SNOW
--to the tune of Chin Yuan Chun 
----February 1936

North country scene:
A hundred leagues locked in ice,
A thousand leagues of whirling snow.
Both sides of the Great Wall
One single white immensity .
The Yellow River's swift current 
Is stilled from end to end.
The mountains dance like silver snakes 
And the highlands charge like wax-hued elephants.
Vying with heaven in stature.
On a fine day , the land,
Clad in white, adorned in red,
Grows more enchanting. 

This land so rich in beauty 
Has made countless heroes bow in homage.
But alas! Chin Shih-huang and Han Wu-ti
Were lacking in literary grace,
And Tang Tai-tsung and Sung Tai-tsu
Had little poetry in their souls;
And Genghis Khan,
Proud Son of Heaven for a day,
Knew only shooting eagles, bow outstretched.
All are past and gone!
For truly great men 
Look to this age alone.