Yue Lao Oracle Lot 11 · Fair, steady

自剪芭蕉寫佛經，金蓮無復印中庭。清風明月長相憶，玉管朱弦可要聽？多病不勝衣更薄，宿妝猶在酒初醒。隔年違別成何事？臥看牽牛織女星。 I cut a banana leaf to copy out a sutra, her lotus steps no longer mark the courtyard, the clear breeze and bright moon keep old memories alive, would you care to hear the jade flute and crimson strings? Often ill, too frail even for my clothes, and yet I dress more thinly, last night's makeup still on my face as I wake from the wine, what has come of a year spent apart? I lie gazing up at the Herd Boy and Weaver Girl stars.

The lot

Text notes (in Chinese): 第七句流通本作「衛星年違別」，依《香屑集》改「隔年違別」; 第二句 zhanbu 本作「無影」，依《香屑集》作「無復」; 《香屑集》第三句作「清風朗月」、第五句作「多病不任」，意思相同，照錄流通本.

Background: what the original says

The Qing dynasty writer Huang Zhijuan stitched together lines from eight different Tang poets into one poem about a woman living alone and pining for someone far away. The last line is borrowed from Du Mu's 'Autumn Evening', where she lies watching the two star lovers of Chinese legend.

This poem comes from the Xiangxie Ji (Fragrant Crumbs) by Huang Zhijun, a scholar of the Kangxi and Yongzheng reigns of the Qing dynasty. Huang loved centos, poems assembled entirely from other poets' lines, and the eighteen chapters of this collection are built wholly from Tang verse. Every borrowed line must fit the tones, parallelism and rhyme of the new poem and still read as if written in one breath. This poem portrays a woman living alone. She cuts banana leaves to copy sutras, and no footprints mark her courtyard anymore. She keeps remembering someone and wonders whether he would still care to hear her flute and zither. Often ill and thinly dressed, she wakes from wine with last night's make-up still on. What has come of a year apart, she asks, and lies watching the Herd Boy and Weaver Girl stars. The last line closes the Tang poem Autumn Evening, usually attributed to Du Mu, though some credit Wang Jian; the other lines' sources could not be confirmed here.

What it means

You are sunk in memories and longing, but the old relationship is already over. Rather than dwelling on regret, take good care of yourself; that is how you make room to welcome someone new.

Reminder: Let go of the past so there is room for someone new.

This is a plain reading of the words and their source. How it applies to your own question is best settled with the interpreter at the temple where you drew it.

How to ask Yue Lao for a lot

1. Yue Lao, the Old Man under the Moon, usually has a side shrine inside a larger temple, such as a City God temple or a Mazu temple. Follow the temple's route: pay respects to the main deity first, then go to Yue Lao.
2. Tell Yue Lao your name, birth date and address, describe where you are in love right now, and state the one question you want to ask (for example, "Will this relationship last?" or "When will I meet someone?").
3. Cast the moon blocks (jiaobei, two crescent-shaped wooden blocks) to ask whether you may draw. One face up and one face down means yes; then pull one stick and cast again to confirm it. Many temples ask for three yeses in a row; if not, draw again.
4. Collect the slip with the matching number. Yue Lao lots are quotations from old books, so the meaning often depends on the original passage. If it is unclear, ask the temple's interpreter.

Ask about one thing at a time; the more specific the question, the easier the lot is to apply. Yue Lao lots are for love and marriage only; for other matters, use the temple's general fortune poems.

Common misunderstandings

Previous: Lot 10; next: Lot 12.