A sip of wine, I question my fate as do I the heavens, A sip of wine, Must a carp forever stay a carp never to ascend, A sip of wine, Must a tiger's soul be born as a cat, A sip of wine, Must a baby chick never take off into a condor, A sip of wine, Is the cup not but empty.
Some Clarifications - a carp in Chinese legend could jump the dragon gate and become a dragon. Explaination - the poem is about a scholar asking why he could never become successful. The part about the wine running out shows his outcome in a way, or another way of looking it be that even the wine is laughing at his failure.