my mother and the moon
Tomorrow will be the Chinese Mid-Autumn Festival. It used to be a big day in the past, but not anymore now, I guess. So, here's something to celebrate the occasion. Anyway, I have eaten some of the moon cakes. :)
image by dsnake1
my mother and the moon
Mother, whenever I see a full moon, I would be reminded of you. You see, you were like the light on a dark night that guided me. You were the Weaver and dad, the Cowherd, as you so lovingly told us, your children, those folk tales, about the moon and humans and gods and deities. But what I remembered most was, you prayed to the moon. Yes, mother, you prayed to the moon! On every Mid-Autumn's night, you filled a tray with fruits, water caltrops, three cups of tea, bowls of jelly, moon cakes, areca nuts and betel leaves, a box of rouge and a bottle of florida water. These you offered to the Moon Goddess, after you have lighted the candles and joss sticks, to pray for health and safety for the family.
"But mother, the Americans have landed on the moon!", I would say, and you would silence me and beg forgiveness from the goddess for this ignorant son. It has been years since I last eaten those jellies, mother, how I wish I could eat those jellies that you made on Mid-Autumn's day again. They were delicious and sweet. But now, you are up there with the moon too, among the stars, and as I gaze up at the night skies, I miss you, your wisdom, though you know little of letters, your compassion, your faith in us, and I am thankful, knowing you will guide us on in the darkest nights.
full moon
and other lanterns -
mid-autumn's night.
written 12/05/2013
revised 07/09/2014
******************
This is my attempt to translate the Chinese Tang dynasty poet Li Bai's "A Quiet Night Thought".
in front of my bed a patch of moonlight
it seems there is frost on the ground
i lift my head and gaze at the full moon
when i lower it i think of my hometown
**
The haiku at the end of my poem, I lifted from a previous post in my other blog. :)
© cheong lee san ( dsnake1 ) 2014
my mother and the moon
Mother, whenever I see a full moon, I would be reminded of you. You see, you were like the light on a dark night that guided me. You were the Weaver and dad, the Cowherd, as you so lovingly told us, your children, those folk tales, about the moon and humans and gods and deities. But what I remembered most was, you prayed to the moon. Yes, mother, you prayed to the moon! On every Mid-Autumn's night, you filled a tray with fruits, water caltrops, three cups of tea, bowls of jelly, moon cakes, areca nuts and betel leaves, a box of rouge and a bottle of florida water. These you offered to the Moon Goddess, after you have lighted the candles and joss sticks, to pray for health and safety for the family.
"But mother, the Americans have landed on the moon!", I would say, and you would silence me and beg forgiveness from the goddess for this ignorant son. It has been years since I last eaten those jellies, mother, how I wish I could eat those jellies that you made on Mid-Autumn's day again. They were delicious and sweet. But now, you are up there with the moon too, among the stars, and as I gaze up at the night skies, I miss you, your wisdom, though you know little of letters, your compassion, your faith in us, and I am thankful, knowing you will guide us on in the darkest nights.
full moon
and other lanterns -
mid-autumn's night.
written 12/05/2013
revised 07/09/2014
******************
This is my attempt to translate the Chinese Tang dynasty poet Li Bai's "A Quiet Night Thought".
in front of my bed a patch of moonlight
it seems there is frost on the ground
i lift my head and gaze at the full moon
when i lower it i think of my hometown
**
The haiku at the end of my poem, I lifted from a previous post in my other blog. :)
© cheong lee san ( dsnake1 ) 2014
posted by dsnake1 at 11:31 PM
17 Comments:
this reads like a dream...betel leaves along with other things are also offered to deities here in India on various occasions...
beautiful memories.. interesting tradition.
what a beautiful tribute to your mother...and her respect of and reverence of the moon made me smile...as her little chiding as well at bringing the moon to us just a bit...ha
What a lovely and nostalgic reflection. We never do stop missing our mothers,do we?
Lee San, this is exquisitely beautiful, poignant, and moving. How I loved reading every line!
I really enjoyed your haibun.. the haiku a perfect compliment to your tribute to your mother.. but maybe also nostalgic thoughts on other things lost. Happy moon-festival --- even if there are just a few moon-cakes to share.
Sweet! What a great tradition/custom/prayer... handed down with respect, reverence, and explained in your art.
ZQ
This made me weep. And then I called my mother just to hear her voice while I still can.
I love to read haibun, and this was very rich and beautiful like a voyage to a far land.
I think the haibun has succeeded very well. Thank you for sharing it.
I love this story of your mother and her story to you of the moon. Lovely and sweet and a fabulous haiku.
I don't know what happens to my post but I came back to re-read this piece but, poof my original comment isn't here.
Moon cakes to you my friend and stay dry :-)
ZQ
Sumana,
>"like a dream" : :)
i think there are some similarities in our cultures in that respect, especially in some rituals.
Natasa,
yes, it's an interesting tradition.
Brian,
thanks! i can't help but smile every time i remembered i told her about the moon landings. :)
Mary,
oh no, we don't!
Sherry,
kiddo, you would love reading anything about the moon. :D
Bjorn,
i remember as a kid, i would help my mother with the preparations, setting up the offerings and so on. after that the whole family would sit down and enjoy the food. it was a great time for bonding.
ZQ,
thanks! sweet indeed! but certain traditions are dying out or are evolving into something that is hard to recognise. :(
Stormcat,
oh wow!!
annakindt,
thank you! haibun is a refined way to let you tell a story. :)
Debi,
thank you for the visit and comment. :)
ZQ,
have you been drinking? :D
i have comment moderation activated so comments won't be visible immediately. sorry about that. it's those pesky spam.
we drink chinese tea to go with the moon cakes during the festival. okay, sometimes we sneak in a beer.
Ah the memories we keep and cherish.
ah, yes, the memories!
thanks for dropping by. :)
Oh! Ok! No, not drinking... but just a little slow with the understanding of the blogosphere platform and its protocol... and your friggin time zone :-) hehe... See you on campus.
ZQ
yeah, the friggin time zone. while you guys in the USA are up and about, i am sleeping. :)
Post a Comment
<< Home