Holding the claw, more delighted in the cassia's shade;
Dashing vinegar, crushing ginger—excitement near to madness.
The gluttonous young lord should have his wine;
The swaggering fellow, it turns out, has no gut.
Cold gathered at the navel—greed forgets all caution;
Fingers stained with fish-smell—washed, they're fragrant still.
All along, to please the world's mouths and bellies,
The poet Su Dongpo once laughed at a life kept busy.
English titles, text, and notes are AI-assisted for reading only; for scholarship cite the Chinese and authoritative editions.
Annotation
Baoyu's crab poem. 'The swaggering fellow has no gut'—a self-deprecating pun on crabs' sideways walk and lack of intestines. 'Poet Su Dongpo' refers to Su Shi, who once said failing to eat crab would wrong one's belly. The style is lively and uninhibited.
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