Song of Tomorrow

Tomorrow and Tomorrow again

O How many tomorrows are then?

If we wait always for another day,

In vain (徒劳) our life will pass away.

①Song of Tomorrow is very famous in China, especially the first four lines. Many people, even children know them. However, no one knows who wrote the poem. Some say it came out during the Ming Dynasty (朝代). Others say the poem was popular during the Qing Dynasty (1644—1911). But the most important thing is not the time, but the main idea: Do not waste (浪费) time or life.

②The language is easy in this poem. The writer uses the word “tomorrow” many times to pass on the poem’s message: Better do it today than tomorrow.

③Many people thought they are procrastinators (有拖延症的人). They comfort (安慰) themselves with the words from Gone with the Wind: “Tomorrow is another day!” But these people would do well if they remember the poem Song of Tomorrow.

Zengzi, also called Zeng Shen, became a good student of Confucius (孔子) when he was 16.

Early one morning, Zengzi’s wife left for the market. Her little son wanted to go with her. But he was too young and the market was too far.

Then she cheated her son, “I will be back soon. You stay at home and wait for me. If you do as I say, I will kill a pig and make a nice dish for you.” The child went back to the house happily.

When Zengzi’s wife got back from the market, she showed no sign of killing a pig. So Zengzi himself prepared to do that, but his wife rushed to prevent him and said, “Don’t do that. I just cheated the child.”

“Honesty is the most important thing,” Zengzi said. “Children are like blank pieces of paper. They understand nothing but they can learn from their parents’ actions. Because you have cheated your son, he won’t trust you anymore. In the future he will cheat others.”

Hearing her husband’s words, Zengzi’s wife regretted cheating the child. So she wanted to keep her word. She joined Zengzi in killing the pig, and cooked nice dishes for the child. While eating, the boy was happy and thankful to his parents.

One evening, when the child went to bed, he suddenly got up and ran outside. Zengzi asked him where he was going. The boy replied, “I promised I was going to return a toy to a friend today. But I forgot, so I am going to return it now.” The couple exchanged satisfied smiles, and waited until the boy came back.

A girl was walking in the woods when she found two weak birds. She took them home and put them in a small cage. She took good care of them. The birds grew strong. Every morning, they greeted her with a beautiful song. The girl felt great love for the birds. She wanted them to sing for her forever.

One day, the girl left their cage door open. The bigger of the two birds flew out. The girl watched as he rose high into the sky. She was afraid that he would fly away and she would never see him again. As he flew close, she caught him in her hand and held him tightly. She was happy.

The other bird was pushing into the cage. She could see how much he wanted to be free. She took him out of the cage and gently threw him into the air. Would the bird fly away? She could hardly bear to watch. But the bird just wanted to stretch its wings. He flew around the girl twice and then came to rest on her shoulder.

The girl watched the bird with joy in her heart. She wasn't worried anymore. She wanted the bird to be happy. The bird sat by the girl's ear and sang the sweetest song she had ever heard.

The best way to keep love is to give it wings.