On Brooklyn Bridge I saw a man drop dead.
It meant no more than if he were a sparrow.

Above us rose Manhattan;
below, the river spread to meet sea and sky.

Ancient Pistol, peacock Payne,
Brute in manner, rogue in grain,
How you squeezed me, peacock Payne!
Scared was I and out I ran
And found by Paul's an honest man.
Peace be with you, peacock Payne,
I have left you, you remain
Ancient Pistol, sealskin Payne.

Amusing myself with rocks, I sit peering into the valley;
searching for blossoms, I wander round and round the temple.
Again and again I hear the birds talking,
and here and there the voice of the stream.

Among these Tempests great and manifold
My Ship has here one only Anchor-hold;
That is my hope; which if that slip, I'm one
Wildred in this vast watry Region.

Among the greatest plagues, one is the third day ague;
But cross and scolding wives the greatest evil are;
With strong and pray'rful minds the first will cease to plague you,
But for the last I know not what advice to dare;
Except with patience all to suffer,
And ne'er the first assault to proffer.

Amidst bamboo, gate pulled shut,
living like a monk;
white bean-flowers thinning out
after gusts of rain.
My couch engulfed by steam from tea,
I happen to nod off
and wake to find the book I was reading
still clutched tightly in my hand.

American jump, American jump,
One--two--three.
Under the water, under the sea,
Catching fishes for my tea,
--Dead,
Or, Alive,
Or, Round the world?

Prometheus, pitying men,
Dared the long wrath of gods,
Thongs and the vulture —
To bring to earth
The fire,
Before which I drowse,
In utter well-being.

Along the river most homes here
belong to fishermen;
willow embankments and chestnut ponds
are scattered everywhere.
But it's most beautiful after sunset
when the wind calms down:
a riverside of trees all red
and people selling perch.

Blanche — don't ask — it isn't right for us to know what ends
Fate may have in store for us. Don't dial up Psychic Friends.
Isn't it better just to take whatever the future sends,
Whether the new millennium goes off without a hitch
Or World War III is triggered by an old computer glitch?
Wise up. Have a drink. Keep plans to a modest pitch.
Even as we're talking here, we spend the time we borrow.
Seize Today — trust nothing to that sly old cheat, Tomorrow.