Birthday poem · October 25Frost’s Descent, the 18th solar term: the first frosts.
Birth character
菊 jú · chrysanthemum
菊 combines 艸 "plant" with a sound element; it is the chrysanthemum, an autumn flower.
採菊東籬下
“Picking chrysanthemums by the eastern fence” — Tao Yuanming, ‘Drinking Wine, No. 5’
Other dates with this poem: August 26
The poem
“For Liu Jingwen” 贈劉景文
- 荷盡已無擎雨蓋The lotus is done; no leaves are left to hold up the rain;
- 菊殘猶有傲霜枝the chrysanthemums fade, yet stems still defy the frost.
- 一年好景君須記Remember the best scenery of the year —
- 正是橙黃橘綠時it's just now, when oranges are yellow and tangerines green.
Why this poem
Su Shi to a friend: the best time of year is when oranges are yellow and green.
This day in the Chinese calendar
Solar term: Frost’s Descent.