What The Chinese Nanny Said Poem by jackilton peachum

WHAT THE CHINESE NANNY SAID
(for Kai Ding)

My feet were bound at an early age, of course:
three inch golden lotus the norm.
'For every pair of small feet, a thousand li of tears! '
When the invader came, I couldn't run-- only hobble--
my brothers hid me in the branchy top of a tree
- no one could see me at all-
the army passed underneath.
All night long a wind blew, the bough swayed.
The Sky River flowed in darkness under Heaven,
a yellow dragon carried a fire-pearl in the clouds.
I rocked me to sleep in dreams of a leafy sea.
First light, the stars woke me with their singing,
and Chang-er, that Lady in the Moon
came out and waved to me from her Cold Palace!

Chang'e (/ˈtʃɒŋ.ə/ CHONG-ə; Chinese: 嫦娥; pinyin: Cháng'é, alternatively rendered as Chang-Er[1] or Ch‘ang-o) , originally known as Heng'e, [note 1] is the Chinese goddess of the Moon. She is the subject of several legends in Chinese mythology, most of which incorporate several of the following elements: Houyi the archer, a benevolent or malevolent emperor, an elixir of life, and the Moon. She was married to Houyi. In modern times, Chang'e has been the namesake of the Chinese Lunar Exploration Program.

Tales
There are many tales about Chang'e, including a well-known story about her that is given as the origin of the Mid-Autumn Festival.[2]

In one version, in a very distant past, Chang'e was a beautiful woman. Ten suns had risen together into the skies and scorched the Earth, thus causing hardship for the people.[2] Hou Yi the archer shot down nine of them, leaving just one Sun, and was given either two or one with enough for two elixirs of immortality as a reward.[2] He did not consume it straight away, but let Chang'e keep it with her, as he did not want to gain immortality without his beloved wife.[3] However, while Houyi went out hunting, his apprentice Fengmeng broke into his house and tried to force Chang'e to give the elixir to him. She took them-herself instead of giving them to Fengmeng. Then, [2] Chang'e flew upward past the heavens, choosing the Moon as a residence, as she loved her husband and hoped to live nearby him.[2] Houyi discovered what had transpired and felt guilty, so he displayed the fruits and cakes that Chang'e had enjoyed, and killed himself.[2]