Page:More Translations from the Chinese (Waley).djvu/32

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Motionless—I cleave to my lonely bed.
At last I forget that I exist at all,
And at that moment my joy is great indeed.

III

If High Heaven had no love for wine,
There would not be a Wine Star in the sky.
If Earth herself had no love for wine,
There would not be a city called Wine Springs.[1]
Since Heaven and Earth both love wine,
I can love wine, without shame before God.
Clear wine was once called a Saint;[2]
Thick wine was once called "a Sage."[2]

Of Saint and Sage I have long quaffed deep,
What need for me to study spirits and hsien?[3]
At the third cup I penetrate the Great Way;
A full gallon—Nature and I are one...
But the things I feel when wine possesses my soul
I will never tell to those who are not drunk.

  1. Ch'iu-ch'üan, in Kansuh.
  2. 2.0 2.1 "History of Wei Dynasty" (Life of Hsü Mo): "A drunken visitor said, 'Clear wine I account a Saint: thick wine only a Sage.'"
  3. The lore of Rishi, Immortals.
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