Fog
By Carl Sandburg · Original poem
Sino-Mini · pinyin · literal English rendering
雾 兮 来
wù xī lái
Fog comes
用 小 猫 脚。
yòng xiǎo māo jiǎo。
using little cat feet.
它 兮 坐
tā xī zuò
It sits
上 静 背 腿，
shàng jìng bèi tuǐ，
on silent hind legs,
和 兮 看 乃 船 停 处 和 城。
hé xī kàn nǎi chuán tíng chù hé chéng。
and watches the boats’ stopping place and the city.
后，它 兮 继 动。
hòu，tā xī jì dòng。
Then, it continues moving.
船 停 处 describes a harbor as a boat stopping place; 背 腿, hind legs, approximates haunches. The middle lines are reordered to keep modifiers attached to their actions. The English beneath each line is a literal rendering of the Sino-Mini, rather than Sandburg’s original wording.