Changduan Ju (Uneven Verses) (Fragment) By Chen Wangting
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I pay my grain taxes early
and never leave debts uncleared.
I have no use for pride and flattery.
t'is easy to yield and tolerate.
People call me silly
or think me crazy;
the words only cleanse my ears.
I pay no heed to officialdom.
Lo! the high officials in noble regalia
always worried and fearful
not to wrong their superiors.
How can it compare
with the peace and comfort in my heart.
I covet neither fame nor fortune,
or worldly affairs.
I've seen the ploys and intriques,
I imbibe the mountains and the streams,
happy and carefree as a fish in water,
worry not of rise in fortune
nor of fall in misfortune,
but only of peace and health.
I live a plain and simple life
envying not and resenting none,
I avoid the vagueries of ups and downs
and care not who wins and loses
If this is not how immortals live
then what is an immortal? -- Chen Wangting (1600-1680)