A raw tidal dawn without chirps;
An afternoon of activities with no cheers;
A stark night with no stars
Are all tokens of penance.
The high flying birds sometimes parch,
And the wild cats sometimes starve,
The water falls may lack melody,
But none is enough for wars.
The tears of a skylark in the rain,
The sweats of the tamed hog in the heat,
The murmur of the broken reeds,
Tell all the suffering of the time.
The trees once grew wings of peacocks,
The sun once flared with smiles,
The seas once danced to their own songs,
But all of man's friends are gone.
The king should care and serve
The warrior should serve with care
And the laborer should work and hope
But all are astray with dreams.
The natures have few vents for vices,
But man is also a beast
The hulks of the earth have tempers
But man is forever a beast.
To write love songs to first love,
To share new secrets with old friends
To work and be merry
Assures us time's no young.