Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness
Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;
Conspiring with him how to load and bless
With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eves run.
John Keats
To Autumn, 1820
06 October, 2009
To Autumn
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4 comments:
西方生燥
The western quarter gives rise to dryness
燥生金，
Dryness gives rise to metal
金生辛，
Metal gives rise to the acrid(pungent) taste
辛生肺，
The acrid taste gives rise to the lung
肺生皮毛，
The lung gives rise to the skin and body hair
皮毛生腎，
The skin and body hair gives rise to the kidneys
肺主鼻。
The lung masters the nose.
其在天為燥，
In heaven it is dryness
在地為金，
On Earth it is metal
在體為皮毛，
Among parts of the body it is the skin and body hair
在藏為肺，
Among the 'zang' it is the lung
在色為白，
Among the colours it is white
在音為商，
Among the notes is is 'shang'
在聲為哭，
Among the sounds it is sobbing
在變動為欬，
Among movements which react to change it is to cough
在竅為鼻，
Among the orifices it is the nose
在味為辛，
Among the tastes it is acrid
在志為憂。
Among the expressions of willpower it is grief
憂傷肺，
Grief injures the lung
喜勝憂；
Joyful excitement prevails over grief.
Taken from chapter five of the Su Wen, the most important Chinese medical classic. This simple text is describing the resonances of the metal phase, one of which is the season of autumn.
There is a strong link here made between the emotion of grief and sorrow with the power of the lung. When someone is struck with sorrow the voice loses its strength as if they can't breath anymore, they literally sound as if they are choking. The autumn is the time to let go of the year just as the trees are letting go of their leaves. If you do not let go and move on with your life you will be stuck in grief beyond the autumn months and this is against nature, illness (like a bad cough) may well manifest in the winter.
He he, sorry Hobbes, but with your inspiring seasonal picture I couldn't help but chime in with some Chinese five phase 五行 mutterings!
Regards.
Beautiful photography, as always!
Thanks for the poem! Delightful, even in translation.
Toodlepip,
Hobbes
Well, that comment is useful. I'm finding some melancholy in the passing of the last few months now. Things are changing in my life and I feel like I don't want to let go. I'm mindful of it and am going to release this past summer. --Teaternity
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