(_A Chinese Poem._)
I make a bow; and then
I seize my brush (or pen)
And paint in hues enamel-bright
Scenes of Cathay for your delight.
Two buzzards by a stream,
So still that they might seem
Part of a carving wrought in bone
To decorate a royal throne.
Two lovers by a mill,
A picture sweeter still:
Will Chen-ki-Tong in this pursuit
Evade Pa-pa's avenging boot?
Lotus and mirror-lake
Æsthetic contact make;
No interfering dragon wags
His tail across their travelling bags.
Blue terraces of jade;
Sherbet and lemonade
Regale the overloaded guests;
They loose the buttons on their chests.
Birds'-nests and shark-fin soup:
I join the festive group;
My simple spirit merely begs
A brace of fifteenth-century eggs.
Pa-pa with heavy whip
Waits near the laden ship.
The cloud that hides the ivory moon
Is singularly opportune.
Clamour of gilded gongs
And shout of wedding songs.
I do not fail to notice that
The ophicleides are playing flat.
Peacock and palanquin,
Lacquered without, within.
This is the jasmine-scented bride
Resting her fairy toes inside.
Joss-sticks and incense sweet.
The perfume of her feet
Creates around her paradise.
I also find it rather nice.
A Chinese tale, you know,
Works upward from below.
The sense of mine is none the worse
If taken backward, verse by verse.
* * * * *
"Frederick ----, 14, was summoned for failing to display a white front
light on a bicycle and pleaded guilty.