'that passionate patience....'

...which is the core of life.'  Poet and translator Witter Bynner in his preface to The Jade Mountain, an anthology of Chinese poetry, says that passionate patience characterizes the poetry of the masters of the T'ang Dynasty, and that western poets can learn from a study of this work how best to express that apparently oxymoronic quality in their own poetry. I think all of us would profit from trying to cultivate passionate patience, don't you?
Me, I've never been short in the passion department, but lately (and mostly always) I've been lacking that pesky patience part. And me a gardener! If there ever were an activity that calls for passionate patience, it's the making and sustaining of a garden!
Art making calls for passionate patience, too, and I'm ready to take my couple of weeks' blog break and get rejuvenated on both fronts.
Here's where I'll be spending a lot of time:

And I'll be reading more Chinese poetry, too. The best anthology I've found (other than The Jade Mountain mentioned above---I like Bynner's translations the best) is The Anchor Book of Chinese Poetry; from Ancient to Contemporary, the Full 3000-Year Tradition, edited by Tony Barnstone and Chou Ping.  If you haven't read these poems, please do. The imagery in much of Chinese poetry is startling, clear, and pure---for this visual artist, it's a world of endless inspiration. I'll be listening to Chinasong by the Shanghai Quartet, among other things, too.

Finally, here's my first sketch for the Moleyx9 International Exchange. Our group is to render what is outside our windows, so I took that injunction literally this week, and sketched the 'Old Blush' rose outside my bedroom window, in the rain . 'In the rain'---the loveliest phrase in the English language.

See you in a couple of weeks! Be passionate! Be patient!

Comments

[df]

Laura, have a wonderful time in the garden and reading poetry. Sounds fantastic! I completely support you.

[katiejane]

Love your photos! What a gorgeous garden. No wonder you want to spend time there. It's like you'll be on vacation. Enjoy!

[zephyr]

Ahhh...may you both (you and your garden) thrive in the welcome rain! Enjoy, Laura...your posts will be missed, but it will be good to think of you lgardening and reviving.

[teric]

Beautiful gardens and the painted flowers!!

[sharon]

Thanks you so much for listing these titles! I purchased my first book of Tang poetry last month (Evoking Tang: An Anthology of Classical Chinese Poetry by Qui Xialong). I love how the poems capture a moment in time.

[A brush with color]

Your garden is always so lovely, Laura. I think this is one of the prettiest springs we have ever had. The roses in the rain are a stunning entry for the molyx9 project! They're dancing like ballerinas after a curtain call. Have fun...(I'll be thinking of you on Tuesday here in NC. ;))

[Joan Y]

I am loving your drawings AND your photographs! Your flower garden is gorgeous as are your lovely sketches! I hope you don't mind but I added you to my blogroll. Awesome!

[Maggie]

Your beautiful gardens are the kind of poetry I need and music to my ears! We've had fluctuating weather of 81 to 38 degrees and I am ready for steady warm temperatures so we can begin planting.

Enjoy your time away in your gardens, they have really prospered under your patient care.

XOX

[Elaine]

Happy Blogbreak!
(mine is non-stop these days)
- your garden looks beautiful.

E xx

[Amanda]

WOW! What a difference a few months makes (and a little rain). Beautiful.

[Diane Smith]

What a beautiful garden! Enjoy your time off. Hope you don't mind if I put a link to your blog on mine!

[Arwen]

You are so right about art taking passionate patience. I have come to realize that one of the biggest keys to good art pieces is being willing to spend a lot of time on them, getting the details right.

I have also been discovering how inspiring it can be to study other forms of art, so I will have to check out some Chinese poetry. Thanks for the recommendations.

[casey]

Your garden is really delightful, Laura. Just looking at your photos is so refreshing - I wish I could be there in person!
I love your rose sketch as well - it reminds me of a certain Raoul Dufy I saw recently - yours is much prettier of course!
Looking forward to seeing all the beautiful things you'll be painting while on a break from the internet!

[Cathy (Kate) Johnson]

Your garden is just unbelievable...what an incredible amount of work, but OH what a glorious result! (I'm lucky if I can keep one potted plant alive!)

I hope you enjoy your respite and recharge, dear heart...I'll miss seeing things like your lovely, lively rose...

[Just Plain Jane]

Yes, the garden is beautiful and deserves your presence. I'm always appalled at our decision to go away in April when our Southern California garden is at its peak of bloom. Enjoy it to the fullest!

[Maryam in Marrakesh]

Your garden is just gorgeous. Sigh, mine still looks like scorched earth:-(

[Anthony Z]

Hi Laura! I love your garden and the beautiful view out your window. (By coincidence I sketched something outside my window too this afternoon.) It's an inspiration, I'm sure, to have such natural beauty growing all around you. Wonderful.

[Alina]

Lovely drawing!

[Bec]

If that beautiful garden of yours doesn't invigorate you I don't know what will!!
I notice in your last garden photo the 2 pots on the left planted with "sky pencils" I think? I just bought 2 of these to do a similar planting -- I hope mine grow as beautifully as yours have!!

[Laura]

Thank you a thousand times for all of your cheers and support! I so needed a mid-course pause and correction. And I so wish you could all be here with me in my garden--we could have a Laurelines convention!