Last summer, I read Cao Xueqin's Dream of the Red Chamber, a family epic from 18th-century China. The spiritual world, Taoism, and poetry are intertwined with the mundane details of aristocratic life in Qing China. Time and again, the reader is privy to detailed descriptions of fantastic gardens and otherworldly kingdoms. Rare fruits, exquisite robes, elegant bushes, and striking flowers are everywhere. This is a quick poem about lychees, spoken in late spring from a garden pavilion set up to entertain the royal family. Light a fire and dream of lychees.
Spring is joyfully languishing. We sip tea at the Lily Rose Pavilion. The south winds now sing the lychee.
Last summer, I read Cao Xueqin's Dream of the Red Chamber, a family epic from 18th-century China. The spiritual world, Taoism, and poetry are intertwined with the mundane details of aristocratic life in Qing China. Time and again, the reader is privy to detailed descriptions of fantastic gardens and otherworldly kingdoms. Rare fruits, exquisite robes, elegant bushes, and striking flowers are everywhere. This is a quick poem about lychees, spoken in late spring from a garden pavilion set up to entertain the royal family. Light a fire and dream of lychees.
Spring is joyfully languishing. We sip tea at the Lily Rose Pavilion. The south winds now sing the lychee.