I climbed the topmost summit,
And my gaze swept far and wide
For the garden roof where my brother stood,
And I fancied that he sighed:
My brother serves as a soldier
With his comrades night and day;
But my brother is wise, and may yet return,
Though the dead lie far away.






Ch`u Yuan

Fourth Century, B.C.





A loyal minister to the feudal Prince of Ch`u, towards the close
of the Chou dynasty. His master having, through disregard of his counsel,
been captured by the Ch`in State, Ch`u Yuan sank into disfavour with his sons,
and retired to the hills, where he wrote his famous `Li Sao',
of which the following is one of the songs. He eventually drowned himself
in the river Mi-Lo, and in spite of the search made for his body,
it was never found. The Dragon-boat Festival, held on the fifth day