friday feast: tea and poetry

~ jama

 

“There is a great deal of poetry and fine sentiment in a chest of tea.” ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

 

 

The first cup moistens my lips and throat;
The second cup breaks my loneliness;
The third cup searches my barren entrail but to
find therein some five thousand volumes
of odd ideographs;
The fourth cup raises a slight perspiration —
all the wrongs of life pass out through my pores;
At the fifth cup I am purified;
The sixth cup calls me to the realms
of the immortals.
The seventh cup — ah, but I could take no more!
I only feel the breath of the cool wind
that raises in my sleeves.
Where is Elysium? Let me ride on this sweet breeze
and waft away thither.

~ Lu T’ung, T’ang Dynasty 620-907

Did you enjoy sipping this poem, line by line?

I thought it was the perfect way to launch Tea Party Month here at alphabet soup. After all, tea and poetry are sisters. Both should be savored slowly for full appreciation. Both heighten the senses, invite conversation, and prompt reflection.

When you drink a cup of tea or read a poem, you are participating in a ritual that dates back thousands of years. Interestingly enough, the origin of tea is much like the origin of a poem.

In 2737 B.C., as the legend goes, the Chinese Emperor Chen Nung, a scholar and herbalist, was sitting beneath a tree while his servant was boiling a pot of water. A few leaves from a tea plant dropped into the water, and a wonderful aroma emanated. The drink enthralled and enchanted him. His writings touted the medicinal benefits of tea — a drink that healed, uplifted, refreshed and quenched a thirst like no other.

A poem can heal, uplift, refresh, and quench a thirst like no other. Often, quite by accident, an idea floating on a gentle breeze will enter the mind. If allowed to steep, it may find its fragrance and substance amongst the “thousand volumes of odd ideographs” that each of us carries within. Just as a drifting cloud marks the path of invisible air, the words of a poem authenticate human emotion — making the abstract more tangible, giving voice to some of the more ethereal, capricious, and unwieldy textures of experience.

We all yearn for a magic potion, much like we yearn to find part of ourselves in a poem. So we are not unlike the ancients. Tea and poems connect us all, through time and space.

Now, will you have a second cup?

BRIEFLY IT ENTERS, AND BRIEFLY SPEAKS
by Jane Kenyon (from Boat of the Quiet Hours, Graywolf Press, 1986)

I am the blossom pressed in a book,
found again after two hundred years . . .

I am the maker, the lover, and the keeper . . .

When the young girl who starves
sits down to a table
she will sit beside me . . .

(Rest is here.)

Today’s Poetry Friday Roundup is at Becky’s Book Reviews.

PLEASE COME TO THE TEA PARTY!

Post your favorite tea time recipes, tea reflections or memories, or favorite tea scenes from books or film, then leave the link in the comments. Or, you may email the recipes to me at readermail (at) jamakimrattigan (dot com). The party will last all through April, so don your bonnets and white gloves, and sashay on over!

 

20 thoughts on “friday feast: tea and poetry”

  1. “A poem can heal, uplift, refresh, and quench a thirst like no other. Often, quite by accident, an idea floating on a gentle breeze will enter the mind. If allowed to steep, it may find its fragrance and substance amongst the “thousand volumes of odd ideographs” that each of us carries within. Just as a drifting cloud marks the path of invisible air, the words of a poem authenticate human emotion — making the abstract more tangible, giving voice to some of the more ethereal, capricious, and unwieldy textures of experience.”
    This is so beautifully put!!!

    Like

  3. TadMack says: 🙂
    Ooh, tea party!!! I am so there!! I just have to think of something to bring.
    The fourth cup raises a slight perspiration —
    all the wrongs of life pass out through my pores;
    At the fifth cup I am purified
    THAT — was amazing.

    Like

  4. WHOA to that Kenyon poem, in particular. Now, that is a tour-de-force. I want to slip that to my daughters one day. I wonder about that title? If she got it from something else? Loveliness.
    jules, 7-Imp (more of a coffee drinker, but I love vanilla teas!)

    Like

  5. cloudscome says:
    How wonderful!
    ” The sixth cup calls me to the realms
    of the immortals.
    The seventh cup — ah, but I could take no more!
    I only feel the breath of the cool wind
    that raises in my sleeves.”
    I clearly need to drink more tea. Why do I usually stop at one cup? I love your photos too. I’ll have to come back for more tea through the month.

    Like

  8. Re: cloudscome says:
    I’ve never had seven cups of tea — I think the ancients drank out of very small clay cups. Still, being called to the realms of the immortals sounds like a fine thing.

    Like

  9. Karen Edmisten said:
    I *love* the tea and poetry connections. Beautiful photo, beautiful poems, and yes, thank you, I’d like a third cup ….

    Like

  11. That last line on that Jane Kenyon poem (“already with you . . .”) is glorious. And I love the streets of Elysium in reference. And, of course, I love tea.

    Like

  12. To be honest, I’m one of those uncultured types who thinks of tea as hot water that tastes slightly like hay… But I keep some around for visitors, and I feel compelled now to go brew a cup and give it another chance to win me over! Thanks for this great post.

    Like

  13. Some tea parties are too la-ti-da, but these two cups of poetry are worth dressing up for. Oh, Jane Kenyon, your poems are so heartbreakingly direct and beautiful!
    I’m a green tea fan myself. Iced green tea with a splash of lemonade. I saw a recipe somewhere for chai tea cookies, or something like that. I’ll have to find it.

    Like

  14. When you grow up in poverty and despair, a hot cuppa tea offers comfort like no other beverage, and poetry can lift you above your current circumstances.
    This post reminds me of the wonderful times when my nana, who came from Nottingham, England, served up tea and taught us little ditties she’d sang as a small child for the Queen. 🙂
    Thanks for laying out such a beautiful tea service for us this morning. And thanks also for bringing back those happy memories.

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  16. Clearly you’ve been drinking the wrong kind of tea! There are so many varieties, many of which do not resemble hay. Hope you give it another chance.

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  19. I’m almost exclusively a tea drinker! In fact, I’m enjoying my morning cup (with a little milk and sugar) right now!
    I’ll be back with a recipe for the to-die-for chocolate chip scones my hubby makes.

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