Brysen Rodriguez’s Reviews > Stories Old and New: A Ming Dynasty Collection > Status Update

Twenty years away from eternal joy,
I grew melons and lived hidden on earth.
Alas! Who among mortal beings
Could recognize an immortal in their midst?
Yifang will be made a local god,
Wennü returned to heaven on a phoenix.
Henceforth the Crane-Riding Tower
Will be an impressive sight in Yangzhou

The wicked may well abuse their power,
But retribution will not pass them by.
Be warned of the tortures in the netherworld,
Or regrets for your sins will be too late.

Yama for half a day, he set wrongs right,
With all injustices redressed, rancor dissolved.
Do nothing that will trouble your conscience,
For you will get whatever you deserve.

In one moment of weakness in his forty-seven years,
He abased himself for a red lotus.
At the toll of the morning temple bell,
This time he will hold on to Buddha’s feet.

He who uses tricks shall end up the victim;
He who loves small gains shall end up the loser.
If by sheer luck he gets away,
His children will surely have to pay.

The mouth is the door that leads to disaster;
The tongue is the sword that gives the fatal blow.
Shut your mouth and hide your tongue,
And you shall have peace everywhere you go.