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by Anonymous / Unidentified Author
Translation by Arthur Waley (1889 - 1969)

The big chariot
Language: English  after the Chinese (中文) 
Don’t help -- on the big chariot;
You will only make yourself dusty.
Don’t think about the sorrows of the world;
You will only make yourself wretched.

Don’t help -- on the big chariot;
You won’t be able to see for dust.
Don’t think about the sorrows of the world;
Or you will never escape from your despair.

Don’t help -- on the big chariot;
You’ll be stifled with dust.
Don’t think about the sorrows of the world;
You will only load yourself with care.

Please note: this text, provided here for educational and research use, is in the public domain in Canada, but it may still be copyright in other legal jurisdictions. The LiederNet Archive makes no guarantee that the above text is public domain in your country. Please consult your country's copyright statutes or a qualified IP attorney to verify whether a certain text is in the public domain in your country or if downloading or distributing a copy constitutes fair use. The LiederNet Archive assumes no legal responsibility or liability for the copyright compliance of third parties.

Confirmed with Arthur Waley, Chinese Poems, 2005 (first published 1946), Oxfordshire: Routledge, p. 34.


Text Authorship:

  • by Arthur Waley (1889 - 1969), "The big chariot", first published 1946 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]

Based on:

  • a text in Chinese (中文) by Anonymous/Unidentified Artist , appears in Shi Jing (or Schi-King) - Classic of Poetry - Book of Songs -- Book of Odes -- Chinesische Liederbuch [text unavailable]
    • Go to the text page.

Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):

  • by (Edward) Benjamin Britten (1913 - 1976), "The big chariot", op. 58 no. 1 (1957) [ tenor and guitar ], from Songs from the Chinese, no. 1, Boosey & Hawkes [sung text checked 1 time]

Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]

This text was added to the website: 2014-11-04
Line count: 12
Word count: 82

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