Tan: He Fed His Parents Doe's Milk

张文

In the Zhou dynasty lived a man named Tan whose nature was very filial. His parents were old, and both suffered from a malady of the eyes (for the cure of which) they desired to drink deer's milk. Tan therefore (disguised himself in) a deerskin and went to a herd of deer deep in the mountains to obtain deer's milk to give his parents. Some hunters saw him and were about to shoot him, when Tan revealed himself to them to avoid (being shot).

There is a poem which praises him, saying:

His elderly parents want deer's milk;

So he wears a coarse fur garment;

If he had not spoken out loud;

He would have borne back arrows.

鹿乳奉亲

周。郯子。性至孝。父母年老。俱患双目。思食鹿乳。郯子乃衣鹿皮。往深山群鹿之中。取鹿乳供亲。猎者见而欲射之。郯子俱以情告。乃免。有诗为颂。

诗曰:

亲老思鹿乳。

身穿褐毛衣。

若不高声语。

山中带箭归。

张文