46 Good-Bye to the People of Hangchow
[a.d. 824]
Elders and officers line the returning road;
Wine and soup load the parting table.
I have not ruled you with the wisdom of Shao Kung;1
What is the reason your tears should fall so fast?
My taxes were heavy, though many of the people were poor;
The farmers were hungry, for often their fields were dry.
All I did was to dam the water of the Lake2
And help a little in a year when things were bad.
Notes
1 A legendary ruler who dispensed justice sitting under a wild pear-tree.
2 Po Chü-i built the dam on the Western Lake which is still known as “Po’s dam.”