Classic and Contemporary Poetry
ON ISSUING A RESIDENTIAL CERTIFICATE, by XUEFEI JIN First Line: This piece of paper with the seal on it Alternate Author Name(s): Jin, Ha; Ha Jin Subject(s): China; Tyranny & Tyrants | ||||||||
This piece of paper with the seal on it shows you are a law abiding citizen. Whenever a stranger appears in your neighborhood you must report him to us. If a neighbor of yours commits a crime you must turn him in, or you'll be punished as an accomplice -- either jailed or sent away to build roads, at least you'll lose a finger or an ear. But if you inform on him, you'll be rewarded like a soldier who killed an enemy. Keep in mind you shouldn't have a large family, which is hard for us to supervise. Any household with more than two grown sons will be taxed twice over. At peace you work your fields and provide labor whenever our emperor needs it; when a war breaks out, by duty you are a warrior and must fight with valor -- that's your chance for nobility. Also, you're not allowed to travel. If you have to go somewhere, such as to a funeral or on a pilgrimage, you must have this certificate on you and register wherever you stay. In brief, with this piece of paper in hand you and your four acres now own each other First published in The Kenyon Review, Volume 22, #1, Winter 2000. www.kenyonreview.org | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...LITANY FOR DICTATORSHIPS by STEPHEN VINCENT BENET FIN-DE-SIECLE BLUES by CAROLYN KIZER EPITAPH ON A TYRANT by WYSTAN HUGH AUDEN SIGISMONDA AND GUISCARDO by GIOVANNI BOCCACCIO THE GOOD OLD DAYS OF 27 B.C. by FRANKLIN PIERCE ADAMS AN EPISTLE TO CURIO by MARK AKENSIDE HYBRIDS OF WAR: A MORALITY POEM: 3. THAILALND by KAREN SWENSON |
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