Strumming the Heartstrings Again

Who is relaying my heart’s song

Allowing the beauty of its melodies to glide upon the wind,

Bringing them to those who long for my messages?

I take the ambrosia gathered throughout the ages,

Tightly sealing it in the porcelain vase—

Sequestered,

Placing it by the secret window within my heart.

My song is passionate and deep in affection, yet it is lonesome.

Though it joins the sun in joyful laughter,

And when night falls,

It rides upon the moonlight, dancing upon the waves—

Still, it is lonely.

Like a serene flower, blooming in the desolate valley

without a sound.

Until one day a pair of sacred hands

Gently holds my voice close to their heart,

Hearing the everlasting heartfelt calls, suddenly I find home.

And so, I give my songs to you

–and with them–

My heart.

For every petal of each song is earnest in its softness,

Reds of devoted efforts,

Whites of reverence,

And blues? They are of broad expanse.

You become my heart’s wings,

You are clouds, carrying the strength to nourish

Rising and soaring.

Oh, how boundless!

Astonished, I look at you, and completely forget myself.

My life, becoming you, in places around the world

Singing, and in song.

And in the tranquil night,

I receive your privileged letters,

And open them—

They are diamonds

From bead after bead of sweat,

Bead after bead of tears

Blossoming into beautiful flowers in your heart.

In the dark night, they sparkle with light.

And so moved am I that my own tears flutter into raindrops.

I gently hold them close to my heart,

Placing them as treasures on the altar.

Those keen eyes, I know they’re always looking after us.

We once wept together,

Now, let us laugh together.

Tossed and hurled by samsara’s maelstroms

In this lifetime, we meet again, and recognize one another.

Within these songs, long have we gazed upon one another.

If these melodies—

brimming with kind intentions—once lingered within your dreams,

Know that long have I placed my most precious gifts in their melodies—

Your heart’s reverence!

Your heart’s serenity!

Like a formidable vessel, you amass your force,

And you—

anchored within my heart,

sailing within my heart!

When I hear your harmonious voices in song,

It is as if

The gentle winds are murmuring to the flowers,

The birds are in lyrical song,

The bees are humming in the sun-filled spring,

The forests are rustling, and

The babbling brook is plucking strings of eternity

Trickling, trickling,

Chorusing reverence, again and again.

Likewise, you have gifted me wondrous serenity in return.

You have gifted me abundance.

White lotus, pure pristine

Peony, stately elegance

Plum blossoms—burgeoning in the billowing snow.

I hold the fragrances garnered from your devoutness!

We meet in the melodies of these songs.

And you, like flowers,

Bloom within my heart.