Chen Shaomei (1909-1954)

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

Chinese brush painting
Gibbons at Play, Emperor Xuanzong (1399-1435), Ming dynasty Hanging scroll, ink and colors on paper.
Kasamatsu Japanese Woodblock Print Rice Planting 1953
JosieHolford

Recent Posts

A Bonfire in the Dark

When I was in the emergency room last year having busted my elbow, a nurse…

2 weeks ago

Locked Out

Most of us have done it at some point or another - accidentally locked ourselves…

3 weeks ago

The #1970 Club: Germaine Greer and The Female Eunuch

Thanks to the #1970 Club, I've spent the spare moments of the past week immersed…

1 month ago

The Forgetful Mog

Thanks to the #1970 Club,  I have a new mog in my life and a…

1 month ago

The #1970 Club: Language and Learning

The #1970 Club is starting tomorrow (October 14th) and I'm prepared with some reading and…

1 month ago

How do they live with themselves?

How Do They Live with Themselves? This was the question Roger Rosenblatt asked in The…

1 month ago