Birthday poem · September 11White Dew, the 15th solar term: nights cool and dew forms on the grass.
Birth character
光 guāng · light
In its oldest form, 光 shows fire above a kneeling person; it means light.
床前明月光
“Before my bed a pool of light” — Li Bai, ‘Quiet Night Thoughts’
Other dates with this poem: November 13
The poem
“Gazing at Dongting” 望洞庭
- 湖光秋月兩相和The lake's sheen and the autumn moon blend as one;
- 潭面無風鏡未磨the windless water is a mirror not yet polished.
- 遙望洞庭山水翠From afar, Dongting's hills and water glow green —
- 白銀盤裏一青螺a single blue snail shell on a silver plate.
Why this poem
Lake Dongting calm as a mirror on an autumn night, Junshan like a green snail shell.
This day in the Chinese calendar
Solar term: White Dew.