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env0writes · 3 months

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Janus Estuaries Vol. 3, 1.16.24 “Beat Upon My Breast"

Devour me oh, love of life pursued When longing life to have and use When sword is sold for metal made to wed Like shackles that will bind me to my bed Should such a maw as love consume Let it be -ated and the life resume What sweet succored, suckered pain Do we depose to seek love plain Blind fools we are, oh lovers, we With visions true, eyes do oft flee With lovers hand and killers word No pleading bargains shall be heard Oh, night, beneath thy chaliced moon Grant gentle love so great to bring to ruin With tooth and nail and bone and blood and life From lovers anguish cease such aching strife

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poetsandwriters · 1 year

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Maggie Millner, author of Couplets (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2023), in this week’s installment of “Ten Questions.”

#Maggie Millner #Couplets #farrar straus and giroux #Inspiration #Quotes #Writer's Block #Writing #Poetry #Fiction #Hybrid #2023

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creatediana · 5 months

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"11-Year-Old Beads" - a poem written 4/17/2019

#2019 #college years #poetry #poem #chronic illness #iambic meter #iambic tetrameter #rhyme scheme #couplets #poets on tumblr

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morimatea · 2 months

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The morning of the New Year‘s eve, everyone is busy to stick couplets, red lantern, a thriving scene.

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ashtrayfloors · 11 months

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3.10

Some mornings, leaving my girlfriend’s house, I’d glimpse my whole existence,

all its eras, as a single arc—unified, unbroken. I saw a person who kissed mostly men,

wrote poems in the prevailing style, owned a cat. I saw a different person after that,

and before, I saw a little girl. What was I saying? That there were

these different selves—I need you to see them— they were shapes made out of lines, and then

one day they all began to cross, the lines, as if by some obscure design

the analysis of which became the purpose of my life. Or maybe the pattern was

my life, and its analysis merely my living. Sexuality is,

after all, a formal concern: finding for one’s time on earth

a shape that feels more native than imposed— a shape in which desire, having chosen

it, can multiply. And isn’t love itself a type

of rhyme? And don’t gender and genre share one root? Maybe I really am a poet,

needing as I do from these imperfect sets, which constitute a self, the lie of sense.

—Maggie Millner, from Couplets: A Love Story (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2023)

#poetry #maggie millner #couplets #selfhood #sexuality #desire #this whole fucking book tbh #i think of it so often

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lazyydaisyyy · 1 year

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Maggie Millner, Couplets

#maggie millner #couplets #words #lit #excerpt #poem #poetry

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fitnessgeekandcoffeefreak · 1 year

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1.31.2023.

I don't wanna jinx myself, but I may have just transitioned to being a morning workout girl. This entire month I tested my energy level during morning workouts, and then in afternoon workouts. (Ok, not crazy morning times like Kim, but she's amazing 😘) I seem to be able to push out the most effort right after having breakfast. As long as my schedule still allows this moving forward I'm gonna try to stick to it. 🤞

I love this couplet workout so much. However, the 5 rounds of each is just nuts 😂 Where's my hot bod, please? I'd like it now!

youtube

#workouts #couplets #circuit training #thewkout #Youtube

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fwoopersongs · 1 year

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On a couplet from the Yuelu Academy

by 旷敏本 (Kuang Minben,1699 - 1782)

是非审之于己，毁誉听之于人，得失安之于数，陟岳麓峰头，朗月清风，太极悠然可会； Right or wrong, examine it yourself. Ruin or acclaim comes from the decisions of others. Gains and losses are predestined - accept them with equanimity. Ascend to the peak of Yuelu. The moon is bright, the breeze refreshing. The Zenith may be met with, leisurely.

君亲恩何以酬，民物命何以立，圣贤道何以传，登赫曦台上，衡云湘水，斯文定有攸归。 How can we repay the kindness of our leaders and parents? How can the life of the people be firmly established? How can the way of the sages be transmitted? Climb atop Hexi Terrace. The clouds of Mt. Heng, the waters of River Xiang; for sure, the educated have responsibility.

...........................................................

This post is dedicated to @liberty-or-death who dug a hole for me on the last day of 2022. Thanks friend xD

(The reason I was excited to see this place mentioned in that article was because it’s on my travel wishlist.)

Background

Yuelu Mountain (岳麓山) is located on the west bank of the Xiang River at a tributary of the Wu River in Changsha, Hunan, and is noted for its many scenic spots. Located at its foot is the Yuelu Academy (岳麓书院), officially established in 796 CE during the rule of Emperor Taizu of Song. It is one of the four famous academies in ancient China - the others are the Bailudong, Songyang and Suiyang Academies. But among these academies of classical learning, Yuelu is the only one to have evolved into a modern institution. Today it is known as Hunan University.

The Hunan University campus, in their own words, combines ancient architectural complexes and modern facilities. Many of the original structures of Yuelu Academy were preserved, and now open to the public. Here’s a video of a walk through the school! (x)

If you don’t need english subs, there is a wonderful MangoTV documentary on Yuelu Academy available on youtube.

The academy was frequently renovated throughout its >1000 years of existence, and many of the current buildings were constructed during the Qing Dynasty. The main Lecture Hall, also called the ‘Hall of Loyalty, Filial Piety, Integrity and Chastity’, is a core building of the Academy. It is located at its heart, and was the most important place for teaching and momentous ceremonies.

A horizontal plaque with imperial inscriptions from the Kangxi Emperor hangs in the front of the hall. On the inner walls of the hall, there are four big Chinese Characters - I can’t really tell if they were engraved or painted - loyalty, piety, honesty and integrity (Simplified: 忠孝廉节 | Traditional: 忠孝廉節). They come from the hand of the great scholar Zhu Xi of the Song Dynasty. Zhu Xi along with Zhang Shi gave the first ever joint lecture in the history of Confucian academies in this place.

And it is within this Lecture Hall, placed on either side, between the words piety & integrity, and loyalty & honesty that these this yinglian (楹联), a type of couplet, is pasted on the walls on either side. It was written by Kuang Minben, who passed the entry level examination at the age of 24 and was recommended into the Imperial Academy the following year. During this time, his studies were interrupted by the death of his father and requisite period of mourning. He later passed the imperial exams at the age of 37 and joined the Hanlin academy as an apprentice writer, though had to retire for health reasons. 18 years later, at the age of 55, he was engaged as principal (山长) at Yuelu Academy in the year 1754. He went on to lecture there for three years before the death of his mother. It was during this period of his life that he wrote the couplet that now still hangs in the Lecture Hall.

Actually, the couplets that are there now are a copy carved in 1983 as the original was destroyed in the Sino-Japanese War.

Here’s a photo of the Lecture Hall from the academy’s Chinese wikipedia page.

From twitter user 徐昕 @xuxin1970 ① 是非审之于己，毁誉听之于人，得失安之于数，陟岳麓峰头，朗月清风，太极悠然可会； ② 君亲恩何以酬，民物命何以立，圣贤道何以传，登赫曦台上，衡云湘水，斯文定有攸归

If for some reason, you’re wondering about the placement of the letters and the couplets…

Exit for the hall 廉節 ① ② 忠孝 Head of the hall

This seems to follow the principle of seating on the North (head of the hall), facing the South (exit), and then the left (East) as superior to the right (West).

Brief Translation Notes

This was a rough translation as working on this couplet was a very spur of the moment. Here is how I understand it and maybe other interesting things.

For ①

On the rights and wrongs of a matter, one should examine (审) it inwardly with one’s own judgment [internal]. Whether one ends up ruined for it or acclaimed, that outcome lies with others [external]. And whatever one will gain or lose in this is up to the Heavens (数), and ought to be accepted with equanimity (not in our hands anymore, so be chill about it). Having done this, one steps out and up the mountain, finding that they have reached the utmost goal in becoming one with nature (太极).

You might have noticed the plaque with the inscription of 学达性天 above the hall in blue? That was mentioned before as being bestowed by a Qing Dynasty emperor. But this has also been the ultimate goal of Confucian and Chinese education for thousands of years. It’s a reference to both the Analects and Doctrine of the Mean; through learning to live properly as humans, we may reach our original heaven endowed nature and become one with nature, which is also being attuned to the Way of heaven. So, a maxim for educational goals in a lecture hall supported by the couplets also hanging in the same room. That’s the intention, and how do we reach it? By keeping at This.

When a person has reached that state of mind and state of being, even in the face of difficulty or problems regarding ethics, reputation, temptation and so on, they can face it unaffected and calm.

For ②

The earlier part was on an individual level. What someone can do for themselves. But in order for one to exist and be in such a position, they owe it to their ruler / their lord and then their parents for giving body and life. This half of the couplet pair is about responsibility. That a person who cares for the world around them will wonder how to make it a better place to live in, ensuring stability and that the good way of living is widely practiced and passed on. Go out to Hexi Terrace and look: the mountain is still beautiful, the river still flows. Certainly, the educated have a responsibility and their rightful place*.

*The word 攸归 comes from the idiom 责有攸归 (zé yǒu yōu guī) literally, responsibility has its rightful place ie. with the correct person.

Now’s the time to mention: It’s the furthest thing from easy that Yuelu Academy still stands today. You can read about its history in this article. The original Hexi Terrace too. The structure that exists today is, in fact, Hexi Terrace 3.0 and is not even in the original location anymore. It was originally at the peak of Mt. Yuelu, where Zhu Xi liked to climb to watch the sunrise (hence its name of sunrise splendor). Then war came, there was restoration work, a tower was built in its place (though the function of this location remained the same), and the terrace was rebuilt at the foot of the mountain in the form of a pavilion. Hexi 2.0 was destroyed in the Sino-Japanese War, and Hexi 3.0 is actually an existing stage that was renamed in memory of 1.0 and 2.0.

I am reminded actually of a song that goes ~ be your own light ~. That light should shine from within. Observe and contemplate, and at the same time cultivate yourself both in education (knowledge) and character. Be your own light, and next step… the world!

#岳麓书院 #Yuelu Academy #Couplets #poetry #i don't even know how to tag this #an end of year translation from left field LOL #i spent the afternoon thinking about this #lmaoooo #yiliiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing #commentary #poems

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watering76 · 1 year

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離過年只剩一個禮拜多啦！現在蝦皮免運券可以用下去了！紅包該買的要買起來了！

財庫紅包套組：

▪紅包：正面立體門環浮雕、背面擬真立體磚牆，彷彿一個眷村小模型。

▪三款貼紙：根據不同送禮用途，隨意貼，打造你的廣告小磚牆！

▪春聯：燙金＋雙色對裱質感！

▼蝦皮下標

https://shp.ee/z3k2c76

#calligraphy #DIY #design #red envelope #couplets #letterpress #兔年 #紅包 #春聯 #設計 #活版 #凸版印刷

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cthonicdemon · 1 year

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I wrote a poem for you all!! I haven't written in a while, motivation, and fanfic writing has been kicking my ass. I felt this poem deeply as I was writing it. It was like a beas that was infecting my brain and needed to come out through several couplets, a quatrains, and some type of ending stanza. Enjoy! <3<3<3<3

I haven't been able to write

1.

I haven't been able to write at all

It is a shame how something so very small

2.

As a bad grade on a test or an unclean room

Strengthen the impending sense of doom

3.

Is doom, for a poet, having nothing left to say

Having words that impact in no kind of way

4.

Following a pattern, couplets I suppose

Trying to change the world through meaningless prose

5.

Is writing a poem, the way I am now

Part of the problem and if so, how?

6.

"This is not a real poem", one could say

And I would agree in many a way

7.

Am I rhyming to rhyme or do I mean something deep

Where are the answers I desperately seek

8.

I feel lost, as a poet, as if I'm no one at all

Drowning in my thoughts and feeling so small

9.

Perhaps that is why I'm not able to write

Perhaps I have given up all of my fight

10.

Perhaps I shouldn't post my words to the world

And read any comments painstakingly curled

11.

Up into a ball, do they like what I say

Do I matter at all at the end of the day?

12.

Maybe I'll break the rules like the best poets do

But then how will my message shine faithfully true

13.

There's so much confusion and way too much sound

In the conventions and rules all bouncing around

14.

Let me write, god damnit, let me right as I please

In a world with no pushback let me write with ease

15.

I have all the thoughts, they're in my head

So save your rules for the creatively dead

16.

I won't follow your rules any longer

Tryrants of poetry

Sic semper tyranis

The poem ends how ever I see

Why do I number these at all?.

And it ends like this:

I will write as I will write

And I will be who I want to be

#my writing #writers on tumblr #my poerty #poetry #poets on tumblr #queer poets on tumblr #struggling with writers block #writers block #poetry about writers block #my poety #rules for poetry #poetry class #couplets #rhyming couplet #quatrain #unconventional poetry #unconvenial #unconventional poem

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env0writes · 5 months

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No Longer Remembered 11.26.23 “What Do You Say After 'Thanks?'”

Heart rush Face flush Am I sick or in love? Donning a hat and a glove Head spins Day thins Oh the words flea like a flock ‘Round and round handed clock Heated sheeting Feeling fleeting Leaps like childhood from the roof Fearful of chimney, crawlspace, and proof– Of what isn’t real This too will feel A weight lifted, or just as sunk No liquor, substance; drunk Like flickering Christmas lights After the thankful nights But where can these feelings go Blue skies, there is no snow

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mrbrainrot · 7 months

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sometimes i feel just like laika on her cursed one-way trip

she fell straight to the moon on her love-made rocket ship

her last words were these, all alone in outer space:

"i never knew the moon would be the last ball i'd chase"

#poem #poetry #laika #space dog #space #couplets #i debated making this a limerick #but i don't know that many rhymes #the last line would prolly be #“and now her brothers howl at her and they yip”#but that's mid #so i didn't #i just like the idea that dogs are howling at laika #not the moon

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creatediana · 3 months

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"Fresh Meat (I fell in love with everyone I saw)" - a poem written 1/23/2024, partly in reference to (or rather, I was thinking about) this poem I wrote about six years ago

#i have written too many poems in my young adult years to remember even most of the half-decent ones #but i always remembered the line 'i fall in love with everyone i see' since i came up w it #it's a good line of ahem #iambic pentameter #2024 #iambic meter #rhyme scheme #couplets #poem #poetry #poets on tumblr

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ston3rs3cr3ts · 11 months

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I Would Rather Be Heartbroken Than Resentful

We say 15.

You say 12.

I say 10.

She'll cross the Sea, Take what belongs to me. Give you what you need, While I sit with empty seeds.

I cry at the moon, "It's all happening too soon." Even though it's all decades away. I wonder if I could convince you to stay...

I can't deprive you of your desires. Even if the pain lights fires, I can't do this for you. No matter how badly I want to.

#poetry #poems on tumblr #poem #female poets #couplets #black poets on tumblr #romance #i love him #love