You, Me and Him (1930), by Lev Grosse
Bund, Palace Hotel and Sassoon House. PastVu: https://pastvu.com/p/694935
...Our hero is on Nanking Road,
Where here and there human bunches
Attentive to their stomach’s roar
Devour their breakfasts, drinks and lunches.
Sassoon and Palace, handsome piles,
Rise from the crooked alleys high,
Cast their shadows far and wide,
The greatest mark of humankind.
It is as if the buildings toppled
And outgrew their makers’ minds,
Who in their turn appear thwarted
And flattened by the concrete piles.
Nanking Road in 1925. PastVu: https://pastvu.com/p/679962
[...]
But when he reached the grey Wing-On
With subtle greenish undertone,
A car came to a sudden halt,
A door was opened with a jolt,
And slender legs and sky-blue eyes
Flashed through the crack, to his delight,
He overheard the Russian words,
With an anxiety of sorts:
“Please wait, Tamara, stay a bit,
I only need to get some mitts,
A lightweight jacket and a veil,
Please park the auto nearby,
And I’ll be back without delay.
[...]
Meanwhile, the Greater Shanghai City,
Monotonous and double-faced,
Swelled in its population numbers
And grew in buildings’ size and weight.
...
Translated from Lev Grosse, Ya, Vy i On [You, Me and Him] (1930).