Ch'u Yuan, (322-295 BCE) Of a truth the workmanship of the age is specious! Neglected be the Square and Compasses — our true guides: The measuring line is discarded and the crooked is pursued; A showy elegance is the standard now aimed by all. In relation of sovereign and subject, Seek the harmony of the Square and the Measuring Line. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chu Yuan was the author of a poem titled Li Sao, or "The Dissipation of Grief!" This poem describes the writer’s fruitless search for a ruler who would listen to good counsels in government. See: Norman C. Dutt, Philalethes.