Summer’s radiance ...

When winter wind scratches and chafes,
we face south and the enduring warmth,

and when summer’s radiance blazes down,
we face north where frost and snow abide.

From The Mountain Poems of Hsieh Ling-yun, translated by David Hinton (New York, 2001)

The town in the country: summer

Luxurious growth

The three months of Summer are called the period of luxurious growth.

The breaths of Heaven and Earth intermingle and are beneficial.

Everything is in bloom and begins to bear fruit.

After a night of sleep people should get up early in the morning.

They should not weary during daytime and they should not allow their minds to become angry.

They should enable the best parts of their body and spirit to develop; they should enable their breath to communicate with the outside world; and they should act as though they loved everything outside.

All this is in harmony with the atmosphere of Summer and all this is the method for the protection of one’s development.

From The Yellow Emperor’s Classic of Internal Medicine, translated by Ilza Veith (Berkeley, 1966).