A seasonal poem? A meditation on death? What does one do with Bai Juyi's poem Autumn Thoughts (秋思)? Rob and Lee hash it out as they watch the leaves fall on two different continents. 

Zhu Ziqing (朱自清) wrote a short, touching essay on his father. In the essay, Retreating Figure (背影), Zhu grows up a great deal by watching his father grow old.

We thought we were done with the Song, but we just cannot get enough of it. Now, we are going back to Ouyang Xiu with a poem that features in a translation of a late Qing thinker that Rob is working on. The poem is by Ouyang Xiu, and Rob and Lee disagree about how to read it...no surprises there. 

It has happened again. For the second time this year, a billionaire has used a Chinese poem on social media in a newsworthy way. And you know we had to deal with it! This week, the world's richest man, Elon Musk, tweeted a Chinese poem about fraternal problems. The poem, which he titled "Humankind" (in English). It is not hard to understand the poem, but it is a little mysterious as to why Elon Musk is tweeting it. We tackle both problems on this week's podcast.

Seven Step Poem
One boils beans by igniting beanstalks
The beans in the kettle sob
“We were born out of the same roots
to fry together, why be this rash?”
Lee’s Translation

Original:
七步诗
煮豆燃豆萁
豆在釜中泣
本是同根生
相煎何太急？