花期　林鈺堂

仙人掌上綻白蓮，居然一開二十餘；
明知無常盼再遇，僅隔兩日紛凋零。

跋

前日散步時見一屋前院有仙人掌，高約一人半，綻開二十餘朵白花，近似曇花而較渾圓，成深柸形。今晨偕家人散步再訪，則唯餘一朵尚盛開，其他皆已謝垂矣。花信如斯，妙緣難再。無常教示，觸目即是。

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　二○○一年十月十四日
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　養和齋　　　　於加州

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Bloom　Yutang Lin

White lotuses blooming on fairy's palm,
Alas! All in all, there were twenty some.
Hoped to meet again in this fleeting life;
Only two days later already faded away!

Comment:

In Chinese cactus is called "fairy's palm."

Day before yesterday while taking a walk I came upon a house with a huge cactus in its front yard. It is about one and half a person's height with over twenty white flowers blooming on it. The round flowers shaped like deep cups. This morning my family walked there to see them. Alas! Only one remained blooming while all the rest were hanging loose. The message of flowers was as such; fortunate encounters are rare to repeat. Teachings on impermanence can be found wherever one sets the eyes to.

Written in Chinese on October 14, 2001
Translated on October 16, 2001
El Cerrito, California

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