Spring

Chinese New Year is also called Spring Festival. Therefore the Chinese New Year celebration is also the celebration of spring. Few weeks ago, a friend emailed me a Chinese essay named “spring” that she found from Internet. There were 25 quotations of Chinese poetry in it and all related with spring. One of them is by Ye, Shaoweng (叶绍翁，“满园春色关不住”), which described the scenery of a spring garden. Read the poem, just like to see the scenery.

The morning of Chinese New Year eve, I went to buy Chinese New Year flowers. The colorful flowers at the shop reminded me the poem. To echo the scenery, I chose 9 flowers and greens (since 9 is the largest single digit, it means “more” or “many” in Chinese cultural). Pink larkspur is among them, it’s bright pink reminded me “girl’s dream”.

In the afternoon, I brought my girl friend few stems of pink larkspurs. I told her that the larkspur’s color is similar as “girl’s dream” and I wished her to realize her dreams in the new year.

At night, I arranged the flowers in a red cookie container in western style while I watched CCTV Chinese New Year celebration program. I named the arrangement as “spring”.


Monday morning, I received an email from my friend:

“I put the flowers you gave me in a thin and tall bottle. They have revived after suffering the dryness and heat in my car trunk Saturday and are doing well. The remarkable bending and curving of one branch in particular came from its original limping -- I felt sorry that I miscalculated and didn't give it enough water the first night -- the hardship it went through gave it great character.”

Along with the email text, she attached the picture.


Looking at the picture, the larkspur reminded me a lot. It is actually the winter, which made the spring more beautiful and more enjoyable.

I hope “spring” deliver the spring message to you. Enjoy the flower pictures and Happy Monday.

In Friendship through Flowers,
Yirou.
(2-26-2007)

本文有中文版。