Classic Poem

Substance Speaks to Shadow

Heaven and Earth
endure and do not perish;
Mountains and rivers
do not change with time.
Grasses and trees partake
in this constant principle,
Although the frost and dew
cause them to wilt or flourish
Of all things Man, they say,
is most intelligent and wise,
And yet he alone
is not like them in this
Appearing by chance
he comes into this world,
And suddenly is gone
never to return
How is one to feel
the lack of such a one
When even friends and kinfolk
scarcely think of him?
Only that the things
he used in life are left —
Coming across them
may make us shed a tear
I have no art
to soar and be transfigured;
That it must be so
I cannot ever question
I only beg that you
will agree with what I say
And when we can get wine
never perversely refuse it!
Shadow Replies to Substance

I cannot tell you
how to preserve life,
And have always been inept
in the art of guarding it
Yet truly I desire
to roam on Kun and Hua
But they are far away
and the road to them is lost.
Ever since I met you
and have been with you
I have known no other
sorrows and joys but yours
Though I seemed to leave you
when you rested in the shade,
I never really left you
until the day was done
But this association
cannot last forever;
Mysteriously at last
we shall vanish in the darkness
After our death —
that our name should also perish
At the mere thought of this
the Five Passions seethe within me
Should we not labor
and strive with all our might
To do good in such a way
that men will love us for it?
Wine, as they say,
may dissipate our grief,
But how could it ever
be compared to fame?
Spirit Resolves the Argument

The Great Balance
has no personal power,
And its myriad veins
interlace of themselves
That Man has his place
among the Three Forces,
This is certainly
due to my presence with you
And although I am
different from you both,
At birth I am added
and joined together with you
Bound and committed
to sharing good and evil
How can we avoid
mutual exchange?
The Three Emperors
were the Primal Sages
Now, after all,
whither are they gone?
And though Grandfather Peng
achieved longevity
Yet he too had to go
when he still wished to stay.
Old and young
all suffer the same death,
The wise and the foolish —
uncounted multitudes.
Getting drunk daily
one may perhaps forget
But is not wine a thing
that shortens one's life?
And in doing good
you may always find pleasure
But no one is obliged
to give you praise for it.
Dwelling on such things
wounds my very life
The right thing to do
is to leave things to Fate,
Let go and float along
on the great flux of things,
Not overjoyed
but also not afraid.
When it is time to go
then we should simply go
There is nothing, after all,
that we can do about it.