Cliff Cypress and Autumn Gourd: Two Plants in Zhang Xiaoping's Writing

Zhang Xiaoping Golden Bulb Bonsai

Cliff Cypress and Autumn Gourd

Picture and text | Zhang Xiaoping (Wuhu, Anhui)

A neighbor has an autumn gourd,

Climbing into my home,

I have a cold cypress,

Planted in the courtyard's hollow.

The gourd says:

Above the bending tree,

The south wall makes a trellis,

The slanting sun sends warmth,

The slow wind rustles and sprinkles,

The fertile soil nurtures me,

Dew nourishes the blossoms,

Heaven pities me,

The time is just right!

Seeing your appearance,

Your condition is pitiable,

Thin and bony,

Weak and frail,

I pity you, so many,

Ill-fated and unlucky!

It replies:

I was born on high mountains,

Lonely, desolate and cold,

Wind strikes and frost invades,

Bones exposed and roots suspended,

Though my body is slender and thin,

Bronze sinews and iron trunk!

Look at your current state,

Your youth and beauty are in full bloom,

But autumn has already arrived,

The fine scenery gradually fades,

Vines wither and flowers wilt,

Gourd falls and leaves remain,

Next year today,

How could we meet again?

Worldly affairs turn and flow,

Seas become mulberry fields,

Abide by the way of heaven,

Only then can one attain everlasting years!

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