Classic Poem

A Question to " Old Man Rush Basket "

" Pardon my asking, white-haired old man,
but why are you named " Rush Basket"?
How old are you and where do you live?
Please tell me why you are lame and bent over. "

A Reply Composed in Place of the Old Man

" My name " Rush Basket" comes from my craft.
Fully sixty years old, I live east of the mountain.
I suffered festering boils that crippled my legs
I do not remember the year, but I was just a little boy. "

Another Question

" Come, let me ask, do you have further difficulties?
The infirmities of old age are the result of long life,
but selling baskets in the village must bring a poor reward.
Surely you cannot have avoided hunger and cold. "

Another Answer

" I have two daughters, three sons, and one old wife.
In or out of my thatched hut, their voices join in complaint.
But this morning we are comforted by your kind inquiry. "
As he left, leaning on a staff, I granted him a measure of rice.