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This is a religious
poem, or so I

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believe because it was
published in translation,

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the translation done by
Ezra Pound's daughter,

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in a Catholic poetry magazine.

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It does me good, to bow
my body to the ground

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when the emperor passes.

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I am one of the
gardeners at the palace,

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but I have never seen his face.

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When he walks in
the garden, he is

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preceded by boys who
ring little bells,

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and I bow myself down when I
hear the bells approaching.

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Though they say that the emperor
is very kind, and not easily

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offended, he might smile
at me, if I looked up,

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or even speak to me.

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But I believe that the
Emperor rules by my humility.

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It is my humility that rules."

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