One Thought, a Mortal Life · Stubborn and Foolish by Nature · 09 / 102
· Sick with Longing
The golden duck censer seethes with smoke; a pillow of red silk gauze; the brow pencil, bewitching. Xun and chi make little music and cheapen the crest of it; to turn the heart elsewhere, notching the candle to count the hours, is weary work.
A feigned smile, a light pout at what he intends, and a good night goes to waste. Empty cup, dead leaves, a long-legged spider rolled between the fingers; jade dust and silence alike — there is no escaping them.
Notes—
Jīnyā: a duck-shaped incense burner, cast in metal;
Hóngxiāo: thin red silk;
Xun and chi [xūn chí]: xun and chi are both ancient instruments; played together, their sounds answer each other;
Kèlà: it is said the ancients carved graduations on candles to measure time;
Yang [yáng]: to pretend;
Chen [chēn]: to be angry, to complain;
Xiaoshao [xiāo shāo]: a kind of spider. A slender-bodied, dark brown spider with very long legs, which usually spins its web between the walls of a room; the web was thought to resemble the eight trigrams and to be an omen of good news;
Suìqióng: jade dust.
*This is an original work. If you reproduce it, please credit the original author Shixi Lin; any infringement, once discovered, will be pursued for legal liability. In addition, the accompanying image comes from the internet and belongs to the original illustrator Hehewu.