— 45 —
and the next morning after getting up she will comb his small pigtail.
XXVII
高高山上有一家
十間房子九間塌
老頭子出來拄拐棍兒
老婆子出來就地兒擦
看家的狗兒三條腿
避鼠的貍貓短個尾巴
NOTES
柱 chu3, to lean on a stick. 拐棍兒 kuai3 kun4 'r， a stick used by old men to lean on. 就地兒 chiou4 ti4 'r, bent to the ground (walking) as very old men do. 擦 ts'a1，to walk painfully dragging (rubbing) the feet on the ground. 避鼠的貓 pi4 shu3 ti1-mao1, a cat which shuns (does not catch) mice. 貍貓 li2 mao1, the wild cat.
TRANSLATION
On a very high mountain there lives a family ― of the ten rooms in the building nine rooms are in ruin ― the old man goes out leaning on a stick ―
