Plum Flower by Song Dynasty poet Wang Anshi (1021-1086)
By the corner of the fence, several branches of plum,
So cold, by itself abloom.
From far away, know it isn't snow.
Because a subtle fragrance comes.
New York Harbor Entrance Statue of Liberty
We arrived in New York, toured the whole city and saw lots of things, but didn't have time to record them all. Only wrote this one about the Statue of Liberty.
Dressed in white jade, the body of a woman,
Standing tall beside the famous city's great port.
Torch lifted high, shadows disperse.
Crown orderly and erect, eyebrows poised, noble,
Sails and masts swing, dreams of prosperity.
Waves and crests roll, sea of spring.
Iron posts and stone pedestal, cannot move,
Let people call her Goddess of Freedom.
Sunday, December 27, 2015
Sunday, December 20, 2015
Less and more
Plum Flower by Song Dynasty poet Ling Bu (967-1038)
All the flowers withered and dried, alone blooming and pretty,
Fills with beauty and delicacy this small garden.
Sparse silhouettes in differing directions reflect upon the water, clarity to depth
Subtle fragrance lilting by, the moon at golden haze.
He lived in the mountain and liked planting plum flowers. Didn't have a family. Plum flower is his wife. Stork is his kids.
The editor notes that Ling Bu changed the first words of the last two lines to attain this most highly regarded plum flower poem. Before 'sparse' it had been 'bamboo' and before 'subtle' it had been osmanthus thus simplifying the subject and decreasing the weightiness of the poem.
New York's Empire State Building
The Empire State's highest floor is the 102nd story.
Holding hands with old companion, happy to climb together.
Wind speed cars constantly come and go,
Electric powered elevators magically up and down.
Far and wide can see for a thousand miles,*
Flashy city seen by ten-thousand household light.**
Observation deck equipped with telescopes,
From which to fully view Wall Street's several rise and falls.
After finishing our duties in Canada, we went to New York and our hotel was next door to the tallest building in the world, the Empire State Building. My wife and I went to the Empire State Building and I wrote this after our visit.
*If you want to see another thousand miles, you need to go up another story.
**typically ten-thousand household hearths describe all rural life
All the flowers withered and dried, alone blooming and pretty,
Fills with beauty and delicacy this small garden.
Sparse silhouettes in differing directions reflect upon the water, clarity to depth
Subtle fragrance lilting by, the moon at golden haze.
He lived in the mountain and liked planting plum flowers. Didn't have a family. Plum flower is his wife. Stork is his kids.
The editor notes that Ling Bu changed the first words of the last two lines to attain this most highly regarded plum flower poem. Before 'sparse' it had been 'bamboo' and before 'subtle' it had been osmanthus thus simplifying the subject and decreasing the weightiness of the poem.
New York's Empire State Building
The Empire State's highest floor is the 102nd story.
Holding hands with old companion, happy to climb together.
Wind speed cars constantly come and go,
Electric powered elevators magically up and down.
Far and wide can see for a thousand miles,*
Flashy city seen by ten-thousand household light.**
Observation deck equipped with telescopes,
From which to fully view Wall Street's several rise and falls.
After finishing our duties in Canada, we went to New York and our hotel was next door to the tallest building in the world, the Empire State Building. My wife and I went to the Empire State Building and I wrote this after our visit.
*If you want to see another thousand miles, you need to go up another story.
**typically ten-thousand household hearths describe all rural life
Sunday, December 13, 2015
Investments
Planting Lizhi by Bai Juyi
Red husked pearl, truly desirable,
White-bearded mayor: are you so foolish?
Ten years to bear fruit, who will be here then?
Heedless of others, planting lychee in the center of the garden.
When he wrote this poem, he was already forty.
Bird's-eye view of Canada
No. 1
Cold, desolate, a developing nation for a hundred years:
End to end, east west coasts touch two oceans.
A protective curtain fortified North Pole,
Next door neighbor, friendly peaceful, on the southern border.
We flew from Vancouver to Montreal, crossing nearly the entire country. I wrote two poems to describe the trip.
Red husked pearl, truly desirable,
White-bearded mayor: are you so foolish?
Ten years to bear fruit, who will be here then?
Heedless of others, planting lychee in the center of the garden.
When he wrote this poem, he was already forty.
Bird's-eye view of Canada
No. 1
Cold, desolate, a developing nation for a hundred years:
End to end, east west coasts touch two oceans.
A protective curtain fortified North Pole,
Next door neighbor, friendly peaceful, on the southern border.
We flew from Vancouver to Montreal, crossing nearly the entire country. I wrote two poems to describe the trip.
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