THE SCHOLAR RECRUIT
By Poo Chao [died A. D. 466]
Now late
I follow Time's Necessity:[1]
Mounting a barricade I pacify remote tribes.
Discarding my sash I don a coat of rhinoceros-skin:
Rolling up my skirts I shoulder a black bow.
Even at the very start my strength fails:
What will become of me before it's all over?
- ↑ I.e., "enlist."
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