Now is old Cathay a broken bowl; Its curves of riven porcelain Are curling like loose petals Of a shattered lotus bloom; Its patterns are destroyed; The five-toed dragon, Sundered vertebrae and claw, Lies scattered in the broken glaze; The five glad bats are routed And all the studied beauty Is a useless offering To the gods of time and war. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...SPRING IN NEW HAMPSHIRE by CLAUDE MCKAY TO EMILIE BIGELOW HAPGOOD - PHILANTHROPIST by GEORGIA DOUGLAS JOHNSON THE CORNUCOPIA OF RED AND GREEN COMFITS by AMY LOWELL SONNET (6) by GEORGE SANTAYANA PROLONGED SONNET: WHEN THE TROOPS WERE RETURNING FROM MILAN by NICCOLO DEGLI ALBIZZI |