“Good name in man and woman, dear my lord,
Is the immediate jewel of their souls:
"Who steals my purse steals trash; ’tis something, nothing;
’twas mine, ’tis his, and has been slave to thousands;
But he that filches from me my good name
Robs me of that which not enriches him,
And makes me poor indeed.”

Happening into realms peach-blossom pure,
I begin to feel the depths of a bamboo path,
And soon come to know a master’s timeless dwelling.
It’s far beyond things people seek.
Cranes dancing over steps all stone idleness,
Gibbons in flight howling amid thick forests,
I slowly fathom dark-enigma’s inner pattern,
And sitting at such depths, forget mind itself.

- Meng Hao-jan (689-740)