A Commendation on Life
My father and mother left me a good living;
I needn’t envy the fields of other men.
Clack — clack — my wife works her loom,
jabber jabber goes my son at play.
I clap my hands, urging on the swirling petals,
chin in hand, I listen to singing birds.
Who comes to commend me on my way of life?
Well, a woodcutter sometimes passes by.
Han-shan
from Cold Mountain