the humble are always free

 

How long

can a human life last?

A hundred years, thirty thousand days.

Half is spent in sleep, and the rest is hardly assured.

The regalia of social ceremony are prison articles, all.

Greedy men liking them clearly have no way out.

Rich socialites suffer constant stress, the poor

and humble are always free. That is why

ancient sages were not constrained

by emperors and kings.

 

Wen-siang