Living

A Wealthy Niggard

by Shi Jing (The Book of Songs) poems c. 1000–600 BC; compilation traditionally ascribed to Confucius

Translated by William Jennings (1891) · From The Shi King (Jennings, 1891), Part I, Book ix

Living

Sparsely woven fibre-shoes
Serve to walk on frozen dews!
Dainty fingers of his bride
Are to tailoring applied, —
Trimming here, and edging there,
What the gentleman shall wear!

With what ease and courteous grace
He can yield the honoured place!
Mark the dress — the ivory pin
As a girdle-pendant strung.
'Tis the stingy heart within —
That alone — moves satire's tongue.

MLA

Shi Jing (The Book of Songs). “A Wealthy Niggard.” Translated by William Jennings. Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/shi-jing/372/.

Chicago

Shi Jing (The Book of Songs). “A Wealthy Niggard.” Translated by William Jennings. Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/shi-jing/372/.

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