Birthday poem · July 9Minor Heat, the 11th solar term: the heat begins.
Birth character
竹 zhú · bamboo
竹 is a picture of bamboo stems with hanging leaves.
竹杖芒鞋輕勝馬
“A bamboo staff and straw sandals, lighter than a horse” — Su Shi, ‘Calming the Waves’
Other dates with this poem: December 14
The poem
“At Zhongshan” 鍾山卽事
- 澗水無聲繞竹流The stream flows silently around the bamboo;
- 竹西花草弄春柔west of the bamboo, flowers and grass play with spring's softness.
- 茅檐相對坐終日Under the thatched eaves, sitting face to face all day,
- 一鳥不鳴山更幽not a single bird calls — the mountain is even quieter.
Why this poem
Wang Anshi on the stillness of Zhongshan: "not one bird calls; the hill is quieter still".
This day in the Chinese calendar
Solar term: Minor Heat.