The Fruit Seller at Xi

The Fruit Seller at Xi'an

The high velocity passing traffic
leaves him immobile,
stranded,
marginalizing him
with time's impatience,

but, constantly brings in fresh gawkers
with coolers and straw hats,
tenuously clutching
at the unconnected, strange history,
bleating in unknown tongues,
shepherded by guides
earnestly extolling the importance
of the patched up, mended clay soldiers.

In the quietness of his heart,
he has heard the muffled echoes
of those marching soldiers,
and knows,
they too, like him, were once sons of the soil.

Unflinchingly, the gawkers pay
to see the inert ghosts of the long dead,
but haggle immoderately
with the living fruit seller.

What manner of people are these
who pay homage
to the crumbled edifice of the dead
but not to the miracle of the living?

~ Krishna ~
15 October 2002

Note: In early 1976, some peasants, digging a well near Xi'an, accidentally discovered some ancient bronze weapons and pieces of broken terra-cotta warriors.
After years of drilling and excavation, the site proved to be the most exciting archaeological find in Chinese history. The site was the burial pit of terra-cotta warriors fashioned after living soldiers of that time, belonging to the first feudal emperor Qin Shi Huang ( 259-210 B.C.). It covers a very large area and
some 8,000 terra-cotta warriors and more than 100 chariots. UNESCO placed the Qin mausoleum along with warriors among the world's cultural legacies. The site attracts many thousands of tourists every year.

The Photos on this page were taken by the author

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