Part 10 (1/2)

_A Lowly Flower_

BY BAY SIE T'IAO

T'ANG DYNASTY

A flowering gra.s.s I rise From the side of a far-spread lake, Whose waters lave and fertilize, And all my thirsty tissues slake.

The dews of Spring with gentle power Evolve my glossy emerald leaves; The colours of my fragrant flower The rime of early Autumn weaves.

And yet in trembling fear I grow, Lest root and stem should be uptorn By sudden storm or rus.h.i.+ng flow, And leave me helpless and forlorn.

So here contented will I lie, Although a plant of humble birth; Nor try to soar to realms on high Above the confines of the earth.

For never yet has living soul By strength or wisdom changed his fate; All things are under heaven's control, Who allocates to each his state.

_On returning to a Country Life_

BY TAO TSIEN

My youth was spent amidst the simple charms Of country scenes--secure from worldly din, And then, alas! I fell into the net Of public life, and struggled long therein.

The captive bird laments its forest home; The fish in tanks think of the sea's broad strands; And I oft longed, amidst official cares, To till a settler's plot in sunny lands.

And now I have my plot of fifteen 'mow',[42]

With house thereon of rustic build and thatch; The elm and willow cast a grateful shade, While plum-and peach-trees fill the entrance patch.

Away from busy towns and dusty marts, The dog barks in the silent country lane; While chickens cluck among the mulberry-trees, And life is healthy and the mind is sane.

Here in my house--with room for friend or two, On my own farm--won from the barren plain, Escaped from cares of office and routine, I live a free and natural life again.

[42] A Chinese acre, a measure of land equal to about one-fifth of an English acre.

_The Brevity of Life_

POET UNKNOWN: HAN DYNASTY, OR EARLIER

Our years on earth are brief, But few a hundred win; A thousand years of grief Are packed therein.

The day quick takes its flight, The dark is sad and long; Then let us cheer the night With feast and song.

The n.i.g.g.ard thinks it wise To save and live by rule; But sages may arise To call him fool!