敦煌 醉後失禮謝書 Dunhuang Drunk Apology Letter Translation

This is a close translation and annotation of a text from 敦煌 (Dūnhuáng). The text is a standard form letter for apologising for being too drunk, and has been featured in Letters of Note. It was written in the year 856 AD, during the Tang dynasty.

醉後失禮謝書 Zùi Hòu Shī Lǐ Xiè Shū [drunk] [after] [lose] [propriety] [apology] [letter] Apology Letter After Drunken Impropriety

昨日多飲， Zuó rì duō yǐn, [yesterday] [day] [excess] [drink] Yesterday, I drank to excess;

醉甚過度。 zùi shén guò dù. [drunk] [extreme] [pass] [degree] I was drunk to an extreme that passed all limits.

麁踈言詞， Cū sú yán cí, [coarse] [negligent] [language] [words] My coarse and careless language —

都不醒覺。 dōu bù xǐng jué. [all] [not] [wake] [conscious] none was from a state of consciousness.

朝來見諸人說， Zhāo lái jiàn zhū rén shuō, [morning] [come] [hear] [several] [person] [speak] Morning arrived and I heard several people speak of it;

方知其由。 fāng zhī qí yóu. [realize then][] [its] [cause] I realised then what had happened. 方知.

無地容身， Wú dì róng shēn, [not have] [earth] [absorb] [body] There was no earth into which my body could sink;

慙悚尤積。 cán sǒng yóu jī. [ashamed] [afraid] [especially] [accumulate] my shame and horror compounded.

本緣小器， Běn yuán xiǎo qì, [root] [cause] [small] [receptacle] The root cause was this small receptacle

到次滿盈。 dào cì mǎn yíng. [arrive] [time] [full] [fill] many times being filled.

深及之伏望 Shēn jí zhī fú wàng [deep] [extreme] ['s] [submit] [hope] I make the deepest submission of my hope 伏望

仁明不賜罪責。 rén míng bù cì zùi zé. [benevolence][] [not] [confer] [guilt] [blame] for your benevolence in not condemning me. 仁明

續當面謝， Xù dāng miàn xiè, [continue] [bear] [face] [apologise] Next I will apologise face-to-face,

先狀諮申。 xiān zhuàng zī shēn. [first] [state] [consult] [state to superior] but first I make this written submission.

伏惟鑑察， Fú wéi jiàn chá, [crouch] [but] [scrutiny] [examine] I prostrate myself for judgement. 伏惟

不宣， Bù xuān, [not] [declare] Without further declaration,

謹狀。 jǐn zhuàng. [respect] [state] respectfully yours.