Tom Greening

Poems about China

(Some Serious, Some Not)

Ping

Let us now our praises sing
of a humble duck named Ping.
Dynasties may come and go,
governments put on their show,
emperors orate and strut-
All seek fame and power, but
a hundred years from now you'll see
who goes down in history.

Floating with the Yangtze's flow,
he knows as only ducks can know
when to fly and when to dive,
how to keep his hope alive,
and so, of wisdom he is king,
even though he's only Ping.

The children's book "Ping" was read to me in 1935.
It is still in print.

鸭子"平凡"

有一只鸭子叫"平凡"，
尽管它很微贱，
我却要为它歌唱一番，
朝代换了又换，
皇帝们大摇大摆，
政客各自登台表演。
大江东去，
所有那些权力的追求者们，
在历史上不过昙花一现。

这只在江水中漂游的鸭子，
它的天地非常有限，
但它知道何时在空中飞一会，
何时再跳下水游一圈，
它充满了活力，
尽管愿望是如此微贱。
我要称它为智慧的国王，
尽管它只是鸭子平凡。

——许金声译