Written according to the Song poetry style Nien Nu Jiao. 23^rd Nov. 2010

Recall my friend,

Far Beyond

In the distant past,

The glorious romance

Between Xiao Qiao and Gong Jin.⁽¹⁾

Vivid in my mind,

As in the poetic lines

Of our great poet Dong Po.⁽²⁾

Remember,

Abundant riches

In the exuberant times,

Of the Kai Yuan era.⁽³⁾

Such inspiration,

From those floating dances

From the uplifting songs.

Such beauty,

At the Great Ming Palace.⁽⁴⁾

I dream the dreams of Zhuang Zhou⁽⁵⁾

Still fresh upon my eyes.

Ah,

Descend again please,

Upon this tender earth

Our noble kings,

Yao and Shun,⁽⁶⁾

Dare I ask thee,

Our Lord of the Sky,

And the Jade Emperor of heaven.

Where,

Up there

Or down here,

Wilted the spirit of harmony?

Much of the time,

In the modern world,

Our eyes

Are now hypnotised

Upon the glittery

Of the golden gowns.

Dare I ask again,

For the return

Of the noble spirits

Of the hundred philosophers⁽⁷⁾

With the way of Tao

Bring upon changes,

With the waves of

The four seas

Bring upon transformations.

Floating on the ocean afar,

In this distant land, England.

I send my words,

Send my passion,

Send my good wishes,

As though I am face to face

With you, my friends.

In the noble hope

That good life will be again,

Here,

Upon this magnificent land,

Where nations are at peace,

Where people are heart to heart.

One world, one dream.

Remember to conceive, my friends,

Happiness is

A fish in water^{( 8 )}

Gliding freely.

Despite this chaotic world,

Let us smile……

by Man Fong Mei

from the MFM E-Letter Issue No.10 Conceiving Yin and Yang – Towards a Scientific Interpretation 26^th June 2011