andvari

When Tzu-ch'i of Nan-po was on an excursion in the hills of Shang,
He marveled at a large tree there.
A thousand four-horses could have rested in its shade.
"What a tree that is!" He exclaimed. "There must be some marvelous stock in it."
However, when he looked at the smaller branches,
He found them knotted and twisted and unfit for beams or rafters;
And when he gazed down at the big roots,
He found them curved and forked and useless for making coffins.
When he tasted the leaves, he burned his mouth;
When he smelled them he became dizzy for three months.
Thereupon he remarked,
" This tree has naturally attained its great size because nothing can be done with it. So, it is with this in view that the gods, once men, act like useless material."