in the autumn wind,
hark! voices raised with the sails,
these boats approaching
cross from a skybound shore:
the geese are here.
the words were written by an anonymous poet who entered a poetry competition
held by her majesty the empress during the kanpyo era
Magnificent birds in v-formation. Flying south for the winter? Thanks Steven.
ReplyDeleteMagnificent photo, steven.
ReplyDeleteAs is the poem.
I can't believe how many wonderful sights and experiences there are in the world and you are showing me quite a few of them.
thankyou elisabeth - i've used this photograph twice on this blog because it's the only one i've ever managed to get of the geese flying south. yesterday i was outside in the falling snow and the hugest "v" flew over us and it was amazing because it was entirely ghostly through the obscuring film of snow and you could hear them and see their shadowy shapes. steven
ReplyDeletefriko thankyou very much. the poem is so very good i had to share it here. steven
ReplyDeleteI think the geese all decided to fly south on the same day this year, Steven. Scores and scores and scores flew over yesterday...quite a sight!
ReplyDeleteLove the poem steven. I saw a V of geese flying over not too long ago.
ReplyDeleteIt's so very hard to capture birds in flight. I've been trying . . . enough to know that you should definitely be proud of this picture!
ReplyDeleteI love the metaphor in this poem. So apt.
hey jo i bet some of those will have flown over head here, south over lake ontario, cut across ny state, met up on the coast and then cruised south on the big old thermals 'till the air feels just warm enough and then down down they go to the sweet swamps and grasslands of the comfy south! steven
ReplyDeletethanks ellen, yeah it's their time. do your guys stick around or fly over to florida or mexico? steven
ReplyDeletebee it's so very hard and it would make such a good layer on the knowing of this world to have them show up in some pictures. it's such a good ancient, chinese poem. steven
ReplyDeleteLOVE those birds in the sky.
ReplyDeleteStay warm, Steven
Translating poems from one language to another must be an art in itself, to capture the rhythm and depth is surely no easy task. This one is lovely.
ReplyDelete