There was once a loyal minister
Who was much envied by the king
For his earthly blessedness
Of having nine generations
Living together under the same roof.

Once the king asked him
The secret of his success,
And the minister asked for a paper,
On which he wrote a hundred times
Two words: endurance and indulgence.

Instead of taking that as a commentary
On the family welfare, I have ever after
Envied this example, and write ‘indulgence’
On red paper and paste it on my house-door
With subtitling: ‘Endurance is the best heritage.’

But so long as the family system exists and
So long as community is built on the principle
That a man is not alone but attains his full being
Only in living in harmonious social relationships,
It’s easy to see how indulgence must be regarded
As a virtue and must grow naturally out of community.

For in such a society, endurance has a reason for existence.