Liu Shahe Quote

Naive eyes see friends everywhere
Sullen eyes see enemies everywhere
Terrified eyes see traps everywhere
Greedy eyes see gold everywhere
Sorrowful eyes see desolation everywhere
Smiling eyes see brightness everywhere
Two eyes often struggle against each other
One is too naive
The other too sullen
Therefore the eyes behold total confusion
Enemies look like friends
And friends look like enemies.

The Red Azalea: Chinese Poetry Since the Cultural Revolution (University of Hawaii Press, 1990) by Edward Morin, p. 38, Collected Poems, The Eyes, Early Spring 1957