Translation:
Living in a remote mountainous place, you can climb high and look far, sit under lush trees all day long, and wash yourself with clear springs for self-purification. The fruits picked from the mountains are sweet and delicious; the fish and shrimp caught from the water are fresh and delicious. There is no regular schedule for work and rest, just stability and comfort.
Rather than being praised in person, it is better than not being slandered behind your back; instead of being enjoyed in the body, it is worse than having no worries in your heart. Not bound by official positions, nor punished by punishment. He neither understands the governance of the country nor inquires about the promotion and demotion of officials. (This is) what a man who is not appreciated by the times does, so I will do such a thing.
Extended information:
The selected text comes from Han Yu's "Preface to Sending Li Yuan Back to Pangu". "Preface to Sending Li Yuan to Return to Pangu" was written by Han Yu, a litterateur in the Tang Dynasty, to his friends. A preface by Li Yuan. Han Yu had not been favored by the imperial court for a long time. He wrote this article when he sent Li Yuan back to Pangu to live in seclusion, to express his resentment and to express his envy of his friend's seclusion life.
Han Yu came to the capital to seek an official position at the age of 18 in the second year of Zhenyuan (786). It was not until the age of 34 in the eighteenth year of Zhenyuan (802) that he was awarded the doctorate of the four disciplines. In the past ten years, his official career has not been smooth. He took the exam four times, and it was not until the eighth year of Zhenyuan that he was promoted to Jinshi. However, he took the erudite and macroci exam of the Ministry of Personnel three times in a row and failed, so he was not awarded an official position.
He was eager to become an official. In the spring of the 11th year of Zhenyuan, he wrote to the prime minister three times in a row, asking for official promotion, but was ignored. He had no choice but to serve in the Bianzhou and Xuzhou shogunates successively, feeling depressed and frustrated. In the seventeenth year of Zhenyuan (801), he went to the capital to seek an official position. Han Yu sought office not only to obtain food and clothing, but more importantly, to realize his ambition to save the world.
This "Preface to Sending Li Yuan Back to Pangu" was written by him after he returned to the capital at the age of 33 in the 17th year of Zhenyuan. At that time, he failed to seek an official position and was depressed and full of complaints. Therefore, this article reveals a sigh of disapproval and a cry of injustice.
Reference material: Baidu Encyclopedia - Preface to the Return of Li Yuan to Pangu