A Hundred and Seventy Chinese Poems/The Old Harp

by Arthur Waley

THE OLD HARP

Of cord and cassia-wood is the harp compounded:
Within it lie ancient melodies.
Ancient melodies — weak and savourless,
Not appealing to present men's taste.
Light and colour are faded from the jade stops:
Dust has covered the rose-red strings.
Decay and ruin came to it long ago,
But the sound that is left is still cold and clear.
I do not refuse to play it, if you want me to:
But even if I play, people will not listen.

·······
How did it come to be neglected so?
Because of the Ch'iang flute and the Ch'in flageolet.^[1]

 

1. Barbarous modern instruments.