Oriental Stories/Volume 1/Issue 2/The Rug
The Rug
By Hung Long Tom
China is a great Rug
Of which Peking is the center.
If a man is to be saved
From the wrath of Dragon Gods,
Spirits of Earth, of Air, of Fire,
Escape only can be found
By seeking the center
Of the Rug,
Prostrating oneself in prayer,
By making sacrifices
To Spirits of Unknown Forces.
For China will be China
When all the earth
Falls back to ruins,
Just as China was China
Before the cities of men
Had come into being.
China is a Rug
Of which all else on earth
Is the fringe.
China is a great Rug
Of which Peking
Is the jewel
That illumines the center.
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