Birthday poem · March 24Spring Equinox, the 4th solar term: day and night are equal.
Birth character
草 cǎo · grass
草 means grass or any small plant.
離離原上草
“Wild grasses spread across the plain” — Bai Juyi, ‘Grass on the Ancient Plain: A Farewell’
The poem
“Climbing the Pond Tower” 登池上樓
- 池塘生春草By the pond the spring grass has sprung up;
- 園柳變鳴禽in the garden willows the birds have changed their songs.
Why this poem
Xie Lingyun, recovering from illness, sees spring grass by the pond and new birdsong.
This day in the Chinese calendar
Solar term: Spring Equinox.