Umbrella by Ai Qing

One morning I asked the umbrella
Whether it would rather bake in the sun
Or stand soaking in the rain

The umbrella answered with a smile,
“Those things don’t bother me.”

I kept on questioning,
“Then what is your concern?”

The umbrella said,
“I keep thinking
On rainy days, ‘Don’t let people’s clothes get wet,’
And on sunny days, ‘Be a cloud that shades the head.'”

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