Two moments in time

Spontaneous Stroll by Yuen Mei* of the Ching dynasty, 1716-1797

A spontaneous stroll down the western path:
One orchid** floret blooming.
Who first announced the news?
Otherwise were the bees arrived.  

*A good county official, kind to the civilians. When he retired, he returned home to take care of his mother, and built a study for himself called Pleasing Garden. He taught students writing, and they called him Mr. Pleasing. He traveled all around in the south of China.

**orchids characterize subtlety and reservedness


Tokyo Midsummer

Not drunk, no flowers, eyes only awake.
Gradually see the great earth head into darkness.
Willow strands, moon rising, hazy foggy white;
City outskirts, mountains stretching, shadowy gloomy green.
Blazing heat, steaming clouds, wind gusts hot;
Floating fragrance, circling edges, water flows sweet.
Weak tea, tastes thin, cheap commonplace drink:*
Luyu classic, no need to study deeply.

*those sent to Japan from China had low salaries