Li Ho

790–816 / China

That The Days Are So Short

Flying lights, flying lights,
I pledge you a cup of wine.
I do not know if the blue heavens are high,
The yellow earth is rich,
I only see cold moon, hot sun,
Both come to plague us.
Eat bears and you'll grow fat,
Eat frogs and you'll grow thin.
Where is the Spirit Lady?
Where the Great Unity?

East of the sky stands the Jo tree,
Under it a dragon with a torch in its mouth.
I'll cut off the dragon's feet,
And eat the dragon's flesh.
Ther morning will not come back again,
Night will not stay.
So old men will not die,
Nor young men weep.
Why should we swallow yellow gold,
Or eat white jade?

Who is Ren Gong-zi
Riding a white donkey through the clouds?++
Liu Che lies in the Mao-ling tomb,
Just a pile of bones.
Ying Zheng lies in his catalpa coffin -
What a waste of abalone.
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