Han Shan

  • Swine gobble dead men’s flesh.
  • Men gobble dead pigs’ guts.
  • Swine do not disdain the smell of men.
  • Men even talk about the scent of pork.
  •  
  • But –
  • Should a pig die – it is cast into the water.
  • Should a man die – the soil is dug to hide him.
  • Then –
  • Neither finds the one or the other to his taste.
  • Yet –
  • Lotus flowers will live in boiling water!
The Collected Poems of Han Shan. Han Shan Temple, Suzhou, China.