A Butterfly Dream
Once I dreamt I was
a butterfly fluttering
aloft in the air,
or was the butterfly me
metamorphosed in a dream?
***
Note:
"Once I, Zhuang Zhou, dreamed that I was a butterfly and was happy as a butterfly. I was conscious that I was quite pleased with myself, but I did not know that I was Zhou. Suddenly I awoke, and there I was, visibly Zhou. I do not know whether it was Zhou dreaming that he was a butterfly or the butterfly dreaming that it was Zhou. Between Zhou and the butterfly there must be some distinction. This is called the transformation of things."
--Zhuang Zhou [Zhuangzi] (c.369 BC-c.286 BC)
Categories:
zhou, butterfly, identity, perspective,
Form: Tanka
It all began in a laboratory in Wuhan;
Shan Chi sneezed next to Li Huan,
And they both gave it to Sue Han,
Who spread it all over Fenghuang.
Shie Ming went to Taiwan,
And she wasn't the only one,
Who talked to Sue Han
Who got it from a cousin from Wuhan.
And now Lien Mien Yong
Also went to Hong Kong,
It spread all along,
And it found Zhou Xong
He gave it to Kay Lee
Who stood next to me
In the mall in Juechii
Where I was eating Sushi.
Categories:
zhou, humor, humorous,
Form: Rhyme
Revelations from Poet Atop A Mountain
After an arduous climb to the top of the mountain,
I looked back to see them looking at me;
Waiting for an answer, they queried,
“What do you see; ‘O Great One’ of the Ming Dynasty?”
What could I see? (Cloud cover below my feet.)
But I could hear echoes, and so I imagined tranquility,
and painted a picture of myself
atop the mountain, leaning on a bramble staff
breathing deeply while gazing out far and free,
and put together words of poetry
to describe what I heard and seen.
***
Poet On a Mountain Top by Shen Zhou, (Chinese, 1427-1509)
(translation from Indiana University)
White clouds sash-like
wrap mountain waists,
The rock terrace flies in space
distant, a narrow path.
Leaning on a bramble staff
far and free I gaze,
To warble of valley brook
I will reply, whistling.
***
Categories:
zhou, art, imagery, inspiration, nature,
Form: Verse
Poet Atop A Mountain
The poet unfraught
after an arduous climb
to the mountain top
attempts to describe the view
with limited use of words.
***
Poet On A Mountain Top by Shen Zhou, (Chinese, 1427-1509)
(translation from Indiana University)
White clouds sash-like
wrap mountain waists,
The rock terrace flies in space
distant, a narrow path.
Leaning on a bramble staff
far and free I gaze,
To warble of valley brook
I will reply, whistling.
***
Categories:
zhou, art, imagery, inspiration, nature,
Form: Tanka
This poem is the story of the Da Ji a Chinese maiden who was believed to be posessed by a fairy fox unwillingly in a time of despair, or to be a fox herself either way
She later become the consort to emperor Zhou of the Shang and was put to death for being a treasonous witch and for enchanting the king.
DaJi the posessed
--------------------------------------------------------
Heart of chaos in my breast
Burn all evils and repress all ill
Under the jade eyes of heaven and the seven star princesses
Let this heart of chaos be changed and blessed
Heart of chaos heard my cry
Stole my body
Loved ones died
So i beg of thee
Help me be free
Jade emperor
And star princesses
Bless this heart and repress all ill
Under the eyes of heaven
I take this pill deadly poison
to end this suffering
while I still possess my will
Categories:
zhou, myth, mythology,
Form: Free verse
Tell you an approach to rid of your doubts without
Practicing divination by tortoise’s shell and yarrow.
It takes three days of fire to single a jade stone out,
And a ridgepole tree it takes seven years to grow.
Zhou Gong once feared rumors about his loyalty,
Wang Mang seemed modest before his usurpation.
If they had died before the unveiling of the reality,
Who would know the truth in the later generation?
(tran.)
Categories:
zhou, philosophy, time, truth,
Form: Rhyme
(Dedication: For Zhou Junchen, Joseph
-- Our Chinese tour guide in Yunnan, who
took us on an amazing journey, with
kindness and great patience.)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Yield to memories in pictures we take;
Urge strange new cultures to shape experience;
Note quaint history as old puzzles make;
Notice thought nurture both real and transience.
Align fine vistas with place, sights and sounds;
Nimble a short while and relish the feel.
See tour agenda in places new found;
Touch-taste, sense and style deep longing that heals;
Opt to embrace each panoramic view;
Prime your own pleasure with insights that surge;
Open heart can reach soul pleasure that cues;
Voice sparks fond treasure as beauty primes urge.
Enjoy your fine stay in moments that come;
Reap beyond mere play fond feelings that sum.
Leon Enriquez
27 May 2014
Kunming, China transit;
Singapore homecoming
(Note: This is an Acrostic Sonnet.)
Categories:
zhou, earth, journey,
Form: Sonnet
come 2016
or 2015
or 2017
whenever china’s economy exceeds that of the united states
(the year disputed circa. 2016)
and there is no longer any dispute over
who will be calling the shots in the world
from there on out
one has to wonder---
having spent any time in america---
or more importantly/specifically
new orleans &
detroit city &
dallas &
pittsburg &
nyc &
kansas city &
atlanta &
chicago &
la---
will there be chinese james brown?
a new “hardest working man in show business”
whose tunes fill the ears of those new most important cities---
be it
hong kong off the mainland, or
shanghai, beijing, cheng du, hang zhou, qingdao,
xi’an,
taipei, dali, ningbo or
quangzhou---
will there be a new man who bearing the purest chinese soul,
pumping it out in
mandarin or cantonese?
will he be pop-locking as the most perfect popper
dancing the night away
please audience from one side of the globe to another
broadcasted in better-than-broadband (whatever comes next)---
from iphone to ipads to the next
most virtual replacement---
no doubt we will all be dancing with him
singing the new anthems of our age---
“?????!”
Categories:
zhou, lifecity,
Form: Free verse