Families, when a child is born
Want it to be intelligent.
I, through intelligence,
Having wrecked my whole life,
Only hope the baby will prove
Ignorant and stupid.
Then he will crown a tranquil life
By becoming a Cabinet Minister.
Su Tung-p'o (A.D. 1036 - 1101)
Translated from the Chinese by Arthur Waley.
5 comments:
Interesting how sophisticated (in some ways) Chinese society was back then.
It would be interesting to see who was nominated in this category. I fear it would be a long list.
rogerh - it certainly seems well recorded compared to our history.
D - a very long list.
Er ... nothing you wish to tell us, AKH? Not dropping hints?
JH - well spotted. There is a hint in there because I'm not entirely sure that an intellectual approach to life is likely to be the happiest or the most successful in a material sense at least.
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