Pine, Turtoise and Crane

The pine tree stands straight in the clouds, For it is ashamed of any curves and bends. Various wild vines do not concede defeat, They cling and climb to the top to compete. Autumn flowers are in bright purple and red, Charming and beautiful like brocades spread. Neither humble nor pushy the pine stays calm And let the sunbeams poke through its palm. Seeing that the cypress spits out seeds to imitate And the crane humbly shrinks its neck to vacate, The pines are anything but splendid eye-catcher Can it deserve "the three friends in a cold winter"? The tortoise and the crane both enjoy longevity, But their appearances are of different variety. They both are wise and have the same ends, Despite different shapes they become friends. The crane has a dream of soaring into the sky, While a comfortable life the tortoise does deny. Thus they each bite one end of a bamboo stick. The crane flies with the tortoise to clouds thick. But it cautions the tortoise and says “Silence, Otherwise you may fall to the ground at once.” (tran.)