Things Su Tungpo Said
By Xiaoting Qin
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The most impressive word I heard from Su Tungpo was “Better than a saddle, I like sandals and cane. I’d fain, in a straw cloak, spend my life in mist and rain.” I believed it best described his character as an incorrigible optimist. As a poet, calligrapher, painter, educator, statesman and gastronome, he’d often say, “Life is like a journey. I am in my way too,” as a reminder to enjoy different scenery in life. As a way to encourage us to catch the moment, he loved to say, “Taste the newly dressed tea, freshly new. While young, try your verse and brew.”
One day I was on a trip to Lijiang Old Town. I stepped into a bookstore where the books were all made by hand from natural plants and woods. I could even see the stems and smell the leaves. Suddenly, it began to rain heavily. The store was semi-open-air with a large area in the middle of the yard that was completely outdoors. Books were wet with rain, and so was I. Crowds started to complain about the rain that wetted and trapped them here. Cold and worried, I wondered, “When will the rain stop?”
I felt disappointed by the sudden rain that ruined my trip. Lanterns with leaves became brighter under the rain. Waiting aimlessly in the store, I recollected my memories. When I was little, my parents took me to watch colorful lighting lanterns and fireworks at the Lantern Festival. I liked guessing lantern riddles and getting rewarded. The beautiful scene came with the wind and engraved in my mind, with the poetic line “One night’s east wind adorns a thousand trees with flowers and blows down stars in showers”. Growing up, I was busy with my studies and missed lots of lanterns and flowers. I was depressed during the pandemic, for fear of isolation, separation of family and disconnection with friends. I found myself spending most of my time in a hurry with my journey and missed different scenery in life. When I got older, I might sigh, “Even if I can buy laurel wine for you and get afloat. Could our youth renew?” As I looked up, the moon was in the mist, reminding me of what Su Tungpo said, “Men have sorrow and joy, they part and meet again. The moon may be bright or dim, she may wax or wane. There has been nothing perfect since olden days.” Imperfection was part of life, and what mattered was how we perceived our lives.
Kids’ laughter became a melody in the rain. They enjoyed the rain and had great fun. It seemed like the rainy weather revealed a different beauty of the town, peaceful, gentle and tranquil. I recalled the words from Su Tungpo, “Listen not to the rain beating against the trees, I had better walk slowly while chanting at ease.” It couldn’t be sunny every day. There were times when we had to stand the cold and wet, the rain and snow. Such was life.
I saw a graceful and carefree figure walking from the rain, with sandals and a cane, in a straw cloak. His face was wet with rain, but he laughed and chanted at ease, “Turning my head, I see the dreary beaten track. Let me go back! Impervious to rain or shine, I’ll have my own will.”