Fir-flower tablets; poems translated from the Chinese

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1921 Excerpt: ... Be merry. We should drink three hundred cups at once. Mr. Wise Gentleman Ts'en, And you, Mr. Scholar Tan Ch'iu, Drink, you must not stop. I will sing one of my poems for you, Please lean over and listen: "Bells! Drums! Delicacies Worth their weight in jade--These things Are of the slightest value. I only want to be drunk For ages and never wake. The sages and worthies of old times Have left not a sound, Only those who drank Have achieved lasting fame. The King of Ch'en, long ago, caroused In the Hall of Peaceful Content. They drank wine paid At a full ten thousand a gallon; They surpassed themselves in mirth, And the telling of obscene stories. How can a host say He has very little money. It is absolutely imperative That he buy wine for his friends. Horses of five colours, dappled flower horses, Fur coats costing A thousand ounces of silver--He sends his son to exchange All these for delectable wine, So that you and I together May drown our ancient grief." ANSWER TO AN AFFECTIONATE INVITATION FROM TS'UI FIFTEEN BY LI T'AI-PO You have the "bird's foot-print" characters. You suggest that we drink together at the Lute Stream. The characters you wrote are in the centre of a foot of pure white silk, They are like exquisite clouds dropped from Heaven. Having finished reading, I smile at the empty air, I feel as though my friend were before me Reciting verses for a long time. The characters are not faded. I shall keep them in my sleeve, and they should last three years. PARROT ISLAND BY LI T'AI-PO The parrots come, they cross the river waters of Wu. The island in the river is called Parrot Island. The parrots are flying West to the Dragon Mountain. There are sweet grasses on the island, and how green, green, are its trees! The mists part and o...