All wish to return,
   Hoping others will come:
 A clear water ride
 Where strange flowers bud,
   And lime-green parrots fly
   The willows, to and from --
 The mountain folk arrive
   Deep bowls fill with wine...
 To take a life beyond
   And not end in ash,
   But still be of nature;
 Who's up to that task?

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 crude translation of the thirteenth of the twenty-four poems. This poem’s Chinese title is 精神, and it has been translated as: “Essential,” “Animal Spirits,” and “Spirit.”