night is dark and long
morning sun will break the dawn
suffering resumes
we have trod too fast
relax and wait for the soul
to catch up the speed
west has wise saying
words echo in outer space
vices ground on earth
Outside the pavilion, besides an ancient path,
fragrant greens, like jade, spread beyond the horizon.
The gush of evening wind, blows its last breath of flute-sound among the willows,
And the sun sets outside the mountain ranges.
To end the divide between heaven and earth,
leaving a few bosom friends scatter behind.
Gulp down a pot of heavy wine:
to expunge the joy, together with the loneliness and cold of the night.
Sentiments entangled, another pour of wine,
the sound of flute expediate departure.
Uncertain of our next meet, do not wander on your return/
长亭外 古道边 芳草碧连天
晚风拂柳笛声残 夕阳山外山
天之涯 地之角 知交半零落
一壶浊酒尽余欢 今宵别梦寒
情千缕 酒一杯 声声离笛催
问君此去几时还 来时莫徘徊
天之涯 地之角 知交半零落
一壶浊酒尽余欢 今宵别梦寒
天之涯 地之角 知交半零落
一壶浊酒尽余欢 今宵别梦寒
天之涯 地之角 知交半零落
问君此去几时还 来时莫徘徊
问君此去几时还 来时莫徘徊
Note:
Today my Muslim friend send me the above poem, written by a Buddhist monk,, Li Shutong. It is interesting to know that a pastor forwarded it to him to mark end of the year. To learn my Chinese, I thought it best to translate it into English to benefit myself and my readers. The Baidu search has this information:
李叔同
Lǐ Shūtóng
Liu Shutong (1880-1942), painter, Buddhist monk and distinguished figure in New Culture Movement Xīn Wénhuà Yùndòng [新文化运动] after the Xinhai Revolution Xīnhài Gémìng [辛亥革命] of 1911
The title of the poem by Li Shutong in Chinese was 送别 (song bie), literally meaning Farewell, or Goodbye. Song, in Chinese implies forwarding from one post or person to the other; bie has the meaning of differences or leaving. However, for the buddhist, one is never certain about the next rebirth. However, if one treats another unfairly or unjust or commit evil, the next cycle or subsequent may reverse roles. So it is a voyage, whether good or bad.
waiting for whisky
life double distillation
on eve of Christmas
we are not Christians
your blessings are accepted
aroma and taste
down the throat and heart
without discrimination
heal the hurt and harm
Note:
I take this opportunity to wish all my readers a very happy Christmas and the New Year ahead.
My mid morning was marred by muscle pull;
I walked with a slow stiff gait, like a bull.
Seated on a stool, massage for relief;
The thief of joy was beef and bad belief.
Waddle my way back , apply heat compress;
Stress ease with time, the problem not address.
Not an implant fault, bands and tendons strain;
Knots, tissues adhere, the constrain cause pain.
Deep massage drain debris, and enhance flow;
Injuries are healed, body grow and glow.
Aware and adjust, full of endless choice;
No prayers to chant, drown by inner voice.
We have free will to choose and to evolve;
If not fair, the next cycle will resolve.
Note:
I was infected with a bad flu on my return trip from Singapore. Covid 19 was negative, and the fever was mild, with minimal sore throat and some cough and running nose. However I was completely exhausted for two to three days, as if my vital energy was drained off and sucked dry. After my slow recovery, I attended my brother in law’s funeral. The next day in my normal morning stroll, I suddenly felt my knee joint muscles from the back contracted and pull. This had happened few days ago in Singapore. I had beef noodle and duck, and thought it could be due to uric acid, though it was normal biochemically. We always try to put the blame on food and drinks, or certain stretching we did. This time I could not detect any knots or bands or fascia , but I massage all the same, until I was fir enough to waddled my way walk to my condominium unit . At home, I applied some heat treatment. I prefer physical treatment than taking medication, whether Western or Eastern. NSAID will stop the contraction and pain fast, but the side effects are frightening.
This morning, my friend , Mr. K.C. Kan ,sent me a video he took at Telok Bahang beach, “End of the World”, Penang, Malaysia, with the words, “area was hit by tsunami, but had recovered”. I could not insert his video as my blog was not upgraded due to cost concern for a retiree. To share his joy, I wrote this haiku/senryu to him: (It was a calm sea; the angsana trees guard the coast beach, but there was no wind. The local residents understand it as the far end of Penang island, but they are as provocative as their driving skill to call it end of the world.)
serene as the sea
verdant guard but do not wave
let it be, if ends
Mr. Kan immediate response to my haiku thus:
tsunami abates
fallen trees and sunken boats
hermit crabs emerge
This is my response to his haiku/senryu in haiku/senryu:
hermits move sideways
hide in shell, crab advices
moan end of the world
Note:
The pictures were copied-pasted with appreciation to their owners.
the doctor is dead
reborn as poet, expire
enjoy the titbits
Note:
My grand daughter 15 year old asked about the meaning of my last punch line. This was my reply to her:
We have multiple personalities, identified by our profession. When one retires you are “dead”, in the sense you lost that identity and association. When you are not registered as a doctor, you are not legally qualified to practice as one, even as a voluntary doctor for charity. You have no insurance cover. You are dead in that role. I play another social role, as a poet. As age aches up, and depends on your creativity and interaction with the readership, you ” expire” when the connections and interaction end. There is another meaning for titbits, petty talks or gossip. The root origin for gossip is “godsib”, meaning god related, where there s no malice. One then enjoys his social connections, with titbits , with different social groups in small talks. In other words, the social roles have lives of their own. You see yourself in them and they in you.
Image from “The New Yorker Book Of Wine Cartoons”
Published by Mukulmanku, ON September 12, 2023, https://wineglitz.in/contact/
There are certainly many wine ( food, fashion, car) snobs. It’s a boast of knowledge, possession and values. However, in their whining, you see through them, and the readers either pick what they wish to learn, or ignore. We have choices, within our comfort zones. I prefer to sip my wine with friends. There is then no occasion to inflate the ego. In the calmed state, good to surrender the ego, to undress the burden of daily living. It is therefore not how much one consumes, or the cost of wine. The anti oxidant for the body, mind and spirit. Cheers for posting!
This was what I wrote on “my prompt” on the 12th September, 2023 . The above received many responses. Though many Malaysians have read my poetry over the years, there are hardly any interactions . I have decided to reverse the order of writing, prose first, then verse.
LIFE DISTILLATE (HAIKU/SENRYU)
life distil the best
love double distillation
brew bitterness off
(From : Healing Haiku & Senryu Dr. Lim Keng Huat, Wonkywizard)
BINGING ALONE IN A MOON-LIT NIGHT (POEM TRANSLATION , TANG DYNASTY POET LI BAI)
Among the flowers, there’s a pot of wine.
I binge alone in absence of friends and relate.
Raising my cup, propose a toast to the moon.
Its image and my shadow complete a trinity.
They are oblivious to my drunken pleasure.
The shadows tango with the body.
We are transient partners.
We seek instant gratification.
Whenever I sing, the moon stays motionless.
Whenever I dance, the shadows tumble on one another.
In regaining awareness, the trio commutes delight.
They part company only when intoxicated.
We hope to foster eternal bonds.
And seek unforgettable communion in timeless galaxies.
(Flickering Flame: poetic Echoes by Dr. K. H Lim, Wonky wizard. Trafford. Publication)
her fame inflame all
doctorate with silly jokes
joker without jest
tongue run by race slurs
hit and run with smear and blur
stringing words in cheek
NOTE:
She appeared in National TV , making racial and false accusation, changing surnames of ex PM of Singapore, and other veterans in Malaysian history. Her PhD gave her the right to falsify. At such a young age, the bigotry was awesome. Due to my hearing defect, I didn’t hear her tirade well, and was unaware of her academic background. However, someone forwarded her speech t me this afternoon. It inspires me to write the haiku to criticize such learned person.
schizoid split symptoms
zombies in the head , and streets
zoom dead images
Note:
My friend, K.C. Kan sent me a video by a Turkish photographer with single split images, i with his haiku/senryu :
World of opposites
Standing still when yin meets yang
crushed and pulverized
The video reminded me of an old song, The Cranberries – Zombie, rock music video with good lyrics (written by Dolores Mary O’ Riodan more than a decade ago). The Zombie are now not only in the head, but physically seen in US. The tanks, bombs, guns and killing violence are not only in your head, but dying, with massive images of death in children and civilians. The drama unfold in Gaza Strip and in Middle East. In Malaysia school children carried toy machine guns to enact the scene of violence and “zombies in the head”. Perhaps only kindred mind could understand the meaning of Education.
US and China will not meet in our century, but we pray the supreme will not start a world war. The two big religions will not meet, except in battlefields.
My blog could not upload videos unless I pay more. You could listen to u tube for free.
The pictures are copied/pasted from the web with appreciation to their owners.
full of bullet holes
wailing wall shed bloody tears
holy repentance
Note:
My apology if my haiku has offended some. All of us are fighting for survival in our own ways. We all wish to survive and live well; the same aspiration for the opponents. War and killing can never solve problems. It is best that we learn to sit down and settle our difference. I was told by my esteemed friends, that was His promises. He has read it, but not heard it. The arguments could go on and on, and end up with more conflict than solutions. We are aware of our own conscience, and best to avoid moral debts of strange kinds.
The picture was copied pasted from the web, with appreciation to its owner. Let us spend more time in poetry and philosophy than engage in ugly politics.
wonkywizard 