The poems of Richard Henry Stoddard complete edition |
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[“Shall we, O Master,” Ke Loo said] |
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 | The poems of Richard Henry Stoddard |  |
[“Shall we, O Master,” Ke Loo said]
“Shall we, O Master,” Ke Loo said,
“Still serve the spirits of the dead?”
“To serve the dead why should we strive,
Who could not serve them when alive?”
“Tell me what death is,” said Ke Loo.
To whom again Confucius saith:
“While life we do not, cannot know,
What can we hope to know of death?”
And further, since he still would seek:
“Ke Loo, I do not care to speak.”
“Still serve the spirits of the dead?”
“To serve the dead why should we strive,
Who could not serve them when alive?”
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To whom again Confucius saith:
“While life we do not, cannot know,
What can we hope to know of death?”
And further, since he still would seek:
“Ke Loo, I do not care to speak.”
“If you, the Master, speak not, then,
What shall your scholars say to men?”
“Does Heaven speak?” the sage replied,
And as he spoke his spirit sighed:
“The seasons run their endless ways,
The days go by with tireless wing,
And all things come in all the days,
But Heaven—does Heaven say anything?”
What shall your scholars say to men?”
“Does Heaven speak?” the sage replied,
And as he spoke his spirit sighed:
“The seasons run their endless ways,
The days go by with tireless wing,
And all things come in all the days,
But Heaven—does Heaven say anything?”
| The poems of Richard Henry Stoddard | |