Short Poems

Who does God's work will get God's pay,
However long may be the day.
He does not pay as others pay,
In gold, or land, or raiment gay,
In goods that perish or decay;
But God's high wisdom knows the way,
And this is sure, let come what may —
Who does God's work will get God's pay.

Who can open the door
of the green river,
of the golden clouds,

Whither leads this pathway, little one? —
It runs just on and on, is never done.

Whither leads this pathway, mistress fair? —
That path to town, sir; to the village square.

Whither leads this pathway, father old? —
To the white quiet of the churchyard fold.

A white bird featherless floats down through the air
And never a tree but he lights there.
Snow

Whirl up, sea —
whirl your pointed pines,
splash your great pines
on our rocks,
hurl your green over us,
cover us with your pools of fir.

While the Tragedy's afoot,
Let us play in the high boot;
Once the trumpets' notes are gone,
Off, before the Fool comes on!

When Nature bids us leave to live, 'tis late
Then to begin, my Roe: he makes a state
In life, that can employ it; and takes hold
On the true causes, ere they grow too old.
Delay is bad, doubt worse, depending worst;
EAch best day of our life escapes us, first.
Then, since we (more than many) these truths know;
Though life be short, let us not make it so.

When you came, you were like red wine and honey,
And the taste of you burnt my mouth with its sweetness.
Now you are like morning bread,
Smooth and pleasant.
I hardly taste you at all for I know your savour,
But I am completely nourished.

Where can we buy wine? We ask
at the gates of the harbor;
in neighboring boats, flickering lamps at dusk
and conversation.
Today I begin to sense how far I've come
from my home town:
here, at this village outside the walls
of the city of Tan-yang.

When the universe goes up in flame
it is hard for trees and plants to survive:
the long branches, the short leaves,
all turned to dust.
In a thousand villages, no catkins can be seen
floating in the air:
what damage they have done to the third month of springtime
here in the south!