1908: Mountains of Poetry

Sitting Alone at Blessed Pagoda Mountain* by Tang dynasty poet Li Bai

All the birds fly high away.
Single cloud alone went quietly.
Won't tire of looking at each other:
There's only Blessed Pagoda Mountain.

*In An Hui province


1908 - age 7

Age 7 is the age you can go to home school (which is actually a private community school sponsored by a family who hires a tutor). My home school was located one house over from Wen Si's house. The teacher's name was Zhang. He was related to us by marriage and was a nice, kind, and patient educator. On the first day of class, your family prepared candles to honor Confucius, the utmost sacred teacher. Next is honoring your teacher (by kneeling before them). Then, honoring your classmates by bowing to one another. Having completed my ritual, I became a formal student of our Qu private school. The first task was learning the 3-word classic proverbs and Confucius' sayings. In those days, books had no punctuation, so the teacher used a red pen to add punctuation. All the students had to memorize and give recitation. After that came penmanship: we began with sheets of characters in red ink that we had to trace over with a pen. Before I left for the day, I paid my respect to Confucius and my teacher. If I met any elders on the way home, I bowed to them. When I arrived at home, I had to bow to my parents and the ancestral icon.

My house needed a lot of repairs. My dad remodeled our house, in a way. Besides the kitchen and bathroom, there were three bedrooms and a living room. My mother loved to keep house and tidy. Everyday she cleaned and dusted. The windows were clear and tables spotless. My extended family, when we had business meetings, usually met at my house. When I came home from school, my mom would watch me do homework. On the south side of my house, if you opened the door, you could see Lu Mountain. Later, when I grew older, I learned to write poetry. I wrote a poem about Lu Mountain in my book of poems.

1907: 3000, 9, 2, 70

Gazing at Lu Mountain Waterfall by Tang dynasty poet Li Bai

The sun shines on Incense Burner*, giving off purple smoke.
From afar, the water-cloth looks like a long hanging river,
The streaming flow drops down three thousand feet,
As if the Silver River** is falling from ninth heaven.

*name of the waterfall
**Milky Way


1907 - age 6 (cont.)

From our straw house, to the east, belonged the house of Paternal Uncle Da Muo, and on the west side, the house of Paternal Uncle Da Gu. I called Uncle Da Muo's wife Mama De. She and my mother were very good friends. Mama De loved me like her own son. Because our houses were next to each other, she took good care of me. Uncle Da Muo's oldest son, Mo Hai, was a year older than me, and I called him Elder Brother Hai. He was a good companion during my childhood. 

On the east side of Uncle Da Muo's house, lived the Yang family. Their house was made of brick. The Yang family didn't till the field, they accommodated business people who were in the salt trade. On the Long River, there were many boats that transported salt. My family was located in a place called Two Outfit Port. On the port there was a tax booth. All the shipping boats had to pay taxes there. All the people who came on boats, besides paying taxes, docked for food and entertainment: gambling, bars, and prostitution (smoking flowers). These kinds of businesses made easy money but were disdained by the rest of the community. 

To the east of the Yangs lived the Yo and Cai families. These two families were decent business people. 

Further east lived Yu Zaoxiang. The Yu family had a tall brick house with gardens. The Yus and our neighbors the Weis were the prominent families in our neighborhood. The Yu's third son, Kaisan, was two years older than me, and I knew him because we were neighbors. Later on, after I left home to study, Kaisan also went to higher education in Jiangxi. And after he graduated, he taught at school and became quite a famous teacher. Kaisan also went to Japan to study. When he finished studying in Japan and returned to China, I had already finished studying in Japan and was working at the Central Bank, he passed through Shanghai to pay me a special visit. When the Communists took over the mainland, Kaisan fled from home and, stopping by several places, came to Taiwan. He taught at National Taiwan University until retirement. Mr. Yu lived very close to Guling Street. When I retired, he and I became even closer. He is my friend of seventy years. Because we cannot go back to our hometown, we became even closer in Taiwan. In Taiwan, he is the only person who has known me for seventy years, that's why I've made special note of this year. 

1907: Straw houses

Fishing Song by Tang dynasty poet Zhang Zihe (730-810)

Near West Fort Mountain, white cranes fly.
Peach blossoms, flowing waters, and plump mandarin perch. 
Fresh woven hat, green straw coat*,
Mild wind, drizzling rain, don't miss home. 

*straw coats are naturally waterproof.

Zhang Zihe used to be a very important person. He violated some law so he was dismissed from court and returned home. He often fished in the lake and befriended nature. He didn't even have a hut to stay in, he lived in a boat. Some of his friends wanted to give him a better, newer boat but he rejected it. This poor boat fits me, wherever I want to go, I go.

1907 - age 6

My family's straw house was located on a dyke. In front of the house there was a sandy beach. Over the beach was the Yangtze River, and you could see Lu Mountain. Even if the house was very primitive and simple, the scenery around was excellent. During the May 4th revolution, people learned how to write a new style of poetry. So I wrote a poem in this form about my house. 

Long River flowing fast,
Hold Lu's nine tiers,
Scenery pretty as a painting.
Long River north side,
Long dyke winds along,
The sandy plains all become green fields.
Long dyke up above, 
Steam rises from cooking stoves,
Several trees, made of straw, people's homes. 

1906: You do not know where it comes from or where it goes

Wind by Li Qiao (644-713) Tang dynasty

To blow the third month of autumn leaves,
Can open second-month flowers.
Across the river thousands of billows,
Into bamboo grove ten-thousand stems bend.

1906 - age 5

In the back of our straw house, there was a fairly large yard. My mother grew a vegetable garden. She planted greens, chives, peppers, and eggplant. We used this to supplement our meals. My father also planted pumpkins, winter melon, squash, and gourds. This year we got a huge winter melon, as tall as a person, it took two people to hold it, and weighed several hundred pounds. We never had a melon this big. All the neighbors came to see it and called it the King Melon. Everyone thought it was a good omen for the village. 

My mother continued to take me across the river to my grandmother's. I would stay there while my mother returned home and play with the kids in the neighborhood. At that time, Jioujiang still had a city wall. On the wall, there was a place you could walk. One day, I and several neighborhood kids planned to walk around the city wall. We thought if it was a circle, we could walk around it and get back to the place we started. We didn't know it was a huge wall and would take a long time to walk around. When evening came, my grandmother didn't see us and thought we might have been kidnapped. She was so worried she got all the neighbors to look for us. We finally arrived at sunset. My grandmother said we should not do it again and sent me back home.

When my mother came to take me home, we met someone giving out gospel tracts at the boat port. My mom got one and on the tract there was a picture and some wording but I couldn't read so didn't know what it was about. Later on, I found out it was the Luke story of the prodigal son, my first encounter with the gospel of Jesus.

1905: Playmates

The reply I wrote to the Emperor's letter asking, What's there on the mountain? by South North Dynasty poet Tao Hongjing (AD 452-536)

What's good about the mountain?
On the summit, tons of white clouds,
Only enjoyed by myself,
No way to take hold to send to you.

Tao was a scholar but didn't want to serve and instead went up into the mountains and became a hermit. Emperor Qi Wudi sent Tao a letter asking why he wanted to go to the mountain, what's the purpose? A letter from an emperor is called a Zao1.


1905 - age 4

I grew a little older and could easily separate from my mother. I often went to my grandmother's home in Jioujiang. My grandmother loved me the most and she had me wear nice clothes and fed me delicious food. Every morning, she had me drink milk. Every time I got my hair cut, I drank ginseng. She disciplined me just enough, not too harsh and not too soft. I had playmates of the next door neighbor kids. I loved staying in Jioujiang. But sometimes I had to come back home. 

Every time I came home, I said, "I miss grandma." One day, my parents took me on a walk near the dam. Around the dam, there was a small lake. There was a little boat in the lake and I thought it was the boat that brought people to Jioujiang. I shouted, "I want to go to grandma's!" My mother had to explain to me several times that this was not the boat to Jioujiang. Even though there are a lot of things from my childhood I cannot remember, this is one thing I remember. 

My grandma's house inside Jioujiang city was in a building complex named West Garden. Every family had their own bedroom and dining room, but the living room was shared. When I went there, I usually played in the common living room. Since it was shared, the neighbor kids played there too. There was a little girl about my age who would come up from behind me and cover my eyes and ask me to guess who it was. My grandmother didn't like that and told the kids, "He comes from the country and is naive. Don't bother him." The kids didn't listen to her and still played with me. 

1904: Rain song, back scar

Great Noble* Song** by Guan Hanquin

Wind blow blow, rain pour pour,
Even if you're Chen Tuan, you'll not fall asleep.
Regrets, sorrow carried inside.
Pounce fall fall, tears drip drop,
Cicadas finish chirping, crickets call.
Shh tinkle tinkle, misting rain sprays the banana tree.

*Da De became Emperor Yuan Chenzong's era's name
**Yuan dynasty form usually in praise of the Emperor

1904 - age 3

Just after I turned three, I had a bad infection on my back, a swollen and pussy welt; it hurt terribly. My grandmother heard about it and made a special trip to see me. She used medicine to wash my wound and recited mantras asking Buddha to heal me. The mystical thing was whenever she said mantras, the pain subsided. So I usually called out for her to recite the mantras. In this way, for several months, I was healed. Until now, I still have a scar on my back. 

1903: Devotees

By the River Sunset Snow by anonymous Yuen dynasty poet 

Pink clouds spread,
Lucky snow falls,
The reel-loving old man, laughable:
Zi Cho*, too chilled, returned home.
River so cold, how can you fish alone?

*There's a story of a man named Wang Zi Cho who took a boat to visit his friend. He arrived at his friend's front door and did not go in, but returned home. When people asked him about it, he said: I wanted to go but when I arrived, I had nothing to say, so then I went home. Wang Zi Cho came to symbolize an impulsive person.

1903 - age 2

In the 29th year of Guang Xu's reign. After I turned one, my dad brought me to Huangmei, to the shrine of the Qu ancestors. The shrine was funded by all the descendants of the Qu tribe, with contributions collected according to the number of men in the branch. They also used this pooled money to help family members in crisis. They elected people to manage the family fund, and every year they took turns purchasing meat, fruit, and vegetables for offering. After the offering, they would portion out the sacrificed food according to the number of males in your household. 

Every time, after worshiping our ancestors, we would return home and my mother would carry me across the river to Jioujiang to visit my maternal grandmother. My maternal grandmother was Buddhist and in her home she had a shrine for Guanyin. She faithfully worshiped Guanyin and burned incense every morning and evening, before every meal, never missing her devotion. She made a promise to Guanyin: every time she printed money, she would recite a mantra and then burn it for her blessing on this grandson. 

1902: Not cold

Quatrain by Song dynasty monk Zi Nan

Old wood, in the shade, tie up small boat,
Stick cane, supporting me, cross the bridge east.
Drops on clothes, barely damp, apricot blossom rain,
Blows on face, not cold, poplar willow breeze.


1902 (continued)

My deceased mother, family name Yang, was born in the first year of Guangxu's reign*, in Jioujiang. She is the eldest daughter of her father, Yang Fangzhong. Her mother, from the Wang family, also lived in Jioujiang City. My mother lived with her parents and went to a private school. When she was 27, she married my father. The next year, on June 18, I was born. The fortune teller said I was lacking in gold and water of the five elements, so my mother named me Jing Zhou (gold continent). When I started school, it was changed to a homonym meaning Chastetree. At my hundred days celebration, the relatives gathered to give thanks to God. 

*1875

Qu (Chu) generational names

Shi Guang Da Wen Zhang
Hua Guo Ding Ji Xiang

Da rong (gonggong's dad) big glory

Wen wei (gonggong) great
Wen ying (his brother) in brave, handsome, hero, discerning

Zhang pei (dajojo) little bud [shu dong]
(When mom was younger, she complained that it was unfair that she didn't have a family tree name. Neither does her female cousin.)
Zhang jun (xiaojojo) even/fair [shu yuan]
Zhang zhen (baby brother) fruitful [shu yu]

(Mom's cousins:)
Zhang mong fierce
Zhang yong courageous
Zhang gang strong

Hua un (David)
Hua ming (Michael)

Guo jun (Isaac)
Guo ? (Aaron)

Ding

1902: Cold Evening + Qu family name

Cold Evening by Song dynasty poet Du Lai

Cold evening, guests arrive, tea as wine,
Bamboo stove, broth steams, filament now hot.
As usual, the same window frames the moon,
Except for the plum flower making regular not.

1902

Ten years before the republic revolution.

Based on oral history, of Confucius' 72 disciples, there was one named Qu, whose descendants were named by and thus began the family name Qu. After many generations, in the Han dynasty, there was a person Qu Mo. In the Jin dynasty, Qu XX. In Tang dynasty, there was Qu Zang. There are some outstanding persons in other generations, for whom there are no accurate records. Beginning in Ming dynasty, there is some recorded history about Qu Tong, from Hefei (Anhui province). ... Yong Le, a Ming dynasty emperor, there was a civil war, and the Qu family moved from Hefei to Huangmei (Hubei province). They made a living by working the land and studying, from generation to generation. My great great grandfather (1781-1863) Xue Ren (learn love), the 15th generation after moving to Huangmei. My great grandfather (1808-1842) Si Jue (world ?). My grandfather (1835-1894) Guang Lian (light ?). My father (1868-1951) Da Rong (High Glory) born in the seventh year of Tong Zhi, a Qin dynasty emperor. All his life, he was a peasant, tilling the land that he inherited from his ancestors. He also lived in the house he inherited from his ancestors. In the 27th year of Guang Xu, the Long River flooded and the whole Huangmei county became a lake. The dams broke, and my father moved his family to Jioujiang. He built a straw house on top of one of the dams.

1979 Preface: Ten-thousand purple

Spring Day by Song dynasty poet Zhu Xi

Sunny day, seeking young green at four waters' side.
Endless bright scenery, suddenly fresh.
Common people understand the east wind's face,
Ten-thousand purple, and a thousand red as being spring.


Qu Jingzhou's Self-Penned Annals

My friend, Zhou Xianwen, in his later years, exerted himself writing famous scholars' annals. In the beginning, he wrote mostly about economists. Later, he expanded to include poets, philosophers, and general scholars. Up til now, he has finished 150 biographies of this kind. He could be the expert in writing annals. After Mr. Zhou finished one, and it was published, he would send me a copy. Sometimes, he sent me a copy before it got published. I usually read it immediately. These annals' contents are true and concise. It is a real joy to go through it. Therefore, I can be called an expert in reading annals. 

I have another old friend, Yin Zongrong. He spent a lot of money to write annals for his hometown friend Guo Songtao. He died before he finished. I had written an article about Yin Zongron's project. After he died, Sen Junyi, a department secretary, and Senator Zhang Jioulu tried to write Yin Zongron's annual journal. I also helped with this endeavor. My opinion is, because I helped write and read so many other annals, writing for others or having others write about you is not as truthful or interesting as autobiography. 

Hu Sizi usually encouraged people to write their autobiography. It's quite meaningful. Therefore, I am writing my own. 

1979 July 11 Preface

Summer Rainy Days by Song dynasty poet Yang Wanli*

One part hot rain, one part cool,
Truly makes people love long days.
Across the water, know the wind comes with purpose,
To blow ten miles of rice blossom fragrance. 

*Wrote 20,000 poems

Winter Scene by Su Dongbuo

Lotus gone, no longer holding up rain covers*,
Chrysanthemum withered, still have frost-decorated branches!
A whole year's beautiful scenery, you better remember,
Especially the time when citrus are yellow and oranges are green.

*rain covers are umbrellas--think of the shape of lily pads

Spring Evening by Su Dongbuo

A few minutes of spring evening: worth a thousand pieces of gold.
Flowers give light fragrance, the moon casts shadows.
Song notes on the balcony, sound lilting waves.
Swing set in the garden, night lingering deep.

The duck knows

Hui Cong's Spring River Evening Scene by Su Dongbuo

Outside the bamboo grove, two or three branches of peach blossoms.
Spring river water warming, the duck knows first.
Basil covers the ground, reed shoots slight.
Time for blow fish to swim upstream.

Written for Hui Cong's painting entitled Spring River Evening Scene, the painting does not feature a blow fish, but the other plants and signs evoke thoughts of the blow fish for Su Dongbuo, who enjoyed eating delicacies.

Duanwu de mayo #2

Two hands by Irene Yung

Margarita
Coughing from salt down the wrong pipe
Flushed from tequila down the right pipe
These pains are like lime juice:
A tart accent to the sweetness of gathering










At the table
Markers of springtime: lilac
Signs of love: laughter
How do you know poetry is coming?
Friends, thoughtful, pause from eating

Longing for sweetness

by Patti Lozano

These eyes have gazed unspeakable beauty

These feet have tread upon sacred ground

Leaving a sweetness that lingers on my tongue

O Spirit when will you awaken again

5th 5th #2

by Dana Jill Meaux Hatch

Cantina music blast

Reheat zongzi fast

Will next year be as fun?

May duanwu de mayo through the years last!

Along Lake Washington

by Annalise Lathrop

In my past I ran on the winding dirt path that snakes along the lake

In my present I run on the winding paved bike path that weaves along the same lake

Are these the same experiences?

Same same, but different...and somehow totally reminds me of my life

Spring poems

In the format of "Picking Mulberry" by Song dynasty poet Ou Yangshou

In deep spring, after the rains, West Lake is good:
Hundreds of plants compete in beauty,
Butterflies flit, bees buzz.
The clear day--warm--urges flowers, nearly a flame,
Wooden oars, decorated boat, gently gently goes,
Appears to be a fairy tale.
Reflecting on the ripples,
Of the water surface, wind lifts bringing flutes and strings.

He wrote ten poems in this format. Here is one of them.


Spring Day Inspiration Song dynasty poet Cen Hao

Few clouds, light breeze, nearly noontime,
Passing by flowers, following willows, crossing the river's head.
Other people don't know my heart's happiness,
They'll say my leisure mimics the young of age.

Su Curtain Covering style

"Su Curtain Covering" style by Song dynasty poet Fan Zhongyen, famous military genius and artist

Jade-green clouds in the sky; yellow leaves on the land.
Autumn colors touch ripples.
Ripples covered by misty smoke, pale-green.
Mountain casts setting sun, sky meets water.
Fresh grass without feeling:
Goes far beyond where the sun sets.


There's a second part to this poem: "When you're traveling; you get homesick. I have trouble sleeping unless my dreams are good. On nights with bright moon, standing on a high place, do not lean on the railing alone. When you're in a sad situation, drink wine. Wine becomes inward sorrow; tears of longing." [hand-written note from my grandpa: this last line is famous throughout generations.]

Under the sun, of first priority concerns are concerns.
Under the sun, in last place pleasures are pleasures.

Spring leaves

Clear Spring Day by Tang poet Wang Jia

Before the rain, at first, among the flower cups,
After the rain, all under the leaves, no flowers.
Bees and butterflies flurry scurry fly over the wall,
Suspect spring colors are at my neighbors. 


Garden Flowers

No. 4

Garden flowers: again a new round of blooms
Willow color: fresh green covers paths like dust
Husband in search of job: no news*
Spring wind saddens the one who leans on the balcony.

*In the embassy where I worked, there was a rumor that some people were going to be sent out to work elsewhere. Some of my colleagues were waiting to hear if they were going to move or not. 

Also, references a Tang poem:

Woman's quarters discontent

In the room, a young woman know no sorrow.
Spring day, made up, comes up stairs. 
Suddenly sees the fields and paths willow-colored.
Regrets urging husband to find a conferred title.

Roses

A summer day in the mountain by Tang dynasty poet Gao Ping

Green trees, thick shade, long summer days.
Tiered deck reflected in pool pond.
Clear bead curtain sways in light breeze.
Trellis full of roses, whole garden fragrant.

Home-garden Flowers

No. 2

Little garden, half acre, useful for growing,
Strolling past roses that bloom in order.
A "thousand steps" gradually strengthen back and feet,
Leisure walking not to look at flowers.

Stop red

Mountain Travel by Tang dynasty poet Du Mu

Far and high, cool mountain, pebble trail ascent.
White clouds, thick, have people's homes.
Stop the car, sit and admire the maple grove at dusk.
Frosted leaves are redder than February flowers. 

Chapter 12: Riverside

There have been 11 chapters but this final chapter is for those poems that didn't belong elsewhere. Also, though I am not good at couplets, because occasion demanded it, I have included some of mine. Just as "a poor broom is valued by its owner"*, I cannot bear to leave them out. All my children are in the United States, living in three different places: Brookings, SD; Richland, WA; and Riverside, CA. I and Diqing are older; we come to visit the U.S. We stayed in Riverside the longest because the climate is the best. And my elder son and Diqing's sister visited a lot.

*Bi zou zi zen - even a poor broom is precious to its owner: meaning even bad writing is valued by the author. 

Home-garden Flowers

No. 1
Spring light has arrived to the small garden's heart:
Poinsettia stem tips and leaves turn slowly red.
Outside the fence, willow branches sway without stop,
Blown comes the flower's message in several gusts of wind.

Fog

River South Spring by Tang dynasty poet Du Mu

Thousand miles: gales sing, green shines red
Waterside towns mountain villages bar flags flutter
Southern dynasties* four-hundred eighty temples
Several towers in the center of misting rain

*one of the emperors was Buddhist so he built hundreds of temples

Los Angeles Scenery

Evening dust or dark fog--hard to tell the difference
Waves crash traffic blares--heard everywhere
Roads climb bridges cross--car wheels
Oil vapors coal fumes--air warm
Inner city densely populated, sea of high rises
Suburbs new construction, houses like fish-scales
Vying for Los Angeles area settlements*
Smoke and billows, cranes and gulls flock

*In one area of L.A., there are hundreds of thousands of Chinese immigrants. 

Winter request and California house

Asking brother Liou No. 19* by Bai Juyu

Foamy head, just hot drink
Red clay, small hot plate
Evening comes, sky will snow
Can you drink a cup?

Liou Yuxi who was also a poet.


Riverside City, Century Avenue House

Lively bustling natural beauty of Riverside City.
New house grandly located on Century Avenue.
Lush grass green covers wide open land.
Yard flowers red climb little stepped patio.

The land is high up, in the front was a park reservation, which means before the house and behind the house these is lots of land.