Listening To A Cicada 聽蟬,聽禪 -- by Peter Huang

To those who appreciate the beauty of English language, here is a dish I produced from my garden…. - Peter Huang

這是我從我花園中做出的一盤佳餚,獻給欣賞英語文之美的人. - Peter Huang

 Listening To A Cicada  聽蟬,聽禪

Guess how many men would envy you:

"Lucky cicada, you have a mute wife."

Oh dear, dear.

The summer is exacerbated by your tedious voice.

As I enjoy being alone in my garden, my castle as well.

Till come your long and boring shrieks…

Yet nowhere can I see you.

The key of the note hard to tell,

the tone by no means appeals to ears.

Strangely, in the end I reconcile

with your monologue or complaint, whichever could be,

whatever, and whenever

from daybreak, through the afternoon with a high key, noisy and tedious.

All that split the air, and disturb shadows of trees,

turn soft only after dark;

leave me to sweet dreams at night.

Then stop, and sing no more, as though

waiting to steal the secrecy from my soul.

Oh, dear dear, cicada.

What on earth are you?

A boring vocalist at best?

Or an Indian guru hiding either in the foliage or on the bark?!

Persistently chasing the way to immortality?

Nevertheless, dear cicada.

I regard you as simple as a vocalist,

can do nothing but perform the Zen voice,

on this humid, dead-silent afternoon.

The air, the shadows, the sunshine and the foliage are disturbed;

the whole garden are forced to listen,

twigs and foliage nod, prove themselves not napping,

and dance to your Zen melody on occasion.

But, my poor cicada.

Could it be you are only complaining?!

That Creator has not created for you a female companion,

who can sing love songs in your lifelong performance,

and may disrupt you with her love words sometimes.

Yet all my praises go to Him,

for He has not made it happen.

Or else my garden would be bored to death on this still afternoon.

My loneliness would find no mate to play with,

Oh dear cicada,

I have to believe and take,

that your voice is a Zen lesson the nature gives.

Whenever me in melancholy or in loneliness.

--- Written on the 9th March, 2020 in Auckland, NZ