Ah-süen has tried in vain
A little wit to gain;
He shirks the student's stool,
At grammar he's a fool!
Yong-twan is thirteen now,
And yet I do avow
He can't discriminate
The figures six and eight![58]
Tong-tze is only nine,
But clearly does opine
That life, with all its cares,
Consists of nuts and pears.
Alas, that Fate so dour
On me her vials should pour!
What can I do but dine,
And drown my woes in wine!
[58] Implies that he is a thorough dunce.
The Journey Back
BY A POET OF THE HAN DYNASTY
Name unknown[59] (206 b.c. to a.d. 220)
The journey back has now begun,
The Chariot winds along the road—
The road which seems for aye to run
To me with my sad load!