Sunday, July 5, 2020

On the Birth of a Son

On the Birth of a Son
by Su Tung-Po

Translated by Arthur Waley

Families when a child is born
Hope it will turn out intelligent.
I, through intelligence
Having wrecked my whole life,
Only hope that the baby will prove
Ignorant and stupid.
Then he'll be happy all his days
And grow into a cabinet minister.
A thousand year old poem expressing an oddly contemporary sentiment.

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