Beginning of a Camellia

(To my teacher, Mr. Ho, Jing Hin)

Camellias in the mountain wilted and blossomed,
Blossomed and wilted are the long years

Of quiet eyes
Looking at the horses you ride.
I wear a poncho in the downpour,
Looking for the flower

At the very beginning.

Announcing arrival of years, my orchid
Filled with dusts,
Loyal companion of leaves of grass,
Unable to let go
Preparation of classes in midnight,
Naps in commute due to lack of sleep.
Toasted plum flowers in the breeze

To blow open the seasons
Taveling from place to place,
Turbulent years one after another, finally passed.
Everywhere is a home of no home,
A hermit living in metropolis by a fish pond
Lingering with fragrance in the house of orchids,

Translucent and pure, never boasts

About the bouquet handed out personally
From one hand to another,
To the sky of no return
Departed from the homeland,
Dreams in one hand, tears in two eyes,
Chasing after the waves in four continents and five oceans
Drifted away .....

Buried in emptiness of fog,

Sails to the roots,
Towards the sublime in the celestial,
Revealing glimpses of the past,
Right back to the first lesson,
Nurtured by not nurturing,
Teaching by not teaching,
With a camellia in the mountain,
At the very beginning.

December 19, 2006, Hong Kong
( translated from the original Chinese poem回到當初, November 20, 2006, Hong Kong )