Zuo-Zuo: "Ode to the Barefoot Jade"

Heaven and earth nurture the spirit, mountains and rivers give birth to beauty. The elegant robes and splendid shoes may charm the eyes of the world; yet, it is the bare feet and slender toes that reveal true grace. Now, there is a remarkable maiden who leaves her shoes in the world, treading truth upon the dust. In spring, she steps on the green stream, in summer, she wades through the blue waves, in autumn, she strides on the frosty path, and in winter, she leaves her mark upon the cold snow. Regardless of the wind’s blade or the rain’s arrows, she smiles at the pebbles and thorns, enjoying the freedom of her journey, unburdened by worries or constraints.

Observe her steps: like a lotus blooming amidst mist, like red jade shining with light. Her delicate steps tread the waves, shattering a thousand silver scales; she skims the frost, crushing countless golden leaves. Her bare toes press against the moss, startling the hibernating insects; the patterns of her feet etched in the sand make the crashing waves hush. Some may call her a wild woman, criticize her for defying convention. Yet, she retorts, ”The crown of the mortal world only binds the true nature; embroidered shoes and silk stockings are but cocoons of the soul. Those who admire me, admire the true essence; those who slander me, slander their own hearts!”

In the harshness of the dark winter, with biting winds cutting through the bones, the world wraps itself in cocoons like larvae, while she alone lifts her head and strides forward. The ice’s edge severs her skin, yet she laughs, saying, ”Heaven has gifted me with crystal-soft flesh.” The snowflakes sting her ankles, but she sings, ”The earth applies a balm of jade.” The harshness of all four seasons turns into sweet rain beneath her feet; the perils of the world become her playground. Thus, she understands: when the body is enslaved, the heart suffers; but when the heart governs the body, there is joy. Those who follow the way of nature are not troubled by the cold or heat, nor confined by clothing or shoes!

Ah! The world is deceived by the tales of the golden lotus, tangled in the aberration of bound feet. Do they not know that the Goddess Nuwa, at the beginning of creation, bestowed upon us bare toes; and the sage Yu, in his governance of the floods, walked barefoot? To return to simplicity and the original state is to approach the Great Way; adorning the body with form is to ultimately defy the heavenly order. Observe the movements of this maiden, and one will awaken to the image of the beginning, to the true essence of chaos. Those who mock the ”barbaric wildness” truly have never seen: the impressions left by her feet are the tracks of the Sun God, and the ground she treads upon is the land of ultimate freedom.