Time & Brevity
The Brevity of Life
Translated by Charles Budd (1912) · From Chinese Poems (1912)
Time & Brevity
Our years on earth are brief,
But few a hundred win;
A thousand years of grief
Are packed therein.
The day quick takes its flight,
The dark is sad and long;
Then let us cheer the night
With feast and song.
The niggard thinks it wise
To save and live by rule;
But sages may arise
To call him fool!
Cite this poem
MLA
Anonymous (Classical Chinese). “The Brevity of Life.” Translated by Charles Budd. Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/classical-chinese-anonymous/34/.
Chicago
Anonymous (Classical Chinese). “The Brevity of Life.” Translated by Charles Budd. Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/classical-chinese-anonymous/34/.
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