Xixia Song (Ode to Xixia Pathway) 西狹頌 is a cliff engraving of the Eastern Han Dynasty. It was made in 171 CE to commemorate the reconstruction of a plank pathway or road built along the face of a cliff in Chengxian county, Gansu Province (甘肅省成縣城).
The dimensions of the stele is 200 cm x 340 cm. Each character is about 4 cm wide. It recorded the life of Li Xi (李翕), the prefect of Wudu (武都太守) and his outstanding political and administrative achievements. Li ruled the county with benevolence and righteousness (仁義) without imposing strict law and heavy penalties. People enjoyed stability and prosperity. The barns were full.
The hilly county had a main plank pathway of suspended bridges erected along the cliff. The pathway was so narrow that it only allowed a single wagon to pass through. The passengers could not even stop on the pathway. Accidents were common, wagons together with the cargoes fell down from the cliff into the river. Li Xi organised the upgrading of the plank pathway. Rocks were removed, depressions were filled, bends were cut and the pathway was straightened. The plank pathway became much safer and convenient. It brought a lot of benefits to the people. The contributions of Li Xi were recorded on the stele.
The full text of the stele is as follows:
西狹頌 全文
漢武都太守漢陽阿陽李君諱翕，字伯都。天姿明敏，敦詩悅《禮》，膺祿美厚，繼世郎吏，幼而宿衛；弱冠典城，有阿鄭之化。是以三剖符守，致黃龍、嘉禾、木連、甘露之瑞。 動順經古，先之以博愛，陳之以德義，示之以好惡；不肅而成，不嚴而治，朝中惟靜，威儀抑抑，督郵、部職不出府門，政約令行，強不暴寡，知不詐愚，屬縣趨教，無對會之事；徼外來庭，面縛二千餘人；年穀屢登，倉庚惟億，百姓有蓄，粟、麥五錢。 郡西狹中道，危難阻峻，緣崖俾閣，兩山壁立，隆崇造雲，下有不測之溪，阨芒促迫，財容車騎。進不能濟，息不得駐，數有覆霣隧之害，過者創楚，惴惴其栗。 君踐其險，若涉淵冰。嘆曰：「《詩》所謂『如集於木，如臨於谷』。斯其殆哉！困其事則為設備，今不圖之，為患無已。」敕衡官有秩李瑾，掾仇審，因常繇道徒，鐉燒破析，刻芻磪嵬，減高就埤，平夷正曲，柙致士石，堅固廣大，可以夜涉。四方無雍，行人懽悀，民歌德惠，穆如清風，乃刊斯石。 曰：赫赫明后，柔嘉惟則，克長克君，牧守三國；三國清平，詠歌懿德。瑞降豐稔，民以貨稙。威恩並隆，遠人賓服。鐉山浚瀆，路以安直。繼禹之跡，亦世賴福。 建寧四年六月十三日壬寅造。
時府承，右扶風陳倉呂國，字文寶，門下掾，下辨李虔，字子行。故從事議曹掾下辨李旻，字仲齊。故從事，主簿，下辨李遂，字子華。故從事，主簿，上祿石祥，字元祺。五官掾，上祿張亢，字惠叔，故從事，功曹，下辨姜納，字元嗣。故從事，尉曹史，武都王尼，字孔光。衡官、有秩，下辨李瑾，字漢德。書文，下辨道長，廣漢汁邡任詩，字幼起。下辨丞，安定朝那皇甫彥，字子才。
My copy of the text of the stele is as follows.
Next to the stele was a rock engraving of the 5 auspicious symbols.
Bibliography
http://y.qichejiashi.com/tupian/14390912.html
https://xw.qq.com/cmsid/20201020A0A0KT00?f=newdc
http://www.gspst.com/kpxy/kply/content_1545
黃公渚 (1966) 兩漢金石文選評注 香港太平書局
俞丰 (2009) 經典碑帖釋文譯注, 上海書畫出版社 , ISBN 978-7-80725-846-9
Ouyang Z S, W C Fong, Y F Wang (2008) Chinese Calligraphy, Yale University, ISBN 978-0-300-12107-0
Patrick Siu Chinese Calligraphy & Landscape Painting 蕭燿漢談書畫 