Birthday poem · April 14Clear and Bright, the 5th solar term: the weather warms and plants turn green.
Birth character
柳 liǔ · willow
柳 combines 木 "tree" with a sound element; it means willow.
客舍青青柳色新
“The willows by the tavern look so fresh and green.” — Wang Wei, ‘Farewell to Yuan Er on His Mission to Anxi’
The poem
“Quatrain” 絶句
- 古木陰中繫短篷In the shade of old trees I tie up my little boat;
- 杖藜扶我過橋東a goosefoot staff helps me across the bridge to the east.
- 沾衣欲濕杏花雨The apricot-blossom rain wants to wet my clothes;
- 吹面不寒楊柳風the willow wind on my face is not cold.
Why this poem
Zhinan on apricot-blossom rain and willow wind, around Qingming.
This day in the Chinese calendar
Solar term: Clear and Bright.