Birthday poem · February 2Major Cold, the 24th solar term: the coldest time of the year.
Birth character
窗 chuāng · window
窗 means an opening in a wall or roof for light and air: a window.
何當共剪西窗燭
“Oh, when shall we be trimming wicks again, together in your western window?” — Li Shangyin, ‘Night Rain: Sent North’
The poem
“Moonlit Night” 月夜
- 更深月色半人家Deep in the night, moonlight lights half of each house;
- 北斗闌干南斗斜the Northern Dipper slants, the Southern Dipper tilts.
- 今夜偏知春氣暖Tonight, of all nights, I sense the warmth of spring:
- 蟲聲新透綠窗紗insect song comes fresh through the green window gauze.
Why this poem
Late at night under a slanting moon, insect sounds announce the warmth of spring.
This day in the Chinese calendar
Solar term: Major Cold.