"The Duke of Zhou testified that tea relieves drunkenness and reduces sleep."
Feel free to join the online book club at anytime by simply purchasing Korean Tea Classics. Dong Cha Song is 17 stanzas in length, we will go through each stanza week by week. Jump in and join the discussion as you please.
Peace
All,
ReplyDeleteNotes on Stanza 4:
This stanza quotes four famous historical writings, each alluding to a certain merit of tea:
"The Duke of Zhou testified that tea relieves drunkenness and reduces sleep."
Is refering to tea as a tonic.
"Yan Ying of Qi was renowned for his meal of unhulled rice and vegetables."
Is refering to tea as a food. One of the traditional names for tea includes "vegetable".
It is also refering to tea as a medicine. The footnote by Cho Ui states that Yan Ying of Qi ate a meal of only tea and herbs on the fifth day between 5:00-7:00 AM. This time has astrological importance as it is considered the time when the body is closest to heaven. It denotes the very begining of the cycle of energy in our bodies throughout the 24 hrs day. Monks including the Dali Lama wake in time to say prayers at this time everyday.
"Yu Hong made sacrifical offerings, praying to Danqiu."
Is refering to the use of tea in offerings.
"One hairy immortal led Qin Jing to a grove."
Is refering to tea as something that is otherworldly. A vehicle to the immortal.
Peace
Matt,
ReplyDeleteThank you very much for your explanation of Stanza Four, especially the astrological significance of the fifth watch in Yan Ying’s description of taking tea with his morning meal. As you note, the time of the meal occurred at wumao五卯. The term wumao五卯 refers to the zodiacal hour of the rabbit or the fifth of twelve watches during the twenty-four hour day, the time between 5:00 and 7:00 a.m. in the morning. For a long while, the passage from the Spring and Autumn Annals of Master Yen has been misinterpreted and mistranslated by Asian and Western scholars alike due to the difficulty of reading the ancient Chinese in which it was written as well as by the corruption of the language of the Annals over time.
It would be of great help to my studies of tea and the Annals if you pointed me to a reference or two regarding the astronomical and other meanings of the hour of the rabbit. This is an area of knowledge that I am woefully ignorant of and wish to learn more about. Thank you for your kind consideration.
Steve.
Steve,
ReplyDeleteOne tries to link when possible but like much of the information on MattCha's Blog- there is no English source to cite. This information is mainly acquired through oral routes in conversations with wise, traditional men.
In the case of the "Wu Mao" and the cycling of energy in the 24hrs clock, it was info gathered from a Daoist practitioner, a middle aged Chinese man that now lives somewhere in Vancouver.
Here is the closest to relevant information that one could find in English, an interesting read:
http://thewanderingcloud.blogspot.com/2009/03/horary-cycle-and-our-bodys-natural.html
As mentioned in the above comment, it states "The Mao period represents “the opening of the heavenly gate”.
Hope it helps.
Peace
Matt,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your positive response and further information regarding the astrological meaning of the fifth watch, wumao 五卯.
In a bit of research, I tried approaching the issue by searching the encyclopedic Daoist dictionary for reference to the watch, the associated zodiacal animal the rabbit, as well as the moon. Unfortunately, no leads there nor in the encyclopedic Kangxi dictionary.
To follow your Daoist line of thinking, however, there seems to be a strong connection between the watch as a time of peace and tranquility and calm, a period of clarity, and a time of cleansing toxins from the body. The watch was identified with the rabbit which in turn is intimately associated with the moon and the creation of the elixir of health, life, and immortality; the moon sometimes looming large in the early morning sky.
If Daoist practice included the drinking of warm water at the maoshi 卯時 watch to stimulate the morning constitution, then drinking tea as a mild diarrhetic in the morning accomplished the same thing for Yan Ying who was characterized in the Annals as spartan in dress and habit, his frugality and simplicity fitting the Daoist model.
Along this line of thinking, then the alternate translation of the passage 五卯茗菜而已 might well be "at the fifth watch, he took only tea," an interpretation that I believe moves us closer to its actual meaning.
Thanks again for your kind assistance. This is an advance in the translation of the passage.
From one cup to another,
Steve.