Visit the Old Summer Palace in Midsummer

This past summer during my trip back to China I visited the Old Summer Palace (Yuan Ming Yuan). It's the first time I went back to see this park since I left Beijing for America many years ago, despite it was on my bucket list of landmarks to revisit and I traveled back to China a few times. It wasn't until the Labor Day weekend I had the time and urge to write poems on this visit.

 

Visit the Old Summer Palace in Midsummer

 

The Old Summer Palace had been magnificent,

but no more, all lost in the war.

Broken stones are the only remnants.

They disturb the minds of visitors.

The rest is history, humiliating and painful.

 

The lakes are blanketed by green lotus leaves,

like unrolled Chinese paintings.

The painted boats are sailing away

in the picture-like scenery.

Their destination is the other shore

where hopefully there is no looting and destruction.

 

Lotus flowers are in full bloom.

So many red and pink flames

that have been burning for 164 years,

above the water and in many hearts.

They were seeded from the fires

that burned down the old gardens and palaces.

They won't extinguish until those broken stones become ashes.

 

【七律】仲夏遊圓明園是時荷花正盛（三首）

 

其一

 

舊時盛景化雲煙，今夏風光似往年。

荷葉田田蔥可卷，石頭處處碎難連。

榮枯粉白花成夢，勝敗歡悲史入篇。

豈待心明圓月後，何知意亂塌樓前。

 

其二

 

大水法中奔淚多，西洋樓裏恨幹戈。

江河倒轉水垂柳，冠蓋翻飛風卷荷。

一孔石橋連彼岸，滿池菡萏出汪波。

故人畫舫畫中去，卻唱悲時一曲歌。

 

其三

 

怎忘後院起狼煙，燒到心中數百年。

水上紅花樓上火，當時赤焰此時蓮。

雕欄玉砌存驚夢，斷壁殘垣入恨篇。

負重前行魂未定，光陰變幻國門前。

 

(© September, 2024, godog)

 

下麵的照片由作者在七月一號攝於圓明園。