Flowers In The Wind

This was inspired by this picture from a neighbor’s yard…

1 立春轉眼五月尾 In a blink of an eye, early springtime is now May's end,
2 風到花落胭脂地 Arriving winds, falling blossoms, rouging the ground.
3 紅顏一代芙蓉天 An age of peachy complexions is now the [summer] sky for lotuses,
4 金菊霎間凡塵戲 When suddenly, golden chrysanthemums [of autumn] began to tease the world of mortals.

1 立春 is the first of the 24 solar terms that begins in the second lunar month. It sounds better to my ears with the next line than 春色. 五月尾 sounds better than 小滿尾.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_term

3 紅顏, “red face” is used to denote the “peach bloom” complexion of a young and beautiful woman. The modern meaning of 芙蓉 is hibiscus but in poetry, lotus is meant.

4 Chrysanthemums are the symbol of autumn when most other flowers had faded.

Sunday, May 21, 2023

A Little Proposition

I was on a ball when a previous poem was still in progress… 告, 襯芳草 and 飛登月壁参玉兔 came from 許願 from the Cantonese series, 清宮殘夢.

1 嬌枝綠柳殷勤告 Dainty are the willow branches in meticulous beckoning,
2 月圓花香襯芳草 Matching are fragrant flowers and aromatic grasses under the moon.
3 寒風兩袖樓難上 Alas, Two sleeves billowing in cold, unable to ascend to the tower,
4 千杯夢騰參玉兔 A thousand cups later, in dreams of homage I flew to the Jade Rabbit.

1 柳 symbolizes the slender female form.

2 花 here symbolizes courtesans. 尋花問柳, “looking for flowers by asking the willows” is a euphemism looking for some paid pleasures of the flesh. Now we know that the willow represents the mama-san beckoning for business.

Chinese clothing has no pockets! The so called pockets are the sleeves ends sewn backwards to function as pockets. The open end is the top part where the arm goes through. Small hanging bags around the waist are also to carry small items.

3 兩袖清風, “Two sleeves of pure wind” is used to denote an official who is upright and incorruptible as his large sleeves has no bribed gold or silver to hold it down from billowing. Chinese clothing has no pockets. The lower sleeves are sewn shut for this purpose. Also, small hanging pouches around the waist are used. 寒 means “poor” as in the terms, 寒舍, “cold dwelling”, and 寒窗, “cold window”. 樓is short for 青樓, the green/blue bowers, pleasure houses.

4 The Jade Rabbit is a denizen of the moon and hence symbolizes the place. Jade does not denote the green color of jade. Ancient Chinese referred the pale white color of mutton fat until it became popular when it was highly favored by the Empress Dowager Tzu Hsi of the Ch’ing Dynasty. The rabbit and the moon in this poem represent purity.

On the surface, the dialog in the poem is the rejection of pleasure services due to its exorbitant price that the client does not want to pay due to shoddy goods - rather to spend money on wine where he can obtain something better. His logic is that life is but a dream and reality will eventually become ethereal; given enough time, just like a vacation taken a long time ago. Better a quick death from alcohol poisoning than from some lingering disease!

Thursday, May 18, 2023

Can Dreams Of Springtime Warm Anyone?

1 莫見東君舍無神 Upon not seeing the Lord of the East, hearts are at a loss,
2 一陣寒風碎花魂 One gust of wind in cold and souls of flowers shattered.
3 千杯醉意洗盡愁 A thousand cups of tipsiness will erase all sorrows,
4 夢裡春色暖何人 Can dreams of Springtime warm anyone?

1 Lord of the East – the Chinese sun god. It is believed that the human spirit dwells in the heart. From the phrase 神不守舍, the [human] spirit no longer guards the abode to mean “desperate”, “at a loss”, “distracted”, listless etc.

3 Literally, “washes away”

Thursday, May 18, 2023

Nocturnal Ethereality

1 月滿高樓秦淮心 Full moon over the towers of Qin Huai central,
2 白銀引路待君臨 With white silver to lead the way, I waited for thee to come.
3 笑颜醉歡各懷志 Under smiling faces and inebriated joy are the intentions of each,
4 朝霧盡散仍舊尋 Still the old search even as the morn dissipates the mists.

1 The red light district of Qin Huai River. Heart can either mean the central area or “in the hearts” of the people in the area.

2 Copper is usually the current unit of daily items, silver for more expensive and services and of course gold, for the most luxurious items. Bolts of silk are also used as monetary units. It can also denote the silvery moonlight but is highly unlikely given the situation.

4 Reality sets in as morning breaks.

Friday, May 12, 2023

Never Enough

1 月暗風微流星雨 The moon is dark, the wind is gentle and a drizzle of shooting stars,
2 喜鵲騰飛銀河遇 Joyous magpies flying high to meet the Silver River,
3 天橋未成兩岸急 Anxiety upon both banks as the celestial bridge yet be complete,
4 長年一刻此夜語 Long is the year for this night’s moment of words.

1 Moonless night.  The full moon does not appear until the first or the15th of the lunar month.

2 Magpies are considered as good omens for they are the first creatures to appear when spring begins. It is a joyous occasion that severe cold is finally over. Silver River is a poetic name for the Milky Way.

3 This line refers to the yearly reunion of the Heavenly Spinning Maid and the Cowherd.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Cowherd_and_the_Weaver_Girl

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qixi_Festival

Tuesday, May 9, 2023

The Bothersome Moon

漏滴夜寒月更煩 More bothersome is the moon than a cold night with the dripping clepsydra,
風吹葉落花香散 The wind blew, leaves a fallen and fragrance of flowers in scatter.
琵琶數年牆掛靜 For many a year, the lute hangs upon the wall in silence,
燭影輕掃舊日彈 And flickering shadows of candlelight strum gently of yester tunes.

Friday, May 5, 2023

A Walk In Friendship Park

Another creation while walking in Friendship Park. The photo sort of inspired me to write something. The place was quiet in the sense that there was no human made noises such as traffic. It made one feel so peaceful especially when the weather is not too hot. Too bad that there is no seating around. It would be nice to veg out for awhile, just looking into the blue sky.

獨步幽徑黄花開 Strolling alone on a quiet path where yellow flowers bloom,
一陣清風迎客來 A gust of refreshing wind as if in welcoming a guest.
掃盡紅塵心頭怨 Sweeping away all resentment of the mortal world from the heart,
背後陽光暖碧海 And from behind are the rays of the sun warming the ocean blue.

Monday, May 1, 2023