Boxing Match
Masters of the art
are a marvelous sight;
The wise in warfare
are wondrous to behold.
Like strong bulls striking
with their steely horns,
And brazen flanks
broadsides exchanging;
As antelopes,
or antlered moor treaders,
Who deal out dints
for the dark-eyed doe;
Like warring greylags,
their wing-shoulders bristling,
Matching their might
for maidens’ sake;
Like bold male kangaroos,
balanced on their tails,
Their hind-feet flying,
hitting hard,
With pounding kicks
competing for power:
Fire leaps
from flailing fists,
Cloud-light blazes
from clashing shins.
The brazen sky shuddered
at the blows they aimed;
The dints by them dealt
stirred dust and sand.
The wind-blown alighted
on the warriors’ limbs;
The fine-grained settled
on the fighters’ shoulders,
Where it brightened both
their beauteous heads
And shot shimmering rays
from the shoulders of the heroes.