for the song literati, spring began with tà chūn (踏春)
a walk beyond the city gates
meeting friends beneath the blossoms
welcoming the season with poetry and tea
scenting jasmine tea (窨花)
jasmine flowers release their fragrance after sunset
at night, freshly harvested blossoms are mixed with tea leaves in repeated layers
as the flowers open, the tea gradually takes on their aroma
when the scent has settled into the leaves, the blossoms will be separated and discarded
what remains is the memory of the flower within the tea
the second month of spring, in The Twelve Months Scroll (十二月令轴)
apricot blossoms open across the branches,
pale and weightless, like wet rice paper touched by light
in the courtyard, young women sway gently on a swing
beyond the garden, riders wander slowly through the countryside
each person moves through the afternoon in their own rhythm, yet together they form the same still scene
no crowds, no destinations to reach
only the quiet arrival of spring
rainy morning at yú yuán (愚园)
every path leads to blossoms
in classical gardens, doorways are placed like frames
revealing the landscape one quiet scene at a time
the píng jiāng river (平江河)
preserves one of Suzhou’s oldest ways of living
water and street unfolding side by side
as they did in the Song dynasty
black canopy boats (乌篷船) move slowly through the canal
while the sound of a boatwoman singing wu songs (吴歌) drifts across the spring air
early morning at the tea market
farmers arrive from the hills carrying the morning’s harvest
racing against time, before the tenderness of spring fades
