Three Wives Of A Mandarin
Lawful wife.
There is still some wine left in the chalice,
And the plate that’s served is nests of the swallows.
Since the birth of time, the legal spouse
Is respected by her mandarin-husband.
Concubine
There is still some wine left in the chalice,
And the plate is served – duck: fat and heavy;
Should a mandarin be deprived of children -
Concubine is needed for a mandarin.
Maid
There is still some wine left in the chalice,
And the plate is served - preserves and marmalade.
Why the two of you are in his house?
Every night a new woman he desires.
Mandarin
There is no more wine left in the chalice,
And the plate that’s served is hot red pepper.
Silence! O you: bunch of silly blabbers,
Dare you laughing at the poor old mandarin.
poem by Nikolai Stepanovich Gumilev
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Related quotes
Self Convicted for Friend Charles Taylor
The Mandarin inscrutable
is clad in robes of rich brocade.
There before him on the table
a dagger with a bloodstained blade.
As magistrate he must decide
by weighing up he evidence.
Which suspect has or has not lied.
Pronounce on guilt and innocence.
There’s no appeal his word is law.
He wields supreme authority
and he has seen it all before.
Considers it objectively.
He can read thoughts or so it seems
the guilty man believes this true.
Caught up in his own twisted schemes
as guilty men are wont to do.
Betrays himself and leaves no doubt
about his guilt, it’s plain to see.
The mandarin says take him out
execute him immediately
.
In this way was justice served
The mandarin inscrutable
said little but close observed
which man was most uncomfortable.
He might be wrong it’s possible.
His knowledge of psychology
makes it highly improbable.
That’s why he holds authority.
3-Jun-08
http: // blog.myspace.com/poeticpiers
poem by Ivor Or Ivor.e Hogg
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City of Love
Ode to joy, from the chalice filled with wine, from the chalice filled with light.
Ode to darkness, the shadows dress confess the blackness, confined to trials and tribulations, we seek the hour of consumation. We seek the divinity, by candles, prayers and charity. The chalice of love, the city of love beside the sea.
Ode to the chalice filled with light, ode to the wind, carrying the breath
of psalms, upon ashes smeared on palms. Ode, to this light, to the blood raised in wine, the cross and loss, divine, the holy shroud of white.
Tin Cup Chalice
By: jimmy buffett
1974
I wanna back to the island
Where the shrimp boats tie up to the pilin
Gimme oysters and beer
For dinner every day of the year and Ill feel fine
Ill feel fine
Chorus:
I wanna be there
Wanna go back down and lie beside the sea there
With a tin cup for a chalice, fill it up with good red wine
And Im a chewin on a honeysuckle vine
Yeah now, the sun goes slidin cross the water
Sailboats they go searchin for the breeze
Salt air it aint thin
It can stick right to your skin and make you feel fine
Makes you feel fine
Chorus:
I wanna be there
Wanna go back down and a get high by the sea there
With a tin cup for a chalice, fill it up with good red wine
And Im a chewin on a honeysuckle vine
Yes and now you heard my strange proposal
So get that packard up and lets move
I wanna be there before the day
Tries to steal away and leave us behind
Ive made up my mind
Chorus:
And I wanna be there
I wanna go back down and die beside the sea there
With a tin cup for a chalice, fill it up with good red wine
And Im a chewin on a honeysuckle vine
Coda:
Yeah with a tin cup for a chalice, fill it up with good red wine
And Im a chewin on a honeysuckle vine
Again... to miss jane
song performed by by Jimmy Buffett
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Big Heart
He asks me
How to say 'big heart' in Hindi
I do not know
He asks me
How to say 'big heart' in Mandarin
I do not know
I ask him:
How do you know that someone
Has a big heart?
He does not know?
I do not know how to say 'big heart'
In Hindi or Mandarin
But he does not have a soul if he
Does not know who has a big heart
Translated from Serbian: Tanja Bulovic
poem by Jankovic Zoran
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Wine (Love Poem)
Wine is for laughing
Wine is for talking all night
Wine is for living life out loud
Wine is for making us beautiful
Wine is for all-night conversations
Wine is for getting together again
Wine is for ‘never again’ tomorrow
Wine is for sleeping like a baby
Wine is for telling the truth
Wine is food for love
Wine is friendship
Wine is fresh
Wine
Can
Be
The
One
Perfe ct
Companion
At the end of a long day
poem by Ian Beckett
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Kang Auw
When we met, we’re drinking wine and called brother
When we meet again, we’re throwing glass and sworn enemy
In this deep lake river
In this rapid current
We are enchanted
Love and strength
Played by the fate and swept away
* Hokkian, in mandarin dialect it will be Jiang Hu
poem by Maria Sudibyo
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Make No Attempt to Compliment
When the initiative is taken,
To inflict upon another heartbreak.
Expect to feel the remnants of it.
Or see bits and pieces served upon a plate.
Eat it.
With a hopeful wish...
There has been an invitation,
To taste dessert.
And what has been served,
Has been deserving.
And a forgiveness forthcoming,
Will be mutually delicious.
If expectations are there and desired,
To again share the same menu!
If not...
Make no attempt to compliment.
poem by Lawrence S. Pertillar
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The Saintly Sin
There was a man dressed shabbily
in church in the same old pew.
He sat there piously and pretended to pray
but knew what he would do.
He waited patiently for the collection plate
to pass him in the pew.
He made the effort to stop the plate
and this is what he'd do.
He'd place a penny in the plate
and take two quarters out.
And as he left he'd smiled a lot
and you would hear him shout
Hallelujah Lord.
poem by Edwina Reizer
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Honey Biscuits And Gravy
My wife and I sat down one day
to honey biscuits and gravy
and when the last of it was on my plate
what did she say to me
She said, 'my dear devoted husband
husband of many years
would you give the last of that breakfast treat
oh would you please, my dear? '
I said, 'my wife, my darling wife
wife of many years
of biscuits and gravy I cannot part'
so with my fork I began to start
But before I could reach the plate
I was stopped by my hungry mate
She said, 'I'll give you silver and gold
all the fortunes yet untold
if you'll give what's on your plate
the still standing honey biscuit and gravy'
I said, 'my dear, darling wife
wife of many a day
nothing short of a great earthquake
can make me part with my plate'
And then she grew desperate
a horrid fiend intemperate, she said
'You'll be the sole head of the estate
for that last serving of biscuits and gravy! '
I said, 'dear, devoted wife
wife of many a day
you don't know that with what you give
so willingly away'
She said, 'a small price, a small price
I eagerly will pay
for that last remaining morsel
left standing on your plate'
So I did the deed, I confess
and now I must say
my wife's head tasted just as good
as honey biscuits and gravy
poem by Kevin Howell
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Seduced
Cheerios with bursting cinnamon dust,
Over sliced banana in a bowl of soy milk,
Breakfast is served.
Succulent sautéed shrimp over angel hair,
With melting mozzarella in a white plate,
Lunch is served.
Romaine spinach dressed with vinegarette,
Cherry tomatoes, raisins, pineapple cubes,
Dinner is served.
Then she sensed creamy caramel macchiato,
That’s calling for her not too far from home,
Starbucks is there.
Amaretto Cheesecake with Madeliene Crust,
Staring at her in an eyeful blast of seduction,
She checked in.
poem by Efren Petalver Carranza
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The Sonnet
PURE form, that like some chalice of old time
Contain'st the liquid of the poet's thought
Within thy curving hollow, gem-enwrought
With interwoven traceries of rhyme,
While o'er thy brim the bubbling fancies climb,
What thing am I, that undismayed have sought
To pour my verse with trembling hand untaught
Into a shape so small yet so sublime?
Because perfection haunts the hearts of men,
Because thy sacred chalice gathered up
The wine of Petrarch, Shakspere, Shelley -- then
Receive these tears of failure as they drop
(Sole vintage of my life), since I am fain
To pour them in a consecrated cup.
poem by Edith Wharton
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The Breakfast
Look, the golden plate is ready set
On the round table for breakfast.
Glitters reflecting tinges of my blood
In tune with the table of mud
With the green medow streaking to fret.
Listen, worshiping Aurora at dawwn daily
Comes to me that golden plate by priority.
The green paddy rooted in deep water
Fans soothingly with its ricy flavour.
Feel, it makes golden plate more catchy.
I cook the rice to petalsoft
Adding ghee and jaggery enough to taste.
I resolve with my prayers in bundle
To offer the made rice i.e 'pongal'
To the above deity of splendid light.
On the muddy table, over the glisten
Placed a plantain leaf, served on
The pongal.I then whisper'my sun,
Enlightened by the plate of your glisten'!
poem by Indira Renganathan
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Learn Chinese July 11th,2012
LEARN CHINESE July 11th,2012
By
James Bredin
If it was Gaelic they were speaking I might catch a word or two,
But Toronto has turned Chinese and I don't have a clue,
So I think I should learn Mandarin and then we can get along,
I don't know; but is that the language they speak in Hong Kong?
I just looked it up on the Internet and found out to my surprise,
They have more than a hundred languages so I can't improvise,
Has an English-speaking Canadian ever learned Chinese?
Which is easier to learn - Mandarin or Cantonese?
Years ago, I thought of becoming bilingual and learning French,
But Canada is has gone multicultural down a communication trench,
And now I have to find out where they teach easy Chinese,
And maybe eventually, I can pretend I'm Cantonese.
July 11th,2012
poem by James Bredin
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Unbeknown
The poisoned
chalice
of wine
so sweet
one sip
makes life
complete.
poem by Vince Gullaci
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The Balance Of Love
Price of your love's too much to pay
I'll save myself for another day
You want my love but you don't want me
You sell your goods with no guarantee
You're taxing me at your highest rate
You want my heart served on a plate
The balance of love is in the red
There's more to me than this double bed
The balance of love is now in the red
I'm fed up of empty promises
I won't let the grass grow under my feet
I've done my best to make our song complete
Your interest rate is much too low
You think that i've no life of my own
The days have gone for your macho values
I won't be walking in your shadows
You're taxing me at your highest rate
You want my heart served on a plate
The balance of love is in the red
There's more to me than this double bed
Plenty of fish are left in the sea
I seem to have picked a shark for me
The balance of love is now in the red
I'm fed up with the empty things you said
It's as if you've never heard of give and take
Must stop messing up me life make no mistake
It's as if you've never heard of give and take
Make no mistake
Give and take
Price of your kiss too much to pay
I'll save myself for another day
You want my love but you don't want me
You say it's a gift but it's just a loan
You thing that i've no life of my own
The balance of love is in the red
Plenty of fish are left in the sea
I seem to have picked a shark for me
The balance of love is now in the red
I'm fed up with the empty things you said
It's as if you've never heard of give and take
Must stop messing up my life make no mistake
It's as if you've never heard of give and take
song performed by by Howard Jones
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Buttered Peas With Crushed Red Pepper
Don't take the peas up off my plate.
That irritates.
Don't even think about sneaking them.
They are there for me to eat.
And I want every pea,
Left for me to satiate.
I buttered them to taste.
With baby onions they taste great.
Fix your eyes in another place.
Back your nose up off my plate.
Buttered peas with crushed red pepper.
Fix your eyes in another place.
No other buttered bean or pea taste better.
Take your eyes up off my plate.
I buttered them to taste.
With baby onions they taste great.
Buttered peas with crushed red pepper.
Take your eyes up off my plate.
And don't your think about sneaking a pea!
poem by Lawrence S. Pertillar
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A different test
What is fine and where to dine
It is to be served only with wine?
I want it to be served at its best
When I am there at complete rest
Different test at different time
Sometime may amount committing to crime
I have all dreams to come true
i have tested and gone through
It is what I am today
Gone was bad yesterday
I wait for bright day
Let people find it as best way
I shall stand alone amidst the crisis
Broad smile but no emphasis
Let them thin and enjoy in their own style
I shall watch them for a while
poem by Hasmukh Amathalal
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I wanted to do something far from my intellectual and physical home, so I went to live in Beijing for eight months and took Mandarin Chinese.
quote by Mira Sorvino
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Dinner In The House....
a plate falls from the table
hits the tiled floor and breaks into pieces
a woman is caught in utter surprise
and breaks into a hysterical
line but soon
realizes that this is nothing but an
accident of its
kind
about an ordinary plate
on the dining table
she regains her poise
keeps her composure and
retains her
feminine reservation,
'it is just a plate',
(it is not
a relationship)
i assure the guests of the house
and then all begins again
upon a witty conversation,
an exchange of
state-of-affairs
some on a cheek to cheek basis
a tee-a-tee
a peek-a-boo
a little laughter here and
another one dashing
over there
the children are out of the house
playing
some men are smoking
to the moon
it is not just a plate,
there is more to this
breaking
it is a symbol of something greater than those
broken pieces
if they only know
someone is talking to oneself.
poem by Ric S. Bastasa
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The Balance Of Love (Give And Take)
Price of your loves too much to pay
Ill save myself for another day
You want my love but you dont want me
You sell your goods with no guarantee
Youre taxing me at your highest rate
You want my heart served on a plate
The balance of love is in the red
Theres more to me than this double bed
The balance of love is now in the red
Im fed up of empty promises
I wont let the grass grow under my feet
Ive done my best to make our song complete
Your interest rate is much too low
You think that Ive no life of my own
The days have gone for your macho values
I wont be walking in your shadows
Youre taxing me at your highest rate
You want my heart served on a plate
The balance of love is in the red
Theres more to me than this double bed
Plenty of fish are left in the sea
I seem to have picked a shark for me
The balance of love is now in the red
Im fed up with the empty things you said
Its as if youve never heard of give and take
Must stop messing up me life make no mistake
Its as if youve never heard of give and take
Make no mistake
Give and take
Price of your kiss too much to pay
Ill save myself for another day
You want my love but you dont want me
You say its a gift but its just a loan
You thing that Ive no life of my own
The balance of love is in the red
Plenty of fish are left in the sea
I seem to have picked a shark for me
The balance of love is now in the red
Im fed up with the empty things you said
Its as if youve never heard of give and take
Must stop messing up my life make no mistake
Its as if youve never heard of give and take
song performed by by Howard Jones
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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