Scorn not the Sonnet; Critic, you have frowned, Mindless of its just honours; with this key Shakespeare unlocked his heart; the melody Of this small lute gave ease to Petrarch's wound; A thousand times this pipe did Tasso sound; With it Camöens soothed an exile's grief; The Sonnet glittered a gay myrtle leaf Amid the cypress with which Dante crowned His visionary brow: a glow-worm lamp, It cheered mild Spenser, called from Faery-land To struggle through dark ways, and, when a damp Fell round the path of Milton, in his hand The thing became a trumpet; whence he blew Soul-animating strains -- alas, too few!
Adrift on West Lake in a wine-laden, colorful skiff: As flutes play fast and lutes, deftly And a jade cup circuits swiftly, The boat's calm rocking lulls the drunk into sleep.
Thin clouds seem to float right under the rudderless boat. The water's blue matches the sky's, As lake to sky and back move eyes, "Do the clouds above match those that in the water float?"
Like water spilling over rocks? Like a bead's roll across the floor? Cliches, they fail to tell the story, As no doll shows life's splendor. But the Earth' unsupported spin through space, As the heaven's pivot and sprawl for more... If you could find how it all began, You'd see it'll be as it was before. The high and bright realm of the gods Returns to nothing and nevermore. And if you lived ten-thousand years, You might find yourself in days of yore.
NOTE: The late Tang Dynasty poet, Sikong Tu (a.k.a. Ssŭ-k‘ung T‘u,) wrote an ars poetica entitled Twenty-Four Styles of Poetry. It presents twenty-four poems that are each in a different tone, reflecting varied concepts from Taoist philosophy and aesthetics. Above is a translation of the twenty-fourth of the twenty-four poems. This poem has been alternately titled “The Flowing Style,” “Fluid,” “Motion,” etc. by varied translators from its Chinese title of 流动.
Tiger Riding for Beginners 