Gnome

Spend the years of learning squandering
Courage for the years of wandering
Through a world politely turning
From the loutishness of learning.

― Samuel Beckett «Dublin Magazine»

Aedh Wishes for the Cloths of Heaven

Had I the heavens’ embroidered cloths,
Enwrought with golden and silver light,
The blue and the dim and the dark cloths
Of night and light and the half light,
I would spread the cloths under your feet:
But I, being poor, have only my dreams;
I have spread my dreams under your feet;
Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.

~ William Butler Yeats

有情來下種

有情來下種；因地果還生。
無情即無種；無性亦無生。
～五祖弘忍 - 禅师偈子

Dying Speech of an Old Philosopher (老哲学家临终之言)

I strove with none, for none was worth my strife;
Nature I loved, and, next to Nature, Art;
I warm’d both hands before the fire of Life;
It sinks; and I am ready to depart.

～ Walter Savage Landor


我和谁都不争, 和谁我都不屑；
我爱大自然, 其次就是艺术；
我双手烤着生命之火取暖；
火萎了, 我也准备走了。

～ 兰德 (英)  杨绛 (译)

Sinking Boat

Poetry is a sinking boat,

diving deeper

                        into the ripples of emotions.

~ 冰河•静

Glass Heart

When touching you, I offer you my beauty.

Please hold it tightly,

As a woman's beauty is ephemeral.

When kissing you, I gave you my soul.

Please hold it closely,

As an artist's soul is made of fog.

When in love, I hand you my heart.

Please hold it gently,

As a lover's heart is made of glass.

          ~ 冰河•静 (November 30, 2015)

The Danube’s Sigh

At midnight, the city is asleep without moonlight. From the Liberty Bridge, you find the Buda Palace and the starry lights shimmering in the flowing water. The remanence of Budapest’s glory was swallowed by the noisy tourists during the day. Only after the dusk, the cool breeze mixed with flowers’ fragrance slowly reveals the beauty of the Magyars’ ancient charm. Since when have the silent prayers solaced the lost stories by the Danube River?

~ 冰河•静 (June 15, 2015)

Waiting

In dreams
You come to me,

No words, no emotions.

Every morning

My thoughts are with you,

Tranquil, tender.

Day after day

I pray for your understanding,

Your words, your peace.

In this universe

Our souls walk alone

Soundless, traceless.

Watching the clouds high in the sky

My heartbeat slows down,

Waiting, silence.

~ 冰河•静 (February 9, 2015)

artistry and soul

when color and eyes are one, a painter
when artistry and soul are one, an artist

~ 冰河•静 (February 7, 2015)

Dancing with the Circles

Spring
Summer
Autumn
Winter

Birth
Growth
Maturity
Aging

One repeats
One ends
Just dance

~ 冰河•静 (February 18, 2015)

To S.C.

Many times I saw you in my dreams;

Many times I heard your voice and laughter;

Many times I imagined

The joy of holding you in my arms;

Many times I felt the agony of our turmoil.

Afraid to hurt you,

Afraid to be hurt,

Afraid to lose you again,

Simply afraid

Because I am not your equal

Not yet...

I asked the Heaven

Why Love, but also Sorrow?
So for your inner peace
I stand by you with a distance.

~ 冰河•静 (January 17, 2015)

An Infinite Dream

A string of silk has an infinite length,

One end touches your heart, one end mine.

Let me be a morning dew hanging on the path

Sliding calmly towards the destiny.

A vine ladder grows into clouds,

One end reaches your mind, one end mine.

Let me be a white owl flying day and night

Soaring tirelessly towards the highest stand.

A beam of light dashes into the universe,

One end links your soul, one end mine.

Let me be a wise genie free from the bottle

Following the light towards the unknown.

~ 冰河•静 (December 14, 2014)

Can-n-can't

Quantity can be counted; quality can't.
Skills can be trained; wisdom can't.
Information can be given; thinking can't.
Intelligence can be collected; intellect can't.
Relationships can be requited; love can't.
Age can be measured; life can't.

~ 冰河•静 (August 9, 2014)

Love is a cup

Love is a cup

Holding kindness and patience,

Always ready to give,
Forgive without regrets.

Drink it, it will refill;
Poison it, it will cure;

Break it, it will renew.

~ 冰河•静 (August 5, 2014)

顺其自然

不问因果，
不问对错，
不问得失。

~ 冰河•静 (November 20, 2013)

Carpe Diem

Life gives birth because of love.

Love is pain because of loss.

Loss is inescapable. So,

Life is an endless cycle of 

Birth and loss,

Praise and blame,

Joy and sorrow.

Love is the only reason to live. 

~ 冰河•静 (August 27, 2013)

Pink

How tender the light was

Casting

At a late summer sunset.

The horizon was a calm arc

Resting 

Between the purple sky and 

The midnight blue sea.

And yet without the trace of time

In silence

The moon was climbing.

The pink waves broke in pieces

Dancing

As if with endless joy for their fate.

Seen by ancestors, all were

In eternity

Without a sigh.

~ 冰河•静 (August 21, 2013)