Almost everyone in our class can sing the song "Little Grass". It runs like this:" Not so fragrant as a flower, nor so tall as a tree, I am a blade of obscure (unknown) grass. Never lonely, never worried, I have friends all over the world. Oh spring wind, you blow me green. Oh, sunlight, you shine on me. Mountains and rivers, you nourish me. The eartb, our motber, holds me tightly in her arms." Whenever I sing it, I feel serene(calm) and comforted. The words make me satisfied with the surronndings wbere I work and study. The music reminds me of the beautiful scenery of our country. When I sing this song, I recall my ten years' country life. I feel as if I could hear the sound of water running down the stream in front of the country school. I smell the sweet flowers even now. The birds are twittering in the grein mountains. The children come to me, their first and only woman teacher with flowers and smiling faces. Everything is so beautiful. I feel like a big queen in a small country I Iove the song. It gives me strength and warmth and happiness.

There is another song which is popular among the young. It has a sad note, which makes one feel sad and lonely and disappointed. The song, The Deep Sea, goes:" Oh, the deep sea. Why are you so uneven, just like my lover's wavering heart? Oh, young frtend, please tell me frankly. Do you know my lover? Where is he now? Where has he gone?" The plaintive melady makes one cry. As you sing, you feel as if a lonely girl, deserted by her lover, is ouring ont her heart in tears. She is standing by the seaside. The ea water is rolling wave upon wave, in unison with the beat of the ad song. The wind is tearing at the girl's hair and skirt; you feel Biseouraged. Although the mountains and rivers are beautiful, she is not in a mood to enjoy the sights. All her attention is focused on herself. She thinks only of her own loss and gain; she is sad and lonely and completely isolated. I would rather not sing this song.

The little blade of glass is obscure, but she doesn't feel lonely because she takes root in the earth. She is not angry nor frustrated when she is not noticed. She needs nothing and can endure everything.

The girl who stands by the seaside may be attractive and has many acquaintances, but she is sad and isolated. She wants to be loved, to be sought after, and when she fails to get what she needs, she is discouraged, and maybe even wants to commit suicide. It's dangerous for her to stand by the seaside.

Both are lyric songs. Yet one is an image of modesty and generosity, the other is an image of loss and sorrow. The former gives confidence in life, the latter causes one to lose courage and strength. The grass feels indebted to everything around her, the mountains, the rivers, the wind, the sunlight and The earth, while the girl feels her lover owes her love and comfort.

From the songs I come to this conclusion: forget yourself and you will be happy; think always of yourself, and you will feel lonely. Personal gains and losses are nothing when you immerse yourself in the masses. There are two kinds of musie, optimistic(乐观的) and pessimistic(悲观的). Optimistic music stimulates people to do more for the publie. Pessimistic music dampens one's spirits (打击人的情绪). That is why I prefer "Little Grass" to "The Deep Sea".