A Polished Performance
Citizens of the polished capital
Sigh for the towns up country,
And their innocent simplicity.
People in the towns up country
Applaud the unpolished innocence
Of the distant villages.
Dwellers in the distant villages
Speak of a simple unspoilt girl,
Living alone, deep in the bush.
Deep in the bush we found her,
Large and innocent of eye,
Among gentle gibbons and mountain ferns.
Perfect for the part, perfect,
Except for the dropsy
Which comes from polished rice.
In the capital our film is much admired
Its gentle gibbons and mountain ferns,
Unspoilt, unpolished, large and innocent of eye.
by D. J. Enright
Gibbons at Play, Emperor Xuanzong (1399-1435), Ming dynasty Hanging scroll, ink and colors on paper.
Rice Culture, or Sowing and Reaping
Unidentified Artist Chinese, mid-14th century
Yuan dynasty (1271–1368)
Date:before 1353
Featured image: 洛中洛外図屏風 Scenes in and around the Capital: Edo period (1615–1868) Date:17th century. Culture:Japan
