Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Lament of an Office Worker
Liu Cheng (died 217 A.D.), tr. Burton Watson:
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Office work: a wearisome jumble;Related post: Escape.
ink drafts, a crosshatch of deletions and smears.
Racing the writing brush, no time to eat,
sun slanting down but never a break;
swamped and muddled in records and reports,
head spinning till it's senseless and numb—
I leave off and go west of the wall,
climb the height and let my eyes roam:
square embankments hold back the clear water,
wild ducks and geese at rest in the middle—
Where can I get a pair of whirring wings
so I can join you to bob on the waves?
