The Te Tung

A rainbow in the east invites the gaze,
But none a finger to it dares to raise.
All view it with dislike ; but viler she,
Who hastes to marry ’gainst propriety !
When from their early homes young women go,
Parents and brothers they nigh cease to know.
Important rules for step like this are made,
And to such rules obedience should be paid.

When rainbows in the west at morn appear,
By morning’s close the sky from rain is clear;
So fleeting are the joys of lawless love ;
Licentious pleasures evanescent prove.
When from their early homes young women go,
Parents and brothers they nigh cease to know.
Important rules for step like this are made,
And to such rules obedience should be paid.

Ah! think of this young girl whose wilful heart
Is bent on marriage as her only part.
She wrongs herself, to the right course untrue,
Which every virtuous woman should pursue.
She blames her lot, and, wanton, will not own
Heaven’s ordering of it on the parents thrown.
For marriage ties the wisest rules are made,
And to such rules obedience should be paid.