Detained in this wooden house for several tens of days, It is all because of the Mexican exclusion law which implicates me. It's a pity heroes have no way of exercising their prowess. I can only await the word so that I can snap Zu's whip. From now on, I am departing far from this building All of my fellow villagers are rejoicing with me. Don't say that everything within is Western styled. Even if it is built of jade, it has turned into a cage. - From the walls of Angel Island Immigration Station, author unknown,    Poem 69 from Island, p. 134    Island: Poetry and History of Chinese Immigrants on Angel Island, 1910-1940.

AN ALTERNATE TRANSLATION

A book titled "Chinese American Transnationalism" has a somewhat different translation
by the book's author Sucheng Chan:

This wooden house has kept me for tens of days For the Mexican exclusion law also lassoed me What a pity heroes cannot use their martial skills And can only wait to hear the crack of Zu's whip. As I leave this building far behind My fellow villagers and I together rejoice Don't say everything here is Western-styled Though it might have been built of jade it still becomes a cage. -- "Lassoed" instead of "implicated" and -- "heroes cannot use their martial skills" instead of "heroes cannot use their prowess." -- In one, he would crack Zu's whip -- In the other, he would wait to hear the crack of that whip. Re "Zu's whip": Zu Sheng, the famous general Zu Di of the Eastern Jin Dynasty wrote: "I would start practicing martial arts at the cock's crow, till eventually I commanded an expedition in the north, on horseback, whip in hand."

With thanks to Teddy and Tom, of Tom Taylor's "The Bay Area Photography & Exploration Society" meetup group, which got together for this visit to Angel Island.  Teddy introduced us to the first translation of this wall poem.