Feeling chatty about my Han Yu fic...

[llonkrebboj]

 

Each a different Spring

is my Yuletide 2024 Tang poet RPF fic about the very early beginnings of 韩愈 | Han Yu’s legendary friendship with 孟郊 | Meng Jiao. This title comes from my delight at a little poem he wrote about the scenery in late spring (with the original text and my sort-of translation below). It’s a lively little anthropomorphic sketch of the flora and how they’re looking at this time of the season, but I thought it also seemed an apt depiction of the young men and not-so-young men presenting the fruits of their many years of study labour in the capital, networking, making friends and being alive. 

草树知春不久归，百般红紫斗芳菲

Grass and tree - knowing the returning Spring will not stay its steps for long - flaunt their fragrances and tussle in all their red-purple vibrant glory.

杨花榆荚无才思，惟解漫天作雪飞。

The willows with their fluff and elms with their pods, neither nearly as gifted nor so full of thought, earnestly fill the air with flurrying snow.

Everyone cherishing the limited time (opportunity), each contributing to the cheerful sight that is Spring in their own way even if they may not even realize it. It feels so positive, so youthful, so adorable with this framing, but a little lonely too—stepping out of the moment to capture a snapshot. 

Mid-Tang’s Spring season imperial exam results (according to my casual research) are released in the second month of spring. So I pretended in my head that it was late in the tail end of the second month in the year (also the second month in the three months of spring) so we can stretch to call it late spring xD

A capture of them at an imagined first ‘meeting’ in 792 Chang’an’s Spring, through the beauty of their written word. Different styles, different attitudes, but living through the same season of life.

Comments

[xmarksthespotwhereistand]

Thank you for sharing this adorable passage!
Wouldn't have thought of this framing as lonely, I guess it can be in a way but how rewarding it is. And taking another step back, this poem itself is - well, a grass or a willow fluff, I guess the author needs future poets to determine that.

[llonkrebboj]

Ok, that Might have been me putting some of myself into it xD Like when I can't have a beautiful moment stay as it is, but still need to step out of the experience a little to think, 'I want to capture it!'.

🍵🍵 To the proud flowers and the slightly oblivious willow fluff!

[xmarksthespotwhereistand]

And yet, there is a different beautiful moment created - at least in the fic.
I am still not over the poetry stalls by the eateries and how you introduced that concept to us via your OCs. Definitely needs a reread.