Birthday poem · June 10Grain in Ear, the 9th solar term: wheat harvest and rice planting.
Birth character
高 gāo · high
高 is a picture of a tall building; it means high.
遠近高低各不同
“Assuming different shapes viewed from far and wide.” — Su Shi, ‘Written on the Wall at West Forest Temple’
Other dates with this poem: November 14
The poem
“Climbing Feilai Peak” 登飛來峰
- 飛來山上千尋塔fēi lái shān shàng qiān xún tǎOn Feilai Peak a pagoda rises a thousand fathoms high;
- 聞說雞鳴見日升wén shuō jī míng jiàn rì shēngAt cockcrow, they say, you can watch the sun rise.
- 不畏浮雲遮望眼bù wèi fú yún zhē wàng yǎnI do not fear floating clouds that block the view—
- 自緣身在最高層zì yuán shēn zài zuì gāo céngFor I stand on the highest tier of all.
Why this poem
Wang Anshi climbs Feilai Peak, "not afraid of clouds blocking the view".
This day in the Chinese calendar
Solar term: Grain in Ear.