Birthday poem · June 18Grain in Ear, the 9th solar term: wheat harvest and rice planting.
Birth character
心 xīn · heart
心 is a picture of the heart, once thought to be the organ of thought.
笑而不答心自閒
“My mind carefree, I smile and give him no reply.” — Li Bai, ‘Question and Answer in the Mountains’
Other dates with this poem: October 7
The poem
“Farewell to Xin Jian at Hibiscus Tower” 芙蓉樓送辛漸
- 寒雨連江夜入吳hán yǔ lián jiāng yè rù wúA cold rain mingled with the river steals into Wu by night;
- 平明送客楚山孤píng míng sòng kè chǔ shān gūAt dawn I see my guest off; the Chu hills stand alone in light.
- 洛陽親友如相問luò yáng qīn yǒu rú xiāng wènIf kinsfolk and friends in Luoyang should ask if I am all right,
- 一片冰心在玉壺yī piàn bīng xīn zài yù húTell them I'm pure of heart as ice in a crystal vase of white.
Why this poem
Wang Changling's farewell: tell my family my heart is "ice in a jade pot".
This day in the Chinese calendar
Solar term: Grain in Ear.