Page:A history of Chinese literature - Giles.djvu/166

154 "See the moon,—how she glances response to my song; See my shadow,—it dances so lightly along! While sober I feel you are both my good friends; When drunken I reel, our companionship ends. But we'll soon have a greeting without a good-bye, At our next merry meeting away in the sky"

His control of the "stop-short" is considered to be perfect:—

(1.) "The birds have all flown to their roost in the tree, The last cloud has just floated lazily by; But we never tire of each other, not we, As we sit there together,—the mountains and I."

(2.) "I wake, and moonbeams play around my bed, Glittering like hoar-frost to my wondering eyes; Up towards the glorious moon I raise my head, Then lay me down,—and thoughts of home arise."

The following are general extracts:—

(1.) "The river rolls crystal as clear as the sky, To blend far away with the blue waves of ocean; Man alone, when the hour of departure is nigh, With the wine-cup can soothe his emotion.

"The birds of the valley sing loud in the sun, Where the gibbons their vigils will shortly be keeping: I thought that with tears I had long ago done, But now I shall never cease weeping."