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Lu Mei-p’o (Sung dynasty) has left nothing behind but these two poems. The name by which he was known means Plum Tree Slope and, no doubt, was a pen name. Some editions attribute these poems to Fang Yueh (1198–1262), who was a native of Chihsien in Anhui province. Either way, they are good examples of the Chinese poet’s view of his art. In this first poem the poet demonstrates that there are no absolutes. Everything has its own incomparable quality. But this leaves us with a conundrum: in a world where everything is unique, what can we use as a standard, and how can we speak of beauty?

The Snow and the Plum—I

LU MEI-P’O

The plum and the snow both claim the spring

a poet gives up trying to decide

the plum must admit the snow is three times whiter

but the snow can’t match a wisp of plum perfume