, the magistrate of Xiuwen, went to Wugongpo to search for the tomb of the three persons. Due to years of neglect, the tomb was overgrown with wild grass, and many locals did not know where the Tomb of Three Persons mentioned in the “Eulogy for the Burial of the Travelers” was. Eventually, they found a 70-year-old elder who led them to the site. They saw the tomb and its surroundings covered with wild vines and grass, almost unrecognizable, which moved them to sadness. They thus donated funds to repair the tomb and, in the spring of the tenth year of Qianlong (1745), composed a poem and inscribed a stele erected at the head of the tomb. The inscription reads:

　　In the autumn of Guihai, while on official duty with Magistrate Wang, I passed Wugongpo and inquired about the tomb of the three persons. The locals knew nothing of it. An elderly scholar, seventy years of age, leaning on a cane and parting vines, guided us to the tomb. There, amidst wild mist and overgrown grass, it was barely recognizable. I mourned there for a long time, overwhelmed with sorrow. Thus, together with the magistrate, we planned to donate money to rebuild the tomb and erect a stele, and I composed a quatrain so that future mourners would have a point of reference. If the three souls are aware, may they recite my poem amid green maples and setting sun.

　　Donglu (Eastern Lu)

　　Sun E

　　A master and servant brought a boy to this malarial land,

　　Sadly buried together in the same clouded earth on the same day.

　　History has lost the names of the three,

　　But the post road still keeps a one-foot grave.

　　At dusk, spirits cry among green maples;

　　White grass binds bones in perpetual gloom.

　　Deep sorrow below Wugongpo knows no bounds,