Birthday poem · February 28Rain Water, the 2nd solar term: snow gives way to rain.
Birth character
笑 xiào · smile
笑 means to smile or laugh.
桃花依舊笑春風
“The peach blossoms still smile in the spring wind.” — Cui Hu, ‘Written at a Villa South of the Capital’
The poem
“Question and Answer in the Mountains” 山中問答
- 問餘何意棲碧山wèn yú hé yì qī bì shānI dwell among green hills and someone asks me why;
- 笑而不答心自閒xiào ér bù dá xīn zì xiánMy mind carefree, I smile and give him no reply.
- 桃花流水窅然去táo huā liú shuǐ yǎo rán qùPeach blossoms fallen on running water pass by—
- 別有天地非人間bié yǒu tiān dì fēi rén jiānThis is an earthly paradise beneath the sky.
Why this poem
Asked why he lives in the mountains, Li Bai smiles and does not answer.
This day in the Chinese calendar
Solar term: Rain Water.