You can hear their chickens ...

Small country, few people -
Hundreds of devices,
But none are used.

People ponder on death
And don’t travel far.
They have carriages and boats,
But no one goes on board;
Weapons and armour,
But no one brandishes them.
They use knotted cords for counting.

Sweet their food,
Beautiful their clothes,
Peaceful their homes,
Delightful their customs.

Neighbouring countries are so close
You can hear their chickens and dogs.
But people grow old and die
Without needing to come and go.

Lao-Tzu, Tao Te Ching, Chapter 80, translated by Stephen Addiss and Stanley Lombardo (Indianapolis, 1993)