the mountain trail
is engulfed in clouds;
a loud owl hoot.
Enshrouded Mountains [Haiku]
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“A Burnt Ship” by John Donne [w/ Audio]
Out of a fired ship, which by no way
But drowning could be rescued from the flame,
Some men leap'd forth, and ever as they came
Near the foes' ships, did by their shot decay;
So all were lost, which in the ship were found,
They in the sea being burnt,
They in the burnt ship drown'd.
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PROMPT: Nostalgia Food
Which food, when you eat it, instantly transports you to childhood?
Probably Fair food would (as in County Fair.) Provided they haven’t all changed since I was a kid. (Having not been to a Fair since childhood, I wouldn’t know. Hence, its validity as an answer.) So, anything inappropriately breaded and deep-fried.
I’ve never run across home-cooking or home style cooking that was close enough to my mother’s to trigger nostalgia. (Though I guess tuna-mac recalls undergrad years lean on time and money, but with a youthful propensity to not worry over the waistline.)
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BOOKS: “Chinese Folktales for Language Learners” by Vivian Ling and Peng Wang
Chinese Folktales for Language Learners: Famous Folk Stories in Chinese and English by Vivian LingMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Publisher Website
As the title suggests, this is a collection of fifteen Chinese folktales presented bilingually in a manner optimized to language learners. To clarify the “optimized for language learners” comment, these stories are paced differently than they would be if the central objective was to entertain. That old writerly chestnut of “show don’t tell” is often violated and the stories are kept short and sweet in a way that can feel like they sprint through critical moments. This is not criticism. I think it is the best way to give individuals learning Mandarin (or presumably Mandarin speakers learning English) a user-friendly book that doesn’t feature dense blocks of text and overly complicated language. (Note: it’s also not bad for those who just want the quick and dirty version of these tales.)
Each of the stories includes a section with some background information on the history and cultural elements behind the stories (stories which display a range of realism and are from distant times,) a list of terms and phrases in English and Chinese, and a brief set of questions to help the reader develop deeper insight into the stories. These ancillary features are all quite useful to the student of language.
As stories, some of these folktales are more compelling than others. A number of them are dry, but what they lack in intrigue they make up for in insight into the history and culture of China. And some of the stories, e.g. “Judge Bao Takes on the Emperor’s Son-in-Law,” are fascinating.
I’d highly recommend this book for those who are trying to learn Mandarin, but it would also serve those who wish to learn some Chinese folklore in a condensed and readable format.
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DAILY PHOTO: Boardwalk Bears of Kaohsiung
Flashy Lascar [Senryū]
tiny lascar,
sitting on a small leaf,
not blending -- at all.
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“Feeling for the Farmers” by Li Shen [w/ Audio]
Hoeing farmer, as heat haze roils,
His flowing sweat waters the soil.
All those who know food on a plate
Should feel each grain comes of that toil.
NOTE: The title of this poem (悯农, or Mǐn Nóng) is often translated as “Toiling Farmers,” though “Compassion for Farmers” or “Pity Farmers” would be closer to the literal translation.
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Invisible River [Haiku]
burbling sounds:
water runs - unseen -
between polished rocks.
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Desert Hedge [Lyric Poem]
On the arid
desert's edge,
Stands a scrubby
shrubby hedge
That's always green
and never brown,
But it turns black
when Sun goes down.
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Sunny Day [Haiku]
blooms disheveled
by yesterday's storms,
shine brightly today.
Tiger Riding for Beginners 