Of men there is none that has not some preference; Of things there is none but mixes good with ill. It was not that I did not love the tender branches; But better still,--to see the green hills!
Bai Juyi
Where these words come from
- 95% sureThese words were traced back to where they first appeared. That source is listed below.
- Pruning Trees; translated by Arthur Waley; Exact wording and attribution checked. Arthur Waley’s published 1918 English translation in A Hundred and Seventy Chinese Poems. Final four lines; poet has pruned trees to recover his mountain view and acknowledges the competing goods.
- Pruning Trees; translated by Arthur Waley
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