I don’t dare take my eyes off the ox for a single moment

The dust has just begun to settle

Still gripping the rope, it now hangs slack

Occasionally brushing the ground

The ox comes over and nudges my arm with its nose

I rub his forehead and scratch behind his ears

It’s time to move on

I loosen the knot from around the ox’s neck

He follows me by his own will

Before my eyes

His dark coat becomes white

♉

The difference between an ox and a bull is that an ox has been castrated, producing a more docile creature.

Perhaps up until this point, we really were chasing a bull. But there still remains more cutting off to do…

Taming the Bull

One does not let go of the whip or the rope,

Afraid it will stray and choose the dusty mist.

A well-tended ox becomes gentle,

And even with no rope will follow people by himself.