A Mortal Life, Born of One Thought · Stubborn and Foolish by Nature · 37 / 102
Si Di Xiang · Knowing Grace
Swiftly, swiftly — what remains of Tai Yi wanes. The auspicious crane comes back along the road it came, bearing the bright glow.
Musing on the mortal world and the heavens above, I tell the flowing pearls through nine reflections. A withered tree that has passed through no winter and no summer — how shall it put out a branch?
Glosses—
Tai Yi: what the Daoists call the Dao; in antiquity, the origin and the substance of all things in the universe;
Waning: the passage of a thing from flourishing into decline;
Flowing pearls: the prayer beads of Daoism, which were at the earliest called 'flowing pearls';
Nine reflections: Analects, 'Ji Shi': 'The gentleman has nine reflections: in seeing, he considers clarity; in hearing, acuity; in his expression, warmth; in his bearing, respect; in speech, good faith; in affairs, diligence; in doubt, asking; in anger, the trouble to come; in gain, what is right.' Later used broadly for turning something over and over in the mind.
*This piece is an original work. If you repost it, please credit the original author Guang Zhi Shiyi; any infringement, once discovered, will be pursued for legal liability. In addition, the accompanying illustration comes from the internet and belongs to its original artist, Yichui Wuyue.