“Lament I” [感遇一] by Zhang Jiuling [张九龄]

A lone goose flies in from the sea,
Not daring to land in water.
Glimpsing a pair of Kingfisher --
Nested Three Pearl Tree squatters --
It asks, "High up in that rare tree
Of gold spheres, are you not afraid?
Fancy clothes incur points and jeers
And those high up are harshly weighed.
As I roam dark rivers and hills,
Envious hunters give me chills."

This is the first of the 300 Tang Poems [唐诗三百首] and it is also the first of a quartet of poems. The original poem in Simplified Chinese:

孤鸿海上来, 池潢不敢顾; 
侧见双翠鸟, 巢在三珠树。
矫矫珍木巅, 得无金丸惧?
美服患人指, 高明逼神恶。
今我游冥冥, 弋者何所慕?

Salmon Skies [Free Verse]

Sun dips below the hill;
Light rises off the roof,
And the lowest clouds
Glow in salmon hues.

Fuzzy Moon [Haiku]

moon slips behind 
thin, wispy clouds —-
shifting shape.

DAILY PHOTO: Turquoise Waters of Koh Phi Phi

“From China” by Amy Lowell [w/ Audio]

   I thought: 
The moon,
Shining upon the many steps of the palace before me,
Shines also upon the chequered rice-fields
Of my native land.
And my tears fell
Like white rice grains
At my feet.

Racing Darkness [Haiku]

longtail boat
putters home at day's end,
racing darkness.

DAILY PHOTO: Hatnoppharatthara Beach

BOOKS: “Swimming” by Roger Deakin

Swimming: Vintage MinisSwimming: Vintage Minis by Roger Deakin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Publisher Site – Vintage Minis

This book contains a collection of excerpts from the book Waterlog by Roger Deakin. It’s one volume from a series of short books that contain essays, stories, poems, or book excerpts that is put out by Penguin under the imprint “Vintage Minis.” The book describes the author’s experiences of wild swimming throughout Britain. The description of nature and of the exhilarating experience of wild swimming are beautifully composed, and it’s an all-around pleasant read.

If you’re interested in wild swimming, I’d recommend this book.

View all my reviews

A Rugged Coast [Free Verse]

Limestone lumps
Karst columns
Dot the waters,
Like ancient wreckage --
Wrack & ruin
Slung near & far
From coastal homelands;
A landscape torn asunder
And littered about,
But beloved for the beauty
Of its scraggy, weedy
Weathered rock.

DAILY PHOTO: Koh Phi Phi from Viewpoint 2