Fairy Time - 仙界時辰

 
1 梅盡枝上桃紅熟 When plum blossoms are gone, peaches will soon ripen in red,
2 四月蓮華重陽菊 Lotuses bloom in the Month of Four before chrysanthemums of the Double Ninth
3 仙宇一日人間旬 A day in the fairyland but ten years in the mortal realm,
4 凡塵何事不匆速 Of what in the world of men not being hurried?

1 Chinese seasons are represented by the plum, peach, lotus and chrysanthemum for winter, spring, summer and autumn respectively.

2 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_Ninth_Festival

3 宇 originally means the top, bottom and the four directions and thus means space within. 宙means the time span from the past till present. Today, 宇宙 or 宙宇 just means the universe. 旬 means ten years of a week of ten days. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chinese_calendar or ten years. Time goes slowly in the heavens. Some claim a day in heaven equals to a year/three years on earth. No matter by what definition, time passes slowly in heaven. This reminded me an episode of Star Trek’s Voyager – Blink of an Eye. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blink_of_an_Eye_(Star_Trek:_Voyager)

4 凡塵, “mortal dust” is a Buddhist/Taoist term for the mortal world.

Sunday, February 14, 2021