In Memory of a Friend, Yi Yongxi5 (May 1915)
Repeatedly the barbarians have engaged in trickery,
From a thousand li they come again across Dragon Mountain;6 The scene of carnage,
reeking of blood, awaits cleansing;
How can I alone save the world?
Why should we be concerned about life and death?
This century will see a war;
But you were a rare and precious flower beginning to bloom;
And your loss is particularly untimely.