A Glimpse of China
I.
IN A SAMPAN .
Up in the misty morning,
Up past the gardened hills,
With the rhythmic stroke of the rowers,
While the blue deep pales and thrills!
Past the rice-fields green low-lying,
Where the sea-gull's winging down
From the fleets of junks and sampans
And the ancient Chinese Town!
II.
IN A CHAIR.
From the bright and blinding sunshine,
From the whirling locust's song,
Into the dark and narrow fissures
Of the streets I am borne along.
Here and there dusky-beaming
A sun-shaft broadens and drops
On the brown bare crowd slow-passing,
The crowd of the open shops
We move on over the bridges
With their straight-hewn blocks of stone,
And their quaint grey animal figures,
And the booths the hucksters own.
Behind a linen awning
Sits an ancient wight half-dead,
And a little dear of a girl is
Examining — his head.
On a bended bamboo shouldered,
Bearing a block of stone,
Two worn-out Coolies half-naked
Utter their grunting groan.
Children, almond-eyed beauties,
Impossibly mangy curs,
Take part in the motley stream of
Insouciant passengers
This is the Dream, the Vision
That comes to me and greets —
The Vision of R etribution
In the labyrinthine streets.
III.
" Caste . "
These Chinese toil, and yet they do not starve,
And they obey, and yet they are not slaves.
It is the " free-born " fuddled Englishmen
Who grovel rotting in their living graves
These Chinese do not fawn with servile lips;
They lift up equal eyes that ask and scan,
Their degradation has escaped at least
That choicest curse of all — the Gentleman!
IV.
OVER THE SAMOVAR.
(Foo-chow)
" Yes, I used always to think
That you Russians knew
How to make the good drink
As none others do.
" And I thought moreover,
(Not with the epicures),
You might search the world over
For such Women as yours.
" In both these matters now
I perceive I was right,
And I really can't tell you how
Much I delight.
" In my third (Thanks, another cup!)
Idea of the fun,
When your Country gets up
And follows the sun!
" And just as in Europe, see,
There's a Conqueror Nation,
So why not in Asia be
A like jubilation?
" Taught as well as organized,
The eternal Coolie,
From being robbed and despised,
Takes to cutting throats duly!
" But — please, don't be flurried;
For I daresay by then
You'll be comfortably buried,
Ladies and gentlemen!
" No more, thanks! I must be going!
I'm so glad to have made this
Opportunity of knowing
Some more Russian ladies! "
IN A SAMPAN .
Up in the misty morning,
Up past the gardened hills,
With the rhythmic stroke of the rowers,
While the blue deep pales and thrills!
Past the rice-fields green low-lying,
Where the sea-gull's winging down
From the fleets of junks and sampans
And the ancient Chinese Town!
II.
IN A CHAIR.
From the bright and blinding sunshine,
From the whirling locust's song,
Into the dark and narrow fissures
Of the streets I am borne along.
Here and there dusky-beaming
A sun-shaft broadens and drops
On the brown bare crowd slow-passing,
The crowd of the open shops
We move on over the bridges
With their straight-hewn blocks of stone,
And their quaint grey animal figures,
And the booths the hucksters own.
Behind a linen awning
Sits an ancient wight half-dead,
And a little dear of a girl is
Examining — his head.
On a bended bamboo shouldered,
Bearing a block of stone,
Two worn-out Coolies half-naked
Utter their grunting groan.
Children, almond-eyed beauties,
Impossibly mangy curs,
Take part in the motley stream of
Insouciant passengers
This is the Dream, the Vision
That comes to me and greets —
The Vision of R etribution
In the labyrinthine streets.
III.
" Caste . "
These Chinese toil, and yet they do not starve,
And they obey, and yet they are not slaves.
It is the " free-born " fuddled Englishmen
Who grovel rotting in their living graves
These Chinese do not fawn with servile lips;
They lift up equal eyes that ask and scan,
Their degradation has escaped at least
That choicest curse of all — the Gentleman!
IV.
OVER THE SAMOVAR.
(Foo-chow)
" Yes, I used always to think
That you Russians knew
How to make the good drink
As none others do.
" And I thought moreover,
(Not with the epicures),
You might search the world over
For such Women as yours.
" In both these matters now
I perceive I was right,
And I really can't tell you how
Much I delight.
" In my third (Thanks, another cup!)
Idea of the fun,
When your Country gets up
And follows the sun!
" And just as in Europe, see,
There's a Conqueror Nation,
So why not in Asia be
A like jubilation?
" Taught as well as organized,
The eternal Coolie,
From being robbed and despised,
Takes to cutting throats duly!
" But — please, don't be flurried;
For I daresay by then
You'll be comfortably buried,
Ladies and gentlemen!
" No more, thanks! I must be going!
I'm so glad to have made this
Opportunity of knowing
Some more Russian ladies! "
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