an emblem of fecundity--the Chinese character [. . .] (zi) means both "seed" and "offspring"--and pictures of ripe fruit bursting with seeds were often hung in houses to encourage fertility. As well as catching a moment of exquisite melancholy, therefore, this picture of a burgeoning natural world is, perhaps, loaded with more than momentary heartbreak.
[by Sin Hum, translated by Graeme Wilson]
Pomegranates
from The Times Literary Supplement: Poem of the Week: "Pomegranates"
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