A fatalist and a believer

A poem inscribed on a painting of a Chrysanthemum
by Song dynasty poet Zhen Sixiao

Flower blooms not among a hundred flower crowds.
Growing alone by the sparse fence, pleasures unending.
Would rather whither and die on the branch,
Than be blown off in the middle of a northern wind.*

Editor's note: every line is a comparison the poet is making to himself. Northern wind symbolizes the Mongolians.


Ten Poems on Yellowstone Park

No. 2 "Old Faithful"

Crystal water and sparkling mist spout unique shapes.
In between eruption and stillness, regular intervals.
From the beginning of time, like this, faithfully,
Revealing God's power, the hidden agent.