Birthday poem · August 14Start of Autumn, the 13th solar term: autumn begins in the traditional calendar.
Birth character
喜 xǐ · joy
喜 shows a drum above a mouth; it means joy.
最喜小兒亡賴
“Best of all, the youngest, the little rascal” — Xin Qiji, ‘Clear Calm Music: Village Life’
Other dates with this poem: June 16
The poem
“Clear Calm Music: Village Life” 清平樂
- 茅檐低小Low and small, the thatched eaves;
- 溪上青青草by the stream, the grass green, green.
- 大兒鋤豆溪東The eldest son hoes beans east of the stream;
- 中兒正織鷄籠the middle son is weaving a chicken coop;
- 最喜小兒亡賴best of all, the youngest, the little rascal,
- 溪頭臥剥蓮蓬lies by the stream peeling lotus pods.
Why this poem
Xin Qiji on a farm family of five; the youngest lies shelling lotus seeds.
This day in the Chinese calendar
Solar term: Start of Autumn.