Fir-flower tables; poems translated from the Chinese by Florence Ayscough English versions by Amy Lowell

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 edition. Excerpt: ...river Hsin An? For a thousand times eight feet one can see its bright bed, The white sand keeps the colour of the moon. The dark green bamboos accentuate the Autumn sounds. Really one cannot help laughing to think that, until now, the rapid current celebrated by Yen Has usurped all the fame. DRINKING SONG BY LI T'AI-PO Do you not see the waters of the Yellow River coming down from Heaven? They rush with incredible speed to the sea, and they never turn and come back again. Do you not see, in the clear mirror of the Guest Hall, the miserable white hair on my head? At dawn it is like shining thread, but at sunset it is snow. In this life, to be perfectly happy, one must drain one's pleasures; The golden wine-cup must not stand empty opposite the moon. Heaven put us here, we must use what we have. Scatter a thousand ounces of silver and you are but where you were. Boil the sheep, Kill the ox, 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...