O fell not that sweet pear-tree!
See how its branches spread.
Spoil not its shade,
For Shaou’s chief laid
Beneath it his weary head.
O clip not that sweet pear-tree!
Each twig and leaflet spare.
‘Tis sacred now,
Since the lord of Shaou,
When weary, rested him there.
O touch not that sweet pear-tree!
Bend not a twig of it now.
There long ago,
As the stories show,
Oft halted the chief of Shaou.
(Confucius)
More Poetry from Confucius:
- King Seuen On The Occasion Of A Great Drought (Confucius Poems)
- An Ode On The Return Of The Troops (Confucius Poems)
- The Complaint Of An Officer (Confucius Poems)
- The Plaint Of King Yew's Forsaken Wife (Confucius Poems)
- Celebrating King Wan (Confucius Poems)
- The Value Of Friendship (Confucius Poems)