Ho! Friends and enemies of Pennyfields,
A feast is spread, and you are all invited.
Many tides have risen and retired
Since I left the fervid skies of my own country
For the thin skies and leaden streets of the West.
Long have I sojourned, seeking my desire,
Keeping my shop, and looking always with long eyes
At others' guesting-tables, at whose top sat love.

>From my cold corner
I have watched their feast of fondness, and my heart has flown away,
And has beaten like a lost bird at their windows,
And none would let him in.

But now, O honourables,
My window is alight, my room is warmed,
The table is set and the places are laid, and Love waits to greet you.



The Case of Ho Ling

Truly the ways of mandarins are inscrutable.
My estimable and upright friend, Ho Ling,
Long had desired to return to his own country.
He bore himself in Limehouse without reproach,
A reputable stranger, mild of manner and gentle of address.
Against him none could bring a charge or speak a word of upbraiding.
He conformed in all ways to the laws of correct conduct.