Ouyang Yu's 'The Quongs'

The Quongs

Arranged by Ouyang Yu

Uncle Arthur did not speak to her

He knew she was there, but he did not speak

and she did not expect him to

only she liked to be there

hanging over the stable door

They never spoke very much, the Quongs

They sat there at tea

eating a tin of herrings, sitting in the room behind the store

Amy and Arthur and Margaret

and they were very complete

they ate stolidly, they passed each other the things

their hands touched and sundered

and it was enough to be there

the three of them

that was quite enough

Margaret would have liked to live at the store

Amy and Arthuer would have liked it too

But this was a state they did not consider

they did not mention, though each of them knew what the others thought

There was a silent mutual agreement in almost everything

the Quongs

did¹

1 All the words in italics in this poem, arranged by Ouyang Yu, are from Patrick White, Happy Valley. Text Publishing, 2012 [1939], p. 113.