code: def find(C, node, path, namespaces=None, extensions=None, smart_strings=True, **args):
          
          xp = node.xpath(
              path,
              namespaces=namespaces or C.NS,
              extensions=extensions,
              smart_strings=smart_strings,
              **args
          )
          if len(xp) > 0:
              return xp[0]
docs: use Element.xpath() rather than Element.find() in order to normalize the interface