Nature
The Great Ho River
Translated by Florence Ayscough and Amy Lowell (1921) · From Fir-Flower Tablets (1921)
Who says the Ho is wide?
Why one little reed can bridge it.
Who says that Sung is far?
I stand on tiptoe and see it.
Who says the Ho is wide?
Why the smallest boat cannot enter.
Who says that Sung is far?
It takes not a morning to reach it.
Codex Note
By the Mother of the Lord of Sung (circa 600 B.C.), as in the Contents of Fir-Flower Tablets; from "The Book of Odes".
Cite this poem
MLA
Anonymous (Classical Chinese). “The Great Ho River.” Translated by Florence Ayscough and Amy Lowell. Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/classical-chinese-anonymous/25/.
Chicago
Anonymous (Classical Chinese). “The Great Ho River.” Translated by Florence Ayscough and Amy Lowell. Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/classical-chinese-anonymous/25/.
Read this poem with the Codex →