Birthday poem · December 18Major Snow, the 21st solar term: heavier snow.

Birthday poem card for December 18: “Bu Suan Zi” by Li Zhiyi. Birth character 水, water.

Birth character

水 shuǐ · water

水 is a picture of flowing water.

爲有源頭活水來
“Because fresh water flows in from the source unseen.” — Zhu Xi, ‘Thoughts on Reading’

Other dates with this poem: August 25

The poem

“Bu Suan Zi” 卜算子

  1. 我住長江頭I live at the head of the Yangtze,
  2. 君住長江尾you live at its tail.
  3. 日日思君不見君Day after day I think of you and never see you,
  4. 共飲長江水yet we drink from the same river.
  5. 只願君心似我心I only hope your heart is like my heart —
  6. 定不負相思意then I will not have longed for you in vain.

Li Zhiyi 李之儀 · Northern Song dynasty · 1048–1117 · ci (song lyric) · excerpt

English translation by Poetune.

Why this poem

Two people drinking from the same Yangtze who cannot meet. A love song.

This day in the Chinese calendar

Solar term: Major Snow.

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