Poem: "The Second Steep"
Today's freebie is courtesy of new prompter Dreamwidth user Dreadlordmrson from a previous discussion. It also fills the "Honey" square in my 1-1-25 card for the Public Domain Day Bingo fest. It belongs to the series Lacquerware.
"The Second Steep"
-- tanka verses
a high-ranking lord
sets aside the just-steeped leaves
of expensive tea
for his favored assistant
to have a secondhand treat
drinking second steep
is an honor that one earns
by working hard for
a master who can afford
a fresh cup of costly tea
the second steep tastes
bitter, even with honey,
therefore bitter means
hardworking and dutiful,
virtues that earn the honor
to say that someone
aspires to the first cup
is a polite way
to say power hungry, and
perhaps, not to be trusted
dear is the servant
who aspires only to
the second cup for
finding the first cup too strong
and the lord too fond to leave
* * *
Notes:
The tanka is a thirty-one-syllable poem, traditionally written in a single unbroken line. A form of waka, Japanese song or verse, tanka translates as “short song,” and is better known in its five-line, 5/7/5/7/7 syllable count form.
Tea culture is a major part of many Asian societies.
Social hierarchy is a key feature of Asian societies, often signaled by the use of luxury goods.
Looseleaf tea can often be steeped multiple times, with the flavor changing in each pour. If the first steep is very brief, it brings primarily high notes with sweet or floral characteristics, while the second steep brings more grassy and eventually bitter notes. If the first steep is longer, however, it can be quite strong while the second will be more mellow.
"The Second Steep"
-- tanka verses
a high-ranking lord
sets aside the just-steeped leaves
of expensive tea
for his favored assistant
to have a secondhand treat
drinking second steep
is an honor that one earns
by working hard for
a master who can afford
a fresh cup of costly tea
the second steep tastes
bitter, even with honey,
therefore bitter means
hardworking and dutiful,
virtues that earn the honor
to say that someone
aspires to the first cup
is a polite way
to say power hungry, and
perhaps, not to be trusted
dear is the servant
who aspires only to
the second cup for
finding the first cup too strong
and the lord too fond to leave
* * *
Notes:
The tanka is a thirty-one-syllable poem, traditionally written in a single unbroken line. A form of waka, Japanese song or verse, tanka translates as “short song,” and is better known in its five-line, 5/7/5/7/7 syllable count form.
Tea culture is a major part of many Asian societies.
Social hierarchy is a key feature of Asian societies, often signaled by the use of luxury goods.
Looseleaf tea can often be steeped multiple times, with the flavor changing in each pour. If the first steep is very brief, it brings primarily high notes with sweet or floral characteristics, while the second steep brings more grassy and eventually bitter notes. If the first steep is longer, however, it can be quite strong while the second will be more mellow.