Sleeping Lotus
After “采莲 (Cǎi Lián),” Empresses in the Palace soundtrack
For a good place
to pick water lilies, go to
the south bank of the river
between life and infinity.
See how the sunlight
sprawls atop the leaves,
blond on pillows
with parted lips.
Tip your fishbowl head
and spill its memories
into the milky jade-water,
where they become
a pair of orange carp
chasing each other’s tails.
Perhaps this is what
the universe looks like
from the outside — twin fires
swirled into an orb
by some sinewy-armed god.
If you see his reflection
replace your own, send
a cloud-shaped pigeon
to let the wanderless know.
Tell them, too, if you spot
his sister tending the blooms,
her dark braid draped
over her shoulder. Look!
Maybe that’s her right there
on the canoe, disguised
as a villager’s daughter
in a mist-gray shirt
and salmon pants rolled up
to her knees. She flings you
a flower and her smile
across flutes of ripples,
her light hand a water lily.
Take her gifts and stay
awhile, won’t you? Stay
among these sleeping lotuses,
and let tomorrow slip past you
like an orange carp.
Author's note: “Sleeping lotus” is a literal translation of the Mandarin phrase for “water lily.”
to pick water lilies, go to
the south bank of the river
between life and infinity.
See how the sunlight
sprawls atop the leaves,
blond on pillows
with parted lips.
Tip your fishbowl head
and spill its memories
into the milky jade-water,
where they become
a pair of orange carp
chasing each other’s tails.
Perhaps this is what
the universe looks like
from the outside — twin fires
swirled into an orb
by some sinewy-armed god.
If you see his reflection
replace your own, send
a cloud-shaped pigeon
to let the wanderless know.
Tell them, too, if you spot
his sister tending the blooms,
her dark braid draped
over her shoulder. Look!
Maybe that’s her right there
on the canoe, disguised
as a villager’s daughter
in a mist-gray shirt
and salmon pants rolled up
to her knees. She flings you
a flower and her smile
across flutes of ripples,
her light hand a water lily.
Take her gifts and stay
awhile, won’t you? Stay
among these sleeping lotuses,
and let tomorrow slip past you
like an orange carp.
Author's note: “Sleeping lotus” is a literal translation of the Mandarin phrase for “water lily.”
Katherine Huang is a graduate student in genomics and computational biology at UPenn. Her work has appeared in print/online at Pangyrus, Eclectica, Rattle, Gyroscope Review, and elsewhere. When not writing or sciencing, she enjoys dancing and taking naps. You can find her on Twitter @Katabolical.
Art: Molly Dunham